Joseph

Reflections on Joseph…

Jacob’s sons are as follows (mothers in parentheses):

1.       Rueben (Leah)

2.       Simeon (Leah)

3.       Levi (Leah)

4.       Judah (Leah)

5.       Dan (Bilhah, Rachel’s handmaid)

6.       Naphtali (Bilhah)

7.       Gad (Zilpah, Leah’s handmaid)

8.       Asher (Zilpah)

9.       Issachar (Leah)

10.   Zebulun (Leah)

11.   Joseph (Rachel)

12.   Benjamin (Rachel)

So Joseph was one of Jacob’s four “firstborn” sons. In regards to his coat of “many colors,” it appears that this could have been some indication of him being Jacob’s birthright son. As the LDS institute manual explains it, there were several brothers who may have felt they had a legitimate right to the birthright inheritance of Jacob:

Reuben. He was the firstborn of all the sons. Although he had lost the right (see Reading 7-28), he may not have accepted that fact.

Simeon. Since he was the second son of Leah and next in line following Reuben, he could have assumed the birthright would come to him after Reuben lost his right to it.

Judah. He could have argued that not only Reuben had lost the right, but so had Simeon and Levi, through the massacre of the Shechemites (see Genesis 34). The disqualification of these sons would make him the rightful legal heir.

Dan. Because his mother, Bilhah, was considered Rachel’s property, he could argue that he was Rachel’s firstborn, not Joseph, and therefore should have received the birthright when Reuben lost it.

Gad. He was the firstborn son of Zilpah and therefore could easily have thought he should have taken the birthright after Reuben forfeited it.

The question of birthright would have been incendiary enough; but remember that Joseph also reported having some dreams that would have been very upsetting to hear about from your spoiled baby brother. The net meaning of the symbolism in the dreams, was that Joseph’s brothers would one day kneel down to him (Gen. 37:5-10). Ouch. That would be a lot to take. In addition to that, we know of one instance when Joseph tattled on his brothers, giving an “evil report” of them to their father (Gen. 37:2). 

So, Joseph had a troubled relationship with his older brothers. 

He was despised because his father doted on him, possibly openly acknowledging him as his birthright son, he was maybe coddled and a bit immature (in Gen. 37 we see him being sent to check on his brothers, who were out with the flocks, so we might guess that the hard work was delegated to them, not him). So as we can imagine, this set the scene for what was going to happen next.

Joseph’s brothers bind him, throw him into a pit, and sell him to a passing caravan for 20 pieces of silver (which, according to the LDS Institute manual, was the going price for a slave his age), eventually ending up in Egypt.

I can only imagine what Joseph must have been feeling. He had been betrayed by his brothers, ripped from his home and the only life he had known, and his status had changed—in an instant—from favored son to slave. I don’t have anything in my life to compare to this, but I have had several singular life-changing moments in my life, when I realized that things had gone very wrong, and I knew that nothing would be the same again. They have been slow, surreal moments that produced shock and stupor. I wonder if that was how Joseph felt, if he woke up in the morning sometimes for a long time after that, disoriented, followed by the sinking feeling that came as he remembered what had happened, and that he wasn’t in his mother’s tent.

But the Lord had a plan for Joseph. In Genesis 39, we see several verses with very similar phrases.

Verses 2-3 say:

“And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian.

 And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand.”

In 21:

“But the Lord was with Joseph, and shewed him mercy, and gave him favour in the sight of the keeper of the prison.”

And in verse 23:

“The keeper of the prison looked not to any thing that was under his hand; because the Lord was with him, and that which he did, the Lord made it to prosper.”

Genesis 39 recounts Joseph’s service Potiphar’s house. He proves himself to be a worthy and industrious servant, and he rises in rank and responsibility in the household. He also is cast in prison after his master’s wife fails to seduce him, and cooks up a story about a would-be assault. Once in prison, he is again given leadership responsibilities, and is tasked by the keeper of the prison with stewardship over all of the other prisoners.

How was Joseph able to keep the Lord with him, as we read in chapter 39? I think through humility and hard work, and choosing righteousness continually, he was able to keep his faith strong. If he had succumbed to Potiphar’s wife, he would no longer have had the Lord with him. He also had to have been able to forgive his brothers, in order to have been able to move on and accomplish anything. Holding on to bitterness is one of the best ways to keep yourself from making any kind of spiritual or emotional progress, and probably the best way to achieve unhappiness.

How can we get through our life experiences with our faith intact, like Joseph?

I think maybe it be summed up like this:

1.      Have faith that the Lord has a plan for you. Joseph’s string of personal tragedies put him the position God needed him to be in to save the house of Israel. He has a plan for you too.

2.      Keep praying. Pray all the time. Seriously. Tell the Lord what’s going on, He knows, but tell Him anyway. Ask for what you need. Be sure to ask for comfort, peace, and strength.

3.      Be in good places, surrounded by good people. Go to church.

4.       Read the scriptures. Sometimes the answers aren’t in the words you’re reading; sometimes they are. It gives you the opportunity and quiet to hear answers to prayer. Really.

5.      Hold on. Don’t give up.

6.      Repeat.

Abraham and Lot

This week I chose to study Lot versus Abraham. First I’ll address some of the answers to questions posed in this study.

Here’s what we know about Lot:

He selfishly took the best land for himself, when Abraham gave him first pick. It would have been more appropriate and respectful for him to defer to Abraham, who was the patriarch of the family, but he took advantage of Abraham’s graciousness, and chose the well-watered piece of land; leaving the less-desirable peace for Abraham. 

Once the matter of land was settled, he proceeded to pitch his tent toward Sodom. Although at this point he still lived in the plains, his interest was toward the wicked city. Later he moved to Sodom itself. Coincidence? We know that all actions are preceded by thought, and his thoughts and intents were toward this wicked city; so it wasn’t long before his physical presence followed. What started as a “harmless” choice to view wickedness from a distance ended in a choice to dwell in the epicenter of wickedness.

Here’s what we know about Abraham:

He allowed Lot first choice in land selection, because he loved peace more than possession (I suspect that he also had faith that the Lord would prosper him in whichever land he lived). He did not begrudge Lot the better land, in fact he later raised a small army from his own men to recapture Lot and his household after Lot had been kidnapped. This had to have been done at no small inconvenience to himself, and may have resulted in the loss of some men. 

After the rescue of Lot, Abraham refused the offers of wealth from the king of Sodom. I think that this shows Abraham’s knowledge of the necessity to not “be beholding” to any man, that his allegiance and obligation belonged only to the God he served.

In our Family Home Evening this week, we talked about these two men, and discussed the differences in the choices they made. We talked about the importance of where we choose to pitch our “tents,” and how that affects where we “dwell,” and what we move towards in life. We also discussed the example of the Nephites during the reign of King Benjamin, and the choice families made to pitch their tents toward the temple to hear the teachings of their prophet/king (Mosiah 2:6).

We concluded that, as a family, our happiness depends on where we choose to position ourselves, what we turn our hearts toward.

I’m grateful for scriptures that give us clear examples of what we need to do in order to keep safe in the gospel, and where to find happiness.

Enoch

 Whom God Calls, He Qualifies...the question of Enoch

1. Read Moses 6:26-31 and answer the following questions in writing:

• How did the Lord describe the people of Enoch’s day?

The Lord described the people of Enoch's day  as hard-hearted and wicked:

"And for these many generations, ever since the day that I created them, have they gone astray, and have denied me, and have sought their own counsels in the dark; and in their own abominations have they devised murder, and have not kept the commandments, which I gave unto their father, Adam."

-Moses 6:28

• What did Enoch say about his calling from the Lord?

Enoch basically said, "Why me? I don't have much social capital and I'm not the best speaker. How is it that you think I can do this?"

2. From Moses 6:32-39, 47; 7:13-18, 69; describe in writing how the Lord strengthened and sustained Enoch. Write a paragraph or two on how you have seen the Lord do similar things for you or someone you know.

 The Lord took Enoch's weaknesses and turned them to strengths (see Ether 12:27). He made Enoch mighty in every conceivable way. Enoch spoke so powerfully that people couldn't stand in his presence. He moved mountains and led armies and established a society of perfect righteousness. He was able to do all of this because he was on the Lord's errand.

I have seen this power in my own life, in my tenure as a mother. One of my children has special needs, and there have been years when every day was a journey of prayer and tears. I would never have chosen me as a parent for a special needs child. I'm not particularly patient. I'm selfish. I lack all of the qualities and skill-sets that I would imagine would be necessary for one of "those" parents. I'm guessing that's why the Lord chose me. In his wisdom, he saw what I could become, and knew I couldn't do it on my own. He packaged the opportunity in something irresistible--my son. He knew I couldn't quit this regimen for change like I could a gym membership or diet.

I consider motherhood a sacred calling, one which entitles me to the Lord's help. I cling to this. I know that all of my children were and are the Lord's first, and that he wants us to succeed.

Amazing things have happened for my son. When my son was baptized at the age of eight, he was promised in his confirmation prayer that he if he honored the priesthood he would one day receive, that he would be able to serve a mission. This was a revelation to me, this was the Lord giving me a glimpse of what was possible for my son. I said, "Okay Lord, show me what to do." 

Four years have passed. During this time, I have pursued diet changes and natural medicine. My son, who has autism, has gone from not being able to sit through church without a meltdown, to passing the sacrament. He has gone from being in a self-contained "special" class, to being a general education student in the Jr. High, with little to no supports. In fact, he is in danger of losing his diagnosis (the head of a team of specialists in a very prestigious autism program, at a leading research hospital, said she "might have made a mistake" in her diagnosis, the last time she saw him, because she could not account for the change).

I can explain it. Like Enoch, I am made mighty in the Lord's work. My son is the Lord's work. My family is the Lord's work. I am the Lord's work.

c. The Bible does not say much about Enoch and his people — it contains 109 words about Enoch and his day. By contrast, the Joseph Smith Translation account of Enoch in the book of Moses contains 5,240 words about Enoch’s day. Read Genesis 5:22–24; Moses 6:27-29, 47; 7:1-21; and summarize, in writing, what you find. 

 The account of Enoch in Genesis basically verifies his existence, his lineage, and his standing with the Lord, and a vague reference to being taken to the Lord. In Moses, we get a full account of his role as a prophet. We learn of his call to service, his mightiness in calling the people to repentance, the miracles he is able to perform in his service, and the city of Zion that he establishes; which is so righteous that it's taken from the earth.