Sleeping With the Enemy is only part one of a trilogy. It tells the story of Joseph's wife and son Benjamin through the use of flashback. Benjamin was hidden from those who would pursue him while Joseph was in prison. His life was saved by his grandfather Joseph. Benjamin's father, Jacob, also was saved in this way by his father-in-law, Joseph. The story begins when Joseph and his brothers go to Egypt to buy grain. When they arrive there, they find that Egypt is in the midst of a famine. The brothers have a difficult time staying out of the sight of Pharaoh and his court officials and so they are imprisoned.
At this point, we are told the story of Joseph's years in prison and how he is saved from being killed by his two Egyptian guard guards. The brothers arrive and plead with Pharaoh to have their older brother (Joseph) release from prison. Instead, he is placed in prison for a second time where his brothers eventually come and seek him out and eventually buy him. This story is told by Joseph through flashback and we find Joseph in prison where he has a wife and two sons. He spends many years in prison where he eventually became second in command.
During his years as a prisoner he learned that famine had taken hold of the land. He also found out that his father and brothers were still alive and that his wife Mary (Jacob's daughter) was dead. He had to take care of his children so his father would not find out he was a captive.
This story is told from the point of view of the older brother, Judah, but the younger brothers, Reuben and Simeon, also tell their own stories and these are included as well.
The story ends with the reunion of Joseph and his family. The sons are still young and the stories they tell about the time while they were in Egypt and the time when they left with their father as Hebrews back to their homeland is what the stories are about.
There is so much more that could be said about this story. This is one of my favorite stories in the Bible and how Joseph goes from having an entire nation of captives in Egypt to being the prime minister in charge of the storehouses to becoming Israel's "second" to Jacob. This is a true story of redemption and of God's faithfulness. God can use anyone for His work whether they be a ruler, a commoner, a slave or any human being. God can take anyone and mold them into being someone that God needs them to be.
We see the importance of Joseph in the life of God's people. Each has a place in God's plan of redemption. Each needs the other in order for redemption to be accomplished. We have an example in the life of Joseph.
We also see how it works in reverse with Jacob and Joseph's family. If you can look at how Jacob and Joseph's families have to come together to accomplish redemption, then you will understand what happens to Jesus' family when He went to the cross. Jesus' family was scattered at His death and the only way to accomplish redemption is to bring them all back together.
In other words, God has appointed for His people to have what He has called us to do; we are to be His agents in the world until the end time.
In the second part of the story, when the brothers come and ask Joseph to join them back to their homeland and their father, Joseph's response is what you should be able to see and what you have come to expect in the lives of the other major characters. Joseph was honest in not wanting to leave Egypt. He said he would stay in prison as long as they needed him there. He also knows that he is in no real danger for his life. He knows that in time of war he will be set free, the only issue is whether he chooses to go with the brothers or not. They take the trip back home with their youngest brother, Benjamin.
One thing you may be wondering is where does Jacob fit into the story. How is he involved? This brings up two questions. Where was he during the entire story? Second, how does Jacob fit into this story?
Where was Jacob?
The book of Genesis is a book about Joseph and his family but it is also about Jacob. While he was in prison, Jacob was still alive but he was very old.
In the life of Jacob you will see the same thing as Joseph. There are great challenges but there is redemption. One of the greatest challenges is when the other sons take advantage of him when they take all the flocks and herds and leave him to die alone in a cave. God's people often feel like they are left alone to die in the ways of life. But even in a place like this, God is at work.
The story of Jacob and Joseph tells us about how God can use us when we are not even aware that He is at work with us. God can be working in our lives while we are sitting around a fire place talking with friends and family or even when we are in a place we would never choose to be. We can be at the end of our rope, unable to continue. We can feel as if all of our dreams have been lost. God will not let us give up until the job He has for us is complete. God will help us stay motivated until the work is finished and God shows us how to continue.
Where was Jacob during the story of Joseph? He was in Egypt and had traveled with the other sons who were taking their brother, Benjamin, home. Once they reached home, Jacob made his way back to his son's home in Canaan. This would be a reunion that would reunite two families (and one that would eventually produce many sons) and bring reconciliation between father and son and bring together a nation of people that God has called his.
How does this tie in to redemption? This is one of the best parts of the story and how God works in and with His people.
As I was reading this part of the story, I was thinking about a situation I have seen happen to one of my friends who was facing foreclosure on his home. He had made a bad financial choice and eventually the bank wanted to foreclose on him because they had a policy that you were no longer a bank customer if you were behind on your payments three times.
Now, he was also dealing with a life threatening illness. His wife had fallen ill and there was no way for him to take care of all the bills he needed to take care of while taking care of his wife. He had no extra money for his home, utilities, doctors, or his family, which had recently expanded by having a child. He knew that he would not have to worry about all of these things if he didn't lose his home to foreclosure but he had no one to help him at the time.
As his wife was being prepped for surgery and he was in his car trying to make a three hour trip to see her, he received a phone call from a friend who he hardly ever heard from. At this time, he had not heard from this person for quite some time because he knew that this friend was very busy. He was also sure that he didn't have the money to give this friend. Now, this friend did make an offer of help but in the manner he had always offered.
"I know that you are in a bad situation. I am not sure that I can help you at this time but you are a good man. I will make a prayer intercession for you and we will see what happens."
It was then that the friend said something to the effect that, "You know, sometimes God puts situations in front of us and you just have to trust that He will help us through it."
And in a way he was right. God did put a situation in front of us that would allow us to get to know this person better, the friend we read about in this book of Genesis. Even when God takes everything away from us, He can still give us enough to carry on in the future and to serve Him in a way that we never had before. When I said that I would trust God, it was with the understanding that I would not know how God would act and that His ways are often different than my ways.
But what God did for us was take all that we thought was lost and show us that He was able to save us because of Jesus. He showed us that He is our Redeemer, He is our Comforter, and He is our Holy Spirit. What He did for Joseph was more than just saving him. He gave him the opportunity to be the one in charge of Joseph's whole family. He gave Joseph the chance to go from being second in command to fathering many children who would take over and bring into their families.
These things are what we should expect in our lives as we live for God and as we do our best to spread the gospel by what we do and say.
I have had the
