旧约研究3——摩西五经 PEN——第十课 约瑟和他的兄弟们
目录
一、介绍
二、结构和内容
先祖们的不和
约瑟触怒兄长们
兄长们卖约瑟
约瑟威吓的掌权
犹大在迦南地犯罪
约瑟在埃及的成就
和好与团聚
第一次旅程
第二次旅程
第三次旅程
约瑟的恩慈治理
先祖们的和睦
雅各的家族遗命
约瑟的家族遗命
三、重要主题
共同重点
上帝对以色列施恩
以色列对上帝忠诚
上帝祝福以色列
上帝透过以色列祝福
特别重点
全民的合一
全民的多元
四、总结
一、介绍
富有家庭的手足们经常会为了谁能够得到最多遗产而彼此相争，尤其是家产要从一代传到下一代时，即使本来亲密和睦的弟兄姐妹也可能为此纷争，关系破裂，只有 上帝能够帮助他们重建友爱的关系。创世记这本书告诉我们这正是以色列先祖的家庭，约瑟和他兄弟们之间的情况。他们为了父亲雅各的产业而互相敌对，愤怨仇恨到到一个程度，似乎无法消除。但是在这一课里，我们会看到， 上帝如何使约瑟与他的哥哥们和解，重建手足的友爱情谊。这样的和好显示出整个旧约里以色列十二个支派应该维持的关系，而且仍然继续引导现今跟随基督的人应该持守的关系。
摩西五经的这一课，主要是探讨创世记里关于约瑟和他兄弟们的故事，那些叙述是记载在创世记37章2节到50章26节，我们要仔细来看约瑟和他兄弟之间充满纠纷的关系。
在我们探讨主题之前，先来复习一下创世记的基本内容，会有助于接下去的讨论。在其他几课里，我们看到创世记是分为三个主要部份。每个部份的书写对于摩西原本的听众都各有其特别意义。第一个部份是谈到太古历史，是记载在创世记1章1节到11章9节。在这里，摩西向以色列人显示，他们蒙召去到迦南地，乃是 上帝在历史的最初时期就确立的旨意。第二个部份是前先祖史，记载在创世记11章10节到37章1节，摩西讲到亚伯拉罕，以撒和雅各的生平事迹，如何关联到以色列人在前往应许之地时所面对的一些问题。第三个部份是后先祖史，记载在创世记37章2节到50章26节，叙述约瑟和他兄弟之间的故事。我们这一课就是着重于创世记的最后这个部份。
我们会看到，摩西写创世记这个部份的目的，对于他的原本听众包含几个重要教训。但整体而言，
约瑟和他兄弟们的故事教导以色列的众支派，在他们面对要争战和居住应许之地时，应该要怎样和睦相处。我们把约瑟和他的兄弟们这一课分成两个主要部份。首先我们要探讨这几章的结构和内容，看其中的文学手法和书写题材是如何协力并进。其次，我们要看摩西向以色列众支派所强调的几个重要主题，以及这些主题如何引导现今的基督徒。让我们先来看创世记这个部份的结构和内容 。
每个熟悉约瑟和他兄弟们的故事的人都知道其中涉及许多角色，不同的文化场景和几个复杂的次要情节。这些故事片段是如此错综复杂，使得人们很容易专注那些细节，而忽视把所有片段串连起来的主要文学结构。但是留意这几章的结构和内容如何协力运作非常重要，因为约瑟和他兄弟们的故事是一个高度融为一体的戏剧。
创世记37章2节到50章26节，摩西把这几章的叙述融合成互相关联的五步曲:
故事最初的问题，记载在创世记37章2到36节，描绘出对于约瑟掌权的前景，先祖们的不和。
第二阶段，或是情节上行，记载在38章1节到41章57节，着重于约瑟威吓的掌权，他在埃及升到高位。
第三阶段，记载在42章1节到47章12节，是故事的转捩点，关乎先祖们在埃及的和好与团聚。
第四阶段，情节下行，记载在47章13到27节，叙述在埃及约瑟的恩慈治理。
最后是故事的收尾，记载在47章28节到50章26节，描述在约瑟的治理之下，先祖们的和睦。
最近几十年来，有些解经家试图显示创世记的这几章形成一个延展的同心交叉结构。所谓交叉比对的结构，即：
文学结构其核心内容的前后部分是彼此平行或相互平衡。这些解经方式多半把这个观点扯到太远，不过他们倒是指出一个大规模的戏剧性对称，让约瑟和他兄弟们的整个故事叙述得以连贯。
整体而言，我们不难看到故事的叙述开始于先祖们的不和，而故事收尾时，终结于先祖们的和睦。情节提升里，在埃及约瑟威吓的掌权，对比着情节落下时在埃及约瑟的恩慈治理。而故事从不和与威吓到恩慈与和睦的转捩点，或是枢纽，就是发生在埃及的和好与团聚。我们要按着摩西所叙述的顺序来看这些情节。不过明白这个基本的戏剧性对称，有助于我们检视约瑟和他兄弟们的故事里的一些细节。
比起创世记其他部份的敘述，約瑟和他兄弟们的故事内容展现更多的文学复杂性。它包含一长系列的角色，其中好些人物展现出立体而变化的个性。场景描绘非常鲜明；反讽、幽默和悲惨的情节贯穿始终，叙述里许多意想不到的转折，关联到过去和未来的事件，因此创世记这个部份，对于摩西原本的听众所要思量的意义，多于我们所能探索的。由于时间的关系，我们只能探索解释每一章中的一些重点内容。
创世记37章2到36节，摩西开始的叙述显示最初的戏剧性的问题，就是对于约瑟未来的掌权，先祖们的不和。这开头的一章里包含两个部份，都显示约瑟家庭里的不和睦随着时间而恶化。第一个部份是37章2到11节，描述约瑟如何加剧的触怒他的兄长们。第二个部份是12到36节，告诉我们，他的兄长们如何卖约瑟为奴隶。让我们先来看约瑟如何触怒他的兄长们。
摩西首先把约瑟描述成一个受父亲宠爱而天真幼稚的年轻人。例如第3节，雅各给约瑟作了一件彩衣，这让他的哥哥们非常嫉妒。第4节告诉我们，他们就恨约瑟，不与他说和睦的话。而雪上加霜的是，还有两次，约瑟夸口说出他未来会高过家人的两个梦。因此第5和第8节，摩西叙述约瑟的哥哥们为此就越发恨他。还有11节提到，他哥哥们都嫉妒他。
约瑟和哥哥们不和睦的原因，我可以提出两个。第一，他的父亲给他作了一件最华美的袍子，他的哥哥们每次看到那件外衣，一定这么想：「嗨！我真是需要那件衣服，那本应该是我的！」 我们如果留意周围的情况，会发现我们的社会也有这样的不和睦，因为有人生活比较富有舒适，而有的人就会嘀咕：「为什么我不能像那些人那样？」即使在教会里也会有这种情况，有人健康，有人多病，因此难免如此自问：「为什么我们这么体弱多病？」因此，把最好的给约瑟，而其他人却没有，这就造成手足的不和睦。第二，人性的破碎，哥哥们因为弟弟有件华美的外衣，而他们却没有，这让他们非常妒恨。我们人里面都有妒恨的种籽，不只是那些哥哥们有，我们全都有。然而身为基督徒，我们蒙召首先是要看到这点，认识到妒恨是一个罪，我们才能加以制止。——赛普恩·顾琪恩达牧师书写了约瑟触怒他的兄长们，造成先祖们的不和睦之后，摩西转到第二个部份，记载在37章12到36节，这段经文叙述约瑟的兄长们如何卖他为奴隶。
我们看到哥哥们抓住约瑟，剥掉他华美的外衣，打算要杀害他。最年长的流便试图要救约瑟脱离，却是徒然。最后是犹大说服其他兄弟们，说他们应该把约瑟卖为奴隶，而不是杀害他。这个段落止于哥哥们把约瑟被野兽吞吃的虚假恶信报给雅各。哥哥们把约瑟那件被血沾染的外衣拿给雅各看，雅各陷入沉痛的悲哀。
这两段情节介绍了引人注目的问题，由此铺设出约瑟和他兄弟们的整个故事。这是以色列支派的族长们悲惨不和的起头。
写完对于约瑟未来的掌权，先祖们的不和这个开头的问题之后，摩西转到第二阶段，记载在38章1节到41章57节，我们看到情节提升到约瑟威吓的掌权。
在这个部份，摩西用了戏剧性的反讽写法，就是故事中的人不觉察，但他的观众却能看到的情况。首先，约瑟的兄弟们，以犹大为代表——居住在迦南地，他们满有信心，以为已经止住约瑟能够比他们优越的情况。他们不知道的是，在遥远的埃及，约瑟掌权的地位越发高升。 上帝将约瑟的为奴生涯，转成他能超越家人的路径。
约瑟威吓的掌权可分为两个主要部份。首先是38章1到30节，描述犹大在迦南地得罪她玛。然后是39章1节到41章57节，我们得知约瑟在埃及的成就。我们先来看犹大在迦南地犯罪。
在这一章，犹大成为舞台的中心人物，因为在前一章是他，而不是流便，使得约瑟免于被杀害。因此，这个部份叙述着雅各这个在众弟兄里占最高地位的儿子，他的一些行动。这一段关于犹大在迦南地犯罪的情节是始于38章1到5节，讲到犹大儿子们的出生，而第二节以谴责的口吻讲到犹大娶了一个迦南女子。
6到11节我们看到关于犹大的儿子们与她玛的叙述。首先犹大让他的长子珥娶她玛为妻。珥过世后，犹大将她玛给他的次子俄南。寡妇嫁给亡夫的兄弟，或是娶无后嗣的寡嫂为妻，是定规于申命记25章5到10节，这是为了确保过世的兄长能有后代，也是对寡妇的保护。但是在第9节，俄南却拒绝让她玛能生一个孩子，因此第10节 上帝也取走俄南的生命。犹大害怕他第三个儿子，也是幼子示拉，也遭遇同样命运，所以犹大不让示拉娶她玛，反而让她玛羞辱的回到她的父家。
12到26节我们读到她玛如何诱惑犹大的故事。当她玛知道自己不能嫁给示拉之后，她装扮成一个妓女去诱惑犹大。她巧妙的骗取了犹大的印，带子和他手中的杖，作为当头。三个月之后，在24到26节，犹大听到她玛怀孕了，愤怒的要把她处死。但是她玛显示出犹大之前给她的印，带子和手杖，犹大因此知道自己所作的，而承认自己的罪过。创世记38章26节，犹大这么说道；
她比我更有义，因为我没有将她给我的儿子示拉。（创世记38章26节）这节经文显示先祖犹大承认，他所犯的罪比她玛所行的还更恶劣；他的谦卑认罪和悔改是一个好的榜样。因着认罪悔改，心思转变，犹大得罪她玛的故事产生正面的结果，不像之前所记载的，犹大经由迦南妇女所生的几个儿子，摩西在这部份的结尾，提到犹大经由她玛生下两个儿子，那是记载在27到30节；法勒斯和谢拉都成为犹大支派里的显著人物。
我们记住犹大在迦南犯罪的事迹，现在来看与约瑟威吓的掌权有关联的第二部份，那是记载在39章1节到41章57节，这段冗长的叙述讲到约瑟在埃及的成就。
这个部份可以分成三个主要段落，第一个段落是记载约瑟从波提乏家到监狱，在39章1到23节。约瑟到达埃及之后，很快蒙受波提乏的喜爱，得以管理他的家产。但是波提乏的妻子企图诱惑约瑟，当她不得逞之后，反而诬告约瑟行为不检。虽然约瑟极力抗拒她的亲近，波提乏还是相信妻子的诬告，而把约瑟下在法老的监狱里。在那里，约瑟很快得到监狱长的信赖。因为这个情节是接着犹大得罪她玛的故事，因此很清楚显出其间的不同：犹大早先的放荡淫乱对比约瑟道德的纯全。
当我读着犹大和她玛的故事时，几乎觉得这一章似乎不应该放在这里。但是如果你认真的读上下文，就会明白 上帝为什么在此安插这个故事，把它放在已经开始的约瑟故事之后。我想祂的目的是要显出其中的差异，一个不公义的人对比一个公义的人。约瑟极力抗拒波提乏妻子的性诱惑，而犹大竟然心甘情愿与妓女淫乱，即使对方可能是个庙妓。你可以看到这其中的对比，也看到 上帝要以长子的双倍福份来祝福约瑟，虽然约瑟不是头生的，而然，却是他带领他们全家行在公义的路上。——司提反·布莱默博士第二，在40章1节到41章45节，约瑟从监狱到法老宫廷。在这个段落，摩西解释约瑟如何因着替法老的两个官吏解梦而得以掌权；后来他又替法老解了七个丰年和七个荒年的梦。
第三个段落，在41章46到57节，摩西总结约瑟在法老宫廷里掌权。在这个段落里，摩西讲述约瑟在埃及位高权重，仅次于法老，他是如何行使他的权柄。在约瑟成功上升的每个段落，摩西总是清楚表明，约瑟得以掌权，不是靠着他的灵巧机智，而是因着 上帝的手。
我们已经谈过了对于约瑟未来的掌权，先祖们的不和，以及约瑟在埃及威吓的掌权，现在要来看故事的中心转折点：在埃及先祖们的和好和团聚，记载在创世记42章1节到47章12节。
和好与团聚这个中心叙述，包含约瑟的家人从迦南到埃及的三次紧密关联的旅程。第一次旅程是记载在创世记42章1到38节。第二次旅程是在43章1节到45章28节，第三次旅程是在46章1节到47章12节。让我们先来看第一次的旅程。
第一次旅程是三个之中最简单的，可以分成三个部份。首先是42章1到5节，因为大饥荒，从迦南兄弟们前往埃及。在这个部份，雅各差遣了约瑟的所有兄长们去埃及买粮食，只留便雅悯在家。
第二个部份，在42章6到28节，讲到发生在埃及的事情，就是约瑟认出他的哥哥们。约瑟没有显示他的身份，反而测试他兄长们的品格，要他们回迦南去带便雅悯来埃及。起先，约瑟威胁要把他们全拘留在监狱里，只让一个人回去带便雅悯来埃及，于是那些兄长们意识到他们遭报应的时候到了，42章21节，他们彼此说：「我们在对待弟弟的事上实在有罪[新译本]」。三天之后，约瑟留下西缅，让其他人回去带便雅悯。约瑟吩咐人把粮食装满他们的袋子，连同他们来买粮的银子也放在里面。那些兄长回去时，其中一个发现袋子里的银钱，他们就非常惊惧，在28节喊着：「这是 上帝要向我们做什么呢？」
第三个部份是29到38节，叙述兄弟们回到迦南所发生的事情。他们试着说服父亲，让他们带便雅悯同去埃及，但是雅各拒绝，因此兄长们只好留在迦南地。
我们简短的看了第一次旅程，现在来看第二次旅程发生的事情，记载在创世记43章1节到45章28节。虽然比第一次的行程复杂些，第二次旅程也可分成三个主要部份。第一个部份是43章1到14节，是兄弟们前往埃及之前的事情。他们的粮食已经吃完，雅各最后同意让便雅悯和他的哥哥们一起去到埃及。
第二个部份是43章15节到45章24节，包含了几个冗长的描述，讲到发生在埃及的事情。首先是43章15到34节，约瑟在他的家里盛宴款待他的兄弟们，但是他依然没有泄露他的身份。43章30节叙述约瑟见到便雅悯，心里激动，还离开房间，偷偷痛哭一番。
4 4章1到13节，约瑟继续测试他的哥哥们，吩咐家宰把他们的袋子装满粮食，各人的银钱依然放回，又在便雅悯的袋子里放了一个银杯。约瑟让他的兄弟们回迦南地去。在约瑟的授意下，家宰追上兄弟们，在便雅悯的袋子里「找到」银杯，于是将他们全带回约瑟的家里。
14到34节犹大恳请约瑟开恩，在16节承认道：「 上帝已经查出仆人的罪孽了」。犹大然后无私的愿意替代便雅悯，留在埃及。约瑟被犹大谦卑的恳求感动，在45章1到15节，约瑟终于向他的兄弟们显示自己的身份。45章2节告诉我们， 「[约瑟]放声大哭，埃及人和法老家中的人都听见了」。第7节约瑟说明是 上帝派遣他去到埃及，「为要给你们存留余种在世上，又要大施拯救，保全你们的生命。」 他吩咐他的兄弟们要把父亲雅各带到埃及，这个场景结束于14到15节的一个动人的场面，约瑟和便雅悯抱头痛哭，约瑟也和其他兄长们彼此亲嘴和交谈。
约瑟故事的中段讲到约瑟和兄弟们的和好。他已经被卖到埃及，从苦难中挣扎出来。饥荒发生后，约瑟的兄长们去埃及买粮，舒解饥荒。但是在过程中间，特别是45章，我们看到一个辉煌的景象，那是整卷创世记里最戏剧性和动人的情节之一，就是约瑟终于和他的兄长们和好，他们彼此拥抱，大声痛哭。这一章和之前的，都描述他们的哭泣，哭到连埃及人都诧异他们为什么那么痛哭。之前兄弟们是那么不和睦，到那时他们团聚和好，那是多么美好的一个场面。这样的手足合一来自约瑟先测试他的哥哥们，发现他们已经改变。不再如同过去，像起初那样要谋害他的性命，又欺骗他们的父亲。他们已经改变，其中特别是犹大的言行，更凸显出他们的转变。和好来自于这些哥哥们的转变，而约瑟本人也有改变，他已经从一个急躁轻率，为自己的梦等诸如此类的事骄傲自满的人，变成一个权重位高却大有怜悯的人。从那几章记载的那些转变，他们如今在一起，抱头痛哭的场面是何等宝贵，那个景象也必然深印在摩西时代的以色列人心里。——理查德·伯瑞特博士然后45章16到24节，法老吩咐约瑟要他的兄弟们回去接雅各过来。20节法老应许约瑟「埃及全地的美物都是你们的。」 约瑟照着法老的意思，指示他的兄弟们要持续这样的和谐关系，24节约瑟告诉他们：你们不要在路上相争。
第二次旅程的最后，45章25到28节，叙述兄弟们回到迦南地。他们告诉雅各在埃及发生的事情，最后雅各同意和他们一同去到埃及。
谈过了第一和第二次旅程先祖们的和好与团聚，我们接着来看创世记46章1节到47章12节的第三次旅程。
第三次旅程分成两个主要部份。首先是46章1到27节，叙述再次兄弟们前往埃及，但这次还加上雅各。1到7节，我们读到他们的行程，还有 上帝再次保证雅各会在埃及蒙受祝福；旅程就此终结。46章8到27节是和雅各同去埃及的儿子与孙子们的名单。
其次，正如第一和第二次的旅程，46章28节到47章12节这个部份叙述在埃及发生的事情。46章28到30节讲到由犹大主导的，雅各与约瑟的团聚。接着是46章31节到47章12节，法老欢迎约瑟的家人，吩咐他们要在约瑟的照顾之下住在歌珊。
写完先祖们的和好与团聚之后，摩西转到第四阶段，故事开始下行，47章13到27节摩西讲述在埃及约瑟的恩慈治理。
47章13到26节，我们看到饥荒的情况随着时间越发严重。约瑟设法让埃及和迦南地的人都有粮食可吃。他借着收购埃及和迦南人的牲畜和土地来养活他们，也巩固法老的权利。在这个过程中，他拯救了无数的生命。
叙述的末了，创世记47章27节，摩西提到约瑟的治理，如何让雅各和他的儿子们受益，摩西如此写着：
以色列人住在埃及的歌珊地。他们在那里置了产业，并且生育甚多。（创世记47章27节）紧接着起初先祖们的不和，故事上行到约瑟威吓的掌权，兄弟们的和好与团聚，还有在埃及约瑟的恩慈治理，我们来到摩西关乎约瑟和他兄弟的故事最后阶段。创世记47章28节到50章26节，约瑟一大家人在约瑟治理下经历先祖们的和睦相处。
这个最后阶段化解了开头族长们不和睦的问题。把焦点集中于约瑟家人的和谐关系，如此确立以色列所蒙受的祝福，这对于摩西最初的听众是特别的重要。
讲到先祖们的和睦的这几章可分为两个主要部份。首先是创世记47章28节到50章14节，摩西把焦点集中于雅各在他晚年所作的持久性家族遗命。然后是创世记50章15到26节，我们看到约瑟持久的家族遗命。让我们先来看雅各的家族遗命。
这个段落始于雅各临终时期，47章28到31节，摩西说明雅各要求约瑟起誓要把他埋葬在迦南地。然后48章1节到49章28节，我们读到在两个关乎雅各给予祝福的聚会场面。
第一个会面记载在48章1到22节，雅各私下祝福约瑟和他的两个儿子，以法莲和玛拿西。约瑟在此领受双倍的产业，这通常是给予长子的尊荣，因为雅各决定对待以法莲和玛拿西如同他自己的儿子，地位和他们的叔伯是一样的。然而没想到的是，雅各把约瑟的次子以法莲置于约瑟的长子玛拿西之上。
在私下给予约瑟和他的儿子们祝福之后，49章1到28节记载，雅各所有的儿子们也领受他最终的祝福。雅各召聚了所有的儿子们一起，然后先祖一个一个的，按着他们各自的所行所为，给予合宜的祝福。依照雅各最后的祝福，这些安排是要代代相传的。
这个部份结束于创世记49章29节到50章14节，我们看到雅各的过世和埋葬。经文告诉我们约瑟完成他父亲要埋葬在迦南的愿望，然后他就回到埃及去了。
在约瑟治理之下，先祖们的和睦不只包含雅各的家族遗命，也含有约瑟的家族遗命，记载在创世记50章15到26节。
这个扼要的段落可分成两个简短的报导，50章15到21节约瑟对他的兄弟们再次保证他对他们的善意。约瑟的哥哥们求取他的饶恕，而约瑟恩慈的原谅他们。
在约瑟和他兄弟们的故事里，我们看到的重点之一就是饶恕的力量，即使周遭处境对我们而言非常艰难，而其他人却没有在同样困难的情况里，我们还是信赖 上帝对我们有美好旨意。我们甚至可以这么说：「是他们把我放在这样的情况里！」但是，我们发现，尽管约瑟知道是哥哥们把他贩卖为奴，他对他们所行的回应却是信赖和顺服主的旨意，乃是 上帝命定他要来成就一个独特而重要的使命。——麦克尔·瓦尔科尔博士创世记50章19到21节，约瑟告诉他的哥哥们：
不要害怕，我岂能代替 上帝呢？从前你们的意思是要害我，但 上帝的意思原是好的，要保全许多人的性命，成就今日的光景。现在你们不要害怕，我必养活你们和你们的妇人孩子。（创世记50章19-21节）约瑟和他兄弟们的故事完结于创世记50章22到26节，约瑟要他的兄弟们起誓。创世记50章25节这么描述：
约瑟叫以色列的子孙起誓说：「 上帝必定看顾你们；你们要把我的骸骨从这里搬上去。」（创世记50章25节）根据创世记，这个誓言是约瑟在临终之前和他兄弟们最后的互动。约瑟的兄弟们代表他们的后代，答应约瑟，当 上帝带领以色列人离开埃及时，他们会兑现约瑟的心愿，带着他的骸骨，然后把他埋葬在应许之地。
约瑟最后对他兄弟们和家人的遗言是「 上帝必然看顾你们，你们要把我的骸骨从这里搬上去。」身为埃及的统治者，一旦约瑟过世，他的尸体必然是被用香料薰存，收殓在棺木里。每次他们看到这个棺木，就想起 上帝给约瑟的应许，给他们先祖们的承诺，说他们都要回到那地。约瑟说：「你们要带着我的骸骨一起去，让它们跟你们一起到应许之地。」他那遗留的骸骨要来领受 上帝的应许。因此当犹太人离开埃及时，摩西带着约瑟的骸骨与他们一起出去。此外，在那四十年的岁月里，那些骸骨成为一个象征，一个视觉辅助，表明 上帝给予的极大应许，以色列子民必要进入应许之地。那些骸骨至终埋葬在示剑，我认为它所显示的原则非常简单： 上帝的应许比生活中任何事物都还真确， 上帝必然信守祂的承诺。—— 莱瑞·沃特斯博士约瑟和他的兄弟们这一课到此，我们已经探讨了摩西描述的结构和内容，现在要来看这一课的第二个议题，就是这几章的几个重要主题。
约瑟和他兄弟们的故事对于创世记最初的听众有许多提示，超乎我们在这里能够讲述的；如果要谈现今的应用也是如此。但是当我们从原本听众的景况来看这几章，会发现到有几个重要主题凸显出来。当然这些主题无法涵盖约瑟的故事书写时要给予原本听众的所有影响，也无法阐明所有我们现今应该有的应用；不过这些主题给我们一个方向，来明白创世记这个部份的一些最重要的特质。
我们采用两个方式来看这几章的一些重要主题。首先，我们要来看约瑟的故事和亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各的故事都有的一些共同重点；然后，我们要更仔细的探讨凸显在约瑟和他兄弟们的故事里的两个特别重点。让我们先来看一些共同重点。
我们从创世记的其他几课里看到，关于亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的故事里有四个重要主题，而这几个主题也同样出现于约瑟和他兄弟们的故事里，也就是强调 上帝对以色列施恩， 要求以色列对 上帝忠诚， 上帝祝福以色列，还有 上帝透过以色列祝福其他人。让我们稍微花点时间思想在《圣经》的这个部份，关于 上帝施恩给以色列这个主题。
《圣经》经文用特别的文字描述 上帝的恩典，怜悯和良善，但是我们在约瑟的故事里很少看到这些词语；然而我们还是能看到 上帝施恩的这个主题贯彻在这几章里。在我们所谓的约瑟时代的「那个世界」， 上帝不时的会提醒约瑟和他的家人关乎祂过去的恩典，就是在他们的年日之前祂所施行的恩典。 上帝也在每个转折点上对约瑟和他的家人显示祂持续的恩典。而当 上帝指向未来的事件时，祂经常指明约瑟和他的家人有一天要领受未来的恩典，特别是回到应许之地的恩典。
但是这三种恩典并不单只是塑造约瑟的故事，摩西书写约瑟的景况里 上帝的恩典，为的是让他原本的会众能反思到在「他们的世界」里， 上帝多方的对他们显示祂的恩典。
同样的，身为基督的跟随者， 上帝对约瑟和他家人施行的恩典也适用于现今「我们的世界」里。当然我们能应用在许多方面，不过我们还是从基督国度的三个阶段来思想，比较有所帮助。从我们新约的角度， 上帝对于约瑟和他兄弟们的过去恩典，若是要适用于我们，那就是在国度的奠基开启时，显示于基督第一次的降临。每次我们在约瑟故事里看到 上帝持续的恩典，就被提醒在整个基督国度延续进展时，在我们每天生活中 上帝持续的施恩。而且如同约瑟和他的家人期盼 上帝未来的恩典，在基督国度的成全圆满时，我们同样期盼， 上帝的恩慈显现于新天新地里。
随着 上帝对以色列施恩这个共同重点，我们接着来看以色列需要对 上帝忠诚。
关于约瑟与他兄弟们的「那个世界」，摩西叙事的不寻常特质之一，就是他都没有提说从 上帝而来的命令或是口头指示。摩西反而是要以色列人按着在「他们的世界」里所领受的律法，来衡量约瑟在他的世界里对 上帝的忠诚。
当然摩西知道那些先祖们不可能靠着对 上帝律法的忠诚来得着他们的救恩，那是绝对不可能的！但是他们在故事中每个阶段的顺服与否，显示出他们内心真正的状况。因此，摩西要他的会众们按着约瑟的故事，来省察他们自己的内心。
例如，从负面来看，摩西不必明讲出 上帝不喜悦约瑟的哥哥们设计要杀害他。他的听众已经知道这样的行为是违反出埃及记20章13节十诫里的第六个诫命，不可杀人。而把约瑟贩卖为奴则是违反申命记24章7节提到的律法。还有当哥哥们欺骗雅各的时候，他们也是违逆出埃及记20章12节要孝敬父母的诫命。当犹大与她玛共寝，以为她是一个妓女，他则是违逆了出埃及记20章14节提到的不可奸淫，以及利未记19章29节的其他诫命。
但是从正面来看，摩西也让他的听众按着他们对 上帝律法的认知，来鉴定约瑟和他兄弟们对 上帝的忠诚。例如约瑟抗拒波提乏妻子的诱惑而显示他的贞操圣洁，他遵守了出埃及记20章14和17节提到的第七和第十个诫命。后来在创世记46章29到34节，约瑟和他的兄弟们按着出埃及记20章12节的第五个诫命，孝敬雅各。约瑟的哥哥们在约瑟面前谦卑认罪悔改，显示出利未记5章5节的律法。约瑟对待他兄弟们的恩慈怜悯显示出他忠实于利未记19章18节 上帝的话语。
因此，我们看到，当摩西描述「那个世界」里忠诚与不忠诚的行为时，他是要那些最初的以色列会众在「他们的世界」里留心对 上帝的忠诚与否。
身为现代的基督徒，至少有三个方式，让我们从约瑟的故事来探讨我们对 上帝的忠诚与否。首先，我们可以查看故事里的这些范例，与耶稣，特别是在国度奠基开启时，对 上帝全然的忠诚，两者之间的类似与差异。第二，在基督国度的延续进展中，我们应该要把约瑟故事里的道德信念应用于每天的生活中。最后，约瑟故事里对忠诚的要求，也让我们留心，当基督在祂的国度成全圆满再来时，会有什么事情发生。到那时，所有对基督执守忠信的人会被全然证实，而在新天新地里成为 上帝完全顺服的仆人。
我们已经探讨了 上帝给以色列的恩典和以色列对 上帝忠诚这两个共同重点，现在来看约瑟故事和前先祖史里的第三个共同重点，那就是 上帝对以色列的祝福这个主题。
就约瑟和他兄弟们所处的「那个世界」，我们应该指出，有时尽管先祖们不忠诚， 上帝还是倾下祂的祝福；而有时则是回应他们的忠诚而赐福给他们。摩西提到 上帝在「那个世界」里赐福给祂的子民，目的是要他原本的听众也明白，在「他们的世界」里，尽管他们不忠诚或是回应他们的忠诚， 上帝也可以用无数方式来祝福他们。
约瑟和他兄弟们故事里 上帝的祝福，同样也适用于我们现今的世界。有时尽管我们不忠诚，或是回应我们的忠诚， 上帝都会怜悯赐福。在基督国度的奠基开启时， 上帝倾下祂的祝福给祂的子民，藉此我们找到约瑟故事和我们生活的关联；我们也看到，在基督国度的延续进展时， 上帝依然祝福我们；而我们也期盼在基督国度的成全圆满时， 上帝将是如何的赐福于我们。
除了 上帝施恩给以色列，以色列需要对 上帝忠诚，还有 上帝祝福以色列，约瑟的故事还有另一个共同重点，那就是 上帝透过以色列祝福其他人。
创世记12章3节，22章18节，和26章4节这些经文告诉我们， 上帝赐福以色列，也授命亚伯拉罕和他的后裔要将祂的国度和祝福传遍所有邦国。这个主题在约瑟的世界里，主要显现于约瑟治理埃及，由此而使得许多人蒙受祝福。例如创世记39章5节提到， 上帝因着约瑟而赐福波提乏；创世记39章22节在法老的监狱里，约瑟成为监狱长的祝福；创世记41章25节叙述约瑟为法老解梦，而带给法老祝福。但是对于众人最大的祝福来自约瑟居高位执政，因此得以祝福许多埃及人和周围的国家。创世记41章56到57节如此记载：
当时饥荒遍满天下，约瑟开了各处的仓，粜粮给埃及人……各地的人都往埃及去，到约瑟那里籴粮，因为天下的饥荒甚大。（创世记41章56-57节）我们不难看出以色列成为多人的祝福这个主题，如何应用于摩西原本听众「他们的世界」里。首先，当那些以色列人听到约瑟的故事，他们必然受到鼓舞，知道他们的先祖们曾经祝福了许多人。他们也明白 上帝曾呼召他们，要在他们的年日，把 上帝的祝福带给其他人。而且他们也会期盼，未来，他们的后裔也会把 上帝的祝福传到世界各地。
你必然也预期到这个主题也应用于现今我们的世界里。基督在祂的国度奠基开启时赐予全地祂的祝福；在祂的国度延续进展时也借着教会祝福全地；有一天，当祂的国度成全圆满时，在新天新地里祂会祝福世界每个族裔和国家。
我们已经探讨了约瑟故事的几个重要主题，我们谈到了约瑟故事和创世记里其他先祖历史之间的共同重点，现在要来看约瑟故事里很明显的两个特别重点。在这一课里，之前我们曾经提到：
约瑟和他兄弟们的故事教导以色列的众支派，在他们面对要争战和居住应许之地时，应该要怎样和睦相处。我们已经看到，创世记的这个部份很大篇幅是涉及约瑟和他兄弟之间不和睦以及和好的情况。约瑟和他的兄弟们是以色列12个支派的先祖，因此他们之间的互动情况，直接关联到摩西时代以色列众支派之间的相处互动。创世记50章24到25节，约瑟临终的话语，把这样的关联清楚凸显出来：
约瑟对他弟兄们说：「我要死了，但 上帝必定看顾你们，领你们从这地上去，到他起誓所应许给亚伯拉罕、以撒、雅各之地。」约瑟叫以色列的子孙起誓说：「 上帝必定看顾你们；你们要把我的骸骨从这里搬上去。」（创世记50章24-25节）约瑟时代的「那个世界」与摩西原本听众「他们的世界」，两者之间的关联性是不言而喻。摩西所叙述的约瑟和他兄弟们故事的结尾是，约瑟明确预期到创世记的原本听众在他们有生之年会经历的事情，那就是进入应许之地。
我们可以用许多方式来总结约瑟临终遗言和原本听众的经历之间的关联提示。但是就我们这一课而言，我们只看两个特别重点。首先，我们要探讨约瑟和他兄弟们的故事，主旨乃是要促进摩西时代以色列众支派全民的合一 团结；其次，我们要看他的话语如何确认 上帝所命定的以色列众支派之间全民的多元差异。让我们先来看全民的合一这个主题。
要明白全民合一这个主题的重要性，我们需要指出，约瑟和他家人的故事是从一个屡次出现于创世记的模式中分离；我们也许可以把这个模式称之为「独一的传承，所谓独一的传承，我们乃是说 上帝特别的恩惠随着时间是透过一个主要的人物或是先祖而传递下去。
我们可以这么想，在创世记1章1节到11章9节的太古历史， 上帝首先任命亚当和他的后裔要遍满世界，治理全地。他们要将 上帝荣耀的国度扩展到全地。但是随着罪的进入， 上帝的应许于是只单独透过塞特，而不是该隐，传承下去。 上帝特别的恩惠借着塞特后代的这一脉传下去，直到 上帝只和挪亚坚立圣约。挪亚有三个儿子，闪，含和雅弗，但是 上帝的应许只借着闪的血脉传承下去。到了太古史终了，闪的后代亚伯拉罕成为 上帝应许的独一传承者。
而创世记11章10节到37章1节的前先祖史也继续这个独一的传承模式。亚伯拉罕的应许是只传给以撒，而不是以实玛利或是亚伯拉罕其他的儿子们。然后 上帝给以撒的应许是单单传给雅各，而不是以扫。
这个在创世记前面36章出现的独一传承的重要模式，到了约瑟和他兄弟的故事，忽然停止了。在创世记的这个部份，摩西强调的是「含括的传承」，他相信 上帝特别的恩惠是从雅各传给他12个儿子们，而不是只传给一个人。当雅各过世时，12个儿子和他们的后代，就是以色列的12个支派，共同承继雅各应许之地的产业。雅各的产业传给所有的儿子们这个含括性的传承，于是呼召摩西时代的以色列会众要持守全民的合一。
当我们陆续读雅各，约瑟和他的哥哥犹大的叙事时，会看到这个家庭里有好多纷争，冲突，嫉妒，吵闹；而 上帝并不喜悦祂立约的族群过这样的生活。因此这个故事成了一个范例，当约瑟和犹大至终能联合一致，不再彼此冲突，让我们看到 上帝如何在这个立约的族群里运作，带来他们的合一。这也成为未来的一个好榜样，约瑟和犹大是以色列的两个主要支派。他们那样的合一，乃是 上帝要祂的立约族群所效法和持守的。——罗伯特·奇颂模博士我们之前谈到，约瑟和他兄弟们的故事始于彼此之间的不和睦，起源于兄弟们互相犯罪。但故事结尾是兄弟之间和好。摩西用这样的方式，让跟随他的每个人清楚明白 上帝是呼召以色列众支派要寻求民族的团结一致。如同约瑟故事所描述的， 上帝曾经赐给亚伯拉罕、以撒和雅各的应许之地，是所有以色列人要共同承受的产业。
因此，摩西在其他地方也呼吁以色列众支派要合一团结，也就不足为奇了。例如出埃及记19章8节，在西奈山，摩西要全体以色列百姓一致同意与 上帝立约。在民数记32章还有约书亚记1章12到18节，摩西和西奈山都坚持所有的支派在分地各自居住之前，都应该一起和迦南地的人争战。还有申命记29章2节，摩西把所有支派都召聚一起与 上帝重新立约。
除此之外，后来旧约的作者们也继续强调以色列全民的合一。尽管大卫和所罗门有失误，但是那段统一的王朝期被认为是以色列的黄金年代。国家分裂成为南国和北国，绝不是 上帝对祂子民的美好旨意。后来，以色列的先知们应许被掳回归之后众支派要再聚合为一。历代志这样的书卷因此坚持每个支派的代表们在被掳回归之后必须居住在应许之地。
摩西所强调的，在约瑟的世界里，12个支派的先祖们必须团结一致，也激动以色列12个支派在「他们的世界」里要持守全民的合一。约瑟和他兄弟们的故事的这个重点，也适用于现今我们的世界里。如同以色列的所有支派共同承受产业，世界各地所有跟随基督的人也在基督里共同继承产业。耶稣在祂的国度奠基开启时就设立这样的合一，我们在基督国度的延续进展中也要持守这样的合一。而且有一天当基督国度成全圆满时，我们要和所有 上帝的子民一起欢欣的置身于完美的合一与和谐中。以弗所书4章3到6节，保罗这么说道：
用和平彼此联络，竭力保守圣灵所赐合而为一的心。身体只有一个，圣灵只有一个，正如你们蒙召同有一个指望。一主，一信，一洗，一位 上帝，就是众人的父，超乎众人之上，贯乎众人之中，也住在众人之内。（以弗所书4章3-6节）注意这段经文的条理性。保罗呼吁跟随基督的人要竭力保守圣灵所赐合而为一的心，如同以色列众支派共同承受产业，我们也是如此：一个身体，一个圣灵，一个指望，一主，一信，一洗，和一位 上帝和父。
约瑟和他兄弟们的故事让现今跟随基督的人有许多机会来反思我们中间经常会发生的分歧不和；当我们致力于让全世界 上帝的子民团结一致时，这个故事也提供许多明智的指引。
约瑟的故事鼓励以色列民族要合一，因为他是充满了慈悲饶恕；而饶恕是达成合一的唯一要素，不只是对以色列人，也是对我们这些基督徒，对所有家庭和世上所有的人都是如此。约瑟曾经被哥哥们那样地恶待受苦，但是当他们有难的时候，他却拯救了他们。我们读约瑟的故事，看到他是怎样的饶恕，他那巨大的赦免。他们本是要他死，不要他活着，不想再看到他。但是约瑟却没有伤害他们，他拥有权力，他可以轻易那么作，但是他敬畏 上帝，在信心上比他们都成熟，反而接纳了他们。这些特质是可以学习效法的，可以在十二个支派继续仿效，对我们而言也是如此，在我们的家庭，教会和社会中都可以继续效法。——赛普恩·顾琪恩达牧师我们理解了摩西鼓励以色列人要全民的合一这个特别重点，也要明白摩西为什么需要这么做。简单来说，摩西强调以色列人要团结合一，因为 上帝也命定祂的子民会有全民的多元差异。
简单的说，所有支派的先祖都是雅各的后嗣，但这并不意味着他们是被完全地一视同仁对待。相反的，旧约《圣经》的其他部份已清楚表明， 上帝给予以色列的各支派有不同的特权和职责。而摩西强调以色列众支派要和谐相处的一个主要理由是：唯有当以色列人都认识到，正是 上帝自己赋予各支派不同的特权与职责，他们才能持守以色列全民的合一。
如同合一的主题，多元的主题也交织穿插于约瑟和他兄弟的故事里，最明显的是创世记47章28节到49章33节。在那几章里，雅各把他的产业分配给12个儿子，但是他也在他们和他们后代之间，确立了持久性的区别。
在这几章里，摩西借着区分雅各的儿子们，来强调以色列全民的多元差异。对我们而言，我们只看其中的两项，就是犹大和他的后代；以及约瑟和他的后代。让我们先来看犹大和他的后代。
犹大和他的后代：在这几章里，摩西有几次把犹大这个先祖放在中心位置，以此确认 上帝命定犹大和他的后裔具有的显著突出地位。犹大首先出现在创世记37章12到36节，那里叙述哥哥们想要杀害约瑟，26和27节，犹大从众弟兄中间脱颖而出，成功的干预他们要伤害约瑟的计划。在27节犹大提醒他们，约瑟是我们的兄弟，我们的骨肉，以此强调兄弟之间应该和睦的这个特质。我们在这里看到当众弟兄同意犹大的计划时，同时也肯定他的领导地位。
创世记38章1到30节犹大再次出现，摩西在这里叙述犹大在迦南地所犯的罪。这一章显示犹大的放荡，对比约瑟在波提乏家中的正直操守，但是在38章26节，摩西提到犹大谦卑的认罪，犹大承认他玛比我更有义。显然 上帝接纳犹大的悔改，因为 上帝接着祝福犹大的两个儿子，法勒斯和谢拉。
44章14到34节 先祖们第二次去到埃及时，摩西再次让人注意到犹大的领导位份。当便雅悯被控偷窃银杯时，犹大在约瑟面前挺身而出，恳求他的怜悯。他谦卑的求告，称呼自己和他的众兄弟是约瑟的仆人。从他承认「 上帝已经查出仆人的罪孽」，显示他为着自己和众兄弟以前所作的事认罪悔改；他也尊荣自己的父亲，提到如果便雅悯不能回到迦南，「恐怕……灾祸临到我父亲身上」；他也勇敢的自荐要代「替这童子」，留在埃及。
最后在49章1到28节，在雅各临终的祝福里，犹大移到显著的位置上。8到12节，雅各宣称犹大和他的支派要被提升到无与伦比的领袖位置上，犹大支派有一天要成为以色列的君尊支派。创世记49章8到10节，雅各这么说道：
犹大啊，你弟兄们必赞美你；你手必掐住仇敌的颈项；你父亲的儿子们必向你下拜……圭必不离犹大，杖必不离他两脚之间，直等细罗[那应得权杖者]来到，万民都必归顺。[和合本修订本]（创世记49章8-10节）注意这里所说的犹大的弟兄们必赞美他，他要用手掐住仇敌的颈项，意思就是他会征服所有敌对他的人；而犹大的父亲的儿子们-他的兄弟们—要向他下拜。如同之前提到的，摩西在这里显明犹大支派的权柄，要凌驾在以色列其他支派之上。
我们要注意，圭和杖是君尊的象征，是犹大的一个后裔会持有。犹大的君尊之家要继续治理，「直等那应得权杖者来到，万民都必归顺」。
创世记49章10节是《圣经》第一次明确显示，犹大的一个后裔要成为全地君王的这个事实。这是清楚的述及大卫家的弥赛亚，而这个未来的君王将要履行创世记12章3节的应许，就是 上帝对亚伯拉罕所说的「地上的万族都要因你得福」。透过这位君王， 上帝的国度要扩展到全地。而从犹大而出的这位伟大君王也要领受「万民的归顺」。
我们不难理解摩西为何强调犹大在那个世界里的提升，从而对他的原本听众在「他们的世界」里讲话。犹大不是雅各头生的儿子，因此也不应该有这样突出的位份。但是，当摩西书写约瑟和他兄弟们的故事，以倡导族群合一时，他同时也期待他们按着 上帝提拔犹大支派的这个事实，来维护这样的合一团结。
对于现今跟随基督的人，犹大的高升有许多隐含的意义。但是其中心主旨是 上帝应许从犹大支派要出现一位至高的君王，这个应许全然应验在大卫公义的子孙，全宇宙的君王，耶稣身上。耶稣在祂国度奠基时，在天上领受他的权位。在祂国度延续时他依然掌权，直到他践踏所有的仇敌。而到国度成全时，他要在新天新地里作王直到永远。
我们已经探讨了摩西所强调的以色列全民的多元差异里，犹大和他的后裔的这个部份，现在要来看创世记里约瑟和他的后代这个部份。
约瑟和他的后代：我们之前已经看到，创世记37章2节到50章26节，约瑟是这个部份的主角。而且在这几章里，不像他的兄弟们，约瑟是个被高度理想化的人物。事实上，摩西对于约瑟品格瑕疵的唯一暗示，是记载在37章2到11节故事的最开头，我们看到约瑟向父亲报告哥哥们的劣行而激怒他们，他也对他们夸说那些关乎未来的梦。但即使是这个负面的描述也是很隐约的，因为摩西在第2节讲到，约瑟那时只有17岁。
除了这么一点暗示性的小瑕疵，约瑟整体的形象是正面的。他忠心的服事波提乏，抗拒他妻子的诱惑，在服事波提乏过程中毫无差错。当他的哥哥们来见他时，他明智的测试他们，即使他们曾经恶待他，他还是仁慈的对待他们。他也显示对父亲和便雅悯的爱。身为埃及的治理者，他祝福了许多国家。摩西用这些方式，描写约瑟，正如雅各在创世记49章26节对他的描述。约瑟是「在兄弟中作王子」[新译本]。
实际而言，我们从生活经验可以知道，约瑟在他生平必然多次犯罪。除了耶稣之外，每个世代的人都是如此。那么，摩西为何要如此的理想化约瑟这个人？他的目的是什么？答案就是 上帝给予约瑟和他的后代在以色列众支派当中有特别显著的位份。
约瑟和他后代的显著地位首次出现在创世记48章1到22节，对于约瑟两个儿子的特别安排。在这几节里，雅各祝福约瑟的儿子们，以法莲和玛拿西，如同是他自己的儿子。按照历代志上5章1节，流便因为乱伦，而失去长子的位份；因此当雅各领养以法莲和玛拿西如同他自己亲生的，那就意味着约瑟如同是雅各的长子，领受双倍的福份。
这个安排里一个很吸引人的片段是出现于48章13到20节，雅各的祝福是把以法莲置于玛拿西之上。约瑟细心的安排他的儿子们站在雅各面前，好让雅各的右手，就是祝福比较大的手，能按在玛拿西头上；而雅各的左手，祝福比较小的手，是落在以法莲头上。这样的安排很合理，因为玛拿西是约瑟的头生儿子。可是雅各没有解释，就把手交叉，用左手按着玛拿西，而右手按着以法莲。约瑟不喜欢这样的情况，设法要挪移雅各的手去抬举玛拿西。创世记48章19节如此记载接续所发生的：
他父亲不从，说：「我知道，我儿，我知道。他[玛拿西]也必成为一族，也必昌大。只是他的兄弟[以法莲]将来比他还大；他兄弟的后裔要成为多族。」（创世记48章19节）或是说「他们要成为一族」。类似像民数记2章18到21节和申命记33章17节的经文显示，以法莲支派后来比玛那西的人数更多，更显赫；事实上，以法莲是如此的昌大，以致到了王国分裂时期，以色列整个北国通常被称为是「以法莲」。
也许这一切看起来和现今跟随基督的人没有什么关联，但是在约瑟与他兄弟们的「那个世界」里， 上帝赋予以法莲未曾预期的显赫，显示出 上帝命定的安排，对于摩西原本的听众，在「他们的世界」里却是格外重要。摩西书写创世记，他即将要把带领国家的权柄交给他的弟子约书亚；然而约书亚却不是像摩西和亚伦那样，来自利未支派，也不是来自君尊的犹大支派，而是来自 上帝所祝福，要超乎其他支派的以法莲支派。事实上，摩西在这段记载里强调以法莲，是要证实他选择的继任者是正确合宜的。只有等约书亚过世之后，犹大支派才升到显著位置；但是带领整个以色列民族进入应许之地的是以法莲的约书亚。
身为现今跟随基督的人，约瑟和他兄弟们的故事的这个层面使得我们认识 上帝在「我们的世界」里所命定的多种祝福和角色。在祂的国度奠基开启时，耶稣以各种恩赐祝福祂的子民，例如使某些人成为使徒，先知，教师等。祂呼召不同的人，赋予他们不同的权限和职责，基督确立这样的多元性，不是要区隔祂的子民，而是要他们能彼此结合，在整个基督国度的延续进展时期，圣灵继续按着祂的旨意赐下所有恩赐。而且到了国度成全圆满时，我们还是会看到 上帝以不同方式来尊荣那些跟随基督的人。当我们将约瑟和他兄弟的故事应用在我们现今的世界里，我们必须认清和重视在每个世代， 上帝对于祂的子民不同的命定和指引。
在约瑟和他的兄弟们的这一课里，我们探讨了创世记这个最后主要部份的结构和内容，也看到摩西如何运用这几章来强调一些重要主题，除了包含创世记前面几个部份的主题，摩西还列出这几章的几个特别重点，例如以色列民族的全民的合一与多元。
约瑟和他的兄弟们的故事显示对于以色列先祖们要和睦相处是何等困难，但是至终， 上帝在他们中间建立了弟兄的情谊。摩西书写这个纷争、和解到和谐的故事，原本是要呼吁以色列的十二个支派在他们的年日里悔改并合一，成为 上帝的子民。身为基督的跟随者，这个故事也呼吁我们要抵挡分裂，看重彼此之间爱心的联系。在基督的身体里，我们是共享基督的产业。现今为了让 上帝荣耀的国度能扩展到全世界，我们也要致力于 上帝子民的合一团结；对于此，约瑟和他兄弟们的故事也给予我们宝贵的指引。
约瑟和他的兄弟们的故事显示对于以色列先祖们要和睦相处是何等困难，但是至终， 上帝在他们中间建立了弟兄的情谊。摩西书写这个纷争、和解到和谐的故事，原本是要呼吁以色列的十二个支派在他们的年日里悔改并合一，成为 上帝的子民。身为基督的跟随者，这个故事也呼吁我们要抵挡分裂，看重彼此之间爱心的联系。在基督的身体里，我们是共享基督的产业。现今为了让 上帝荣耀的国度能扩展到全世界，我们也要致力于 上帝子民的合一团结；对于此，约瑟和他兄弟们的故事也给予我们宝贵的指引。
旧约研究3——摩西五经 PEN
第一课 摩西五经引论
第二课 太古历史：完美的世界
第三课 太古历史：失而复得的乐园
第四课 太古历史：暴力的世界
第五课 太古历史：正确的方向
第六课 亚伯拉罕的生平：结构与内容
第七课 亚伯拉罕的生平：原本含义
第八课 亚伯拉罕的生平：现今应用
第九课 先祖雅各
第十课 约瑟和他的兄弟们
第十一课 出埃及记概论
The Pentateuch: Joseph and His Brothers
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INTRODUCTION
Siblings in families with large estates often struggle with each other over who will receive the largest inheritance. When it comes time for the estate to be passed from one generation to the next, even brothers and sisters who once loved each other dearly can become so divided that only God can re-establish the bonds of love. The book of Genesis teaches us that this is how it was for the family of Israel's patriarchs, Joseph and his brothers. Their rivalry over the inheritance of their father, Jacob, became so bitter that it seemed impossible to resolve. But as we'll see in this lesson, God reconciled Joseph and his brothers and re-established their bonds of love. This resolution charted a course for the relationships amongst the twelve tribes of Israel throughout the Old Testament. And it still directs relationships among Christ's followers today.
This lesson on the Pentateuch is devoted to the portion of the book of Genesis that deals with "Joseph and His Brothers." We'll look in some detail at Genesis 37:2–50:26, the story of Joseph's troubled relationship with his siblings.
Before we turn to our main topic, it will help to review the basic content of the book of Genesis. In other lessons, we've seen that Genesis divides into three main parts. Each part was designed to address Moses' original Israelite audience in particular ways. The first part deals with the primeval history, found in Genesis 1:1–11:9. In this section, Moses showed the Israelites that their call to the land of Canaan was established in what God had done in the earliest periods of world history. The second part records the earlier patriarchal history in Genesis 11:10–37:1. Here, Moses addressed how the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob spoke to issues faced by the Israelites on their way to the Promised Land. And the third part, the later patriarchal history, in Genesis 37:2–50:26, tells the story of Joseph and his brothers. Our lesson will focus on this last section of Genesis.
As we'll see, Moses' purpose in this part of Genesis involved a number of lessons for his original audience. But in general:
The story of Joseph and his brothers taught the tribes of Israel how to live together in harmony as they faced the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land.
Our lesson on Joseph and his brothers will divide into two main parts. First, we'll examine the structure and content of these chapters, how their literary design and subject matter go hand in hand. Second, we'll look at a number of major themes Moses emphasized for the tribes of Israel and how these themes apply to modern Christians. Let's begin by looking at the structure and content of this part of Genesis.
STRUCTURE AND CONTENT
Everyone familiar with the story of Joseph and his brothers knows that it involves many characters, different cultural settings and a number of intricate subplots. These features are so complex that it's easy to become preoccupied with the details and lose sight of the overarching literary structure that holds it all together. But paying attention to how the structure and content of these chapters work together is especially important because the account of Joseph and his brothers is a highly unified drama.
Moses' presentation of Genesis 37:2–50:26 forms a highly integrated, five-step drama:
The initial problem of the story, in Genesis 37:2-36, depicts patriarchal disharmony over the prospect of Joseph's rule.
The second step, or rising action, in 38:1–41:57 focuses on Joseph's threatening rule — his rise to power in Egypt.
The third step, in 42:1–47:12, is the turning point of the drama. It deals with the patriarchs' reconciliation and reunion in Egypt.
The fourth step, or falling action, in 47:13-27 reports Joseph's benevolent rule in Egypt.
And the final resolution of the drama, in 47:28–50:26, describes patriarchal harmony under Joseph's rule.
In recent decades, a number of interpreters have attempted to show that these chapters in Genesis form an extensive concentric chiasm. A chiasm is:
A literary structure in which sections before and after a centerpiece parallel or balance each other.
Most of these attempts press this outlook too far. But they do point toward a large-scale dramatic symmetry that brings coherence to the entire record of Joseph and his brothers.
It isn't difficult to see that, in general, the account begins with patriarchal disharmony, and ends with patriarchal harmony in the final resolution of the drama.
The rising action of Joseph's threatening rule in Egypt balances with the falling action of Joseph's benevolent rule in Egypt. And the turning point, or hinge — the transition from disharmony and threat to benevolence and harmony — is the reconciliation and reunion that takes place in Egypt. We'll look at these episodes in the order Moses presented them. But understanding this basic dramatic symmetry will help us as we examine a number of details in the story of Joseph and his brothers.
The content of the story of Joseph and his brothers displays more literary complexity than any other portion of Genesis. It has a long roster of characters and portrays many of them as three-dimensional, changing characters. Scenes are depicted vividly. Irony, humor, and tragedy appear throughout. The narrative contains many unexpected turns of events that recollect and anticipate other events. As such, this part of Genesis would have called the original Israelite audience to consider far more than we can possibly explore in this lesson. So, for the sake of time, we'll limit ourselves to just a few comments on the content of each chapter.
Patriarchal Disharmony (Genesis 37:2-36)
Moses began his narrative in Genesis 37:2-36 with the initial dramatic problem of patriarchal disharmony over Joseph's future rule. This opening chapter consists of two parts that together show how disharmony in Joseph's family worsened over time. The first part, in 37:2-11, illustrates how Joseph increasingly agitated his brothers. And the second part, in verses 12-36, tells of how the brothers sold Joseph into slavery. Let's look at the way Joseph agitated his brothers.
Joseph Agitated Brothers
Moses first portrayed Joseph as a naïve young man who was favored by his father. For example, in verse 3, Jacob gave Joseph an ornate robe that drove his brothers to jealousy. Verse 4 tells us "they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him." Then, to make matters worse, in two additional vignettes, Joseph boasted about his dreams of future exaltation over his family. Because of this, in both verse 5 and verse 8, Moses wrote that Joseph's brothers "hated him all the more." And verse 11 tells us, "His brothers were jealous of him."
The causes of disharmony between Joseph and his brothers… I can pick two. One is that his father made him the most beautiful robe, and that robe, the other brothers looked at it and said, "My, I think I need to have that. It needs to be mine." And when we look at ourselves, we have disharmony even in this society because some people are living better lives and we see disharmony in others asking themselves, "Why am I not like this other person?" Even in church we have it. We look at somebody that is sickly and others are healthy, and we ask ourselves, "Why are we not healthy?" So, the giving of the best to Joseph when these others didn't have, caused some disharmony. Number two: the brokenness of human nature. The brothers were envious, and because his brother had a better, you know, gown than them, was more beautiful than theirs, they became envious. And we find the seed of envy in all of us. It was not only those brothers, but it's all in us. But as Christians we are called to identify it first and know that's it's a sin of envy and we can put a stop to it. [Rev. Dr. Cyprian K. Guchienda]
After presenting the patriarchal disharmony that resulted when Joseph agitated his brothers, Moses turned to the second part of 37:12-36. These verses contain a short narrative explaining how the brothers sold Joseph into slavery.
Brothers Sold Joseph
Here we see that the brothers captured Joseph, stripped him of his ornate robe, and planned to kill him. The eldest brother, Reuben, tried in vain to help Joseph escape. But in the end, it was Judah who convinced the others that they should sell Joseph into slavery rather than kill him. This episode ends with the brothers' tragic, deceitful report to Jacob that Joseph had been devoured by a wild animal. The brothers presented Jacob with Joseph's blood-stained robe, and Jacob fell into severe mourning.
Together, these two episodes introduce the dramatic problem that sets the course for the entire story of Joseph and his brothers. This was the beginning of the tragic disharmony among Israel's tribal patriarchs.
After the initiating problem of patriarchal disharmony over Joseph's future rule, Moses moved to the second step. In 38:1–41:57, Moses told of the rise of Joseph's threatening rule.
Joseph's Threatening Rule (Genesis 38:1–41:57)
In this step, Moses employed dramatic irony by giving his audience insights that characters in the story didn't have. First, Joseph's brothers — represented here by Judah — lived in Canaan, apparently confident that they had stopped Joseph from gaining superiority over them. But, unknown to the other characters, Joseph's rule far away in Egypt was increasing. God had turned Joseph's slavery into a path toward exaltation over his family.
The focus on Joseph's threatening rule divides into two main sections. In the first place, 38:1-30 describes Judah's sin against Tamar in Canaan. Then, in 39:1–41:57, we learn of Joseph's success in Egypt. Let's look at Judah's sin in Canaan.
Judah's Sin in Canaan (Genesis 38:1-30)
Judah moved to center stage in this chapter because he, rather than Reuben, kept his brothers from killing Joseph in the preceding episode. So, this section represents the actions of Jacob's son who had the highest standing among his brothers. The episode of Judah's sin in Canaan begins in 38:1-5 with birth reports of Judah's sons. The moral tone is set in verse 2 when we learn that Judah married a Canaanite woman.
In verses 6-11 we find an account of Judah's sons and Tamar. First, Judah gave Tamar to his eldest son, Er. When Er died, Judah gave Tamar to his second son, Onan. The practice of levirate marriage, or marriage by the brother-in-law of a childless widow, was commanded in Deuteronomy 25:5-10. This practice insured an heir for the brother who had died, and protected his widow. But in verse 9, Onan refused to give Tamar a child. So, in verse 10, God took Onan's life as well. Judah feared that his third son, young Shelah, might face the same fate. So, he refused to allow him to marry Tamar. Instead, he sent Tamar back to her father in shame.
In verses 12-26 we find the account of Tamar's seduction of Judah. When Tamar realized that she was not going to be married to Shelah, she disguised herself as a prostitute and seduced Judah. She cleverly tricked Judah by keeping his seal and its cord and a staff he had given her in lieu of payment. Three months later, in verses 24-26, Judah heard that Tamar was pregnant and indignantly ordered her execution. But Tamar produced the seal, cord and staff that Judah had given her. And when Judah realized what he had done, he admitted his guilt. Listen to Genesis 38:26 where Judah said:
She is more righteous than I, since I wouldn't give her to my son Shelah (Genesis 38:26).
As this verse indicates, the patriarch Judah admitted that his sin was much worse than anything Tamar had done. And he was exemplary in his humble confession and repentance. As a result of this change of heart, the story of Judah's sin against Tamar has a positive ending. In contrast with the opening segment about Judah's sons by a Canaanite woman, Moses closed this section, in verses 27-30, with a birth report of Judah's sons by Tamar. Both Perez and Zerah became prominent names in the tribe of Judah.
With the events of Judah's sin in Canaan in mind, let's turn to the second section associated with Joseph's threatening rule. This section, found in Genesis 39:1–41:57, is a lengthy account of Joseph's success in Egypt.
Joseph's Success in Egypt (Genesis 39:1–41:57)
This section divides into three main segments. The first segment reports Joseph's move from Potiphar's house to prison in 39:1-23. After Joseph arrived in Egypt, he quickly received favor from Potiphar and ruled over his household. But Potiphar's wife attempted to seduce Joseph. When she failed, she accused Joseph of misconduct. Although Joseph resisted her advances, Potiphar believed his wife's false accusations. He sent Joseph to Pharaoh's prison, where Joseph quickly won the confidence of the jailor. Because this episode follows the narrative of Judah's sin with Tamar, it clearly contrasts Judah's earlier immorality with Joseph's moral purity.
When I read the story about Judah and Tamar, I almost feel like I should do a little bit of cutting and pasting, taking the story and placing it somewhere else. And yet, when you actually read the context, you realize exactly why God would have put that story after he'd already started the Joseph story. I think he does that because he wants to show the contrast between an unrighteous man and a righteous man. Joseph is willing to resist the sexual temptation of Potiphar's wife. Judah actually willingly engages in prostitution, perhaps even religious shrine prostitution. And so you see that contrast, and the fact is that God is going to bless Joseph with the double portion of the firstborn, although he is not the firstborn, but he's the one who leads his family in a righteous way. [Dr. Stephen J. Bramer]
Second, in 40:1–41:45, Joseph moved from prison to Pharaoh's court. In this segment, Moses explained how Joseph rose to power by interpreting the dreams of Pharaoh's officials. Then later, he interpreted Pharaoh's dreams concerning seven years of plenty and seven years of famine.
In the third segment, 41:46-57, Moses summarized Joseph's rule in Pharaoh's court. In this segment, Moses reported several ways Joseph exercised authority in Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. In each segment of Joseph's success, Moses made it clear that Joseph rose to power, not by his own ingenuity, but by the hand of God.
Now that we've explored the patriarchal disharmony over Joseph's future rule, and Joseph's threatening rule in Egypt, we should move to the central turning point of the story: the patriarchs' reconciliation and reunion in Egypt, recorded in Genesis 42:1–47:12.
Reconciliation and Reunion (Genesis 42:1–47:12)
This central narrative of reconciliation and reunion consists of three closely connected journeys taken by Joseph's family from Canaan to Egypt. The first journey is in Genesis 42:1-38. The second journey is found in 43:1–45:28. And the third journey can be seen in 46:1–47:12. Let's take a look at the first journey.
First Journey (Genesis 42:1-38)
The first journey is the simplest of the three accounts and can be divided into three sections. First, in 42:1-5, the brothers traveled from Canaan to Egypt because of the great famine. In this section, Jacob sent all of Joseph's brothers, except Benjamin, to purchase food in Egypt.
The second section, in 42:6-28, deals with events in Egypt when Joseph first recognized his brothers. Joseph didn't reveal his identity, but tested the character of his brothers by sending them back to Canaan to retrieve Benjamin. At first, Joseph threatened to hold all but one of them in prison until Benjamin arrived in Egypt. As a result, the brothers began to realize that their time of reckoning had come. In 42:21 they said to each other: "Surely we are being punished because of our brother." Three days later, Joseph sent all but Simeon back to retrieve Benjamin. He ordered that their bags be filled with grain and with the silver they had brought to purchase the grain. As the brothers traveled back, one of them discovered the silver in his bag. The brothers were afraid and exclaimed in verse 28, "What is this that God has done to us?"
The third section, in verses 29-38, reports what happened when the brothers returned to Canaan. They tried to persuade their father to send Benjamin back with them to Egypt, but Jacob refused. So, the brothers remained in Canaan.
Second Journey (Genesis 43:1–45:28)
Having looked briefly at the first journey, let's turn to the events of the second journey in Genesis 43:1–45:28. Although somewhat more complex than the first journey, the second journey also divides into three main segments. The first segment, in 43:1-14, precedes the brothers' travel to Egypt. After their supply of food was gone, Jacob finally agreed to send Benjamin along with his brothers back to Egypt.
The second segment, in 43:15–45:24, consists of lengthy depictions of events in Egypt. First, in 43:15-34, Joseph welcomed his brothers to a great feast at his house. But, he continued to keep his identity a secret. According to 43:30, Joseph was so moved at the sight of Benjamin that he left the room to weep in private.
In 44:1-13, Joseph further tested his brothers. He ordered his steward to fill their sacks with grain and silver and to place a silver cup in Benjamin's sack. Then Joseph sent his brothers back to Canaan. But at Joseph's behest, the steward caught up with the brothers. He "found" the silver cup in Benjamin's sack, and brought the brothers back to Joseph's house.
In verses 14-34, Judah pled for mercy from Joseph and admitted in verse 16: "God has uncovered your servants' guilt." Judah then selflessly offered to stay in Egypt himself in the place of Benjamin. Joseph was moved by Judah's humble plea. And in 45:1-15, Joseph finally revealed his identity to his brothers. Chapter 45 verse 2 tells us, "[Joseph] wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it." Joseph explained in verse 7 that God had sent him to Egypt "to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance." He then ordered his brothers to bring their father, Jacob, to Egypt. This scene closes in verses 14-15 with a touching scene of Joseph and Benjamin weeping as they embraced each other and with Joseph kissing and talking with all of his brothers.
The middle section of the story of Joseph is about the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers. He's already gone to Egypt, struggles have come up, Joseph's brothers come seeking food and relief from the famine, but in the middle of that, in chapter 45 especially, we have this magnificent image — it's magnificent, actually — it's one of the most dramatic and emotional sections of the whole book of Genesis, and that is when Joseph and his brothers finally reconcile. And what you find is that they're hugging each other and they're weeping and weeping and weeping. They weep so much in that chapter and the one just slightly before that, that even the Egyptians are wondering why all the crying is going on. And so, it's a lovely picture because there has been such disharmony among the brothers, but at that moment they are completely unified. And that unification comes from the fact, first, that Joseph had tested his brothers and found out that they were changed people. They were not like they were in the beginning when they sought his life, when they deceived their father and those kinds of things. They were changed people, and certain ones of them, like Judah, stand out in particular as changed people… The reconciliation comes from the fact that these brothers have been changed and that Joseph has been changed. He's changed from this brash young man who was very prideful about his dreams and those sorts of things to one who now has mercy from a position of power. And as you see those changes taking place in those chapters, or recognize in those chapters, this scene of them crying and holding onto each other is very precious and would have obviously stuck in the minds of Israelites in the days of Moses. [Dr. Richard L. Pratt, Jr.]
Then, in 45:16-24, Pharaoh ordered Joseph to send his brothers to retrieve Jacob. And Pharaoh promised Joseph in verse 20: "the best of all Egypt will be yours." Joseph complied and directed his brothers to continue in their newly found harmony. In verse 24 Joseph instructed them, "don't quarrel on the way!"
In the final segment of the second journey, in 45:25-28, the brothers returned to Canaan. They told Jacob what had happened in Egypt, and Jacob agreed to return to Egypt with them.
After looking at the patriarchs' reconciliation and reunion in the first journey and the second journey, we come to the third journey in Genesis 46:1–47:12.
Third Journey (Genesis 46:1–47:12)
The third journey divides into two main segments. First, 46:1-27 reports the brothers' travel to Egypt again, but this time with Jacob. In verses 1-7, we learn the travel itinerary and God's reassurance that Jacob would be blessed in Egypt. The travel sequence then closes, in 46:8-27, with a list of Jacob's sons and grandsons who went to Egypt.
Second, just as in the first and second journeys, 46:28–47:12 provides a segment on events in Egypt. Chapter 46 verses 28-30 deals with Jacob's reunion with Joseph in which Judah played a leading role. And following this, in 46:31–47:12, Pharaoh welcomed Joseph's family and ordered them to live in Goshen under Joseph's care.
After writing of the patriarchs' reconciliation and reunion, Moses then turned to the fourth step, or falling action, in his story. In Genesis 47:13-27, Moses told of Joseph's benevolent rule in Egypt.
Joseph's Benevolent Rule (Genesis 47:13-27)
In 47:13-26, we learn that the famine worsened over time. Joseph made food available throughout Egypt and Canaan. And he consolidated Pharaoh's power by purchasing the livestock and land of the people of Egypt and Canaan in order to feed them. In the process, he saved countless lives.
At the end of this account, in Genesis 47:27, Moses commented on how Joseph's rule benefitted Jacob and his sons. Moses wrote:
Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number (Genesis 47:27).
Following the initial patriarchal disharmony, the rise of Joseph's threatening rule, the reconciliation and reunion of the brothers, and Joseph's benevolent rule in Egypt, we come to the last step of Moses' record of Joseph and his brothers. In Genesis 47:28–50:26, Joseph's family experienced patriarchal harmony under Joseph's rule.
Patriarchal Harmony (Genesis 47:28–50:26)
This last step resolves the opening problem of disharmony among the patriarchs. And by focusing on the harmony of Joseph's family, it establishes blessings to Israel that were particularly important to Moses' first audience.
The chapters on patriarchal harmony divide into two main sections. In the first place, in Genesis 47:28–50:14, Moses drew attention to Jacob's enduring familial arrangements established in his last days. Then, in Genesis 50:15-26, we see Joseph's enduring familial arrangements. Let's look first at Jacob's familial arrangements.
Jacob's Familial Arrangements (Genesis 47:28–50:14)
This section begins with Jacob near the time of his death. In 47:28-31, Moses explained that Jacob required Joseph's oath to bury him in Canaan. Then, in 48:1–49:28, we read of two separate meetings involving Jacob's blessings.
In the first meeting, in 48:1-22, Jacob privately blessed Joseph and his sons, Ephraim and Manasseh. Here, Joseph received the honor of a double inheritance, normally given to the firstborn, because Jacob determined to treat Ephraim and Manasseh as equal to their uncles. But unexpectedly, Jacob gave Ephraim, Joseph's second son, prominence over Manasseh, the firstborn.
Then in 49:1-28, after exalting Joseph and his sons privately, all of Jacob's sons received his final blessings. Jacob gathered all of his sons together, and one by one the patriarch blessed them in ways that were appropriate for how they had lived. As Jacob's final blessings, these arrangements were intended to endure for generations to come.
This section closes in Genesis 49:29–50:14, where we learn of Jacob's death and burial. In these verses, Joseph fulfilled his father's wishes to be buried in Canaan. Then he returned to Egypt.
The patriarchal harmony under Joseph's rule not only includes a section on Jacob's familial arrangements; it also incorporates Joseph's familial arrangements in Genesis 50:15-26.
Joseph's Familial Arrangements (Genesis 50:15-26)
This brief section divides into two short reports. In 50:15-21, Joseph reassured his brothers of his kindness toward them. Joseph's brothers appealed to him for forgiveness, and Joseph graciously forgave.
One of the things that we see in the story of Joseph and his brothers is the power of forgiveness, the power of trusting in God's good purposes for us even when circumstances are extremely difficult for us, and we can see those who aren't in the same difficult circumstance. We might even be able accurately to say, "They put me in this circumstance." But Joseph's response to his brothers, essentially selling him into slavery, we discover, is trust and obedience toward the Lord and a fulfillment of a unique and important purpose that God had destined him for. [Rev. Dr. Michael Walker]
In Genesis 50:19-21 Joseph told his brothers:
Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children (Genesis 50:19-21).
The entire story of Joseph and his brothers closes in Genesis 50:22-26 with an oath Joseph required from his brothers. Listen to Genesis 50:25:
Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place" (Genesis 50:25).
In the record of Genesis, this oath was Joseph's last interaction with his brothers before he died. Joseph's brothers promised on behalf of their descendants that when God delivered Israel from Egypt, they would continue to honor Joseph by taking his bones with them for burial in the Promised Land.
Joseph's last words are these: "God will surely take care of you" — speaking to his brothers and his family basically — "and you shall carry my bones up from here." As an Egyptian ruler, it's very likely that once Joseph died he was embalmed, placed in a sarcophagus… Each time they would see this sarcophagus, they would think of the promise that was given by Joseph and by the promise that was given to the patriarchs that you will return to the land. Joseph said "Carry my bones with you; put them in the Promised Land with you." That's part of him accepting the promise of God… And so, when the Jews left Egypt, Moses took with them the bones of Joseph. Again, in those forty years it became a symbol, a visual aid, of the great promise that was given by God for the people of Israel to be in a promised land. So the bones then were finally buried at Shechem, and the principle here, I think, is very simple: the promises of God must be more real than anything else in life. God keeps his promises. [Dr. Larry J. Waters]
Up to this point in our lesson on Joseph and his brothers, we've looked at the structure and content of Moses' account. Now, we should turn to the second main topic of our lesson, the major themes of these chapters.
MAJOR THEMES
The story of Joseph and his brothers had many implications for the original audience of Genesis, far more than we can mention here. And the same is true for modern application. Still, if we look at these chapters within the setting of the original audience, certain themes move to the foreground. These major themes don't cover all the ways Joseph's story was designed to impact its original audience. Nor do they represent all of the ways we should apply them today. But these major themes give us an orientation toward some of the most crucial features of this part of Genesis.
We'll look at some of the major themes of these chapters in two ways. First, we'll make a few comments on how we may approach some shared emphases that appear in both Joseph's story and in the records of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. And second, we'll look more carefully at two special emphases that are highlighted in the story of Joseph and his brothers. Let's look first at a number of shared emphases.
Shared Emphases
As we've seen in other lessons on Genesis, four main themes appear in the narratives concerning the lives of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. These topics appear in the story of Joseph and his brothers as well: an emphasis on God's grace to Israel, the requirement of Israel's loyalty to God, God's blessings to Israel, and God's blessings through Israel to others. Let's reflect for a moment on how to approach the theme of God's grace to Israel in this part of the Bible.
God's Grace to Israel
Scripture uses specific terms for divine grace, mercy, and kindness, but we rarely see these terms in Joseph's story. Nevertheless, we find the theme of God's grace throughout these chapters. In what we'll call "that world" of Joseph's day, God occasionally reminded Joseph and his family of his past grace, grace he had shown before their time. God also displayed his ongoing grace to Joseph and his family at every turn. And when God pointed to events in the future, he often indicated how Joseph and his family would one day receive his future grace, especially the grace of returning to the Promised Land.
But these three types of grace didn't shape just Joseph's story. Moses' wrote of God's grace in Joseph's world so his original audience could reflect on the many ways God had shown them grace in "their world."
In much the same way, as followers of Christ, we can apply the grace God showed Joseph and his family to our world as well. There are many ways to do this, but it's often helpful to think in terms of the three stages of Christ's kingdom. From our New Testament perspective, God's past grace shown to Joseph and his brothers applies to us as it was displayed in Christ's first advent, in the inauguration of his kingdom. Every time we see God's ongoing grace in the story of Joseph, we're reminded of his ongoing grace in our daily lives throughout the continuation of Christ's kingdom. And just like Joseph and his family expected God's future grace, we may hope in God's mercies at the consummation of Christ's kingdom in the new heavens and new earth.
Along with the shared emphasis of God's grace to Israel, let's look at the requirement of Israel's loyalty to God.
Israel's Loyalty to God
One of the most unusual features of Moses' narrative of that world of Joseph and his brothers is that Moses never cited verbal instructions or commands from God. Instead, Moses expected the Israelites to evaluate Joseph's loyalty to God in that world in light of the law they'd received in their world.
Now, of course, Moses knew that the patriarchs couldn't earn their salvation through loyalty to God's law. That's always been impossible. But their obedience and disobedience displayed the true condition of their hearts in each step of the story. And Moses called his audience to examine their own hearts in light of Joseph's story.
For instance, on the negative side, Moses didn't have to speak directly of God's disapproval of the brothers' plan to kill Joseph. His audience already knew that this broke the sixth commandment against murder in Exodus 20:13. Selling Joseph into slavery violated laws like Deuteronomy 24:7. The brothers broke the commandment in Exodus 20:12 to honor father and mother when they deceived Jacob. When Judah slept with Tamar, thinking she was a prostitute, he violated commandments against sexual immorality in Exodus 20:14 and other laws like Leviticus 19:29.
But on the more positive side, Moses also relied on his audience's knowledge of God's law to identify when Joseph and his brothers were loyal to God. For instance, Joseph conformed to the seventh and tenth commandments in Exodus 20:14 and 17 when he exhibited sexual morality by resisting the seduction of Potiphar's wife. Later on, in passages like Genesis 46:29-34, Joseph and his brothers honored their father in accordance with the fifth commandment in Exodus 20:12. The brothers' repentance and humility before Joseph reflected laws like Leviticus 5:5. Joseph's kindness and mercy toward his brothers was true to passages like Leviticus 19:18. So, we can see that, as Moses described disloyalty and loyalty in that world, he called attention to the disloyalty and loyalty of his original Israelite audience in their world.
As modern Christians, there are at least three main ways we should deal with loyalty and disloyalty to God in the story of Joseph. First, we should compare and contrast these examples with Jesus' perfect obedience to God, especially in the inauguration of his kingdom. Second, we should be ready to apply the moral principles of the story of Joseph to our daily lives during the continuation of Christ's kingdom. And finally, the requirement of loyalty in the story of Joseph should draw our attention to what will happen at the return of Christ in the consummation of his kingdom. At that time, all who've exercised saving faith in Christ will be fully vindicated and transformed into perfectly obedient servants of God in the new heavens and new earth.
We've looked at the shared emphases of God's grace to Israel and Israel's loyalty to God. The third emphasis shared by both Joseph's story and the earlier patriarchal history is the theme of God's blessings to Israel.
God's Blessings to Israel
In terms of "that world" of Joseph and his brothers, we should mention that God poured out his blessings sometimes in spite of the disloyalty of the patriarchs and at other times in response to their loyalty. Moses designed the theme of God's blessings to his people in that world to make his original audience aware of the countless ways God had blessed them in their world — both in spite of their disloyalty and also in response to their loyalty.
In much the same way, God's blessings in the story of Joseph and his brothers apply to our world today. Sometimes this is in spite of our disloyalty and at other times in response to our loyalty. We find connections between Joseph's story and our lives by acknowledging the blessings God poured out on his people in the inauguration of Christ's kingdom. We also recognize how he blesses us now in the continuation of Christ's kingdom. And we look forward to how God will bless us at the consummation of Christ's kingdom.
Along with the shared emphases of God's grace to Israel, Israel's loyalty to God, and God's blessings to Israel, the story of Joseph also shares an emphasis on God's blessings through Israel to others.
God's Blessings through Israel
Passages like Genesis 12:3, 22:18, and 26:4 tell us that God blessed Israel and ordained Abraham and his descendants to spread his kingdom and its blessings to all nations. This theme appears in that world of Joseph primarily in the ways Joseph's rule in Egypt led to blessings for others. For example, Joseph was a blessing to Potiphar in Genesis 39:5. He was a blessing to the jailor in Pharaoh's prison in 39:22. And Joseph blessed Pharaoh when he interpreted Pharaoh's dream in 41:25. But the greatest blessings to others came at the height of Joseph's power when he blessed the Egyptians and many nations. As Genesis 41:56-57 reports:
When the famine had spread over the whole country, Joseph opened the storehouses and sold grain to the Egyptians … And all the countries came to Egypt to buy grain from Joseph, because the famine was severe in all the world (Genesis 41:56-57).
It's easy to see how the theme of Israel's blessings to others applied to "their world" of Moses' original audience. First, in hearing Joseph's story, the Israelites would have been encouraged to know that their patriarchs had blessed others already. They also would have realized that God had called them to bring God's blessings to others in their own day. And they would have looked forward to the future when their descendants would spread God's blessings to the entire world.
As you might expect, this theme also applies to us in our world. Christ granted blessings to the world in the inauguration of his kingdom. He blesses the world through the church during the continuation of his kingdom. And one day, he will bless every tribe and nation of the world at the consummation of his kingdom in the new creation.
Special Emphases
As we've explored the major themes in the story of Joseph, we've mentioned some of the shared emphases between Joseph's story and the rest of the patriarchal history in Genesis. Now we should focus on two special emphases found distinctly in Joseph's story. Earlier in this lesson we proposed that:
The story of Joseph and his brothers taught the tribes of Israel how to live together in harmony as they faced the conquest and settlement of the Promised Land.
As we've seen, much of this part of Genesis has to do with the disharmony and harmony between Joseph and his brothers. And Joseph and his brothers were the fathers of the twelve tribes of Israel. So, these interactions were connected directly with the interactions among the tribes of Israel in Moses' day. Listen to Joseph's last words in Genesis 50:24-25 where this connection moves to the foreground:
Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob." And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place" (Genesis 50:24-25).
It would be difficult to overemphasize the connection that this passage made between that world, of Joseph's day, and their world, of Moses' original audience. Moses closed the story of Joseph and his brothers with Joseph's explicit anticipation of what was happening in the lives of the original audience of Genesis — their entry into the Promised Land.
There are many ways to sum up the implications of this connection between Joseph's last words and the experiences of the original audience. But for our purposes, we'll look at just two special emphases. First, we'll see how the story of Joseph and his brothers was designed to promote national unity among the tribes of Israel in Moses' day. And second, we'll see how his words acknowledged the national diversity God had ordained among the tribes of Israel. Let's look first at the theme of national unity.
National Unity
To see the importance of the theme of national unity, we need to point out that the story of Joseph and his family departs from a pattern that appears time and again in Genesis. We may call this pattern "exclusive succession." By exclusive succession we mean the passing of God's special favor over time through one main figure or patriarch.
Think about it this way: In the primeval history of Genesis 1:1–11:9, God first ordained that Adam and his descendants would fill and rule over the whole world. They were to spread God's glorious kingdom throughout the earth. But with the introduction of sin, this promise passed exclusively to Seth and not to Cain. God's special favor then passed through the line of Seth's descendants until God confirmed his covenant exclusively with Noah. Noah had three sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth. But God's promises were passed down exclusively through Shem's lineage. And at the end of the primeval history, Shem's descendant, Abraham, was the exclusive heir of God's promises.
The earlier patriarchal history in Genesis 11:10–37:1 continues this pattern of exclusive succession. Abraham's promises were passed only to Isaac instead of Ishmael and Abraham's other sons. And God's promises to Isaac were passed down exclusively to Jacob instead of Esau.
Now, as vital as this pattern of exclusive succession was in the first 36 chapters of Genesis, it comes to an abrupt end with the story of Joseph and his brothers. In this part of Genesis, Moses stressed "inclusive succession." He believed that the special favor of God passed from Jacob to all twelve of his sons, not to just one. When Jacob died, all twelve of his sons and their descendants, the twelve tribes of Israel, shared jointly in Jacob's inheritance of the Promised Land. And this inclusive distribution of Jacob's inheritance to all of his sons called Moses' Israelite audience to national unity.
As we read through the story of Jacob and then Joseph and his brother Judah, we realize there's a lot of turmoil in this family, a lot of conflict, jealousy, strife, and God does not want his covenant community to be living this way. And so the story becomes a paradigm, I think, for how God is working in the covenant community to bring about unity, as Joseph and Judah end up unified, not in conflict anymore. This is a good example for the people later. Joseph and Judah are two of the major tribes in Israel. It becomes a great example for them of the kind of unity that God wants to see in the covenant community and is trying to produce. [Dr. Robert B. Chisholm, Jr.]
As we saw earlier, the story of Joseph and his brothers began with disharmony caused by the brothers' sins against each other. But it ended with harmony among the brothers. In this way, Moses' narrative made it clear to everyone following him that God had called the tribes of Israel to seek national unity. As Joseph's story illustrated, all Israel shared together in the inheritance of the Promised Land that God had given to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
It's no wonder, then, that Moses addressed unity among the tribes of Israel in other places. For instance, in Exodus 19:8, he stressed that all of the Israelites agreed unanimously to enter into covenant with God at Mount Sinai. In Numbers 32 and Joshua 1:12-18, both Moses and Joshua insisted that the tribes should fight together in the land of Canaan before any of them separated from each other. Moses also gathered all of the tribes together for covenant renewal in Deuteronomy 29:2.
And beyond this, Israel's national unity continued to be emphasized by later Old Testament authors. Despite the failures of David and Solomon, the period of the united monarchy was considered Israel's golden age. The division of the nation into the northern and southern kingdoms fell far short of God's ideal for his people. Later on, Israel's prophets promised that the tribes would be reunited after the exile. And books like Chronicles insisted that representatives of every tribe must settle in the Promised Land after the exile.
Moses' emphasis on unity among the twelve tribal patriarchs in that world of Joseph and his brothers promoted national unity among the tribes of Israel in their world. This emphasis also points toward one of the main ways the story of Joseph and his brothers should be applied to our modern world. Just as the tribes of Israel shared a common inheritance, all followers of Christ everywhere in the world share a common inheritance in Christ. Jesus established this unity in the inauguration of his kingdom. We must pursue this unity throughout the continuation of Christ's kingdom. And we will one day delight in the perfect unity and harmony among God's people at the consummation of Christ's kingdom. Listen to Ephesians 4:3-6, where Paul said:
Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit — just as you were called to one hope when you were called — one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all (Ephesians 4:3-6).
Notice the logic of this passage. Paul called followers of Christ to "Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit." Like the shared inheritance among Israel's tribes, we have so much in common: one body, one Holy Spirit, one hope, one Lord, one faith, one baptism and one God and Father.
The story of Joseph and his brothers gives followers of Christ today many opportunities to reflect on the disharmony that often comes between us. And it provides a great deal of practical guidance as we devote ourselves to the unity of God's people throughout the world.
Joseph's story encouraged national unity among the Israelites because Joseph was a person that was full of forgiveness. And forgiveness is the only uniting factor that we have, not only for Israelites, for us as Christians, for families, for the life that we live in this world. Joseph was mistreated so much by his brothers, but when they were in trouble, he saved them… And when we look at Joseph's story and how he forgave, he forgave something that was so huge. They wanted him dead. They did not want him alive. They did not want to meet him any other time. But Joseph did not want to do harm to them. He had the power, he had the leverage to do that, but he became godly and became maturer in faith than them and included them. And that can be repeated, and it can be replicated in Israel among the twelve tribes, it can be replicated in us, in our own families, in our churches, and it can be replicated in society. [Rev. Dr. Cyprian K. Guchienda]
Now, as valuable as it is to realize that Moses' special emphases promoted Israel's national unity, it's also important to realize why Moses needed to do this. In brief, Moses stressed the need for unity because God had also ordained national diversity for his people.
National Diversity
Put simply, all of the tribal patriarchs were Jacob's heirs, but this didn't mean that they were all treated in precisely the same. On the contrary, the rest of the Old Testament makes it clear that God gave the tribes of Israel different privileges and responsibilities. And Moses stressed the need for harmony among the tribes of Israel for one primary reason: the unity of Israel could be maintained only as the Israelites acknowledged that God himself had ordained their diverse tribal privileges and responsibilities.
Like the theme of unity, the theme of diversity weaves its way through every step of the story of Joseph and his brothers. But it's particularly prominent in Genesis 47:28–49:33. In these chapters, Jacob distributed his inheritance to all twelve of his sons, but he also established enduring differences among them and their descendants.
In these chapters, Moses promoted the national diversity of Israel by differentiating all of Jacob's sons. However, for our purposes, we'll look at just two: Judah and his descendants and, of course, Joseph and his descendants. Let's consider first the honor given to Judah and his descendants.
Judah and Descendants. Moses moved the patriarch Judah to center stage several times in these chapters to confirm the prominence God had ordained for Judah and his tribe. Judah first appears in Genesis 37:12-36 when the brothers attempted to kill Joseph. In verses 26-27 Judah stood out from among his brothers and successfully intervened on Joseph's behalf. Judah affirmed the harmony that should have characterized the brothers by reminding them in verse 27 that "[Joseph] is our brother, our own flesh and blood." And we see here that Judah's leadership was acknowledged when his brothers agreed to his plan.
Judah appears again in 38:1-30 when Moses recounted the story of Judah's sin in Canaan. This episode contrasts Judah's immorality with Joseph's integrity in Potiphar's house. But, in 38:26, Moses revealed Judah's humble confession when Judah admitted, "[Tamar] is more righteous than I." It's clear that God accepted Judah's repentance because God then blessed Judah with twin sons, Perez and Zerah.
Moses drew attention to Judah's leadership again during the patriarchs' second journey to Egypt in 44:14-34. When Benjamin was accused of having stolen a silver cup, Judah stepped forward in Joseph's presence and pled for mercy. He spoke with humility, calling himself and his brothers Joseph's "servants." He expressed repentance over what he and his brothers had done by confessing that "God has uncovered your servants' guilt." He honored his father by noting "the misery that would come upon [his] father" if Benjamin did not return to Canaan. And he courageously offered to remain in Egypt "in place of the boy."
And finally, in 49:1-28, Judah moved to the foreground during Jacob's final blessings. In verses 8-12, Jacob declared that Judah and his tribe would be exalted to an unrivaled position of leadership. And the tribe of Judah would one day become the royal tribe of Israel. Listen to Jacob's words in Genesis 49:8-10:
Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies; your father's sons will bow down to you… The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler's staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his (Genesis 49:8-10).
Notice here that Judah's "brothers will praise [him]." He will place his hand "on the neck of [his] enemies," meaning that he will overcome everyone who opposes him. And Judah's "father's sons" — his brothers — "will bow down to [him]." True to his earlier characterizations, Moses indicated that the tribe of Judah would have authority over the other tribes of Israel.
It's important to note that "the scepter" and "the ruler's staff," symbols of royalty, will be held by a descendant of Judah. Judah's royal family will continue to rule "until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his."
Genesis 49:10 gives us the first explicit reference in Scripture to the fact that a descendant of Judah will become the king over the whole world. This is a clear reference to the Messiah of David's house. And this future king will fulfill the promise of Genesis 12:3 where God told Abraham, "All peoples on earth will be blessed through you." Through this king, God's kingdom will reach the entire globe. And "the obedience of the nations" will be given to this great king from Judah.
It isn't difficult to understand why Moses emphasized the exaltation of Judah in that world for his original audience in their world. Judah wasn't the first son of Jacob, and ordinarily he wouldn't have had such prominence. So, while Moses wrote about Joseph and his brothers to promote national unity, he also expected them to maintain this unity in light of the fact that God had exalted the tribe of Judah in this way.
There are also many implications of Judah's exaltation for modern followers of Christ in our world. But at the heart of it all is the fact that God promised a supreme king from Judah's tribe. And this promise is fulfilled in the perfectly righteous son of David, Jesus, the King of the universe. Jesus took his throne in heaven at the inauguration of his kingdom. He reigns throughout the continuation of his kingdom until all his enemies are put under his feet. And at the consummation of his kingdom, he will reign forever over the new creation.
Having seen how Moses emphasized national diversity within Israel by focusing on Judah and his descendants, let's turn to the obvious prominence of Joseph and his descendants in this part of Genesis.
Joseph and Descendants. As we've seen, Joseph is the main character of Genesis 37:2–50:26. But, unlike his brothers, Joseph is highly idealized in these chapters. In fact, the only time Moses hinted at a flaw in Joseph's character was in the opening episode. In 37:2-11 we learn that Joseph agitated his brothers. He brought his father bad reports about them and boasted to them about his dreams of the future. But even this one negative feature is subtle. And Moses minimized it in verse 2 by mentioning that Joseph was "only seventeen."
Apart from this hint of imperfection, the portrait of Joseph is entirely positive. Joseph served Potiphar faithfully. He resisted Potiphar's wife. He was without flaw in his service to Pharaoh. He wisely tested his brothers when they came to him. He was tenderhearted toward them even after the evil they had done to him. He showed love for his father and for Benjamin. He blessed many nations as the leader of Egypt. In these and many other ways, Moses painted Joseph just as Jacob described him in Genesis 49:26. Joseph was "the prince among his brothers."
Now realistically, we all know from common experience that Joseph must have sinned many times in his life. This has been true for every person in every age, except for Jesus. So, why did Moses idealize Joseph in this way? What was his purpose? The answer lies in the fact that God had given Joseph and his descendants special prominence among the tribes of Israel.
The prominence of Joseph and his descendants appears first in the special arrangements made for Joseph's sons in Genesis 48:1-22. In these verses, Jacob blessed Joseph's sons, Ephraim and Manasseh as if they were his own sons. According to 1 Chronicles 5:1, Reuben had lost his status as firstborn because he had committed incest. So, when Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh as his own, it meant that Joseph received the double portion as Jacob's firstborn.
One of the most fascinating segments of this arrangement appears in 48:13-20 where Jacob blessed Ephraim over Manasseh. Joseph carefully set his sons before Jacob so that Jacob's right hand, the hand of greater blessing, would rest on Manasseh's head. Then Jacob's left hand, the hand of lesser blessing, would fall on Ephraim's head. This arrangement seemed appropriate because Manasseh was Joseph's firstborn son. But without explanation, Jacob crossed his hands as he reached out so that his left hand went to Manasseh and his right hand went to Ephraim. Joseph was displeased with this and tried to move Jacob's hands to favor Manasseh. But listen to what happened next in Genesis 48:19:
His father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. [Manasseh] too will become a people, and he too will become great. Nevertheless, his younger brother [Ephraim] will be greater than he, and his descendants will become a group of nations" (Genesis 48:19).
Or as it may be put, "a whole nation in themselves." Passages like Numbers 2:18-21 and Deuteronomy 33:17 indicate that Ephraim did become more numerous and prominent than Manasseh. In fact, Ephraim's dominance was so great that later, during the period of the divided monarchy, the entire nation of northern Israel was often called "Ephraim."
Now, all of this may seem irrelevant to modern followers of Christ. But the unexpected prominence given to Ephraim in that world of Joseph and his brothers pointed to a God-ordained arrangement that was particularly important to Moses' first audience in their world. As Moses wrote the book of Genesis, he was about to hand the leadership of the nation over to Joshua, his protégé. But Joshua was not from the tribe of Levi like Moses and Aaron. He was not from the royal tribe of Judah. No, Joshua was from the tribe of Ephraim, the tribe that God had blessed with prominence over all others. In effect, Moses highlighted Ephraim in this account to validate his choice of successor. It was only after Joshua's death that the tribe of Judah rose to distinction. Joshua, the Ephraimite, would lead the nation into the Promised Land.
As modern followers of Christ, this dimension of the story of Joseph and his brothers calls us to acknowledge the diverse blessings and roles that God has ordained in our world. In the inauguration of his kingdom, Jesus blessed his people with a variety of gifts. He gave some as apostles, prophets, teachers, and the like. He called different people to different sorts of duties and privileges. Christ established this diversity, not to fragment his people, but to bind them to each other. And throughout the continuation of Christ's kingdom, the Holy Spirit pours out his gifts as he wishes. And even at the consummation, we'll see diversity in the ways that God honors those who've followed Christ. As we apply the story of Joseph and his brothers to our world, we must acknowledge and value the variety God has ordained among his people in every age.
CONCLUSION
In this lesson on Joseph and his brothers, we've looked at the structure and content of the last major division of Genesis. And we've seen how Moses used these chapters to promote major themes, including those that appear in earlier sections of Genesis, and Moses' special emphases in these chapters on the unity and diversity of the nation of Israel.
The story of Joseph and his brothers reveals how difficult it was for Israel's patriarchs to live at peace with each other. But in the end, God established enduring bonds of love among them. This story of disharmony, reconciliation, and harmony was originally written to call the twelve tribes of Israel to repentance and unity as the people of God in their day. And it calls us today to resist division and to promote the bonds of love that exist among us as followers of Christ. As the body of Christ, we are to share in Christ's inheritance. And the story of Joseph and his brothers offers indispensable guidance for how we are to devote ourselves to the unity of God's people today for the sake of his glorious kingdom throughout the world.