Cataclysm by family patronage – Genesis 37

Cataclysm by family patronage – Genesis 37

A Muslim must read the Torah and the Gospels

Fouhad – a Lebanese acquaintance who speaks, reads, writes classical Arabic fluently, and therefore who actually reads and knows the Koran – told me that to be a true Muslim, one must have read the Torah and the Gospels, among other things.

(The Quran 5:68) “ O People of the Book, you are not able to stand until you conform to the Torah (Old Testament) and the gospel and what has been sent down to you from from your Lord. ” .” And indeed, what has been sent down to you from your Lord will increase many of them in rebellion and disbelief . Do not worry therefore for the disbelieving people . …”

Significance of Joseph
He underlined to me the important part played by the story of Joseph (the one from the Old Testament) in the Muslim faith.

A sura, the 12, is moreover devoted to the story of Joseph.

Reconciliation

Muhammad also relies on the story of Joseph to advocate reconciliation with his defeated adversaries.

As Joseph did with his brothers, he does with his defeated adversaries.

“ I say as my brother Joseph said : Let no reproach be made to you today ; God forgive you! He is the most merciful of those who show mercy. »

Universal Echo of Joseph
I am absolutely not a specialist in the Koran, but what I note is that Joseph’s experience has an important echo in humanity.

What does the Bible say?

And I suggest you watch, in this new series, what the Bible, the source (written long before the Koran), wants to tell us through Joseph’s experience…

Is Joseph the main subject of the end of Genesis?

In fact, the Bible, with the end of the book of Genesis, does not tell us about the story of Joseph, but about another subject. Watch with me:

Esau

Chapter 36.1

1 This is the line of Esau, that is, Edom.

Jacob

Chapter 37.2

2 This is the line of Jacob.

The end of Genesis

Chapter 49

He closes this episode on the lineage of Jacob with the blessings given to his children.

End of Genesis

Chapter 50

And yet, the book of Genesis ends with Joseph.

What to understand?

How to understand this life course?

Look in the NT

The good reflex to nourish our understanding is to see in the light of the New Testament, after the victory of Christ by the resurrection; let’s see what is indicated to us to enlighten our understanding, the meaning of this exceptional journey experienced by Joseph.

No connection between Joseph (of the OT) and Jesus

Looking more closely into the New Testament, we see that there is no connection between Joseph and Jesus and that the two texts are almost unique.

Acts 7. 9-19

9 The patriarchs, jealous of Joseph, sold him to be taken to Egypt, but God was with him 10 and delivered him from all his troubles. He gave him wisdom and grace before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, who made him governor of Egypt and of all his house. 11 Then there was a famine throughout all Egypt and Canaan. The distress was great and our ancestors could not find anything to eat. 12 Jacob heard that there was wheat in Egypt and he sent our ancestors there for the first time. 13 The second time, Joseph was recognized by his brothers and Pharaoh thus learned of his origin. 14 Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and all his family, which consisted of 75 people. 15Jacob went down to Egypt, where he died, along with our ancestors.

17 The time was drawing near for the fulfillment of the promise which God had made to Abraham, and the people grew and increased in number in Egypt 18 until another king came, who had not known Joseph. 19 This king attacked our people with treachery and mistreated our ancestors to the point of making them abandon their children so that they would not survive.

clues
We have some interesting indications ( Acts 7. 9-10 ).

God was with him and delivered him from all his troubles.
He gave him wisdom and grace before Pharaoh, the king of Egypt.
Hebrews 11. 21-22

21 It was by faith that Jacob, at the time of his death, blessed each of the sons of Joseph and bowed down, leaning on the end of his staff.

22 It was by faith that Joseph, at the end of his life, mentioned the exodus of the Israelites from Egypt and gave orders concerning his bones.

Orientation of understanding through the NT

These indications from the New Testament point in the direction that the experience of Joseph shows how God watched over the line of Jacob, despite the intrigues, the difficulties, the betrayals,

watching over Joseph,
by equipping it
to be the resource person when the lineage, with which God has made covenants, is in difficulty.

Lineage that will not remain in Egypt.

explosive family life

The line of Jacob, rather the clan of Jacob (75 people tells us the book of Acts chapter 7 ), has an explosive family life, this is what we will see by reading chapter 37 of Genesis.

Genesis – Chapter 36

36 So much for Esau, the ancestor of the Edomites.

Genesis – Chapter 37

1 As for Jacob, he settled in the land of Canaan, where his father had stayed.

2 This is the line of Jacob.

At the age of 17, Joseph took care of the flock with his brothers. The boy was with the sons of Bilhah and Zilpah, his father’s wives, and he was reporting their bad words to their father. 3 Israel loved Joseph more than all his other sons because he had him in his old age, and he made him a coat of many colors. 4 His brothers noticed that their father loved him more than all of them and began to hate him. They were unable to speak to him without aggression.

The Bible does not give us the indication of Joseph’s outfit to tell us about the dress fashion of the time but to indicate that there is a strong gesture behind it.

According to what can be gathered at the archaeological level, there are several degrees of meaning.

One who wore such a garment was relieved of certain usual domestic tasks. Because of this, Joseph is no longer with his brothers as a shepherd of the family’s flocks.

Others note that for nomadic peoples, only two people wear such clothes, the clan chief and his heir.

All observers agree that it was a sign of exception, notable, dignitary.

That better explains why Joseph’s other brothers didn’t accept him…

Genesis – Chapter 37

5 Joseph had a dream, and he told it to his brothers, who hated it even more. 6 He said to them, “Listen to my dream! 7 We were tying sheaves in the middle of the field, and behold, my sheaf stood up and even remained standing. Your sheaves then surrounded her and fell down before her.” 8His brothers said to him, “Are you really going to reign over us? Are you going to rule us?” They hated him even more because of his dreams and his words.

9 Joseph had yet another dream, and he told it to his brothers. He said, “I had another dream: the sun, the moon, and eleven stars bowed down before me.” 10 He told it to his father and his brothers. His father scolded him and said, “What does the dream you had mean? Must we come, me, your mother and your brothers, to prostrate ourselves on the ground before you? 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father remembered this.

12 Joseph’s brothers had gone to take care of their father’s flock in Shechem. 13 Israel said to Joseph, “Are your brothers not tending the flock in Shechem? Go ahead! I want to send you to them.” He replied, “Here I am!” 14 Israel said to him, “Go and see if your brothers are in good health and if the flock is in good condition; you will bring me news of it.” He thus made him depart from the valley of Hebron. Joseph went to Shechem. 15 A man met him while he was wandering in the countryside and asked him, “What are you looking for?” 16 Joseph replied, “I am looking for my brothers. Tell me where they keep the flock.” 17 The man said, “They left here. Indeed, I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan.’” Joseph went after his brothers, and he found them in Dothan.

18 They saw him from afar, and before he got near them, they plotted to kill him. 19 They said to each other, “Behold the dreamer is coming! 20 Let’s go now! Let’s kill him and throw him in one of the cisterns. We will say that a ferocious beast has devoured him and we will see what will become of his dreams. 21 Reuben heard this and delivered him out of their hand. He said, “Let’s not take his life!” 22 He said to them again, “Do not shed blood! Throw him into that cistern which is in the wilderness and lay no hands against him!” He intended to deliver him from their hands to return him to his father.

23 When Joseph came to his brothers, they stripped him of his coat, the coat of many colors that he wore. 24 They seized him and threw him into the pit. This one was empty: there was no water. 25 Then they sat down to eat. Looking up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites who had come from Gilead. Their camels were laden with spices, balsam and myrrh which they carried to Egypt. 26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What will we gain by killing our brother and hiding his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and lay no hands on him, for he is our brother, he is of our flesh.” His brothers listened to him. 28 When the Midian merchants passed, they shot and brought up Joseph from the cistern,

29 When Reuben returned to the cistern, he found that Joseph was no longer there. He tore his clothes, 30 returned to his brothers and said, “He is no longer there! And me, where can I go?” 31 So they took Joseph’s robe, killed a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They sent the coat of many colors to their father with this message: “This is what we have found. Know then whether it is your son’s habit or not.”

33 Jacob recognized him and said, “This is my son’s coat! A wild beast devoured him, Joseph was torn to pieces!” 34 Jacob tore his clothes, put sackcloth around his waist, and mourned his son for a long time. 35 All his sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “In mourning I will descend to my son in hell,” and he was mourning his son.

36 As for the Midianites, they sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh who was chief of the guard.

Two Ironies

There are two ironies in this text:

1)

Jacob tricked his father Isaac, disguising himself as Esau to get the blessing, the birthright.
Jacob is tricked by his sons who paint Joseph’s tunic in blood to make it look like he’s gone.
2)

Joseph is sold as a slave.
The line of Jacob will be slaves.
Irony or divine justice?

Is that ironic?

Is this an aspect of God’s justice?

Yes God is grace, love, benevolence, and at the same time, He is in the same way, just…

If we look at David’s life, his sins –

. adultery ( 2 Samuel 11 and 12),

due to the census forbidden by God ( 2 Samuel 24 )
even if there was repentance,
even though God continued to watch over David
had consequences.

May the Lord help us to ponder this subject with the help of His Spirit and may we be encouraged to lead our lives with clarity.

What about Joseph’s attitude?

The assessment of Joseph’s attitude in this chapter is not obvious. , there are no indications in the Bible that can enlighten us.

Never any human heroes in the Bible

No human heroes in the Bible, except Jesus who was perfect!

All the great characters of which we have an echo in the Bible are sinners like you and me:

“all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. »

Romans 3.23

Pay attention to how to convey Bible stories
Be careful in the teaching that we transmit!

Let us not make David, Joseph, Gideon or others heroes of the Bible when we share the word of God, because when our listeners later read what is written in the Bible, they can discover things not very bright in their lives.

Our readers could then find themselves duped and destabilized, whereas it is the way in which one or the other biblical character has been embellished that is in question.

The only hero of the Bible is God!
If Joseph will show remarkable aspects in his life, aspects to imitate, he remains a sinner like you and me…

What about Joseph?
Two lines of thought for this chapter of Joseph: the dreams had to be known, the rest of the story will show us that. (Besides Jacob records well the importance of these dreams verse 11).

However, did this have to be revealed to everyone, when Joseph was already the object of the tension, the aggressiveness of his brothers?

Did Joseph have to report all the failings of his brothers to his father?

Favoritism to banish
Still, the favoritism shown by Jacob for Joseph, vis-à-vis all the other brothers, is a bad idea.

The victims become the executioners
Someone , whom I know very well , witnessed, during his nursing studies , the “ cowardice ” of certain graduate nurses who have been in place for years .

But the worst thing is that once they graduated, those who had been victims of these not very nice things when they were students, reproduced the same “bad things” that they denounced and suffered when they were students …

Jacob victim of favoritism, reproduces the same thing later

Jacob does the same.

He knows very well what it means not to be the favorite son, because his father Isaac preferred his brother Esau; it was in this capacity that Jacob tricked to obtain Isaac’s blessings ( Genesis 27. 1-40 ).

Jacob knew the consequences:

exile ( Genesis 27. 41 – 31) and
fear of vendetta from Esau ( Genesis 32 ).
And he reproduces the same things in his family: the favoritism towards Joseph is at the origin of all the tension which will degenerate until a plan of murder for Joseph.

Favoritism in a family is a deadly family poison!

It’s up to us to be careful
Could we take anything away from it, as parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts?

Values ​​to which we are attached

It is certain that according to our characters, the values ​​to which we attach great importance, we are going to be more sensitive to their expressions in the lives of the little ones who are close to us.

If I like to eat cleanly, if I am affectionate/affectionate, if I am sporty/athletic, if I am academic, if I am manual/manual, I would have a strong tendency to like those who are…

Birth
If the birth was expected or delicate, we will tend to have a particular affection that can turn into a preference…

Disability
If the child has a disability.

One of my goddaughters has Down’s syndrome, she’s so nice, poor thing! Nothing at all, she’s a rascal who can be a tornado, if she doesn’t have the same frame as her other brothers and sisters.

Two good news
Of course, we are not arrows and certainly we have not always been righteous in this area, because we are fallen and sinners.

We can ask forgiveness from our children and we can forgive our parents.

1) Lean on Christ and the support of His Spirit to aim for divine balance and this is a real subject that we can bring back to prayer.

2) If there are two of us, as parents or grandparents, may God help us balance and encourage us together in this direction.

What am I learning from God?

The biblical text is not there primarily to tell us past stories or for us, but first and foremost, the Bible tells us about God.

What am I learning from God? Here in this text He is not quoted much, if at all.

However, the two dreams of Joseph are clearly given by God, the following will show us.

God gives two indications to Joseph and, by extension, to the whole clan of what He will do…

The first dream is a bit enigmatic, when it is given to Joseph, but one understands Joseph’s elevation vis-à-vis his brothers;
the meaning of the second was grasped by Jacob ( Genesis 37.10 ). Joseph will be elevated above all the clan, to a rank that compels the rest of the clan to deference.
God announces it and
He will do it,
whatever men decide or do.

God knows in advance.

God is sovereign.

God has the capacity for this sovereignty.

Whatever the brethren intended to do, whatever the brethren did, or whatever Joseph does, God will accomplish what He has planned.

God does what He has decided

These aspects of the personality of God are beyond us,

His all knowledge,
Its all capacity,
despite men’s personal choices.

At the same time God takes into account human choices

And at the same time, we see that our decisions have consequences.

We see throughout the Bible that God expects us to make the best choices.

These two facts underline the greatness of God. In our limited understanding, because we are created, we fail to reconcile the full knowledge of God and our freedom of choice.

But for God, these two aspects which seem opposite pose no problem.

It would be vain to try to understand!
On the other hand, what happiness to be in the hand of the One who knows everything in advance and who knows everything in advance of… my life, so that I can abandon myself to Him, so that I can enter into the things that I ‘It has all time laid down for me.

He has planned something special for Joseph which will be the human tool allowing the line of Jacob to survive and live, as well as all the Egyptian people!

And, for all that, Joseph’s life does not unfold in a triumphant way, at least not at the beginning…

Choice of others
He suffers the bad choices of his brothers; at the end of this chapter, he is deported as a slave to a foreign country.

Joseph’s Personal Choices
However, Joseph will have to make personal choices, in tune with God or make the opposite choices.

Joseph will have to make decisions that will have consequences in the direction of his life.

Our personal choices
God knows our lives just as well.

God wants us to make His best decisions.

That we can, at all times of life, support ourselves

on Christ,
on His Spirit,
so that we enter into the most beautiful score that He intends for us.