Genesis 37-41: Come Follow Me with Sam


Prepared in all things.

The story of Joseph is a well known narrative from Genesis. There are many lessons That can be taught including trust in the lord, the promises of Israel, archtypes of Christ, etc.

I'd like to focus on Joseph as a way of fulfilling these passages of scripture from Zenos, taken from Alma's teachings

3 Do ye remember to have read what aZenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or bworship?

4 For he said: Thou art merciful, O God, for thou hast heard my prayer, even when I was ain the wilderness; yea, thou wast merciful when I prayed concerning those who were mine benemies, and thou didst turn them to me.

5 Yea, O God, and thou wast merciful unto me when I did cry unto thee in my afield; when I did cry unto thee in my prayer, and thou didst hear me.

6 And again, O God, when I did turn to my house thou didst hear me in my prayer.

7 And when I did turn unto my acloset, O Lord, and prayed unto thee, thou didst hear me.

8 Yea, thou art merciful unto thy children when they cry unto thee, to be heard of thee and not of men, and thou awilt hear them.

9 Yea, O God, thou hast been merciful unto me, and heard my cries in the midst of thy congregations.

10 Yea, and thou hast also heard me when I have been acast out and have been despised by mine enemies; yea, thou didst hear my cries, and wast angry with mine enemies, and thou didst bvisit them in thine anger with speedy destruction.

11 And thou didst hear me because of mine afflictions and my asincerity; and it is because of thy Son that thou hast been thus merciful unto me, therefore I will cry unto thee in all mine bafflictions, for in thee is my joy; for thou hast turned thy judgments away from me, cbecause of thy Son.


Joseph represents a break from the lives of the Patriarchs. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had unique trials, but their way of living was similar. Joseph's path was completely different and virtually unpredictable. How could anyone have known that he would be sold a slave to become a ruler in Egypt, and then bring his entire family down into a new way of living, and a beginning of the 12 tribes?

I wonder what Joseph thought about being in the prison for all that time. What was God's point in letting Joseph languish for years, possibly a decade? Was there something he was to accomplish there, I mean besides meeting the butler and baker because I'm sure that could have been arranged differently if need be. I'm not sure why he spent so much time in prison.

And yet, Joseph was prospered whereever he went, with whatever he did. Is there not any blessing greater than the Lord preparing your path where ever you are?

One day we will get to meet Joseph. When we do I think we will find someone who looked at his experience altogether different from what most of us think today. I'm sure he was confused at times, and definitely hurt, but I think he exhibited a trust in the Lord that is less about being blessed and more about knowing that if you do all things according to God and His law, you can trust that your life will be prepared before you and set apart as worthy of living.

We are very material at this current time in the world. So maybe having a life worthy of living doesn't sound as great as just having a great time with lots of earthly blessings. I believe that Joseph would speak differently. I believe he would, looking back, say that he would rather be on Gods path than have comfort near Canaan, and that languishing in prison on God's path, while something he would probably be okay skipping next time, would be something he would gladly take over simple prospering with his father, because it meant fulfilling Gods work and His promises in a way that brought temporal and spiritual salvation to entire nations.



P.S. 

I enjoy the 1990's Joseph in egypt video. Recommend for Adult audiences. They start with Dinah, which is a bit of a rough story.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KHkEXD5ErXk


I also recently learned about the book of Joseph and Asenath. Definitely apocryphal, so read with the spirit :) There are some great lessons, and it may be interesting for you to learn more about Asenath.

http://markgoodacre.org/aseneth/translat.htm

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