Title: Joseph's fatal flaw
Contents
1. Words that begin
The word that appeals to everyone is success. That is why there are many sayings that this is the condition for success and the reason for success. Also, books on what it takes to be successful are widely talked about. In this world where people only have one chance to live, they put all their effort and effort into doing something, in a profession, or trying to be successful. But sadly, I don't even think about success in life that is more important than that. They may even destroy your personality or destroy your body for work or career success. Even if you become the supreme ruler who is successful among successes, if you die through bribery, wealth, luxury, debauchery, oppression, or extortion, you may not be a successful person in your profession, but you must be a failure in life.
Joseph can be cited as a success in his career and a success in life. Even Joseph, who is synonymous with true success, once had a fatal flaw in his success. Its fatal drawback is that it has a light mouth.
2. Joseph's Taunt
Joseph's father, Jacob, was the heir to the lineage of God's promise and settled in Canaan, the promised land. 17-year-old Joseph helped her mother-in-law Bilhah and the sons of Zilpah as shepherds. However, the boy Joseph did not find favor with Bilhah's sons Dan and Naphtali, and Zilpah's sons Gath and Asher. On the contrary, he was hated and hated by his brothers. The brothers, as well as others, hated Joseph and would complain about him. There is a reason why Joseph was hated and complained about by his brothers even though he was helping them with their shepherds.
First, Jacob, the father of Israel, deeply favored Joseph as the son of his old age. Even if parents show some favoritism, children tend to be sensitive. ‘Because you are the older brother who received a lot of love first, you will understand that I love my younger brother more. Since you're my younger sister, I understand that you love your older sister more than you take care of her. There are some parents who give favoritism, thinking that they should love their children who are good listeners and who are good at studies.’ For whatever reason, favoritism is what deepens envy and jealousy among children, and fosters strife and strife. Even if you have a more lovable child, you should not let other children know. But Jacob, who had a preference for Joseph, even made him a colored robe and put him on it. A colored robe is a kind of ceremonial robe, a luxurious robe worn by royalty, nobles, and rich people who do not have to work. As a natural result, Joseph developed a disease of bloating and chattering.
Second, Joseph had a very light mouth. The reason why Joseph was more than the hatred and complaints of his brothers was because he told his father about their brothers' faults. He enjoyed a sense of relative superiority by seeing the faults and faults of his older brothers, and also wanted to be recognized for his superiority by telling his father. This is a common review of tell-talers. There is nothing more to say about Joseph, who was proud of his father because he was better than his brothers.
Joseph's taunts ignited the twisted judgment of his brothers who hated and complained about him because of his father's favoritism. Perhaps Joseph felt unfair about the hatred and complaints of his brothers. In fact, Joseph didn't lie to his father about his brothers, he didn't frame them, he just told the truth. He may have been telling the truth for the sake of the family. But not all truths are true.
3. Joseph's Dream Story
There is another evidence that Joseph's mouth is very light.
Joseph had a dream that contained the revelation of God's prophecy. Surprisingly, it was a dream of becoming the first among the brothers, so it was not a good dream to tell to the older brothers. But Joseph, who likes to flirt and talk, also said to his brothers. “We were tying the grain in the field, and my sheaf stood up, and your sheaf surrounded my sheaf and bowed down.” The spiritual dream containing the revelation of God is not interpreted in the opposite way, but rather as it is. If the dream is good, good things will happen in reality, and if the dream is bad, bad things will happen in reality. When Joseph's brothers heard his dream, they became even more angry and hated him even more. In Genesis 37:8, "His brothers said to him, Will you really be king over us? Will you really rule over us?" And they hated him even more because of his dream and his words."
Dreams are difficult to interpret, so do not blindly trust them.
As the saying goes, “playing as you see fit”, Joseph, who did not care about others and only knew that he was handsome, had a bigger dream than before and told his brothers and parents. The sun, the moon, and the eleven stars bowed down to him. It was a dream with a revelation that he would become a great person to the point of bowing down to all his brothers and even his parents. After hearing Joseph's dream, his father Jacob rebuked him and asked if the dream would come true. But the brothers were jealous and decided to kill Joseph.
The speaker knows how to listen to what is said, but in reality, they listen differently according to their point of view, position and interest. Therefore, like Joseph, who was changed through painful experiences, a wise man spares or does not speak. In particular, decisive words should be reserved more or not.
4. Mild Mouth Problems
Joseph's lighthearted narration is also correct, and the story of two dreams is also correct, so there is nothing wrong with it. But not everything that is right is right. Right words and deeds lead to wrong results, and right words and deeds sometimes cause fatal unhappiness.
I said, ‘Where is Ms. Seong?’, I said, ‘Why are you looking for Seong OO, who you didn’t even look for?’ I called her team and told her that the boss was looking for her. Seong OO unnie, came out of the boss's room blushing and said 'Hey! Match the match.’
It happened when I was a secretary at a previous company. The deputy director asked me to call when the deputy director came, and when I said to the deputy director, ‘The director wants you to call me,’ the deputy director suddenly pulled out the phone cord and gave the whole phone to him and said, ‘Why are you changing the phone?’. I thought I was going to fall.
When I was a beginner, three customers came to me, and they said, ‘Give me a cup of coffee here.’ So I really brought just one.
This is a true story told to me by a classmate when I was in seminary. His friend's father was a steady and decent man, but he was in trouble after accidentally having an affair. When the wife learned of this from her distressed husband, she became very upset and told her children about it. From then on, my father had a hard time bearing the cold eyes of his family. My father, who felt like a living hell in the house, eventually committed suicide.
Of course, it is important to discern whether what you say is right or wrong. It is even more important to discern whether one's right words are appropriate for the situation. It is even more important to discern whether one's right words are good or virtuous for all.
Joseph's truthful taunting caused the worst outcome. Joseph's utterance of the truth in his dream aroused the murderous intent of his brothers. According to the record after the text, Joseph was fortunately saved by his brother Reuben's suggestion and was thrown into a pit, and he was sold to the Ishmaelites at the suggestion of his brother Judas and became a slave to Potiphar in Egypt. It was fortunate that he didn't die.
5. Conclusion
Those who dream of success in work or in life focus only on the conditions for success or the secret of success. But what we need to pay more attention to is knowing and resolving the conditions of failure. The reason Joseph became a great success both in life and in his profession was because he overcame a fatal flaw with a mild mouth. Whether telling the truth or telling the dream story accurately, the listeners are listening according to their point of view, situation, and interest. Our lightly open mouth can lead to some opponents, haters, and murderers who are a hindrance to our success.
(Poongseong Methodist Church. Book: Complete Commentary on 27 New Testament Books/ Interpretation of Difficult Scriptures I, II/ Salvation Before Jesus Came/Paul’s Understanding of Man/ Prosperous Prayer/ Seasonal Sermonbooks/ Sermonbook 18. T. 426 -3051)