Genesis 37:28 (ESV)
Then the Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
Only a couple weeks ago, I was attending Breakaway, a gathering of hundreds of college students coming together listening to a sermon once a week. Ben Stuart was preaching about Joseph and how he resented his brothers, but one thing caught my attention close to the beginning of the sermon. Ben mentioned that in lieu of all the things Joseph's brothers did and everything that happened to Joseph throughout his lifetime, we can add that Joseph was trafficked. Taking a closer look at this verse in the Bible and the passage surrounding this verse, it says Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery for twenty shekels of silver.
When Ben said this I nearly jumped out of my seat. I've heard this story dozens of times from beginning to end. I've seen cartoons and read books, but it never dawned on me that Joseph experienced all this. It's still all very similar to what happens nowadays too, and this took place thousands of years ago. Joseph, like victims of trafficking today, was a slave in the house of an influential man named Potiphar, then subjected to Potiphar's wife who tried to use him for sex, and finally thrown into jail and forgotten about for years. No one he loved knew if he was even alive until a great famine hit Israel and the surrounding countries. Joseph's story finally arrives at a happy ending. He reunites with his brother and father. Unfortunately, not all stories of human trafficking turn out this way. If people don't die being trafficked, drugged, forced to do intense work, or beaten, they certainly have a long, hard life ahead of them. I hope this story just gives us some perspective of how long this issue has been around and the differences and similarities we see as it has transformed over many, many years.
Rachel this was such an interesting post. I am doing my second writing project on human trafficking so I was drawn to your blog. It's amazing that human trafficking has been going on for so long and nothing has been done to change it.
ReplyDeleteRachel, I enjoyed reading your blog post this week. I've heard that story a million and one times now, but never realized that Joseph's story falls into the category of human trafficking. Hard to imagine doing that to anybody, especially a family member.
ReplyDeleteWow I really liked this post, probably one of the best I have read all semester. I like how you mention not every person that is trafficked do not end up with a happy ending, I would probably go as far to say that MOST do not. Even if they do get free, they will still have to deal with the mental problems their entire life.
ReplyDeleteReally good topic.
I found this post so interesting! I can't believe the history involved in this issue... it really makes you think of how it can continue into the future.
ReplyDeletereally good job!!
Ha! read this story many times but the context of it being in the bible i think hides the violent nature of the story being told... definitely creates a link to the distant past of a modern issue
ReplyDelete