Genesis 44-47
The brothers are sent back to Jacob, but along with their silver, Joseph instructs his men to hide his silver cup in Benjamin's sack. After they have been gone a short time, he sends his men after them, accusing them of stealing the cup. It's odd that Joseph talks about using that cup for "divination" since I would assume that to be forbidden, even back in those times for the patriarchs. Again in 44:15, Joseph leads the brothers to believe that he found out the cup was gone by means of divination. (How he divined that without his cup, he doesn't say.) Was this simply a ruse, playing into the brothers' stereotypes about Egyptians? For that matter, why was Joseph going through all this trickery anyway? Why does he continue the act up until chapter 45? He seems to have found out all that he wanted to know before this latest ruse.
Judah is adament about taking Benjamin's place rather than going back to Israel without his beloved son. It is at this point that Joseph can keep up the act no longer. He sends out all the Egyptians from the room and tells the brothers his true identity. His question is if Jacob is still alive, but his brothers have almost literally seen a ghost. They can't speak.
Joseph reassures them that he is not angry, and encourages them not to be angry with themselves. Much more forgiving than most of us would be in those circumstances. But in 45:5 we see Joseph's mindset -- it was God who sent him ahead of the family. And Joseph knows why: to save not only himself, but his family, and in fact, all of Egypt. Joseph was the savior in God's hands.
Joseph sends the brothers back to fetch Jacob amid lots of tears. The family will settle in Goshen to ride out the famine (and years to come as well). Pharoah goes one better and tells the family to take empty carts back to Canaan to haul their belongings back to Egypt. But the Pharoah tells them they shouldn't bring everything, for they will have everything they need in Egypt! A great promise from the leader of a country deep in famine.
Jacob is beside himself when he finds out that not only is Joseph still alive, but that he will get to see him before he dies. On the way to Egypt, God gives him reassurance again in a vision at Beersheba, after Jacob had offered sacrifices to God there. Jacob was indeed a thankful man. Judah is sent ahead to get directions to Goshen. Joseph is ready to see his father again, and again the tears flow.
Including Joseph's sons in Egypt, the Israelites now numbered 70 direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as they settle in the land of Goshen.
Five of the brothers are sent to Pharoah to insure that the Hebrews will be able to live in the prime portion of Goshen. Joseph tells the brothers to be sure to tell Pharoah that they are shepherds and have been all their lives. Egyptians wanted nothing to do with shepherds, so this must have been the best way to get the best land. Pharoah even asks Joseph to find one trustworthy to be in charge of Pharoah's own livestock. I wonder whom Joseph thought to be the most trustworthy.
Finally Jacob meets Pharoah. The NIV text says that he "blessed" Pharoah at meeting him and leaving him, but the footnotes make me think it wasn't so much a blessing as a polite greeting like, "May the Lord be with you," or something to that effect.
Beginning at 47:13, we see Joseph dealing with the hungry Egyptians in the midst of famine. He sells them reserved food in exchange for their livestock, then finally in exchange for their freedom. By selling them this food, the Egyptians have been sold into slavery to Pharoah, and Pharoah owns all the land except for that which was owned by the priests.
It was a benevolent slavery as the people could still work the land and keep 4/5 of what they grew, with the other 1/5 going to Pharoah -- a 20% tax bracket.
Finally Jacob is turning 147 and is preparing to die. He makes Joseph promise that his bones will go back to Canaan to be buried along with his family.
Judah is adament about taking Benjamin's place rather than going back to Israel without his beloved son. It is at this point that Joseph can keep up the act no longer. He sends out all the Egyptians from the room and tells the brothers his true identity. His question is if Jacob is still alive, but his brothers have almost literally seen a ghost. They can't speak.
Joseph reassures them that he is not angry, and encourages them not to be angry with themselves. Much more forgiving than most of us would be in those circumstances. But in 45:5 we see Joseph's mindset -- it was God who sent him ahead of the family. And Joseph knows why: to save not only himself, but his family, and in fact, all of Egypt. Joseph was the savior in God's hands.
Joseph sends the brothers back to fetch Jacob amid lots of tears. The family will settle in Goshen to ride out the famine (and years to come as well). Pharoah goes one better and tells the family to take empty carts back to Canaan to haul their belongings back to Egypt. But the Pharoah tells them they shouldn't bring everything, for they will have everything they need in Egypt! A great promise from the leader of a country deep in famine.
Jacob is beside himself when he finds out that not only is Joseph still alive, but that he will get to see him before he dies. On the way to Egypt, God gives him reassurance again in a vision at Beersheba, after Jacob had offered sacrifices to God there. Jacob was indeed a thankful man. Judah is sent ahead to get directions to Goshen. Joseph is ready to see his father again, and again the tears flow.
Including Joseph's sons in Egypt, the Israelites now numbered 70 direct descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as they settle in the land of Goshen.
Five of the brothers are sent to Pharoah to insure that the Hebrews will be able to live in the prime portion of Goshen. Joseph tells the brothers to be sure to tell Pharoah that they are shepherds and have been all their lives. Egyptians wanted nothing to do with shepherds, so this must have been the best way to get the best land. Pharoah even asks Joseph to find one trustworthy to be in charge of Pharoah's own livestock. I wonder whom Joseph thought to be the most trustworthy.
Finally Jacob meets Pharoah. The NIV text says that he "blessed" Pharoah at meeting him and leaving him, but the footnotes make me think it wasn't so much a blessing as a polite greeting like, "May the Lord be with you," or something to that effect.
Beginning at 47:13, we see Joseph dealing with the hungry Egyptians in the midst of famine. He sells them reserved food in exchange for their livestock, then finally in exchange for their freedom. By selling them this food, the Egyptians have been sold into slavery to Pharoah, and Pharoah owns all the land except for that which was owned by the priests.
It was a benevolent slavery as the people could still work the land and keep 4/5 of what they grew, with the other 1/5 going to Pharoah -- a 20% tax bracket.
Finally Jacob is turning 147 and is preparing to die. He makes Joseph promise that his bones will go back to Canaan to be buried along with his family.
posted by rev-ed @ 12:09 AM
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