\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/iframe><\/code><\/p>\n<p><em>People talk about how they give to those in need.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph may simply remember him for his <em>Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat<\/em>, while others more theologically invested in Scripture may understand Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s as a story of God<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s providence.\u00a0 Still others may read this story at the end of Genesis as one about a younger brother<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s largess surprising his bullying older brothers as a literary forerunner to the television series, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>Undercover Boss.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Television viewers watch as a CEO works alongside company employees in disguise. The CEO<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s grand reveal renders workers overwhelmed with emotion, in much the same way Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s revelation renders his brothers speechless.\u00a0 On the show, poor work habits and questionable ethics place many employees in precarious positions, while others receive extravagant rewards for their stellar on-the-job performance.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s story, the last among the patriarchal narratives of Genesis, begins when he, the favored son of Jacob, shares his dream of family members bowing down to him with his brothers, a dream that causes his brothers to hate him all the more.\u00a0 The friction and dysfunction escalates when Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s brothers throw him in a pit and eventually sell him to a group of Ishmaelites.\u00a0 Away from his family, Joseph overcomes various trials and tribulations before he ascends to great power.\u00a0 The Pharaoh promotes him in the Egyptian palace, renames him Zaphenath-paneah and sets him <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>over all the land of Egypt.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> In Genesis 45, Joseph reunites with his brothers, and the narrative focus shifts. The Israelites migrate to Egypt, and readers anticipate The Exodus.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s is a story of family strife, forgiveness, reconciliation, providence, provision, and humility.\u00a0 After two encounters with their brother (who has assumed an Egyptian name and remained incognito), Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s brothers return to Egypt seeking pardon from the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s vizier.\u00a0 The brothers require exoneration because a palace steward accuses them of stealing a cup from the palace.\u00a0 In Genesis 45:1-15, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, restores his relationship with them, and relocates his entire family\u2014brothers included\u2014to Egypt.\u00a0 In the fifth verse, after identifying himself as their long-lost brother, Joseph tells Jacob<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s sons, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Joseph proactively acknowledges that The Divine positioned him to save the lives of others.<\/p>\n<p>This story begs modern readers to question, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>What if each of us has been divinely positioned for life-giving, sustaining, or reviving purposes?<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Who might we be standing in front of such that our actions\u2014big and small\u2014could save or preserve their life?\u00a0 The homeless person asking for change?\u00a0 The mentally ill or under-treated living outdoors without warm clothes, food, or shelter?\u00a0 The disoriented man or woman looking to <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>re-enter<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> society after living as an incarcerated inmate?\u00a0 The nervous individual whose eyes you met in the convenience store and who may, in fact, be the victim of human trafficking?\u00a0 The immigrant children who seek asylum within our country<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s borders?\u00a0 The teen who hangs on the street corner late at night because she wants to put off returning to the abuse that is in her home?\u00a0 What ought we to do?<\/p>\n<p>When confronted with the uncomfortable presence of so many relegated to the social margins of our society, we tend to shrink inward lest the enormity of life<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s injustices overwhelm us.\u00a0 When we hear of another shooting, we heighten our vigilance with our own kids.\u00a0 We do not allow them to take public transportation.\u00a0 We drop them off and pick them up with little time for them to wait aimlessly.\u00a0 We fill their days with activities we can monitor.\u00a0 We are overwhelmed.\u00a0 Sadly, we turn our backs on the child whose parents are absent or on the community conditions that allow the crime to continue. \u00a0When we see a disheveled, animated person, we bristle, avert our eyes, rehearse our\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>I don<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>t have any money to give you today<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> response, or redirect our path to avoid them altogether.\u00a0 We are overwhelmed by social displacement.\u00a0 We do not know how to fix what is wrong.\u00a0 We feel inadequate.\u00a0 We experience dis-ease.\u00a0 But what if our overwhelmed, seemingly insignificant, and certainly inconvenient act is the very thing that will preserve life?<\/p>\n<p>As the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s second-in-command in charge of administering the empire<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s grain silos during the famine, Joseph preserved life long before his brothers appeared before him.\u00a0 As the dream-interpreting, forward-planning Vizier of Egypt, Joseph had already saved the lives of many\u2014the entire Egyptian community and all those who travelled there seeking relief from the famine in the land.<\/p>\n<p>Though his act of providing for his family seems magnanimous and extreme, as the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s senior administrator, Joseph had the weight of the entire empire at his command.\u00a0 Relocating his family from impoverished Canaan to resource-rich Egypt was an important thing, but it was a small thing.\u00a0 Sometimes a relatively small thing preserves life.\u00a0 Sometimes preserving life is the change in your pocket, the attentive eye contact that assures another that you see and value their humanity, or the willingness to help another find the help they need.\u00a0 Preserving life may mean giving more than the change in your pocket, changing laws that devalue the humanity of others, or leveraging your privilege to connect those who need care with care-givers.\u00a0 All to preserve the life of many.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph is clear.\u00a0 God sent him to preserve the life of others. \u00a0 I suspect it feels good to act in confidence knowing that God sent you. That you did not take the subject position, but are the object of God<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s life-preserving work here on earth.\u00a0 That The Divine\u2014not you\u2014puts you where you are supposed to be: in front of people for life-giving, sustaining, and reviving.<\/p>\n<p>Genesis 45:1-17 is relevant for modern readers because it calls us all to a communal accountability and responsibility.\u00a0 To this end, I invite you to consider your choosing to read this post as a divinely providential reminder that perhaps you may have come for such a time as this.\u00a0 Now.\u00a0 Go and do!\u00a0 Go and do those things that preserve the lives of people around you!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><em><b>Bible Study Questions<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\n<\/p><ol class=\"ol1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">With which character or characters of Genesis 45 do you most identify? \u00a0Why?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">In front of whom are you standing such that your actions may save their life?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Despite your discomfort, how might your actions preserve the life of another?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"p3\"><em><b>For Further Reading<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">Ellison, Gregory C., <em>Cut Dead but Still Alive: Caring for African American Young Men<\/em>.\u00a0 Nashville: Abingdon, 2013.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Lewis, Barbara\u00a0 A., <em>The Kid\u2019s Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-and Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action.<\/em>\u00a0 Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 1998.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hbo.com\/documentaries\/paycheck-to-paycheck-the-life-and-times-of-katrina-gilbert\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s3\">Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilber<\/span><\/a>\u201d HBO documentary<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.redcross.org\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s4\">www.redcross.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedway.org\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s4\">www.unitedway.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p4\">\n<\/p><p class=\"p1\"><i><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/132\/2013\/09\/Russaw.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2091\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/132\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Russaw\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"><\/a>Kimberly Dawn Russaw is\u00a0a doctoral candidateat Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) studying the Old Testament\/Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel.\u00a0 She is an active member of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion, and has presented and published in numerous scholarly and ecclesial contexts.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/news\/onscripture-the-bible\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>About ON Scripture<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Learn more about the <a href=\"http:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/on-scripture-the-bible\/on-scripture-editorial-committee\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>ON Scripture Editorial Committee<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Like ON Scripture on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/onscripture\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Follow ON Scripture on Twitter <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/OnScripture\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">@OnScripture<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">ON Scripture \u2013 The Bible is made possible by generous grants<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Lilly Endowment<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hluce.org\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Henry Luce Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/images\/logo_theendowment.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"51\" height=\"52\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hluce.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/logo01.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"100\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph may simply remember him for his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, while others more theologically invested in Scripture may understand Joseph\u2019s as a story of God\u2019s providence.\u00a0 Still others may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":625,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[341,311,622,565,67],"class_list":["post-2353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-compassion","tag-family","tag-generosity","tag-sacred-texts","tag-social-justice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>On Scripture – The Bible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"On Scripture - The Bible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\"},\"description\":\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/\",\"name\":\"On Scripture - The Bible\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\",\"name\":\"Odyssey Networks\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Odyssey Networks\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On Scripture – The Bible","description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","og_site_name":"On Scripture - The Bible","article_published_time":"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Odyssey Networks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Odyssey Networks","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","name":"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f"},"description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/","name":"On Scripture - The Bible","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f","name":"Odyssey Networks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Odyssey Networks"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/625"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
<\/iframe><\/code><\/p>\n<p><em>People talk about how they give to those in need.<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p1\">Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph may simply remember him for his <em>Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat<\/em>, while others more theologically invested in Scripture may understand Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s as a story of God<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s providence.\u00a0 Still others may read this story at the end of Genesis as one about a younger brother<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s largess surprising his bullying older brothers as a literary forerunner to the television series, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>Undercover Boss.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Television viewers watch as a CEO works alongside company employees in disguise. The CEO<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s grand reveal renders workers overwhelmed with emotion, in much the same way Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s revelation renders his brothers speechless.\u00a0 On the show, poor work habits and questionable ethics place many employees in precarious positions, while others receive extravagant rewards for their stellar on-the-job performance.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s story, the last among the patriarchal narratives of Genesis, begins when he, the favored son of Jacob, shares his dream of family members bowing down to him with his brothers, a dream that causes his brothers to hate him all the more.\u00a0 The friction and dysfunction escalates when Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s brothers throw him in a pit and eventually sell him to a group of Ishmaelites.\u00a0 Away from his family, Joseph overcomes various trials and tribulations before he ascends to great power.\u00a0 The Pharaoh promotes him in the Egyptian palace, renames him Zaphenath-paneah and sets him <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>over all the land of Egypt.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> In Genesis 45, Joseph reunites with his brothers, and the narrative focus shifts. The Israelites migrate to Egypt, and readers anticipate The Exodus.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s is a story of family strife, forgiveness, reconciliation, providence, provision, and humility.\u00a0 After two encounters with their brother (who has assumed an Egyptian name and remained incognito), Joseph<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s brothers return to Egypt seeking pardon from the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s vizier.\u00a0 The brothers require exoneration because a palace steward accuses them of stealing a cup from the palace.\u00a0 In Genesis 45:1-15, Joseph reveals his identity to his brothers, restores his relationship with them, and relocates his entire family\u2014brothers included\u2014to Egypt.\u00a0 In the fifth verse, after identifying himself as their long-lost brother, Joseph tells Jacob<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s sons, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>And now do not be distressed, or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Joseph proactively acknowledges that The Divine positioned him to save the lives of others.<\/p>\n<p>This story begs modern readers to question, <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>What if each of us has been divinely positioned for life-giving, sustaining, or reviving purposes?<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span>\u00a0 Who might we be standing in front of such that our actions\u2014big and small\u2014could save or preserve their life?\u00a0 The homeless person asking for change?\u00a0 The mentally ill or under-treated living outdoors without warm clothes, food, or shelter?\u00a0 The disoriented man or woman looking to <span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>re-enter<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> society after living as an incarcerated inmate?\u00a0 The nervous individual whose eyes you met in the convenience store and who may, in fact, be the victim of human trafficking?\u00a0 The immigrant children who seek asylum within our country<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s borders?\u00a0 The teen who hangs on the street corner late at night because she wants to put off returning to the abuse that is in her home?\u00a0 What ought we to do?<\/p>\n<p>When confronted with the uncomfortable presence of so many relegated to the social margins of our society, we tend to shrink inward lest the enormity of life<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s injustices overwhelm us.\u00a0 When we hear of another shooting, we heighten our vigilance with our own kids.\u00a0 We do not allow them to take public transportation.\u00a0 We drop them off and pick them up with little time for them to wait aimlessly.\u00a0 We fill their days with activities we can monitor.\u00a0 We are overwhelmed.\u00a0 Sadly, we turn our backs on the child whose parents are absent or on the community conditions that allow the crime to continue. \u00a0When we see a disheveled, animated person, we bristle, avert our eyes, rehearse our\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">\u201c<\/span>I don<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>t have any money to give you today<span class=\"s1\">\u201d<\/span> response, or redirect our path to avoid them altogether.\u00a0 We are overwhelmed by social displacement.\u00a0 We do not know how to fix what is wrong.\u00a0 We feel inadequate.\u00a0 We experience dis-ease.\u00a0 But what if our overwhelmed, seemingly insignificant, and certainly inconvenient act is the very thing that will preserve life?<\/p>\n<p>As the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s second-in-command in charge of administering the empire<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s grain silos during the famine, Joseph preserved life long before his brothers appeared before him.\u00a0 As the dream-interpreting, forward-planning Vizier of Egypt, Joseph had already saved the lives of many\u2014the entire Egyptian community and all those who travelled there seeking relief from the famine in the land.<\/p>\n<p>Though his act of providing for his family seems magnanimous and extreme, as the Pharaoh<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s senior administrator, Joseph had the weight of the entire empire at his command.\u00a0 Relocating his family from impoverished Canaan to resource-rich Egypt was an important thing, but it was a small thing.\u00a0 Sometimes a relatively small thing preserves life.\u00a0 Sometimes preserving life is the change in your pocket, the attentive eye contact that assures another that you see and value their humanity, or the willingness to help another find the help they need.\u00a0 Preserving life may mean giving more than the change in your pocket, changing laws that devalue the humanity of others, or leveraging your privilege to connect those who need care with care-givers.\u00a0 All to preserve the life of many.<\/p>\n<p>Joseph is clear.\u00a0 God sent him to preserve the life of others. \u00a0 I suspect it feels good to act in confidence knowing that God sent you. That you did not take the subject position, but are the object of God<span class=\"s1\">\u2019<\/span>s life-preserving work here on earth.\u00a0 That The Divine\u2014not you\u2014puts you where you are supposed to be: in front of people for life-giving, sustaining, and reviving.<\/p>\n<p>Genesis 45:1-17 is relevant for modern readers because it calls us all to a communal accountability and responsibility.\u00a0 To this end, I invite you to consider your choosing to read this post as a divinely providential reminder that perhaps you may have come for such a time as this.\u00a0 Now.\u00a0 Go and do!\u00a0 Go and do those things that preserve the lives of people around you!<\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\"><em><b>Bible Study Questions<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"p2\">\n<\/p><ol class=\"ol1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">With which character or characters of Genesis 45 do you most identify? \u00a0Why?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">In front of whom are you standing such that your actions may save their life?<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Despite your discomfort, how might your actions preserve the life of another?<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p class=\"p3\"><em><b>For Further Reading<\/b><\/em><\/p>\n<ul class=\"ul1\">\n<li class=\"li1\">Ellison, Gregory C., <em>Cut Dead but Still Alive: Caring for African American Young Men<\/em>.\u00a0 Nashville: Abingdon, 2013.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">Lewis, Barbara\u00a0 A., <em>The Kid\u2019s Guide to Social Action: How to Solve the Social Problems You Choose-and Turn Creative Thinking into Positive Action.<\/em>\u00a0 Minneapolis: Free Spirit Publishing, 1998.<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\">\u201c<a href=\"http:\/\/www.hbo.com\/documentaries\/paycheck-to-paycheck-the-life-and-times-of-katrina-gilbert\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s3\">Paycheck to Paycheck: The Life and Times of Katrina Gilber<\/span><\/a>\u201d HBO documentary<\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.redcross.org\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s4\">www.redcross.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<li class=\"li1\"><span class=\"s2\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.unitedway.org\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"s4\">www.unitedway.org<\/span><\/a><\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p class=\"p4\">\n<\/p><p class=\"p1\"><i><a href=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/132\/2013\/09\/Russaw.jpg\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-thumbnail wp-image-2091\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-media.patheos.com\/blogs\/sites\/132\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg\" alt=\"Russaw\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\"><\/a>Kimberly Dawn Russaw is\u00a0a doctoral candidateat Vanderbilt University (Nashville, TN) studying the Old Testament\/Hebrew Bible and Ancient Israel.\u00a0 She is an active member of both the Society of Biblical Literature and the American Academy of Religion, and has presented and published in numerous scholarly and ecclesial contexts.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>\u00a0<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\"><a href=\"http:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/news\/onscripture-the-bible\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>About ON Scripture<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Learn more about the <a href=\"http:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/on-scripture-the-bible\/on-scripture-editorial-committee\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"><strong>ON Scripture Editorial Committee<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Like ON Scripture on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/onscripture\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Facebook<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">Follow ON Scripture on Twitter <a href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/OnScripture\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">@OnScripture<\/a><\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">ON Scripture \u2013 The Bible is made possible by generous grants<\/p>\n<p align=\"center\">from the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\">Lilly Endowment<\/a> and the <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hluce.org\/\" class=\" decorated-link\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Henry Luce Foundation<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.lillyendowment.org\/images\/logo_theendowment.gif\" alt=\"\" width=\"51\" height=\"52\" border=\"0\"><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.hluce.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" class=\" decorated-link\" rel=\"nofollow\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/odysseynetworks.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/06\/logo01.jpg\" alt=\"\" height=\"100\" border=\"0\"><\/a><\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph may simply remember him for his Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, while others more theologically invested in Scripture may understand Joseph\u2019s as a story of God\u2019s providence.\u00a0 Still others may […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":625,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[341,311,622,565,67],"class_list":["post-2353","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-on-scripture","tag-compassion","tag-family","tag-generosity","tag-sacred-texts","tag-social-justice"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>On Scripture – The Bible<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"On Scripture - The Bible\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Odyssey Networks\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\",\"name\":\"\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\"},\"datePublished\":\"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\"},\"description\":\"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/\",\"name\":\"On Scripture - The Bible\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f\",\"name\":\"Odyssey Networks\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Odyssey Networks\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"On Scripture – The Bible","description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","og_url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","og_site_name":"On Scripture - The Bible","article_published_time":"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00","article_modified_time":"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00","og_image":[{"url":"http:\/\/wp.production.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/files\/2013\/09\/Russaw-150x150.jpg"}],"author":"Odyssey Networks","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Odyssey Networks","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/","name":"","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website"},"datePublished":"2014-08-11T08:00:02+00:00","dateModified":"2014-08-08T20:54:04+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f"},"description":"\u00a0By Kimberly D. Russaw. People talk about how they give to those in need. Those readers who have a passing acquaintance with the biblical story of Joseph","inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/2014\/08\/2353\/"]}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/","name":"On Scripture - The Bible","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/b8f5e06ed6c494e540a6fff0f5b9906f","name":"Odyssey Networks","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/dbc506f6127d85b97874708793ff88d0?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Odyssey Networks"},"url":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/author\/odysseynetworks\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/625"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2353"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2353\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2353"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2353"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/onscripture\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2353"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}