Jailbreak
And an essay about 85 year old women
Hello, folks. Part 5 of Joseph’s story dropped this week, and I’m dying for you to hear it. Let’s get into the details.
The Answer He Desires
This one picks up with Joseph in prison just before he’s summoned by Pharaoh. Along the way, we cut back and forth to/from Judah’s story as it unfolds a few hundred miles away in Canaan.
This one’s a bit longer than the other parts of this series, so congrats—more for your money! :)
BITS AND BOBS
Prologue - Every once in a while, we’ll begin an episode of HGS with a prologue of sorts. This is one of those times. The choice grew from a desire to offer a counterpoint (as the text does twice in Genesis 39) to the apparent absence of Yahweh in Joseph’s circumstances.
I Didn’t Make It Up - That mural I describe as Joseph walks through the palace? If you’ve been listening to Holy Ghost Stories for long at all, you might have suspected this was based on an actual artifact. If so, you were right. While researching, I came across this marshland mural from the royal palace in Amarna during the reign of the pharaoh Akhenaten. It dates to about 300 years after Joseph, but it’s fairly representative of the art that would have adorned the palace walls during his time.
Beyond the art itself, it’s fascinating to get a look at paricular species of birds that were indigenous to the area all those years ago. Of special interest is the Kingfisher, which has become a bit of an HGS shorthand for Christ:
S8E1
Joseph lies in bed that night rehearsing the day, perhaps. The ridicule, his prayers, the fox he saw at the creek—the way it looked at him, studying him, as if it were sizing him up. The way it startled when that kingfisher dove and troubled the water.
S7E19
Daniel’s gaze swings upward to the man’s eyes. Bright, blazing—like flaming torches. His arms and legs gleam like burnished bronze. He is a colossal kingfisher painted in orange and blue.[…]
Misty-eyed, he shakes his head at the sight of the Kingfisher Man with the torchlight eyes suspended above the water.
S8E5
Joseph whispers a prayer and looks beyond the idols, to a sprawling mural detailing marsh scenes and all manner of birdlife: brightly colored depictions of rock pigeons, turtledoves, palm doves, white wagtails, butcherbirds. And, most striking of all, the the pied kingfisher—wings outstretched in its storied dive, descending from the heavens.
Here’s a gift link to a NYT article on the mural.
Racism is Old - In Genesis 43:32, we’re told “Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, since that is detestable to them.” This adds an interesting layer to Joseph’s elevation within Egyptian society. (And highlights both Joseph’s irresistible competence and his full-scale acclimation/integration.)
Perhaps you though, like me, find yourself wondering “But how could widespread prejudice have developed against the ‘Hebrews’ when the only ‘Hebrews’ that existed were a small-ish clan in Canaan who had only been around for 3 generations?” Good question.
Herodotus (Histories 2.41) observed a longstanding posture in which the Egyptians avoided sharing utensils or food with non-Egyptians. Redford says the Egyptian’s xenophobia was especially acute regarding nomadic herders from the Levant/Canaan—so the Hebrews would have found themselves included in that category (Redford, D. B. 1992. Egypt, Canaan, and Israel in Ancient Times. Princeton University Press.)
Tamar’s POV - Our purposes in this series necessitate the treatment of the Judah/Tamar story from Judah’s point of view. But for a consideration from Tamar’s perspective, check out S3E3 of Holy Ghost Stories: “The Kinsman, the Widow, and the Mark.”
Why Does Joseph Talk Like That? - You’ll notice a certain way of referring to Yahweh peppering Joseph’s speech as he interprets Pharaoh’s dream. I’m attempting to capture what must have sounded strange to Pharaoh—the singularity of Joseph’s references to God. What’s fascinating is (and all this is in the text) the way that, before the end of it, Pharaoh adopts Joseph’s way of speaking. (This is one more layer behind the final words of the intro.)
Braided Stories - Genesis 38 (Judah & Tamar) often feels like a strange interruption to the Joseph narrative in Genesis 37 and following. I’m hoping this series (especially Episode 4 & this one, along with a future episode) can help us see the Writer’s decision as a very intentional one.
Arrival - The piece you’ll hear during the final scene of this story (when Yahweh’s steady fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams becomes more apparent and His companionship becomes unmissable) is music I’ve used once before in Holy Ghost Stories.
You’ll hear the same piece at 13:10 in “The Father and the Awakened One” (S6E2), scoring the moment Yahweh comes to Joseph’s father Jacob in a dream, showing him a staircase on which angels ascend and descend. (You shoud revisit that scene and think about Joseph as you listen to what Yahweh says.)
In this way, I’ve linked two moments: 1. When Yahweh affirms to Jacob the Emmanuel truth, and 2. When Yahweh makes the same truth unmistakably clear to Joseph. To Jacob: “I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” In Joseph’s story: “And Yahweh was with Joseph” (Gen 39:2,21).
Emmanuel took a major leap forward with Christ, but it did not begin with Him.
LISTEN
With that, I’ll leave you to it. I hope this one blesses you.
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What Book Would You Give a College Grad?
My wife and I lead a weekly Bible study/small group comprised of about 25 college students. It’s one of the great joys of our life. Last week, we said a tearful goodbye to the 9 of them who are graduating. We gave each one of them a book we’d chosen with them in mind.
I’ll share them here because I’d love to know one or two titles you might reach for in a similar situation. Always looking for more ideas.
3 Cool Things
Please Use AI - This quick essay from Shawn Smucker is wonderful.
Be sure to use AI when making your next, I don’t know, meal plan, for example. Definitely do not call your friend who loves to cook and ask her for her favorite recipes or tips or ways to save time making meals, because you will end up talking for longer than you had hoped, hearing, perhaps, about her father’s cancer diagnosis or how lonely she’s been or even what she’s planted in her spring garden and then lost with the early frost.
My Wife Is 85. She Takes My Breath Away. - This opinion piece brought tears to my eyes. Hear, hear. Amen. Hallelujah.
Old ladies are wonders, winking lights in the universe, stars. Take my wife, who was the dark-haired class knockout when we first met in the ninth grade at the Friends Seminary school in Manhattan. At the age of 14 she had a girl’s good looks, which was like the first draft of a great work of art.
Today, at 85, she is lovelier than ever.
The Green Book - Saw this in 2018 in the theater and loved it. Watched it last night with my wife and daughter and loved it again (so did they).
That’s the Latest! Would love to hear your thoughts on “The Answer He Desires” when you listen.
Gratefully,
Justin
as always, thank you thank you thank you for ALL the goodness you bring us!
(and don't stop)