OLD TESTAMENT TEXTS

In  Genesis 45, Joseph provides his brothers with a theological interpretation of the events that have befallen him, while Psalm 133 celebrates kinship.

Genesis 45:4-20 - "The Power of the Promise"
Setting.  Scholars have long since noted how different in character the Joseph stories are from the other ancestral stories. The sharpest point of contrast is the absence of God as a central character in the Joseph stories. God does not appear as a visitor at mealtime, does not talk directly to people, and does not control the direction of events through supernatural intervention. Instead, the scope of the Joseph stories is more narrowly defined on the plane of human interaction within the family and in the larger arena of international relationships. This more narrow focus…