It happened that Rachel died in childbirth, while giving birth to Benjamin, the 12th son of Israel. Some say she died because she had sinned before the Lord because she had hid Laban’s idols in her saddlebag when Jacob had told his family to get rid of them. “When Laban had gone to shear his flock, then Rachel stole the household idols [Heb teraphim] that were her father’s…Now Rachel had taken the household idols [Heb teraphim] and put them in the camel’s saddle, and she sat on them. And Laban felt through all the tent but did not find them. She said to her father, “Let not my lord be angry that I cannot rise before you, for the manner of women is upon me.” So he searched but did not find the idols” (Gen 31:19, 34-35). Teraphim are statues or figurines representing household gods; false gods who were to protect the house and inhabitants. According to many ancient and modern interpreters, talismanic, cultic, and legal significance accrued to their possession. Laban’s angry reaction when he thought Rachel had the teraphim suggests their idyllic importance. Idols in your saddlebag has come to mean, in Christianity, a person hiding things in his/her heart and does not reveal them to God by repentance. In Rachel’s case it showed her bond to the old ways when Jacob was heading in a new direction, towards the Lord and His plan.
Next came Joseph, Jacob’s 11th son mothered by his favorite wife Rachel. The ministry of Joseph is one of the most significant appearances of Christ in the Old Testament. “Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored full robe [the coat of many colors]. His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms” (Gen 37:3-4). Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more. His dream was: “we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.” Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?” So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words. Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, “Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.” He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had? Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?” His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind” (Gen 37:7-11).
The brothers devised a plan against Joseph. Joseph, the young brother, was sent to his brothers tending sheep. Being alone in an isolated place, they argued whether to kill him or throw him in a pit. However a Midianite caravan of merchants were going by and they decided to sell him into slavery. They killed an animal, soaked Jacob’s coat in it and returned to Jacob with the story that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal. Meanwhile, the Midianite merchants sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, Pharaoh’s officer, the captain of the bodyguard (Gen 37:18-36).
Joseph had been taken down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an Egyptian officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the bodyguard, bought him from the Ishmaelites, who had taken him down there. The Lord was with Joseph, so he became a successful man. And he was in the house of his master, the Egyptian. He was so faithful that Potiphar gave him charge over all his household as well. However Potiphar’s wife desired Joseph and tried many times to persuade Joseph to lay with her. Joseph refused. One day, as Joseph resisted her advances. he accidently left a torn piece of his garment with the woman. She screamed and reported to the other slaves that Joseph had made advances toward her. When his master heard the words of his wife, saying, “This is what your slave did to me,” his anger burned. So Joseph’s master took him and put him into the jail, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined. But the Lord was with Joseph and extended kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer (Gen 39:7-21).
Joseph was in jail 11 years. To show how the Lord works, often not in the ways of men, the following occurred: “the cupbearer and the baker for the king of Egypt offended their lord, the king of Egypt. Pharaoh was furious with his two officials,…So he put them in confinement in the house of the captain of the bodyguard, in the jail, the same place where Joseph was imprisoned” (Gen 40:1-4). Both men had dreams while in jail. The cup bearer had a dream that Joseph interpreted as meaning he would soon be restored to the Pharaoh at his old job. Joseph told the cup bearer to tell Pharaoh what had happened in hopes of gaining favor and being released. However the cup bearer, when he was released, forgot all about Joseph. The chief baker also had a dream but unfortunately Joseph had to tell him the dream meant his death. The chief baker was hanged later at a party thrown by Pharaoh just as Joseph had said.
However God intervened. The Pharaoh had had dreams he knew were important but none of his wisemen, priests or magicians could interpret the dreams. It was at that time the cup bearer remembered Joseph and his ability to tell dreams. “Then Pharaoh sent and called for Joseph, and they hurriedly brought him out of the dungeon; and when he had shaved himself and changed his clothes, he came to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I have had a dream, but no one can interpret it; and I have heard it said about you, that when you hear a dream you can interpret it” (41:14-15). So in a space of less than 24 hours Joseph went from the dungeon to Pharaoh’s palace. God sometimes tarries in His coming but when He is ready to move He does so in a hurry. Pharaoh related his dreams to Joseph and Joseph interpreted them as follows:, “Pharaoh’s dreams are one and the same; God has told to Pharaoh what He is about to do. “The seven good cows are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years; “The seven lean and ugly cows that came up after them are seven years, and the seven thin ears scorched by the east wind will be seven years of famine. “It is as I have spoken to Pharaoh: God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do. “Behold, seven years of great abundance are coming in all the land of Egypt; and after them seven years of famine will come, and all the abundance will be forgotten in the land of Egypt, and the famine will ravage the land….”Now as for the repeating of the dream to Pharaoh twice, it means that the matter is determined by God, and God will quickly bring it about. (Gen 41:25-37).
So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has informed you of all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you are. “You shall be over my house, and according to your command all my people shall do homage; only in the throne I will be greater than you.”…Then Pharaoh took off his signet ring from his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand, and clothed him in garments of fine linen and put the gold necklace around his neck. He had him ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt” (Gen 41:39-40, 42-43). “Then Pharaoh named Joseph Zaphenath-paneah; [Probably Egyptian for “God speaks; he lives”] and he gave him Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera priest of On, as his wife. And Joseph went forth over the land of Egypt. Now Joseph was