Genesis 46. We're going to take up both chapters 46 and 47. It's a lot of material, but it's one unit. It is the third visit to Egypt.
The journey was not simply to buy grain, but this time they are relocating. Remember last time, the second journey, the brothers go and Joseph reveals himself to them. And then Joseph says to go get Jacob and all their families and all their possessions and bring it back to Egypt. So this records that third visit, which is actually a relocation as per Joseph's request.
So I'll begin reading in Genesis 46 at verse one. So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, here I am.
So he said, I am God, the God of your father. Do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again, and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes. Then Jacob arose from Beersheba, and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him, his sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. Now, these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt. Reuben was Jacob's firstborn. The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Palu, Hetzron, and Carmi.
The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shal, the son of a Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah were Ur, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah. But Ur and Onan died in the land of Canaan.
The sons of Perez were Hetron and Hamel. The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shemron. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elan, and Jalil. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob and Paddan Aram with his daughter Dinah.
All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were 33. The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Hagi, Shuni, Esbon, Eri, Eredi, and Ereli. The sons of Asher were Jimna, Isua, Isui, Beriah, and Sarah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel.
These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob sixteen persons. The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potipharah, priest of On, bore to him. The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Mupim, Hupim, and Ard.
These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob, fourteen persons in all. The son of Dan was Hushim. The sons of Naphtali were Jaziel, Guni, Jazer, and Shalem. These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel, his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob, seven persons in all.
All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy. Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen.
And they came to the land of Goshen. So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. And he presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said to Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.
Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, I will go up and tell Pharaoh and say to him, my brothers and those of my father's house who are in the land of Canaan have come to me. And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock, and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have. So it shall be when Pharaoh calls you and says, what is your occupation, that you shall say, your servant's occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers, that you may dwell in the land of Goshen. For every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.
Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh and said, My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess have come from the land of Canaan, and indeed they are in the land of Goshen. And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, What is your occupation? And they said to Pharaoh, Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.
And they said to Pharaoh, We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen. And Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you.
Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock. Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
Pharaoh said to Jacob, How old are you? And Jacob said to Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. So Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh.
And Joseph situated his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families. Now there was no bread in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan for the grain which they bought.
And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed. Then Joseph said, give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock if the money is gone.
So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, we will not hide from my Lord that our money is gone. My Lord also has our herds of livestock.
There is nothing left in the sight of my Lord but our bodies and our lands. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.
Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for every man of the Egyptians sold his field because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he moved them into the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them.
Therefore they did not sell their lands. Then Joseph said to the people, Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh.
Four-fifths shall be your own as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your household, and as food for your little ones." So they said, you have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my Lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day that pharaohs should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become pharaohs. So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt in the country of Goshen, and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So the length of Jacob's life was 147 years. When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me. Please, do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers.
You shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. And he said, I will do as you have said. Then he said, swear to me. And he swore to him.
So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed. Amen.
Introduction
Well, as I said, this is one unit, 46 and 47, the third visit to Egypt, wherein they relocate in Egypt. And that's where we'll find them in the book of Exodus, which sets the stage for the great redemptive act of God in bringing the children of Israel out of the house of bondage there in Egypt. Well, essentially we have three things going on in this section. In the first place, we have the journey to Egypt in chapter 46, verses 1 to 27, and then we have the meeting with Joseph and Pharaoh in chapter 46, verse 28, to chapter 47, verse 10, and then finally the provision for the family in chapter 47, verses 11 to 31.
And again, I think the obvious observation is the providence of God bringing all these things to pass for the preservation, for the extension ultimately of His people in terms of the promises made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that there would be great multiplication of seed and that they would ultimately possess the land of promise. We'll see how God fulfills His promises even in the midst of this particular time in Egypt.
The Journey to Egypt
But in the first place, notice with reference to the journey to Egypt, the appearance by God to Jacob.
God's Vision to Jacob at Beersheba
Before Jacob sets out, he seeks the Lord's face. And that's what we have in verses 1 to 4. Notice in verse one, so Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob.
And he said, here I am. I think Wenham is right on when he says, to emigrate to Egypt was as momentous a move as Abraham's journey from Ur back in chapter 12, or Jacob's flight to Paddan Aram in chapter 28, or his return to Canaan in chapter 31, all of which were encouraged by visions. So in each of those instances, God, by vision, communicated to the patriarchs, calmed their nerves, and sent them on their way. He goes on to say this revelation occurred at Beersheba, a home base for Isaac.
So it is not surprising that echoes of all these passages are found here. Such a move as Jacob is undertaking requires divine sanction. The more so in that to leave Canaan is to retreat from the promised land. Remember, God gave the promised land, gave Canaan to Jacob and his family.
Of course, the famine is severe in the land. If they stay in the land of Canaan, they will die of starvation. Wenham goes on to say, without divine approval, such a move could seem like unbelief. This vision occurs not simply at a turning point in Jacob's life.
It is also the last time God is recorded as speaking to the patriarchs. The next recorded revelation takes place in the time of Moses. This, then, is the culmination of all the promises made to the patriarchs, and it picks up motifs from other great movements of revelation. God, as it were, reminds Jacob of all the promises made to him in his own lifetime, and to his forefathers Abraham and Isaac before him.
I think what Wenham is saying is what happens here prior to this third journey to Egypt and this relocation, this departure from the promised land to go into the land of Canaan, Jacob certainly needed divine aid, he needed encouragement, and the Lord God affords that to him. And notice how God reveals himself in verses 2 to 4. In the first place, he reminds him that he is the God of his father Isaac, and thus the God of his grandfather Abraham. Remember, the Lord appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob.
So he reminds him that it's the same true and living God. Secondly, he encourages him not to fear. In other words, Jacob, this is ultimately under my sovereign power, and providence, do not fear what you are about to undertake. He then reiterates the promise that he will, in fact, make of him a great nation there.
So even in Egypt, we see the fulfillment of the seed promise, and then the land promise will be resumed after the exodus. But already we see multiplication in terms of Jacob's family, and then when we get to Exodus 1, verse 8, there's a new pharaoh, and he is concerned at the great multiplication of the children of Israel, and the fact that they would be able to overtake the people of Egypt. And then as well, notice what God says in terms of his presence. Verse 4, I will go down with you to Egypt.
Now that's an intriguing statement, in terms of the various competing religions in the land at that time. Remember that they had a whole pantheon of gods. They had gods of the hills, they had gods of the valleys. They didn't have sort of one overarching god who was the god of heaven. and earth and everything in it.
Well, the Lord God Most High is not confined to Israel. When his people go into Egypt, he is able to go alongside of them. And so he encourages Jacob that he will in fact be present with them in the land of Egypt. As well, there is a foreshadowing of the Exodus.
There's one other incident where we see this in Genesis, previous to this back in Genesis 15. In that covenant made with Abraham, the Lord God in verse 12 of Genesis 15, we read, Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram, and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then he said to Abram, Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and will serve them. and they will afflict them 400 years." So that is a statement concerning the reality that they will, in fact, end up in Egypt. But then in verse 14, and also, the nation whom they serve, I will judge.
Afterward, they shall come out with great possession. So that foreshadows the exodus from Egypt. The same thing is found in verse 4 in chapter 46. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again.
So you see the purpose of God in this vision, it is to assuage his fears, it is to encourage him that the journey he's about to undertake will in fact ultimately be blessed. There's going to be a hard stretch in there to be sure, there's going to be slavery, there's going to be bondage, there's going to be subjugation to the Egyptian people, but ultimately they will be freed by God. And then ultimately the assurance, or rather the assurance, that Jacob's death will be peaceful and in the presence of his beloved son Joseph. Notice at the end of verse 4, Joseph will put his hands on your eyes.
The marginal reading basically says, well, close your eyes when you die. In other words, this son whom you love, this son whom you missed, is the son in whose presence you will ultimately breathe your last. So all of the things are in place there. Jacob is encouraged.
The Lord has spoken to him, given him what he needed in terms of his ability now to go to the land of Egypt.
The Family Gathers and Departs
So we see the beginning of the journey in verses 5 to 7. Essentially, they gather up all the things. Remember that Pharaoh had ordered that these wagons be sent, or these carts, so that they can pile up their goods, they can pile up their persons, and then they can make this journey into Egypt. And then we have a genealogy, and essentially the genealogy rehearses the 12 sons of Jacob, and they are listed according to the various mothers involved.
So basically in verses 8 to 15, you have the sons of Jacob and Leah. You have Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and then a summary in verse 15. In verses 16 to 18, you have the sons of Jacob and Zilpah, Gad, Asher, and then again a summary statement in verse 18. Then you have in verses 19 to 22, the sons of Rachel, which are Joseph and Benjamin, and then a summary statement in verse 22.
And then, fourthly, you have the sons of Bilhah in verses 23 to 25, and that is Dan, Naphtali, and then again a summary in verse 25. So, structurally, the chapters are similar in this way. You have data, and then you have this genealogy, and then you have more data, and then you have this statement concerning the severity of the famine in the land, where that's a bulk of material describing how Joseph deals with that as he is second in charge in Egypt.
The Genealogy and Number of Souls
Now in verses 26 and 27, we are told about the entirety of the people. It says, "...all the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all, and the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt, were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seven days. So that's the basic number.
In Acts 7 at verse 14, Stephen says there were 75. Now when you look at Genesis 46, 27 and Exodus 1, 5 in the Septuagint, which is the Greek translation, of the Hebrew Old Testament, it has 75. The Masoretic text has 70. Now, I'm not bright enough to work it all out, but there are commentators that have, and so I would suggest John Gill would be the best one.
Calvin essentially says that one of the scribes or a copyist made a mistake with reference to the Book of Acts. I don't personally hold to that particular view. I think that rather there are ways to harmonize the way that Stephen treats the text and the way that we find it here in the book of Genesis. Stephen didn't make a mistake.
I doubt that a scribe made a mistake. This is one of those areas, again, where there's various means by which to harmonize the text. So that's the journey to Egypt.
Meeting with Joseph and Pharaoh
Now notice, secondly, they arrive in Egypt and they meet with Joseph and then Pharaoh.
The Family Reunites with Joseph
In the first place, the family meets with Joseph. They arrive in Goshen, according to verses 28 to 30, and then notice what Jacob does in verse 28. He sent Judah before him to Joseph to point out before him the way to Goshen. Now, we have seen Judah sort of emerge as the leader of the brothers.
And again, this is fitting and appropriate because Judah is the line of kings. Christ is from the tribe of Judah, and we will see a particular prophecy later on in chapter 48, the Shiloh prophecy that speaks specifically concerning the Lord Christ. So Judah emerges as a leader, and it's quite appropriate because it was at his bidding ultimately that there was this separation between Joseph and Jacob. Remember, it was Judah's plan to sell Joseph into slavery.
And now it's Judah who is bringing these two persons back together again. And again, he's functioning as the leader in terms of the brothers. And we notice in verse 29, so Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel. And he presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.
So Joseph at various stages in the narrative weeps. He's a man of passion, a man of emotion, and a man who has overcome at this particular point with joy and thanksgiving. He's reunited to his father. Previously we saw when he saw his brother Benjamin, he wept on him as well.
I mean, he has been for at least 22 years, removed from his family, and now there is this reunion, so we can understand why he would weep on his neck a good while. Now, Jacob's response is interesting in verse 30. Now, let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive. I don't think it's a legitimate request for death, but it's an expression of his contentedness and an expression of his joy, and it's similar to Simeon when Christ is brought into the temple to be circumcised on the eighth day, and Simeon takes up the Lord Jesus in his arms and blessed God and said, Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace. according to your word.
For my eyes have seen your salvation, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel." So essentially we have Jacob who favored Rachel, He loved her preeminently. Remember, Leah was pretty much just foisted on him. Behold, it was Leah. He never sought that out.
And then Billa and Zilpah were given by Laban as maids to Leah and Rachel. But Rachel was the woman that he loved, and certainly he loved the sons that he had with her above the rest. We know that because he made that coat of many colors. He bestowed that upon Joseph.
This provoked the envy of his brothers, and no doubt was one of the reasons why they sold him into slavery and wanted to get rid of him once and for all. So he is thrilled at the reality that he is now with his son Joseph. And then notice that
Joseph's Instructions and Goshen
Joseph gives instructions to his brothers in verses 31 to 34. Now this is very important because Pharaoh is the king of Egypt. I mean, he is royalty. He is the main man over a very powerful empire at this particular time.
The brothers of Joseph are not royalty. The brothers of Joseph are shepherds, so the brothers of Joseph need to be exhorted and instructed by Joseph on how they're supposed to approach royalty. I'm sure if we visited, you know, the president's office or the prime minister's office, there would be some rules. Don't sit on his desk, you know, don't Don't make any weird noises or, you know, don't touch things, don't pull books off the shelf.
There would be some instruction on how we're supposed to dwell in the presence of somebody who is a superior. And so 31 to 34 makes absolute positive sense because Joseph wants to prepare his brothers, who in many respects are basically hillbillies, before they run in to the presence of Pharaoh and present their case in terms of wanting to live in Goshen. So the instructions to the brothers on how to speak with Pharaoh. And then notice that he chooses the land of Goshen.
Pharaoh had already said they could take the best of the land. So he's not being wrong, he's not being sinful, he's not being wrong here, whatever. And there are good reasons why he would choose this land of Goshen. In the first place, it would be one land for all of them to dwell in. they could all remain together.
As well, obviously, it was a place to raise livestock. There was, you know, all that would be necessary in terms of supporting your animals. Also, it would keep the Israelites away from the bulk of the Egyptians. If they had their own sort of enclave, then they would not be the subject of envy on the part of the Egyptians, but as well, they would not be brought into contact with their idolatry either.
And then Goshen is probably the first place you would enter when you move down from Judah into Egypt. And so that when it was time for them to be able to depart to go back to their land, it'd be sort of like parking at the very, you know, near the exit at a sporting event so you can be the first one to leave. That's probably what's in his mind in terms of Goshen as a choice for his brothers. Now there is that statement again in verse 30, at the end of verse 34, every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.
We saw that previously and noted that, I think it was sheep that they would kill and eat where the Egyptians would not. But as we move through the passage, Pharaoh does have livestock, and he asks for qualified men to be able to oversee the livestock. Likely what it is, is that these kinds of shepherds, they are foreigners, and they're nomadic, and they're basically cultural barbarians. versus the Egyptians who are settled and more cultural. They probably would look down upon them for that very reason.
And then one other curious or interesting note in terms of them occupying Goshen as sort of an enclave for just them and them alone. Calvin makes this observation. He says this passage also teaches us how much better it is to possess a remote corner in the courts of the Lord than to dwell in the midst of palaces beyond the precincts of the church." I think that's a good sort of spiritual observation as to why they would dwell in Goshen.
The Brothers and Jacob Before Pharaoh
And then after the family meets with Joseph, now notice in chapter 47, the family meets with Pharaoh. In the first place, the brothers do in verses 1 to 6. and then the address given by Joseph to Pharaoh. So Joseph comes to Pharaoh and sort of smooths out the way, sort of paves the way, says that my brothers have come to present themselves to you. So verse two tells us he took five men, why five, which five, we don't know, but he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh.
Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, what is your occupation? And they essentially rehearse what Joseph had informed them to rehearse. Tell them, or tell him rather, that you are shepherds, that you deal with livestock, and that you're just looking for pasturage at this time during the famine. And then Pharaoh responds.
Notice that he does not respond to the brothers, he responds to Joseph. This is technically absolutely positively correct. Again, if we went to visit the president or the prime minister and we presented our case before them, I would expect that they wouldn't address us. They would address their right-hand man to get on it.
Take care of business. Do what needs to be done. And that's what happens here in verse 5. Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, Your father and your brothers have come to you.
The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land. Let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among you, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock." So Pharaoh, as we saw last time, in his promise with reference to the brothers coming into Egypt, shows himself to be a gracious and a generous man.
Now certainly when he dies and another Pharaoh takes place, that doesn't hold true. That next Pharaoh is just the opposite of a gracious and generous man, but rather he enslaves the children of Israel and thus sets the stage for the exodus out of Egypt. And now Joseph brings his father Jacob and sets him before Pharaoh, and here it's not so much that Pharaoh is the person of honor, but it's Jacob that's the person of honor. And in this instance, it is curious.
We see verse 7, Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. We see that in verse 7, and then again in verse 10. And in terms of the blessing, he pronounces this upon Pharaoh. And if you think that's odd, we are told in the New Testament to pray for kings and all who are in authority so that we may lead peaceable and quiet lives.
The exiles at the time of the prophet Jeremiah, in Jeremiah chapter 29, specifically in verse 7, were told to pray for peace in the cities in Babylon that they found themselves in. So you see, God is sovereign over the entirety of the earth. God is sovereign over a pagan king like Pharaoh. God is able to restrain.
God is able to hedge them in. God is able to keep them from engaging in the kinds of lawlessness that more often than not pagan leaders engage in. So he pronounces this blessing upon Pharaoh, and then Pharaoh again, it's almost as if he has come now to learn from the older, sort of wiser patriarch of Israel. So Pharaoh says to Jacob, how old are you?
And Jacob said to Pharaoh, the days of the years of my pilgrimage are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage." Now, as we consider that, if you think about Jacob, he really did get everything he wanted. He had a good wife and Rachel. He had good sons that he loved, but he didn't get it without a great deal of hardship.
In fact, Jacob's life was one of trial and affliction. John Gill makes the observation, he says, he calls his days but few in comparison of the long lives of the patriarchs in former times, and especially in comparison of the days of eternity, and evil because of the many afflictions he had met with. as from Esau, from whose face he was obliged to flee, lest he should kill him, and in Laban's house, where he served for a wife fourteen years, and endured great hardships, and at Shechem, where his daughter was ravished, and his sons made that slaughter of the Shechemites, which he feared would cause his name to stink, and at Ephrathah, where he buried his beloved Rachel, and at Hebron where his sons brought him such an account as if they believed his beloved son Joseph was destroyed by a wild beast. So he did have a rough go. My thought as I read through these narratives is that Jacob comes across, and this is probably going to sound unkind and untoward, but I'm going to kind of confess how hopefully he's qualified.
He kind of sounds at times like a bit of a drama queen. He really does complain and whine and moan about the various things that come upon him. But just reflecting upon that, I get it. I could be a drama queen with a whole lot less than what Jacob had to undergo.
So I'm going to cut him some slack because he did in fact have a great deal of difficulty in his life. The Lord had been there every step of the way. We see that turning point, I think, at Bethel in chapter 28 when the Lord appears to him. That seems to be the time that the spiritual conversion takes place in the heart and life of Jacob.
Now, prior to that, I don't know, but Genesis 28 was certainly a turning point for him. So, he rehearses this to Pharaoh, ends this meeting again in verse 10 by blessing Pharaoh, and then he went out from before Pharaoh.
Provision for the Family
And then that brings us finally to the provision for the family in verses 11 to 31. Now, note first the settlement in Goshen in verse 11. Joseph situated his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ramesses, as Pharaoh had commanded." Now that was a city that was later established in Goshen. Perhaps this was something of foreshadowing in terms of this, but same same location, same place, as Pharaoh had commanded.
And then verse 12 says, then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families. Gil says, in this, Joseph was an eminent type of Christ who supplies the wants of his people. I think that's a good observation. We see Joseph as a type of Christ, not only there, but also throughout the narrative.
The Severity of the Famine
And then the continuation of the famine is indicated in verses 13 to 26. Now I think the reason why our author does that is that it highlights or demonstrates God's kindness and provision. Now the children of Israel, we'll call them the church, the people of God, the called out ones, are safely settled in Goshen where they are reaping the benefits of living here in Egypt. They have provision.
Verses 11 and 12 have ensured us of that. Joseph is looking out for them. He's the second in charge over the entirety of the land. He is certainly making sure that his family is eating, that they have the provisions that they need.
And then in verses 13, to 26, we see the extent of the famine and the severity of it. Now notice, in the first place, they had already exchanged money for grain in verses 13 and 14. We saw that with the sons of Jacob. They came from Canaan to Egypt.
They brought money so they could purchase corn or grain from Egypt to take back to Canaan so that they could sustain life. Well, we see that the persons outside of Jacob's family, the persons that occupied other parts of the lands around Egypt and even Egyptians themselves, their money ran out. This famine was long. This famine was seven years.
This famine was most difficult. And verse 15 tells us, when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, money failing I don't think refers to an economic collapse, because Egypt was doing quite well. I mean, you talk about a body politic that certainly had its wealth and its resources. Egypt was it.
The money failed in the sense that persons no longer had money in which to buy grain from Egypt. So the Egyptians came to Egypt and said, give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed. Now note next in verses 15 to 17, they sell their livestock for grain.
Again, this is a very severe and difficult trial that they find themselves in. So verse 16, Joseph said, give your livestock and I will give you bread for your livestock if the money is gone. So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses. First time horses had been mentioned, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys.
Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year." Again, this whole section is telling us how severe it is. But we've just been told in 11 and 12, there's a Goshen where God's people are safe and are being tended to and provided for by Joseph, who is now giving this sort of a ultimatum to the people of Egypt. Their money is gone. Now he says, sell me your livestock in exchange for grain.
Well, once that wears off, then they offer themselves and their lands. Notice in verse 18, Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh. Give us seed that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.
Now, the reference to seed indicates that this was the last year of the famine. And he would indeed give them seed so they could go out and plant and thus replenish the land. Remember, it was a seven-year period At the end of the seven years, presumably, rain would come, the Nile would overflow, and there would again be fertility in the land of Egypt. But this is the extremity to which this famine, the famine conditions obtained.
These people were selling themselves into slavery after selling their lands. I mean, if you've seen the news, apparently toilet paper is a hot commodity in the face of a coronavirus threat. Apparently, it's flying off the shelves left and right. So that's just a foretaste of what could happen if it gets even worse and worse and worse.
Well, this is the severity to which you see that famine brought these people. Now, verse 20 and following, Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them, so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he moved them into the cities from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end." Now, that's a curious statement that I don't think any of the commentators really had any idea what it means.
Alter, I thought, had an interesting observation. He said the purpose would be to sever them from their hereditary lands and locate them on other lands that they knew were theirs to till only by the grace of Pharaoh to whom the land now belonged. So take them from their land, put them in another land, sort of destabilize them a bit, and let them know that they are slaves in the service of Pharaoh at this particular time. Now, as we move through this, I don't want to suggest that this is a model for civil government.
What Joseph is doing here is ultimately under Pharaoh. So Pharaoh has the ultimate authority. Joseph is functioning as the vice-regent, as the one who is tasked with administering the various foodstuffs that are still in the land of Egypt. But this would be a horrible situation, brethren, to find oneself in. to sell your land and then your body into service to Pharaoh, to be a serf ultimately to the king.
Now, verse 22 is intriguing. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. The Egyptians were a religious people.
These weren't priests to the true and living God. To be sure, they were priests to whatever gods they had there in the land of Egypt, but you see that Pharaoh gave land for the priests and then provided them with rations so that they could eat. Now, verse 23, Joseph said to the people, Indeed, I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. four-fifths shall be your own as seed for the field and for your food for those of your households and as food for your little ones." Now, interestingly, notice the response in verse 25. So they said, you have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my Lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.
Intriguingly, he says, to this day. So that level of taxation, that level of government seizure still remained in Egypt long after the famine. You've seen that in government as well. We have this issue and we're going to impose this tax for a time.
Yeah, if you believe that, they have bridges to sell you in Timbuktu, because they're never just for a time. Once they see that cash cow start flowing, they don't like to stop to milk it. They want to keep milking it. So there is some things here in terms of civil government that are truly horrifying, but with reference to Joseph, I think Wenham gives at least a good explanation as to why we shouldn't come down hard on him.
He says, modern readers find it difficult to regard Joseph's measures as benevolent. They look to us like exploitation of the destitute who are forced to sell or mortgage animals, land, and their own freedom in order to stay alive. Joseph, the cunning agent, makes the most of their plight to enrich the crown. But this is to misread the account's intentions.
The Old Testament law, I thought this was very interesting. The Old Testament law itself, not that I never knew it, I just hadn't thought of it in this connection. The Old Testament law itself does not envisage the destitute simply being bailed out by the more well-to-do. In other words, it's never just handouts.
It's never just, okay, the rich will bail out the poor and everybody will live happily ever after. The Old Testament law itself does not envisage the destitute simply being bailed out by the more well-to-do. Rather, if possible, members of a family should help their destitute relatives just as Joseph did by buying their land and employing them as slaves. This was viewed as a great act of charity, for as the Egyptians say to Joseph, you have saved our lives.
They didn't interpret this as oppressive. They didn't interpret this as malevolent. They said, you have saved our lives. Let us find favor on the side of my Lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants.
Again, I'm not advocating for this. I'm not suggesting that I want Justin Trudeau to control the means of production and have a vice regent who basically takes from everybody their animals, their lives, their land, and all that sort of thing. He goes on to say, it is within this context that Joseph's actions must be judged. In Israel, Those who became destitute and sold their land or themselves to a more prosperous relative or friend were given their land or freedom back in the year of Jubilee, which occurred every 50 years.
Apparently, the Pharaoh was not so generous. He retained the land and people as his serfs in perpetuity. But Joseph cannot be blamed for that. I think that's right.
It's not Joseph who enslaved the people. It's Joseph who is orchestrating this distribution of food and he is utilizing the means available and the people respect or the people esteem the reality or esteem him for the fact that you have saved our lives. Again, I'm not for this type of government, but certainly we cannot judge Joseph as being the theft of lands and the exploiter of those who were destitute.
Jacob's Preparation to Die
And then finally, in terms of the last section, it's Jacob's preparation to die. He's going to live another 17 years, but he is going to die. So Israel, according to verse 27, dwelt in the land of Egypt in the country of Goshen, and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, so the length of Jacob's life was 147 years.
So he's not going to die right here, because he's going to bless Joseph's sons, and then he's going to bless his own sons, and then he will die. But at this particular point, he expresses his desire to Joseph to bury him in Canaan. He doesn't want to be buried in the land of Egypt. He rather wants to go back to the land of inheritance, to the promised land that God had given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
And that whole idea, please put your hand under my thigh and deal kindly and truly with me, we saw it in Genesis 24. It's a means by which an oath was sworn and there's various reasons for this particular sort of situation. And then the point is, verse 30, let me lie with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place. And he said, I will do as you have said.
Then he said to me or said, swear to me. And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bad. Well, as I said, the providence of God is obvious in this particular section, in the entirety of Genesis, as it culminates to this particular point now, where Joseph's dreams are realized.
His brothers and even his father are bowing down in his presence. We see that he has been exalted by the hand of God to the right hand of Pharaoh, where he is over the entirety of food distribution in the land. We see God's confirmation of his promise to Jacob in Genesis 46. Essentially, Genesis 46, two to four, by way of vision, God says, I've been with you in the past.
I'm not going to forsake you now. Go to the land. Do not fear. We see that he delivered the children of Israel from famine conditions.
He ultimately preserves his church in the world with reference to the great calamities that come in the midst of this world. And then he promises his presence with the church in the world. 46, for I will go down with you to Egypt. And then the other thing is the promises of God. Remember the two promises that are oftentimes repeated in the book of Genesis, seed and land.
Well, we see the seed promise come to fruition already in Egypt. We see that they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. The land promise will come to fruition after the exodus, after they depart from Egypt, they return to the promised land that God had given to the fathers. Well, let us close in a word of prayer.
Closing Prayer
Our Father, we thank you for your word. We thank you for your providence and for your promises, both of which the book of Genesis sets forth so obviously and so powerfully. And God, I pray that we would learn many things from your dealings with the patriarchs and with the twelve tribes. And God, I pray that our hearts would be encouraged that your faithfulness and that you're preserving of your people in the midst of calamity and hardship and trial.
And as we consider our own situation with this virus, we do pray, God, that there would be a cure found or an antidote to this. We pray that that more persons would not die as a result of this. We pray for those who are traveling in the coming weeks, that you would bless them, watch over them and protect each one. And we pray through Jesus Christ, our Lord.
Amen.