VaYeshev (And he dwelt)

Genesis 37:1-40:23
Amos 2:6–3:8

"Created Conflict"

POSTED 19 DECEMBER, 2008

by Mark Huey
mhuey@outreachisrael.net

“Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms” (Genesis 37:3-4).

From the beginning, God uses conflict and contrast to accomplish His will. Just witness forces such as the juxtaposition between light and the absence of light, the Heavens and the Earth, good and evil, and the physical versus the spiritual. As the Creator of time, space, and matter, employing the elements of Earth, wind, water, and fire, God’s purposes for the created order are subject to the immutable laws of the natural and spiritual realms He fashioned. Every created thing has a purpose and reason for existence regardless of human ability or inability to comprehend the minute or grandiose details of the Creation. This reality came into focus this week while I meditated upon the sibling rivalry that is illuminated in this week’s Torah portion.

Clearly, the Almighty has a plan for His Creation, and human conflict is one of the primary motivations that fuel the activities of mankind. For some reason, I could not help but reflect upon a passage from the Book of Ecclesiastes that seemed to permeate my thoughts as I contemplated on the various conflicts and acts of oppression described in this reading:

“Then I looked again at all the acts of oppression which were being done under the sun. And behold I saw the tears of the oppressed and that they had no one to comfort them; and on the side of their oppressors was power, but they had no one to comfort them. So I congratulated the dead who are already dead more than the living who are still living. But better off than both of them is the one who has never existed, who has never seen the evil activity that is done under the sun. I have seen that every labor and every skill which is done is the result of rivalry between a man and his neighbor. This too is vanity and striving after wind” (Ecclesiastes 4:1-4).

I had a difficult time agreeing with Qohelet’s conclusion that it is better for the one who never existed, than for those who have seen the evil activity that is performed under the sun. After all, our Creator has allowed the oppression, the conflict, and the rivalries of life to accomplish His will for the Creation, despite man’s fallen nature. The challenge for those of us seeking to know God is understanding and appreciating His permitting lamentable, and often tragic methods, for advancing forward His plan.

As we inspect the life of Joseph carefully, we examine a vivid recitation that it is God who is allowing the natural inclinations of humankind to accomplish His purposes for Israel, its people, and the Promised Land. Joseph has a unique problem. He is the favored son of his father Jacob, and this obvious partiality musters jealousy in the hearts of his brothers. This human emotion, innate in the heart of all people, results in the selling of Joseph to the Ishmaelite traders from Midian, who eventually consign the “slave” into bondage in Potiphar’s house in Egypt. Even though Joseph’s lack of maturity could be blamed for his attitude that might have precipitated and enhanced the rage to dispose of him, he was simply living according to the circumstances he inherited. Joseph did nothing to necessarily receive the doting of Jacob other than being the firstborn child of the beloved Rachel. If anyone is culpable for initiating the rivalry, the blame should rest squarely on the shoulders of Jacob.

But as we know from previous readings, Jacob or Israel was himself a very “conflicted” individual. Although Jacob knew he had the blessings of Abraham and Isaac and had many first hand encounters with the Holy One, he still retained his human frailties. The emotions of love and adoration, exemplified in fondness, were difficult for him to hide. By displaying preferential treatment to Joseph, the hand of God was able to let the cruel actions of brothers and other men to accomplish His will. These dealings ultimately establish Joseph in a position to save the entire family of Israel in years to come.

The Torah relates that despite the potential negative impact of sibling betrayal and subjection to slavery, Joseph’s future masters visibly recognized the blessing of the Lord upon their servant and prisoner:

“The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. Now his master saw that the Lord was with him and how the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hand. So Joseph found favor in his sight and became his personal servant; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he owned he put in his charge” (Genesis 39:2-4).

“But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. The chief jailer committed to Joseph's charge all the prisoners who were in the jail; so that whatever was done there, he was responsible for it. The chief jailer did not supervise anything under Joseph's charge because the Lord was with him; and whatever he did, the Lord made to prosper” (Genesis 39:21-23).

Through all of his trials, it appears that Joseph maintained a positive attitude about the life circumstances he was encountering. Was it the faith in his childhood dreams or was it his faith in the God of his fathers that sustained him during these tumultuous times? Perhaps it was a combination of the two, but nevertheless, Joseph knew that he had a special relationship with the Almighty as he certainly recognized the blessings of favor among his potential oppressors.

When Joseph had the opportunity to interpret some dreams while in prison, he appropriately gives the glory to the Almighty, as the One who alone can give a person comprehension and interpretation of dreams:

“Then they said to him, ‘We have had a dream and there is no one to interpret it.’ Then Joseph said to them, ‘Do not interpretations belong to God? Tell it to me, please’” (Genesis 40:8).

From this statement you might conclude that Joseph had a personal relationship with the Holy One that allowed him to speak so directly and confidently. Incontrovertibly, this intimacy with the Creator is an attribute that has been passed down through the generations to us today.

In many respects, we are today witnessing a subtle, yet apparent repeat of some of these same circumstances, but now on a global scale. God is continuing today to accomplish His plan through the very descendants of the sons of Jacob, in spite of the obvious conflicts that persist. If there is one thing we should appreciate about the episodes related in this Torah portion, it is the fact that God still uses our humanity and the conflict inherent in our fallen nature to achieve His goals for His Creation. Regardless of whether we humans understand or agree with His methods, the fact remains that He is providentially in control of the ultimate outcome.

Introspectively we must again note, that God knows the beginning from the end. As the Creator of time, He is not limited by anything to fulfill His purposes. His created order will respond perfectly according to all that He has set in motion. God knew, for instance, that Reuben would sleep with Bilpah, but He also knew that Reuben would prevail over his brothers to avoid the execution of Joseph. In so doing, Reuben would forfeit his first-born son status but not his inheritance as his descendants eventually received the first declared territory of the Promised Land, albeit east of the Jordan (Joshua 13:15).

God also knew in advance of real time that Simeon and Levi would obscure their inheritance by their violent actions in Shechem, thus opening up the way for Judah to become the dominant tribe through whom the Messiah would come. Nevertheless, as we read in this portion—essentially dedicated to the life of Joseph—we have one entire chapter (Genesis 38) focused on the escapades of Judah. Judah is also cited as the son who conceived the compromise to sell Joseph rather than murder him:

“Judah said to his brothers, ‘What profit is it for us to kill our brother and cover up his blood? Come and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites and not lay our hands on him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.’ And his brothers listened to him” (Genesis 37:26-27).

Patterns of behavior and consequences are being established as we read about the various sons of Jacob/Israel. These very tendencies inherited through the generations are an integral part of God’s plan for His Creation. We need to remember here that the Holy One is going to fulfill His eventual promise to bring the “Promised Seed” or Messiah into the physical realm in order to defeat sin and death. This was a promise that He gave to Adam and Eve in the Garden after they chose to eat from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (Genesis 3:15). Now as we read these chapters of the Torah, we can begin to discern the ingenuity of the plan.

God knew that He was eventually going to bestow upon Judah the scepter of leadership (Genesis 49:10) and the dominant role in the history of “Israel” through the centuries. But He also knew that He was going to give Joseph’s heirs the privileges of the firstborn son or the birthright blessings:

“Now the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel (for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph the son of Israel; so that he is not enrolled in the genealogy according to the birthright. Though Judah prevailed over his brothers, and from him came the leader, yet the birthright belonged to Joseph)” (1 Chronicles 5:1-2).

These choices by God as a part of His immutable will were destined to establish a conflict between the respective progeny. But this conflict is for ultimate good and not evil.

God, for instance, knew that the pagan influences on Joseph, from marrying the daughter of the Egyptian priest of On (Genesis 41:45), was going to result in a tendency for Joseph’s heirs to seek after gods and idols that have been around since Creation. Is this not what we have witnessed in the history of Israel as the Northern Kingdom rebelled against God? Do we not also recognize what has happened to Judah’s offspring? The patterns are there. The plan is there and conflict between the various parties is definitely a part of the plan. However, in due time, there will be a solution and conclusion to the plan as we will continue to witness the fulfillment of God’s word and His promises.

Interestingly, the Jewish Sages saw some unique parallels in the prophecy of Amos that correlate to this Torah reading. Amos lived and prophesied in a unique time as he was alive when the split between the Southern Kingdom dominated by Judah, and the Northern Kingdom dominated by the tribes of Ephraim/Joseph, was completed. He had specific prophecies for each group. After describing some of the wickedness of Judah in Amos 2:4-5, he turns to rebuke the Northern Kingdom of Israel. His words describe some of the sin that was rampant in Israel and recollects what the Lord had done over the years to bring them into the Land (Amos 2:6-16).

Then in a return to chastising the whole House of Israel, Amos reminds the people of Israel that they are chosen, but still must be punished for their disobedience:

“Hear this word which the Lord has spoken against you, sons of Israel, against the entire family which He brought up from the land of Egypt: ‘You only have I chosen among all the families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities’” (Amos 3:1-2).

As Amos reminds us, two must walk together in order to have an agreement or an appointment:

“Do two men walk together unless they have made an appointment?” (Amos 3:3).

In a prophetic way, Amos is looking forward to the future when Judah and Joseph will be in agreement and walk together in order to fulfill God’s plan for His Creation. Amos goes on in somewhat poetic terms to describe what happens in life as things happen in the wild (lion’s roar), during human activity to accomplish a task (capture a bird), and what happens in urban settings where people congregate (trumpet blown for warning or calamity occurring).

It is this rhetorical question about the creation of calamity that has a tendency to rattle some people who have a difficult time understanding that God will use conflict to achieve some of His purposes:

“If a trumpet is blown in a city will not the people tremble? If a calamity occurs in a city has not the Lord done it?” (Amos 3:6).

I ask you to think about this in terms of today’s relatively recent events surrounding the destruction of the World Trade Center and the Iraq War (2001-2005). How has the Lord used these terrible things to bring the Middle East and Israel into focus? How are many people, who have once been ignorant of the region—and more importantly what the Bible tells us about this place—are now paying attention? An often-quoted verse by many in religious communities seeking to elevate themselves to the position of prophets, gives much more clarity to what is happening:

“Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets” (Amos 3:7).

This verse is self-explanatory and should not be used to give someone license to declare himself a “prophet,” because the Scriptures are replete with understanding about what the Father has declared to His people. We need to search the Scriptures to see what the Prophets of old have told us in order to understand what the Holy One is doing to complete His will for His Creation.

It is for this and other reasons, why I continue to encourage people to study the Torah. In the words of Moses and the ancillary writings from the Prophets and the histories, the Holy One is giving us the instruction, not only for a holy pursuit of the Almighty, but also a better comprehension of what His plan actually is. May we all learn to listen and understand that created conflict is indeed one of the primary methods for accomplishing His will!

Mark Huey (B.A., Vanderbilt University in History and Graduate Studies at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University) is the Director of Outreach Israel Ministries (www.outreachisrael.net). He is the author of several books, including: TorahScope, Volumes I & II, and Counting the Omer: A Daily Devotional Toward Shavuot. He is also co-author of Hebraic Roots: An Introductory Study.