“The Lord Was with Joseph”

Genesis 37–41

In moving forwards in our Come Follow Me study we actually skip Genesis 34-36 in which there are some dodgy goings on (as there is in chapter 38), and also elements of genealogy and family connections in chapters 35 and 36 (Chapter 36 focuses on the descendants of Esau). A point that is evident in the discussion of Lot’s daughters from a couple of weeks ago, Esau from last week and other elements is that the text provides a background for the various lineages and linkages of the peoples that surround what will eventually become the land and people of Israel. In terms of the descendants of Lot- the Moabites and Ammonites, they’re not presented in the most positive light, being the result of incest.

Dinah

Chapter 34 is one of the most disturbing in scripture, not least because it’s really the only time we read of Jacob and Leah’s daughter, Dinah. We read a lot about Jacob’s sons, but not a lot about Dinah, and the suggestion is that there were other daughters about whom we do not learn (see verse 9). The chapter begins with Dinah being raped by the ‘son of Hamor the Hivite’ (Genesis 34:2)- suggesting that he is a prince or equivalent for the Hivites. There is a suggestion in rabbinic literature that she was a consenting partner in this, but that may be a later interpretation to make things more palatable. Jacob learns of this and “held his peace until they [his sons] were come” (Genesis 34:5). What are we to make of Jacob’s silence? What are we also to make of his willingness to arrange a marriage with Shechem who longed for his daughter (verse 8)? Maybe this is an indication of it being a consensual relationship, but if we read it as it is, Jacob’s response seems problematic to me. But I am also mindful of the suggestion of President Oaks about reading the events of the past:

We should judge the actions of our predecessors on the basis of the laws and commandments and circumstances of their day, not ours.

I think, while not to the extent or extreme they went to, Levi and Simeon’s reactions are far more natural. They seem angry that their sister had been treated in such a way, so they manipulated Shechem’s desire for Dinah, by demanding the circumcision of all of those within the city. The events that followed were truly horrendous:

And it came to pass on the third day, when they were sore, that two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brethren, took each man his sword, and came upon the city boldly, and slew all the males. And they slew Hamor and Shechem his son with the edge of the sword, and took Dinah out of Shechem’s house, and went out. The sons of Jacob came upon the slain, and spoiled the city, because they had defiled their sister (24-27).

They completely decimated the city, took all of its spoils and their wives and children. No matter what had happened to Dinah, Simeon and Levi completely over-reacted. It is evident that they had completely corrupted the symbol of the covenant to turn it to their own ends. 

In many ways the story is left unfinished. Hardly anything more is said of Dinah or of the events with the Hivites. Jacob laments that the actions of his sons have made him “to stink among the inhabitants of the land, among the Canaanites and the Perizzites: and I being few in number, they shall gather themselves together against me, and slay me; and I shall be destroyed, I and my house” (verse 30). This is, again linked with the discussion of the origins of peoples, used as a way to explain the antagonism of the surrounding tribes towards Israel. 

With regards to Dinah, it has been suggested that she is the woman mentioned in Genesis 46:10 who went into Egypt:

And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

Although Shaul is of the lineage of Simeon, it is suggested that following his and Levi’s actions Simeon took Shaul the son of Dinah and Shechem into his household. Other rabbinic literature suggests that her daughter was actually Asenath, the wife of Joseph. Other still suggest she became the second wife of Job. All of this is purely conjecture as Dinah essentially disappears from the biblical text.

Also of note is the consequences for Simeon and Levi are ‘punished’ for their actions as their portion of the land is withheld from them:

Simeon and Levi are brethren; instruments of cruelty are in their habitations. O my soul, come not thou into their secret; unto their assembly, mine honour, be not thou united: for in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they digged down a wall. Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce; and their wrath, for it was cruel: I will divide them in Jacob, and scatter them in Israel (Genesis 49:5-7).

Why is this story not covered in Come Follow Me? I don’t know, but John Hilton recently shared his thoughts about Dinah and the things that we can learn:

She’s at the centre of the story — but never says a word. Dinah is Jacob’s only named daughter. Her family had just moved to the city of Shechem, and she went out to meet the women of the land. Shechem, the ruler’s son, saw her, took her, and r*ped her. Afterward, the text says his heart was “drawn to her” and he spoke “tenderly” to her. Shechem tells his father: “Get me this girl as my wife.” His father offers land and wealth for Dinah’s hand in marriage. It sounds generous — but there is no acknowledgment of what was done. No justice. And Dinah appears to still be in Shechem’s house!

What does she want? How does she feel? Is she even safe? We don’t know. Nobody seems to be asking. Her brothers negotiate, then massacre an entire city in retaliation. Her father Jacob finally speaks — but only to say he’s worried about his own safety. Shechem bargains. Hamor deals. Everyone talks. But nobody asks about Dinah.

Dinah is the main character in Genesis 34 but we never hear her speak. We never hear her thoughts. The chapter ends with no divine commentary. No resolution. Just silence. The Bible isn’t telling us what should have been done — it’s telling us what happened. We honour Dinah by not skipping her story. Dr. Amy Easton writes that stories like Dinah’s “create a biblically sanctioned space to name and discuss abuse” — and that “silence enables the continuation of abuse.”

Remember Hagar — another woman on the margins. In the wilderness she had an encounter with God, and she called Him “The God who sees me.” The God who saw Hagar also saw Dinah. “He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth.” (Isaiah 53:7, NIV) The Savior didn’t come to explain our suffering. He came to enter it. He sits with us in our silence. And one day, “He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain.” (Revelation 21:4, NIV) Later traditions say Dinah healed. That she married, had children, and lived. I hope that’s true. We don’t know how Dinah’s story ended in mortality. But we know something about her future.

Because of Christ, the worst thing is never the last thing.

Returning to Amy Easton more of her quotation includes:

These texts create a biblically sanctioned space to name and discuss abuse within a church setting, and it may give individuals the freedom and space they need to share their own stories and then to work toward recovery. Silence enables the continuation of abuse. Consequently, among the great benefits of feminist scholars’ biblical interpretations is that their productive readings of dismaying texts help us to openly discuss modern challenges such as violence, abuse, and the exploitation of those who are marginalized and disadvantaged. Often their readings also reveal how God and the Bible editors are not sanctioning the violence found within the Old Testament; rather, these stories exist to be condemned and to show the need for a different way. Ideally our collective study of these stories will lead to our collective resolve to end abuse in all its varied forms.

Tamar

This leads ‘neatly’ into events that we find in Genesis 38 and the experiences of Tamar as a ‘mistreated’ woman, who may be condemned by some, but we find is blessed as an ancestor of David and, more importantly, of the Saviour (see Matthew 1:3). Again, we do not find her mentioned in Come Follow Me. 

The story begins with Judah choosing Tamar to be the wife of his eldest son, Er. However, Er is described as “wicked in the sight of the Lord” (Genesis 38:7) and he dies prematurely. Following the custom of levirate marriage, where a brother must father a child with a deceased brother’s widow to continue the lineage, Judah gives Tamar to his second son, Onan. Onan, while happy to have sex with Tamar, refuses to do so in a way that will result in pregnancy and the Lord ‘slew him also’ (Genesis 38:10).

Judah, fearing that his youngest son Shelah will also die if he marries Tamar, sends her back to her father’s house. He promises to send for her when Shelah is older, but he has no intention of doing so. Shelah grows to be of age and is not sent; Tamar realizes she has been abandoned and left without an heir or social standing. When she hears that Judah (now a widower) is traveling to Timnah for sheep-shearing, she takes matters into her own hands and removes her widow’s clothes and veils herself. Judah walks by and thinks “her to be an harlot” (v15) who propositions her. As a pledge for payment (a young goat), Tamar demands his seal, cord, and staff, these are important items that essentially act as his Judah’s identification:

Judah is handing over the Near Eastern equivalent of a wallet with driver’s license and credit cards—identification that will later enable Tamar to establish her innocence. In Mesopotamia, loss of one’s seal resulted in the annulment of all legal agreements.[30] That Judah agrees to turn these items over, in spite of the potential problems, attests further to a serious (but apparently temporary) lapse of control over his physical appetite (Ben Spackman).

He sends his servant to give the animal and retrieve his items. The servant cannot find her, “but he found her not” (v20).

Three months later, Judah is told that Tamar is pregnant “by whoredom.” Furious and hypocritical, he orders her to be burned. As she is being led out, she sends the seal, cord, and staff to Judah with the message: “By the man to whom these belong, I am with child” (v25). Judah recognises his items and famously admits, “She hath been more righteous than I,” (v26) acknowledging that he failed his legal and moral obligation to provide her a family. Tamar gives birth to twin boys, Perez and Zerah.

Heather Pack reflects on how we teach this story:

Depending on how your child is attending Seminary, Tamar will be handled in two very different ways. If your family is using the home study materials, your student will be told that Tamar pretended to be a harlot, violated the law of chastity, and tricked Judah. She will be compared to Potiphar’s Wife showing that Joseph was able to resist sexual temptation and that Judah was not.  If your family is using the curriculum found in the Gospel Library app, you won’t read anything about Tamar at all. Her story is missing. In one version, she is reduced to a temptress. In the other, she disappears. Neither approach does Tamar justice (emphasis added).

Returning to the suggestion above of reading events as of their time, Tamar’s actions are justified:

[Judah] had failed to give her what the law required. She acted within that legal world to secure her protection and her future. Judah does not condemn Tamar, so why should we? (Heather Pack).

By Israelite standards, Tamar had justifiably manipulated Judah into carrying out the responsibility he had shirked for many years, depriving her in the process of children, of inheritance, and of the opportunity to remarry. In retrospect, she had even prevented him from visiting a harlot. Judah acknowledges all this in verse 26 once her identity becomes known to him (King James Version “she hath been more righteous than I,” or my translation, “she has acted more rightly than I have”). Genesis records neither taint of illicitness in their offspring nor criticism of Tamar. Her actions were unusual but, once clearly understood, not immoral by “the laws and commandments and circumstances of [her] day.” Helping Latter-day Saints understand these laws, commandments, circumstances and culture mitigates much of the discomfort with this chapter (Ben Spackman).

The baddie in this story is Judah. We also see continued theme of deception that we explored last week that began (or continued) with Jacob disguising himself as Esau. It might also be a consequence of Judah’s earlier deception of his father when he presented him with Joseph’s coat with goat’s blood. Ben Spackman even notes the commonality of language used:

[Judah and his brothers] present the coat to [Jacob] and say hakk r-na, “please recognise this, whether it is Joseph’s coat or not.” Thus is Israel deceived by means of Joseph’s coat. In Genesis 38, Judah, the deceiver, is in turn deceived as to Tamar’s identity by means of her veil. When Tamar is brought out to be burned, she presents the tokens of Judah’s identity (his staff, seal, and cord), ironically using the phrase from Judah’s plan against him: hakk r-na, “please recognize to whom these belong.” Following Joseph’s final rebuff in Genesis 39, Potiphar’s wife deceives her husband by means of Joseph’s torn garment, resulting in his incarceration.

It would appear that deception is either a frailty or a consequence that Jacob and his descendants are unable to shake.

Joseph

I’ve spent over two-thousand words exploring things that are not found in Come Follow Me, only now am I turning to the various elements which are explored by the manual- the life and experiences of Joseph. Joseph’s is a story we know well- either from reading it, the stage shows or even the Dreamworks film. In the story, Joseph is the ‘hero’, loved by his father and wronged by his brothers. There are many messages within the story that we can learn from in our daily lives.

Child of the covenant

Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colours (Genesis 37:3).

It is strange for me as a parent to suggest that I love one child more than all of the others, but it would appear that for Jacob it was so. It is most likely that this was not the technicolour coat of the films, this could have been translated as ‘pieces’ which reminds me of the Dolly Parton song, ‘Coat of Many Colours’ which is made from many different pieces reflecting her mother’s love:

For I felt I was rich

And I told ’em of the love

My mama sewed in every stitch

And I told ’em all the story

Mama told me while she sewed

And how my coat of many colours

Was worth more than all their clothes

Perhaps more importantly it also reminds me of the covenant, as the Abrahamic covenant is also known as the covenant of the pieces. The place of Joseph as the inheritor of the covenantal birthright seems to be borne out by other interpretations of the coat. It was most likely:

a tunic reaching down the arms and feet such as princes and persons of distinction wore, and it betokened to Joseph’s brothers only too clearly, their father intended to transfer to Joseph the right of the first born (Edersheim, OT,1:144).

Further:

It seems a pity to strip [Joseph] of so decorative and familiar a vesture, but, like several other elements of popular Bible lore … this one too disappears under the searching light of a more exact scholarship. What Joseph received from his father is described in original Hebrew as a “coat of pasaim” — a garment which is said in the story of Amnon and Tamar (II Samuel 13:18-19) to have been worn by the latter and to have been customarily affected by the princesses of royal blood. Now, pasaim is the plural of the word pas, which normally means “length, extension.” Literally, therefore, the garment was a “coat of lengths.” The Greek Septuagint and some of the other ancient translators took this to mean a garment made out of various lengths of different materials -that is, a kind of quilted or patch work tunic, and it is from this interpretation that the familiar “coat of many colours” is derived. What was really intended, however, was a coat which was extra-long and extended to the ankles. (Theodore H. Gaster, Myth, p. 216.)

The footnote suggests that the “indicates many colours, but the Hebrew term may indicate simply a long coat with sleeves.” Whatever its exact structure the coat was symbolic of Jacob’s favour for Joseph and became symbolic of the authority with which Joseph either had been or would be bestowed. 

Captain Moroni highlighted the identity of the Lehites as a remnant of Joseph just as the brothers presented a remnant of the coat to their father:

Moroni said unto them: Behold, we are a remnant of the seed of Jacob; yea, we are a remnant of the seed of Joseph, whose coat was rent by his brethren into many pieces; yea, and now behold, let us remember to keep the commandments of God, or our garments shall be rent by our brethren, and we be cast into prison, or be sold, or be slain (Alma 46:23).

Joseph as a ‘type’ of Jesus Christ 

This chosenness is seen by many to be ‘type’ or foreshadowing of Christ. Scripture Helps has a table that illustrates some of these:

Passages about Joseph	Similarities between Joseph and Jesus Christ	Passages about Jesus Christ
Genesis 37:3	They were beloved sons.	Matthew 3:17; Moses 4:2
Genesis 37:4	They were rejected by some of their father’s other children.	Isaiah 53:3; John 1:11
Genesis 37:18	Conspiring men united against them.	Matthew 26:3–4
Genesis 37:23	They were stripped of their clothing.	Matthew 27:28
Genesis 37:26	They were betrayed by men named Judah (“Judas” is the Greek form of the Hebrew name Judah).	Matthew 27:3
Genesis 37:28	They were sold for the price of a slave in their day—Joseph for 20 pieces of silver and Christ for 30.	Matthew 27:3
Genesis 37:29	Joseph’s oldest brother looked for him in an empty pit; Christ’s senior Apostle looked for him in an empty tomb.	John 20:3–6
Genesis 39:10	They overcame great temptation.	Hebrews 4:15; Doctrine and Covenants 20:22
Genesis 39:12–18	They were falsely accused of wickedness.	Matthew 26:59
Genesis 40:8; 41:16	They gave God the glory for the good things they did.	John 8:28–29
Genesis 42:8; 45:3–5	They were not recognized by those who should have known them.	John 6:42
Genesis 45:1–5	Joseph revealed himself to his brothers when they came the second time. Jesus Christ will reveal Himself to the world at His Second Coming.	Matthew 24:30–31; Doctrine and Covenants 45:51–53
Genesis 45:3–5	They willingly forgave those who repented.	Mosiah 26:30
Genesis 42:35; 45:7	They were saviours to their people and provided them with lifesaving bread.	John 4:42; 6:35, 51; Alma 5:34

Joseph Fielding McConkie in his book Gospel Symbolism outlined twenty-eight ways in which Joseph is a ‘type’ of Christ (some were included in the table above):

As we have already noted, Christian writers have traditionally treated the life of Joseph as prefiguring that of Christ. As Latter-day Saints we take no issue with this, and in fact with the aid of the restored gospel we can greatly improve upon their efforts to do so. The following list will illustrate:

1. Both were granted a new name. Our ancient father is known in the Bible record by two names-Joseph, the name given by his parents, and Zaphnath-paaneah (Genesis 41:45), the name given him by Pharaoh, king of Egypt. “This later name was given to him by Pharaoh in acknowledgment of the Divine wisdom which was in him. Thus, Joseph may be said to be his human name and Zaphnath-paaneah his Divine name.” (Gleanings, p. 344) Similarly, the Savior’s given name was ‘Jesus,” while “Christ” constituted a divinely given title. The remarkable significance of Joseph’s names are a matter to which we will return.
2. Both were good shepherds. Like many of our Old Testament types, Joseph was a shepherd. He and his brothers were charged to tend their father’s flock. It was in this capacity that he brought his father “their evil report” (Genesis 37:2), and became the recipient of their hatred. In this he can be likened to the Good Shepherd who was hated of the world because he testified that their deeds were evil (John 7:7).
3. Both were known as the most loved of their father. Few verses in the Old Testament seem more strangely inconsistent with the great patriarch Jacob serving as a model to emulate than the announcement that he “loved Joseph more than all his children” (Genesis 37:3) and that Joseph was favoured above his brothers. Those lacking spiritual insight have freely criticized Jacob for this behaviour, yet it perfectly represents the favouritism shown by the eternal Father to his firstborn, of whom he has repeatedly said, “Thou art my beloved Son” (Mark 1:11; 9:7; 3 Nephi 11:7; JS-H 1:17).
4. Both were clothed in authority and power of their father. The scriptural account tells us that Jacob made Joseph a “coat of many colours” (Genesis 37:3) and that this added to the envy of his brothers…
5. Both were revelators. Joseph of Egypt dreamed dreams (Genesis 37:5-10), interpreted the dreams of others (Genesis 40; 41), and prophetically described the future to his family (JST, Genesis 50:24-38). Christ, in like manner, taught of future events (Matthew 24; 3 Nephi 20; 21).
6. Both were fully obedient to the will and wishes of their father and responded to their call to serve, saying, “Here am I” (Genesis 37:13; Abraham 3:27). The type is rather remarkable. Joseph’s brothers were tending their father’s flock, yet they had broken off communication with him. Joseph was sent with word from their father, only to find that they had wandered from Shechem (“the place of the burden”) to Dothan. Such was the experience of Christ, who found that those of his brothers charged with tending his Father’s flock, the children of Israel, had also wandered far from their original pastures.
7. Both were promised a future sovereignty. It may be worthy of notice that the two recorded dreams of Joseph hinted at a double sovereignty: The first dream concerned “the field” (Genesis 37:7), thus pointing to an earthly dominion; the second dream was occupied with the sun, moon, and stars (Genesis 37:9), suggesting a heavenly rule. This would be in imitation of Christ’s ultimate triumph, which will be both temporal and spiritual.
8. Both were betrayed by their brothers. It was essential to the story that Joseph’s brothers in their betrayal first strip him of the coat or garment given him by his father. Be it remembered that Christ was also stripped of his seamless coat, which was the symbol of his high priestly office.
9. Both were cast into a pit-Christ to the world of spirits, Joseph into an empty cistern, where he remained according to Jewish tradition for three days and three nights (Legends 2:14; Genesis 37:24; Isaiah 24:22).
10. Both were betrayed with the utmost hypocrisy. “Let us sell him to the Ishmeelites,” said Joseph’s brothers, “and let not our hand be upon him” (Genesis 37:27). When Pilate told the Jews to take Christ and judge him according to their law they responded, “It is not lawful for us to put any man to death” John 18:31).
11. Both were sold. It was Judah that sold Joseph for twenty pieces of silver (Genesis 37:26-28), as it was Judas (Greek for Tudah who sold Jesus for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15).
12. The blood-sprinkled coat of each was presented to his father. “And they took Joseph’s coat, and killed a kid of the goats, and dipped the coat in the blood; and they sent the coat of many colours, and they brought it to their father” (Genesis 37:31-32). The blood of Jesus Christ as the blood of a scapegoat, a sin offering, was symbolically presented to the Father.
13. Both blessed those with whom they laboured in prison (Genesis 39:21-23; Isaiah 61:1; D&C 138).
14. Both were servants, and as such all that they touched were blessed.
15. Both were tempted with great sin and both refused its enticements (Genesis 39; Matthew 4:1-11).
16. Both were falsely accused: Joseph by Potiphar’s wife, Christ by false witnesses. (Christ did not defend himself against the false charges, and there is no record of Joseph doing so, either.)
17. Both stood as the source of divine knowledge to their day and generation. All the wisdom of Egypt had failed to interpret the king’s dreams before Joseph was sought and successfully did so. So it was with Christ-in him and him alone were the truths to be found by which man could be saved. Joseph’s Egyptian name, Zaphnath-paaneah, means “he who reveals that which is hidden” (see Bible Dictionary, “Zaphnath-paaneah”).
18. Both were triumphant, overcoming all.
19. Both were granted rule over all. To Joseph, Pharaoh said, “According unto thy word shall all my people be ruled: only in the throne will I be greater than thou (Genesis 41:40). Christ, in like manner, was welcomed in the royal courts on high, where he sits on the right hand of the Father with “angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto him” (1 Peter 3:22).
20. Both were thirty years old when they began their life’s work. “And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt” (Genesis 41:46). And of the time when Christ commenced his public ministry we read, “And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age” (Luke 3:23).
21. Both were saviours to their people, giving them the bread of life. The sin of Joseph’s brothers turned into the source of their salvation. Through him they were saved. He alone had power to grant to them the bread of life. Further, that same temporal salvation that he offered to trembling Israel was extended to all the nations of the earth. He granted them not only food but seed to sow their fields. How perfect the type! We need but change the name from Joseph to Christ, and the bread of life from the temporal to the eternal, and our story is the same.
22. The rejection of both brought bondage upon the people. “Just as a few years after his brethren had rejected Joseph, they were forced by a famine (sent from God) to leave their land and go down to Egypt, so a few years after the Jews had rejected Christ and delivered Him up to the Gentiles, God’s judgment descended upon them, and the Romans drove them from their land, and dispersed them throughout the world” (Gleanings, p. 391).
23. Both were unrecognised by their people. When Joseph’s brothers came seeking the bread of life, they failed to recognize that it was Joseph who extended the blessing that they sought. Only after he had identified himself did they know him. “I am Joseph,” he said. “Come near to me, I pray you … be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life” (Genesis 45:3-5). Do not our scriptures prophesy of that day when the Jews shall look upon the Saviour and say: “What are these wounds in thine hands and in thy feet? Then shall they know that I am the Lord; for I will say unto them: These wounds are the wounds with which I was wounded in the house of my friends. I am he who was lifted up. I am Jesus that was crucified. I am the Son of God. And then shall they weep because of their iniquities; then shall they lament because they persecuted their king.” (D&C 45:51-53.)
24. Both would be recognized and accepted by their brothers only at the “second time.” Such was the testimony of Stephen, who declared to a corrupt Sanhedrin that it was only “at the second time Joseph was made known to his brethren” (Acts 7:13); and so it would be with Christ.
25. As Joseph’s brothers bowed to him in fulfilment of prophecy, so all will yet bow the knee to Christ (Genesis 43:26-28; D&C 76:110).
26. Through both, mercy is granted to a repentant people. As Joseph’s brothers sought forgiveness of him, so Christ’s brothers will eventually seek forgiveness of him. In both instances the mercies of heaven are freely given.
27. After the reconciliation, Israel is gathered. Having manifest himself to his brothers, Joseph charged them to return and bring their father and families to Egypt. So it shall be in the last days. After Israel have returned to their God, they, like Joseph’s brothers, shall be given a change of raiment (Genesis 45:22) and sent to bring all the family of Israel into the kingdom ruled by Christ.
28. To ailing Jacob, then nearly blind, the Lord said: “Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes” (Genesis 46:4). Through him you shall see, through him you shall be gathered, through him you shall be introduced to the king and granted a land from whence you shall increase endlessly. Such is our story and such is our type. Again, how perfect: We but substitute Christ for Joseph and extend the temporal blessings to the endless eternities, and our story is one and the same.

The Trials of Joseph

There are many things throughout Joseph’s life where he may have felt alone and abandoned. The Come Follow Me manual highlights:

We know that God blesses people who trust Him and keep His commandments. But sometimes it doesn’t seem that way. Sometimes the person who trusts God is abused and abandoned by family members. Sometimes the person who bravely refuses to violate the law of chastity gets falsely accused anyway. When things like that happen to us, we might be tempted to become angry with God. We might wonder, “What’s the point of trying to do the right thing if it only seems to make life harder?” Joseph, the son of Jacob, could have wondered that. At times, this faithful man prospered; at other times, it seemed that the more faithful he was, the more hardship he faced. But Joseph never left the Lord, and the Lord never left Joseph. That doesn’t mean the Lord prevented bad things from happening to Joseph, but through it all, “the Lord was with him” (Genesis 39:3). Time and again, good fortune seemed to abandon Joseph, but the Lord never did.

This approach to life seems to be highlighted in the song ‘Close Every Door’ from the musical:

Close every door to me

Hide all the world from me

Bar all the windows

And shut out the light

Do what you want with me

Hate me and laugh at me

Darken my daytime

And torture my night

If my life were important I

Would ask will I live or die

But I know the answers lie

Far from this world

Close every door to me

Keep those I love from me

Children of Israel

Are never alone

For we know we shall find

Our own peace of mind

For we have been promised

A land of our own

Just give me a number

Instead of my name

Forget all about me

And let me decay

I do not matter

I’m only one person

Destroy me completely

Then throw me away

If my life were important I

Would ask will I live or die

But I know the answers lie

Far from this world

Close every door to me

Keep those I love from me

Children of Israel

Are never alone

For we know we shall find

Our own peace of mind

For we have been promised

A land of our own

As we reflect on the various events of Joseph’s life- being rejected of his brothers, being sold into Egypt, being falsely accused, being thrown into prison, forgotten by his friends and more we might think of our own trials. There may be times where we feel we are alone but invariably it is when we focus only on ourselves rather than the Saviour:

For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it (Matthew 16:25).

I think of times in my life where I become preoccupied with immediate issues and concerns and how they seem to be dragging me down. I get focussed on my grip on the rope or maybe a strand that seems to be becoming loose and lose sight of my Saviour and his continued love. I adopt a ‘Wo is me’ attitude and question whether I have the strength to carry on, forgetting that it is the Saviour that will enable this to happen. If we feel this way we are in good company. Joseph Smith had a similar conversation with the Lord:

O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place? How long shall thy hand be stayed, and thine eye, yea thy pure eye, behold from the eternal heavens the wrongs of thy people and of thy servants, and thine ear be penetrated with their cries? Yea, O Lord, how long shall they suffer these wrongs and unlawful oppressions, before thine heart shall be softened toward them, and thy bowels be moved with compassion toward them? (D&C 121:1-3).

We can all think of examples where we are led to ask this question in desperation. We’ve done all that we have been asked, and yet opposition and adversity come. We perhaps think we deserve a break. Elder Neal A. Maxwell perhaps expressed it best:

A basic cause of murmuring is that too many of us seem to expect that life will flow ever smoothly, featuring an unbroken chain of green lights with empty parking places just in front of our destinations!

He further warns of the dangers of murmuring:

Damage to ourselves is sufficient reason to resist murmuring, but another obvious danger is its contagiousness. Even faithful Father Lehi, for one brief moment, got caught up in the contagion of murmuring. (See 1 Nephi 16:20.) Similarly, when Moses lapsed, very briefly, it was under exasperating pressure from rebels. (See Numbers 20:7–12.) No one knows how to work a crowd better than the adversary… Murmuring can also be noisy enough that it drowns out the various spiritual signals to us, signals which tell us, in some cases, to quit soaking ourselves indulgently in the hot tubs of self-pity! Murmuring over the weight of our crosses not only takes energy otherwise needed to carry them but might cause another to put down his cross altogether. 

In my mission scriptures I have a brief story that illustrates this:

It is said that the devil once held a sale of all the tools of his trade. Everything was displayed in a beautiful plate glass window. His keen edged dagger of jealousy, his sledgehammer of anger, his bow of greed, his arrows of lust and covetousness, his weapons of vanity, fear, envy and pride. Under each was its price.  In the place of honour, framed and set apart from all the rest, was a small wedge dented and marked with use. The name of this wedge was DISCOURAGEMENT. The price set upon it was higher than all the other tools combined. 

When asked the reason for this amazing difference, the devil explained, ‘It is because this is the one tool I can use when all other fail. Let me get that little wedge into a man’s consciousness and it opens up the way for the other things. That wedge has opened more doors than all the other weapons combined.

Discouragement and murmuring are the thin end of a very worrying wedge. The Lord reminds us:

And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way… (D&C 122:7-9)

The response is not ‘quit bellyaching, I’ve had it worse’ which is one way it could be read, but ‘Hold on! And you can hold on because I have descended below them all- I know the end from the beginning, and I can give you the strength to both hold on and to understand the situation.’

Misery loves company and it is easy to be caught up with others in complaining. Elder Maxwell suggests: 

Instead of murmuring, therefore, being of good cheer is what is needed, and being of good cheer is equally contagious. We have clear obligations to so strengthen each other by doing things “with cheerful hearts and countenances” (Doctrine and Covenants 59:15; see also Doctrine and Covenants 81:5).

I think that’s probably enough for now! I haven’t even mentioned the lessons we can learn from Joseph’s resisting of temptation, interpreting dreams, or being blessed, but those are lessons we perhaps already know!