Even after Jacob's death -- some 17 years later -- he only wept when confronted with his brothers' guilt and evident fear. He also rejected even the idea of balancing past wrongs with present ones, acknowledging that, ultimately, only God can judge:
Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children (Genesis 50:19-21a).
This sublime forgiveness has become a central theme in modern readings of the Joseph story; a rich tradition of sermonists (e.g., Seagren, 1993) has used it to tease out abiding lessons on how and why Christians can properly forgive.
These lessons, in turn, are reflected in the structure of the story itself. Joseph forgave crimes as serious as enslavement and contemplated murder; when they were young, his brothers seemed unable to forgive relative slights. But these slights reveal Joseph's youthful frailties. While he was not precisely unfaithful or rebellious as a boy, his errors revolved around talking too much: Not only did he "bring a bad report about" his brothers to Jacob (Genesis 37:2), but modern readers may join with the family in finding his recitation of his dreams of future mastery less than humble at best and verging on insubordinate at worst. Still, the dreams and the destiny they revealed were not of his making, but of God's -- it was not Joseph's wish to overturn the family order and force even the sun and moon to bow down to the second youngest child.
As an adult, he presented a model of faith and loyalty to God, his superiors in Egyptian society, and his aged father and kin among the Israelites. Some might question his decision to conceal his identity from his brothers during their first adult encounter, but here, his motivations...
When the angel came again to tell him that his family was in danger, he immediately left everything he owned, all his family and friends, and fled to a strange country with his young wife and the baby. He waited in Egypt without question until the angel told him it was safe to go back." (Matthew 2:13-23). In these, Joseph, provides us with an example of steady faithfulness even in
Lesson Plan for Professional Development Teaching Plan/Objective: Service Learning Plan for Elder Services (Professional Development Module) Elders as Resources programs address a number of the social, psychological and cognitive needs of students in five major areas of development: Realistic Portrayal of Adults- Students understand that older adults have as varied a background as they do -- different personalities, ethnic heritage, culture, etc. By providing direct experience with older adults, stereotypes are avoided that
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In his 1997 book The Grand Chessboard, he posits a Trans-Eurasian Security system that looks incredibly like the Bush doctrine of the preemptive strike (Brzezinski 208) . Of course, energy features largely in the Brzezinski equation, as a more careful examination of the book would reveal (well beyond the scope of this essay. This policy has lead directly to the present recession (no one wants to use the "d"
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Yamamoto noted that "the war would continue for several years, our supplies would be exhausted, our ships and arms would be damaged and ultimately we would not be able to escape defeat." (Akira, 1990, pp.133-134). Masaru (1990) added that another difficulty between the two nations was America's attitude during the U.S.-Japanese negotiations on the eve of the outbreak of war. In particular, Masaru points to the hard line position of
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