Hi Jen,

I like your analogy.

My feelings are that it wasn't predestined. I feel that the only predestination in the bible is God's plan for everyone to be with Him even though there are those who will choose not to part of that wonderful plan.

Back to Joseph though, I feel that this is a good example of how God will use us in all circumstances if we trust Him. Trusting requires a lot of patience, and in the case of Joseph, a little jail time.

Bjorne

Gotta quit clicking "Save" twice.

My thoughts on the story of Joseph.  This story, and that of his father Jacob and grandfather Abraham, was part of the oral tradition of the Hebrew people for generations before they were written down.  In fact they happened so long ago it is difficult to discern if any of the story is based on fact or if it is all conjecture. 

The Hebrew people had a long tradition that although God had given the land to Abraham, they had spent many years in slavery in Egypt, before being led back to Canaan.  The story of Joseph explains how they got to Egypt.  Was it by one of Jacob's sons being sold into slavery, but then overcoming his slavery and arranging for his family to join him in Egypt?   Or was it just one or two branches of the family escaping a famine in Canaan by moving their flocks and their tents to the Sinai area and settling there? 

The important things we can learn from the story is what does it tell us about ourselves, our relationships within our families, and our relationship with God.  What does it teach us about families with multiple wives and children?  About rivalry among the wives and children?  about favouritism when the father favours one child above all the rest?   That does it teach us about fratracide  (the brothers decided not to kill Joseph outright but selling him into slavery would jeoprodize his life)?  

What does it teach us about faithfulness?  about trying to live an ethical life and to hold onto your faith in God under difficult circumstances?

And what does it teach us about forgiveness?

I love the story of Joseph - but I don't know that it is factual and that we can determine if God predestined all these things to happen to Joseph.  To me thinking about things that are predestined takes away a lot of the element of Free Will.  And it raises other questions:  were Joseph's brothers predestined to sell him into slavery?  Would a loving God have ten of his children destined to do such an awful thing.  (I say 10 - Benjimine would have been a young child at the time this was happening.)