8.10

We've talked about power before, but on Tuesday, Profé Chris said something that caught my attention, he said that Joseph himself is an interpreter... "That’s how he gains power." True enough, when the Pharaoh depends on Joseph for the dream interpretation (that we all agreed were rather obvious) it gave Joseph power. So then like Casey mentioned, the brother's didn't really need to guess much when faced with Joseph's dreams - it was crystal clear to them, and they took action immediately... essentially keeping the power in the relationship, yes?

So I sat and pondered. If this is the first time that God has chosen to speak like this in the Genesis - through dreams rather then through "And God Said..." format - then there was no need of an interpreter in the earlier chapters. So who is doing the interpreting? In the earlier chapters we see Noah and Abraham doing what they're told without any real confusion (even with the dimensions of the ark? - he got that the first time?). They didn't have to have someone come tell them what God meant so it was simple for them to just do what they were told in full confidence of their position and relation to God.

Now, I'm thinking about lawyers. I've had a run in with a few, and with a few text books written by some... half of the time I come out of a conversation feeling baffled and inadequate. I assume they know what they're talking about, though.

Maybe this is just me reflecting on what has been said a few times in class - the disgust that people hold for folks who use the bible to oppress... and who bend the text to say one thing or another about any given topic. The person that's capable of spinning the words in the most believable way is the person that dictates the meaning. And I suppose that's why the printing press and the Bible on the bookshelf in common language was a frightening thought for most learned individuals.

With that in mind, I step back and I look at what I have accepted without questioning simply because the answers would be too complex for me to understand. People are always saying to me, "Oh, but the end times are coming! See! Read Daniel - THREE BEASTS!" bla bla bla. And then they whip out some large numbers and how they translate to years and how that means that we probably won’t be around past next Friday. But I can't argue - they've interpreted it all in a "logical" way.

Of course, plenty of people think the meaning is as obvious as Pharaoh’s dreams, but I still have to give that pharaoh credit for searching out a wide variety of explanations...