The central, overarching story of Genesis is the narrative of the fathers of Israel, containing the individual stories of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and finally Joseph. Although each account is compiled together, there is a fundamental shift in the authors' presentation of God once the narrative of Joseph's life begins. God is an active actor, who speaks and intercedes even physically, in the lives of the first three Patriarchs as he directs their lives with his commands and his promises. In Joseph's life story, however, from chapters thirty-seven through fifty, with the exception of chapter thirty-eight, God is not an active character in the narrative. The divine influence on this fourth generation Jew is undeniable, as he is able to accurately interpret dreams and seems to innately know God's will, but divinity never makes itself known to Joseph as it did to the three predecessors of the man. This change in the role of God may simply indicate an author speaking from a tradition separate from the J or priestly traditions, or it may be symbolic in that Joseph, though blessed, is not as close to God as his fathers. Regardless of the historical reasons, the story of Joseph's life in the text of Genesis as a whole, from his first prophetic dreams to his royal burial in Egypt, stands out from the rest of the account of the Patriarchs as Joseph establishes himself as ruler. among men despite the silent role of his God. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Of Joseph's three fathers, Abraham has the most interactive relationship with God beginning with his calling in chapter twelve, when God promises, "I will make you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great. ." (Gen 12:2). From this moment on, God is an omnipresent character in Abraham's life as he continually speaks to the old man. After revealing the promised land of Canaan (Gen. 13:14-17), God verbally seals his covenant with Abraham by changing his name from Abraham, requiring circumcision, and promising once again that in exchange for loyalty the man " ...he will be the father of a multitude of nations." (Gen. 17:4) Abraham has such a close relationship with God that he feels inclined to reason with the deity about the destruction of Sodom while questioning the justification of the destruction of a minority of righteous people living in a wicked city ( Gen. 18:23). This scene is the only time in Genesis where God's judgment is directly questioned, and since Abraham, who is "...but dust and ashes" (18:27) does not lose God's favor with his questions, he demonstrates his exceptional status among men. Despite this exalted position, God finds it necessary to subject Abraham to the ultimate test by requiring the sacrifice of Isaac, his only son. Having demonstrated his loyalty to God, Abraham exits the narrative and Isaac becomes the central patriarch. In Isaac's story, God speaks not only to him, but also to his wife Rebekah. God's presence is tangible enough that Rebekah can turn directly to him for answers when she feels the tension between Jacob and Esau in her womb (Genesis 25:22). Abraham also had to wait for God to come to him, and while Rebekah's question does not necessarily make her more favored than her father-in-law, God's answer indicates his participatory nature in this particular story. As for his interaction with Isaac himself, God comes to him twice with the same promise he made to Abraham saying to the man, "I will multiply your descendants like the stars of heaven, and I will give to your descendants all these lands," (Gen. 26:4). Apart from his dialogue withIsaac, the narrator of chapter twenty-six, verses twelve through thirteen, says that God is directly responsible for Isaac's success during his sojourn with Abim'elech and the Philistines since "The LORD blessed him, and the man became rich." Isaac's son Jacob reaches maturity, God continues his active and vocalized role in the lives of the Jews. God first addresses Jacob in a dream, reiterating the promise he made to both Isaac and Abraham, while assuring that he will bring Jacob back to Haran (Gen. 28:12-15). After Laban gives Jacob his two daughters, God intervenes and selectively opens Leah's womb before Rachel's, and the latter is unable to bear children herself until God "...heard her and opened her womb" (Genesis 30:22). . According to the text, without the intercession of the divinity, Rachel would not have given birth to Joseph and Benjamin. Later, when Jacob flees from Laban's house, God once again acts on his behalf by commanding Laban to leave Jacob alone (Genesis 31:24). Jacob's divine relationship continues and takes a step forward from that of his fathers when he becomes physically entangled with an angel of God. Although the text does not explicitly say that his wrestling opponent is of divine origin, the being disappears before of dawn, which was an ancient indication of divinity (Gen. 32:26, ​​p. 41, note 26). Finally, in chapter thirty-five, God commands Jacob to go to Bethel and safeguards his journey with "a terror," and when the man arrives at his destination, God gives him his new name, Israel. From this point on, the nature of God's character in the story of the Patriarchs changes from a vocal role to a silent role in which his presence is recognized only by the active characters rather than by his own voice or direct action. Joseph's career begins with his two dreams that prophesy his ascendancy over his brothers. Although Jacob rebukes his son for these dreams of power, he recognizes their potential importance: “…his father kept this saying in mind” (Genesis 37:11). At this point Joseph's story has already diverged from the path of his fathers, because while they are driven directly by the voice of God, his divine relationship is expressed more subtly through symbolic dreams. The narrator's level of acknowledgment of God's presence in this episode is to say that Joseph was successful because "The Lord was with (him)" (Genesis 39:2). While Abraham's valor was tested by God's own command to sacrifice Isaac, Joseph is tested by the deception of Potiphar's wife and the unjust prison sentence that followed, and the fourth Patriarch tests its value as it patiently awaits release. With indirect help from God, who is alluded to in the text only with the question: "Do not interpretations belong to God?" (Gen. 40:8) Joseph boosts his career by accurately interpreting the dreams of the cupbearer, the baker, and finally Pharaoh himself. Joseph receives no commands or assurances from God regarding his ability to interpret dreams, he is simply able to do so. As Prime Minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, Joseph ascended to a position of earthly power never achieved by his ancestors. From this point of view, Joseph imposes a divine test of justice on his brothers without an explicit command from God himself, and his test forces his brothers to remember their greedy and jealous actions so that they seek forgiveness once which is revealed. Joseph's power is further demonstrated when, through his managerial skills, which are independent of God's direct influence, he becomes a skilled administrator, able to successfully extend reserves of.