Training Grounds PART 1

Genesis chapter 37 & 39. Marbs, we are talking about it today. Welcome back, and I want to ask you, was it really all about a coat?

You guys have no idea what I am talking about, so here is the very quick summary of this story, so far, what I have read. Let’s talk about it. 

Jacob had 12 sons, and his favorite was Joseph. The Bible said he was his favorite because he had him in his old age. Yeah, that tracks because after having 10 kids and going through parenting 101 with all 12 individual personalities, by the time you get to babies of the family, you seriously start thinking if I had you first, you may have just been an only child. If you didn't know, Jacob was his birth name, but his name was changed to Israel.

Talking about God using a trickster as the father of a nation. 

Anyhow, Jacob gives Joseph this beautiful coat. Bros get mad jealous and couldn't even say anything nice about Joseph. 

There was no, “oh man, you look so sharp in that coat” did not happen. 

In fact, Joseph was a bit like his dad in that God talked to him through dreams. In the two dreams recorded in the Bible, we see not only that Joseph's older brother would bow down to him, but also that his parents would as well. Fast forward, Dad sends Joseph to check on the brothers, the brothers see him from afar and say, ‘Here comes the dreamer!’ (Side note, the disdain for Joseph was so real that they could not even recognize their little brother as their little brother. Joseph could be have been coming to bring food, help them out, or that Dad may have sent a message for them. Joseph had become their enemy.)

These brothers decided that Joseph was not going to return home, so they talked amongst themselves as to how this plan was going to be carried out. Reuben says, throw him into a dried cistern or well, allowing him to leave this world as naturally as anyone falling into a well would. Reuben, however, was going to save him and take him back to his Dad. Here is what I found so interesting; after they threw Joseph in the well.

These men go and sit down and have dinner. Should I Marbs or just leave it? These men are crazy! Marbys, we have too much scripture to cover. I am leaving it be.

Bros see an Ishmaelite Caravan on their way to Egypt, Judah says let’s sell Joseph to them, we can get away for not being a part of a life loss and still not have him around. (Sidenote- Abraham, Jacob’s grandfather, had a son before his promised child to him and his wife, Sarah. That child’s name was Ishamel. So I am wondering if Joseph was technically sold to his cousins? Or maybe extended family? Talk about God using evil for good!)

Joseph is now on his way to Egypt; his brothers made it look like he was gone due to an animal attack; nobody updated Reuben. Low-key, I think they knew he was going to save Joseph.

But Reu, where were you?

On presenting Jacob with the evidence that Joseph is gone, that is, Joseph’s coat. His father went into full-on grieving for a very long time.

Training ground experience

When we first met Joseph, he was seventeen years old. This side of the world, he would have been preparing for his life after school. In other areas of the world, he probably would have been considered an experienced young man a long time ago. Should he want more for himself, he would have to make a pivot in his career. I am sure this change could not have come at no easy cost because it is a shift in his current situation. Let’s look at what Joseph’s career is at the moment, and what he could be learning.

Tasks & Skills

Sheppard for his father’s sheep- protection, leadership, and patience

Working for his two older stepbrothers- how to work with not-so-great management and not to compromise his ethics both socially and professionally.

Messenger/Errand guy- how to relay clear, precise messages. Not taking anything personal, but practicing the art of articulation and consistently using his memory. Marbs, they did not have iPhone notes or Google email back then

Travel & Consulting- though the only consulting Joseph may have had was with a man in Shechem. The travel would have been a lot.

Joesph’s journey from home to Eygpt

Joseph could have taken this time in his life to be a rebel. Not listening to God, disobedient to his parents, and repaying his brothers for every bad thing they may have done to him. He could have run away from home because I just don’t see that place being an easy home to live in. You can’t tell me that did not cross his mind as he walked 70+ miles/ 110+ km. And I can’t find anything in my little research to show that Joseph was given wages for all the work he was doing. Maybe that is why his father gave him the coat!

Isaiah 60:22 NLT: ‘The smallest family will become a thousand people, and the tiniest group will become a mighty nation. At the right time, I, the Lord, will make it happen.’

And that’s what the bible says, not TJ!

References for this article:

https://www.visitstillwaters.com/CoatofColors.htm

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