(Part of the profile series on the life of Joseph which began here. The following reflections cover an overview of Genesis chapters 29-35.)
Talk about family fortunes.
Joseph was the son of Jacob. That should be straightforward until you recognise that Jacob did not have one wife and Joseph was not his first son … or his second son … or his third son. Jacob had four women with whom he had children, two of those were sisters and the other two were servants from the sisters. The fuss around Jacob, his wives and their demand for children became a source of tension and that would not stop at the number of children born.
Jacob had his first love that was Rachel and Joseph was the firstborn of Rachel after many years of a fruitless barren womb whilst seeing her sister, her servant and her sister’s servant bear children for her husband.
Joseph was born into more tension as his Dad was working for Uncle Laban. Relations between the two had already been hit by the circumstance in which Jacob found himself marrying the two sisters and essentially having to work for 14 years when he only bargained on 7 years for one of them.
Having arrived as a single man on the run from a dubious trick on his brother, now Jacob found himself stuck in a bind with his Uncle. Now, however, he was not one man – he was a large tribe of his own with plenty of children, wives and cattle of his own that he’d worked for. Now, he sensed that he wasn’t as welcome among his Uncle’s folks and didn’t feel to be receiving due favour for his efforts. That tension caused him to depart with all his family as quickly as possible. From there the family had a run-in with Uncle Laban who looked to catch up with them wondering why they had to leave and why they stole his household gods.
When that tension was quelled, up arose another one as Jacob was told that the brother he swindled was on his way to him. That caused tension that led to a nighttime struggle with the angel of the Lord that marked Jacob’s change of name to Israel. The tension with his brother was eased when Jacob discovered that his brother was not looking to pay vengeance on his brother, but literally, have a check on how his brother was doing.
The next episode in the family is filled with shame and disgrace. Joseph’s sister Dinah is raped, but the one who committed this act looked to calm matters by marrying the woman he raped. Although that sounded amenable to the man’s father, who ran the area as well as Jacob, despite the travesty, it was not amenable to Dinah’s brothers. Such was their anger and determination for revenge that they deviously carried out a plan that led to the widespread murders of the men in the area including the one who raped their sister. That act in itself sent reverberations through the region.
Just to add to the tensions three significant deaths hit the family. The nursemaid for Rebecca, Jacob’s Mum died. Most strikingly for father and son, Rachel herself died just as she was giving birth to Joseph’s little brother, Benjamin. That was followed by Jacob’s father – Isaac – Joseph’s grandfather – also dying.
There is a brief respite amongst these setbacks as God calls Jacob for an encounter where the name change is affirmed
Whether near in time or far, tension and upheaval to be a part of Joseph’s world. Whether he was consciously aware or would grow to be told about it, Joseph has insights into who God is and His role in their family from generation to generation. He also experiences some of the uglier aspects of the human condition. All of this marks his life up to the point that his story will move into the forefront of the scriptural narrative.
It’s useful getting this context for what it says about Joseph, but also what it says about the thread through which redemption runs. The theme of redemption – a significant one throughout scripture – is one where God works through people and their family situations for His purposes. This is about tensions and upheavals blighting the life of a young man who is part of a family never quite finding a place to settle. Never quite in a place to stay.
It’s a reflection to bear in mind those contexts we come from. Bear in mind those family fractures and dysfunctions that could open the opportunity for great harm or offer up the chance for significant good.
Questions from Joseph in the Background
- What is remarkable to you considering Joseph’s formative years?
- Why is this sort of background worth remembering when looking at the rest of Joseph’s life?
- God works through the good, the bad and the ugly. How does that truth make a difference in your life?
- What can these reflections do to help you in your faith journey?
For His Name’s Sake
Shalom
C. L. J. Dryden
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