Joseph - one of Jacob's sons, beloved son
Jacob had twelve sons, born from different wives.
Jacob's Dream. In a dream, Jacob is given a supreme promise from the Lord about the blessing of his descendants
Joseph was born to his forefather by his beloved wife Rachel. This was the long-awaited child - “he was the son of his old age.” The patriarch passed on to him all the spiritual knowledge that he himself possessed.
Joseph was righteous and grew up honoring his parents. Seeing injustice and indecency in his brothers, he always told his father about it. He did not slander the other sons of Jacob, he tried to reason with them through his father, realizing that he himself was not an authority for them.
Jacob did not hide the fact that he loved Joseph more than other children. One day he gave him a gift, giving him colorful clothes, and thereby highlighting and showing his affection for him.
Jacob gave Joseph a coat of many colors
Meanwhile, in the hearts of the brothers, envy and hatred of Joseph grew more and more.
Joseph's dreams caused even more hatred from his brothers
One day Joseph had a dream that he and his brothers, working in the field, were knitting sheaves of hay. His sheaf straightened up, and the rest of the sheaves bowed to him. Being an open young man, he hastened to tell his brothers everything. They said with hatred:
(Gen.37:8)
“Will you really reign over us?”
Another time Joseph dreamed that the sun, moon and eleven stars worshiped him.
Joseph tells the dreams he had
Here even the father was indignant at what he heard. And the brothers became even more angry with him, their hatred only grew.
The brothers conspired to kill Joseph.
Joseph's brothers hated him so much that they were ready to kill him. An opportunity for this arose on the day when they went to graze their father’s cattle in Shechem. Jacob then ordered his beloved son to visit the rest of his sons, see if the cattle were safe, and bring him an answer.
The brothers noticed him from afar and conspired among themselves to kill him and tell their father that he had been eaten by a wild beast. Only Reuben stood up for Joseph, asking the others not to kill him, but to throw him into a ditch in the desert. He intended to save him and return him to his father.
As soon as Joseph approached, the brothers attacked him. They tore off his clothes and threw him into a pit. At this time, a caravan of Israelis was moving past on their way to Egypt. Noticing them, Judas offered to sell his brother.
The brothers sell Joseph for twenty pieces of silver to the Israelites, who take him to Egypt.
Soon Reuben returned, not finding Joseph, he tore his clothes in despair, not knowing what to do now.
The brothers took the boy’s clothes, smeared them with the blood of the slaughtered goat and brought the dress to their father. For a long time, the grief-stricken father could not be comforted by the loss of his beloved son.
[edit] Joseph in the Judaic tradition
According to the aggadic midrash, Joseph's bones were promised to be taken to the Promised Land during the Exodus. Moses raised his ark from the waters of the Nile using a tablet with the words ale shor
(rise up, bull) with the totem sign of Joseph, for reburial in the Promised Land after its conquest by the tribe of Israel. The famous Golden Calf was revived thanks to the Almighty power that was even in the pieces of this tablet and therefore the gold in the smelter was transformed into the symbol of Joseph the calf.[5]
The Israelites sold a young slave to Egypt to Potiphar, the captain of the palace guard.
Joseph quickly managed to earn the favor of his master, and he left him to serve at home.
However, Potiphar's wife drew attention to the handsome young man. She repeatedly made attempts to seduce him, but Joseph refused her every time.
One day, when there were no servants in the house, she grabbed Joseph by the clothes and demanded that he lie with her. But the young man took off his dress, leaving it in her hands, and ran out.
Joseph runs away from his master's wife, who tried to seduce him
Potiphar's wife did not forgive the young servant for this. She decided to slander him, telling everyone that Joseph wanted to dishonor her. Potiphar was furious at what he heard and ordered him to be locked up in prison.
The Lord did not abandon the young man here either; he helped him win the favor of the prison warden, who appointed him as a steward.
In one of the dungeons there were a baker and a cupbearer who served Pharaoh. Angry with them, Pharaoh put them in prison. And Joseph was assigned to serve them.
One day these two prisoners had dreams that led them into deep thought. Joseph, noticing their embarrassed appearance, asked what was bothering them. They answered that she had dreams, but their meaning was not clear to them.
(Gen.40:8)
“Are not interpretations from God? — Joseph said, “tell me.”
First, the cupbearer related his dream:
(Gen.40:9-11)
“I dreamed that there was a grapevine in front of me; there are three branches on the vine; it developed, color appeared on it, berries grew and ripened on it; and Pharaoh's cup is in my hand; I took the berries, squeezed them into Pharaoh’s cup, and gave the cup into Pharaoh’s hand.”
After listening to him, Joseph said: “In three days Pharaoh will return you to your former place, and you will again serve his cup.”
He asked the cupbearer to mention him to Pharaoh when he was released. Because he was innocently convicted.
The baker also decided to tell a dream he had:
(Gen.40:16-17)
“I also dreamed: I have three lattice baskets on my head; in the upper basket was all the food of Pharaoh, the baker's wares, and the birds pecked it out of the basket on my head."
Then the young servant said to him: “Three days will pass and Pharaoh will order you to be hanged.”
Joseph interprets the dreams of Pharaoh's cupbearer and baker
Three days later, Pharaoh arranged a feast for his servants and he remembered the butler and the baker. He returned the first to its original place, and hanged the other. Everything happened as Joseph interpreted it. However, the cupbearer forgot about Joseph and his request.
BY FAITH JOSEPH...
V.Ya Kanatush
By faith, Joseph, at his death, recalled the exodus of the children of Israel and testified about his bones.
Heb. 11:22
And Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob, is one of the brightest personalities of the biblical narrative. “In the annals of human history,” writes I. H. Hunting, “there are few such impeccable individuals as Joseph. Compared to his brothers who committed crimes, Joseph's integrity and moral fortitude make reading about him very encouraging" (The Vineyard, 03-96). With what joy do we read the chapters devoted to the description of his life (Gen. 37-50)! It is not surprising that such a person as Jacob, a person with a strong but selflessly devoted character to God, gives birth to such a wonderful, pious, noble son, whose entire life path is selfless service to his neighbors. This testifies in favor of Jacob, and indicates that his heart was imbued with godliness, and his shortcomings were only an outward coating, which disappeared under the work of the Holy Spirit.
And not only Joseph, but also all the other eleven sons of Jacob turned out to be people pleasing to God: they worthily walked the path of education and, as a result of the victory they gained over themselves, entered heavenly Jerusalem. Not one became a wicked person, not one went into the world on a wide and sinful path. This is the great merit of Jacob himself - his faith, his personality, his walk before God in the fear of God. By faith and prayer he led all his sons to the worship of the Lord, drawing them into the sphere of the high calling for which they were chosen. By the power of the Lord, he led them along the path of sanctification and handed them over to the heavenly treasury, perfect in joy, and he himself departed from the earth at 147 years of age, peaceful, having been united to his people (Gen. 49:33).
“Joseph” (lit. “growing”) is the clearest image of a man presented in Scripture who holds the promises of God in the greatest struggle. Let us note that from the very day the Lord created the world, not a single person was honored to become the ancestor of a generation, the chain of which will not be interrupted until the end of time, until the patriarchs came. Abraham, “the father of many nations,” Isaac his son, and Jacob his grandson, were worthy to produce offspring that will live as long as the world lasts. This is laid down by the Lord in his genes, in his spirit. Joseph is the fourth of this indissoluble chain that will never be interrupted, and God gave him such fortitude that no adverse winds and storms could break. Joseph symbolizes the Israeli people, and his story is an indicator of how Almighty God, despite all the dangers, the machinations of the evil one and the evil will of people, saved this people in the most difficult, crisis periods of its history.
The description of the life of Joseph ends with the depiction of the path of faith and the formation of the personality of the patriarchs, after which the Bible moves on to a description of the faith of an entire people.
Joseph's life can be divided into three periods:
the first is childhood and adolescence in the father’s house, up to the age of seventeen;
the second is his innocent suffering in a foreign land, slavery and prison, from seventeen to thirty years old;
the third - accession to the throne as the second ruler of Egypt - from the age of thirty until the end of his life.
Let's look briefly at all three periods.
1. Childhood and adolescence
Joseph was born when Jacob was already an old man and had ten sons; born of his beloved wife Rachel, who was barren for fourteen years, like Isaac's Rebekah. No doubt Jacob prayed to God for her, as his father had done, and God heard his prayer. He also heeded her request, showing His mercy after a long trial: she conceived and gave birth to Joseph (Gen. 30:22-24). This name, according to Rachel herself, means: “removing the shame of infertility” and “adding, giving more.” At the same time, Rachel said: “The Lord will give me another son.” Jews believe that these words were a prophecy of Rachel fulfilled in Benjamin.
Marital tenderness and love, inspired by faith and a common calling, contributes to the birth of beautiful children. When parents are already in old age and the strength of the flesh begins to fade away, and piety becomes more and more established, usually at such years good children are born, predisposed to faith or kindness. The Bible presents such sons, called children of old age: Isaac, Joseph, Benjamin, David, John the Baptist, etc. When God needed a person like John the Baptist, Samson or Samuel, God prepared the parents themselves for a long time. And only when they matured spiritually, He sent them a son, who became a servant of God.
In his father's house, Joseph spends a prosperous childhood, darkened only by the absence of his mother. From an early age, unlike his older brothers, he is obedient, serious, God-fearing and pious. This is the son who pleases his father, the son of comfort, and Jacob is deeply and sincerely attached to him. Rachel died early, and Joseph lost his mother's affection early. We all know what a mother means to a child with her tender care. And so that his son does not feel orphaned, Jacob tries to replace his mother, surrounds him with love, gives him communication. He loved Joseph not simply as the son of old age (after all, Benjamin was even younger than him), but as born to Rachel, his beloved wife, after long expectations, which made his appearance in the family especially desirable. The boy was Rachel's first-born, distinguished by his external beauty and special virtue of soul, and was very similar to his mother. Therefore, when Rachel died, this son reminded Jacob of the beautiful beloved of his youth. Perhaps he dreamed, as some believe, to make Joseph heir to the promises of God. But God envisioned something more: to make all twelve of his sons continue Abraham’s mission.
Nowadays, it is rare to find children similar in spirit to Joseph, who from childhood would behave in the same exemplary manner and would please their parents as he did. Today, the overwhelming majority of children bring us numerous disappointments. Alas, the time has come that Ap predicted. Paul: “Know this, that in the last days difficult times will come, for men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, proud, proud, slanderers, disobedient to their parents ...” (2 Tim. 3:1-2). Disobedience to parents is a striking sign of our time; Our entire generation is suffering from this evil.
Starting from childhood and throughout Joseph’s life, we do not see a single immoral act in him, not a single bad inclination of his character. Although his father cherished him, he also taught him to work. The Bible reports: “Joseph, when he was seventeen years old, kept his father’s cattle with his brothers, when he was a boy, with the sons of Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah...” (Gen. 37:2). Joseph helped his brothers, his peers, graze his father's small livestock. After Rachel's death, Bilhah, Rachel's slave, replaced Joseph and Benjamin as a mother. Seeing the bad deeds of his brothers, Joseph brought evil rumors about them to the attention of his father. True, someone noticed that perhaps it was a bad trait of Joseph to report everything to his father.
Isn't this a strange accusation? To whom did the boy bring rumors about the bad behavior of his brothers? To my own father! And who else could he go to and share his experiences with, if not his father? A trusting relationship, mutual understanding and deep affection were established between father and son, which Jacob did not have with other children. Joseph, in his own way, sincerely loved his brothers, hoping that his father would help them improve. As a brother, he wanted to see them worthy of their father.
Seeing his son’s pure and honest heart, his prudence and obedience, Jacob loved him more than all his children. And over the years, he fell in love with Joseph even more, because his fate reminded him of his own: Joseph, like him, experienced brotherly hatred and the suffering and danger associated with it. Jacob demonstrated his deep affection for his son by sewing him multi-colored clothes, which distinguished him from his brothers and gave him some advantages. It was a tunic - a long flowing robe with sleeves, decorated along the hem with narrow colored stripes and worn over the dress. In ancient times, such a tunic was worn by princes, as well as by those who were exempt from physical work. Perhaps Joseph also received preferential rights over his brothers and was freed from hard work. This, however, only worsened the situation between Joseph and his brothers to the point that they “hated him and could not speak kindly to him” (Gen. 37:4).
When he told his brothers about his dreams, their response was aggressive and defiant: “Will you really reign over us? Will you really own us? And they hated him even more because of his dreams and because of his words” (v. 8). It seemed unacceptable to them that one born second to last in a family of twelve sons should rise above his brothers to the position usually occupied by the first-born. One could attribute this to his teenage idylls, but they did not. One could, in the end, take this as the desire of the younger one to win the support of the elders, but they did not do that either.
The brothers' reaction left no doubt that the struggle for supremacy played a major role here and was in full swing. It was absolutely inconceivable to them, not even remotely possible, that “Joseph would rule us!” as they said. And therefore they furiously opposed this state of affairs and hated him even more for it. We see in this a symbolic reflection of the attitude of the Jews towards Jesus Christ: He was hated and rejected by his brothers, like Joseph.
Thus, the preferential love of a father for his son, expressed in colorful clothes and giving rise to envy, and then his prophetic dreams, which he innocently shared with everyone, served as a reason for rivalry for the brothers. Envy gradually grew into hostility, hostility into open hatred, and hatred resulted in cold-blooded cruelty. His impeccability, honesty and dignified behavior exposed and irritated them. But they were even more outraged that Joseph would reign over them, for that is how they interpreted his dreams. Even if Joseph had become a tribal leader or a local leader, it would have been absurd in their eyes. But to have an advantage, to reign, to rule on the throne - this was too much for them. And by a majority vote they decided: this will not happen, we will kill him, “and we will see what will happen from his dreams” (v. 20). When a pure, God-fearing soul is so defenseless and has such an incriminating effect on the envious person, then evil, vengeful feelings involuntarily overwhelm him, and he thoughtlessly commits evil against the righteous.
When discussing the conspiracy of the brothers against Joseph, we will keep in mind that they were all not people of this world, but were children of one father. They all lived on the basis of one promise that Jacob received from God. All belonged to the elect whom God wanted to bless and become a light to the nations. However, Joseph and the brothers represented two ways of thinking in the patriarch's family that exist among believers today, and about which the Apostle Paul writes (Rom. 8:1-10; Gal. 4:29; 5:16-25).
Joseph is a representative of spiritual thinking, his brothers - carnal. Although the faith of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob was inherent in all of them, Joseph lived by trusting in God and loved virtue, acquired piety for himself, and the brothers were guided by the lusts of the flesh, living in their own mood of the soul, independent of God. Therefore, their attitude towards life, towards God, towards people and towards everything in this world was different. The spiritual and carnal way of thinking always comes into conflict and, as a rule, the carnal ones persecute the spiritual ones and crowd them out from everywhere. From this point of view we must look at the attitude of the brothers towards Joseph. At first they disliked him, made fun of his naivety and simplicity, then they openly hated him, and in the end they planned to kill him.
Thus, the hatred and enmity that had accumulated over the years reached a critical point and was realized. Seventeen-year-old Joseph came to his brothers in Shechem with the most friendly, sincere mission. Reuben tried to somehow save him, but his plan failed. God allowed Joseph to be sold twice: by his brothers - to Egypt and by merchants - in the Egyptian slave market. The brother-haters were not destined to see Joseph for twenty years, and all these years they lived with a sinful secret, and Jacob carried on his heart an unbearable burden of great sorrow for his lost son, because his elder sons did not hesitate to lead him astray.
2. Slavery and prison
The second period of Joseph's life lasted approximately thirteen years (Gen. 41:46). This is the period of his most difficult trials through which he had to go: betrayal of his brothers, separation from home and his beloved father, slavery in a distant country, service in the house of Potiphar, false accusation, slander and a new betrayal, this time from the seductress, new severe suffering and prison for ten whole years.
It is appropriate to ask the question here: how did Joseph react to the misfortunes that suddenly befell him? How did he react to the undeserved suffering that befell him at the age of seventeen and lasted until the age of thirty?
Another question needs to be asked: why do some people, having found themselves in difficult circumstances, life’s challenges, undeserved suffering, become embittered, embittered at everyone and everything in the world, embark on the path of revenge, crime and slide to the bottom, believing that there is no truth in the world? , There is no God, no love, no goodness?! Others break down and do not find the strength to improve their lives. Others, on the contrary, patiently and courageously endure their suffering and “baptism by fire” (Matthew 3:11), mature in them, grow spiritually, become tempered in soul, grow into true heroes and become benefactors of their people and even all of humanity.
This is exactly what happened with Joseph. It fulfilled the Word of God that “all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose” (Rom. 8:28). In the prophetic Psalm 104:12-22, the author in poetic form sets out the history of the forefathers of Israel in Egypt, their path, suffering, wanderings, struggles. This is what he says about Joseph: “He sent a man before them: Joseph was sold as a slave. They bound his feet with shackles; His soul entered into iron until His word was fulfilled: the word of the Lord tried him.”
The prophet reveals here the meaning of Joseph's suffering: to become the savior of Israel and Egypt. God was preparing Joseph to become a wonderful type of Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world; a prototype in everything: in life, in suffering, in service, in patience, in love for brothers and all people, in forgiveness and salvation. In his entire life, starting from the time his father sent him to his brothers, and he willingly fulfilled this, right up to Egyptian slavery, where he endured a lot and resignedly, showing an example of moral purity, and until his accession to the royal throne in great glory, wonderful The image depicts the path of Jesus Christ. This is the eternal meaning and blessing that Joseph's life has. That is why “the word of the Lord tested him,” and he endured this test with dignity.
The account of the relationship between Joseph and his brothers is a prophetic announcement of what the Lord was about to experience. Just as Joseph's brothers considered his prophetic dreams absurd and could not come to terms with the idea that he would rule over them, so the religious leaders, and with them the entire people of Israel, refused to believe that Jesus, the Preacher of Nazareth, was their Messiah and King. . But this great Nazarene, like Joseph, will be rehabilitated, exalted, and appointed to the place God has prepared for Him (Acts 5:30-31).
There is no need to repeat in detail the entire story of Joseph. It is wonderfully presented in Genesis chapters 37-45.
Let us pay attention only to how Joseph overcame his path of suffering, starting at the age of seventeen. Here he is, far from his homeland, plunged into Egyptian slavery, sold by his brothers. Of course, his soul cries and finds no consolation. Of course, he is deeply grieving from loneliness and despair, and there is no one to share this grief with except to pour it out in prayer to God, Whom he learned to believe in his father’s house. Benevolent, meek and easily vulnerable, Joseph does not throw thunder and lightning at his brothers for their hatred and betrayal, and does not make plans for revenge for the future. He grieves quietly and alone, hiding his grief from everyone, trusting all the pain of his soul to God alone. He prays a lot, drawing strength from Him, so that, having overcome everything, he can stand. He works a lot to the point of fatigue, and therefore works hard for his master in order to forget a little. He had no prospect of establishing contact with his family in Canaan, so he prefers to remain in the unknown, completely trusting in God.
“And the Lord was with Joseph: he was successful in business, and lived in the house of his master the Egyptian” (Gen. 39:2). For Joseph's sake, God blessed Potiphar's house, and the blessing was "on all that he had in the house and in the field," so the master entrusted everything into Joseph's hands (vv. 5-6).
It is even difficult to believe how a Hebrew slave of an Egyptian, even a highly placed one, could prosper. It is even more incomprehensible when this same slave goes to prison and also succeeds there. But that's how it was. And if our consciousness is slow to perceive the truth, then such a problem does not exist for faith. Faith is like a small child: it throws itself with complete trust into the loving and safe arms of its mother or father. And Joseph trusted in the hands of the One who knows the end from the beginning. Let's learn to trust God as much as he does!
Joseph could have lived quite happily in Potiphar's palace, if not for a new test of his moral strength from God. Soon, Potiphar’s wife turned her attention to the young handsome slave, who impeccably performed his duties around the house and was always thoughtful, with a stamp of deep sadness on his face, seducing him (Gen. 39:6-20). This is not the only example in the Bible showing how the devil used a woman to ensnare the man of God and destroy him. Samson, even David suffered because of this. But chaste and pure, with lofty and serious aspirations to remain faithful to the God of the fathers always, everywhere and in everything, God-fearing Joseph did not succumb to the tempting spells of the evil one; did not go into the thinly placed nets through the seductive and attractive power of female flesh. He answered Potiphar’s wife: “How can I do this great evil and sin before God?” (Gen. 39:9).
In order to sober up an extremely depraved woman who has lost all shame, Joseph thoroughly motivates his refusal, citing four solid reasons:
1) loyalty and feeling of gratitude to the master: Joseph could not allow a criminal relationship with his wife (Potiphar invested Joseph with complete trust and power in the house, making him a caretaker over his slaves);
2) a sense of honor and personal dignity (“I am no longer in this house”);
3) reminding her of her marital duties (“and he did not forbid me anything except you, because you are his wife”);
4) consciousness of his duty to God, a sense of the closeness and presence of God and the holiness of the moral law, which did not allow him to sin (Jewish interpreters explain that the Shekinah of God followed the righteous; where they appeared, the Shekinah was present).
Joseph really felt this presence of God, this Shekinah, and therefore he firmly decided not to sin and not to do evil to his neighbor. He preferred to suffer “rather than have the temporary pleasure of sin,” as young Moses later did (Heb. 11:25). In the person of Joseph, the Grace of God had the greatest victory over the devil at the moment of the birth and formation of Israel as the people of God. Behind the naked and seductive beauty of Potiphar's wife, behind her indecent proposals, Joseph recognized the terrible intent of the destroying enemy and indignantly rejected his claims, as the Word of God teaches (Proverbs 7:13-27).
It is true that women, due to the weakness of their spirit and the impressionability of their hearts, more easily succumb to the deception of the evil one and do not always know how to assess the consequences of a bad act. But, thank God, not all wives are so short-sighted and frivolous as to seek only physical and sensual pleasures. There are also holy women in the history of the Church and the peoples of the world who served to magnify the glory of God. It was they who accepted the Seed of Christ by faith, gave birth to and raised the world to great men of faith, prophets, kings, priests, and ascetics of the spirit. And if Eve contributed to the fall of the entire race, then the Virgin Mary, another great Woman, contributed to its salvation by the birth of Jesus, Her great Son.
“When she spoke thus daily to Joseph, and he did not obey her...” (Gen. 39:10). Potiphar's wife, like a real harlot, tries to force the young slave to sin, and this temptation continued for many days. But Joseph's piety remained unshaken; he refused not only to “sleep with her,” but also to “be with her.” Subsequently, blessing him, Jacob will tell him such significant words, implying precisely this moral steadfastness of Joseph: “They upset him, and the archers shot at him and fought against him; but his bow remained strong, and the muscles of his hands were strong, from the hand of the mighty God of Jacob” (Gen. 49:23-24).
The shameful passion of the Egyptian woman, not finding its satisfaction, decides to provoke a young, handsome slave. In unbridled natures, rejected fornication usually develops into hatred (2 Samuel 13:15), goes beyond the boundaries of what is permitted and indulges in outright impudence and lies. The Egyptian woman takes revenge on Joseph: having slandered him, she throws him into prison with the hands of her husband (Gen. 39:11-20).
This is how a new stage of his life begins for Joseph.
It is very unfortunate when good is reciprocated with evil. His brothers, his closest in blood and spirit, responded with evil for good. Having sold him to Egypt, they abandoned him to his fate. It is difficult to bear such a yoke of burden, but Joseph coped with it. And here is a new test: they answered him with evil for good in Potiphar’s house; he is unfairly slandered and innocently thrown into prison for many years, and this is much harder to bear. Where can I get the strength to endure such suffering? And what helped Joseph, a pious and crystal clear man of faith, to stand, not to break, not to be disappointed in life, not to become bitter towards people, not to blame God for all the misadventures and misfortunes that befell him? The Holy Scripture answers this: “And the Lord was with Joseph, and showed him kindness, and gave him favor in the sight of the captain of the prison” (Gen. 39:21).
Wherever Joseph was, the Lord was always with him: when his brothers betrayed him, in Potiphar’s house, and in prison. This made up for all his losses. In all his adversity, in every grief, the Shekinah of God invariably followed him. Three times in chapter 39 we read this wonderful testimony of Scripture: “And the Lord was with Joseph” (vv. 2:21,23). This is the secret of Joseph's great success and God's blessing in all his deeds and ways. Despite suffering and difficult circumstances, he continued to trust in the guidance of God, and the Lord not only protected his life, but gave him direction towards the light. He had something great in His plan for His servant. What a lesson for the young people of our time who want to achieve success in their lives!
Joseph was helped to resist by his great presence of mind, deep piety and living faith in the justice of the all-seeing and all-knowing Lord, who sees the ways of man (2 Chronicles 16:9) and in His time will show judgment, truth and mercy. Such faith moved Joseph’s heart in his many years of captivity and gave him the strength to worthily endure all the suffering of spirit, soul and body.
Joseph's faith saved him from bitterness towards his brothers, towards people, his offenders, and towards everything in the world.
Faith helped Joseph silently endure Potiphar's injustice, silently because he did not want to bring shame on his house.
Joseph's faith saved him from anger for slander and from revenge on Potiphar's wife, who with such sophistication imitated the fact of her “rape.” True, the husband did not believe her, as John Chrysostom believes, and did not investigate the matter in order to get rid of the shame. Otherwise, if he believed her, then the slave would face the death penalty for desecrating the mistress’s bed. But he gave him only to the dungeon located at his house.
Faith gave Joseph the strength to withstand temptation and during the period of his greatest glory, for the Lord was with him.
It turns out that with the Lord you can endure everything, overcome everything: the betrayal of brothers, and slander, and the harassment of a woman, and all the lies and troubles, all the ridicule and insults, and even prison bonds.
Faith gave Joseph the strength to defeat all the sophisticated machinations of the devil, all the red-hot arrows of the “archers” who were at war against him.
Faith melted and strengthened his character.
The faith of God exalted him and raised him high above all the trials of this world and above the base passions of human existence, gave him the spirit of the superiority of God. He not only forgave the brothers, but he saved them from death by starvation, led them to repentance and cleansing of conscience, brought them closer to himself and to God, and benefited them with the breadth of his noble soul.
https://www.maloestado.com/books/VKanatush/herosoffaith.htm
Joseph interpreted the dreams of Pharaoh and was appointed to rule the country of Egypt
Two years later, Pharaoh had a dream that he was standing by a river and saw seven large cows come out of it and begin to graze in the reeds. Then seven skinny cows came out of the river and immediately began to eat the good cows.
And Pharaoh sees the following dream: seven ears of grain grew on one stalk.
(Gen.40:5-7)
“fat and good; but behold, after them seven ears of grain grew, thin and withered by the east wind; and the lean ears devoured the seven fat and full ears.”
Waking up, the pharaoh was overcome by anxiety, and he called the wise men of Egypt to him. However, no one could interpret his dreams.
Only then did the cupbearer remember the young Jew and tell Pharaoh about him. Immediately it was ordered that Joseph be brought to the ruler.
The young Jew, after listening to the dreams, said: Seven fat cows and seven good ears of corn mean seven years. Seven thin cows and seven empty ears of corn are also seven years. Seven years of plenty are coming for the land of Egypt. But they will be followed by seven years of severe famine, such that it will exhaust all of Egypt.
Joseph interprets Pharaoh's dreams
In order for the country to survive this famine, Joseph told Pharaoh to find a wise man and place him over the land of Egypt. He, with the power vested in the pharaoh, would have stockpiled grain in the cities, controlling the collection of a fifth of every harvest and its surplus.
Pharaoh liked the proposal of the young slave, and he appointed him to rule the land and the people of Egypt, adding:
(Gen.41:40)
“only by the throne will I be greater than you”
Joseph was thirteen years old at that time.
Pharaoh gave Joseph the daughter of the priest of Iliopolis, Asenath, as his wife. She bore him two sons.
Pharaoh appointed Joseph to rule the land of Egypt
As Joseph predicted, after seven years of plenty, years of famine came in all lands, only Egypt had bread. But when the Egyptian inhabitants ran out of food, they came to the pharaoh to ask for help. He sent them to Joseph, who, in turn, ordered the opening of storehouses with supplies and began to sell them.
When the famine reached the land of Canaan, where Joseph's father and his family lived, Jacob ordered his sons to go to Egypt to buy bread there. Only Benjamin remained with him.
When the brothers saw Joseph, they did not recognize him.
He, on the contrary, immediately recognized them, but did not show it and behaved strictly with them.
Joseph asked where they were from and why they came to the land of Egypt. After the brothers' explanation, Joseph pretended not to believe them. Accusing them of being spies, he ordered one of the brothers to stay in Egypt, and the rest to take the bread and take it home. He demanded that the younger brother be brought to him so that he could be convinced of the truth of their words.
Having met with his brothers, Joseph did not admit who he was
Joseph ordered his servants to fill his brothers' sacks with grain and, unnoticed, to add silver to each of them, with which they paid.
Upon returning to the land of Canaan, the brothers told their father everything that had happened to them.
Jacob, having listened to them, refused to let Benjamin go with them, who, after the loss of Joseph, became his main joy. Even greater fear gripped the brothers and father when they discovered silver in their bags.
As time passed, the famine in the land of Canaan intensified. And when all the grain supplies ran out, the father ordered his sons to go back to Egypt. With pain in his heart, he let go of his youngest son Benjamin, not believing in his return.
And so again the brothers, together with Benjamin, appeared before the ruler of Egypt. By order of Joseph, they were invited into the house and ordered to serve dinner.
Once again Joseph asked his brothers, wondering if their father was alive and if it was their younger brother, Benjamin, who had come with them.
When the brothers began to get ready to go back on the road, Joseph ordered them to be generously rewarded with grain, and the silver with which they paid was put into each person’s bag. And in Benjamin’s sack, by order of Joseph, a silver cup was placed.
At dawn the guests set off on their journey. But a little later, Joseph ordered the manager to find them and find out if they had stolen the cup. To the brothers' horror, the silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack.
Joseph's silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack
Everyone was forced to return to Egypt again. And although Joseph intended to keep only Benjamin in his slavery and release the rest, Judah began to beg the ruler to allow him to stay instead of his younger brother, since if they did not return him to his father, he would not survive this.
Joseph could no longer hold back. Sobbing loudly, he identified himself and hugged all the brothers in turn, reassuring them by saying that he held no grudge against them.
Joseph revealed himself to his brothers, calling himself
He ordered his brothers to go after their father and families and bring them to Egypt. Pharaoh, having learned that Joseph’s brothers had come to him, was happy for him and also invited all his relatives to come and live on the land of Egypt, where they would not need anything.
Jacob, when he learned that Joseph was alive, said:
(Gen.45:28)
“My son Joseph is still alive; I will go and see him before I die."
Joseph met his father after a long separation.
Joseph settled his brothers and father in the land of Rameses, in the best part of Egypt. He took care of them: he provided them with bread and everything they needed.
At this time, the inhabitants of Egypt, fleeing a terrible famine, gave everything they had for the grain stored by Joseph. He acquired the entire land of Egypt for the pharaoh, people voluntarily surrendered to him as slaves.
When the famine ended, Joseph gave the Egyptians seeds and ordered them to sow the land. And from each harvest, everyone now had to give a fifth to Pharaoh, and keep the rest for themselves.
Jacob lived in Egypt for seventeen years
Joseph's father lived to be one hundred and forty-seven years old. He was buried by his sons in the land of Canaan. Joseph himself lived one hundred and ten years.
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[edit] Historical identifications of Joseph
[edit] Osarsif
In the literature, attention was drawn to the similarity of the name Osarsifa with Joseph, as well as to the fact that in the stories (both about both) dreams are given a prominent place [6].
[edit] Imhotep
On the Nile island of Sihil, a wall inscription “Stella of Hunger” was found. At the time of the first translation of the stele, it was believed that the story of the seven-year famine was related to the biblical story of Joseph in the book of Genesis, where the seven-year famine also occurs. But recent research has shown that the seven-year famine was a myth common to almost all Middle Eastern cultures. Mesopotamian legends also speak of a seven-year famine and in the famous epic of Gilgamesh the god Anu prophesies a famine of seven years. Another Egyptian tale, next to the Stella of Famine about a long drought, appears in the so-called "Book of the Temple", which was translated by the German Demotist Joachim Friedrich Quack. Ancient textual accounts of Pharaoh Neferkasokara (late Second Dynasty) recount a seven-year famine during his reign.[7][8][9]
[edit] Vizier Irsu
There are some similarities between Joseph and the biography of the vizier Irsu. He lived during the 19th Dynasty of pharaohs, and possibly Pharaoh Merneptah. According to one of the main versions in biblical studies, the life of Moses is associated with this era. He ruled Tanis, the center of the 19th nome of Lower Egypt, that is, a district of the land of Goshen.
[edit] Amenemhat IV Channel
The Arabs considered Joseph the builder of the Joseph Canal (Arabic: Bahr-Yusuf
). The canal itself was dug by order of Pharaoh Amenemhat IV.
