29. Language of Comfort!

29. Language of Comfort! “A gentle answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.” (Proverbs 15:1) After crying for a while, the two began to calm down when suddenly an unexpected sound was heard. “What is going on?” The servants, who had been watching the two sobbing, must have informed the mistress, as Potiphar’s wife had come and was watching them. Although he was once a slave, Potiphar’s wife treated the steward who took care of her household with some respect. The sudden cold voice brought the two back to their senses, and they stood apart, facing each other. The old man greeted her awkwardly. “Madam! Have you come out?” As if to respond to his words, Potiphar’s wife continued. “No! What is going on from this early morning? Has someone died?” The two could only stand there silently. After a moment of silence, Potiphar’s wife spoke again.  “Follow me!” Potiphar’s wife said something to the old man and led the way, and the old man spoke to Joseph. “Young master! Please go to your room for now.” The old man followed Potiphar’s wife. Because of the old man and Joseph, the morning silence was broken, and many birds had gathered on the trees, chirping, and the servants, who were not seen early in the morning, were now busily engaged in their work. Following the old man’s words, Joseph returned to his room and calmly thought about the old man’s situation. He vaguely remembered that there was someone who used to do household chores when he was young, but one day, without any reason, he disappeared, leaving his family behind, and various rumors circulated. He also remembered that there was an older brother who lived in the same house, cared for by his father, but he was neither a servant nor a family member. The older brother, who sometimes lived like a servant and sometimes like a family member, managed the household’s property as a steward. The smart older brother not only did his job well but was always warm and kind to Joseph, instilling dreams and visions for the future. One day, when Joseph asked why he had no family, the older brother said that after Joseph was born, his father went missing, and they had no idea of his whereabouts. The shock of her husband’s disappearance weakened his mother’s health, and she passed away shortly after, leaving him alone. Fortunately, Elder Jacob raised him well, helped him build a family, and he married his current wife and lived together, managing the household well. Despite this, Joseph could sense a hint of loneliness on his older brother’s face. He finally realized that the old man was his older brother’s father, and his older brother had missed him dearly. The disappearance of his older brother’s father was because Judah had sold him to merchants, and no one but Judah knew about it, so naturally, his older brother’s father disappeared without a trace. As a result, the misfortune of the kind older brother, the early death of his mother, the old man’s suffering from being separated from his family, and Joseph’s own misfortune, and even the suffering of his father Jacob, who lost his beloved son, were all due to one person, Judah. Joseph was truly astonished by this realization. However, he was more worried about the old man, who might be in trouble because of their appearance. From Potiphar’s wife’s perspective, seeing the steward managing the household’s property and the newly acquired slave hugging and crying early in the morning was not a pleasant sight. It could have been a truly shocking event. Therefore, the old man could be in a very difficult situation, and Joseph couldn’t help but worry.As Joseph’s mind was filled with various thoughts, he heard the old man’s footsteps. “Young master!” Joseph, who came to his senses at the sound of his name, quickly got up and opened the door with all his might. The old man’s face, standing outside, looked very bright. The old man, who entered the room, smiled at Joseph, whose worried expression‎ revealed the situation. “Sir!” Joseph’s bewilderment was evident in this one word. “Young master! It turned out very well.” “What do you mean?” When Joseph asked curiously, the old man began to speak. "As I told you, I went to inform the other brothers of your birth, but suddenly found myself sold into slavery, and I fell into despair. As you have experienced, the hardships of the desert, the contempt of the merchants, the humiliation of being sold as a slave in the market, all these were more painful and unbearable than death. But that was a typical reaction and proof of living centered on myself. At some point, I came to my senses and saw the twinkling stars in the desert night sky, which encouraged and comforted me in my loneliness. The merchants’ contempt gave me patience, and the humiliation in the market taught me to think calmly in any situation, not centered on myself, but comprehensively, and to develop the strength to cope. It was when I realized that the world revolves around the Creator’s plan and providence, who has always been with me, that I understood that my life, whether as a slave or a king, didn’t matter. When I had such an enlightenment, I was sold to Potiphar’s house. In an environment where I couldn’t even speak the language, I was the slave of slaves. But I decided to endure everything and take on one more hardship, which was learning the Egyptian language. From that day on, I diligently learned Egyptian. With interest and hard work, I naturally became better at speaking, and as I communicated and connected with the household workers, the work became much easier. I showed the slaves, who always did things haphazardly, that every task has priorities, procedures, and methods, and as I explained this to those who were interested, the mistress noticed and called me. She asked what I had done before, and I explained my work in Canaan, especially as a steward in the house of the patriarch Jacob, and how I was sold into slavery due to some issues. The mistress seemed to remember this.Later, when an envoy from a tribe in Canaan came to Egypt, Potiphar was worried because there was no one to interpret. The mistress mentioned me and recommended me to Potiphar, knowing that I had no problem with the Egyptian language. Potiphar, knowing that I was sold from Canaan, allowed me to work as an interpreter."After the matter was resolved, Bodival, who had been unable to pay attention to household affairs due to various national matters, entrusted me with the duties of a steward. Since then, I have been managing the property well, as I have been told. Both the mistress and Bodival promised not to leave Egypt and to fulfill the duties of a steward until the end, freeing me from the status of a slave. Bodival had a sister who, after getting married, lost her husband in a war shortly after, leaving her to live alone. I was allowed to marry her and start a new family here. She had a son from her previous marriage, who, after his father’s death, felt lonely but is grateful to me for making his mother happy and follows me as if I were his real father. Currently, I am handling minor national affairs, and you may have the opportunity to meet me in the future. Upon hearing this, Joseph was at a loss. He felt sorry for the old man who had suffered so much because of his brothers, and at the same time, he admired how he had come this far despite such circumstances. Joseph felt a strong urge to apologize on behalf of his brothers. “Sir, I am sorry. You have suffered greatly because of us. I apologize on behalf of my brother. Please forgive us.” When Joseph sought forgiveness, the old man firmly refused, saying: “I am grateful for the special role given to me and believe that through it, another work will be done. My heart is filled with that expectation. I believe that it will be realized through you, sir. Therefore, you do not need to feel any guilt or remorse for what happened in the past because of your brothers. It seems that God sent me here first to prepare something. I just want to see the results of that work soon.” “Thank you for saying that, sir.” When Joseph held the old man’s hands tightly, the old man also held Joseph’s hands tightly. Something warm flowed between them, and a strong sense of trust was born. “Sir, your son is now living well with his family in his hometown. He was a brother who always presented me with visions and dreams for the future from a young age. One day, you will surely meet your son. And since you are not a servant of our house, you do not need to treat me with such high regard. Please feel comfortable.” “No, sir!”“Sir, it would be better for others in this house to see it that way.” “Don’t worry, sir! We are conversing in Hebrew, which only we understand, so no one knows what we are saying. Even if they did, I want to do it this way, so you don’t need to worry.” Joseph felt burdened by the old man’s respect, but since the old man insisted, he couldn’t help but feel troubled. Then he suddenly remembered the events of the morning. “Ah! Did you have any trouble because of what happened this morning?” “The mistress called me and asked what was going on and what our relationship was. So I told her that you were a descendant of Jacob, the patriarch of Canaan, as I had mentioned before. She asked why such a descendant was sold as a slave. I explained that due to various circumstances and the jealousy and envy of your brothers, you were sold as a slave like me. The mistress said, ‘I thought he didn’t seem like an ordinary person,’ and asked what would be best to do in the future. I suggested that since I am too old to handle the duties of a steward, it would be beneficial for you to learn Egyptian diligently and understand the household affairs, and then take over the duties of a steward. The mistress agreed, saying that it would be difficult to learn Egyptian once people became familiar and started communicating with gestures, so she instructed me to focus solely on teaching you Egyptian from today and to help you understand the household atmosphere and affairs.” The old man continued: “You keep feeling sorry for me, but I believe that God sent me here first to prepare something. Therefore, you do not need to feel sorry for me in the future.” “Thank you, sir.” Despite having enough reasons to resent and hate each other, Joseph and the old man were building trust and happiness. On the other hand, Judah, who had committed various evil deeds, later faced the punishment of losing his two sons and experienced the shame of having descendants through his daughter-in-law Tamar. From that day on, Joseph’s Egyptian education was conducted intensively, and he gradually learned the household affairs. Although Joseph felt like he was going through heaven and hell, he never forgot the Creator, whom the old man mentioned, and whom he called Jehovah God in his hometown. He always remembered that he was in such a world and started every thought and action from that foundation. He regarded the old man, who guided and led him with utmost dedication, as a father and learned about Egypt from him. Although his initial attempts at speaking and pronouncing Egyptian were often amusing, Joseph found learning Egyptian enjoyable and fun, which made him more diligent. After a short period, Joseph was able to speak Egyptian almost flawlessly and understood the household affairs perfectly, preparing to take over the duties of a steward. The old man, who intended to hand over everything once Joseph mastered Egyptian, went further to teach him about Egypt’s history, economy, politics, geography, music, and sports. When the old man didn’t know something, he found experts in those fields to help Joseph learn as much as possible. Joseph also visited actual sites to confirm‎ and understand things concretely. After acquiring knowledge in various fields, the old man judged that there was nothing more to teach and requested the master to appoint Joseph as the steward, as he was too old to handle the duties. The mistress, who had observed Joseph, told her husband, and Bodival immediately freed Joseph from slavery and appointed him as the steward in charge of managing all the household property, just like the old man.