Genesis

Lesson #15
A Tale of Woe

(37: 1 38: 30)

Review

In Lesson #14 Jacobs life of cunning, deceit and deception redounds upon him:
1 ( !s Jacob heads south from "aran to #eersheba, $sau heads north to meet him%with 4&& armed men' In the dreadful night prior to meeting $sau, Jacob )wrestles* with a m+sterious man who changes Jacobs name from Jacob ,)the deceiver*- to Is ael ,he who )struggles with .od*Jacob and Leahs daughter, 0inah, is raped, and Jacobs sons ta1e vengeance b+ 1illing her rapist, his entire famil+, slaughtering ever+one in 2chechem and looting the town In a stunning act of deception, Jacob and Leahs eldest son, Ruben, has se3 with #ilhah, Rachels maidservant and father of Jacobs sons 0an and 4aphtali

5review
!s we loo1 bac1 at the stories weve studied so far a serious problem has ta1en root between husband and wife, parents and children: 1 !braham loved Ishmael, but 2arah loved Isaac6 ( Isaac loved $sau, but Rebe1ah loved Jacob6 / In Lesson #17, Jacob loves Joseph, son of Rachael, more than all his other sons 8rouble is brewing in the tent and the pot is about to boil over'

5review, cont

!s we enter our stor+, Jacob sends Joseph out to sp+ on his brothers who are tending the sheep 8he brothers see him coming6 the+ beat him6 strip him na1ed6 drop him in a cistern6 and hes sold into slaver+ in $g+pt !lthough a simple stor+ of sibling rivalr+, it is far more comple3 than it seems, filled with hidden twists and turns, shame, guilt, regret and simmering vengeance

Joseph

Joseph "eads to 0othan

Inside a :istern, Loo1ing ;ut%<i1es'

,"erodium, Israel-

:istern 5hoto

:isterns, or bo !a"i!, are holes dug in the ground, plastered with limestone, to hold rainwater# $%o&o' a(%" b" Ana )a ia *a 'as

=onstantin >lavits1+, Jacob+s ,ons ,ell Jose(% in&o ,la-e " ,oil on canvas-, 1?77 8he Russian @useum, 2t 5etersburg

Aho 2old JosephB

,.enesis /C: (DE(?-

J./a% sai/ &o %is b o&%e s: W%a& 'oo/ is &o be 'aine/ b" 0illin' o. b o&%e an/ concealin' %is bloo/1 2o!e3 le&+s sell %i! &o &%ese Is%!aeli&es3 ins&ea/ of /oin' a4a" 4i&% %i! o. sel-es# Af&e all3 %e is o. b o&%e 3 o. o4n fles%# 5is b o&%e s a' ee/# T%en &%e e (asse/ b" )i/iani&es3 !e c%an&!en6 an/ &%e" / e4 an/ lif&e/ .( Jose(% o.& of &%e (i&3 an/ &%e" sol/ Jose(% &o &%e Is%!aeli&es fo &4en&" 7(ieces8 of sil-e 6 an/ &%e" b o.'%& Jose(% in&o 9'"(& Fliteral translation of v (?G

If
18he Ishmaelites and the @idianites are two different set of people, not one, and (if the @idianites sell Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and the Ishmaelites sell him as a slave in $g+pt

8hen

1 8he brothers 1now nothing about what happened until Ruben discovers that Joseph is missing, and ( the brothers motives are not malignant, but a pran1 gone awr+ / 8hen we also understand the brothers guilt in covering up what happened6 4 we understand Josephs reactions when he meets his brothers in $g+pt6 7 we understand Josephs difficult+ in forgiving his brothers6 D we understand Judahs living awa+ from his famil+ for +ears in the parallel chapter /?6 H we understand Judah stepping in and ta1ing responsibilit+ for #enIamin in 44: 1?E/4 !nd 8# (e %a(s we understand wh+ the @essianic line comes through Judah, son #4, as given in @atthew 1: /

@eanwhile, what happens to JudahB

5arallel :hapter /?

37: 3:;T%e )i/iani&es !ean4%ile sol/ Jose(% &o $o&i(%a 3 an official of $%a ao% an/ %is c%ief s&e4a / # # # 38: 1;W%en Jose(% 4as &a0en /o4n &o 9'"(&3 an 9'"(&ian3 $o&i(%a 3 an official of $%a ao% an/ %is c%ief s&e4a /3 bo.'%& %i! f o! &%e Is%!aeli&es 4%o %a/ b o.'%& %i! &%e e# # # # T%e Lo / 4as 4i&% Jose(% an/ %e en<o"e/ ' ea& s.ccess an/ 4as assi'ne/ &o &%e %o.se%ol/ of %is 9'"(&ian !as&e ;3=: >#

Juestions for discussion and thought

1 "ow would +ou describe Jacobs relationship with his son, JosephB ( If a single word would spring to +our mind to describe Joseph at the opening chapter /C, what would it beB / Aho sold Joseph into slaver+B Ahat difference does it ma1eB 4 Ah+ does Jacob conclude that Joseph was devoured b+ a wild beastB 7 "ow do +ou describe Judahs actions in chapter /?B

:op+right K (&1/ b+ Ailliam : :reas+ 9All

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