VAYESHEV (And He Lived) Gen. 37:1–40:23; Amos 2:6–3:8; Rom 8:18–39
Parsha Vayeshev commences with the story of Joseph and continues in the next 3 Torah portions.The length devoted to the narrative is an indication of the significance which the Word of God places on the story. At the very outset, things don’t look very positive for Joseph. We read that he was Jacob’s favourite son which Jacob made no secret about. This is already a red warning light and became a destructive element within the family unit not least because Joseph revelled in his status, the second youngest son of 12 who provoked his brothers to nurture a deep resentment against him.
If that wasn’t bad enough, it seemed that from outward appearances, Joseph was also highly favoured of God who endowed him with the gift of dreams with their interpretation which revealed Joseph’s future position. What was the fairness of that? And rather than being humble, Joseph bragged about it to his other brothers. Joseph was the classic product of an over-indulgent father! The final straw came when Jacob gave Joseph a special coat of many colours that was an insignia of rulership.
The Bible teaches us that if we humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God He will exalt us, but pride comes before a fall. Joseph’s pride and self-absorption eventually got him into a whole load of trouble and an intense resentment was nurtured among his brothers that only needed a spark to ignite.
Outwardly, all the events that ensued are puzzling and impossible to anticipate what is going to happen next if one did not know the plot beforehand. Only God understood and manoeuvred events exactly as determined in accordance with His divine plan weaving everything in Joseph’s life to mould his character into a vessel meet for HIs purposes; it was not an easy task and He needed to take Joseph through many perilous and brutal experiences that most of us would shudder at the very thought of happening to us. The bottom line at the end of it all was that against all odds, Joseph with all his character flaws prevailed without compromise trusting God at every turn, never with a complaint.
The name Joseph (Yosef) is linked to the Hebrew term ‘yesod’, meaning foundation, taken from the expression, “Tzadik yesod olam” — a righteous man is the foundation of the world. Righteous character can only be forged in the cauldron of affliction over a period of time. Had Joseph been transferred to Pharaoh’s prison at the very beginning of the story, he would almost certainly have failed miserably as God knew full well.
God had a great destiny for Joseph’s life, but this was no more true than for every one of Joseph’s brothers and indeed, for every one of us. In fact, out of all the tribes, it was Judah, not Joseph who eventually became the largest and most powerful tribe through whom the Messiah would be revealed.
The life and character of Joseph is so important, that more is allotted to him in the Tanakh than with any other character except Moses. God used extreme measures to shape his life but out of it was forged a humility and trust that became woven into his character, and it was this that ultimately led to the salvation of his people.
The story of Joseph is tightly-scripted beyond all other narratives in the Tanakh. Every detail is significant and as one person has commented, although one moment may appear to be almost irrelevant it is this very moment that contains some of the most beautiful parallels and illustrations. In fact the entire story of Joseph is a poignant type and shadow of the Suffering Servant – Yeshua.
For example, at one point in the story the brothers left home to tend their sheep, and Jacob instructed Joseph to check to see how they were doing. It was this seemingly ordinary event that became pivotal in setting in motion all that was to follow after his brothers sold Joseph into Egypt as a slave. But it very nearly didn’t happen.
Joseph came to Shechem where he expected his brothers to be, but they were nowhere to be seen. At that point, he could simply have decided to go home and had he done so none of the events that followed would have happened: No Joseph the slave, no Joseph the viceroy, no storage of food during the years of plenty, no descent of Joseph’s family to Egypt, no exile, no slavery, no exodus. Then, something unusual happened. “A man found [Joseph] wandering around in the fields who asked him, “What are you looking for?” He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?” “They have moved on from here,” the man answered. “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’” So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan.” (Gen. 37:15-17)
How strange that Joseph, who would have known the terrain like his back garden would have to ask directions from a stranger. And who was this unnamed man? The Jewish sages provide many creative explanations, but for us it is a perfect picture of Yeshua, this “anonymous man” who intervened to ensure that Joseph would be directed to where he was supposed to be. When God intervenes in our affairs He He will use any means He decides, whether they defy the laws of nature or not.
Joseph finally discovers the whereabouts of his brothers as per the directions he was given and ends up being sold into slavery. Now his brothers were faced with a problem how to explain things to their father so, they contrived a deception. They dipped his coat in blood, presented it to their father, and pretended that Joseph had been killed by wild animals. This was perhaps the most devastating shock in Jacob’s entire life and he responded by “… renting his clothes, and putting on sackcloth, and mourned for his son for a long time. His sons and daughters tried to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted. He said, “I will go down to the grave mourning for my son.” (Gen. 37:34–35)
There are laws in Judaism about the limits of grief – ‘shiva sheloshim,’ a year. There is no such thing as a bereavement for which grief is endless. The Talmud says that God admonishes one who weeps beyond the appointed time, ‘because His compassion is infinitely greater than our own. And yet Jacob refused to be comforted. The Talmud offers us a remarkable explanation. “One can be comforted for one who is dead, but not for one who is still living.” In other words, it is suggesting that Jacob refused to be comforted because he had not yet given up hope that Joseph was still alive. His continuing anguish demonstrated a form of loyalty; to give up and be reconciled to loss was in a sense a betrayal. As such, grief lacks closure. What we can interpret from the text is that to refuse to be comforted is to refuse to give up hope.
We may question on what basis Jacob based had hope? He had recognised Joseph’s blood-stained coat – and himself speculated that, “A wild beast (must have) devoured him. Joseph has been torn to pieces.”
Normally, Joseph’s brothers would be held responsible for his disappearance but according to the evidence brought to him, Jacob had no alternative but to acquit them even though privately he may well have had his doubts. In fact his refusal to be comforted shows that he was unconvinced. He continued to hope that Joseph was still alive and that hope was eventually vindicated.
This concept of refusing to be comforted occurs several times in Jewish history. For example, the prophet Jeremiah prophesied:
“This is what the Lord says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, Mourning and great weeping, Rachel weeping for her children Refusing to be comforted, Because her children are no more.” This is what the Lord says: “Restrain your voice from weeping, And your eyes from tears, For your work will be rewarded,” says the Lord.
“They will return from the land of the enemy. So there is hope for your future,” declares the Lord, “Your children will return to their own land.” (Jer 31:15–17)
Why was Jeremiah so sure that the Jews would return? Because they refused to be comforted – meaning, they refused to give up hope.
During the Babylonian exile, the Psalmist wrote: “By the rivers of Babylon we sat and wept, As we remembered Zion… How can we sing the songs of the Lord in a strange land? If I forget you, O Jerusalem, May my right hand forget [its skill], May my tongue cling to the roof of my mouth If I do not remember you, If I do not consider Jerusalem above my highest joy.” (Ps 137:1–6) The Jewish people are a people of hope as has been demonstrated throughout history even in the worst of times. There is a well known story that Napoleon, passing a synagogue on the fast day of Tisha B’Av, heard the sounds of lamentation. “What are the Jews crying for?” he asked one of his officers. “For Jerusalem,” the soldier replied. “How long ago did they lose it?” “More than 1,700 hundred years.” “A people who can mourn for Jerusalem so long, will one day have it restored to them,” so is it said the Emperor replied.
Likewise, God has provided us as believers with a “sure hope” one that is unbreakable and stronger than every inevitability. But, each one of us needs to learn patience and this is something none of us are not always very good at doing.
As with Joseph, good things sometimes happen to us that is like a helta-skelta – a constant repetition of anticipations that only become the prelude to some new and unforeseen misfortune. We need to understand that in these times when everything seems to go wrong God is working within us something of great importance. When Joseph was at his lowest point, incarcerated in Pharaoh’s prison with no hope of escape, we find that only 2 years later he is promoted to Viceroy over Egypt, the greatest empire of the ancient world. At just 30 years old, Joseph became the second most powerful man in the world. Overnight, he went from a zero to a hero! We must never forget that the darkest time of night is just before the break of dawn.
When we come to the end of the story in the final chapters of Genesis, God transformed Joseph into an entirely different person we read about at the very beginning. He understood the power of forgiveness and humility – the man who saved an entire region from famine and starvation, a person who the Jewish sages describe as a “the tzaddik.” (a righteous person)
Maybe, the story of your life has just reached the half-time stage? Like Joseph, who at the age of 29 would have been justified in thinking his life was an abject failure, was hated by his brothers, criticised by his over indulgent father, sold as a slave, imprisoned on a false charge and with his one chance of freedom gone.
Yet, the second half of the Joseph’s life demonstrated something entirely different. His life became one of unprecedented success. We must never allow ourselves to be stuck in the half-time stage, because like Joseph we can become game changers when we allow Him to have His perfect way in our lives.
This is the place in Scripture where Joseph became the first person in biblical history to forgive. By saving the region from famine, he became the first in whom the promise made by God to Abraham was realised: “Through you, all the families of the land will be blessed” (Gen. 12:3).
The turning-point in Joseph’s life occurred in a moment that could never have been predicted and held an impact that would change the course of Jewish history. God’s hand was at work, even when Joseph felt totally abandoned. It is no different for us who tells us: “I will never leave nor forsake you even until the end of this Age.”
Although we live life forward, (we don’t live in the past) it is often only when we look back that we are able to see the full picture of God’s hand working behind the scenes. This is what it means when God told Moses: “You will see My back” (Ex. 33:23), meaning, “You will see Me only when you look back.”
What an incredible privilege for us to reflect upon the fingerprints of God on our lives! You may be saying, “What fingerprints?” Maybe this is because, like Joseph you are only at the halfway point where nothing makes any sense? This is when we must stand strong in faith, trusting God knowing that the good work He has begun in our lives He will bring to completion unto the day of Messiah! Just wait and see!
