Joseph is the miracle child of Rachel and Jacob, the child that would seemingly never come.
Rachel, the daughter of Laban, caught the eye of Jacob the moment they met. He had agreed to work for her father for seven years in exchange for her hand in marriage and did so. What Jacob failed to understand was that custom dictated that the oldest daughter be married before the younger, Rachel was the younger sister to Leah. Jacob's desire overshadowed his understanding of tradition and God's way. At the end of his seven year, Laban threw a party. That night, after Jacobs had partied and consumed much drink Laban "took his daughter Leah and brought her to Jacob, and Jacob consummated the marriage with her." Genesis 29:23 "In the morning Jacob was amazed: it was Leah!" Genesis 29:25 If only Jacob had listened, had respected custom, had been patient, he would not have been duped, but because he refused to accept it and worked seven years with the illusion that he would get his way, that he would marry Rachel, his fate was sealed. He was betrothed to a women he did not love.
You've got to give him credit though, Jacob is not a quitter. He is still fervently in love with Rachel, not at all willing to back down from her hand in marriage. He cries out to Laban, offering to work another seven years in order to marry the woman he truly loves, Rachel. Laban agrees, after all his first daughter has been married off, all be it to the man asking for his youngest, but custom has been held. So..."He finished the bridal week with Leah, and them Laban gave him his daughter Rachel in marriage." Genesis 29:28 "Jacob them consummated his marriage with Rachel also, and he loved her more than Leah." Genesis 29:30
What nobody seems to have concerned themselves with is "should I"? Is it right to have done this...to have pitted two sisters against each other in marriage. For me, it is no surprise that the girls will be jealous of each other. Poor Leah is just one week into her marriage, to a man she knows would rather have her sister, even though he is sleeping with her, there is no time to get to know each other, no time to form a bond or begin to unite as man and wife. Jacob is too preoccupied with Rachel, once she's his wife, to concern himself with Leah, who is heartbroken.
This is where God steps in, and makes Leah fruitful, she bears Jacob a son right away and names his Rueben. "When the Lord saw that Leah was unloved, he made her fruitful, while Rachel remained barren." Genesis 29:31 "When Rachel saw that she failed to bear children to Jacob, she became envious of her sister." Genesis 30:1 With understanding, right? Rachel is standing by as her husband has child after child, sons to be exact, with her sister and she has none. Leah, understandably so, is also jealous, her husband loves her sister more than he loves her. He chooses to sleep with Rachel, over Leah. She gets desperate, "was it not enough for you to take away my husband, that you must now take my son's mandrakes too?" Genesis 30:15 she wagers some of her son's mandrakes in exchange for a night with Jacob. Leah conceives and bares a fifth son to Jacob.
The relationship between the sister is volatile and stressful for a long time, yet both are praying. "Then God remembered Rachel; he heard her prayer and made her fruitful. She conceived and more a son, and she said, 'God has removed my disgrace'. So she named him Joseph, meaning, 'May the Lord add another son to this one for me!' " Genesis 30:22-24 She is grateful for her blessing, but wants more.
It's a common theme between Isaac, Jacob's father, and his bloodline. If we are constantly seeking more, how are we enjoying and being thankful for what we have? The same goes for forgiveness, if we are preoccupied with jealousy, desiring things others have, we aren't fully appreciating the blessing bestowed on us.
Joseph though changes all of this. He is the favorite child of his father, Jacob, who "loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic." Genesis 37:3
Jacob is again breaking tradition! Reuben, born of Leah, is his oldest son, the child who should receive his special blessings and gifts, yet Joseph, his current youngest son, is his favorite, the one for whom receives his attention and gifts. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that jealousy will again spring up between sibling in this family. Leah's sons become jealous of Joseph, so much so that, "they plotted to kill him." Genesis 37:18 Although this plot is foiled, the brothers succeed in ridding themselves of Joseph, by selling him "to Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver." Genesis 37:28 Eventually Joseph ends up in Egypt, as a slave to Potiphar, a courtier to Pharaoh.
Joseph doesn't just have it rough, he's ben handed a miserable hand in life. Not only was he hated by his brother, whom he loved, he's been sold into slavery, only to be pursued by Potiphar's wife. When Joseph refuses her advances, doing what is right, he is blackmailed! Potiphar's wife "kept part the cloak with her until his master came home. Then she told him the same story: 'The Hebrew slave whom you brought here broke in on me, to make sport of me.'" Genesis 39:16-17 At this Joseph is wrongly accused and put in jail.
Wow! Joseph has every reason to be angry, to blame, to scream, to demand justice, but he doesn't. He is isn't any of those things, he is devout to God, because of his faith, "even while in prison, the Lord remained with Joseph; he showed him kindness by making the chief jailer well-disposed toward him." Genesis 39:21 Joseph has a gift, he can interpret dreams, which he says "surely, interpretations come from God." Genesis 40:8 This gift gets him noticed. He interprets the dreams of two of his fellow prisoners, the chief cupbearer and the baker to Pharaoh. Although the interpretations are much different, positive for the cupbearer and negative for the baker, the interpretations come true. The cupbearer is so thankful, so impressed, he promises to tell Pharaoh about Joseph. Things are looking up!
Poor Joseph can't catch a break! Although the cupbearers good news comes true and he is released from jail, "the chief cupbearer gave no thought to Joseph; he had forgotten him." Genesis 40:23 and Joseph continues to be incarcerated until Pharaoh himself has dreams that are so disturbing he wakes agitated. No one can interpret his dreams and he needs answers. "Then the cupbearer spoke up" Genesis 41:8 and remembers Joseph's gift. Joseph is summoned and interprets the dreams...stating there will be seven years of plenty, during which we must store food, for following the abundance will be seven years of famine. Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge and he gets to work right away, "although there was famine in all other countries, food was available throughout the land of Egypt." Genesis 41:54
Joseph doesn't harbor resentment, even though he was jailed by false witness, by lies told. He prays while in jail, he waits for God's blessings, which he happily receives, when put to work by Pharaoh, with what some might consider an arduous task - to prepare the entire land of Egypt for a coming plague. Joseph does his job and he does it well. He knows that God will advice and provide. When Joseph's brothers arrive in Egypt seeking food he recognizes them instantly, although they do not recognize him. He doesn't turn them away, he doesn't scream at them, shouting out their horrible deed against him, he "turns away from them, and wept" Genesis 42:24 then he fills their bags with grain.
Now he holds back Simeon, because he doesn't believe them when they say how many are in their family, to receive their rations. He is the youngest brother, to his knowledge, and is only upset that they are lying to get more then their due share. Joseph tells his bothers to produce this "youngest brother" and he will return Simeon. He wan't to KNOW if his brothers will rally together, do the right thing, stand up for and protect each other, unlike what they did to him. He still isn't jealous, he is't envious, he isn't upset.
When the brothers return with their youngest brother, Benjamin, the son of Rachel and Jacob, Joseph is overtaken with emotion. He learns that his mother is dead and that he has a brother. He has to KNOW how his brothers, the son's of Leah, will treat his brother, so he has a gold cup put in the rations bag of Benjamin. As the brothers are getting ready to leave, he accuses them of theft and has each bag checked. Of course, no surprise to Joseph, the stolen "goblet turned up in Benjamin's bag." Genesis 44:12 Josephs declares that Benjamin will become his slave, for having stolen the goblet and tells the others that they are free to return home. "Judah then stepped up to him and said: I beg you, my lord,...the boy cannot leave his father; his father would die if he were to leave him." Genesis 44: 18, 21 "Let me, your servant, therefore, remain in place of the boy as the slave of my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers." Genesis 44:33
Joseph got his answer, his happy conclusion, the closure he deserved and sought...his brothers born of Leah had in deed learned a lesson, to love their half-brother, born of Rachel. The families jealousy streak was finally over, for Joseph could bare the situation no longer, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, whom you once sold into Egypt. But now do not distress, and do not reproach yourselves for having sold me here. It was really for the sake of saving lives that God sent me here ahead of you." Genesis 45: 4-6 He doesn't stop there, he invites them, all of them, to join him in Egypt and tell them "I will provide for you" Genesis 45:11.
This is such a profound lesson. Joseph was wronged, terribly wronged, yet he forgave. Forgiving someone who has wronged you, truly done something terrible, hurtful, sinful, rude, etc. is a difficult thing to do, but it is what God wants us to do. Forgiveness isn't really for the perpetrator, it is really for YOU, for your peace, for your ability to move on. That sounds selfish, but its really not. God wants us to be happy, he wants us to love life, to live a life that is filled with him and not convoluted by worldly things, even emotions such as jealousy and anger. When we forgive, we allow ourselves to let go and let God!
Not yet convinced? Let's turn to scripture:
*print the FREE scripture guide, just click on the above pic or go to:
Today's reflection question, for Genesis 37 is a great place to start, to seek your own peace...
and I will end with one last question: Who in your life to you need to FORGIVE?
Maybe not because they deserve it, but because you do.
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