"Come on guys, you've had your fun, let me out. When Dad finds out you've thrown me down here you'll be in real trouble. And you'd better look after that coat, one little tear and dad'll make sure you'll get beans and camel's milk for months. Guys? Come on it's not funny! This well might seem dry from up there, but down here there's mud everywhere. Let me out!"

I just knew today was going to be one of those days. It was close to lunch time and getting a little hot in the tent, when I decided to get out of bed and go for a bit of a ride on my camel. Then Dad comes in and spoils everything. "Go and find out how your brothers and the sheep are doing. Then come back and let me know." Dad's got this thing about teaching me how to take charge and be responsible. He just can't see I'm a born leader. Getting people to do things is easy. ‘Hey you with the goat, go and get my father to come here.' ‘You over there, be careful or you'll spill the water, it doesn't grow on trees you know.' It's easy. I even know how to handle fathers. "Yes sir", I said. "Certainly. I'll go immediately. Just after I check out my camel."

The trouble was that by the time I got to where my brothers were supposed to be, they'd moved on. But I didn't panic. I asked around and eventually found ‘em. But that was another mistake. Instead of using my initiative, I should've just gone back home and blamed them for moving on without telling anyone.

My brothers, or I should say, step-brothers are an uncouth bunch of barbarians. Which reminds me. Just hang on a bit.

"Simeon, can you hear me? Let me out! Issachar, come on, I won't chuck off at your name ever again. Gad, don't be a cad, let me out!"

You probably know that most of them were born to mum's sister, Leah, and the rest belong to two old maids from our camp. Benjamin, the youngest by far, is my only real brother. My mum Rachel died giving birth to him. All of them up there are older than me. Mum had trouble getting pregnant. I'm really the eldest in the family. Mum was the only one Dad really wanted to marry. So the rest don't count. They're not even family really. And they resent me. I haven't got a clue why. I try to be friendly, but as soon as I say anything they all jump on me.

I'll give you an example - my coat. Have you ever worn camel hair? Well let me tell you it's not nice, especially against sensitive skin like mine. Mum once told me that even as a baby she couldn't put me anywhere near anything with camel's hair in it or I'd just cry and cry. Besides, have you seen the wonderful range of colours camel's hair coats come in, there's light brown, slightly darker brown, and the very popular brown. Yuck! I told Dad, I don't care if it's lined with silk, I'm just not wearing a coat like that. It look like shittah wood. So, a few weeks later when he turns up with this gorgeous multicoloured coat with long sleeves, you should have heard what those neanderthal brothers of mine called me. And I don't care what anyone says, when you wear a thick coat like that, with long sleeves, you just can't walk normally. But it's nothing at all like strutting.

Come one guys. Tell you what, you can have the coat. Rip it up if you like, just let me out!

Then, there was the day I was stupid enough to think they were serious when they said, "Sure we'd love to hear about your dream." They all gathered round and seemed eager to listen. I began, "We were all out in the field tying up bundles of wheat." I should've stopped when Judah made that crack about it must have been a dream, because it was the only way I'd ever be found working in the fields with them. Instead I continued to tell told them that all their bundles gathered around my bundle and bowed down to it. They were stunned for a moment, but then all the sarcasm started. I think I hated the nickname I earned that day worst of all - 'queenie'. You can't help what dreams you have, can you?

When the next dream came, I didn't care what they thought, it confirmed the first, 'This time the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to me.' I shouted as they munched their morning tea. They just got up and walked off without a saying a word. When I went to dad to complain about how rude they'd been, and ask if he might punish them, he didn't understand either. He got real mad. 'Look', he said, 'you're a clever lad. Maybe one day your brothers will have to acknowledge your ability, but when you speak about your father and mother also bowing down to you as well, you're taking things way too far.' And then he went on and on about having to act with more humility, and other boring stuff. But he did keep asking about the dreams, especially if there were any ladders in them. My Dad can be really weird sometimes!

Asher? (Excited) Asher, is that you? A rope, fantastic! It's about time you lot came to your senses. Come on pull on the rope harder or I'll never get out. There that's a lot better..... Awww, that's not funny, who put the blood all over my coat? And get it out of the dirt..... What do you mean I won't need a coat where I'm going? Holiday, I don't want a holiday. And no, I don't know where Egypt is! I just want to go home! Judah, where did you get all those silver coins from?

It's an amazing story. The book of Genesis uses the word 'hate' three times and they're all in this one chapter describing how the 10 brothers felt about Joseph. 'Love' is used twice in this chapter and both times it's used to tell us that Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons. And there's no mention of God. It seems like things have just got out of control? Maybe God's finally given up on this hopeless bunch of misfits? Could it be he has no option but to abandoned them to their petty infighting? Surely utter disaster is just around the corner. Now, his plan for them to be the beginning of a new nation that will bring blessings to the whole world, unfortunately, just can't succeed.

And if you read on, you will indeed discover a few more disasters recorded over the next 10 chapters, not the least of which are the sad stories of Dinah and later Tamar. And you won't find either in any book of Sunday School Bible Stories.

And yet, amazingly, as you read on you'll find that God IS indeed at work through it all. He doesn't isolate himself in the safety of heaven, he doesn't even sit back and observe. Unbelievably he get's involved - he is involved. Believe it or not he uses Joseph's forced trip to Egypt to protect his chosen people from extinction, (well a famine actually). And it's in Egypt that this special nation grows strong and when they're rescued from slavery they learn lots about their God. They get to know him as rescuer and saviour. Amazingly these family squabbles lead to the most significant salvation event in the OT.

Do you realize that recently our country was one of only 13 who abstained from voting at the UN on a motion asking for Israel to withdraw from the territories of Palestine? How did it feel to hear the inspector from the UN, join with many Australian people in the caring professions calling on detention centres in our country to be closed down because they are inhumane? What went through your mind when those two children sought asylum at the British consul from our own government? And did it sadden you when they were rejected and then immediately transferred back to the very place that had caused them so much pain? What do you think of being in a country that seems to be more eager than any other to join the United States in a war on the other side of the world when everyone else seems to be urging caution and the use of diplomacy rather than force? What's your reaction when the main opposition party in our country has nothing much to say about any of this, because basically they agree with the government? And what about a state government who offers $2-4 thousand as compensation for past government agencies stealing years of wages from aboriginal workers.

What's it like for you when church membership is in decline and getting older, despite their being a concerted emphasis on youth in the last 20 years or so? What are we to think, when changes continue to be made to show how relevant the church is in our modern world, but no one seems to be listening anymore? And how are we supposed to react when stories about sexual abuse keep coming out, and the leaders of churches continue to show that they don't know how to handle it?

I'm not sure that in all these things I can quite see the horrible arrogance of a character like Joseph, or the reprehensible behaviour of his brothers. But our history and our present day activities also tend to have us question whether God can still be working in this sad world of ours. Joseph's story more than others assures us that not only is he involved and working, but we remain an important part of his plan of salvation and blessing for the world.

© Copyright Rev. K.W. Stiller.