RUEL TANO BONGANCISO

JOSEPH AND I

“LOVE COVERS THE MULTITUDE OF SIN”

Jacob lived in the land where his father had stayed, the land of Canaan. He had twelve sons and one of them is Joseph.

Joseph a young man of seventeen was tending the flocks with his brothers. Jacob loved Joseph more than any of his other sons because he had born to him in his old age and he made a richly commented robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.

Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. When he told to his father, he rebuked him.

Now his brothers had gone to grazing their father’s flocks near Shechem. Jacob told Joseph to see if all is well and with the flocks and bring word back to me. Then he sent him off from the valley of Hebron. When he arrived at Shechem a man found him wandering around in the field and asked him “what are you looking for? He replied I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks? They have moved on from here, the man answered “I heard them say “let’s go to Dothan”. Joseph went and found them near Dothan, they saw him in distance and they plotted to kill him.

When Reuben heard this, he tried to rescue him from their hands. So, when Joseph came to his brothers they stripped him of his robe and took him and throw him into the empty cistern. As they sat down to eat their meal, they looked up and saw a caravan of Ishmaelite coming from Gilead.

Judah said to his brothers “let’s sell him to the Ishmaelite” his brothers agreed. They sold him for twenty shekels of silver.

When Reuben returned to the cistern he saw Joseph was not there, he tole his clothes. He went back to his brother. They got Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. They took it to their father Jacob and told him that Joseph surely been turn to pieces.

Meanwhile, the medianites sold Joseph in Egypt to Potiphar one of pharaohs officials the captain of the guard.

The lord was with Joseph and he prospered, lived in the house of his Egyptian master. Joseph met Set one of Potiphar’s servant and they became close friends.

Joseph found favor in his eyes and became his attendant. And after a while his master’s wife took notice of Joseph and said “come to bed with me” but he refused her.

One day he went into the house to attend to his duties and none of the household servants was inside. She caught him by his cloak and said “come to bed with me” but he left his cloak in her hand and ran out of the house. When she saw that he had left his cloak in her hand and had ran out of the house she called her household servants and told everything to them. Joseph was in prison, the Lord was with him he showed him kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden. Set doesn’t believe that Joseph can do that thing. Every day he visits Joseph in the jail.

Some time later come, the cupbearer and the baker of the king offended their master. Pharaohs were angry and they send them to jail. One night they had a dream and each dream had a meaning of its own. Joseph helped them to interpret their dreams. Joseph told the cupbearer remember me and show me kindness mention me to Pharaoh and get me out of this prison. On the third day Pharaoh restored the chief cupbearer to his position and he hang the chief baker. The cupbearer however, did not remember Joseph.

When two full years had passed Pharaoh had a dream. In the morning his mind was troubled, so he sent for all the magicians and wise men of Egypt. Pharaoh told his dreams but no one could interpret them to him. Then the cupbearer told Pharaoh about Joseph, so he sent for Joseph. Then the Pharaoh told everything to Joseph about his dream. After a while, Joseph interprets it. Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, since God has made all this known to you, there is no one as discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace and all my people are to submit to your orders but I will be greater than you. When Set heard about this he came immediately to Joseph and congratules him. Pharaoh gave him a wife named Asenath and they had two sons named Manasseh and Ephraim. The seven years of abundance in Egypt came to an end and the seven years of famine began until it spread in the entire world. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt, he sends his sons to go and buy. Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the one who sold grain to entire people. So when Jacob’s brother arrived they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. “You Are spies” No my Lord they answered and they explained to Joseph, but Joseph sends them to prison on the third day he said to them “do this and you will lived, for I fear God if you are honest men, let one of your brothers stay here while the rest go and take the grain back but you must bring your youngest brother to me”.

When they arrived they told everything to Jacob. Now the famine was still severe in the land. Their father said “go back and buy us a little more food” Judah promised to take Benjamin and be responsible for him. So they took gifts and double amount of silver. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them he said to his steward to take these men in his house and prepare dinner for them.

When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house and they bowed down before him to the ground. He saw his brother Benjamin “is this your youngest brother the one you told me about?” Joseph deeply moved at the sight of his brother and he looked for a place to weep. He washed his face and controlled himself. So they feasted and drank freely with him. Early in the morning they sent on their way home. They had not gone from the city when Joseph commanded his steward to catch them. The steward found a silver cup in the sack of Benjamin they returned back to the city.

Joseph could no longer control himself he told everything about himself to his brothers and he commanded them to get their father and all their families in the Canaan and bring them all to Egypt. When Jacob heard this he felt so happy and they started their journey going to Egypt.

GOD BLESS!