May the mumbling commence!
Sometimes to continue living is a heavier sentence than
death. There’s more suffering. That’s what Joseph’s half-brothers
decided. But deception was at the heart
of their plan. They were deceivers just
like their father. It seems that the
fruit has not fallen far from the tree.
Read from Peterson’s The Message:
When
Joseph
reached his
brothers, they ripped off the fancy coat he was wearing, grabbed
him, and threw him into a cistern. The cistern was
dry; there wasn’t any water in it.
Then
they sat down to eat their supper. Looking
up, they saw a caravan of Ishmaelites on their way from Gilead,
their camels loaded with spices, ointments, and
perfumes to sell in Egypt. Judah said, “Brothers,
what are we going to get out of killing our
brother and concealing the evidence? Let’s sell him to
the Ishmaelites, but let’s not kill him –
he is after all, our brother, our own flesh and
blood.” His brothers agreed.
By the
time the Midianite traders were passing by. His brothers pulled Joseph out of the cistern
and sold him for twenty pieces of silver to the Ishmaelites who took Joseph with them down to
Egypt.
Later
Reuben came back and
went to the cistern – no Joseph! He ripped his clothes in despair. Beside himself,
he went to his brothers. “The boy’s gone! What am I going to do?”
They
took Joseph’s
coat, butchered a
goat, and dipped the coat in the blood.
They took the fancy coat back to their father and said,
“We found this. Look it over – do you think this is your son’s coat?”
He
recognized it at once. “My son’s coat – a wild animal has
eaten him. Joseph torn limb
from limb!”
Jacob
tore his clothes in grief, dressed in rough
burlap, and mourned his son a long, long time.
His sons and daughters tried to comfort him but
he refused their comfort. “I’ll go to the
grave mourning my son.” Oh, how his father wept
for him.
In
Egypt the Midianites sold Joseph to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials,
manager of his
household affairs. (Genesis 37:23-36)
Now read the same passage from the NIV translation:
So when Joseph came to
his brothers, they stripped
him of his robe – the richly ornamented robe he
was wearing – and they took him and threw him into the
cistern. Now the cistern was empty;
there was no water in it.
As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of
Ishmaelites coming from Gilead. Their camels were
loaded with spices, balm
and myrrh, and they were on their way to take them down to Egypt.
Judah said to his brothers, "What
will we gain if we kill our
brother and cover up his blood? Come, let's
sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our
hands on him; after all, he is our brother,
our own flesh and blood." His brothers agreed.
So when the Midianite merchants
came by, his brothers pulled Joseph up out of the cistern and
sold him for twenty shekels of silver to the Ishmaelites, who took him to Egypt.
When Reuben returned to the cistern and saw
that Joseph was not there, he tore his clothes. He went back
to his brothers and
said, "The boy isn't there! Where can I turn now?"
Then they got Joseph's robe, slaughtered
a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took the ornamented
robe back to their father and said, "We
found this. Examine it to see whether it is your son's robe."
He recognized it and said, "It is my son's robe! Some
ferocious animal has devoured him. Joseph
has surely been torn
to pieces."
Then Jacob tore his clothes, put on sackcloth and
mourned for his son many days. All his
sons and daughters came to comfort him, but he
refused to be comforted. "No," he
said, "in mourning will I go down to the grave to my
son." So his
father wept for him.
Meanwhile, the Midianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar, one of
Pharaoh's officials, the captain of the guard. (Genesis 37:23-36)
The one thing that throws up a red flag for me is the
very last phrase of this passage. Who
was Potiphar? The NIV (and most other
translations) name him as a captain of the guard… or something similar. Why would Peterson choose to call him the
manager of his household affairs? Wasn’t
that to be Joseph’s job for Potiphar?
This choice of Peterson causes unnecessary confusion. I like the NIV better in this instance.
Joseph’s half-brothers (minus Reuben apparently) decided
to sell Joseph into slavery in Egypt.
Judah led them in this decision.
The brothers earned some money, and they ensured that Joseph would no
longer pester them and tell on them. And
Joseph would suffer in slavery. What
could be better for that little tattle-tale brat?
And, have you ever wondered why Reuben left in the first
place? What was Reuben returning
from? Was he caring for the flocks as his
younger brothers ate the meal? If we
want to ensure an undecided outcome, it’s best if we stay nearby and monitor
it.
Then, there’s the deception of their father Jacob. The deceiver is once again deceived, this
time by his own sons. And the deception
worked exceptionally well.
Talk about a dysfunctional
family! How would God heal this
fractured family? Only time would tell.
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
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