According to the book of Genesis.
By: Peter Qeko Jere
The Old Testament is unique and very special in biblical history because it has situations where God almighty dealt with normal human beings who once lived on this planet. One such account is the history and life of Joseph in the book of Genesis, which humanity cannot afford to ignore it.
To begin with, in Chapter 37, we have an account of a young man Joseph so much loved by his father Jacob. His father demonstrated and displayed his affections and fatherly love by giving him the coat of many colours (Gen 37:3). This coat prevented him from any manual labour. While his father loved him, his eleven brothers hated and despised him (Gen 37:4). In addition to the coat of many colours his father gave him, Genesis 37:5-11 says that his brothers hated him the more because of the two dreams he had as follows;
In the first dreamt Joseph was reaping in the field and his eleven brothers sheaves gathered around and bowed down to his sheaf. In the second dream, he saw the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to him. Now because of these dreams, the hatred grew to the point of death. His brothers were much more dangerous together than they were alone. As he was coming to see them near Dothan one day they plotted to kill him and they said, “ Here comes the dreamer…come now lets kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him then we will see what comes of his dreams (Gen 37:19)”. After further consultations amongst themselves, they however resolved to sell him to the Ishmaelites who were passing by on their way to Egypt. The business transaction was done and Joseph was sold at the price of twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt where they in turn sold him again to Potiphar who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.
This time Joseph was separated from his father and all kinsmen and the bible says that God extended his favour upon him as he blessed every place and everything he did. Because of him, God blessed Potiphar’s house. His presence in the house gave birth to prosperity. He was not only a blessing in Potiphar’s house but also in prison. He was later jailed because of Potiphar’s wife immoral schemes (Gen 39:11-19). While in prison the Lord granted him favour and kindness and was made in charge of all prisoners. It was in this prison that Joseph interpreted the Baker and the Cupbearer’s dreams. As if this was not enough, Pharaoh had a very complicated dream that baffled the mind of men. There was no-one able to interpret this dream on the entire planet. However Joseph was available and managed to interpret this huge dream. He told Pharaoh that the dream meant that there was to be seven years of plenty food and seven years of terrible famine in the entire land of Egypt. Because of the writing on the wall that Pharaoh saw from Joseph interpretation of his dream, he decided to offer him the job and he said, “ I hereby put you (Joseph) in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Gen 41:41). Thus pharaoh made Joseph Prime Minster and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. He was the first non-Egyptian to hold such a high political office in Egypt. As minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Joseph stored up huge quantities of grains like the sand of the sea during the first seven years of plenty. It was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure (Gen 41:49).
After the seven years of plenty, there came the seven years of terrible famine that affected the middle east and the whole world respectively. During this time, the whole world, rushed to Egypt to buy grain for their survivor. Joseph, the Egyptian Prime Minster (second in command to Pharaoh), was the only hope and existing life-line for the entire human kind. This famine didn’t spare the Jacob’s family in Canaan. He ordered his children to go down to Egypt to buy some grain for their survivor. Jacob and his children had no idea that Joseph whom they sold twenty-two years ago was the one now in charge of this food security in Egypt. This was Joseph whom if anything, his brothers hated, despised and wished him dead. This was Joseph whom God blessed that he was now the Prime Minster and Minster of Agriculture and Food Security in Egypt something which his brothers never thought of during that consultation before they sold him to the Ishmaelites.
When his brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph recognized them and became their savour. He provided food for them and never revenged their brutality done on him. During this time, Joseph’s two dreams came to pass because all of them bowed down to him when they arrived in Egypt. They had no option this time because they were meeting the highest man of authority in Egypt though they had no idea that this man was their very brother whom they sold twenty-two years ago when he was seventeen years old. Therefore we need to note the following:
Firstly is that Joseph’s action, welcoming his brothers and providing food for them, shows a huge amount of forgiveness. I do not know how we could have handled this situation if we were in Joseph’s shoes. Majority of us could take drastic measures making sure that they heavily pay for all the pain caused on us. However it is amazing to note that Joseph forgave them and became their very life- line. Joseph’s action is the very a model which we need to emulate. We simply need to forgive no matter what and we have no rights whatever not to forgive. Joseph’s action coincides with the New Testament situation where our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross forgave us once and for all” (Luke 23: 34)
Secondly is that we need to demonstrate mercy and kindness to all people because we do not know what the Lord has in stored for them in future. We also do not know what shall become of us in years to come. At the same time we do not know what shall become of us in years to come. Those we despise, hate, have already destroyed or want to destroy and pull down shall be the same people whom the Lord shall bless some day. This physically happened in the life of Joseph who was sold and hated by his brothers who had no idea what was to become of him in years later.
Finally is that the destiny of God’s children (though in poverty or despised) is in God’s hands. Him alone knows what He has in stored for them and what kind of destiny they shall have. Therefore we should not segregate, hate, despise, destroy or even kill because it is possible that their situations shall change some day and we shall be at their mercy. At the same time the Joseph account should teach us to be extra careful on how we handle and treat various people because if not careful, we shall one day regret and blame ourself when the same pain we inflicted on others shall backfire on us.
By: Peter Qeko Jere
The Old Testament is unique and very special in biblical history because it has situations where God almighty dealt with normal human beings who once lived on this planet. One such account is the history and life of Joseph in the book of Genesis, which humanity cannot afford to ignore it.
To begin with, in Chapter 37, we have an account of a young man Joseph so much loved by his father Jacob. His father demonstrated and displayed his affections and fatherly love by giving him the coat of many colours (Gen 37:3). This coat prevented him from any manual labour. While his father loved him, his eleven brothers hated and despised him (Gen 37:4). In addition to the coat of many colours his father gave him, Genesis 37:5-11 says that his brothers hated him the more because of the two dreams he had as follows;
In the first dreamt Joseph was reaping in the field and his eleven brothers sheaves gathered around and bowed down to his sheaf. In the second dream, he saw the sun, the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to him. Now because of these dreams, the hatred grew to the point of death. His brothers were much more dangerous together than they were alone. As he was coming to see them near Dothan one day they plotted to kill him and they said, “ Here comes the dreamer…come now lets kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him then we will see what comes of his dreams (Gen 37:19)”. After further consultations amongst themselves, they however resolved to sell him to the Ishmaelites who were passing by on their way to Egypt. The business transaction was done and Joseph was sold at the price of twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites who took him to Egypt where they in turn sold him again to Potiphar who was the captain of Pharaoh’s guard.
This time Joseph was separated from his father and all kinsmen and the bible says that God extended his favour upon him as he blessed every place and everything he did. Because of him, God blessed Potiphar’s house. His presence in the house gave birth to prosperity. He was not only a blessing in Potiphar’s house but also in prison. He was later jailed because of Potiphar’s wife immoral schemes (Gen 39:11-19). While in prison the Lord granted him favour and kindness and was made in charge of all prisoners. It was in this prison that Joseph interpreted the Baker and the Cupbearer’s dreams. As if this was not enough, Pharaoh had a very complicated dream that baffled the mind of men. There was no-one able to interpret this dream on the entire planet. However Joseph was available and managed to interpret this huge dream. He told Pharaoh that the dream meant that there was to be seven years of plenty food and seven years of terrible famine in the entire land of Egypt. Because of the writing on the wall that Pharaoh saw from Joseph interpretation of his dream, he decided to offer him the job and he said, “ I hereby put you (Joseph) in charge of the whole land of Egypt (Gen 41:41). Thus pharaoh made Joseph Prime Minster and Minister of Agriculture and Food Security. He was the first non-Egyptian to hold such a high political office in Egypt. As minister of Agriculture and Food Security, Joseph stored up huge quantities of grains like the sand of the sea during the first seven years of plenty. It was so much that he stopped keeping records because it was beyond measure (Gen 41:49).
After the seven years of plenty, there came the seven years of terrible famine that affected the middle east and the whole world respectively. During this time, the whole world, rushed to Egypt to buy grain for their survivor. Joseph, the Egyptian Prime Minster (second in command to Pharaoh), was the only hope and existing life-line for the entire human kind. This famine didn’t spare the Jacob’s family in Canaan. He ordered his children to go down to Egypt to buy some grain for their survivor. Jacob and his children had no idea that Joseph whom they sold twenty-two years ago was the one now in charge of this food security in Egypt. This was Joseph whom if anything, his brothers hated, despised and wished him dead. This was Joseph whom God blessed that he was now the Prime Minster and Minster of Agriculture and Food Security in Egypt something which his brothers never thought of during that consultation before they sold him to the Ishmaelites.
When his brothers arrived in Egypt, Joseph recognized them and became their savour. He provided food for them and never revenged their brutality done on him. During this time, Joseph’s two dreams came to pass because all of them bowed down to him when they arrived in Egypt. They had no option this time because they were meeting the highest man of authority in Egypt though they had no idea that this man was their very brother whom they sold twenty-two years ago when he was seventeen years old. Therefore we need to note the following:
Firstly is that Joseph’s action, welcoming his brothers and providing food for them, shows a huge amount of forgiveness. I do not know how we could have handled this situation if we were in Joseph’s shoes. Majority of us could take drastic measures making sure that they heavily pay for all the pain caused on us. However it is amazing to note that Joseph forgave them and became their very life- line. Joseph’s action is the very a model which we need to emulate. We simply need to forgive no matter what and we have no rights whatever not to forgive. Joseph’s action coincides with the New Testament situation where our Lord Jesus Christ on the cross forgave us once and for all” (Luke 23: 34)
Secondly is that we need to demonstrate mercy and kindness to all people because we do not know what the Lord has in stored for them in future. We also do not know what shall become of us in years to come. At the same time we do not know what shall become of us in years to come. Those we despise, hate, have already destroyed or want to destroy and pull down shall be the same people whom the Lord shall bless some day. This physically happened in the life of Joseph who was sold and hated by his brothers who had no idea what was to become of him in years later.
Finally is that the destiny of God’s children (though in poverty or despised) is in God’s hands. Him alone knows what He has in stored for them and what kind of destiny they shall have. Therefore we should not segregate, hate, despise, destroy or even kill because it is possible that their situations shall change some day and we shall be at their mercy. At the same time the Joseph account should teach us to be extra careful on how we handle and treat various people because if not careful, we shall one day regret and blame ourself when the same pain we inflicted on others shall backfire on us.
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