Today's Scripture Reading (September 4, 2021): Genesis 37
I come from a family that seems to love to do puzzles and models of various kinds. My grandchildren have picked up the practice by putting together their intricate Lego puzzles that they request as gifts for numerous occasions. And my dream is to pick up the practice once I retire. I already have my eye on a few Lego models that I would love to have the time to build. But doing a puzzle or building a model takes time and patience, especially if you want to do it properly. You have to attend to every small detail if you want the project to turn out correctly. Even just one missing piece will spoil the result of the process.
As you read the story of Joseph, every piece of the tale moves the story forward, and every part of the story
is essential. Every action and reaction is necessary, regardless of how unwise those activities might seem to be. And the story begins with Jacob's favoritism of his young son, Joseph. Every parent
knows the damage that can be caused by partiality, and Jacob knew it firsthand. He had been his mother's favorite, while his brother Esau was the favorite of his
father. This system of parental favoritism had a significant impact on his life. But that didn't stop Jacob from having his own favorite son, Joseph. Joseph's favored status in the family resulted in jealousy
from his brothers. The Bible says that his brothers, with the likely exception
of Benjamin, Joseph's
younger full brother,
hated him. And that was before Joseph had a dream.
Joseph seemed to be either oblivious to his brothers' hatred or was so secure in his position that he just didn't care. Either way, it is, at a minimum, a lack of tact that Joseph exercises
when he tells his brothers about his dreams. In the first dream, Joseph and his
brothers were out in the field, sheaving the grain. Suddenly, the sheaves themselves
stand up, and the sheaves that the brothers are working with bow down to Joseph's. Knowing the hatred the brothers had for Joseph; it would have been wise for Joseph to have kept this
dream to himself. But he doesn't, and the result was that the brothers hated Joseph
even more.
Did Joseph intend to lead his brothers? Maybe Joseph aspired to become the
leader of the family.
And it was possible, after all, his father Jacob had taken the leadership position in
his family from his slightly older brother Esau. But it seems unlikely that Joseph
actually expected to lead his brothers. The dream probably surprised Joseph as
much as it infuriated his brothers.
But it was part of the puzzle. And for it to all work
out, every moment had to go as planned. Joseph had to become the favorite, the
brothers had to hate him, the dream had to infuriate, and another dream needed to provoke the brothers into action. Joseph had to be
saved from death, sold into slavery, put into prison, only to be rescued by the Pharaoh of Egypt so that
he could rise in power in the Pharaoh's government. And when the famine came, and his
brothers came to Egypt for food, they would fulfill the dream and bow down
before their brother, although they would not know it was him. If any piece in the puzzle were missing, the result would have been a disaster for
the family of Israel (Jacob). But instead, all of this fulfilled a plan. The
story of Joseph is aptly summed up at the end of the story.
But Joseph said to them, "Don't
be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God
intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving
of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will
provide for you and your children." And he reassured them and spoke
kindly to them (Genesis 50:19-21).
God used every moment to complete
his puzzle. And when the last piece had fallen into place, a family was saved
from famine. And God's story would be able to continue to the next generation.
Tomorrow's Scripture Reading: Genesis 38
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