IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JOSEPH - "Please Listen to This Dream"

 JOSEPH looked longinly toward the east, wishing he could break away from the caravan and make a run for it.  Somewhere beyond those hills, at no great distance, lay his home in Hebron. His father, Jacob, would be settling in for the evening, utterly unaware of what had befallen  his favorite son. But Joseph could not get to him now; for all the young man knew, he might neve see that dear old face again.  The traders eyed him as they urged their camels along the well-worn track of the road heading southy. They owned Joseph now, and they would not let him outo f their sight. To them, this boy was like their precious cargo of fragrant gums and oils-valued merchandise that would fetch a profit in Egypt.

Joseph could not have been much more than 17 years old.  Imagine turning to sqint into the western sky, where the sun was nearing  the horizon of the Great Sea, as he tried to fathom how his world had fallen apart.  It was hard to believe that his own brothers had come close to murdering him and had then sold him as a slave.  It must have been a struggle for Joseph to hold back his tears. He could not guess what his future would hold. 

How did Joseph get into sucnh a terrible predicament?  And what can we learn from the faith of a young man who was victimized and rejected by members of his own family!

Next time: IMITATE THEIR FAITH/JOSEPH -"Please Listen to This Dream- A COMPLICATED FAMILY BACKGROUND

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