DBG - January 18 - Genesis 45-47

In this chapter we find Joseph finally revealing his identity to his brothers.

vs. 1 – Judah’s willingness to substitute himself for Benjamin in the closing of the previous chapter prompts Joseph to privately reveal his true identity to his brothers.

vs. 2 – Joseph’s emotions boil over and he weeps before he can tell them who he is.

vs. 3 – Up until this point Joseph has spoken through an interpreter.  Now he speaks in the familiar Hebrew language to his brethren.  The sudden change in demeanor and language added to the shock of his revealed identity.

vs. 4-8 – Joseph places no guilt on his brothers, recognizing the Providence that had brought him to Egypt so that he would be in place to sustain his family through the terrible famine that was only going to worsen.

vs. 9-13 – Joseph tells his brothers to return to Canaan and fetch their father.  All of his family would be provided for and dwell in the land of Goshen, the fertile region in the eastern side of the Nile River delta.

vs. 14-15 – What a reunion this must have been!

vs. 16-20 – Pharaoh hears about Joseph’s family and immediately puts everything into motion to bring Jacob and all his family to settle with honor in Egypt.

vs. 21-23 – The brothers are provided with not just provisions for the journey, but are sent with gifts.  Benjamin and Jacob receive special honors in this.

vs. 24-25 – They likely travelled along the trade route that followed the Mediterranean shore until entering Canaan and then turning east to find Jacob at Hebron.

vs. 26-28 – Jacob can hardly believe the news that Joseph lives but cannot deny the evidence of the great gifts that had been sent.  I imagine his sons confessing to what they had done to Joseph helped also.  Jacob, though 130 years old, determines to go to Egypt and reunite with his long lost son.

In this chapter we have the account of Jacob’s travelling to Egypt along with a record of his offspring.

vs. 1 – Jacob pauses his journey to Egypt at Beersheba.  If you recall the notes from 21:31, this is often considered the southern border of the Promised Land. 

vs. 2-4 – Whatever apprehensions Jacob had in making the journey disappear as God appears to him in a vision.  It was God’s will that he go into Egypt and the promises made to Abraham would still happen through his family.  His descendants will return to the Promised Land and not stay in Egypt forever.  The final phrase of vs. 4 about Joseph closing his eyes says that he will be reunited with Joseph before he dies.

vs. 5-7 – What a sight this great caravan must have been!  Jacob, his family, their herds, and all their possessions make their way to Egypt.

vs. 8-27 – Here is the reckoning of Jacob’s family at this time as he enters Egypt.  There are a number of curious features here.  Er and Onan in vs. 33 had already died in chapter 38.  Four great-grandchildren are listed, being the two sons of Pharez in vs. 12 and the two sons of Beriah in vs. 17.  Dinah in vs. 15 is the only daughter mentioned and Serah in vs. 17 is the only granddaughter.  The wives of the sons are overlooked, outside of a passing reference in vs. 10 and Joseph’s wife in vs. 20.

vs. 10 – It appears Simeon had children through at least two women, the mother of Shaul being “a Canaanitish woman”.  We do not have enough details to speculate if she was not his wife, was his second wife after his first wife passed, or was one of multiple wives.  The fact that she is described as being from Canaan seems to indicate that it was unusual for the sons of Jacob to marry Canaanite wives.

vs. 15 – This verse says there are 33 total offspring through Leah, yet there are 34 names.  It is tempting to not include Dinah since she is a daughter; but the only other female, Serah in vs. 17, is including in count for Zilpah.  The best solution here is to remember that these are the family members he brought into Egypt (vs. 7 and 27).  Er and Onan were already dead, so they should not be included.  Some try to remove the sons of Pharez claiming he was too young, but Reese’s Chronological Bible says he could be married by age 15 and this work.  Anyway, this makes the total 32. When we read in vs. 27 that the total of all the people was 70 it implies that Jacob is one of those 70.  So, Jacob is probably included in the count with his first wife.

vs. 26 – The number 66 is the total number from the roll in the previous verses when not including Jacob (note it says these “came with” him so he is excluded in the count), Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim.  As a side note, Stephen says in Acts 7:14 that it was 75 souls and not 66.  This seems to include the nine surviving wives of the sons, assuming Judah and Simeon were widowers, but we will deal with that when we get there.

vs. 27 – This number is the total combined number of the totals in vs. 15, 18, 22, and 25 (33+16+14+7=70).  Unlike the count in the previous verse, this one does include Jacob in “house of Jacob”.

vs. 28 – Judah is sent ahead so that Joseph could meet his father and family in Goshen.

vs. 29-30 – After 22 years Jacob and his beloved son are reunited.  Joseph can only weep while his father finally finds the peace that has alluded him for so long.

vs. 31-34 – Joseph prepares his family to meet Pharaoh.  One curious Egyptian custom of this time was that they despised shepherds.  Joseph instructs them to downplay their flocks of sheep and highlight their herds of cattle.

In this chapter we see God’s provision caring for His people through the famine.

vs. 3-4 – Joseph’s brothers ignore his advice from the previous chapter and proudly proclaim they are shepherds.  They use their flocks as an excuse to stay separated from Egyptians.

vs. 5-6 – Pharaoh graciously offers any choice of land for Jacob’s family, but they choose to settle in Goshen.  He also offers employment in caring for his herds of cattle.

vs. 7 – Pharaoh respects the aged Jacob and allows him to pronounce a blessing upon the ruler.

vs. 9 – Jacob at age 130, a considerable age for this time, says that his days had not been easy.  We have seen his troubles at home with Esau, his troubles with Laban, and his troubles with his children.  It is wonderful here to see a happy and peaceful retirement.

vs. 11 – Goshen is called here the land of Rameses.  This name appears in Exodus 1:11 as the name of a city built later by Hebrew slaves and it is the name of where the Israelites began their exodus journey from in Exodus 12:37.  The two names are either synonymous or perhaps Rameses is a subregion of Goshen.

vs. 13 – The terrible famine continues.  If it was not evident how important God providing for his people was, we surely see it here.

vs. 14-17 – Joseph oversees one of the most amazing transformations of a government in all of history.  All the wealth and power in Egypt are going to be reallocated and centralized into Pharaoh’s control.  It begins here as all precious metals used in trade have been paid to Pharaoh for food.  A new offer is made, and the people now trade their cattle for food.

vs.18-20 – With all the wealth and cattle now controlled by Pharaoh, another offer is made and the people trade their land for food.

vs. 21-22 – The Egyptian government continues to grow in power and people lose their individual freedoms.  They are now vassals of the state and Joseph relocates many people to put them in places where they can best serve the state.  The one class unaffected is the priestly class, which were always a powerful faction in Egyptian history.

vs. 23-26 – The Egyptian people are now made to work for the state as tenant farmers.  They are subsidized by the state and pay 20% of their harvest as a tax.

vs. 27 – It is quite the contrast as the Egyptians grow poorer and weaker the Hebrews grow richer and more powerful.  We can probably begin to trace at this point the hatred against the Hebrews that will lead them to being enslaved.

vs. 28-31 – Joseph here is 46 and Jacob 147.  Jacob senses the end of his earthly life approaching has Joseph swear that he will be buried with Abraham and Isaac at Machpelah.

Modern society is so self-centered that we usually only think about the will and purposes of God on an individual, personal level.  What Joseph endured from the pit, to Potiphar’s house, to prison, and finally to the palace must have left him with many questions along the way.  Joseph’s story really not about him. It is about God using him for the good of his family.  What we may endure in our own lives may not necessarily for our own good, but God works all for good in His own way.

Our hymn today was translated by Joseph Morris in 1854 from an old Welsh hymn.  That is all I can find out about it.  It looks at God’s care for the children of Israel in putting them in the rich pastures of Goshen and asks God to so care for Christians today.

Fix a dwelling, Lord, in Goshen—
Shall thine Israel be denied?
From thy shining exaltation,
Deign to bow, and here abide:
Dwell among thy pilgrim people,
Where the tribes to praise Thee come,
Nor depart, Redeemer, from us,
Till the final day of doom.