Stories
Defending The Future
Many of us wonder why Joseph went to a great extent to test his brothers after they reconciled with him in Egypt
It is valid that a leopard can never change or shed its spot and therefore the tests were really not necessary
Even though he had the advantage of anonymity and power, Joseph decided to use Benjamin as the bait with which he would test to see if his brothers from his father’s other wives and concubines cared about anyone apart from themselves
Joseph’s brothers behaved in a manner that suggested they cared about their brother Benjamen and their father, Jacob.
They wept and threw ashes on their heads when Benjamen was accused of stealing his cup, Judah even offered to stay in prison while the others would travel all the way to their village to bring their father back to Egypt
Joseph’s brothers really didn’t change
They didn’t hate Benjamin, so they acted in a different manner towards him
If it was Joseph who was accused that way, they would most likely abandon him in Pharaoh’s prison
Joseph and his brothers were all given birth to by four different women, they had their share of sibling rivalries among themselves
Especially because of the drama between Rachel and Leah but they were able to band together as brothers to solve problems regardless of their differences whenever they faced an external threat
Remember when they killed the men of Shechem because the prince of Shechem raped their sister?
Dinah’s maternal brothers, Simeon and Levi, killed all the men of Shechem in defence of their sister’s honour
When they were done, Jacob protested but the other brothers didn’t raise an eyebrow
They quickly packed up all the belongings of the family and supported the family’s escape from possible retribution from the relatives of those who were killed mindlessly by these sons of blood.
When they were going to gang up against Joseph, they did so because he was different
He was not looking to be one of the lot, he claimed he was born to rule and reign over the lot
They knew he was the first son of their father’s favourite wife but he was the eleventh child
They knew the history between Jacob and Esau
They understood that Esau had the right of the firstborn but Rebekkah influenced fate in such a manner that the birthright was stolen by Jacob
They also know that it was with the support of Rebekkah that the final blessings of Isaac were stolen by Jacob through deceit
They could see how their father loved the young man and treated him as if he was his heir
Then the young man started talking about his dreams
It was too much for them to handle
This was what motivated them to decide to kill him which miraculously was bargained down to throwing him down a well and later to selling him off to the Midianites
Ironically, it was Reuben who suggested that he should be thrown into a cistern and it was Judah who suggested that he should be sold off to the Ishmealites for profit
The joy they must have felt that day getting rid of him was not because they were wicked at heart but because they were threatened by the way his father treated him and his bold assertion that he was going to be greater than them
These two factors made him a threat
Benjamin was never a threat and this made him easy to love
Loving a man who you deem a threat to your current and future standing in life regardless of blood ties is a big ask
Joseph was playing the Game of Thrones and when you play the Game of Thrones, you win or you die
There is no middle ground.
Well, somewhat miraculously, Joseph won
Not only did he end up on the throne, he was well positioned by fate to determine the destiny of his brothers
He was no longer a threat to them by this time
His dream had come to pass and he was untouchable to all of them
He had also developed the maturity and distance necessary to lead without falling for undue sentiment
When his brothers showed up asking to buy food in Egypt, he knew he needed to teach them a lesson but he wanted to do it constructively
Another person would have acted rashly and had them beheaded or castrated or chopped off one of their arms each
He didn’t do this because of his father
He knew what losing another child would do to his father
He also knew it would be counterproductive
No one should treat blood as if it is water
A man found himself in a family that was very similar to that of Joseph
A family where your dreams make you the enemy once you articulate them
The sort of family where you must become everything you choose to become in obscurity or you will find yourself becoming nothing
Everybody that became something in the family, did it by going solo
It was a trend that worked for the majority
Keep your mouth shut, achieve greatness, and then come home to celebrate it
If you ever ask for help or support from these family members, you are done for
They will call a family conference and ridicule you for daring to do so
It was the family he was born into
He observed the trend quite early and he learned to keep his counsel to himself
Rather than talk to people, he wrote his dreams down in a journal and continued to keep them in his heart
As he grew older and started gaining economic strength, he began to build his dream, in secret
He pretended to the members of his family as if he was poor, to survive
He knew they would kill his dream if he carried them along while his projects were still in infancy, so he kept his mouth shut
A day came when his projects became too big to hide
People started asking questions
Who is the owner of this factory?
What will they be producing?
Is it a federal government project?
Is it a local project?
He called for a family meeting
He wanted to be the one to tell the members of his own family before the official press statement hit the airwaves
He told them calmly, “I am the owner of that project being built and the announcement will hit the airwaves soon”
His family members began to laugh
Which project?
Hahahaha
You better tie yourself in one corner and stop claiming what is not yours
Who do you think you are selling lies?
Even if they were handing out success for free, do you think it will get to you?
A week later, the news hit the airwaves but they still didn’t believe
He must be fronting for a cartel.
They must be using him to launder money
Indeed, he realized Jesus was right in stating that a man has no honour in his own household
Since they didn’t believe he could be great, he decided to leave them with their belief
He relocated to another area and this time he lived the way he ought to have been living
He gave his wealth its full expression
The factory was completed and he employed the staff members he wanted
His family members got angry
How can he be enjoying his wealth with strangers
How can he forget his own blood?
They began to say all sorts about him
He was selfish, callous and uncaring
The narratives they spread absolved them of all wrong
Typical of how every family behaves
They expect the wronged to automatically forgive because of blood and if he doesn’t they will continue to cry wolf
He got married to the love of his life
The family members expected the wife to steer his heart toward them
She didn’t know what had transpired between them in the past
All he told her was the truth
That his family members were not interested in his vision
He introduced her to none of them
And then he died
It was unplanned and unexpected
His family members bombarded his house
A vision they didn’t believe in
A vision they mocked
A vision they ridiculed
A vision they denigrated
Suddenly, they wanted to profit from his death
The wife had suddenly become the external threat they must unite against and deny the right to inherit her husband
His wife was a stranger, how can she come from nowhere to take away all or some of the properties of their son?
Their son worked hard all his life and left so much behind, how can a stranger be allowed to take out anything
Unfortunately, he and his wife didn’t have a court wedding
His wife was stripped of everything
It didn’t matter that she made him happy
It didn’t matter that her presence in his life gave him the focus and stability to aim for his targets in life and hit them
It didn’t matter that she made him happy
They insisted she had enjoyed with him in his lifetime
They threw her out without a pin
A member of the family was quite young at this time
He watched how a man who had a vision was treated by those who had none
He watched the scavengers pick the bones of the peacock
He saw the labour of the rainbow bled dry by the vultures
He silently walked away from the family
They didn’t know he was a dreamer too and that he had started building his dreams
He had studied the template of the dreamer that went before him
He was determined to protect his dream and the wealth it will produce for those who believe in his dream
He was determined to fulfil his dream and vulture-proof it
The two things that will not be needed are sentiment and procrastination
He called a lawyer and made his will
When members of the family began to show up at the company he founded looking for a job
He took them through the Joseph test
Those who passed were offered jobs
Those who failed were denied employment
He knew it was not personal
To protect your vision and its blessings from wolves, you must do whatever you must.
PS: Have you done your will?
Get it done today
Don’t wait till it is too late
Don’t leave things to chance
Don’t call one of your sons and tell him your will, believing that he will execute your estate
He just might discover he is powerless against the wolves that would descend on him after you are gone
That family members are leaving you to go it all alone now does not mean they are not using a side eye to monitor your progress
Success compels the attention of wild dogs and wolves
If you desire anything, pay a lawyer and back it by law
What you don’t value is what you leave to chance
if you value your vision and those who contributed to it while you are alive, you will make a will
You will keep the vultures far away
You will handicap the wolves
You will protect those who helped you to fulfil your destiny
-GSW-