Genesis 37
(EH)



Joseph, son of Jacob, grew up as a helper to his father and his brothers.  He helped with the herding of the flock and the growing of crops in the land of Canaan, the land promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and the descendents of Jacob.  Joseph only wanted to live with his family in the wealth of the Lord and prosper under his father’s name.  He was in fact his father’s favorite son, which made his brothers jealous and wary of him.  They also thought him insubordinate because he told them of two dreams he had which predicted that everyone and everything would bow down to Joseph.  They thought this was preposterous and they soon regarded him with disdain.  While doing his father’s bidding and helping to tend the flock his brothers plotted against him and sold him to the Ishmaelites.  Had it not been for his younger brother Rueben, the other brothers would have murdered Joseph.  In his lifetime, despite the misfortunes brought upon him by his kin, Joseph becomes a very powerful man in the far off land of Egypt where he prophesized the growth and decline of that nation.  He became the leader of his people, the Israelites, who grew to live and prosper in the land of the Pharaoh.
I.
Joseph’s brothers had grown jealous of him because he appeared to believe that he was superior to them and because their father loved him the most.  While they were in Shechem tending their father’s flock he came upon them.  Before he did so they plotted against their younger sibling so as to eliminate the threat he posed to their power.  They plotted to murder him.  When he arrived at his brother’s place they ambushed him and killed him.  Joseph was murdered by his own kin.  His brothers then took his robe, one with long sleeves that his father had made him, and tore it with bloodstains so that it would appear to their father that Joseph had been attacked by wild animals.  When the brothers return with the bad news Jacob mourned the loss of his favorite son, but he does not morn too long as he has many sons to fulfill the promise that the Lord made him.  
II.
 Joseph told his brothers and father the dreams he had about the sheaves of his which were superior and how the sun, moon, and stars all bowed down to him.  At first the were skeptical of their younger brother but soon understood his dreams as he grew more prosperous.  Over many years he worked under his elder siblings until he eventually surpassed them in knowledge and power.  He became the leader of the Israelites in the land of Canaan, and he had many children.  The people of Israel lived long and made a great kingdom under the direction of Joseph.  Jacob lives long and is proud of his great son.  Joseph, however, was not considered one of the Lord’s chosen people, and the Lord never established a covenant with him.
III.
 Joseph awoke one morning having had a dream that his sheaves were far superior to his brothers’.  He does not tell his brothers or father out of fear that he will sound insolent or foolish.  He believes that these dreams mean something but he is too afraid to tell anyone.  He then has another dream where the sun, moon, and stars all bow down to him.  Once again he is too afraid to tell his dreams to his family.  Joseph lived forever in the shadow of his elder brothers even though he was Jacob’s favorite son.  The descendents of Jacob do not prosper in the way the Lord promised Jacob.  Jacob still loves his children very much but he cannot understand why the Lord has not fulfilled the promise he made him.
IV.
 When Joseph is within view of his brothers in the fields of Shechem they plot to kill their younger sibling.  The Lord came down to young Rueben and told him that he should not allow his brothers to murder Joseph.  Rueben persuades his brothers not to kill Joseph but to throw him in a ditch, thus eliminating the problem of Joseph without disobeying the Lord’s wish.  The Lord then gave them the idea that they could even benefit from the loss of their brother by selling him into slavery to the Ishmaelites.  These Ishmaelites then sold him to one of the Pharaoh’s officials in Egypt.  Upon hearing of his son’s supposed death Jacob is tortured from within.  It was he who told his beloved son to go into Shechem to aid his brothers.  Jacob could not understand why the Lord had done this to him, and he felt ashamed and guilty for having sent his son to his death.

 
 

 The tale of Joseph, all of his luck, good and bad, plays a significant role in the development of the path of the Israelites.  Had Joseph not been sold into slavery in Egypt then the Lord’s covenant with the Israeli people would never have been made.  The exodus from Egypt would never have occurred, and the Ten Commandments would never have been presented to the people of Israel.  His suffering and pain caused by the Egyptians was all for the good of his people.  Joseph was always a moral person who did not disgrace the name of the Lord.  When tempted by his master’s wife he refuses and yet is punished because she accuses him of abusing her.  He suffers for his good deeds, but he is eventually rewarded by the Lord who helps him interpret the dreams that get him out of prison and into a powerful position in Egypt.  
 The first interpretation of the beginning of Joseph’s life is an accurate representation of the scripture except for the fact that Rueben does not save his brother by persuading the older brothers to simply leave him for dead.  It is not too radical to envision this occurring in the story except that the tie between the Lord and the descendents of Abraham might have been broken.  Joseph had been chosen as the best and the brightest.  He could read and interpret dreams as he does later in life to bring him out of the dungeons in Egypt and in to good standing with the Pharaoh.
 Jacob’s reaction to his son’s death is reasonable but under-appreciative of the love that he had for Joseph.  The scripture describes him as devastated.  He told his children that he “shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” (Genesis 37.35).  The loss of his most beloved son is a blow to Jacob as shown by his tearing off his clothes and using sackcloth to cover his loins.  Jacob cannot simply forget his son as he does in the first interpretation.  Joseph is too important too him to just forget and replace with the thoughts of his other sons.  He knew that Joseph was meant to be his successor and he mourns the loss.  Although, he has faith in the Lord’s promise and knows that he will prosper and so will his offspring.  The scripture does not specify but perhaps Jacob still believes that Joseph is alive somewhere and will rejoin his family years from now.  
 The second interpretation seems feasible but somewhat unreasonable as well.  It contradicts human nature that Joseph’s brothers would have stood by and let him say that he was greater than they were and then believe him.  Unless he could show that it was a sign from the Lord it is questionable whether his brothers would have believed his story and allowed him to prosper under them. If the story had unfolded in this manner though, the outcome presented seems accurate.  The Israelis lived long but were no longer the Lord’s chosen people.  They inhabited the Promised Land, but they would have fallen out of the Lord’s grace.  In the scripture the Israelites are tested so as to prove the depth of their loyalty during the exile from Egypt.  In the second interpretation the people are never tested and neither is Joseph, therefore, the Lord establishes no covenant with Joseph or his descendents.
 The third interpretation might be somewhat out of character for Joseph.  He was not one to hide what he believed to be signs.  He regarded dreams with such detail as prophecies.  Joseph, a very smart and honest man even at the young age of 17, would have understood the importance of these dreams and shared them with his family.  It would have seemed dishonest to him to not share his visions, however, being scared of the visions or of the reactions from his family is not out of the realm of possibility.  What Joseph saw in his dreams placed him at the top of the world, above his brothers and family.   Wouldn’t that scare any normal 17 year old boy.  He might also be scared of the things his family would say.  Would they shun him and throw him out?  Would they laugh and tell him he was stupid?  Would they kill him for his insolence?  The reason that Joseph feels none of these emotions in the actual text is that he has faith in his Lord.  He believes that his father, Jacob, is a man blessed by the Lord and so are his descendents, so he is not afraid of his visions.  The hinge of this interpretation is Joseph’s unyielding faith in his Lord.  
 The fourth interpretation is one that coincides with the story, but has a different aspect built into it.  The Lord plays a much more active role in this story than he does in the real scripture story.  This story has the Lord appearing to Rueben in order to preserve Joseph’s life.  He also gives the brothers the idea of selling Joseph into slavery.  Although the Bible never speaks of any direct divine intervention in relation to this part of the story, it is not entirely impossible.  Is it not plausible that the Lord appeared to Rueben?  And if he appeared to Rueben could he not appear to the other brothers as well.  It would not damage the details of the scripture.  Perhaps the Lord plays a more significant role in all of the Old Testament, but it is left out of the story for unknown reasons.  It simply depends on one’s own beliefs.  Does one believe that the Lord controls human actions or does he simply allow things to unfold as they occur, perhaps already fated to happen?  It is plausible that perhaps these details are left out on purpose so as to allow the faithful to decide for themselves what they believe and what they don’t.  
 Another difference in the story is Jacob’s reaction to his son’s death.  Here he questions his own motives in sending Joseph out to help his brother’s.  He takes the blame for Joseph’s fall.  This is an inaccurate representation of Jacob, however.  Jacob, in his unyielding faith, would have believed that the Lord planned for this to happen and that his promise would still be fulfilled even though the Lord had taken away his favorite son.  Jacob would have said it was for good reason that the Lord took him away.  Not to say that he wouldn’t morn for his son.  Of course he would, but he would also understand the Lord’s motives in doing such a deed.  
 The tale of the betrayal of Joseph plays a large role in the overall story of the Israeli people.  Had he not been sold into slavery into Egypt the Lord would never have been able to deliver his people from Egypt, therefore, never allowing his chosen people to see his power and his love for them.  These four interpretations shed a little light on the characters and events in the beginning of the tale told of Joseph.