Below the first chapter from The Joseph Perspective by Eric Stender
Chapter 1
Jacob: A Father’s Love
After years of praying, God finally answered.
I loved both my wives, Leah and Rachel, but it’s no secret that Rachel had always been my most beloved. From the moment we met at the well so many years ago, there had always been a special place in my heart carved out just for her.
After so many years, Rachel, the woman I loved more than anything else in this world, had finally given me a son. In my old age God blessed me with ten sons in all, but none through her. Joseph would be my eleventh, but Rachel’s first. My heart melted when he reached out, wrapping his tiny fingers around my thumb. Looking into his deep brown eyes, I knew those little hands held a slightly bigger grip on my heart than my other boys. I blinked and felt a warm tear roll down my cheek and drip off my chin.
Life will never be the same.
We waited so long for our little miracle together. Leah gave me son after son and I’m grateful for each one, but I wanted…needed…a son through Rachel. I spent many nights alone, red-faced, in prayer crying out to God. I shook my fist at the sky questioning Him, begging Him for a son, but he answered with silence.
We tried, repeatedly, but Rachel remained barren. I thought she would never have children.
With Joseph’s birth things changed. Everything changed. Rachel and I grew closer, spending as much time as possible together with our little blessing. The older boys, especially Ruben, Simeon, and Levi, took on more responsibility taking charge of the sheep. They took the flocks all over Canaan and the surrounding cities to feed. I didn't spend as much time with them as I wanted too, but they knew I would if I could. I felt like I needed to stay home to help take care of little Joseph.
A little over six years later Rachel gave birth to our second son, my twelfth and final son, Benjamin. He was beautiful with a head full of hair and bright green eyes, like his mother.
Unfortunately, Rachel’s soul left this world as she brought our son into it. In our years together she gave me many cherished memories, and each memory was a gift. Benjamin was her final gift to me.
I held her hand in those final moments. We both knew it would be our last time together on this side of Heaven. I loved her, she loved me, and we loved our new baby boy. I knew then to make every moment count as if it was the last.
God finally blessed us with children, and then He decided in his infinite wisdom to take her from me.
Things changed that day too. I didn't care about anything or anyone else. For a long time I sat in my chair staring out the window, half-expecting Rachel to come in, wrap her arms around me, and kiss me on the forehead like she used to. Leah tried to console me, but I pushed her away, usually by yelling for no reason. I didn’t mean to…it just happened. More than a few times I even asked God why he decided to take Rachael from me, instead of Leah.
He never answered.
I don’t think I was the best father, but I tried hard, taking care of Joseph and Benjamin the best I could. The other boys took care of the sheep. Leah... Leah did her best to take care of us all. I mourned a wife and Leah mourned a sister. They had their own battles between them, but deep down Leah and Rachel still loved each other.
After burying Rachel I missed her deeply. Not a day went by I didn’t wish she was by my side. Joseph and Benjamin became my whole world.
I found myself spending every moment possible with Joseph and Benjamin instead of the other boys. I needed to make every moment count. I knew it upset Leah and the other boys, but they didn't understand. They didn’t experience the loss the way I did. Joseph and Benjamin were all I had left of their mother. Being with them helped me keep her memory alive, and every moment with them made her absence a little less painful. At least that’s the excuse I told myself. I kept them both as close as possible. I wouldn't…I couldn't lose them too.
Rachel would have loved watching Joseph and Benjamin play together. Joseph loved taking care of Benjamin. He told Benjamin all kinds of great imaginative stories about anything and everything. It amazed me the things Joseph could dream up. My imagination always seemed a little more limited, while his never seemed to end. He must have gotten that ability from his mother.
While the older boys tended to the flocks, Joseph, Benjamin, and I stayed home. We tended to things around the house with Leah. Sometimes that meant doing actual work, but whenever possible it meant laughing and playing while Leah worked.
I spent much of my time with Joseph. I tried to pass on as much knowledge and wisdom as I could. With all the trials and troubles I went through, I had learned quite a bit. I didn’t always follow God the way I should, but wrestling with an angel…with God…will change a man. I still had the limp to prove it. I must have told that story to Joseph more times than I could count, but even at seventeen he still soaked it up fresh every time.
While Joseph did chores or told Benjamin some incredible story, I spent my time stitching together a coat of many colors; a coat I couldn't wait to give to Joseph. It turned out wonderful, better than my limited imagination would have thought. Different shades of dye made up the colors, with each one complementing the other. The sleeves were long and elegant. If I did it right, when worn it would hang down to about his knees.
How I’ve managed to keep it a secret as long as I did I’ll never know? The closer I came to finishing it the more I wanted to give it to him. Many times I thought about letting him know about it early, maybe even have him help me, but I didn't.
I wrapped the coat in a white tattered cloth, binding it together with twine.
“Joseph," I called out the door, "come here. I have something for you.” Last I saw, Joseph and Benjamin were drawing pictures in the sand out behind the house.
He came into the room with a grin. I loved that smile. Seeing it sometimes made even my worst days instantly better. “Yes Father,” he said, spying the bundle in my hand, "What is it?”
“Open it and see for yourself,” I said, handing it to him.
Still unsure, he glanced at me and then back to the bundle, looking for approval. If I wasn't mistaken I would have sworn that his grin grew two sizes larger than normal. I nodded and he finally pulled on the twine, loosening the knot on top. Casting the twine aside like trash, he unwrapped the cloth. Upon seeing what lie folded inside his eyes lit up like the morning sun—brighter and brighter with each passing moment.
His mouth dropped open as if to say something, but nothing came out, which meant more to me than anything he could have possibly put into words. He carefully unfolded the coat as if it was a precious royal tapestry, which it might as well be. He stood in awe, examining every color, every seam, and soaked it all in. We both smiled as wide as our faces would allow.
“Go ahead, put it on,” I encouraged.
He did. The sleeves were a bit too long, extending just past his wrist. Judging by his wide eyes and the way they continued to scan the coat from edge to edge, he didn't mind. He looked good, proud. Instantly he stood taller, letting the coat fall down to his knees.
“Thanks, Father! This is amazing! But… Why? What did I do to deserve this?”
“You are my son. Do I need a reason?” I asked sarcastically. He jumped into my arms hugging me a little tighter than a seventeen-year-old should hug an old man like me, but I didn't care.
“Can I go show Benjamin?” he asked. He was like a little kid with excitement bursting from every part of him.
“It’s yours,” I chuckled, “You can do whatever you want with it. Just take care of it.” With that he was off to show his little brother his new coat. I watched him strut through the house and then into the yard where his brothers were returning from feeding the flocks.
Find out what Simeon, Joseph's brother, thought about the coat and Joseph in Chapter 2. Click the cover below to purchase on Amazon.
