Big Bible Questions: Who's to Blame for Joseph's Enslavement?

Welcome, friends and readers! Today marks the third session of my "Big Bible Questions" series.

If you're new to this series, this is where I take a story from the Bible, usually a story that modern readers feel very passionate about; everybody has their own interpretations of the story and the characters, and it can result in an ugly clash if they're not careful.

Here, I strive to be much more philosophical than argumentative. Whether or not you agree with me is up to you, and if you're not religious at all, hopefully you can at least appreciate the educational aspects of these discussions. Besides, it's fascinating for me, myself, to go back to the stories of my childhood and learn something I hadn't really thought of before.

Today's topic: Joseph in Egypt, from the book of Genesis.

To summarize, Joseph started out as a young, precocious boy who was his father's pride and joy. His father, Jacob, the son of Isaac and the grandson of Abraham, had several wives, which resulted in more than a dozen children.

What made Joseph so special was that he was the first son of Jacob's especially beloved wife, Rachel, who had been unable to give him a child for many years.

In those days, an abundance of children was a sign that you had God's blessing. The more children a woman had, the more favored she must be in God's sight.

So, if a woman only had one child—or no children at all—society frowned on her more because there was clearly something wrong with her. Of course, we know today that that's not the case, and childless, even unmarried women are still God's daughters and He loves them as such. But again, such were the standards of those days; even in our day, society is all too often tainted with extreme unfairness.

Having a son was especially significant. Nothing wrong with a daughter, of course; we get at least a few examples of fathers in the Bible, like Mordecai and Jairus, who cherished their daughters. Well, Mordecai was actually Esther's cousin, but there's still something to be said about how he took her in after her parents died and how she grew up into such a splendid woman, splendid enough to catch the eye of a king.

Still, sons were held in such favor that society would go easy on a woman with only one child if that child was a boy.

So, when Rachel gave birth to a son, it really was nothing short of a miracle. Despite all the children Jacob had already, this child was "extra special."

But where Jacob cherished his little boy with all his heart, the other sons grew to hate him with all their hearts. That hatred eventually grew strong enough for them to sell their own brother into slavery, a fate many considered worse than death...and for good reason.

Joseph was taken away from his home, from everyone and everything he ever knew and loved, and brought against his will into a strange country, where he would most likely spend the rest of his life. Worst of all, only heaven knew whose hands he would fall into, whether his new master would be kind or cruel. He would have no more control over his own life than a horse, a donkey, or a camel.

So today's "Big Bible Question" is: who's responsible for Joseph's predicament?

Are his brothers solely to blame, or did Jacob play an unintentional role in this? Or is it possible that Joseph brought this on himself, at least to some extent, since it's likely enough that his father's favoritism went to his head?

Was this a cruel injustice, or a necessary lesson in humility?

In my opinion, these questions are best answered in the DreamWorks movie, Joseph: King of Dreams.

What I love about this movie is that you get to see everyone's perspective and it's illustrated quite plainly that everyone has their own reasons (understandable, if not justifiable) for what they do, and as a result, the responsibility doesn't rest with just one person.

To one degree or another, they're all responsible.

Yes, Jacob was right to be over the moon about his miracle child, but he was not right in elevating Joseph above all his other sons. To be fair, he may not have even known how his other sons truly felt, but he could have made a better effort to reach out to them and talk to them; a little miscommunication can go a long way.

Yes, Joseph was right to know and celebrate his own self-worth. But there is a fine line separating self-confidence from narcissism, and he ended up having to learn the hard way that he was human like everybody else, that God is in charge, and God is all Joseph has to turn to when things go wrong. Joseph's change in humility is beautifully expressed in the song, "Better Than I."

I thought I did what's right

I thought I had the answers

I thought I chose the surest road

But that road brought me here

So, I put up a fight

And told you how to help me

Now, just when I have given up,

The truth is coming clear

You know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

For you know better than I

If this has been a test,

I cannot see the reason

But maybe knowing I don't know

Is part of getting through

I try to do what's best

And faith has made it easy

To see the best thing I can do

Is put my trust in you

For you know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

For you know better than I

I saw one cloud and thought it was the sky

I saw a bird and thought that I could follow

But it was you who taught that bird to fly

If I let you reach me,

Will you teach me?

For you know better than I

You know the way

I've let go the need to know why

I'll take what answers you supply

You know better than I

And yes, Joseph's brothers had the right to be angry, if not a little envious. Where they went wrong is they allowed this envy to consume them, causing them to lose sight of what was most important, and the whole family ended up suffering the consequences. It's like when you do something in the heat of the moment, and only afterwards do you realize your mistake.

As serious as their mistake was, the brothers proved they had changed when they had an opportunity to save their other brother, Benjamin, from becoming a slave as well. Ironically, Joseph is the "slave owner" this time, and he's doing this as a deliberate test. Again, I feel Joseph: King of Dreams illustrates this very well, and I'll let the dialogue speak for itself:

"Take any of us, Your Grace, but please, let the boy go!"

"You would sacrifice yourselves for a half-brother who's spoiled by your father?"

"Yes."

"Why? Why should you care if I take him? Beat him? Make him a slave?"

"Because I will not make my father suffer...again."

"Again? What do you mean, 'again'?"

"Our brother was not killed by wolves. We were blinded by jealousy and sold him into slavery. For twenty years, we have lived with that guilt. We can't go back without the boy. My father could not bear it a second time...and neither could we. If anyone is to be punished, it should be us."

"I will not harm any of you...or our father. I am your brother, Joseph."

The last four verses in chapter 44 of Genesis, where Judah (the ringleader, more or less) expresses his regret for Joseph's loss and his determination to not let the vicious cycle repeat itself with Benjamin, are quite poetic as well: "It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave.  

"For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever.  

"Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. 

"For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father." (Genesis 44:31-34)

Today, a lot of people hold these characters in deep contempt, especially Jacob. They keep saying, "Well, Jacob was a terrible father! Joseph's brothers were awful to him and didn't deserve to be taken back! Even Joseph deserved what he got! They should all have known better!"

True, they should all have known better...but that's what I like about this story.

It shows that nobody is perfect. Everybody makes mistakes, some more serious than others, but what matters in the end is how well you learn from those mistakes.

Even if a lesson must be learned the hard way, the important thing is that you do learn.

After all, God is more than willing to give us another chance. So, what excuse do we have not to give another chance to each other?

What Joseph and his family went through was terrible, heartbreaking, and utterly horrifying. But they all came through stronger, more humbled, and they could finally become a proper family. It even says that everyone lived to a good, ripe age in Egypt, in peace and prosperity.

I love a story with a happy ending—especially when it's a real "happily ever after."