This week's lesson deals with Genesis 40-45. When we last left our hero Joseph, he had been falsely accused by Potiphar's skanky wife and placed in jail. This week, he eventually gets out and saves Egypt and his family from a seven-year famine. Not very interesting when condensed down so far... I'll go over some of the things which stood out for me, and we'll see how much ground I can cover.
First, after Joseph has been in prison for an undisclosed amount of time (long enough to earn the trust of the prison keeper), Pharaoh's butler and baker wind up in prison. Here's one more reason why Joseph is a hero to me. He sees these two men and asks them, "Wherefore look ye so sadly today?" (Genesis 40:7)
I missed this for years, then it jumped out and bit me. Joseph is in prison, because his former boss's wife was a tramp. He got that job because his brothers sold him to some traveling Ishmaelites, who in turn sold him in Egypt. It seems like the bad luck just keeps coming for him, but he stops to inquire why these two men are having a bad day in prison. I don't know what prison life was like under Joseph's direction, but I wouldn't think it strange that two newcomers were a little depressed.
"I'm sorry you missed milk and cookie hour, but we have craft time just after lunch... "
How often do we get so caught up in our own problems that we don't notice there are people around us who are having a hard time too? There's a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell which has become one of my personal favorites:
"When, for the moment, we ourselves are not being stretched on a particular cross, we ought to be at the foot of someone else’s—full of empathy and proffering spiritual refreshment" (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April Gen Conf, 1990).
Instead of sitting down to commiserate over the discomforts of prison life, Joseph does what he can to lift their spirits. Turns out they had disturbing dreams, which Joseph interprets for them. Works out well for the butler, sadly not so much for the baker. Butler promises to put in a good word for Joseph, then forgets for two years.
Pharoah has a dream this time, and none of his wisemen or magicians can (or will) interpret it for him. I didn't catch on to this one either until I read a bit more on Egyptian culture...
Dream 1: seven fat cows are eating by the river, seven scrawny cows come up out of the river and eat the fat cows and are still scrawny as ever.
Dream 2: seven good ears of corn grow up on one stalk. Seven shriveled ears come up and eat the seven good ears.
This should've been a no-brainer to the wisemen. Cows were a symbol of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who represented agriculture and food. The [Nile] river represented fertility and life. The ears of wheat would also represent life and sustenance. So seven plentiful symbols of food are consumed by seven scrawny symbols of food... doesn't really take a genius here. The only guesswork left is to figure out they represent seven years. This would be like me not catching on to the fact Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader and is really Luke's father.
Joseph not only interprets Pharaoh's dreams, but offers a suggestion on how to prepare for the upcoming famine. To the credit of Pharaoh, he recognizes Joseph as "a man in whom the Spirit of God is" (Genesis 41:38). Once again, Joseph is placed in the #2 slot. And, unlike his previous posts, he gets to keep it this time.
I bet Potiphar's wife was feeling a little nervous when she got the news Joseph was second only to Pharaoh. How easy it would've been for him to issue the order to have her put in prison, or worse. As we will see when the brothers come to buy food, Joseph possesses a very forgiving heart. But that's another story...
First, after Joseph has been in prison for an undisclosed amount of time (long enough to earn the trust of the prison keeper), Pharaoh's butler and baker wind up in prison. Here's one more reason why Joseph is a hero to me. He sees these two men and asks them, "Wherefore look ye so sadly today?" (Genesis 40:7)
I missed this for years, then it jumped out and bit me. Joseph is in prison, because his former boss's wife was a tramp. He got that job because his brothers sold him to some traveling Ishmaelites, who in turn sold him in Egypt. It seems like the bad luck just keeps coming for him, but he stops to inquire why these two men are having a bad day in prison. I don't know what prison life was like under Joseph's direction, but I wouldn't think it strange that two newcomers were a little depressed.
"I'm sorry you missed milk and cookie hour, but we have craft time just after lunch... "
How often do we get so caught up in our own problems that we don't notice there are people around us who are having a hard time too? There's a quote from Elder Neal A. Maxwell which has become one of my personal favorites:
"When, for the moment, we ourselves are not being stretched on a particular cross, we ought to be at the foot of someone else’s—full of empathy and proffering spiritual refreshment" (Elder Neal A. Maxwell, April Gen Conf, 1990).
Instead of sitting down to commiserate over the discomforts of prison life, Joseph does what he can to lift their spirits. Turns out they had disturbing dreams, which Joseph interprets for them. Works out well for the butler, sadly not so much for the baker. Butler promises to put in a good word for Joseph, then forgets for two years.
Pharoah has a dream this time, and none of his wisemen or magicians can (or will) interpret it for him. I didn't catch on to this one either until I read a bit more on Egyptian culture...
Dream 1: seven fat cows are eating by the river, seven scrawny cows come up out of the river and eat the fat cows and are still scrawny as ever.
Dream 2: seven good ears of corn grow up on one stalk. Seven shriveled ears come up and eat the seven good ears.
This should've been a no-brainer to the wisemen. Cows were a symbol of the Egyptian goddess Isis, who represented agriculture and food. The [Nile] river represented fertility and life. The ears of wheat would also represent life and sustenance. So seven plentiful symbols of food are consumed by seven scrawny symbols of food... doesn't really take a genius here. The only guesswork left is to figure out they represent seven years. This would be like me not catching on to the fact Anakin Skywalker becomes Darth Vader and is really Luke's father.
Joseph not only interprets Pharaoh's dreams, but offers a suggestion on how to prepare for the upcoming famine. To the credit of Pharaoh, he recognizes Joseph as "a man in whom the Spirit of God is" (Genesis 41:38). Once again, Joseph is placed in the #2 slot. And, unlike his previous posts, he gets to keep it this time.
I bet Potiphar's wife was feeling a little nervous when she got the news Joseph was second only to Pharaoh. How easy it would've been for him to issue the order to have her put in prison, or worse. As we will see when the brothers come to buy food, Joseph possesses a very forgiving heart. But that's another story...
1 comment:
Very good brother. You did it again. Good lesson. Good blog.
Joseph's lifestory is a favorite of mine. He was marked by the Lord to become an enduring example for us. His outstanding qualities that I love are his exactness in keeping the commandments, his virtue, his absolute resilience to name a few.
I hope that Potiphar was affected by Joseph's example and her burning conscience enough that it led to her repentance just as Joseph's brothers were affected by him. I can imagine that our charitable forefather hoped the same for her.
I love Joseph's life because he proved faithful. He bore his gethsemane's. He carried his personal crosses. He partook of the bitter cup without becoming bitter. We can hear the Lord say to him "Well done thou good and faithful." Ahh those coveted words we strive to earn.
I am a believer that we are not at the mercy of others (when we are following the Lord) but that we are 'ONLY' at His mercy. That He will only let us suffer as much as serves His purposes and our growth. And that, having been patient and faithful in our afflictions, we are then refined instruments in His hands, better prepared to do a greater work than we were previously able. Indeed, who is Christ without the cross? Daniel without the den? Moses without pharaoh? Noah without the rain?
Anyways..whose blog is this? haha.
Dude, loved the read. You should be a speaker/writer. Perhaps father/husband/teacher will suffice? May His force be with you. Cheers Karyn
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