pleasing to no one, generating only the stench of destruction, showing humans the errors of their ways, thrusting their fingers at someone else, assigning one to be blamed, but they destroy themselves, never knowing the Lord they believe in, ignoring His glory while shamed with their household gods, believing their sacrifices save them from idol worship, ignoring God who tells them He wants no sacrifices, telling hearers many times the folly of following ancient pagan rites. He wants people to sacrifice their bodies to Him, all their thoughts and deeds to purify their souls, pleasing Him with good deeds and sharing with those in need, never glorifying this as success, but as obedience securing His purpose.
Dumdum: We blameless ones all hear to give sacrificially, parting with our wealth to be blessed many times over, giving God enough so we can name it and claim it, to be blessed without being a blessing, making sacrifices so we can continue life as we choose to live.
Job: If my friends did me wrong, spreading lies, being prophets to explain how justice was mandatory for my sins, can I change them by my forgiveness, without seeking their forgiveness for accusations believed by them to be right? The blameless seldom admit wrongdoings, and I can only accept what God chooses to be given and demand nothing more.
Dumdum: On becoming a righteous one, divorcing yourself from this world, expect ridicule from blameless and upright people, creating for yourself no home, in isolation from relationships, an island to yourself, impossible for any human being, worse than your recent afflictions.
Bystander: Those choosing to live in compliance with God's edicts will suffer persecution, so be prepared for distress in this world, acknowledging they must endure great tribulations to enter the kingdom of God.
Joseph: I was rescued from previewing death's home of isolation, pits of a dungeon, freeing me to return to this world, enlisting me to determine deeds never leading to righteousness, perhaps impeding my way to savor God's glory with a garment robing me in royal uprightness, similar to my cloak of youth, destroyed and camouflaged with animal blood, stained with innocent blood to deceive the ignorant, witnessing my anxiety mount to a climax. Was I to experience more of the world, insuring my distress would never abate? My faith has never been based on experience, outcomes of my life's circumstances, proving my faith has survived them all, trusting my faith grows with my love for God, depending less on following His decrees, thinking they build my faith to a higher level by merely exercising tenets of His truths.
Bystander: As foretold by God, abundance served its time, making way for famine's arrival, ceasing accumulation of labor's fruit, coveted for gaining wealth, beginning distribution of stored grains, harvest's yields saved to nourish all in times of need, revealing the Lord's wisdom implemented in Joseph's decisions.
Joseph: I could easily fall into apathy, disinterest, except for my position's splendors generously appointed by the king, but dwelling in luxury would likely erase my memories, such as done with the butler until he was nudged to a act, to remember a promise he had made and forgotten. To assure this wouldn't happen to me, I named my first-born so I would forget my past sufferings and express my constant gratitude and I named my second to testify God made me fruitful in the land of my affliction, bringing me prosperity out of nothingness.
Job: I will be with you, never leaving the one who helped me see myself, advising you to never do as I did, accumulating wealth to pridefully show prosperity, changing now to be at your side, securing spiritual nourishment together, showing us how to avert famine's consequences.
Bystander: Nothingness, scattering famine's threat throughout the land, was thwarted at Joseph's behest, disrupted by his wisdom, his decision to ration food, rationing enough to satisfy people's needs during good times, permitting none to be accumulated as wealth, filling stores to overflowing, saving enough to meet everyone's needs during lean years. When drought famished Egypt, people came to Pharaoh, asking to meet their needs, only to hear him say, Go to Joseph, do what he tells you to do, you returning at evening, hungering like dogs.
Joseph: People come, begging me for food, calling me lord of Pharaoh's abundance, proclaiming me the shepherd sent to minister to their needs, and the Lord wills me to pity them, leading me to tell them, Come, eat my bread. I feed them, leaving no one to lack nourishment, trusting I can feed any multitude, expecting the entire world to come, seeking the bread of life, knowing we can feed them all, as we ask only what they can pay, now watching the gaunt and emancipated come, seeking a share, no longer witnessing our fatted ones, basking as before in contentment.
Job: Everyone who hungers, suffering from famine, is told, Come to the abundance secured by our moderation, nourished by the wisdom of living waters, welcoming all with or without money, come for the bread of life, knowing God always provides, distributing His wealth to meet our needs. Our commission is now revealed, ordaining us with gifts from God to represent His love, adopting His love to assure equality for all, disbursing needs as He does with manna, sustaining everything we require, fulfilling His promises made at creation. Let no one hold back, welcoming all, taking no consideration of one's poverty, embracing all who have little, offering only a life to share, trusting in a faithful God.
Joseph: The Lord never honors wealth, asking little but one's unneeded things to share, a portion of all He has given us, expecting us to be graceful, showing mercy by sharing with impoverished ones. Now people come from other lands, sent by who knows, hearing from someone of our bounty, maybe God, taking pity on His hungry creation, suffering from poverty of food, distributed unequally for many to suffer, coming to beg sustenance from our treasures, and maybe somehow convinced God has chosen one to allocate His harvests, believing His words stating Come, eat my bread and be nourished by all I have to offer, asking you to trust little except the Lord will provide. Thus, they come to learn what faith can do, and leaving they learn God is love, always there to answer their needs.
Job: God, placing me here to assist you, showing how faithful He is, full of grace and mercy, feeding all as He promised, blessing me as I relinquished my old life, immersed in believing my role was to find happiness, trusting in my accumulated treasures, none of which I have now, has changed me, living only to please Him.
Bystander: Finding your gift without looking far, remember prophets reporting God's words, Behold the days come, and I will send forth a famine on the land, not a famine of bread or thirst for water but a famine for hearing the word of the Lord. Consider this famine prevailing over the land. Those minding earthly things cannot perceive things which are of the Spirit of God, and suffer a famine of understanding Him so famine recurs and continues, waiting until people meditate on God's law day and night.
Job: Let those weak in understanding come to me, bringing their will to listen and hear God's wisdom, reporting on my recent discovery.
Bystander: God reveals His wisdom in bits and pieces, trusting progressive revelations to guide people's thoughts, as He confronts them with unexpected circumstances, confounding their best-laid plans, convinced by dim-witted ones to be trials, but they are sent by Him as opportunities, coming at a cost, expecting a price to be paid, counting on payment for everything, in this case giving up one's dearest treasures, completing the circle, taking some away what He had given. What is the cost here?
Joseph: I must listen to Pharaoh's direction, setting a price for all grain, selling it to cover his Kingdom's expenses, accumulating enough to meet future cycles of abundance and famine. During this famine, having had so much demand from outsiders, our grain prices had to increase, and soon Egypt's people have to draw on resources other than their money to buy grain, using their cattle first, then their land, and finally selling themselves into bondage to survive.
Job: Do they sell themselves into slavery, never for survival, but for continuing a life they cherish, enslaving themselves to dependence on Pharaoh, but freely independent to live ways of their true king, following ways of their will, enslaving them to be servants of sin?
Bystand
er: Affected by the famine, now throughout this part of the world, Joseph's family suffered as others, and hearing of the availability of grain in Egypt, Jacob looked at Joseph's brothers and suggested they journey there to buy food, else they starve and die, never knowing their venture could doom them to bondage in a foreign land, despite God's warning, a country He told them before to never enter. So ten of Jacob's sons traveled to Egypt, leaving Benjamin the youngest to remain with his father, who feared harm could take the only remaining memory of his favorite wife, Rachel, now long-deceased. Did Jacob ever understand fear is never of the Lord, never His doing, despite being taught reverence he must have for the Lord conspires for him to believe reverence joins fear with awe to worship God, forgetting love for those never inclined to love Him.
A Rainbow on the Horizon
Job: We have a group of strangers, brothers, coming from north of us, a place they call home of Israel, to buy food. Here they are to meet you.
Bystander: Bowing down, addressing Joseph