Joseph
Monologues
The Faithful Men Of God
Six Monologues Of Biblical Heroes
I am better than you are, aren't I? I assumed I was superior to everyone when I was growing up. I had been taught to believe that because my father Jacob treated me this way. He loved me most of all. I am Joseph (bows). I always experienced exceptional attention and kindness from Jacob while my brothers did not. I automatically supposed that they did not get the attention I got because they were not as good as I was. For example, once my father gave me a special coat and I wore it proudly because I knew I was so deserving. I also had distinctly profound dreams showing my brothers bowing down to me. I didn't really understand the meanings, but the dreams pleased me greatly and I decided to relate the dreams to my brothers. They did not share my pleasure then, either. I did not do the same chores that my brothers did. I assumed I wasn't actually made for work like they were.
One day, while my brothers were tending the animals, my father instructed me to go and find them. As I came closer to them, they encircled me, as though I were surrounded by fierce beasts. They were insanely mad at me, and as I looked at them, I saw men I had not seen before. Their eyes blazed with unbelievable hatred. They ripped my treasured coat off and threw me violently into a deep pit meant to capture animals. They said horrible, unkind things to me. The shock of the situation almost killed me. No one had ever been allowed to do anything unkind to me before. I could feel the deep, hot earth against my skin and my throat raged with thirst as I lay motionless in the dirt which was swallowing me up alive. I thought I would die from the intense heat and thirst or from a wild beast that might fall in while prowling nearby. While I was in the pit, I could hear their voices above me, arguing. I kept thinking they would rescue me and things would be fine, again. I kept thinking that this was all a mistake. I had always had so much importance. I wanted my nice coat with me. I wanted them to give it back to me. It was mine, and I deserved it. I was so much better than they were - always so very much better.
Strangely enough, I was cruelly sold to some transient traders going to Egypt. I had been certain that I was going to die there alone in the pit of dirt and darkness. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me, but it was, and I had to take the pain. I was not better than anyone any more. I detested going to Egypt. I had to learn and adapt to a new language and culture. My position had always been so elevated and now I was a slave. I had to deal with the overwhelming pain of homesickness which plagued me everyday like an all-consuming, invisible enemy which wouldn't leave me alone. I often longed for my father's love. I pretended that my brothers did not hate me. I imagined that I would somehow see my father soon, as though he might suddenly appear to help me. I pretended that I was not in Egypt, but home where I belonged with my family. I cried frequently, but I masked my emotions and put them into working at my job. My master put me in charge of his entire estate and I worked diligently for him. Unfortunately, my master's wife tried to tempt me and when I refused, she went to my master and accused me of molesting her. Without any consideration for me, my master, who had trusted and respected me so much, immediately put me in prison. It was totally unfair. I was again thrown into a deep pit that seemed horrible beyond description. I could think of nothing good about my situation in life and often I wondered if I wouldn't be better off dead than alive.
I was put in charge of all the prisoners and I interpreted their dreams which disturbed them. I explained that wisdom for dream interpretation comes from God. I said it would not be my intelligence or interpretation, but God's. I had to let them know that God is supreme in my life. I explained to the men the meanings that I thought God meant them to have. They were released and I was again left alone and totally without hope or reason for living. I knew that God does not want us to take our own lives, but at this point, the thought of suicide became inviting. I thought that if there was any reason for me to be alive, I had no idea what it was. I wondered again if God had any concern for me at all. After a long time in prison, I changed. My physical appearance became very different. I couldn't shave. I was extremely dirty all the time and my skin had an unhealthy pallor about it because of lack of fresh air and sunshine and poor food. I was not a healthy specimen of a human being because I lacked so much of life's necessities. I didn't care about anything at that point, either. From my point of view, I resembled an animal more than the Joseph I had been earlier in my life. I did not dream anymore. I had changed so much and had so little hope that I gave up even my fondest imaginings. To me, my father and my brothers had died and so had I. I was dead emotionally and almost physically.
Without warning, it was demanded that I come out of the dungeon and present myself to the king. It seemed that he had heard of my skill at interpreting dreams. My mind had long since ceased to function normally because often I didn't know the difference between night and day. I needed an extreme calmness of nerves which I did not possess. I clung to the hope that my God had strength for me which I did not have on my own. I could not even walk properly. The fresh air, sunshine, and contact with normal people surprised me as a luxury I will never forget. I will never take for granted a normal day of life again.
Hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (verses 1 and 2)
Dreams plagued Pharaoh. He could do nothing without knowing their meaning. Before I did anything else, I explained to him that God gives insight and intelligence and that it would be God's interpretation rather than mine. I wanted him to understand that God should be the one to get credit for this, and he understood. I told Pharaoh that Egypt would have seven years of plentiful grain harvest and seven lean years. I told him he would have to provide for the years of famine by storing grain during the years of plenty. Besides, there would be a general famine on the earth and people from other countries would be coming to buy grain. At hearing the meaning of his dreams, Pharaoh became greatly relieved, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him. He acknowledged the greatness of God. Then, to my amazement, he elevated me to second in command over the entire country of Egypt. I felt as though I was standing with God very close to me. Pharaoh took his personal ring off his finger and gave it to me. He treated me as his son. In due time, I was given a wife and we had sons.
It was with the birth of my sons, however, that I truly changed. I did not remember the cruelty of my brothers as I started to love again, devoting my life to my sons. My life had taken on a totally different perspective and the pain of my past had been removed. I had come to Egypt when I was seventeen years old and I had spent thirteen years in slavery. Now, I was second in command and had strong sons to live for. I also had become strong in many ways. I felt more compassionate and sensitive to others because of all the torment I had personally gone through. I had become willing to listen to and understand the problems of others. And, there was no way that I considered myself better than anyone or ever would again. However, I never lost sight of my God and the God of my father Jacob and his father Isaac and his father Abraham. My God was my God; then and forever and he would be the God of my children.
Exactly according to the dream God gave Pharaoh, the country of Egypt received seven bountiful years of grain harvest. During this time, I had our men store as much grain as possible. I had to remember the firm warning of God's promise that our next seven years would be famine. And, that is what happened. For the next seven years, we had very poor harvest yields and so did the rest of the earth. With our tall, full storage bins, our people were in no danger of going without food. Soon, men from other countries came to me, Joseph in Egypt, to buy grain for their hungry people. I praised God for giving us his wisdom to store grain so we would be taken care of.
During the beginning of the famine, in the first two years, I received a group of ten men from the land of Canaan who came to me to buy grain. They spoke Hebrew and were exceptionally polite to me. They all bowed down to me while expressing their earnest desire to buy my Egyptian grain. Of course, I had an interpreter between us, but, as I saw their faces again, and I listened more intently to their voices, I realized that I knew the men. I had seen them long ago in my lifetime, and in my dreams, but I had given them up, as they had me. They were my brothers. They did not recognize me, and for a long time, I did not let them know my identity. I spoke to them through an interpreter, pretending not to know Hebrew. It was a thorough shock to my emotional system and I had to be extremely cautious with the situation. I had to get control of myself immediately. These men were the men who had wanted me dead. They had hated me so much they had wanted to murder me. Many years had passed since my youth. Because of them, I had gone through so much suffering and horror which had been conquered only with God's grace, and now they faced me again. I didn't know what to do about them or, more importantly, what God expected of me now. At one point in time, I could not control my deep feelings and I ran out to find a secure, isolated room in which to cry out in loud, desperate sobs.
I listened to their conversations without their knowledge and realized that they had been haunted with guilt all these years by what they had done to me the day I was thrown into the pit. After much questioning and positive proof, I believed that we could be friends again, but it wasn't easy for me to get to this point. I had to learn about forgiveness and try to understand why they had done what they had to me. It was almost impossible for me to forgive them. I wanted desperately to see my aged father, Jacob, whom I had loved and whom I had given up. I finally had to disclose myself to them and to explain to them that they would be welcome to come to Egypt with their families and live. I cannot explain the emotions of shock, disbelief, and then gratitude that they experienced. All I knew was that I had to forgive them. And, I had to help them now when they desperately needed it. I had to put aside the grief, suffering, and desperation that I had known during my life and find purpose in it and bring glory to God because of it. I had to bring God's mercy to my family. I had to learn that it is not my place to judge others, or to take my own revenge. I didn't say I didn't want to judge or take revenge, I said it wasn't for me to do. I had to give the entire situation over to God.
Eventually, my family moved to Egypt. We are a united family again. It was done with God's power, and with God's guiding hand. I never said that it was easy. God makes difficult demands on those whom he loves, but he also takes care of his own, although we might not know it when he is doing it. God has been with me in the most impossible circumstances and has never left. God is sovereign and just, and he cares about you more than you can realize. He proved this to me. He can to you, also. Don't worry if you are in the deepest problems of life. Worry if you do not trust God to take care of you, to be with you and to give you the strength you do not possess for your situation. God has everything that you need in this life. Trust him for it.
One day, while my brothers were tending the animals, my father instructed me to go and find them. As I came closer to them, they encircled me, as though I were surrounded by fierce beasts. They were insanely mad at me, and as I looked at them, I saw men I had not seen before. Their eyes blazed with unbelievable hatred. They ripped my treasured coat off and threw me violently into a deep pit meant to capture animals. They said horrible, unkind things to me. The shock of the situation almost killed me. No one had ever been allowed to do anything unkind to me before. I could feel the deep, hot earth against my skin and my throat raged with thirst as I lay motionless in the dirt which was swallowing me up alive. I thought I would die from the intense heat and thirst or from a wild beast that might fall in while prowling nearby. While I was in the pit, I could hear their voices above me, arguing. I kept thinking they would rescue me and things would be fine, again. I kept thinking that this was all a mistake. I had always had so much importance. I wanted my nice coat with me. I wanted them to give it back to me. It was mine, and I deserved it. I was so much better than they were - always so very much better.
Strangely enough, I was cruelly sold to some transient traders going to Egypt. I had been certain that I was going to die there alone in the pit of dirt and darkness. I couldn't believe that this was happening to me, but it was, and I had to take the pain. I was not better than anyone any more. I detested going to Egypt. I had to learn and adapt to a new language and culture. My position had always been so elevated and now I was a slave. I had to deal with the overwhelming pain of homesickness which plagued me everyday like an all-consuming, invisible enemy which wouldn't leave me alone. I often longed for my father's love. I pretended that my brothers did not hate me. I imagined that I would somehow see my father soon, as though he might suddenly appear to help me. I pretended that I was not in Egypt, but home where I belonged with my family. I cried frequently, but I masked my emotions and put them into working at my job. My master put me in charge of his entire estate and I worked diligently for him. Unfortunately, my master's wife tried to tempt me and when I refused, she went to my master and accused me of molesting her. Without any consideration for me, my master, who had trusted and respected me so much, immediately put me in prison. It was totally unfair. I was again thrown into a deep pit that seemed horrible beyond description. I could think of nothing good about my situation in life and often I wondered if I wouldn't be better off dead than alive.
I was put in charge of all the prisoners and I interpreted their dreams which disturbed them. I explained that wisdom for dream interpretation comes from God. I said it would not be my intelligence or interpretation, but God's. I had to let them know that God is supreme in my life. I explained to the men the meanings that I thought God meant them to have. They were released and I was again left alone and totally without hope or reason for living. I knew that God does not want us to take our own lives, but at this point, the thought of suicide became inviting. I thought that if there was any reason for me to be alive, I had no idea what it was. I wondered again if God had any concern for me at all. After a long time in prison, I changed. My physical appearance became very different. I couldn't shave. I was extremely dirty all the time and my skin had an unhealthy pallor about it because of lack of fresh air and sunshine and poor food. I was not a healthy specimen of a human being because I lacked so much of life's necessities. I didn't care about anything at that point, either. From my point of view, I resembled an animal more than the Joseph I had been earlier in my life. I did not dream anymore. I had changed so much and had so little hope that I gave up even my fondest imaginings. To me, my father and my brothers had died and so had I. I was dead emotionally and almost physically.
Without warning, it was demanded that I come out of the dungeon and present myself to the king. It seemed that he had heard of my skill at interpreting dreams. My mind had long since ceased to function normally because often I didn't know the difference between night and day. I needed an extreme calmness of nerves which I did not possess. I clung to the hope that my God had strength for me which I did not have on my own. I could not even walk properly. The fresh air, sunshine, and contact with normal people surprised me as a luxury I will never forget. I will never take for granted a normal day of life again.
Hymn "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" (verses 1 and 2)
Dreams plagued Pharaoh. He could do nothing without knowing their meaning. Before I did anything else, I explained to him that God gives insight and intelligence and that it would be God's interpretation rather than mine. I wanted him to understand that God should be the one to get credit for this, and he understood. I told Pharaoh that Egypt would have seven years of plentiful grain harvest and seven lean years. I told him he would have to provide for the years of famine by storing grain during the years of plenty. Besides, there would be a general famine on the earth and people from other countries would be coming to buy grain. At hearing the meaning of his dreams, Pharaoh became greatly relieved, as though a heavy burden had been lifted from him. He acknowledged the greatness of God. Then, to my amazement, he elevated me to second in command over the entire country of Egypt. I felt as though I was standing with God very close to me. Pharaoh took his personal ring off his finger and gave it to me. He treated me as his son. In due time, I was given a wife and we had sons.
It was with the birth of my sons, however, that I truly changed. I did not remember the cruelty of my brothers as I started to love again, devoting my life to my sons. My life had taken on a totally different perspective and the pain of my past had been removed. I had come to Egypt when I was seventeen years old and I had spent thirteen years in slavery. Now, I was second in command and had strong sons to live for. I also had become strong in many ways. I felt more compassionate and sensitive to others because of all the torment I had personally gone through. I had become willing to listen to and understand the problems of others. And, there was no way that I considered myself better than anyone or ever would again. However, I never lost sight of my God and the God of my father Jacob and his father Isaac and his father Abraham. My God was my God; then and forever and he would be the God of my children.
Exactly according to the dream God gave Pharaoh, the country of Egypt received seven bountiful years of grain harvest. During this time, I had our men store as much grain as possible. I had to remember the firm warning of God's promise that our next seven years would be famine. And, that is what happened. For the next seven years, we had very poor harvest yields and so did the rest of the earth. With our tall, full storage bins, our people were in no danger of going without food. Soon, men from other countries came to me, Joseph in Egypt, to buy grain for their hungry people. I praised God for giving us his wisdom to store grain so we would be taken care of.
During the beginning of the famine, in the first two years, I received a group of ten men from the land of Canaan who came to me to buy grain. They spoke Hebrew and were exceptionally polite to me. They all bowed down to me while expressing their earnest desire to buy my Egyptian grain. Of course, I had an interpreter between us, but, as I saw their faces again, and I listened more intently to their voices, I realized that I knew the men. I had seen them long ago in my lifetime, and in my dreams, but I had given them up, as they had me. They were my brothers. They did not recognize me, and for a long time, I did not let them know my identity. I spoke to them through an interpreter, pretending not to know Hebrew. It was a thorough shock to my emotional system and I had to be extremely cautious with the situation. I had to get control of myself immediately. These men were the men who had wanted me dead. They had hated me so much they had wanted to murder me. Many years had passed since my youth. Because of them, I had gone through so much suffering and horror which had been conquered only with God's grace, and now they faced me again. I didn't know what to do about them or, more importantly, what God expected of me now. At one point in time, I could not control my deep feelings and I ran out to find a secure, isolated room in which to cry out in loud, desperate sobs.
I listened to their conversations without their knowledge and realized that they had been haunted with guilt all these years by what they had done to me the day I was thrown into the pit. After much questioning and positive proof, I believed that we could be friends again, but it wasn't easy for me to get to this point. I had to learn about forgiveness and try to understand why they had done what they had to me. It was almost impossible for me to forgive them. I wanted desperately to see my aged father, Jacob, whom I had loved and whom I had given up. I finally had to disclose myself to them and to explain to them that they would be welcome to come to Egypt with their families and live. I cannot explain the emotions of shock, disbelief, and then gratitude that they experienced. All I knew was that I had to forgive them. And, I had to help them now when they desperately needed it. I had to put aside the grief, suffering, and desperation that I had known during my life and find purpose in it and bring glory to God because of it. I had to bring God's mercy to my family. I had to learn that it is not my place to judge others, or to take my own revenge. I didn't say I didn't want to judge or take revenge, I said it wasn't for me to do. I had to give the entire situation over to God.
Eventually, my family moved to Egypt. We are a united family again. It was done with God's power, and with God's guiding hand. I never said that it was easy. God makes difficult demands on those whom he loves, but he also takes care of his own, although we might not know it when he is doing it. God has been with me in the most impossible circumstances and has never left. God is sovereign and just, and he cares about you more than you can realize. He proved this to me. He can to you, also. Don't worry if you are in the deepest problems of life. Worry if you do not trust God to take care of you, to be with you and to give you the strength you do not possess for your situation. God has everything that you need in this life. Trust him for it.
