The Story of Joseph is a part of the Book of Genesis, the first book of the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament. It describes how Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers and, due to his ability to interpret dreams, rose to become a vizier and the second most powerful man in Egypt. Reunited with his family after twenty years, he made them leave Canaan and settle in Egypt during the famine. Joseph fathered two out of twelve tribes of Israel and is considered to be an Old Testament equivalent of Christ.
The Story of Joseph is an illustration of some of the most fundamental Christian values and principles: forgiveness, redemption, love, and faith. Joseph displays love and forgiveness towards his brothers, who sold him into slavery, when, at the crucial moment of the story, he chooses not to revenge but to help them. Showing mercy towards wrongdoers is one of the key ideas in Christianity. The concept of redemption is illustrated through the story of Joseph’s brother Judah, who steps in when Joseph asks to give him their youngest brother as a slave, and offers his life instead (Genesis 44:33). It breaks Joseph’s heart; he sees that his brother has changed and forgives him. In the Old Testament, redemption is understood as the atonement for sin and deliverance from the guilt and its consequences. Readers are encouraged to forgive those who hurt them the way Joseph forgave his brothers and let God punish wrongdoings.
Another important set of ideas is connected with the Christian concept of God. The story provides an illustration of how God works in the world. According to the Bible, everything happens for a reason, and God has a plan for everyone, even it is not obvious at first. Joseph is deprived of his family to achieve prosperity in Egypt and help his own people in difficult times. Joseph’s brothers mean to do him harm, but it ends well. In everything, God works for good, and sin and evil cannot stop God’s will from being accomplished.
The Story of Joseph is also centered around the idea of chosenness. Joseph was distinguished by his father and chosen by God to save the people of Israel during the famine. He was given the power to interpret dreams, which is believed to be a way of communicating with the divine. He had a mission, and he acted virtuously to accomplish it. The main idea here is that God works through the actions of humans to accomplish God’s will.
The story of Joseph still has a deep meaning and significance and can be used to guide every person in their lives. It encourages people to think that God has a plan for everyone and the only thing a person needs to do is to follow it in the most virtuous way. It can also be applied to world events in general. For example, the coronavirus pandemic is considered to be a bad thing that threatens public health, wellbeing, economy, and politics. However, no one knows God’s plan for the future and His reasons behind the pandemic. In the Middle Ages, the plaque took away many people’s lives but led to the developments in health care that saved many people in the following centuries. Based on the story of Joseph, the pandemic can be regarded as the necessary evil that can lead to something good and make the world’s population stronger and more prepared.
Overall, the Story of Joseph provides an illustration of the fundamental Christian values in a tale of a virtuous man fulfilling God’s will. It is based on the idea of the Christian God who has a plan for everyone and makes bad things happen to individuals for the greater good. The Christian lessons learned from the story are that of love, faith, forgiveness, and redemption.
Work Cited
Genesis. Web.