The Prophet Joseph 1

The Prophet Joseph

After the great prophet Abraham settled in Cannon with his son Isaac, he had a grandson, Jacob. Jacob had twelve sons, but he was very fond of one—Joseph. Joseph’s brothers were jealous of him; they thought that their father was unfair in showing so much regard for him. Jacob saw in Joseph uncommonly sharp intelligence, as well as an ability to quickly discern the underlying reality and draw correct conclusions. These qualities made Joseph the apple of his father’s eye.

(12-4-20)

One day Joseph came running to his father in the morning. He said, “Father I have had a dream. I saw eleven stars, the moon, and the sun bowing to me.” His father replied, “Do not tell your brothers about your dream. They may start scheming against you. Jealousy and envy can blind people into doing evil deeds. I interpret your dream as a sign from God Almighty. I think God will choose you for a great purpose; he will teach you how to discern the data and draw correct conclusions from it, and through you will pour his blessings on my family, as he has done in the past for our father and grandfather, Isaac and Abraham.”

Jacob had his twelve sons by different wives. Joseph and his younger brother were from one wife. Jacob’s excessive indulgence for Joseph was unbearable to his other sons. They were so furious that they called a meeting to discuss the matter.

 In the meeting, all the brothers got together, and one of them said, “Our father loves Joseph more than all of us. Joseph is only an individual, whereas we are greater in number. Our father is making a grave mistake in neglecting all of us and bestowing his favor on a single one.”

“What measures can we take to rectify the situation?” asked one of the brothers.

“Kill Joseph or make arrangements to banish him in a very far off country. After his removal, Jacob’s attention will remain focused on us without any discrimination.”

One brother said, “Don’t kill Joseph. Throw him in a dark, deep well so that any caravan may pick him up and carry him away. In this way we will get rid of him for good.” All the brothers agreed with this plan.

In order to execute this plan, the brothers went to their father and said, “Why don’t you trust us about Joseph? You don’t allow him to go with us. Send him with us in the morning to the meadow, so that he can eat, play, and enjoy in the open atmosphere. We are his well-wishers, not his enemies.”

“It is not a matter of distrust,” replied Jacob. “I fear that you may become careless about his safety and some wolf may come and eat him.”

“What are you saying? How can a wolf devour Joseph in the presence of a group of men like us? Do you think we are completely worthless?” they all said in one voice. “Surely we will take good care of him.”

 Jacob used to keep Joseph with him for educational purposes. His other sons looked after the sheep. This was one of the causes of their jealousy. However, Joseph was not familiar with the wildlife of a shepherd.  Attacks on sheep by wolves were routine occurrences in the life of a shepherd. Jacob was justified in expressing his fears for Joseph, who was not accustomed to this type of living. But the brothers of Joseph convinced their father and took Joseph away. As they had planned before, they threw him in a deep, dark well. During that period God sent a message to Joseph for his consolation: “Don’t be afraid. One day you will remind your brothers about their actions and they will not have any clue about your identity.”

In the evening, the brothers came to their father weeping and wailing. “Oh, father we left our belongings with Joseph and went to run a race. In our absence, a wolf came and devoured Joseph. We know that you will not believe us, but we are telling the truth.” They had brought a shirt of Joseph with false blood on it to show to the father.

“What! Joseph is killed?” cried Jacob. “This is a story which your desires have concocted for you.” Jacob was sure that Joseph was alive, but he had no proof of it. So he said, “I am going to bear this catastrophe with patience, and I am going to ask God’s help to bear with your concocted story.”

A caravan was passing near the well in which Joseph had been thrown. A man was sent to draw water from the well. As he lowered his bucket into the well and peeped in, he saw a boy in it. The man shouted with glee, “Look, there is a boy in the well!” The folks in the caravan hid Joseph because they wanted to sell him in the market. Human trafficking was very common in those days. They sold Joseph in Egypt’s slave market for a few coins, without trying to get more money from this bargain. They were afraid that someone might recognize Joseph and put them in trouble.