Monday
Now his brothers had gone to graze their father’s flocks near Shechem, and Israel [aka Jacob] said to Joseph, “As you know, your brothers are grazing near Shechem. Come, I am going to send you to them.”
“Very well,” he replied.
So he said to him, “Go and see if all is well with your brothers and with the flocks, and bring word back to me.” So he sent him off from the Valley of Hebron.
When Joseph arrived at Shechem, a man found him wandering around in the fields and asked him, “What are you looking for?”
He replied, “I’m looking for my brothers. Can you tell me where they are grazing their flocks?”
“They have moved on from here,” the man answered, “I heard them say, ‘Let’s go to Dothan.’”
So Joseph went after his brothers and found them near Dothan. But they saw him in the distance and before he reached them, they plotted to kill him.
(Genesis 37:12-18, NIV)
As the story of Joseph unfolds, it becomes apparent that his father Jacob did not notice the stress between his twelve sons that had resulted from his favoritism to Joseph. He instructs Joseph to travel to a distant grazing area where his older brothers are tending the family’s sheep herd. Verse 14 contains Jacob’s request that Joseph find out about the shalom of his brothers and the shalom of the flock. In this context, the word shalom refers to the general well-being and safety of everyone and, unlike the previous use of the word, has little to do with personal relationships.
This is a very common usage of the word shalom. The same usage appears later in this story when Joseph is sold as a slave by his brothers and winds up in prison in Egypt, until his skill at interpreting dreams is reported to Pharaoh. Chapter 41 records the incident in which Pharaoh calls Joseph into his presence and inquires about his gift of interpreting dreams. Joseph’s modest answer is “I cannot do it but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” Or “God will answer the desire (shalom) of Pharaoh.”
In both of these stories, the word shalom means the overall general welfare of everyone involved. In fact, the impact of Joseph’s interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream was to promote the general welfare of all of Egypt. This aspect of shalom is a rich one. It incorporates a deep interest in the whole situation in which people find themselves. Are you experiencing shalom? That question is not just an inquiry into one’s personal relationships, but is rather a concern for one’s general state of being. In Jewish circles, the farewell salutation shalom is a wonderful expression that says, in effect, may you experience peace in all aspects of your life.
Prayer
Lord God, you created us to live in peace – with you, with each other, with nature. Your desire is that there be peace in the world and that all people experience a life without strife and brokenness. Give us the same vision for your world. Amen.