Page 34 - Pentateuch

Joseph gives God credit for all this. God is the one who gave Pharaoh the dreams (41:25) and is the cause of
both good crops and bad (41:28, 32). Pharaoh recognizes God’s work in Joseph’s life (41:38, 39). In the
meantime, Joseph marries and has two sons. Both are named because of God’s hand in the events of his
life (41:51, 52).

Now things get complicated. Egypt has grain, but back home in Israel, the family is getting hungry. Jacob
sends ten sons, minus Benjamin, the younger brother of Joseph. The longer story is the life of Joseph, but
we cannot help but notice that God has been working with his brothers as well as with his father. Jacob
favored Rachel. Rachel had two sons, Joseph and Benjamin. Jacob favors Joseph, setting up the rivalry that
led to Egypt. Now he favors Benjamin. How will the rivalry work out after all these years have passed? Have
the brothers learned more than their father seems to have learned?

In a lengthy series of trips to and from Egypt, the brothers are forced to interact with Joseph, whom they do
not recognize. First, they are accused of being spies, allowed to return home only on the promise of
bringing their younger brother along should they come again (chapter 42). A second trip is made by the
eleven brothers. As they return home with food, their money, and Joseph’s silver cup is placed in the grain
sack of Benjamin. Joseph insists on keeping Benjamin as his slave while sending the others home. Judah had
promised the aged Jacob to bring back his favorite son, and now Judah insists on taking Benjamin’s place in
slavery, a striking change from the day when Joseph was in the well (chapter 45).

Throughout these interchanges, Joseph has scarcely been able to contain himself. Now, realizing that his
brothers have learned much since they threw him into a well and sold him into slavery, he reveals his
identity to them. He explains his theology. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God” (45:8), and
they have quite a reunion. When Pharaoh hears about the events, he instructs them to return home and
bring the whole family to Egypt (chapter 45).

The family immigrates to Egypt, leaving the Promised Land at God’s encouragement. God appears to Israel
in a vision at night, calling out to him, “Jacob! Jacob! (46:2).” This aged man is still mixed in character, part
Israel and part Jacob. Another reunion scene occurs when Jacob and Joseph meet (chapter 46). Pharaoh
allows them to settle in Goshen, a part of the land more fitted for shepherds. The famine continued until
even the people of Egypt sold their animals and lands to Pharaoh for food. Joseph then establishes a law in
the land requiring everyone to give a fifth of their produce to Pharaoh every year (chapter 47).

Joseph visits Jacob on his deathbed, taking his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, with him. Jacob recounts
the keynote of his life, God’s blessing, and reaches out to bless them. His eyes are dim with age. He reaches
out to the younger and purposely gives him the elder brother’s blessing. When Joseph tries to correct him,
Jacob insists that the younger would be greater. It is a strange reminder of an earlier scene when Jacob the
deceiver stole the elder brother’s blessing from his own father, who could hardly see (chapter 48).

The blessings continue as Jacob runs down through his own sons in blessing
before he dies. One of the greatest consequences is Judah, the visitor to
prostitutes. Jacob prophesies of the Messiah. “The scepter will not depart
from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he to whom it
belongs shall come and the obedience of the nations shall be his” (49:10).
How strange are the twists and turns of history! Jacob’s grandson Perez,
through Judah, is the product of incest, yet his descendant will be the Messiah
(chapter 49). God is bringing about a very different type of rule than that
Fig. 22: Staff to punish practiced in Egypt and Canaan.

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