The Story of Joseph and His Brethren

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THE STORY OF JOSEPH AND HIS BRETHREN:

ITS MORAL AND SPIRITUAL LESSONS

by the

Part 1 / Chapter 1

PART I.

CHAPTER I.

THE history of Joseph is one of the most beautiful and instructive stories that occur in the Bible, or that are to be found in any other book. The character of Joseph is the most perfect of any that we read of in the Old Testament,—and perhaps is only surpassed by that of our blessed Lord Himself, whose history that of Joseph resembles as well as represents. Moses was meek, David was generous, Solomon was wise, but each of them had some fault that dimmed the lustre of his virtues. Joseph had all these good qualities, but no one fault is charged against him. We must not, indeed, suppose that he was faultless; but we may conclude that he was freer from faults than most other men, when we find that not one is charged in the Bible history against him. God, we may presume, has been pleased to record the history of this beautiful character in His Holy Book, for the purpose of showing to His children in all ages so lovely an example for their imitation. Joseph is especially worthy of imitation by the young; for they will learn from him how they ought to act at home and in the world, in adversity and prosperity, in humble and exalted stations. It is most important for the young to learn and practise home virtues, their duties to their parents, and to their brothers and sisters; for home duties and affections are the beginning and the foundation of all others. The young must love and obey their parents before they can love and obey the Lord, as their Father in heaven; and they must love and be kind to their brothers and sisters before they can love and do good to their neighbour. Nay, young people love God in loving their parents, for God has commanded them to honour their father and mother, which means to love and obey them; and they love their neighbour in loving their brothers and sisters, because the command to love their neighbour as themselves includes love to their brothers and sisters. And what God requires us to do as a duty, and as a means to make others happy, He intends to be the means of making ourselves happy. Indeed, there is no way of being happy but by doing what will contribute to the happiness of others. The happiness of home depends upon every one of the family trying to make home happy, by acts of goodness and kindness to all who belong to it. This requires every one to be orderly, good tempered, serviceable, unselfish, sincere, forbearing, forgiving, and kind. Obedience to father and mother is the very first thing on which the welfare and happiness of a family depends, and that which is above all things necessary to make a happy home.

I am here assuming that parents are such as to render them worthy of the honour and duty of their children. Not that children before their proper age are to decide for themselves how far they are bound to render homage and obedience to their parents. But the kind and measure of honour which parents receive from their children must be in a great measure determined by their own general character, and their conduct towards their children. This is a result that cannot be entirely prevented. One of the great blessings of pure religion is that it makes both parents and children, who are desirous to learn, worthy examples of parental and filial love. And my young readers have reason to thank their Divine Lord and Heavenly Father for blessing them with parents, who strive to do every thing that God requires to make them worthy of their children's love, and to make their children so good, that love for their parents will be a delight as well as a duty.

If we attend carefully to Joseph's history we may learn much that will be useful to us in this and all other respects. For I may remark, further, that all persons, young and old, high and low, rich and poor, may gain wisdom by studying Joseph's history and character. The child and the man, the son and the servant, the captive in the dungeon and the king on the throne, may all study Joseph's history with advantage. Kings may learn of him how to rule; for it was when Joseph was next to Pharaoh on the throne, and was ruler over all the land of Egypt, that he showed how wise and good a governor he was. By his prudence and care he provided the means of saving the people of Egypt, and those of many other countries, from great suffering, and even from starvation, during a famine which lasted without intermission for the long period of seven years. It was then, also, when in the height of his glory, that he behaved with so much tenderness and manifested such forgiving love to his brethren, from whom he had received nothing but hatred and injury.

Jacob had, as you know, twelve sons. Joseph and Benjamin were the two youngest. They were the sons of the same mother. For Jacob, you are aware, had two wives, one named Leah and the other Rachel. Rachel was the younger and more beautiful daughter of Laban whom Jacob loved first and loved most. He desired to have Rachel, and Rachel only; but it was the custom in those days, and in the country where Laban lived, that the elder daughter must be married before the younger. Jacob, therefore, had to take Leah for a wife before he could obtain Rachel. For very many years after their marriage Rachel had no children. The Lord, we are told, withheld children from her, but gave sons to Leah. After ten sons and one daughter had been born to Jacob by Leah and the handmaids, then we read—"God remembered Rachel, and she conceived and bare a son, and she called his name Joseph." (Gen. xxx. 22.) Some time after the birth of Joseph Rachel had another son, whom his father named Benjamin. (Gen. xxxv. 16-18).

We hear nothing more of Joseph after the record of his birth, till we come to the thirty-seventh chapter, where his history begins. We there read, at the third verse, that "Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age." It may seem to you that if this were the only reason for Jacob's greater love for his younger son, Benjamin should have been his best beloved, because he was born several years later than Joseph, when Jacob was still older. But Joseph was Rachel's firstborn, and both Rachel and Jacob had long desired to have children, and this answer to their prayers must have produced in them deep gratitude to the Lord and great joy of heart. Jacob, we may suppose, had long given up all hope of having a child by his best-beloved, Rachel; and when at last a son was born to him in his old age, he regarded the blessing with strong affection as a special gift from God. While Jacob loved Joseph more than all his other children, he loved the others also; for although a father may for some special reason love one of his children more than the rest, he does not, if he be a good man, withhold his love from the others, or neglect his duty towards them. Yet we are to remember that the circumstances are very different now from what they were then. Christian men have only one wife, and therefore there is not the same ground for partiality as there was then—that is, for loving the child of one wife more than the child of another.

Jacob's love for Joseph prompted him to make a distinction in his dress; he made him a coat of many colours. It is considered that this more properly means a coat of several pieces. Yet it is to be assumed that these pieces were of different colours; for it would be difficult to suppose why a coat or garment such as was then worn should be made of many different pieces, unless it was for the purpose of introducing into it a variety of beautiful or attractive colours. But whatever was the precise character of the garment, we know from other parts of the Bible that such garments were worn as a mark of distinction. From the Second Book of Samuel we learn that such garments were worn by the young or virgin daughters of kings. It is said (chap. xiii. 18) that David's daughter, Tamar, "had a garment of divers colours upon her; for with such robes were the king's daughters that were virgins apparelled." This kind of garment was therefore a mark of dignity, and it would seem a badge of youth, and perhaps of purity. These are the only two instances in the Bible of such garments being mentioned, and they both seem to bespeak a father's fondness, and a child's youth and innocence. The coat of many colours, therefore which Israel made for his son Joseph, he no doubt intended to be a token of his love for the son of his old age, and as a sign of the son's superior excellence, his great simplicity and integrity of character.

But if his father loved Joseph best, Joseph seems best to have deserved his father's love. The very first thing mentioned of Joseph, after he had become a young man, shows that he was better than his brethren, or than several of them at least. In Gen. xxxvii. 2, we read that Joseph, being seventeen years old, was feeding the flock with his brethren, "and the lad was with the sons of Bilhah, and with the sons of Zilpah, his father's wives; and Joseph brought unto his father their evil report." Joseph's brethren were, no doubt, guilty of serious misconduct; and this must have been frequent, if not habitual. Judging from Joseph's character, as it is afterwards displayed, there must have been something very wrong in his brothers' conduct before he reported it to his father; and we may suppose he had spoken to them of their evil deeds before declaring them to Jacob.

It may seem to some young people that Joseph was guilty of tale-telling, and that it would have been more gentle and generous of him to conceal his brothers' faults. But we must look at Joseph's motive. If he had told his brothers' faults from any ill-feeling towards them, or even for the mere love of reporting their misconduct, and bringing them into trouble, there might be cause for blaming him for what he did. Joseph's character forbids us to think that this was the case. He loved his brethren and desired their good; and he must have reported their conduct to his father, to make him aware of their evils, that he might use means for correcting and improving them. A brother may, therefore, show his love for his brethren by reporting their misconduct to his father, knowing that his father loves them, and only desires to know the misconduct of his children, that he may restrain them in their evil courses, and guide them in the path of virtue. Only, young people, in doing what Joseph did, must do it with a good end in view. Those who, like Joseph's brethren, go on in evil, besides doing serious injury to themselves, do serious injury to their parents; and for their parents, as well as for their brethren's sake, grave faults should not be concealed. Any one influenced by Joseph's motives may, therefore, imitate Joseph's example.

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CHAPTER II.

WHILE this beautiful history shows Joseph to have been actuated by the kindest feeling towards his brothers, it shows great unkindness of feeling, great malignity of disposition, on the part of his brethren towards him. Their ill-feeling towards him shows itself from the beginning of the sacred story. At Genesis xxxvii. 4, we read that "when his brethren saw that their father loved Joseph more than all his brethren, they hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." They hated him, not because of any fault of his, but because he was loved by his father. They had come to that age when they were able to judge in such a matter. If there was any one to blame it was not Joseph, but his father. Why then should they hate the one who was blameless? It was, as is too evident, because they themselves were evil and envious.

Joseph was, as we should say, his father's favourite, and his brothers could not bear to think that he should be regarded by him with any preference, however innocent or just that preference might be. The apostle advises Christians to prefer one another in love. Joseph's brethren did not feel disposed to do this. Elder brothers should not be envious of the greater love which their parents bestow upon their younger brothers. They most require their parents' tender care, and there is no just reason for displeasure that they receive it. How natural is the description here of an unbrotherly spirit and conduct! "They hated him, and could not speak peaceably unto him." How like is this description of a family, who lived four thousand years ago, to many families that we live amongst at this present day! It is the description of fallen and corrupt human nature in all ages, when people give way to their evil natural dispositions. How often do we find that brothers and sisters, whom God intended to love and speak lovingly to one another, yet cannot speak peaceably to each other. And how sad it is when some one of a family, who is more good or pious than the others, is yet hated and ill-treated by his less godly brethren! Hatred of a brother, even if he be evil, is wrong, but envy of any favour that is bestowed upon a good and deserving brother or sister, is still more so, and is the sign of a depraved heart. The young should be warned by the unjust and evil conduct of Joseph's brethren, especially when they see to what dreadful lengths hatred and envy will go when they are not checked but encouraged. But the hatred of Joseph's brethren not only continued but increased, and in what now follows we read of the cause of this.

"Joseph" we are told (at the fifth verse), "dreamed a dream, and he told it to his brethren, and they hated him yet the more." The dreams which had come to Joseph reveal the cause of the increased hatred with which his brethren regarded him on account of them. He relates his dream to them. "Behold," he said, "we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf arose and stood upright; and behold, your sheaves stood round about, and made obeisance to my sheaf." His brethren understood the meaning of the dream, for they said—"Shalt thou, indeed, reign over us? or shalt thou, indeed, have dominion over us? And they hated him yet the more for his dreams and for his words." His telling his dream to his brothers shows the unsuspecting innocence and sincerity of Joseph's heart, and even his affection for them; whether he saw its meaning as quickly and clearly as they did we are not told; but had he been as willing to rule as they were unwilling to be ruled, he would probably have kept his dream a secret, lest its being known might prevent its fulfilment. We know how literally this dream, as interpreted by his brethren, was fulfilled, and as we shall have to note, when we come to see these now haughty and envious brethren bowing in profound humiliation before him.

We may now remark that this and the other dreams of Joseph, being prophetic, foreshadowing events that took place many years afterwards, must have been inspired by the Lord, who alone knows, because He alone disposes, all future events. We find many instances besides these of God revealing His will and wisdom to His people in sleep. And this interesting circumstance teaches us that God is near to us, and takes care of us while we are unable to take care of ourselves, and that when He sees good He can give us warning and instruction in dreams. There is one great difference between us and Joseph. In those times they had not the Scriptures, such as we have, to guide them, and, therefore, the Lord gave them special instruction by means of angels and in dreams. We have now the will and wisdom of God revealed in His Word. And having thus the precious Book of God in our hands, we have, so to speak, a constantly "open vision," and a "more sure word of prophecy" than that given in dreams, "to which we do well to take heed."

But Joseph dreamed another dream; and this time the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to him. This dream he told to his father as well as to his brethren. His father saw the meaning it involved; for he said to his son, "What is this that thou hast dreamed; shall I and thy mother and thy brethren, indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the earth?" These two dreams thus foreshadowed two distinct events. The first had reference to his brethren only, and was fulfilled when they went down to Egypt to buy corn, when they made obeisance to Joseph, as their sheaves had done to his in his dream. The second referred to the whole family, and was fulfilled when Jacob and all his household removed from Canaan, and went down and dwelt in Egypt under the rule and dominion of Joseph, as they had rightly understood his dreams to foretell.

Not long after the time when Joseph had his dreams, his brethren had an opportunity of manifesting their hatred against him in a way that seemed likely, as it was intended, to prevent their fulfilment, but which an overruling Providence made the very means of their accomplishment.

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CHAPTER III.

JOSEPH'S brethren went to feed their father's flock in Shechem, and Jacob sent Joseph to see if it was well with his brethren, and well with the flock, and to bring him word. When Joseph came to Shechem, he learned from a man, of whom he inquired, that they had gone to Dothan. "And Joseph went after his brethren and found them in Dothan." He was now some miles away from the house where his father lived. "When his brethren saw him afar off, and before he came near unto them, they conspired against him to slay him." How cruel must have been their hatred! Their brother, and but a lad, came a distance from home to see them and inquire after their welfare. One might suppose that if they could not love him, they could not have it in their hearts to injure him: yet no sooner does he appear in the distance on his weary way, than they are inspired with the wicked purpose of taking away his life. What a warning is this against being "angry with a brother without a fault!" How guarded should we be against allowing any thing of hatred or envy to have a place in our thoughts, much less to take possession of our hearts, against a brother, or indeed against any human being! One of the strongest reasons against killing their gentle brother was the grief his loss would bring upon their aged father. They thought, indeed, of him, but it was only to think how they might deceive him, by accounting for the death of his beloved son, so as to conceal their own wickedness. The father was to be told that some evil beast had devoured him!

While this plan was agreed upon, one of the brothers appears to have been absent. This was Reuben, the eldest brother, who seems to have had some feelings of tenderness towards Joseph and his father. When Reuben heard what was the intention of his brethren, he said unto them—"Shed no blood, but cast him into this pit that is in the wilderness, and lay no hand upon him;" and Reuben's object was "that he might rid him out of their hands, to deliver him to his father again." The brethren consented to this proposal, seemingly without having altogether given up the idea of afterwards carrying out their first bloody purpose. All this was discussed and settled while Joseph was approaching them. When the unsuspecting youth came to his brethren, instead of meeting with a kind reception, he was seized, and they stript him of his coat of many colours, and cast him into a pit. The heartlessness of his cruel brethren is strongly indicated, for it is related that as soon as they had committed this wicked act they sat down to eat bread. While engaged, with unconcern, perhaps with joy, at their unblest meal, "they lifted up their eyes and looked, and behold a company of Ishmaelites came from Gilead with their camels bearing spicery, and balm, and myrrh, going to carry it down to Egypt." It was now that a new and more humane mode of disposing of Joseph was suggested to the brethren by Judah. He said—"What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hands be upon him, for he is our brother and our flesh. And his brethren were content. Then they drew and lifted up Joseph out of the pit, and sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites for twenty pieces of silver." Reuben was again absent when Joseph was thus sold as a slave. When he returned he found the pit empty, and rent his clothes, which was a sign of mourning, and showed signs of great distress.

The scene which ensued is deeply affecting. "They took Joseph's coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they brought it to their father and said, This we have found; know now whether it be thy son's coat or no? And he knew it, and said. This is my son's coat; an evil beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces." Thus cruelly deceived by his own children, and led by them to believe that Joseph had been devoured by some wild beast, Jacob rent his clothes and put sackcloth upon his loins, and mourned for his son many days, and said that he would go down to the grave unto his son mourning.

It is remarkable that those very sons who had caused him all this sorrow rose up with his other children to comfort him. And it is no less remarkable that Reuben, as well as the other brethren, kept the truth concealed from their father, and never revealed it to him till after Joseph had made himself known to them in Egypt, when on their return home they announced to their father the extraordinary tidings—"Joseph is yet alive, and is governor over all the land of Egypt."

The Ishmaelites who had bought Joseph carried him down to Egypt, and there sold him to Potiphar, an officer, a captain of the guard. Away from his father's house and from all his kindred—away from that home which he loved, he is now not only a stranger but a captive in a strange land. But although he was away from all that he loved and that loved him, there was One who had not forsaken him nor left him. "The Lord was with Joseph." How blessed and comforting is this truth! His cruel brethren could separate him from his earthly father, but they could not separate him from his Heavenly Father. None can separate us from Him, or remove us from His presence. No one can do this but ourselves. So long as we are faithful to Him, He will be faithful to us; and the further we are from our kindred the nearer we may be to God. Trial serves but to bring the good to nearer connection with Him. How finely does the Apostle Paul deal with this subject! "who can separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is Christ Jesus our Lord." (Rom. viii. 35-39.)

Part 1 / Chapter 4

CHAPTER IV.

JOSEPH felt the benefit of having the Lord's help. In consequence of the Lord being with him, Joseph was a prosperous man. "His master saw that the Lord was with him." How did he see this? He did not see the Lord, but he saw in Joseph's piety and virtue the evidence that he was a godly young man, and thus that God was with him. Joseph therefore found grace or favour in his master's sight, and he made him ruler over his house. Potiphar did not lose his reward, for "the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house for Joseph's sake; and the blessing of the Lord was upon all that he had in the house, and in the field."

Joseph was beautiful as well as good; he was a goodly person and well favoured. Beauty, which is a source of vanity and proves a snare to some, had no such effect upon Joseph; but it was the occasion of a great trial and a sad reverse of fortune to him. This is one of the first of the many instances which the present history affords of the great purity of Joseph's mind and excellence of his character. After relating how much Joseph was trusted by Potiphar, the sacred writer tells us, "it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph, and she said, Lie with me." Deeply sinful as this was on the part of his mistress—and it was a temptation that required strong religious principles in a young man, in Joseph's position, to resist—Joseph did resist it; and not only did he refuse compliance with the solicitations of his mistress, but he expressed the greatest abhorrence at her sinful proposal. His words on that occasion deserve to be printed in letters of gold; but, what is far more important, should be imprinted on every heart, especially on the heart of every young man. "He refused, and said unto his master's wife. How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" This was not all he said to his shameless enticer; he pointed out how very criminal it would be in him, trusted as he was, to be guilty of such a crime. "Behold," he says, "my master wotteth not what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath into my hands; there is none greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife; how then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?" Here was faithfulness at once to his master and to his God. This is the perfection of religion. It is the union of love to God and love to the neighbour. Upon these two hang all the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets, as we possess them, had not yet been revealed when Joseph made this memorable answer to one who tried to allure him to sin, nor had that Gospel been given which so greatly exalts Moses' law. But God had revealed the law in Joseph's mind, and impressed it upon his heart. And this must still be done with every one before there can be true religious virtue. We have now the outward law and the Gospel; but the Spirit of the Lord must dwell in our hearts, and, through the outward revelation, control our passions and order our lives in righteousness. We have, indeed, many and great advantages over those who lived in Joseph's times. Not only have we the Gospel, but we have the example, of our blessed Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and we have Him present with us always, to strengthen and lead us to do as He Himself did. If, then, Joseph was willing and able to resist a strong temptation to commit a great sin, how much more should we resist who have the sword of the Spirit of Jesus, and the shield of His faith! Such a lesson as this, by one who lived four thousand years ago, is much needed in our own times; and Christian and enlightened as these times are, we may well look back to the young Hebrew captive for one of the highest examples of religious morality—for the union, in this one instance, of piety, chastity, and conscientiousness.

But Joseph's temptation was not yet ended. His purity and constancy to principle had a further and severer trial. His mistress spoke to him, not once only, but day by day in the same manner; but Joseph hearkened not unto her. But still more severely than even this was his constancy tried. From entreaty and persuasion his master's wife proceeded to force. "While Joseph was one day engaged in his business, when there was no one in the house, she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me; and he left his garment in her hand, and fled and got him out." How strong must have been his religious principles, to resist the pleasures of sin thus thrust upon him!