Iron In His Soul Read online



  Iron In His Soul

  By Jon Peasey

  Published by Peasey Publications

  Copyright 2012 Jon Peasey

  Table of Contents

  Preamble

  Chapter 1 - Journey to Shechem

  Chapter 2 - His Arrival

  Chapter 3 - Jacob's Reaction

  Chapter 4 - Journey to Egypt

  Chapter 5 - Sold as a Slave

  Chapter 6 - Potiphar's House

  Chapter 7 - Promotion

  Chapter 8 - Temptation

  Chapter 9 - Prison

  Chapter 10 - Dreams in the Night

  Chapter 11 - Forgotten

  Chapter 12 - Pharaoh's Dreams

  Chapter 13 - In Pharaoh's Presence

  Chapter 14 - Marriage, Power and Glory

  Chapter 15 - The Land of Egypt

  Chapter 16 - The Good Years

  Chapter 17 - Famine

  Chapter 18 - Food in Egypt

  Chapter 19 - Jacob Comes to Egypt

  Chapter 20 - Testing Times

  Chapter 21 - Renewal

  Chapter 22 - Jacob's Death and Burial

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Bibliography of Names

  PREAMBLE

  The Old Testament story of Joseph, in The Bible, has fascinated people for centuries. Here is a man who held a unique place in history. His is a true ‘rags to riches’ story, told out against the backdrop of the ancient Egyptian Empire. It is a story of hatred, of treachery, of slavery and prison. But above all this, it is the journey of a soul, of a man who through faith in his God prevails in seemingly impossible situations; to emerge as God’s man for the times.

  Joseph’s loss of freedom eventually leads to God’s reward for his faithfulness under trying circumstances. The sovereignty, and omniscience, of God are revealed in the events that occur in the life of Joseph and others he comes in contact with.

  Come with me, as we recreate the journey of a soul, a man called Joseph

  Chapter One - Journey to Shechem

  “Joseph! Joseph!”

  Joseph hurried into his father’s tent.

  “Joseph, your brothers are feeding the flocks at Shechem. Go and see if everything is well with your brothers, and with the flocks; and come back and tell me.”

  Joseph was worried by his father’s words, but his face did not show it. He replied obediently, “Yes, Father I will go and find them.”

  Joseph left his father and went to his tent to prepare for his journey. Joseph loved his father and was willing to go to Shechem for his sake; but, he knew his brothers hated him. He wondered what sort of reception they would give him.

  Joseph’s thoughts turned to the journey ahead. He calculated how much food he would need for his trip away. He would be on the trail for several days. Joseph packed some bread, dates, nuts and fruit into a small sack. He filled two skin bottles with water. Next, he picked out two woollen rugs. The temperature dropped severely at night. Satisfied with his preparations, he rolled his food sack up into his rugs; tied the bundle up and slung it over his shoulder. He slung the two water bottles over his other shoulder and left the tent.

  Jacob watched his favourite son walk through the campsite and walk up the Hebron Valley, towards Shechem. Jacob’s ageing eyes filled with pride. His thoughts turned inwards. ‘Joseph is now seventeen years old; a good lad, bright, honest and God fearing.’ Joseph held a special place in Jacob’s heart, and he had given Joseph a special multi-coloured coat as a sign of his affection for him.

  Jacob’s face softened as he thought about Rachel, Joseph’s mother. Rachel had been Jacob’s favourite wife. Rachel’s older sister Leah was Jacob’s other wife; Leah and Jacob had several sons together. He had also sired sons with his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah, who were Rachel and Leah's hand maidens. Jacob was really pleased when Rachel became pregnant after many years of being childless. Joseph was Rachel’s first child. Rachel regrettably had died several years ago giving birth to Joseph’s brother, Benjamin.

  Joseph looked back at the campsite. ‘The sooner this trip is over, the better I will feel. The way to Shechem will be hot and tiring. I would rather be here at Father’s camp’.

  The valley entrance was just ahead. Joseph turned and looked down the valley towards his father’s camp. The tents and animals appeared tiny and seemed to be in a different world. He turned and strode purposefully out of the Hebron Valley and began his descent to Shechem.

  The sun was slowly sinking in the sky. Joseph looked for a place to spend the night. He scrutinised the rocks and hills around him. “There seems to be an opening in the rocks over to the left.” he said to himself. He climbed up to investigate. The spot was ideal; there was enough room for him to lie down, also a rock overhang to protect him from the weather.

  Joseph eased the water bottles and his pack from his shoulders and sat down. He was hungry and tired, his shoulders and back muscles were stiff. The rocks were still hot from the sun’s rays, but Joseph knew they would soon turn cold with the cool night air. He untied his pack and unrolled it. Then lifting up his eyes towards the heavens, he said, “God of my father's watch over me and guide me on my journey.”

  As he ate he watched the sun disappear over the horizon. Its last fading rays cast a golden glow into the evening sky. Joseph reflected on the wonders in the starry heavens. The immensity of the night sky with its myriads of stars moved him to meditate upon the greatness of the God of his fathers, the Possessor of Heaven and Earth. Joseph was alone, and yet he did not feel alone. He sensed that God was with him. He pulled his rugs about him, stretched out and fell asleep.

  Joseph woke up, the rock ledge was hard. He sat up and stretched his limbs. The eastern sky was showing the first tinges of light from the rising sun. The morning was cold. Joseph stood up and stamped his feet, briskly. As was his custom, he gave thanks to God and committed the day to Him.

  Joseph climbed down from the rock ledge and strode down the trail. ‘Today, I want to cover as much ground as I can before the heat of the day saps my strength. Then I can rest and carry on later in the afternoon.’ As he walked his mind drifted back to the time his father gave him his multi-coloured coat. When his brothers saw the coat, they realised that Jacob loved Joseph more than them; and they hated Joseph and could not speak peacefully to him. 'Life has become more difficult since that time. Then there are the two dreams!’

  Joseph had stood up before his brothers and said, “Listen, I had a dream last night. We were all binding bundles of wheat at harvest time, in the field, and my bundle stood upright and your bundles stood around mine and bowed down to my bundle.”

  His brothers replied, “Do you really think you will be a king and rule over us?’”

  Their hatred increased even more because of that dream. Not long after, he dreamed another dream and told it to his brothers and his father, Jacob.

  “Look, I had another dream. The sun and the moon and the eleven stars bowed down to me.”

  Jacob rebuked him, “What’s that supposed to mean? Are your mother and I and your brothers all going to come and bow down in front of you?”

  Joseph in his naivety could not understand why his brothers were so upset over the dreams; but they envied him. He was relieved when they took the flocks to Shechem to find new pastures.

  Joseph felt the sun’s rays getting hotter, so he stopped and had a small drink from one of his water bottles. The sun was nearly overhead, time to find a nice shady spot and have some food and a good rest. Joseph turned off the trail into a shady area behind a large boulder. The sun would not be over this part of the boulder until late afternoon. When he finished eating, Joseph decided to have a sleep and continue later. He made himself comfortable and drifted off t
o sleep. Sometime later, he awoke and stretched himself, got up, put on his pack and water bottles then continued on his way. He felt refreshed after his rest and set off at a good pace down the trail.

  ‘The next place I come to will be Ephrath. ’A surge of grief welled up inside him. Ephrath was the place they had buried his beloved mother, Rachel. She had died giving birth to Benjamin. The horror of losing his mother was still fresh in his memory; Joseph could not restrain the tears. He was just a small boy at the time, and even now, the memory was painful.

  The days and weeks had turned into years; he and Benjamin had been looked after by Father’s other wife, Leah, and his concubines Bilhah and Zilpah. They did it as their duty, and lavished their love on their own children. Joseph and Benjamin always felt left out of their affections. Jacob loved all his children and did not sense the aloofness, as his wives were careful to hide it in his presence.

  When Joseph reached Ephrath, it was nearly twilight; so he made camp for the night. He was physically and emotionally tired.

  Next morning, after Joseph had eaten, he decided not to visit his mother’s burial place as he felt he would not be able to handle his emotions. Joseph set off towards Bethel. Joseph thought about Bethel as he walked; it was a significant place in his father’s life.

  Joseph was only an infant, when the event had occurred, but, when he was older he could remember Jacob talking about the event. Bethel was the place Jacob had made an altar to God, for God had said to Jacob, “Return to Bethel, where I appeared to you when you were running from your brother Esau. Make your home there and build an altar for me.”

  Jacob said to his family and to everyone else who was travelling with him; “Get rid of your foreign gods then make yourselves acceptable to worship God, and put on clean clothes. Afterwards we will go to Bethel. I will build an altar there for God, who answered my prayers, when I was in trouble and who has always been at my side.”

  Jacob’s family and servants gave him their earrings and all their idols. Jacob hid them under an oak tree near Shechem; then they continued on to Bethel. At Bethel Jacob built an altar to God and called it ‘God of Bethel’.

  God appeared to Jacob again. This time He gave Jacob a new name and blessed him by saying, “I am God Almighty and from now on your name will be Israel instead of Jacob. You will have many children. Your descendants will become nations, and some of the men in your family will even be kings. I will give you the land that I promised Abraham and Isaac, it will belong to your family forever.” Then God departed from Jacob.

  Joseph pondered over the covenant that God had made with his father at Bethel ‘How will God bring it about? The land is inhabited by different tribes and nations at present, and we are just a small family.' With these thoughts to occupy his mind, Joseph continued on his way.

  ‘Bethel at last.’ He looked for the Oak of Weeping, where Deborah, his grandmother Rebecca’s nurse was buried. When he had found it he sat in the shade of the old oak. ‘I should be a bit over half way to Shechem. I hope I won’t have any difficulty finding my brothers and the flocks.’

  Joseph made camp for the night and was pleased that he was about half way to Shechem; tomorrow should be the last leg of the trip.

  Next day he saw Shechem in the distance. The last couple of days had been hot and tiring, and it was good to know that his journey was nearly over. He wondered where his brothers were pasturing the flocks. ‘After a meal and a rest in Shechem, I will look for my brothers and the flocks.’