Genesis

Chapter Thirty-seven

Preface

Starting with this chapter, and on to the end of book, Genesis centers on the third notable descendant of Abraham.  From Abraham there came Isaac, then Jacob, and now Joseph.  More chapters are devoted to Joseph than to Abraham or to any of his other descendants.  Joseph is a very important figure in the Old Testament for at least a couple of reasons.  First, he is a good and honorable man—a living example of Philippians 4:8 (Finally, brethren, whatever things are true, whatever things are noble, whatever things are just, whatever things are pure, whatever things are lovely, whatever things are of good report, if there is any virtue and if there is anything praiseworthy--meditate on these things.).  Second, and the most important one, is that Joseph may be considered as a “type” of Christ, even though this is not specifically specified anywhere in the New Testament.

There have been described up to 130 similarities between Joseph and Jesus Christ.  Among them are the following:

   

    Both experienced a miraculous birth.

    Both were loved by their father.

    Both were the favorite son of a wealthy father.

    Both declared that they would rule their brethren.
    Both were rejected and hated by their brethren without just cause.
    Both were sold for the price of a slave.
    Both were conspired against by their brethren.
    Both were reconciled to their brethren (Joseph in life; Christ in death).
    Both provided bread to their brethren (Jesus is the “bread of life”).
    Both were saviors to their people and the gentiles.
    Both loved, pardoned, and elevated those who hated them.
    Both were shepherds.
    Both were taken into Egypt to avoid being killed.
    Both began their ministry at the age of thirty.
    Both were filled with the Spirit of God.
    Both were humble and unspoiled by wealth.
    Both loved people freely.
    Both gained the confidence of others quickly.
    Both gave bread to hungry people that came to them.
    Both resisted the most difficult temptations.
    Both were given vision into the future.
    Both were hated for their teachings.
    Both were falsely accused.
    Both were silent before their accuser.
    Both were condemned between two prisoners.
    Both were not recognized by their own brethren.
    Both became a servant.
    Both became a lord / Lord.

The following account of Joseph by the Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Zondervan Publishing House, 1981, is of value:

As a youngster, Joseph was overconfident.  His natural self-assurance, increased by being Jacob’s favorite son and by knowing of God’s designs on his life, was unbearable to his ten older brothers, who eventually conspired against him.  But this self-assurance, molded by pain and combined with a personal knowledge of God, allowed him to survive and prosper where most would have failed.  He added quiet wisdom to his confidence and won the hearts of everyone he met—Potiphar, the warden, other prisoners, the king, and after many years, even those ten brothers.

Perhaps you can identify with one or more of these hardships Joseph experienced:  he was betrayed and deserted by his family, exposed to sexual temptation, and punished for doing the right thing; he endured a long imprisonment and was forgotten by those he helped.  As you read his story, note what Joseph did in each case.  His positive response transformed each setback into a step forward.  He didn’t spend much time asking “Why?”  His approach was “What shall I do now?”  Those who met Joseph were aware that wherever he went and whatever he did, God was with him.  When you’re facing a setback, the beginning of Joseph-like attitude is to acknowledge that God is with you.  There is nothing like his presence to shed new light on a dark situation.

Strengths and accomplishments:

·         Rose in power from slave to ruler of Egypt

·         Was known for his personal integrity

·         Was a man of spiritual sensitivity

·         Prepared a nation to survive a famine

Weakness and mistake:

·         His youthful pride caused friction with his brothers

Lessons from his life:

·         What matters is not so much the events or circumstances of life, but your response to them

·         With God’s help, any situation can be used for good, even when others intend it for evil

Vital statistics:

·         Where:  Canaan, Egypt

·         Occupation:  Shepherd, slave, convict, ruler

·         Relatives:  Parents:  Jacob and Rachel.  Eleven brothers and one sister named in the Bible.  Wife:  Asenath.  Sons:  Manasseh and Ephraim

Key verse:

“So Pharaoh asked them, ‘Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?’” (Genesis 41:38)

Joseph’s story is told in Genesis 30-50;  He is also mentioned in Hebrews 11:22

Joseph was Jacob’s (Israel’s) 11^th son.  A listing of Jacob’s sons in chronological order of their births follows:

(Jacob’s one daughter was Dinah whose mother was Leah)

Genesis 37:1-11

Now Jacob dwelt in the land where his father was a stranger, in the land of Canaan.  This is the history of Jacob. Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brothers. And the lad was with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought a bad report of them to his father.  Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age. Also he made him a tunic of many colors.  But when his brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers, they hated him and could not speak peaceably to him.  Now Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers; and they hated him even more.  So he said to them, “Please hear this dream which I have dreamed: There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf.” And his brothers said to him, “Shall you indeed reign over us? Or shall you indeed have dominion over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.  Then he dreamed still another dream and told it to his brothers, and said, “Look, I have dreamed another dream. And this time, the sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to me.” So he told it to his father and his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have dreamed? Shall your mother and I and your brothers indeed come to bow down to the earth before you?” And his brothers envied him, but his father kept the matter in mind.

There is little doubt that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son because of two factors:  (1) Joseph was the first son of his one true love, Rachael; and (2) Joseph was a miraculous baby in answer to prayer, who was given to Jacob by God in his old age.  Unfortunately, Jacob allowed his favoritism for Joseph to be evident to his other sons; and this produced in them ill-will toward Joseph.  Favoritism by any parent toward any one of multiple children will produce the same result.  Such an emotion has no place in the arena of fairness; but if so, it should always be kept a secret from everyone, even one’s spouse, for the well-being of all concerned.  Parents may not be able to change their feelings toward a favorite child, but they can change their actions toward their other children.

In Joseph’s day, everyone wore a robe or cloak.  Robes had several uses:  for warmth and protection from the elements, to bundle belongings for a trip, as baby wraps, as a seating pad, and as surety for a loan.  Most robes were knee length, with short or no sleeves, and plain in material and appearance.  In contrast, robes of royalty were longer, had sleeves, and were colorful.  The phrase “many colors” comes from the Hebrew word pac, whose meaning is uncertain.  In other translations it is translated “long sleeves” or “richly ornamented.”  No matter the translation, it was a very special robe that served as an emblem of Jacob’s preferential treatment of Joseph and as a symbol of Jacob’s discrimination toward his other children.

In addition to the obvious favoritism by Jacob toward Joseph, his brothers may also have been aware that Joseph told on them when they were either mischievous or down-right terrible in conduct.  Then, to top it off, Joseph shared his dreams with his brethren, and even his parents, which were interpreted as prophecy that one day they would be ruled by Joseph.  These dreams only fueled the fire of jealously and hatred for Joseph by his brothers; but, his father Jacob, having prior personal experience with God in the night (Genesis 32:24-29), seriously considered them.

Genesis 37:12-20

Then his brothers went to feed their father's flock in Shechem.  And Israel said to Joseph, “Are not your brothers feeding the flock in Shechem? Come, I will send you to them.” So he said to him, “Here I am.”  Then he said to him, “Please go and see if it is well with your brothers and well with the flocks, and bring back word to me.” So he sent him out of the Valley of Hebron, and he went to Shechem.  Now a certain man found him, and there he was, wandering in the field. And the man asked him, saying, “What are you seeking?” So he said, “I am seeking my brothers. Please tell me where they are feeding their flocks.”  And the man said, “They have departed from here, for I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them in Dothan.  Now when they saw him afar off, even before he came near them, they conspired against him to kill him.  Then they said to one another, “Look, this dreamer is coming!  Come therefore, let us now kill him and cast him into some pit; and we shall say, 'Some wild beast has devoured him.' We shall see what will become of his dreams!”

It is interesting that Joseph’s brethren (minus Benjamin) were not at the location intended by their father.  This too may have been a factor for their intended action to kill Joseph when they saw him coming in the field.  In addition to their intense hatred toward him because of their father’s favoritism toward him and for his dream-revelations, they may not have wanted him to report what may have been their extracurricular activities.  Of course, this is only musing on this writer’s part.  But for sure they had reached a place of hatred for Joseph that was so intense that they seriously wanted to murder him.

Could jealously ever make you feel like killing someone?  Before saying, “Of course not,” look at what happened in this story.  Ten men were willing to kill their younger brother over a robe and a few reported dreams.  Their deep jealously had grown into ugly rage, completely blinding them to what was right.  Jealously can be difficult to recognize because our reasons for it seem to make sense.  But left unchecked, jealously grows quickly and leads to serious sins.  The longer you cultivate jealous feelings, the harder it is to uproot them.  The time to deal with jealousy is when you notice yourself keeping score of what others have. (Life Application Bible, mentioned above)

Genesis 37:21-27

But Reuben heard it, and he delivered him out of their hands, and said, “Let us not kill him.”  And Reuben said to them, “Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit which is in the wilderness, and do not lay a hand on him”—that he might deliver him out of their hands, and bring him back to his father.  So it came to pass, when Joseph had come to his brothers, that they stripped Joseph of his tunic, the tunic of many colors that was on him.  Then they took him and cast him into a pit. And the pit was empty; there was no water in it.  And they sat down to eat a meal. Then they lifted their eyes and looked, and there was a company of Ishmaelites, coming from Gilead with their camels, bearing spices, balm, and myrrh, on their way to carry them down to Egypt.  So Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is there if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?  Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh.” And his brothers listened.

It is interesting that it was Jacob’s son Reuben, who had already lost his position as “favorite son,” a position traditionally held for the eldest son, who came up with a plan to save Joseph.  As the elder son, his other nine brothers listened to him and went along with his suggested plan, not knowing his intent, thinking in some disillusioned manner that their action of just “letting Joseph die a horrible death of thirst and hunger” would not be as serious a matter as outright slaying him.  In this way they would assuage (mollify or make less) their feelings of guilt over their intended action.  But even a “lesser than two evils” action is inappropriate.  A “workable solution” to any problem must first qualify as one that is “just or right.”

But as nine of the brothers (minus Reuben) were eating a meal, they conceived of another plan when they saw the company of Ishmaelites traveling from Gilead on their way to Egypt.  Judah, the 4^th son of Jacob, came up with the plan of selling Joseph to them to be taken as a slave to Egypt.  As they considered this, they most likely thought that Joseph would not survive long as a slave.  In this way they were quite willing to allow the cruel slave traders to do their work for them, completely assuaging their guilt.  Joseph would be facing a 30-day journey through the desert, probably chained and on foot.  He would be treated like baggage; and once in Egypt, would be sold as a piece of merchandise.  They thought they would never see Joseph again—but God was in control of Joseph’s life.

Then Midianite traders passed by; so the brothers pulled Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. And they took Joseph to Egypt.  Then Reuben returned to the pit, and indeed Joseph was not in the pit; and he tore his clothes.  And he returned to his brothers and said, “The lad is no more; and I, where shall I go?”  So they took Joseph's tunic, killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the tunic in the blood.  Then they sent the tunic of many colors, and they brought it to their father and said, “We have found this. Do you know whether it is your son's tunic or not?” And he recognized it and said, “It is my son's tunic. A wild beast has devoured him. Without doubt Joseph is torn to pieces.” Then Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth on his waist, and mourned for his son many days.  And all his sons and all his daughters arose to comfort him; but he refused to be comforted, and he said, “For I shall go down into the grave to my son in mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.  Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.

The caravan that was passing by, along with the Ishmaelites (descendants of Ishmael, Abraham’s son), also contained a contingent of Midianites (descendants of Midian, Abraham’s son).  But it was specifically to the Ishmaelites that the brothers sold Joseph for 20 shekels (approximately 8 ounces or 0.2 kilograms) of silver.  It’s interesting that when Reuben returned to the pit and found it empty, his first concern appears to be about himself instead of Joseph.

To cover their evil deed, the brothers deceived their father into thinking Joseph was dead.  Jacob himself had deceived others many times (including his own father—27:35).  So here again, he was made to face the consequences of his past sins.  God may not have punished Jacob immediately for his deceit, but the consequences came nevertheless and stayed with him for most of the rest of his life.  Tearing one’s clothes and wearing sackcloth were signs of mourning, much like wearing black today.  Jacob was convinced that he would continue his mourning until the day he died, when by his own words he confirmed his faith in life after death by saying, “I shall go down into the grave to my son.”

Now the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh and captain of the guard.  Joseph, having lived as a nomad during his lifetime, is now introduced to the world’s most advanced civilization, with great pyramids, beautiful homes, a totally different language and a highly sophisticated culture.  What a culture-shock he must have experienced.  In addition, he was no longer “free.”  But as advanced and civilized as the Egyptians may have been and no matter how many gods as they paid homage to, Joseph was soon to learn that they were spiritually blind.