Love and siblings

I have two sisters, growing up, we used to have squabbles, especially with my younger sister.  But we also had each other and I don’t know what I’d do without my sisters - I love them very much.  When it comes to my sisters, I become very protective because we have been through a lot together. 

When I read about Joseph and his brothers, I couldn’t imagine what in the world would make siblings hate each other so much that they would want to cause physical harm to each other.  Then I remembered of a family I knew growing up. 

The parents were constantly comparing the children against each other. The mother would call child A and tell him to be careful of child B, and then call the rest of the children and tell them A is the hope of the family so they better not do anything to hurt  A.  I saw the family get divided and the fights that went on in that family were fierce. There were times the police had to be called in because the fights had become bloody.

Jacob’s first mistake was picking Joseph out and making him his favourite and making sure that the rest of the children knew.  It made the rest of the brothers become united in their hatred against David.

So after selling Joseph into slavery, they lied to their father that Joseph had been killed by an animal.  They saw the  pain their actions caused their Father and I personally believe that caused them to reflect on their actions, and thus made them very protective of their younger brother Benjamin when later Joseph demanded that Benjamin stay behind in Egypt.

Joseph's stay in Egypt was bitter sweet. In Potiphar's house he was put in charge of everything that Potiphar owned but his wife.  Even though Joseph had control over that house hold he was still a slave.  Then Potiphar's wife accused him of rape and was sent to jail simply because he refused to sleep with Mrs Potiphar.  In jail, he was yet again put in charge of the prisons, but yet still he was a slave.  He stayed in that prison for over two years and nobody remembered him until Pharaoh dreamt.

Pharaoh had a dream he couldn’t understand and none of his advisors and wizards could interpret it, except Joseph.  He explained the great famine that was to come, and how Egypt was to survive it.  In my opinion, the king dreamed that dream for Joseph to interpret and for God to fulfil what he had planned to do for Israel.  Joseph wasn’t fortunate to be in Egypt, it was Egypt that was fortunate to have Joseph.  

Wherever Joseph was, that land could have received the blessing that was tied to Joseph’s life and because Joseph caught that revelation, he understood that if he messed up, his blessing would be cut short and that is why he was able to stand his ground and hold on to God's promise.  God’s blessings are tied to people not locations.  When God says he will bless you, he will bless you no matter where you are, God will bless the land for your sake. 

But you have a responsibility to place yourself in a position that will allow for those blessings to be accomplished in its time.  In waiting, don’t mess up; stay in God and in his standard through his word as Joseph did.

To be continued.....


Written by Aba Dadson

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