Story 26: Jo'seph In Pot'i-phar's House ll

   Angered by Jo'seph's refusal to do that which he thought wrong, Pot'i-phar's wife made false charges against him and had him cast into prison.
   In the gloom and hardships of life in prison Jo'seph was made happy by the knowledge that he had done nothing which deserved such punishment. His conscience was clear, and the LORD continued His blessings upon him. Jo'seph became a favorite of the keeper of the prison, and was soon put in charge of the other prisoners; he was trusted and honored in prison just as he had been in the house of his master. The walls of an E'gyp-tian dungeon could not hide his good character, nor could the iron bars prevent the LORD from visiting His servant.
   Jo'seph had been chosen by the LORD to rule over the land of E'gypt. The trials which had come to him were sent only to strengthen him in the faith, and make him a better servant of God in the hour of victory. We shall learn in the next story how he was called from prison to the palace of one of the greatest kingdoms of history.

Story 26: Jo'seph In Pot'i-phar's House l

   Our story now turns back to the life of Jo'seph. When last we heard of him, he was being taken to E'gypt by a band of Ish'ma-el-ite slave-traders who had bought him from his hard-hearted brothers, and his father Ja'cob was mourning him for dead.
   When the slave-traders came to E'gypt, Jo'seph was sold as a household servant to a man named Pot'i-phar, who was a high officer in the army of Pha'raoh. Even though he was still a slave, Jo'seph did not give up hope that some day his dreams would come true.
   In place of the hills and mountains of Ca'naan, Jo'seph now looked out upon the great plains of the river Nile; instead of living in a crude tent in the wilderness, he now enjoyed the comforts of a splendid home in a rich city. Looking out upon the beautiful temples of E'gypt, the pyramids, and the Sphinx, Jo'seph must have longed for the day when he could take an active part in the affairs of this great country.
   Jo'seph was a handsome young man, pleasant and cheerful by nature, and blessed with a quick mind and upright heart. He was also honest and loyal, and always ready and willing to do his duty. He did his work so well in the house of Pot'i-phar that he soon won the complete trust of his master, and was rapidly promoted to positions of greater honor. At length Pot'i-phar made Jo'seph his chief steward, giving him charge of his entire household. Though Pot'i-phar did not worship the God of Jo'seph, he was greatly impressed by the good character and true faith of his servant. It is said in the Bible that Pot'i-phar saw that the LORD was with Jo'seph, making him prosper in all that he did.
   While Jo'seph was mourned by his father in Ca'naan as dead, he now prospered in E'gypt under Pot'i-phar. Honoring God, he was now being honored by the LORD he worshipped; having served faithfully over a few things, he was now made ruler over many; having learned to manage Pot'i-phar's house, he was now being prepared to rule over all the land of E'gypt.
   The same noble qualities which won for Jo'seph the admiration of Pot'i-phar were also the means of subjecting him to severe temptation. Pot'i-phar's wife was attracted by his magnetic personality and manliness, and sought to lure him into a friendship which he thought wrong. Jo'seph wished to maintain the integrity of his character and good opinion of his master, and was careful not to do anything  to violate the trust imposed in him.
   The mightiest fortress in Jo'seph's character was the fear of God. He acknowledged the Supreme Authority of High Heaven in all matters of human conduct. Though the dagger of temptation pierced his heart, his uncompromising devotion to the principle of right prevented any fatal wound. Under severe trial he said, "How can I do this in the presence of my God?" Having set God in complete control of his affections he could not be moved by the most violent attacks of satan.

Story 25: Jo'seph Is Sold Into Slavery lV

   When they reached home they showed the coat to Ja'cob and said, "We found this coat out in the hill country. You can tell whether or not it belonged to Jo'seph." Ja'cob knew that it was the coat which he had given his favorite son, and declared that some wild animal must have killed him. Since the brothers had hoped that their father would believe this to be true, they said nothing to change his mind.
   Ja'cob's sorrow seemed to be greater than he could bear, and he gave up all hope of ever being happy again. Now that his favorite son appeared to have lost his life, Ja'cob could not blame himself enough for having sent him on a dangerous journey without anyone to go with him. The older brothers added one more sin to those already committed by pretending to mourn with their father in his grief, and the comfort which they tried to bring him was as false as their hearts.
   For twenty years Ja'cob carried this great sorrow in his heart, thinking all the time that his favorite son Jo'seph was dead; while the ten brothers of Jo'seph were forced to suffer the tortures of remorse in the secret cogitations of their own guilty hearts. In the meantime, the domestic life of the chosen family was seriously disrupted by the faithlessness and indiscretions of Ju'dah. Leaving the family where God was known and honored he made friends with the Ca'naan-ites; and positively disobeying the command of God married an idolatrous woman of Ca'naan.
  

Story 25: Jo'seph Is Sold Into Slavery lll

   The envy of these wicked brothers had grown into such bitter hatred that they now did not stop even at the thought of murder. Because they knew that their brother was better than they were, they were willing to commit the awful crime of murder in order to keep him from the honors which were certain would come to him.
   But Reu'ben, who was the oldest of the brothers, and who did not hate Jo'seph as much as the others did, suggested that instead of killing him by their own hands they might throw him into an open well. He said this in the hope of saving Jo'seph, he intended to come back to the pit when the other brothers were gone and rescue him.
   Jo'seph had probably brought his brothers some good things to eat from his father's house. He came to them in a friendly spirit, gave them the message from Ja'cob, and began to unpack the food and provisions which he had brought them. At once they seized him, cast him into a pit nearby, and deliberately sat down to eat their dinner while Jo'seph begged to be rescued from the pit.
   As they sat about on the grass eating their dinner, there suddenly appeared in the distance a caravan of Ish'ma-el-ites. These people were going from Gil'e-ad to E'gypt with spices, fragrant balms, and myrrh to sell. They also dealt in slaves, and would frequently sell to the E'gyp-tians young men and women to become servants in their homes. An older brother named Ju'dah then suggested that instead of leaving Jo'seph in the pit they might sell him to these slave-traders. In this way they would be rid of him forever, and at the same time might avoid the great sin of murder. No doubt Ju'dah was also thinking of the money that they would receive from the traders, for slaves were worth a great deal of money.
   In the meantime Reu'ben had finished his dinner, and had gone away to look after the sheep. So the other nine brothers lifted Jo'seph from the pit and sold him to the Ish'ma-el-ites for twenty pieces of silver, which was the usual price for a slave boy. They also kept the coat of many colors which their father had given Jo'seph. The Ish'ma-el-ites took Jo'seph into E'gypt, where they had sold him to a man named Pot'i-phar as a household servant. What happened to Jo'seph in E'gypt will be told in future stories.
   When Reu'ben had finished caring for the sheep, he went to the pit into which Jo'seph had been thrown, and was very much alarmed when he found it empty. He rushed to his brothers greatly excited and said, "The child is gone, and now what am I to do?" The other brothers may have suspected that Reu'ben had intended to rescue Jo'seph, and for this reason had not told him that the younger brother had been sold as a slave. But now that he was gone they must think of some story to tell their father. They took Jo'seph's beautiful coat of many colors, dipped it in the blood of a young goat which they killed for this purpose, and carried the stained coat back to their father.

Story 25: Jo'seph Is Sold Into Slavery ll

   His brothers thought that Jo'seph was telling them these dreams because he expected some day to rule over them. They disliked him very much for having such hopes, and for even suggesting that he might become the head of his father's household.
   When Jo'seph told his father of the second dream, Ja'cob scolded him, and said, "Do you think that I and your brothers will one day bow before you as if you were a king?" In spite of this rebuke from his father, Jo'seph did not lose hope, and it seems that Ja'cob himself wondered if the dream might  well come true some day. The way that his brothers later treated Jo'seph makes one think that they, too, must have believed that he was likely to rule over them.
   Some days after Jo'seph had told his father and brothers about his dreams, his ten older brothers were sent into the land near She'chem with a flock of sheep. This was a distance of about fifty miles from He'bron, and near the place where Ja'cob had purchased a plot of ground from Ha'mor.
   Wishing to send a message to his sons, and to find out if all was well with them, Ja'cob told Jo'seph to go on an errand to his brothers at She'chem. Although it was a long journey for a boy of Jo'seph's age to make alone, and in spite of the knowledge that he would not be kindly received by his brothers, Jo'seph promptly and cheerfully did what his father told him. While Jo'seph and his father were thinking of their welfare, the older brothers were plotting how to do away with Jo'seph. All they were waiting for was a chance to deal with him where Ja'cob could not hinder them, and the chance was now about to come.
   When Jo'seph reached the pasture land near She'chem where his brothers had been sent, he found that they were no longer there. While looking for them he met a stranger, and asked if he knew where his brothers had gone with their sheep. The stranger told him that they had gone to Do'than, which was about fifteen miles farther north. Jo'seph had already been walking over the hills and valleys for two or three days, and must have been very tired from the fifty mile journey, but he started off at once toward Do'than.
   As Jo'seph drew near to the fields where his brothers were letting their sheep graze, they saw him from a distance, and knew who he was by the bright colors of the coat he wore. They began to say to one another, "Look, that dreamer is coming!" Then they began to plot among themselves what they might do to dispose of him. One of the brothers suggested that they slay him and put his body into an open well in the field, then they could tell their father that he had been killed and eaten by a wild animal.

Story 25: Jo'seph Is Sold Into Slavery l

   After Ja'cob had attended his father's funeral, he and his sons and their shepherds settled at He'bron, where they continued to raise sheep and cattle. Their flocks and herds had increased so greatly that it was difficult to find enough pasture land to feed them, and it was necessary to let them graze over large tracts of land.
   Ten of Ja'cob's sons had been born during the early years of his exile in Mes-o-po-ta'mia, and had now become full-grown men. Jo'seph, the son of his beloved wife Ra'chel, was much younger, and Ben'ja-min, who was born in Ca'naan at the time when Ra'chel died, was a small child.
   Ja'cob was especially fond of Jo'seph for several reasons. He was the son of his old age, having been born when Ja'cob was ninety years old, and was the child of Ra'chel, whom Ja'cob loved more than Le'ah. He was also a child of prayer, for Ja'cob and Ra'chel had prayed for many years that a child be given them.
   Jo'seph was very different from his half-brothers, who were much older. He was quiet and thoughtful, well behaved, and polite. His brothers were rough and ill-mannered, often disobedient, and careless in the duties of worship. When they were at work in the fields, or busy caring for their father's sheep, they would often say things or do things which Jo'seph knew were wrong, and which he felt should be told to his father. He was not a tale-bearer, but rather an obedient son who did not want his father's good name to suffer from the evil deeds of his brothers.
   Because he was very fond of Jo'seph, and because he thought that so good a son deserved a reward, Ja'cob showed him many favors. They spent much time together, and both father and son came to love one another more deeply every day. As a sign of his fondness for Jo'seph, Ja'cob made him a long coat of many colors, very much like those worn by princes. The boy was very proud of this coat, wearing it on special occasions, and when sent on long journeys by his father.
   Partly because of the good conduct which Jo'seph showed at all times, and partly because he was their father's favorite son, the older brothers became very jealous of him. They were also angered by the dreams which Jo'seph was unwise enough to tell them. It was only natural that a boy with a quick mind and a lively imagination should dream of glorious days to come in the future, but his brothers could not understand his dreams and hopes.
   There were two dreams in particular which added to the envy and hatred of Jo'seph's brothers. In the first, he dreamed that he and his brothers were binding sheaves of wheat in the field, and that his sheaf suddenly stood upright, while the sheaves of his brothers bowed before it. In the other dream, he saw the sun, moon and eleven stars also bowed before him.

Story 24: Ja'cob Wrestles With An Angel ll

   The Angel then asked, "What is thy name?" When Ja'cob gave his name the Angel told him that he should no longer be called Ja'cob, but his name should be changed to Is'ra-el, which means "prince." The Angel explained the change by saying, "For as a prince hast the power with God and with men, and hast prevailed." From this point on in the Bible Ja'cob is known as Is'ra-el, and his descendants were called Is'ra-el-ites.
   After blessing Ja'cob the stranger disappeared as mysteriously as he had come. Ja'cob then declared that he had seen God face to face, and had been assured that his life would be saved. A new triumph had come into the life of Ja'cob. He had "tricked" his brother E'sau, and for this reason had long lived in fear of his brother's anger. He has now been "tricked" himself by the Angel Je-hov'ah, but has learned to trust not on his own strength, but in the LORD. Nevermore is he to be called Ja'cob, "the supplanter," but from now on shall be known as Is'ra-el, the prince of God.
   As Ja'cob left the place where he had wrestled with the Angel he saw his brother E'sau coming to meet him with a band of four hundred armed men. Knowing that God would take care of him, yet still humble, he walked forward to meet E'sau. First, he bowed his body almost to the ground, then moved a little nearer, and bowed again. Seven times he bowed to his brother, and then E'sau rushed up to meet him with open arms. The brothers kissed one another, and were so happy to be friends once more that they wept for joy. Ja'cob's wives and children were then brought forward to meet E'sau, who rejoiced in the blessings which had come to his brother during the twenty years that they had been separated.
   Ja'cob then insisted that E'sau keep the gifts which had been sent to him as a peace-offering. At first E'sau refused, but finally agreed to keep them as a token of their renewed friendship. E'sau offered to send some of his servants to help Ja'cob and his family in caring for his many sheep and cattle, or in getting ready for their journey to the heart of Ca'naan. Ja'cob declined the offering with thanks, and the two brothers separated, never to meet again until they stood together at the grave of their father.
   After camping for several days at a place afterwards known as Suc'coth, near the river Jab'bok, Ja'cob and his company journeyed westward across the river Jor'dan, settling at last in the hill country near the town of She'chem. Here he paid one hundred pieces of silver for a plot of land owned by a man named Ha'mor, Here, too, he built an altar which he named "The Altar of The Mighty One" in honor of the LORD. It was on this very spot that A'bra-ham had built the first altar in the land of Ca'naan one hundred and eighty-five years before.