Joseph, Mordecai, Esther, and Daniel all had the courage to remain faithful to God even though they were threatened and punished. Mordecai and Daniel reminded me of Joseph because all three of them had dreams which could be interpreted as to what will happen in their future. Joseph as well as Esther, Mordecai, and Daniel all rose to a position of power in a foreign government. Joseph was his father Jacob’s favorite son, just as Ahasuerus loved Esther more than all of the other women who wanted to be Queen. Daniel also was the favorite of King Baltassar. He meant more to King Baltassar than of the friends of the King. Jacob’s father gave him a gift and authority over his brothers. This caused Joseph’s brothers to hate him. Joseph experienced
So when Joseph came to them, they took off his beautiful robe and they threw him in an empty well. Then they sold him to people that were going to Egypt. The brothers took the robe and dipped it in animal’s blood and brought it to their father. They told Jacob that an animal killed him. Jacob was really upset. Joseph was now in Egypt working as a slave. He was Potiphar’s helper and made him mandated of everything he owned. Then the Pharaoh sent him to jail. After some time in jail a cupbearer and a baker’s Pharaoh had a dream that he was going to get out of jail soon. Joseph told them to tell the Pharaoh about him but the cupbearer forgot. Two years later the Pharaoh had a dream, but nobody could understand it. Then the cupbearer remembered what Joseph did for him, and Joseph was brought to Pharaoh. Joseph explained him and the Pharaoh believed all that he told him, and put him in charge of all the land of Egypt. People came from all over to buy grain from Joseph, including Joseph's brothers. When his brothers came, Joseph was able to recognize them, but they did not. Joseph told them that he was their brother and even thought they were afraid Joseph was not mad at them because he knew that God had a better plan for him. After it his entire family moved to Egypt
Jacob’s preferential treatment towards Joseph was destructive, and created dissension among Joseph’s brothers (fueled sibling rivalry –
Joseph learns from his father, Elias’ faults in both his community leadership and personal life. Joseph is a more powerful leader as well as a family member because of this. At the beginning of the novel, Elias is introduced as the former leader of Waknuk the community they live in. He teaches and inspires Joseph to lead the community, but he is also a good example for Joseph to learn how to alter his leadership styles to be more effective. At the beginning of the novel, there is a jump back in time to explain Joseph's childhood:
The Persian Empire is arguably one of the greatest and largest empires ever in the history of the world. It was in place from approximately 550 to 334 BCE in Asia Minor and Persia. Throughout the time the empire was in place there were multiple kings that ruled it changing the cultures of the people living in the empire. The Book of Ester is a book from the Hebrew Bible written during the fourth century BCE that tells the story of a Persian king Achashvairosh. In the story information is given on how Persian Kings were able rule their vast empire for such a long period of time. The Persian Kings that ruled the Persian Empire were able to do their job successfully, deal with problems they faced, and keep their empire culturally vast because
Joseph was the first born child of Rachel and because he was born to Jacob in his old age, Jacob loved Joseph more than his other sons and made Joseph a richly ornamented robe, therefore Joseph’s brothers hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. Joseph also had dreams that indicated that he would reign over his brothers and this caused more hatred toward him. His brothers were jealous of the love that he received from their father and because of his dreams. Consequently, Joseph’s brothers plotted to kill him but instead they sold him to some Ishmaelites that were passing through to Egypt.
King Darius had enlisted help from a group of advisors to lead his kingdom. Daniel was the head of that group and the others didn’t like that, they were thinking of a way to get rid of him. Daniel was a firm believer in God and prayed every day so, the other men had an idea. They told the king to make a new law in which the people were only allowed to pray to one god: King Darius. If someone was caught worshipping anyone else, they would be thrown into a lion’s den.
Also seen in the Old Testament, Esther parallels Joseph by assimilating from being a passive commoner to a queen, the highest royal position for a woman. Her life entirely changes when she marries King Ahasuerus
The book of Esther is full of mysteries that has grasped the attention of Biblical scholars and audiences throughout ages and still presents some challenges to the contemporary audiences. It is important to understand the purpose and theme of the book in order to better understand the text in its context. Many Christian scholars and audiences’ alike eisegesis the text instead of using exegesis therefore there have been many misconceptions regarding Esther. The book of Esther is a very important book for it is the only book in the bible to be without the name of God in its entire text. Though there is no reference to God or Torah in the text does not necessarily mean that God is not revealed through circumstances and challenges faced by His
Ezekiel and Daniel are alike and different in many ways. Yes, both were Major Prophets called by God. The history we learn about these prophets should teach us many things that we as Christians are called to know.
Joseph began his life as the favorite son of Jacob who tended to the flocks as a shepherd.3 These humble beginnings foreshadow how one day Joseph will tend to the Seed of the Woman during times of famine in the land by giving food to this eleven brothers. Jacob, who was the son of Isaac, had eleven other sons who were jealous of the special attention that Joseph received. In fact, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him.4 Joseph had a dream that predicted that Joseph would one day reign over his older brothers. This upset his brothers and they tricked Joseph by selling him into slavery. Joseph was then taken to Egypt where he was sold to Potiphar and became a servant in
Can an orphan become a queen? It sounds imaginable, however, this is the story of Queen Esther. God had a purpose and a plan for Esther. She was a humble woman that leads and assisted her people. Just like the steps from the book The Servant Leader, Esther’s life included five steps of a servant leader. She ran with great purpose, upended the pyramid, raised the bar, blazed the trail, and built on the strengths (Leah, 2010). She accepted and used her position for the good of her people. Queen Esther was a servant leader that selflessly placed the Jews before herself and even at the price of possibly losing her life. Moreover, she bloomed into an influential and authentic leader by placing the Jews above herself. The book of Esther is about Esther being a servant leader.
Mordecai, Esther’s cousin and also the man who raised her, subsequently learned of a plot to assassin the king. He told Esther of the plot and she sequentially told the king. Mordecai was recognized for his act of kindness by the king. Meanwhile Haman, the king’s highest official, was angry with Mordecai and wanted him and all the Jews killed. Once more, Mordecai learned of this plot and told Esther. After fasting, she approached the king and delivered the news and also let him know her true identity. The king was enraged with Haman and ordered Haman’s death. As a result, Mordecai was granted Haman’s high position and all the Jews in the land were
The book of Esther tells the faithfulness of one woman and her uncle. It is only one of two books that contain the heroism and bravery of a woman heroine. The story of Esther accomplishes two profound things, the first: “To demonstrate God’s providential care of his people, even those outside the land of Israel, and 2) to commend the observance of the feast of Purim by relating how it originated” (Breneman 289).Unlike the rest of the Bible the story of Esther does not directly state or talk about God, but instead shows God’s plans for all of our lives and how in all frightening moments of life, He remains faithful to those who trust and have faith in Him. “In spite of the omission of any name for deity, there is no other book in all the
One of the inherent conflicts in the story of Joseph is the tension between Joseph and his brothers. The tension between them is caused by both Jacob and Joseph. First, Jacob shows favoritism toward Joseph, because he is the son of his favorite wife Rachel. Second, Joseph brings back bad reports when he is out pasturing with his brothers. However, what truly increased the hatred and jealousy was the Joseph’s dreams. The author notes that when Joseph recounts the dreams, “they hated him even more (Gen. 37:8).” Their jealousy for Joseph is strong enough that they are willing to murder him. However, they decide to instead sell him into slavery, and convince Jacob that he was killed.
At first read the book of Esther is a story of a Queen who was able to achieve a heroic act that saved her people from being destroyed. However as you examine the story it’s more than a historic story of triumph, but through the actions of the characters in the story it becomes a blueprint for many aspects of leadership. By examining the different dimensions of the leadership traits of King Ahasuerus, Haman, Mordecai and Esther will represent the different facet of developing into a leader.