“Don’t they have reason?” Judah said bitterly. “Does that pampered brother of ours have the right to carry tales?”
“Simeon and Levi were wrong.”
“It makes no difference. Talebearing is wrong, especially against your own brothers! That is a sin against God himself! Family is important, Reuben.”
Reuben could not argue, for he felt the same. He thought of going to Joseph and trying to talk him into apologizing, but he knew he did not have the words or the skill to speak to his quick-tongued younger brother. He sighed heavily and shook his head. He had no one to share his burden with except Judah, and even Judah was fed up with Joseph’s behavior.
****
Two days after Jacob had received Joseph’s reports of Simeon and Levi’s behavior with the Canaanite harlots, Levi came to him, saying bitterly, “We’re going over to Shechem. Not only the six of us but also the four Sons of the Maids.”
“All ten of you?”
“Yes,” Levi said defiantly. He waited for his father to protest, but Jacob seemed crushed.
“Why don’t you wait awhile, my son?” he pleaded.
“We’re not waiting for anything.” Levi had never spoken to his father like this.
Jacob knew well of the anger that burned in the hearts of his ten sons. “All right,” he soberly agreed. “The grazing is better at Shechem, and it will be good for the flocks. Be careful.”
Levi did not even say good-bye but turned on his heel and walked out. Jacob bowed his head, knowing that things were completely out of his control. He tried to pray but could not. He slept a troubled sleep, for he could not help thinking of his dream in which he had held a knife over Joseph. It was not difficult to interpret such a dream, and he had struggled inwardly, trying to give up Joseph to God as Abraham had given up his son Isaac. He knew, however, that he was weaker than Abraham and could not find the faith to do it. He had wept over this silently in the darkness of his tent, but somehow he felt better that the ten would now be absent. “At least,” he whispered to himself, “they can’t harm their brother as long as they’re in Shechem.”
****
Since the brothers had left, the weather had grown hotter, and the earth had become parched and dry. Jacob’s spirit was no better. The heat was oppressive, and he was troubled by his own inadequacies. He knew he should give Joseph and Benjamin up to God, but they were all he had left of Rachel. No matter what he said to God in his prayers, in the secret chambers of his heart, he knew he would give up the ten in order to save the two.
The days passed, and Jacob’s emotional struggles did not lessen. It affected his health to the point where he was now in poor condition. Tamar, now married to Er, often brought him tasty food and wanted to listen to his stories. A few times Jacob asked her about her marriage, but she avoided speaking about her husband’s behavior. It was common knowledge that Er was a violent man and beat Tamar and that he was unfaithful to her, but she refused to complain.
As for Jacob’s problems with his sons, it was not that he did not love his ten sons. He saw their shortcomings, but his own history was unsavory enough that he could forgive them.
There were times when Jacob feared for his own sanity, and he was often plagued by the frightening thought, I’m possessed by some evil spirit that makes me disobey my God. Like all of his people he had a deep fear of madness and would run quicker from an insane person than he would from a bear or a lion. Day after day he struggled, and slowly he began to be filled with a desire to bring peace to his family.
“I’ve got to make my ten sons understand that I love them,” he said to himself, but could think of no way to do this. Finally he began to formulate a plan that perhaps Joseph was the key to bringing peace to Jacob’s heart and pacifying his brothers.
He called Joseph to his tent, and when the young man was inside, Jacob said, “Sit down, my child.”
“Yes, Father. What is it?”
“I am very worried about this problem you have with your brothers.”
“So am I, Father. It grieves me that they do not love me.”
Jacob resisted the impulse to deliver a sharp and bitter sermon about how Joseph had brought his brothers’ anger on himself. He did not say a word about this, however, but spoke of his own responsibilities. “I have twelve sons,” he said, “and I have spoiled you.”
“Not so, Father,” Joseph protested.
“You know it is true, Joseph. Do not pretend.”
Jacob’s eyes grew flinty, and Joseph could not bear the sight of them, so he dropped his head. His father had a strength that he himself lacked. “I am sorry, Father.”
“I hope you are, for I have decided to send you to your brothers.”
A flare of joy leaped into Joseph’s breast, though he kept it carefully hidden. He had never been sent out alone on such a journey, and excitement burned in his spirit. “To go see my brothers?”
“Yes. I have decided you are to take them some good provisions, but mainly I want you to use the time to make peace with your brothers.”
“How shall I do that, Father? They hate me.”
“I must tell you the truth, my son. Your brothers hate you because you think you are better than they are.”
“No, Father, that’s not—”
“Do not interrupt me. You know it is so.” Jacob’s eyes again bored into Joseph, and the young man could only drop his head. “It is largely my fault,” Jacob admitted, “for you are gifted above any of your brothers. You are better looking and more intelligent. You have far more imagination than any of them. These things are good, but you have let pride in them lift you up. The dreams you’ve had about their sheaves bowing down to yours!” Jacob’s voice grew bitter. “What a fool thing to tell them of this. Stupid! Unthinkable! I cannot see how you can hold your head up after speaking of such a thing.”
Joseph kept his head lowered as Jacob droned on and on about incidents where Joseph had let his brothers know his feelings of superiority. Finally Jacob said, “Do you not see, my son, how wrong you have been?”
“Yes, Father, I understand.”
“I hope so,” Jacob said fervently. “You are clever with words. You have imagination. So when I send you to your brothers, I want you to humble yourself. Try to win back their confidence. I know this can’t be done in a day,” he said sadly, “but it can be done over a period of time. Take them gifts. Offer to help them with their work—and above all say nothing of your dreams. Do you understand me, Joseph?”
“Yes, Father.”
“And will you try your best to keep your dreams to yourself and to keep your pride under cover? I know it’s there, but at least don’t let them see it.”
Joseph, in all truth, was only listening to half of what his father was saying. Instead he was thinking of the delights of the journey, but he was a fine actor, and he played the part of a penitent to perfection. In short, he managed to convince his father that he’d had a change in heart, but even as he listened, all he saw was himself going forth on a delicious adventure.
“You will leave in the morning,” Jacob said. “You will take three beasts loaded with the finest food we have. It is time to be generous. They will be your gifts to your brothers. Make that plain. And partake of them little yourself.”
“Oh yes, Father, I understand.”
“And above all do not wear your coat of many colors! Do not even take it with you. It is an affront to your brothers, and I erred greatly in giving it to you.”
“It shall be as you say, Father,” Joseph said, but his thoughts were not on the coat. It was on the adventure that lay ahead of him. He pretended to listen to Jacob’s careful instructions, then ran to tell Benjamin that he would be gone for some time.
“Take me with you, Joseph,” Benjamin pleaded.
“No, Father would never let us both go. But when I come back, I will tell you everything that happened.”
“Be sure you forget none of it. When will you come back?”
“I will prob
ably not stay with my brothers more than two or three days. Then I’ll return and tell you everything.”
Benjamin looked up with awe in his eyes. This brother of his could do anything. “I wish I could go with you,” he said.
Joseph laughed, his mind not on his little brother but on his journey. What a fine thing it would be to wear his coat as he traveled! He would not wear it in front of Jacob, of course, but it would be good to wear it on his journey. People would know that a prince was passing through their midst!
Chapter 6
“I wish I could go with you, Joseph!”
Joseph knelt and put his arms around Benjamin. “I wish you could too, my dear little brother. When I come back, you and I will make a shorter journey. I promise.”
“Really! You mean it?”
“Of course I mean it.”
Joseph kissed Benjamin’s tearstained face, and his heart gave a tug. He had asked his father halfheartedly if Benjamin could accompany him, but Jacob had almost exploded. “Both of you at once! No, never!” It had been as Joseph had expected, but at least he had tried.
He gave the boy one final hug, then stood up and looked to where the three donkeys were waiting. Two of them were loaded down with cheese, dates, baked bread, and all the delicacies Joseph and Jacob could find. Jacob was standing to one side of the donkeys, his eyes filled with apprehension. Joseph went to him and said, “Promise you will not worry about me, my father.”
“How can I help it?” Jacob said, his voice breaking. “It is in my heart now to change my mind.”
“Oh no, don’t say that,” Joseph said quickly, and his mind raced to explain why he should go. “It is our one chance to restore my relationship with my brothers. Please do not rob me of this, Father.” It took some pleading, for Jacob was indeed capable of stubbornly calling the entire journey off. Joseph spoke quickly and glowingly about what a glorious success the trip was going to be. Finally, when Jacob began to relent, Joseph quickly said, “I must go before the sun gets any higher. I’ll be back in just a few days.”
Jacob opened his arms, and the tall young man embraced him. Joseph was shocked at how his father clung to him, almost as a small child clings to his father. He knew his father loved him dearly, but being seventeen years old, he had no fears for the future. When Jacob finally released him, he leaped on the donkey, waved to the two concubines and Leah, who stood watching silently. They did not look happy, but then they seldom did.
“I’ll give your sons all your good wishes, good mothers,” he called and kicked the donkey in the side. The animal started forward, and Joseph waved until the village faded behind him. He took one last look at his father, who seemed at that moment more pitiful and vulnerable than Joseph had ever seen him. The sight shocked him, but with the exuberance of youth, he said, “I will bring him back a good report and make him happy.”
Jacob trembled as he watched his beloved son and the donkeys fade from view. He felt a touch on his hand and looked down to see Benjamin by his side. He took the boy’s hand and squeezed it, then knelt down and put his arm around him.
Benjamin said, “Everything will be all right, Father. He’ll be home in just a few days.”
“Yes. Just a few days, and I will see my son again—and you will see your brother.”
“Joseph said he would take me on a journey, a very short one. Will that be all right, Father?”
“Yes. That will be fine. I promise.”
The two stood watching the empty horizon, where only a thin puff of dust marked Joseph’s trail. Benjamin went away to play, but the old man stood there staring, his heart filled with such dread and turbulence he could not bear it.
****
Joseph was excited to be journeying to Shechem alone. As soon as he was out of sight of his father, he stopped the donkeys, rummaged through the bag of his things, and got out the coat of many colors. He shook it out and was delighted with the flashing rainbow of light it made. He slipped into it, then mounted the donkey, and kicked the animal forward.
He encountered several travelers throughout the day, and all of them turned their eyes to stare at the young prince who wore such a beautiful coat that glimmered in the sun like golden fire.
Joseph was pleased with the impression he made and thought more about that than about the mission he was on. His conscience bothered him slightly for not obeying his father’s order to leave the coat at home. But, as always, young Joseph in all his glory found a way of rationalizing his decision to go his own way, and as he watched the admiring stares of others, he decided his father had been wrong to deny him this pleasure.
“My father would be proud of me,” he said as he caught the admiring glance of a passing family. He greeted them cheerfully and smiled regally as they all stopped to watch him pass by.
He would be pleased to see how the coat draws such admiration even from strangers, he thought, utterly convinced that he had been wise to wear it.
Thus Joseph made his way across the country. He traveled steadily that morning with a light wind caressing his face. He stopped at noon for a meal, then went on his way along roads and mountain paths. From time to time he would pass through a small village and draw the admiration of all, especially the women.
That night he chose to stay in a village where he could stable his donkeys safely. He paid to have them fed out of the money his father had given him, and afterward he had dinner with the chief of the village, who was very impressed with Joseph’s finery.
The oldest daughter of the house, a lively brown-eyed girl with a womanly form and a sensuous mouth, made herself conspicuous to Joseph. After he went to bed, she slipped into the room reserved for guests. Seeing her enter, Joseph sat up at once. She wore a dress of fine-spun material that clung to her enticingly. “I came to see if there was anything you wished, master.”
Joseph took a deep breath, for the words could have many meanings. The girl did not drop her head and hide her eyes as many young women would do. There was a boldness in her looks as she stood waiting, and Joseph struggled with the temptation being put before him.
“Th-there is nothing,” he finally managed to say. “Thank you, mistress.”
She stepped closer to Joseph, and his head spun as he smelled her pungent perfume. “If there’s anything at all you’d like, I am here to serve you.”
The words seemed innocent enough, but the curve of the full lips, the sultry look around the eyes, the heady scent said something else entirely.
Joseph was a spoiled and headstrong young man, but when it came to women, he had kept himself pure. There had been countless opportunities for misbehavior with the younger girls of the tribe, all who thought him quite the handsomest man they had ever seen. But Joseph had a strong sense of his calling from God to someday be in a place of authority, and he knew this was one line he could not cross without losing his father’s approval. He remembered Jacob’s reaction to the transgressions of his brothers in this area, and his head argued against the urges this young woman was arousing in him. She stared at him with an open invitation in her eyes, and everything in him cried out to take her up on her offer. Father would never know, he reasoned. Who would tell him?
One word from him, and she would be his. But he could not speak that word. Instead he curtly muttered, “Thank you,” and lay back down. He winced at the scornful glare the girl gave him as she whirled and left the room. A mocking voice in his head kept saying, You fool! You could have had her. What’s wrong with you?
Joseph closed his eyes and breathed deeply, forcing himself to think instead of the pleasure of the journey and the excitement of meeting his brothers. It was not an easy thing to do, but he controlled the urges of his flesh and drifted off into sleep.
****
After three days of hard travel Jacob reached his goal, the narrow Valley of Shechem. But he quickly discovered that his brothers were no longer there, and he began to ask the inhabitants of the place about their whereabouts.
“Yes, there were ten men
here with large herds and flocks.” The speaker was a short, squatty man with one eye missing and gaps in his teeth. He was chewing on some tough meat as he sat in the shade of a tree.
“Where have they gone? Do you know?”
“As it happens I do, but information comes with a price,” the man said. He was eyeing Joseph’s expensive coat, and there was admiration mixed with greed in his remaining eye.
Joseph laughed. He reached down into his pouch, pulled out a coin, and held it up. “I’m willing to pay.”
“Give it to me.”
“First, where did they go?”
“Over to Dothan.”
Joseph stared at him. “Why would they go there?”
“I have no idea, but I heard them say that’s where they were going. Now give me the money.”
Joseph handed over the coin and turned and remounted his donkey. As he rode off, the man held up the coin, admiring it. “Should have asked for two of these,” he grunted. “That young lord would never miss ’em.”
****
The ten brothers quit early for the day, leaving the flocks in the hands of several servants. As they cooked their midday meal Reuben glanced around at their faces, feeling a little relieved. They’re not as angry as they were when we left Father, he thought. They’ll get over Joseph’s foolishness.
But in truth the other nine brothers were still angry at Joseph, though for the time they kept their feelings to themselves. Like a fire that had settled down, there was no longer any visible flame, but the coals underneath were hot!
While the brothers ate, Reuben chose to sit by himself and think about his life. It seemed to be nothing but a series of mistakes. He was troubled about the future and about the meaning of Joseph’s dreams, for he alone, with the possible exception of Judah, felt there was some truth to them that he could not understand. Somehow Joseph was different from the rest of them. It was more than the fact he was the son of Jacob’s True Wife. Indeed, that seemed to be the least of it.
Till Shiloh Comes Page 6