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This Shabbat’s parasha is entitled Vayeshev, meaning, “…and he dwelt.” Do you remember the old expression, Meanwhile, back at the ranch? It probably was taken from the old black and white westerns, where the action shifts frequently from place to place. Vayeshev is a lot like that: the narrator (Moses) shifts our attention from place to place. As chapter 37 opens, Jacob and his family are once again back in Canaan. Our attention turns to Joseph, who is now 17 years old. Because Joseph was the first-born of Jacob’s late, beloved wife Rachel, Jacob lavishes his greatest affections on Joseph, and that doesn’t sit well with Joseph’s brothers. They resent him. The situation is compounded by a bad report Joseph brings his father about the substandard work of his siblings.
And it gets worse. Jacob gives Joseph an extravagant robe. Some Bible versions translate it a full-length or multi-colored robe”. In the ancient Middle East, tribal chiefs wore such robes as a sign of authority. By giving this extraordinary robe to Joseph, Jacob signaled his intent to make Joseph the next leader of the family. This explains the growing resentment of the brothers.
And it gets worse yet. Joseph has two remarkable dreams, in which he is exalted above his brothers and even his father. And he tells them all about it. They’re not happy. Jacob rebukes Joseph, yet keeps the matter in mind. But the brothers are livid.
When Joseph is sent once again to check on his brothers, they see him from a distance and plot to kill him. Reuben, wanting to save Joseph’s life, suggests instead they throw him in a pit, figuring he’ll rescue him later; and the others go along with it. When Joseph gets to them, they seize him, strip him of his robe, and throw him in a pit. Then they sit down to eat (I’m sure quite far from the pit, so they won’t have to listen to him scream for help).
Suddenly, in the distance they see an Ishmaelite caravan and devise a plan. Why not sell him as a slave instead? It isn’t as bad as murder, and they’ll have a few shekels to show for it.
But before they had a chance to go retrieve Joseph, some Midianite traders had already happened upon him and they took him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites. Reuben returns to the pit… and to his dismay, Joseph is gone!
So the brothers concoct a lie: they tear Joseph’s beautiful robe, dip it in the blood of a slaughtered animal, and bring it to their father. Jacob, seeing the torn, bloodied robe, concludes that Joseph must be dead, and he is devastated! From that moment on, Jacob is a broken man. Our hearts grieve. He who once deceived his father is now deceived, in the most painful way imaginable, by his sons.
Likewise, we grieve for Joseph, who at the end of chapter 37 has been taken to Egypt and sold as a slave to Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s personal guard.
And now our attention is turned back to Canaan. Judah’s Canaanite wife had borne him three sons: Er, Onan and Shelah. Judah’s wife dies, leaving him a widower. Some years later, Judah arranges a marriage between Er and a young woman named Tamar. Adonai regarded Er as evil and took his life. Judah directs Onan to fulfill the duty of Levirate marriage and take Tamar as his wife, in order to preserve Er’s lineage. Now, bear in mind, these events predate the giving of the Torah by over 400 years, so apparently some of these practices were already in place. Onan, however, refuses to give Tamar children, since they would not be his own, and on account of this callous disregard, God takes his life, too.
Now Judah is afraid to give his last son, Shelah, to Tamar, lest he also die. So he delays… and delays. Tamar finally figures out that this marriage isn’t going to happen, so she takes matters into her own hands. Disguising herself as a prostitute, she lures Judah into having relations with her. Three months later, Tamar is discovered to be pregnant. Judah presumes she committed adultery.
But before he can have her put to death, she reveals that he himself is the father. He admits his own guilt in reneging on his promise to give Tamar to Shelah. He never has relations with her again. She gives birth to twins, Perez and Zerah.
Why does Scripture highlight such a repulsive course of events? Because, as we discover later, it is Judah who will be preeminent among Jacob’s sons. Through Judah will trace Messiah’s ancestry, and it wasn’t to be through Er, Onan or Shelah, but rather Perez – Judah’s son by Tamar. It is, admittedly, scandalous, but God, in His own wisdom, chooses unlikely people and circumstances to accomplish His purposes. If you’ve made grievous mistakes in your life, God is able to redeem those things, and turn your life for good and to His glory!
The narrative cuts back to Joseph, now a slave in Egypt. His work for Potiphar is exemplary. God is with Joseph, and prospers everything he does. Potiphar recognizes something extraordinary in Joseph, and puts him in charge of his entire household. At one point, Potiphar’s wife attempts to seduce Joseph and he refuses. He’s a godly young man – he will not offend Adonai. Day after day she persists, to no avail. Finally, she turns on Joseph, telling Potiphar that he tried to rape her. Potiphar is furious, but instead of putting Joseph to death, consigns him to prison. Poor Joseph! Innocent of any wrongdoing, yet betrayed by his brothers, sold into slavery, and now falsely accused and imprisoned!
But even there, God was with him, and the chief jailer sensed it. Some time later Pharaoh’s chief cupbearer and chief baker are imprisoned, and Joseph supervises them. One morning they look particularly dejected, and Joseph inquires. Each had a strange dream the night before. Joseph interprets their dreams: in three days the cupbearer will be restored to office, and the baker will be hanged. He beseeches the cupbearer to remember him when these things happen, and to petition Pharaoh for his release.
Three days later everything happens just as Joseph said. The baker is hanged, and the cupbearer restored to office. But the cupbearer completely forgets about Joseph, and he will remain in prison for another two years!
Joseph’s undeserved humiliation and suffering led some ancient rabbis to ascribe the title ben Yosef to the coming Messiah, who also, though innocent, would be despised and betrayed by His own for the price of a slave. Joseph’s brothers never imagined they would see him again. They were wrong. God willing, we’ll find out next Shabbat how suddenly and dramatically things turned around. Likewise, Messiah Yeshua’s death was not to be the end of the story. From the pit to the heights!
If you were in Joseph’s place, maybe you’d have felt abandoned by God. But God was with him. This was all part of His Divine plan! Those years produced patience and humility in Joseph. Hardship can do that for us. Don’t interpret your immediate circumstances as either proving God’s favor or disfavor. We don’t know the end of a matter from the beginning. Perhaps Rabbi Paul had Joseph in mind when he wrote, “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God.” Joseph loved Him. If we’ll cling to Adonai amid hardship, we’ll be better for it. He is shaping our character in preparation for the eternity we will spend with Him.