On the Way to the Palace 2-Who is Joseph?

Although the promotion  of Joseph to the Palace is often portrayed as a sudden event, and an overnight miracle, close  examination of the Scriptures show that Joseph had been on a journey of preparation long  before ever   getting to the Palace.

 The very first lesson I would like to point out from Joseph’s story  is there is a period of preparation before we can get to the Palace and  this preparation differs for different people and   palaces..There is a programme of preparation for everyone of us, depending on the work we have been called to do. Preparation is a sign that we believe what God has spoken concerning us.

It is imperative to reiterate that different individuals will have different journeys and preparations to the Palace. This is clearly seen from Scriptures in the lives of Esther &David who eventually became Queen Esther ( Esther 2:1-18) and King David ( 2 Samuel 5:1-5 ) .

For us to fully appreciate the journey of Joseph to the Palace and draw life lessons from it, we would need to do  a little background  check of his family and the  various circumstances that surrounded his life which no doubt had influence on him. Most times, just a little peep behind the scenes is enough to cure us from the blindness that most times breeds criticism of others.

Joseph happened to be the first fruit of a love that waited long for expression. His father Jacob loved his mother(Rachael) at first sight and worked seven years  for her(Genesis 29:1-20)  but was tricked into marrying her elder sister and made to work a total of fourteen years for the woman he really loved (Genesis  29:21-30). Although he paid such a great price and eventually married her, his home was far from a bed of roses. There is a certain level of wickedness that happens when a man marries a woman and her friend but for a man to marry a woman and her sister is to invite hell and her demons to reside in his home with unending drama. Just think of the irony of cousins being step brothers/sisters and an auntie being a step mother! To worsen the whole situation, Rachael (being the younger of the sisters &the woman Jacob really loved) was barren for a long time Jacob’s home was full of jealousy, strife and all the ills that go with polygamy, Several children were born by her sister and even their maids, before we are told that God remembered her  and gave her a son whom she called Jacob saying “May he add another “. God remembered Rachael and barrenness was no longer an issue (Gen 30:22-24)

It was at this point that Jacob decided to leave his father in law whom he had served under stringent conditions(Genesis 30:25-26). It was like a new zest in life but I am glad that Jacob eventually decided to return back to the land of promise .It is never too late to take a step in the right direction,

But the decision of Jacob to return was met with several tragedies along the way. Indeed  a choice to return to the right path will not necessarily elude us from trouble. Even Jesus promised his disciples trouble and much more (John 16:33).The tragedies that plagued Jacob included the rape of his only daughter mentioned in the Bible –Dinah(Genesis 34:1-4 ),the death of Deborah( Genesis 35 :6-15 ).the death of his beloved wife during childbirth to the second son(  Genesis 35:16-20  ) and ,incest within his family (Genesis 35:21-22) .

It is in the light of all these that Genesis 37 opens. The introduction of the genealogy of Jacob however does not follow  the traditional  reckoning with the firstborn Reuben , rather it was with Joseph, the eleventh son because his life was one that fulfilled purpose. In the words of the late Pastor Tayo Adeyemi of the New Wine Church ,London, “the length of years you lived is not important ,it is what you did that is most important .What makes life meaningful is filling life with meaning“.

Joseph was the eleventh son but one to be reckoned with at all levels and we would begin to examine his life in the next post .

Remain in His Service,

Grace Tom-Lawyer.