Rich with details

The next time someone tells you that the Bible is a dry book best meant for church, tell them to read the story of Joseph. Every time I read the story of Joseph I just marvel, because it is so incredibly full of texture and fabric and everything that makes for an amazing story.

The story trails back to even before Joseph was born, of course, but even just consider Joseph's childhood--surrounded by three mom-ish things, plus a real mother, and 10 older brothers who didn't think too keenly of Joseph. Consider the account of Rachel dying while bearing Benjamin. Do we ever stop to think that Joseph was motherless? I think his motherlessness must have had at least some effect on the way he turned out.

I mean, consider Reuben's sin with Bilhah (clearly didn't get the thou-shalt-not memo in regards to thy father's wife), and then contrast that with Joseph's clear refusal of Potiphar's wife. Clearly their moral standards were not on the same level.

Then consider the interesting emphasis there is, in Joseph's story, on his various coats. His coat of many colours, the coat that Potiphar's wife stole from his back, the coat he donned to go meet with Pharaoh, and the coat that Pharaoh put on him after making him second-in-command. No "dry book" would spend time talking about someone's various outfits.

I could go on and on, but I think you all know the story. I just love to read it, and see all those little things that make the story seem so much more real. For instance, after Joseph cried when he saw Benjamin for the first time, he washed his face before coming back in. The Bible doesn't have to record that, but it makes it so much more remarkable when it does!

Plus, since Joseph is a type of Christ, that brings a whole new level of meaning to the story. Honestly, it's truly incredible!

Well-favoured

I'd actually forgotten about this until I was reading the story of Jacob and Leah/Rachel yesterday morning, but I think it bears repeating.

You know how the Bible describes Rachel as well-favoured? Well, that word "well favoured" is usually coupled, in the Bible, with the term for people who were a little stockier, or chubbier, or whatever word you choose to use.

The cattle in Pharaoh's dream, the one Joseph had to interpret, the one where they were fatfleshed? Yeah, well-favoured cattle.

Remember how the prince of the eunuchs in Daniel's time was worried about them eating the pulse instead of king's meat, because they'd get too skinny? Those kids were well-favoured.

Does that mean Rachel fell in that category? Not per se, however, I thought that was pretty amusing.

I'm not sure this bears any significance upon my daily life, or yours, but it made me grin as I read it in my Bible reading. Nice.