So, having had a bit of a weird diversion on the subject of Judah's rather disturbing family unit, we're back to Joseph (minus Technicolour Dream Coat), who has been flogged off to some traders and taken to Egypt as a slave.
Certainly compared with, say, the Triangular Trade in the 17th and 18th centuries or child slavery on cocoa farms supplying multinational corporations around, oh, now, Joseph's experience of slavery seems pretty cushty. He gets made overseer of the house of the rich man, Potiphar, who buys him, and for a while everything goes fairly smoothly.
Then Potiphar's wife takes a fancy to Joseph, tries to get him into bed, and cries rape which he won't comply. Now, stories like this really piss me off. I'm not denying that there are a very few very stupid women out there who do cry rape falsely, but given the numbers of them vs the numbers of women raped as sexual abuse, as expressions of male power, as means of ethnic insult or of insulting an enemy in war, the balance is definitely on the female side in terms of getting a really poor deal. Today, we had really, really nasty headlines about the jailing of some particularly vile young men in London who gangraped a 16-year-old with learning difficulties and then gave her 50% burns by pouring caustic soda over her. And got just 6 to 9 years each in jail (although their sentences are, apparently, possibly going to be revised by the Attorney General). So, yet again, we have this misogynistic bullshit. Fuck RIGHT OFF.
Anyway, in Joseph's case this leads to him getting banged up, but being the resourceful fella he is, prison is more of a networking tool than a punishment for little Jason Donovan here. I think this is quite funny, as it reminds me of the tale of 'la Prision Fecunda' - the 'fertile prison' of the Cuban revolution where Castro got to do lots of thinking before initiating the invasion which culminated in the triumph of the revolution, the defeat of Batista and the general prolonged annoyance of successive US governments. Probably not a comparison many Bible readers would be too chuffed with, but hell, they're going along with the fake-rape scenarios.
Through this prison experience, Joseph's power to interpret dreams comes to the notice of Pharoah, who thinks that Joseph's interpretation sounds spot on, and:
"41/39 said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art:
41/40Though shalt be over my house, and according to thy word shall my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thee."
Which seems like a lot of trust for someone whose abilities have actually yet to be proven... but the prophecies do come true, and thanks to them and Joseph's good management, during the seven years of plenty huge stocks have been kept of food to tide everyone through the seven lean years to follow.
As a result, when the famine also hits Canaan, Jacob's remaining sons, without the benefit of prophesying brothers, have fallen into famine. They are dispatched by their father to buy grain from... Joseph (either the LORD is working in mysterious ways or these stories are laden with more dubious coincidences that a double episode of Neighbours. I hear. Oooh look, more Jason Donovan connections. Spooky).
Joseph recognises his brothers but pretends not too and starts off by making them grovel, which I guess is a fair enough response to being put in a pit and then sold into slavery. But he still loves them (sucker) and sends them away with lots of grain, and sneaks their money back into the sacks so they haven't even had to pay for it. Simeon seems to still be very much on the scene, apparently unpunished for being a lying murdering bastard. But Joseph's little wheeze isn't over, and he demands that they come back with his younger brother Benjamin, the only other son of Rachel and the one who she died giving birth to.
Jacob, as Rachel was his favourite, is understandably sceptical of this idea, but is talked into it on the grounds that all of them really, really do need some food. Back in Egypt, they get well fed. But Joseph is still playing games with them, and has his silver cup put in Benjamin's grain sack so that he can be arrested on the way home:
"44/2 And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.
44/4 And when they were gone out of the city, and yet not far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good?
44/5 Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing."
So all the brothers come back again to beg that Joseph will not cause their elderly father's death by imprisoning Benjamin, and in the end he reveals his identity, there are hugs and kisses all round, and he sends them back home to Canaan laden with goodies:
"45/21 and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.
22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave threee hundred pieces of silver, and five changes if raiment.
23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way."
Which must have thrilled the people of Egypt no end, with five more years of famine still to get through.
The image at the top of this post is of a famine stela from Sehel Island, Egypt, sourced from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Famine_stela.jpg
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