44:16-17 Judah speaks for his brothers and declares that they are now Joseph's slaves. "God has uncovered your servants' guilt." The brothers had talked earlier about how their present troubles were because of what they had done to Joseph. God knew what they'd done. Joseph would not accept their offer to become his slaves. He said he only wanted the one who had the silver cup (Benjamin) and the rest could go back home to their father.
v. 18-34 Judah begged to speak to him and recounted all that had happened in their first journey to buy food in Egypt. They had answered Joseph's questions about their father and younger brother. Joseph had told them not to return for more grain unless they brought Benjamin. Judah went into detail about how his aged father would die if anything happened to Benjamin and how reluctant he was to let Benjamin go to Egypt with them. He spoke of Jacob's grief that his other son Joseph was dead, torn to pieces by wild animals. Judah had personally guaranteed that Benjamin would return safely. He begged Joseph to let him take Benjamin's place so Benjamin could return home to his father. Judah said he couldn't bear to see his father's grief if Benjamin was not returned.
45:1-8 Joseph was emotionally overwhelmed and ordered everyone except the brothers to leave the room. He made himself known to them and wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him. The brothers were terrified when they found out he was their long-lost brother. But Joseph drew them near and reassured them, telling them not to be distressed or angry with themselves because it was God who sent him to Egypt to save many lives. He explained that the famine was going to go on five more years and God sent him ahead of them to save their lives "by a great deliverance." Joseph was not angry with them because it was not his brothers who sent him there, but God.
v. 9-20 He told his brothers to hurry back to Canaan and tell his father that he is alive and God has made him "lord of all Egypt." Joseph wanted Jacob and the whole family to move to Egypt and live in the land of Goshen. He would provide for them there throughout the rest of the years of famine. Then he hugged Benjamin and they both wept. He hugged the rest of his brothers and wept some more, then they talked with one another. Pharaoh and his officials were very happy for Joseph and ordered that the brothers be given carts to bring the whole family to live in Egypt.
v. 21-28 Joseph gave his brothers provisions for their journey-- ten donkeys loaded with gifts for Jacob, 10 donkeys loaded with grain, new clothes for each of the brothers, and for Benjamin five sets of clothes and 300 shekels of silver. As they were leaving he told them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" When they arrived home they told their father that Joseph was still alive and that he was the ruler of Egypt. Jacob didn't believe them at first. They told him everything that happened and when Jacob saw the carts he was convinced that Joseph was still alive. He was eager to go see him before he died.
46:1-7 Jacob and his family set out with all they had and went to Egypt. They stopped at Beersheba and offered a sacrifice to God there. Jacob had a vision that night in which God called him by name and told him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt because God would go with him and make him a great nation there. God would surely bring him back to Canaan (the Promised Land) and Joseph would be with him when he died. Then Jacob and his family left Beersheba in the carts provided by Pharaoh. They brought all their flocks and herds with them. Remember, Jacob left the Promised Land once before when he went to live with his uncle Laban. He may have wondered if it was alright to leave again.
v. 8-27 Moses lists all the sons of Jacob and the names of all their sons. There were 33 from Leah's offspring, 16 from her maidservant Zilpah, 14 from Rachel's offspring, and 7 from her maidservant Bilhah. Including the two sons born to Joseph in Egypt there were 70 men who went down to Egypt.
v. 28-34 Jacob sent Judah ahead to get directions to Goshen. Joseph rode out in his chariot to meet his father. They hugged each other and wept for a long time. Jacob told Joseph that he was now ready to die because he had finally seen for himself that Joseph was alive and well. Joseph told his family that he would speak to Pharaoh on their behalf and tell him that they are shepherds so that they would be allowed to settle in Goshen. Shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians so they would be left to themselves there.
47:1-12 Joseph chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. When asked about their occupation, the brothers replied that they have always been shepherds and asked permission to live in Goshen. Pharaoh generously offered them the best part of the land and told Joseph that if any of them had special ability he should be put in charge of Pharaoh's livestock. Then Joseph brought his father in to meet Pharaoh. When asked how old he was he said 130 and "my years have been few and difficult." Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out. So the family settled in the district of Rameses and Joseph provided food for his father's household according to the number of their children.
v. 13-22 Both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. Joseph sold grain and collected all the money for Pharaoh. When the money was gone he traded grain for livestock. After one year Pharaoh owned all the livestock. The next year there was still no food so the people asked Joseph to buy them and their land in exchange for seed. Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh and the people were reduced to servitude. But the land of the priests he did not buy because the priests received a regular allotment of food from Pharaoh. These priests were not Levitical priests because that order of priests had not yet been established. These were priests who served in the idols' temples.
v. 23-25 Joseph gave seed to the people and told them they must give 20% of the harvest to Pharaoh. The other 80% they could keep for seed and food for themselves. The people were very grateful and said, "You have saved our lives. May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." In class we talked about how this was an important historical record for the Israelites who would read it centuries later. This explains how the Israelites came to live in Egypt and why all the people were indebted to Pharaoh.
v. 26-31 Joseph established a law that a fifth (20%) of the produce belongs to Pharaoh except from the land of the priests. Jacob's family settled happily in Goshen, acquired property there and increased greatly in number. Jacob lived there 17 years. Near the end of his life he called Joseph and asked him to promise that he would carry his body out of Egypt when he died and bury him where Abraham and Isaac were buried in Canaan. Joseph swore an oath that he would bury him in Canaan. "And Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." (Hebrews 11:21)
Much more next time.
--Sandy Blank
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