Joseph the Lessons of Joseph Essay

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Even after Jacob's death -- some 17 years later -- he only wept when confronted with his brothers' guilt and evident fear. He also rejected even the idea of balancing past wrongs with present ones, acknowledging that, ultimately, only God can judge:

Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children (Genesis 50:19-21a).

This sublime forgiveness has become a central theme in modern readings of the Joseph story; a rich tradition of sermonists (e.g., Seagren, 1993) has used it to tease out abiding lessons on how and why Christians can properly forgive.

These lessons, in turn, are reflected in the structure of the story itself. Joseph forgave crimes as serious as enslavement and contemplated murder; when they were young, his brothers seemed unable to forgive relative slights. But these slights reveal Joseph's youthful frailties. While he was not precisely unfaithful or rebellious as a boy, his errors revolved around talking too much: Not only did he "bring a bad report about" his brothers to Jacob (Genesis 37:2), but modern readers may join with the family in finding his recitation of his dreams of future mastery less than humble at best and verging on insubordinate at worst. Still, the dreams and the destiny they revealed were not of his making, but of God's -- it was not Joseph's wish to overturn the family order and force even the sun and moon to bow down to the second youngest child.

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As an adult, he presented a model of faith and loyalty to God, his superiors in Egyptian society, and his aged father and kin among the Israelites. Some might question his decision to conceal his identity from his brothers during their first adult encounter, but here, his motivations were mysterious but unlikely to have been driven by a love of duplicity for its own sake. Even here, it is likely that all the machinations were in the service of God and the reunion of the entire family of Israel -- Benjamin, Jacob, and all -- in the land of Goshen.

3. Modern society can draw enormous insight from the life of Joseph. On an immediate level, his ability to forgive without necessarily forgetting the crimes that had been done to him is worthy of contemplation and, where possible, emulation. The details are revealing; Joseph did not make his brothers apologize or even admit their crime, and he did not judge. He simply "provide[d] for them and their children and he reassured them and spoke kindly to them." (Genesis 50:21)

Joseph's filial piety, chastity, obedience, and wisdom are all also worthy of imitation and have been the subject of sermons and inspirational literature across the centuries. However, it is probably his managerial humility that most needs to be remembered in an era ruled by billionaire CEOs who justify their salaries by taking credit for the success of their companies. Joseph's success depended entirely on God. He was never the Pharaoh, but in his wisdom and inspired administration proved himself greater......

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