The Fallout of Betrayal: Part I – Joseph’s Heritage

Betrayal—not a cheery topic, but at some point, we all meet it in a dark corner of our lives and need a light to shine on it. This month we’ll use Joseph’s journey to shine that light and continue the story we began last year in Potiphar’s Wife (Genesis 39). We built on the biblical foundation with historical research and added the “might have beens” of fiction to make Joseph’s betrayals vivid and (hopefully) relatable.

In preparation for the sequel, In Feast or Famine, we’ll study Genesis 37-38; 40-47, focusing on the second half of Joseph’s life: interpreting Pharaoh’s dreams, his release from prison, his rise to second-to-pharaoh, marriage to a priest’s daughter, Egypt’s seven years of feast, and its first two years of famine.

But before we can fully grasp God’s redemption of Joseph’s life, we must examine his brothers’ betrayal and Joseph’s eventual forgiveness. We often celebrate the miracles of Joseph’s dream interpretations and release from prison, but what about the softening of his heart? Anyone who has been stabbed with betrayal again and again and again KNOWS that forgiveness becomes more impossible with each wound.

What Is Betrayal?

Today we look at Joseph—God’s champion on earth. He was so righteous and steadfast, yet the way I interpret his actions in Genesis 40-44, he’s become hardened with bitterness against his brothers. God is all-powerful. He can split the Red Sea. He can move mountains, shake the earth, open the skies. But to gently soften a heart hardened by repeated betrayal is an even mightier miracle.

Betrayal is a big word encompassing many nuances of meaning. Dictionary.com lists 5 separate facets, each distinction inflicting its own agony (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/betrayal):

the act of exposing or delivering someone to an enemy through treachery or disloyalty
the act of disappointing a person’s trust, hopes, or expectations
the act of revealing information in violation of confidence
failure to keep or honor a promise, principle, cherished memory, etc
an act or instance of unconsciously revealing or displaying some quality or characteristic, typically one preferably concealed

Notice that betrayal can either be intentional or unintentional; wrought through deception or blatant and remorseless. After sin entered the Garden of God, betrayal appeared with many faces. After the Flood, it reared its ugly head again when Noah’s son, Ham, betrayed his father’s nakedness to his brothers, Shem and Japheth (Gen. 9:22). Joseph is a descendant of Shem’s lineage. Let’s examine how his family history might have fostered his brothers’ betrayal.

Betrayal—Joseph’s Family Tradition

Noah’s son, Shem, was the proverbial “good seed” and received his father’s blessing. However, as I’ve studied Scripture, it appears betrayal tainted humanity no matter whose lineage we examine. If we have breath in our lungs, we have likely been betrayed and probably have betrayed someone—intentionally or unintentionally. Even Abraham, the great man of faith, betrayed and may have been betrayed by his own father.

Terah

Terah had three sons: Abram, Nahor, and Haran (Gen. 11:27). After Terah heard God’s call to leave Ur and go to Canaan (Gen. 11:31), he took only Abram; Ahram’s wife, Sarai; and nephew Lot (Haran’s son) with him. His son Haran had died before the journey, but why not take Nahor—and his wife Milcah?

“Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there. Terah lived 205 years, and he died in Harran. The Lord had said to Abram, ‘Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you…’ So Abram went, as the Lord had told him; and Lot went with him. Abram was seventy-five years old when he set out from Harran.” Genesis 11:31-32; 12:1, 4 (emphasis added)

Genesis 11:26 says Terah was seventy years old when his sons were born and lists Abram first, which MAY indicate Abram was firstborn. If that’s the case, Terah would have been 145 years old when Abram, Sarai, and Lot left Harran to go to Canaan—the calling that God originally gave to Terah (11:31).

Read those definitions of betrayal listed above. Perhaps I’m reading between the lines, but my guess is that SOMEONE felt betrayed when Terah left Ur and again when Abram, Sarai, and Lot left Harran!

Abraham

Abraham was obedient to God in miraculous ways and gets three whole paragraphs touting his faith in the Hebrews 11 “Hall of Faith.” He is God’s Superstar when it comes to trusting the Almighty Provider . . . but he betrayed the people around him more than once:

Twice Abra(ha)m told Sarai(h) to tell a pharaoh/king that she was his sister instead of saying she was his wife (though both were true). In both instances, she was taken into the royal harem and could have been taken as a wife.
When Abram slept with Sarai’s maid Hagar (as Sarai asked him to do), he allowed Sarai to mistreat Hagar and eventually sent both Hagar and Ishmael away (also on Sarah’s request) after Isaac was weaned. Though God affirmed to Abraham that He would care for Hagar and Ishmael, they must have felt betrayed when they were sent into the desert.
When Abram obeyed God and took Isaac to Mt. Moriah, Scripture gives no indication that he told either Sarah or Isaac what he planned to do.

Sometimes my head understands WHY someone betrayed me, but my heart still hurts.

The Head and the Heart

We don’t know much about why Terah left Ur without his son Nahor or what made Abram, Sarai, and Lot leave Harran without Terah—while he was likely still living there. Was there betrayal? We won’t know until we reach eternity, but I’m sure two things were present because they’re a part of every human relationship: sin and good intentions.

Somehow sin and good intentions seem to go hand-in-hand. Inevitably, the times I’ve tried to make situations work best for everyone are the times I’ve hurt the most people. Aaaaagh! How does that happen? It seems using my head—that Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil—is oftentimes about getting MY way, using my idea, gaining my control, and shouting my answers (whether anyone is asking questions or not).

Instead, God would rather I eat from His Tree of Life and follow Him with ALL my heart. Trust His way. His ideas. His control. And listen for His answers to every question. Living His way, however, isn’t necessarily the easy way. Remember—a butterfly must struggle out of its chrysalis in order to strengthen its wings to fly. God seldom removes the struggle because, ultimately, it isn’t the loving thing to do.

Joseph and You

Perhaps you, like Joseph, come from a long line of betrayals. In my newsletter article next week, The Fallout of Betrayal: Part II – Silencing Despair, we’ll discover more about Joseph’s family wounds. But our heritage need not define us. We’re all responsible for our own choices–no matter how valid the reasons for the poor ones we’ve made. But there’s a great big God willing and able to help us make better choices. We need only turn to Him with our whole hearts and ask.

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