Ask the pastor: was Judah saving Joseph or profiting off him?
- Was Judah trying to save Joseph's life, or was he just vicious enough to profit off selling him?
The ask-the-pastor question comes from Genesis 37: with Joseph in the pit and the brothers set on killing him, Judah proposes selling him to the Ishmaelites instead - 'what profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood?' The room debates whether Judah was slyly saving his brother's life or just vicious enough to monetize the murder. The discussion ranges over Reuben's failed rescue, the brothers' dinner beside the pit, Jacob's brutal blessings over his sons, Joseph's later famine management in Egypt - buying up livestock and land instead of giving the stored grain away - and the observation that the Old Testament rarely tells you how to feel about what it reports. A possible Joseph-Jesus parallel via the thirty pieces of silver (Zechariah) is raised and left open.
More on Family
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Dear LFTP: the mother-in-law moved in
- My mother-in-law moved in seven months ago and it’s been difficult — how can we sort this out?
The last letter comes from a wife whose mother-in-law moved in seven months ago with no boundaries, rising bills, unpaid prescriptions, and open disrespect.
From No. 604 · Rearview Mirror
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Dear LFTP: the single man and the holiday cliques
- Would it be wrong for the lonely single man to start declining holiday invitations?
The first Dear LFTP letter: a single man, happy with his life and plenty of friends and family, dreads the holidays — at Thanksgiving and Christmas gatherings of 15 to 25 people,…
From No. 603 · Found Out
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Dear LFTP: the grandma, 'Libby,' and the weight comment
- Was I wrong to mention my concern about Libby's weight?
Mike reads the letter: she moved 2,000 miles to be near her daughter's family; granddaughter 'Libby' was diagnosed with a medical condition and put on weight.
From No. 602 · Relationship Counseling
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Dear LFTP: the Mimi letter ('Call Me Hoopi')
- Is it wrong for a grandmother to be upset when her grandson's other grandmother claims the same nickname?
Mike reads the Dear LFTP letter: a grandmother whose two-year-old grandson calls her Mimi — but the other grandmother claimed Mimi for herself, and the daughter-in-law is annoyed and doesn't want 'mom mom' either.