Genesis 37:13
And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I. And Israel said unto Joseph, Do not thy brethren feed the flock in Shechem? come, and I will send thee unto them. And he said to him, Here am I.
Jacob sent Joseph from home to Shechem, where his brothers were tending the flock, to check on their welfare and bring back word about them and the flock. He was anxious because he had heard nothing from his sons, and he feared for their safety near the place where they had earlier attacked the Shechemites in violence. Their shepherding had taken them far from home, and when they were not where he expected, Joseph kept searching with loving concern until the search led him on to Dothan.
Joseph answered, Here am I, and willingly and cheerfully made the long journey out of obedience to his father and love for his brothers. He was eager to ease his father's worry and to meet them despite their unkindness. In this early part of his life he already loved to obey God, and gentleness, fidelity, and truthfulness were evident in his daily life.
Jacob did not know that his sons were concealing their hostility toward Joseph from him. They repaid Joseph's care badly. His partiality and indulgence toward Joseph had angered the brothers and helped provoke the cruel deed that separated Joseph from home, and that upbringing had also encouraged faults in Joseph that hardship would correct.