Tales from the Bible
Posts in The Copybook tagged ‘Tales from the Bible’
Pharaoh’s butler suddenly remembers his promise to mention Joseph to his master.
Joseph, sold into slavery in Egypt by his envious brothers, has been jailed by his master Potiphar on the malicious testimony of Potiphar’s wife. However, Joseph has become a popular trusty by interpreting troubling dreams on behalf of several inmates, including Pharaoh’s disgraced butler.
Joseph’s brothers are forced to travel to Egypt to buy corn, and the overseer of Pharaoh’s granaries recognises them at once.
Joseph has explained Pharaoh’s troubling dreams, and such is Pharaoh’s relief that he has appointed him to oversee the kingdom’s granaries. Now famine has brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy grain, but they have no idea that the aristocratic Egyptian before them is the brother they sold into slavery.
Joseph thinks that little Benjamin may provide the leverage he needs to force Jacob to come to Egypt.
The sons of Jacob have been to Egypt to buy corn during a famine, little knowing the lordly official in charge of the granaries there was the brother they sold into slavery years before. On returning home, they have discovered the money they thought they had paid to Joseph still in the sacks, and are bemused and frightened.
Jacob takes his whole family to join Joseph in Egypt, but God promises him that one day they will return to Canaan.
A famine in Canaan has brought Joseph’s brothers to Egypt to buy corn, but they do not recognise the brother they sold into slavery, now the lordly Overseer of Pharaoh’s granaries. As a practical joke, Joseph has sold them some corn but has also planted a silver cup on little Benjamin, and arrested him as a thief.
Abbot Elfric praised St Thomas for demanding hard evidence for the resurrection.
The Apostle St Thomas refused to believe reports of the resurrection of Jesus unless he saw and touched the risen Christ for himself. Some scold him for his ‘doubt’, but the English Abbot Elfric (955-1010) warmly thanked him for demanding such clear proof, and noted that Jesus was evidently expecting it.
King Saul’s jealousies drove those who loved him away, but David was a very different kind of leader.
Before he became Israel’s King, David was a loyal servant of King Saul and a close friend of Saul’s son, Jonathan. But Saul’s impetuous jealousies made him see treachery at every turn, just when Israel needed unity against the invading Philistines. David was another kind of leader entirely — as this little tale shows.