A divine act
April 15, 2011 (Friday)
Yesterday’s blog was about Moses, a Hebrew who was raised as an Egyptian, and how he led the nation of Israel out of the land of bondage into the promised land. Today I would like to focus on Joseph, also a Hebrew who became a very powerful Egyptian.
Joseph was one of the 12 sons of Jacob. His father loved him very much and his brothers despised him for it. They seized him and sold him to a slave caravan on its way to Egypt. Joseph was just a young teenager, and it must have been a terrifying experience. But he already had a great love for God, and was gifted in the interpretation of dreams.
His good looks and willingness to cooperate with his captors landed him a great job in the household of Potiphar, a powerful Egyptian. Falsely accused by Potiphar’s wife, he was put in prison. While there, he interpreted the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servants. Later, after their release, Pharaoh had a recurring dream that troubled him, and one of the men who had been in prison with Joseph recommended to Pharaoh that he give Joseph a chance to interpret the dream. Joseph told Pharaoh that his dream predicted bumper crops for a while before an awful drought and famine. Pharaoh asked Joseph what should be done, and Joseph recommended that the good crops be stored so they could be distributed to the population during the long drought. Not only did Pharaoh take Joseph’s advice, he put him in charge of the program. Joseph the Hebrew became the Prime Minister of Egypt.
The famine was widespread, and Joseph’s brothers were sent by their father, Jacob, to get some of the grain being distributed in Egypt. When they met Joseph, they did not recognize him, but Joseph knew them at once. There was a tearful reunion of the family, and Joseph brought them all to Egypt where they were given choice land in the Nile Delta.
Joseph stands out as a tremendous example of forgiveness. After being woefully mistreated by his brothers, he was kind to them, forgiving them for what they had done to him. We remember the words of our Lord as he was being crucified, “Father, forgive them..” Jesus reminded us that we need God’s forgiveness and therefore should give forgiveness to those who have wronged us.