Understanding God, Part 4: Joseph

The book of Genesis is written, first of all, to the Israelite nation coming out of Egypt, explaining their origins. The stories of their ancestors, the genealogies and the soap-opera lives they all led, had lessons galore for Israel if they would listen.  But when we try to learn also, the problem is that we speak a different language and live in a different culture, so we don't always get it.  Let's look at the birth of Joseph today for an example of hidden lessons in the words and stories that point, in one way or another, to our Savior Jesus.

Joseph's mother, Rachel, is loved by her husband, Jacob, more than he loves his first wife -- who is also Rachel's older sister Leah.  Leah bears four sons in a row while Rachel can't have children.  (Lots more soap-opera drama occurs in the story, including both women trying to gain more children by having Jacob sleep with their female slaves.)  An immediate lesson here for the Israelites was not to be petty and jealous like their ancestors, although of course they were anyway.  God shows favor to Leah, who is rejected by her husband, by giving her sons including Judah (King David's ancestor, and thus Jesus' forefather) and Levi (the tribe of priests of Israel). 

Rachel and Leah keep trying to manipulate their husband in order to have more children, so that each can have the advantage over the other -- in that culture, a woman's ability to give children, especially sons, to her husband was the main source of her honor.  Finally, however, God gives Rachel a son, Joseph, by His favor and not because of her manipulation and jealousy.  Should this tell us something about trusting God to provide for us, instead of trying to make things happen by force?  Hmmm...

Look also at the words Rachel uses in Genesis 30:23-24, describing her son Joseph: "God has removed my disgrace...May the LORD add yet another son."  The Hebrew word for "removed" is 'asaph' and the word for "add" is 'yoseph' which is the same as the name "Yoseph".  So there are some literary puns going on that the English translation doesn't give us. 

One additional lesson is possible here.  Jesus, the Son of God in the flesh, was born by God's divine action to Mary, a descendent of King David.  His birth was by God's favor to Mary (Luke 1:30) as Joseph's was to Rachel.  Jesus came to take away all sin (2 Cor. 5:14-19), not just the shame of having no children but the shame we receive by turning away from God and trying to manipulate life into giving us what we want.  In Christ, God has "removed" all the bad and "added" to us all we need:  "By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence." (2 Peter 1:3, in the context of God's gifts to us through his Son Jesus).   And through Jesus, God has "added" many more children to Himself.

I've tried to make life come out my way, by my own hard work and by manipulating others.  Have you?  Today, let's decide to turn our backs on jealousy, self-will and controlling others; and rest instead in God's perfect provision for us, in his own time and way.  We'll be surprised by how well it turns out!