The story of Joseph spans segments of chapters 37-45 in the book of Genesis. I am NOT giving you the complete Bible version of this story, that would take about 3 parts, at least. I’m discussing the story most often told to young children in bible school, for instance. Of course, my goal is only to help open-minded parents introduce the Bible to their child as literature and stimulate discussion. Eventually, everyone should read the full version of the story–but, I warn you, it’s not pretty.
Joseph is the 17 year-old son of Jacob (who is generally thought to be the father of the Jewish people). Joseph is also the favorite son–imagine how that made his 11 other children feel! Well, after Jacob “he made him a coat of many colours. And when his brethren saw that their father loved him more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him.” (Gen 37: 3-4)
Eventually, Joseph’s brothers (notice, no sisters) take his coat, pour blood on it, and throw Joseph down a well–WOW. They take the coat, return it to their dad, and lament their brother’s ‘death’. Some merchants would pass by the well, taking Joseph into bondage. Now a slave in Egypt, Joseph is called to interpret some bizarre dreams that the pharaoh was having. Apparently, pharaoh’s dreams spell future famine for Egypt, and Joseph recommends having a ‘wise man’ put in charge of managing foodstuffs. Much to his surprise, Pharaoh chooses Joseph for the job!
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I really don’t know what to make of the story of Joseph. I felt bad for the guy, being the favorite and all. It must have been awful, having
dad’s favor upon demand! I don’t condone the actions of his brothers–Jacob really has to work on his parenting skills. He’s got kids doing away with kids, and all because he won’t play ball with them from time to time. His brothers represent those in a family that feel starved for attention, children may pick up on this quickly, but if not, it should be pointed out to them.
His lucky stroke of being able to interpret dreams really doesn’t add any credibility to Joseph as a wise person. Dream analysis, as far as I know, isn’t an exact science. Can anyone do it? I don’t know. Honestly, it seems like Joseph just had a series of unfortunate events, followed by a stroke of good luck. So, why do people teach the story? I just don’t know what we get from it……somebody help me here!
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