February 18, 2024
Reading: Genesis 46 and 47:1-12
Focus: Genesis 46:3-4 – “I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
Father God, we come again to learn from Your word. Help us to see what You want us to see. Help us to listen for Your voice. In Jesus Name, Amen
The prophecy given to Abraham, that his descendants would be “strangers in a country not their own,“ is beginning to come true. (Genesis 15:13) I am sure that Jacob and his sons knew of that prophecy, but it was not foremost in their mind at the time. They may have thought that it wasn’t their generation that it applied to. A lot of us look at prophecies in scripture and think that it is not our generation that it applies to. Don’t be so certain. We do not know the future. At any rate, Jacob and all of his family, possessions, servants, flocks and herds packed up and headed to Egypt.
On the way, they stopped in Beersheba. This is where Abraham made a treaty with Abimelech. There is a well there called the ‘well of the treaty’. God had visited Abraham there as well. Now Jacob was there, making sacrifice to God and God spoke to him. Read Genesis 46:3-4 again. It is a statement full of promise. There are 4 promises there. 1) “I will make you a great nation,” 2) “I will go down to Egypt with you,” 3) “I will surely bring you back again,” 4) “Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.” What more could Jacob ask for? God confirmed that the Israelites would be a great nation. That they would not be alone in a foreign land, God would be with them arriving and leaving Egypt. Then a personal promise to Jacob, that the once ‘dead’ son would be at his side when he died.
Joseph was anxious for Jacob to arrive. He drove his chariot, went to Goshen and waited for him to arrive. When Joseph saw his father, he threw his arms around him and wept. The Bible tells us that there were 66 direct descendants of Jacob who arrived in Egypt. It also says that that did not count the sons’ wives. Including Jacob, Joseph and Joseph’s two sons, there were a total of seventy Israelites. Please be aware that this did not include the servants and herders who were not direct descendants of Jacob and had come with them. So the nation of Israel began in Egypt with 70 direct descendants of Jacob. When they left Egypt, the Israelites numbered somewhere around two million.
Now, many people think that the Israelites were slaves from the beginning of the 430 years that they were in Egypt. But that is not the case. They were welcomed guests and were given the best land for their flocks and herds. Pharoah himself welcomed them to Egypt and even offered them jobs taking care of Egyptian livestock. They were provided for by Joseph as long as the famine continued and when it had passed they had the best land on which to farm and raise crops. Pharoah was pleased to let them live in Goshen. Goshen had the best pasture land in Egypt. The land of Goshen was in the Nile delta. On the east side was the Nile river and on the west side was the Sinai peninsula. North was the Mediterranean sea and south was Egyptian desert. It was a place where the Israelites would be isolated from the culture and religion of Egypt. It was there they could live, prosper and grow as a people.
Joseph explained that he would go to Pharoah and tell him that his father and brothers had arrived from Canaan. He instructed them to tell Pharoah that they were shepherds and had always been shepherds. This would allow them to settle in Goshen “for all shepherds are detestable tot the Egyptians.” (Genesis 46:34). Although Pharoah seemed to be sympathetic to the shepherds, Egyptian culture would not tolerate any association with shepherds. Pharoah’s generosity and this prejudice benefited the Israelites.
We briefly touched on this prejudice before. Shepherds were considered a class of people way below the Egyptians. Also, Egyptians worshipped gods who were symbolized by cattle, sheep and rams. Sheep and rams were sacred to the Egyptian god Amon and cows were sacred to Hathor. The Egyptian bull-god Apis was considered a manifestation of the king, as bulls were symbols of strength and fertility, qualities that are closely linked with kingship. (https://hermeneutics.stackexchange.com/questions/51030). Some archeologists have stated that this prejudice against shepherds came from Egyptian history. There was a group of people called the Hyksos. They were also called “Shepherd Kings”. They had conquered some of Egypt and were harsh rulers. Eventually they were rousted and thrown out of Egypt but the distaste of shepherds remained as part of the culture and extended to any shepherd.
The Israelites killed and ate sheep and cattle. They also sacrificed them to God. This would be an abomination to the Egyptians. Also, shepherds were responsible for their animals’ behavior, which could destroy crops if not herded properly. The area of Goshen was not very populated and Joseph knew it would keep the Israelites and Egyptians separated.
Joseph brought Jacob and five of his brothers to present them to Pharoah. Jacob blesses Pharoah in greeting, but he does not bow down to him. Pharoah asked Jacob how old he was. Old age was considered a blessing. The older, the more blessed. Jacob replied he was 130 years old, but nearly as old as his ancestors had been. The age 110 was an age that Egyptians considered a blessed age. Pharoah was in awe of Joseph’s God-given wisdom regarding the famine. To have a father who was this old added to that awe. Then for Jacob to have had ancestors who had been older increased it even more.
At the end of the audience with Pharoah, Jacob blessed Pharoah again. Why? There are several reasons. First, Jacob was grateful for the welcome and a place to live in Egypt. As a sign of that gratitude, Jacob blessed him. Second, Jacob was of a higher dignity that Pharoah. Jacob, as a patriarch and a “prince of God”, knew he was of a higher spiritual dignity than Pharoah. Third, there was recognition of Jacob’s higher spirituality. Pharoah was considered a god in Egypt but recognized that Jacob was a man of God and he accepted Jacob’s blessing. He recognized Jacob’s spiritual authority. All through this story of Joseph and Pharoah, Pharoah acknowledges that the God of Joseph was powerful and working through Joseph. This shows us that even pagans recognize the authority of God.
So, we see how God has moved to bring the Israelites to a place where they could remain racially and religiously pure. They had the best of the land of Egypt. They had the provision of food during a severe famine. They were together as a family. What Joseph’s brothers meant for evil provided them with land and food and a place to grow and multiply as a nation.
We see a picture of Jesus here. Joseph saved is brothers and the tribe of Israel. Jesus saves Israel. Yes, I said ‘saves’. That is still ongoing. Jesus is still saving the members of the tribe of Israel. Jesus reached out and saves the Gentiles too. All we have to do is accept that we are sinners and that Jesus died to save us from our sins. The Israelites faced certain death during the famine if they had not accepted the invitation to move to Egypt. We face eternal spiritual death if we do not accept Jesus’ invitation to accept His sacrifice on the cross. Jesus made it clear in John 3:16 – “For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him shall not perish but have everlasting life.” My dad used to tell it to me this way. I can’t find who the author is but it is greatly simple.
John 3:16
For God – THE GREATEST LOVER
so loved – THE GREATEST DEGREE
the world – THE GREATEST COMPANY
that he gave – THE GREATEST ACT
his only begotten Son – THE GREATEST GIFT
that whoever – THE GREATEST OPPORTUNITY
believes – THE GREATEST SIMPLICITY
in Him – THE GREATEST ATTRACTION
should not perish – THE GREATEST PROMISE
but – THE GREATEST DIFFERENCE
have – THE GREATEST CERTAINTY
everlasting life – THE GREATEST POSSESSION
Are you wiling to pick up and move if God tells you to?
Father God, Thank You for Your words today. Thank You for teaching us about following Your directions. Help us to understand that sometimes packing up and moving may be for our protection and prosperity. In Jesus Name. Amen.
Food for Thought
- What do you think Jacob thought about the journey to Egypt?
- Why do you think that Jacob stopped and offered a sacrifice to God at Beersheba?
- Does it surprise you that the tribe of Israel was so small when it arrived in Egypt? Why or why not?
- Why do YOU think that Jacob blessed Pharoah?
- Why do you think that Joseph was so emphatic that the brothers tell Pharoah they were shepherds?
