Shawshanked!

Joseph was Rachel's oldest son, and the favorite of Jacob's 13 kids. By all accounts, he was a good kid. Hard working, honest, and dedicated. But he didn't seem to understand that his older brothers were jealous that he was the favorite. And he also didn't seem to understand that announcing his dreams (whereas everyone in the family bowed down to him) wasn't exactly tactful. And boy, did he ever pay a steep price for infuriating his brothers! You'll have to check out the latter part of Genesis to get the whole story, but here's the summary: One day, Jacob sent his son Joseph out to check on his other sons shepherding sheep at Shechem, some 50 miles from home. As I said, they didn't like him much, and they hated how their father spoiled him... and (apparently) how Jacob sent Joseph to spy on them. So they did what any gang of jealous older brothers would do in that situation: they shawshanked him. In other words, they sold him to Ishmaelite traders, who in turn sold him as a slave in Egypt. Hmmm, No sibling rivalry in that household!


Anyway, God was with Joseph, even as he underwent an incredible amount of suffering the next several years. Joseph never seemed to lose his faith in God. First he was sold as a slave to Potiphar, captain of the palace guard of Pharaoh. Even though Joseph worked hard, was extremely gifted by God, and completely loyal to his Potiphar... his boss's wife liked the looks of her new slave boy, and wanted him to uh... sleep with her. But he never gave in to her lustful attempts, and always found a way to avoid her advances. But eventually, she decided to get even - she wrongly accused (shawshanked) him... and he went to prison for a crime he didn't commit. In prison, Joseph was put in charge of the jailer's household affairs... and there must have been times when he asked himself, "am I ever going to be a free man?" Wow, that poor guy couldn't catch a break!


The details of their stories may differ, but in the movie "The Shawshank Redemption", Andy Dufresne had a similar kind of fate, in that he was wrongly accused of murdering his wife, and sent to Shawshank Prison in 1947. Like Joseph, Andy was extremely gifted. Like Joseph, Andy's gifts were fully utilized by his captor. And like Joseph, I'm sure Andy must've wondered to himself, "am I ever going to be a free man?"


But Joseph patiently endured his captivity, and trusted that God would deliver him someday. Andy Defresne had a different plan of getting free - one that didn't have anything to do with God.


Both stories are pretty remarkable... Joseph eventually became the second in command in all of Egypt, and Andy escaped an "escape proof" prison, and moved to a Mexican village on the Pacific ocean. Joseph waited, and worked, and prayed that God would deliver him from his captivity, while Andy plotted and schemed (and dug) his way out of prison all on his own.


Joseph was released and (because of his gifts) put in charge of all the administration of food in the whole land of Egypt... and Andy escaped (and because of his gifts) got the guards arrested for their crimes against the prisoners... and tricked the warden so badly that he decided to commit suicide rather than facing prison time. The best part is that he got to reunite with his friend, Red at the end of the movie.


Both stories are awesome... but I love how Joseph's story is more than about merely escaping oppression... it's a story of redemption brought about by faith (in God) and forgiveness (of his brothers). Listen to what Joseph says to his brothers when they are afraid he'll kill them at the end of Genesis (50:19-21):

¹⁹ But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. ²¹ No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

Man that guy has faith, huh? Faith to believe in his dreams, even in the face of ridicule and jealousy. Faith to stay pure, even in the face of seduction. Faith to trust God, even in an Egyptian prison. Faith to interpret other people's dreams, even when they don't end well for the dreamer (ch. 40). And faith to forgive his own brothers who betrayed him... not just forgiving, but caring for them completely - and seeing their violent actions against him as good, in that it "saved the lives of many people." All this when he was in a position to kill them or enslave them forever if he wanted to get revenge. But nope, not Joseph. Wow... I want to live with that kind of grace and peace (and forgiveness in my heart). Don't you?