Mystery Solved

 Happy Sunday!

"They left Egypt and went back to their father Jacob in Canaan. When they told him, “Joseph is still alive—and he’s the ruler over the whole land of Egypt!” he went numb; he couldn’t BELIEVE his ears. But the more they talked, telling him everything that Joseph had told them and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him back, the blood started to flow again—their father Jacob’s spirit revived. Israel said, “I’ve heard enough—my son Joseph is still alive. I’ve got to go and see him before I die.”(Genesis 45:26-28 Message).

I love a good mystery.  This is likely because the little bit of television we were able to enjoy as children involved mysteries, courtroom dramas, and police shows.  My mother always said the television was the "Idiot Box".  So our TV viewing was limited.  She was so on point with this.  If she were still here with us, I know she'd be amazed to see the idiots are not only binge watching television shows, they are even on the television shows.  But I digress.  We watched Barnaby Jones, Columbo, Kojak, and Perry Mason just to name a few.  Each of these characters had their own unique way of solving crimes.

When I was reading the scripture above I imagined how things would have gone differently for Jacob if he'd had a detective on the case.  He loved Joseph more than his other sons, and showed favoritism toward him.  He was human and his humanity caused his other sons to hate their brother.  They hated him so much that they were willing to kill him, or leave him in the pit for a wild animal to find him.  So they had motive.  One day Jacob sent Joseph to check on his brothers and that gave them the means.  His older brother, Reuben went along with them in regards to putting Joseph in the pit, but he had plans to come back later and set him free.  Another older brother, Judah saw an opportunity to save him and make a bit of money by selling him to a traveling group of merchants.  But even these two brothers agreed to lie to their father.  How cruel!

"Joseph’s brothers killed a goat and dipped Joseph’s fancy coat in its blood.  After this, they took the coat to their father and said, “We found this! Look at it carefully and see if it belongs to YOUR son.”  Jacob knew it was Joseph’s coat and said, “It’s my son’s coat! Joseph has been torn to pieces and eaten by some wild animal.”(Genesis 37:31-33 CEV).  They thought their "Daddy Issues" would be solved by getting rid of Joseph, but it backfired.  Jacob was inconsolable and his spirit was not revived until years later when he believed their stories about Joseph still being alive.  Now if this had occurred in 2021 we would surely have had DNA evidence checked and we would have known quickly that the blood on the coat was not human blood.  A forensics group would return to the scene of the crime to search for bones, teeth, or fibers that may shed more light on what actually happened.  Witnesses would be questioned about the timing and his whereabouts.  Because the scriptures say that Joseph did speak to other shepherds while he was looking for his brothers.

I know what you are thinking.  How in the world does this have anything to do with me?  I'm so glad you asked. John 10:10 says, "The thief approaches with malicious intent, looking to steal, slaughter, and destroy; I came to give life with joy and abundance."(Voice).  The enemy has been telling lies about our lives, our dreams, our health, and our relationships.  He's been using FEAR(False Evidence Appearing Real) to fool us into thinking it's too late or impossible.  He wants us to give up, give in, or throw in the towel.  But we must, "Trust God from the bottom of your heart;  don’t try to figure out everything on your own.  Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.  Don’t assume that you know it all. Run to God! Run from evil!  Your body will glow with health, your very bones will vibrate with life!"(Proverbs 3:5-8 Message).

Joseph wasn't dead!  His dreams became a reality and he was able to save his entire family in the end.  He told his brothers, "You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened."*Genesis 50:20 GNT).  Mystery solved.

Love and prayers, Cynthia