Living the Dream - Joseph for Today: A Dramatic Exposition of Genesis 37-50

by Pete Wilcox

In a lively and gripping way Pete Wilcox opens up the story of Joseph in fourteen
dramatic episodes. This is an informed guide to Joseph but it is not an academic
commentary. With a light touch and the sensitivity of one who has listened carefully to
the biblical text Wilcox allows the narrative to unveil itself before us and to draw our own
stories alongside its own. In this the way the ancient tale is made fresh for a modern
western generation. The Joseph cycle is a story about coping with adversity and disunity
which makes it the sort of text the church might usefully return to at present.

160 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2007

Reviews

[Keith Kirby · Rating 3 out of 5]

this is in my Logos books

[Roland Clark · Rating 4 out of 5]

When the Anglican Dean of Liverpool, Pete Wilcox, looks at the stories about Joseph and his brothers in Genesis 37-50, he sees jealousy, pride, ambition, rivalry, and fear. “Joseph wrestles with the issues of money, sex and power,” he writes, and the patriarch lived in a time of crisis when the whole world as he knew it faced famine and starvation. But this is also a story about the Church, specifically the Church of England, Wilcox tells us, as his church struggles with decline and disunity. “Lessons for today” serve as bookends to this wonderful little book, as Wilcox uses Joseph’s story to emphasize the need to trust in God despite our circumstances and to bear with each other in our weaknesses. Joseph’s dreams “might easily have led him either to despair of God in anger and bitterness, or to forsake his obligations in indolence and complacency”, he writes, and notes that “by the same token, Joseph is a challenge to the church today in the face of a potentially difficult future, to combine trust in God on the one hand with courageous action on the other.” But the vast majority of the book is dedicated to an insightful chapter-by-chapter commentary on Genesis 37-50. Considering that the back cover carries recommendations from such theological heavyweights as Rowan Williams, Alister McGrath, Walter Moberly, and Charles Taliaferro, it is surprising how readable Wilcox’s commentary is. He has dispensed with footnotes, ignores source criticism, and rarely mentions the scholarly literature on the topic, which is not to say that he is unaware of it, just that he chooses not to bother us with such distractions.

See my full review here: https://wordsbecamebooks.com/2016/09/...

[Frédéric Paché · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good exposition of Joseph life. The choice to expose the cycle through acts and scenes as in a dramatic theater piece or movie is an intelligent choice.
The negative aspect concerning the attitude of Joseph is difficult to be proved with a convincing case.
The favoritism induced by Jacob is obvious. But the level of discerning in Joseph spirit concerning his destiny is difficult to prove. To my mind the debate is still open. Cat and mouse playing with his brothers is still not clearly unveiled concerning the true motives leading Joseph to test their brothers.

[Andrew William · Rating 3 out of 5]

A commentary based on the life of joseph.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well done exposition on the Life of Joseph. The author does a good job of giving modern day church application.