My illusion posts have carried through the first thirty-five chapters of Genesis. The remaining Genesis chapters tell the story of Joseph. It is a very rich and multi-layered story. I will not probe this story, but I want to make two observations.
The story's scheming, deception, and mind games are ….. well …. of biblical proportions. The key verses in the whole saga for me are 50:19-20. Upon their father's death, Joseph's brothers are fearful of what Joseph might do to them. Joseph assures them.
Gen 50:19-20 NRSV
19 But Joseph said to them, "Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today.
Joseph began as a cocky spoiled brat. God gave him a dream of the future where he would be in authority. You must wonder if Joseph would have been so thrilled about the dream if he knew what he would go through on the way to the fulfillment of the dream. At the journey's end, he could see God's involvement in every aspect. As he matured, he was disillusioned from his youthful arrogance and found his identity in God.
Finally, back in Genesis 10, we counted seventy nations that had filled the earth. Seven and ten were perfect numbers, and seven multiplied by ten signified a large perfect number. In Genesis 46, we find the following:
Gen 46:27 NRSV
27 The children of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
Scholars believe that "seventy persons" refers to the seventy nations in Genesis 10. Israel was to become a symbol, a microcosm of what God intended for the entire world. The seventy people represented the seventy nations and God's plan to bless them all. Symbolically, the entire world had become refugees from their home (symbolized by Israel entering Egypt.) But one day, God would miraculously bring them home to a place he had promised (From Egypt to Canaan through the Red Sea.) A foreshadowing of things to come?
Comments