Till Shiloh Comes (6 page)

“Master, I am old enough to be a wife, am I not?”

“Why, so you are, my child.” Jacob smiled. “Which young man has been looking on you with desire?”

“I wish to be the wife of one of your people, for I have come to feel myself as one of them in spirit.”

Jacob was pleased that she would identify so closely with his people. “Has one of the men spoken to you of marriage?”

“I would like to be the wife of Er, the son of your fourth-born, Judah.”

Now Jacob was indeed amazed! “Er? But why him, daughter?” He wanted to demand,
“Why would any young woman desire such a weakling for a husband?”
Both of Judah's older sons, Er and Onan, were weak men. Even worse, they were immoral men, who could not be controlled either by Jacob or by their father.

As for Tamar, she would have tried to have Judah for a husband, for she was convinced that he was the son through which the Redeemer would come. But Judah was already married, so Er, his oldest son, would carry the seed of the Promised One—at least so Tamar had come to firmly believe.

“I will be a good wife to him,” Tamar said, her eyes brilliant as she faced Jacob. “Will you ask Judah to command his son Er to have me for his wife?”

Jacob was reluctant to fulfill such a request, but at the same time, he knew that Er would not find a better wife than this young woman. And she would have children with the blood of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob!

“I will speak with Judah—if you are certain this is what you wish.”

Tamar smiled triumphantly. “Yes, master! It is what I want most of all things.”

****

At first the engagement of Er to Tamar was the subject of much discussion, but after a few days the novelty of the union passed away. Er himself had no desire to marry, but his father had ordered him to agree. Er had said to his brother Onan, “Father can force me to marry her, but he can't make me be faithful to her!”

Two weeks after Tamar had spoken with Jacob, the time of harvest arrived. The late rains had been plenteous, and a fine wheat crop was thick in the fields. The harvesting always began with the reaping of the barley, a task most of the sons of Jacob enjoyed. Joseph was the exception, for he was not particularly given to hard labor. He had learned to get by with as little of it as possible, but at harvest time he joined in with his brothers. They all cut the bearded grain with a sickle, then gathered the stalks together and bound the sheaves with straw. Joseph was in one of his happy moods and did not notice his brothers' sullen looks toward him. He had laid aside his coat of many colors, it not being suitable for working in the fields. He also stripped off his tunic, working only in a loincloth, and the sun gleamed against his smooth olive skin. On one level Joseph actually enjoyed working with his brothers on the harvest because it brought him into contact with them. It was strange that a young man so intelligent in so many ways could be so blind to the fact that he had alienated himself from his older brothers by all of his boasting. For his part, he loved them and counted on their love in return, but a veil had fallen over his understanding, and he could not see what had happened to their relationships.

They worked for several days at the harvest, their bronzed bodies tanned even darker by the blazing sun. Patches of stubble were all that was left now of the barley, and on top of a small hill, Jacob's servants used pitchforks to separate the stalks as they threshed out the grain, then tossed the stalks down before the oxen.

By early afternoon Joseph was tired, having worked hard in his opinion, and he lay down in the shade of a terebinth tree.

As the brothers made their way to the next field, they eyed Joseph with disgust. Dan looked over at him and muttered, “Well, the son of the True Wife has quit on us, I see.”

Issachar laughed. “I'd do the same if I could get by with it, wouldn't you?”

“We could never get by with it,” Dan grunted. “Only the dreamer there can take off anytime he pleases.”

Ignorant of their complaints, Joseph slept for several hours, and Reuben noticed more than once that the boy was twitching and his lips were moving. “Another one of his dreams, I'll be bound,” he muttered, then went on with his work.

Late in the afternoon when the work was done for the day, the men were sitting around talking about new methods of harvesting the barley. Levi had seen a new implement called a threshing table. It was drawn by oxen and had pointed stones on the underside that tore the ears open.

“It'll never work,” Reuben said. He hated changes and was against all of them.

“Why wouldn't it work?” Dan insisted. “Don't be so stubborn, Reuben.”

They argued back and forth peaceably enough until Joseph suddenly sat up. He looked around wildly for a moment; then a smile crossed his face. He got up and interrupted Issachar, who was putting in his views about new methods of harvesting.

“Listen, my brothers, I must tell you something important. I've had a dream.”

“Surprise—surprise! The dreamer has had a dream!” Simeon laughed harshly. “Away with you, dreamer! We want none of them here.”

“But it's such a beautiful dream.” Joseph was quiet only for a moment; then he interrupted again. “My brothers, listen. You must hear this.”

“Let him tell us his silly dream,” Levi grunted, “or we'll never have any peace. What is it, dreamer?”

“I dreamed that all of us were together,” Joseph said, moving his hands to illustrate his words, “and we were harvesting grain.”

“Oh, that's a marvelous, wonderful dream!” Naphtali cried out. “Wonderful! That was no dream. That's what we're actually
doing
.”

“No, but it was a different field in my dream. We were working together to bind the sheaves after cutting the stalks.”

Gad scoffed, “That's what we do, boy. Have you gone stupid? There's no wonder in this dream.”

“But this was so real,” Joseph said. If he had looked around and seen the frowns and sneers on the faces of his brothers, he would have held back, but his eyes were still dreamy and he said excitedly, “We were in a field, and all of us were binding sheaves.”

“Even little Benjamin?” Judah asked moodily.

“Yes, even Benjamin. So there were twelve sheaves.”

“Twelve brothers and twelve sheaves. What's so wonderful about that?” Zebulun cried out. “Away, dreamer!”

But Joseph ignored them and went on. “Suddenly my sheaf rose up in the middle and the others gathered around in a circle. And you know what?” Joseph cried, his eyes flashing. “All of the eleven sheaves were bowing down to my sheaf, which was still upright in the center!”

A cry of anger went up from the brothers. “Don't you see how offensive this is?” Judah said roughly. “Are all your brothers to bow down to you?”

“That is the worst dream I ever heard,” Gad shouted.

Simeon jumped up and ran over to Joseph, along with several of the other brothers. They shouted at him, their faces red with anger. “So we're to bow down to you! We're your servants now, are we?” Simeon took Joseph's arm and began to shake it while Zebulun grabbed the other arm, tossing Joseph in the air and hurling him to the ground. “We've heard enough of you, and we've seen enough of your coat!” Simeon shouted. “I'll teach you what happens to little brothers with big heads!”

Reuben suddenly appeared, pushing Simeon, Levi, and Gad back. “Leave him alone.”

“You always defend him, Reuben!” Naphtali shouted. “Why do you do that?”

“Never mind. Just leave him alone.”

Reuben walked Joseph out of the circle, protecting him from any further attack.

As the two disappeared, Levi snarled, “Reuben always takes up for that puppy, but I hate him.”

“So do I,” Gad said. “Something's going to happen to him someday that'll take that pride right out of him.”

Joseph was shaken by what had happened, and as Reuben dragged him away, he said, “What have I done? Why are they so angry?”

Reuben waited until they were out of earshot of the others, then turned Joseph around and held him by the upper arm, his hands like vises. “You fool,” he said. “You're so smart and so stupid at the same time. Can't you see what an insult you've offered to all of us? You're so much better than we are that our sheaves have to bow down to yours?”

Joseph stood there dumbfounded, his eyes wide, for indeed he'd had no thought of how insulting his comments would be. When Reuben dropped his hands, Joseph said, “I'm sorry, Reuben. I didn't mean to offend anyone.”

“Joseph … Joseph, don't you see? You're filled up with pride, and for all your knowledge of numbers and stars and geography, you don't know how offensive you are to your own brothers. Wake up out of your dreams and put them away from you.”

Joseph tried to think as he watched Reuben walk away. He thought over the dream and finally murmured to himself, “But it was a real dream. Why are they so angry?” He shook his head and went away, knowing that the rest of the harvest would not be quite so pleasant for him.

****

As Reuben related the incident of Joseph's dream of the sheaves, Jacob's heart seemed to shrink, and he could say nothing in response.

After a moment of silence, Reuben said, “You should beat the boy, Father. I know you love him, and he's the son of the True Wife, but you're letting him ruin himself.”

“He means no harm by retelling his dreams.”

“He doesn't know any better because you have never brought him up short. You had no trouble caning the rest of us when we misbehaved. Can't you see that you've spoiled Joseph to the point where he has no sense of wrongdoing where the rest of us are concerned?”

Jacob had no defense, but he persisted feebly. “The boy will grow out of these things.”

“Do you believe in that dream? It can mean only one thing, Father—that he's to be elevated among all your sons.”

“Not all dreams are from God, Reuben.”

“Do you think this one is?” Reuben demanded.

“I can't say. I will speak to the boy about it.”

Reuben stared at his father hopelessly. “One day you will regret letting him run wild,” he said harshly, then turned and walked away.

Jacob called after him, “Wait!” But Reuben did not even look around.

Jacob held his hands together, his heart troubled, for he knew Reuben was right. He was an intelligent man and could see how Joseph had alienated his brothers. It was now the ten of them against the two sons of the True Wife, and the thought of where that might lead frightened him.

****

It was logical that Joseph could not see what was happening, for he had grown up as the favorite of his old father, given his way at all times. Being born so much more intelligent than the rest of his brothers, perhaps it was inevitable that he would think of himself as a very special person. His education had reinforced this opinion, and Jacob's favoritism had so saturated him that Joseph accepted it as his God-given right.

It was only four days after the dream of the sheaves that Jacob came to watch his sons and servants work. He arrived in the morning and was greeted first by Joseph.

“Good morning, Father. Does all go well with you?”

“Yes, my son. How goes it with the crop?”

“You see it is well. The best crop in years.”

“Little thanks to you,” Gad muttered under his breath, barely loud enough for Jacob to catch it.

Jacob ignored the comment, however, and allowed himself to be shown the harvest. He spent the morning with his sons, and at noon they stopped to have a meal. For once things seemed to be going well. Jacob was pleased with the crop and said so. He had found a way to get around to each of the six red-eyed sons of Leah and the four Sons of the Maids and commend them, something he had never done before.

Joseph watched with some impatience and finally piped up, “My father, I have had another dream you must hear.”

“No, not now, my son,” Jacob said hastily.

“But you must hear it,” Joseph cried. “It concerns all of you.”

“Father, must we listen to this puppy and his interminable dreams?” Judah complained. “We're sick of them!”

“It would be better if you did not tell any more of your dreams,” Jacob warned.

But Joseph was beyond correction. This dream was so like that of the sheaves he knew it must be of God. He began to move and twist in the peculiar way he had when he spoke of his dreams. “I dreamed,” he said, “that the sun and moon and eleven stars were around me in a circle, bowing down before me! It's true.”

Jacob could not move except for his eyes. He shifted his gaze around and saw the anger burning in the ten sons, Benjamin not being there. With all his heart he wished Joseph had not told such a thing. He could not blame his sons for being angry, for in truth it angered him as well. He could hear the gnashing of teeth, and finally he knew he had to say something. There was no defense against this sort of insolence, even for the son of the True Wife.

“Boy, have you lost your mind? Your parents and your brothers are to bow down and worship you! I am shamed by such a dream! I will have no more of it!” It was the culmination of Joseph's arrogance. Jacob's anger woke him up to the realization of Joseph's pride, and he felt terrible fear at the deadly hatred he saw in the faces of his sons. He knew that Levi and Simeon had butchered the Prince of Shechem without a moment's thought. They were men of blood. Dan also had a fierce and ungovernable temper. There was no telling what these men would do to his lamb if he did not stop them.

“Come, you shall be punished for this. I vow it!” He started away, grabbed Joseph by the arm, and pulled him after him.

As the two left, Gad laughed harshly. “Punishment! He'll never punish
him
. He never does.”

“He'll probably give him a stiff lecture and Joseph will laugh at it,” Simeon said. “Are we to put up with this, my brothers?”