Archive for category: Verse by Verse Genesis

We’re not going to dig as deeply into the blessings of the remaining sons, even though it’s a wonderful study. We’re going to summarize, but still try and get the main message across.

So starting today in Genesis 49:16-18, we see that Jacob, or Israel, is still talking to his sons, and now he addresses Dan, and we read:

Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, a viper by the path that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider shall fall backward. I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.

Dan is going to need the salvation of the Lord, because Dan will be one of the tribes which will actually lead a rebellion, a civil war, which divides the nation of Israel into two, and we’ll see that when we get on in our study through Scripture, especially 2 Chronicles.

Dan’s name means judge, and the tribe of Dan did judge his people. They supplied one of the most famous of the judges, Samson, and we’ll see that in Judges 13 too.

Samson himself will also picture Christ.

Dan shall be a serpent by the way, says Jacob. Dan was a troublesome tribe.
They introduced idolatry into Israel, and Dan become a center of idol worship.

Some think the serpent by the way refers to the idea that the Antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan, and they base this on prophecies in Daniel 11:37 and Jeremiah 8.
Joseph finishes the blessing to Dan saying, I have waited for your salvation, O Lord.
The Hebrew word for salvation here is Yeshua.
As he nears death, he calls out for God’s salvation, and whether he knew it or not, Jacob called out to Jesus.
Now to verse 19 and to Gad:
Gad a troop shall tramp upon him, and he shall triumph at last. Gad was another tribe that settled up in the northern part of the country.
1 Chronicles 12:8 says,
Some Gadites joined David at the stronghold in the wilderness, mighty men of valor, men trained for battle, who could handle shield and spear, whose faces were like the faces of lions, and were as swift as gazelles on the mountains.

Because they settled to the east of the Jordan, instead of the land of Canaan, they were exposed to sudden attacks from plundering enemies, and they didn’t have the protection of the greater body of Israel around them, so they had to be exceptional fighters.
To verses 20 to 21:
Bread from Asher shall be rich, and he shall yield royal deities. This is the blessing of Asher.
Not much is seen or heard of from Asher in the rest of the Bible, other than in the standard genealogies, but there is one place, Judges 6 and 7, where they’re called on to go to war along with the other tribes.
However, of the times that Asher is mentioned, the most famous is actually found in the New Testament,where a woman of great faith from the tribe of Asher was granted the honor of seeing the Messiah before her death, something that surely made her happy.
We see this story in Luke 2:36-38.
Jacob’s prophecy of Asher was fulfilled literally in the land allotment to the tribe when it was granted. It’s in the lowlands along the seacoast between Mount Carmel and Tyre and it’s a fertile area abundant in both grain and oil.
Jacob says of Asher, “Because of the rich soil of the area, Asher was certainly fit to provide the delicacies of a king.” Asher’s bread shall be rich is another allusion to the body of Christ. His body is the richest of all breads.

In John 6:35 Jesus said,
“I am the bread of life. He who comes to me shall never hunger and he who believes in me shall never thirst.”
Though the blessing is upon Asher and his tribe, it ultimately looks forward to the coming Messiah.
Now verse 21 and we see Naphtali’s blessing.
Naphtali is a deer let loose.
He uses beautiful words.
Naphtali means either my wrestling or my twisting and it’s probably referring to the struggle between Jacob’s wives Rachel and her sister Leah which probably put Bilhar, Naphtali’s mother, in the middle of them.
Jacob’s blessing upon him here sets him free.
Instead of being caught in a wrestling or a twisting, Jacob says that Naphtali is a deer let loose. As with Asher, there’s not much concerning Naphtali in the rest of the Bible.

In Judges 5 they noted along with Zebulun for jeopardizing their own lives to help in a time of need during a great battle.
They did the same during another battle in Judges 6 and 7.

Verse 22, Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a well. His branches run over the wall.

Now we’re seeing the blessings of Joseph. He’s continuously pictured Christ throughout the stories God’s given us about him and this blessing’s no different. Every word points to the work of Jesus Christ.

We’ve got to say here that without Jesus Christ as the focus of every type, picture, story and sacrifice that we see, the entire Bible simply doesn’t make sense.
It appears disjointed, hard to follow and without any ultimate purpose and it’s irrelevant to the world in which we live.
But when viewed as God revealing himself through Jesus Christ, the entire book becomes a united, integrated whole that makes absolute sense.
Let’s never fail to look for Christ in every story, on every page and in every detail.

Joseph had left the land of Canaan and gone down into Egypt and even though it wasn’t by choice, he was still a witness for God there.
Later his sons Ephraim and Manasseh would be put in the territory which was Samaria later in history and was called Gentile territory in Christ’s day.
Our Lord himself ministered there.

In John 4 we had the record of his witness to the Samaritan people beginning with a woman at a well. This description of Joseph as a fruitful bough was both a description of Joseph’s life and a personal blessing concerning his descendants.
In a sense, Joseph’s tribes were already blessed when his sons received their blessing in Genesis 48. But this description of Joseph speaks of his being well-watered and providing for in his deep and real relationship with God.

The main point in Joseph’s character was that he was in clear and constant fellowship with God and therefore God blessed him greatly.

Now to verses 23 to 25.
The archers have bitterly grieved him, shot at him and hated him, but his bow remained in strength and the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob. From there is the shepherd, the stone of Israel. By the God of your father who will help you and by the Almighty who will bless you with blessings from heaven above, blessings of the deep that lies beneath, blessings of the breasts and the womb.

The two tribes that came from Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, became very prominent and important tribes, so much so that out of them came the later divisions of the kingdom. They were that powerful.
Though Joseph was shot at and hated, he was still a fruitful bough.
This was because the arms of his hands were made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob.
The idea is that God’s hands were on Joseph’s hands, giving him strength and skill to work the bow expertly. God was there even when Joseph didn’t know it.
This looks both backwards to Joseph’s life and forward to Christ. Using harsh words and actions against somebody is often likened to the shooting of arrows in the Bible.

The actions of Joseph’s brothers are described by Jacob.
His brothers reviled him and acted that out by throwing him into the pit and then selling him off to the Egyptians.
Even while Jesus is on the cross, the symbolism Jacob uses of arches and arrows comes to mind.

From the 22nd Psalm, which speaks as if it was actually by our Lord on the cross, we notice verses six and eight:
But I am a worm and no man, a reproach of men and despised by the people. All > those who see me ridicule me. They shoot out the lip, they shake the head, > saying, “He trusted in the Lord. Let him rescue him. Let him deliver him since > he delights in him.”

The Almighty, he will bless you, says Jacob.
Joseph was certainly blessed in his descendants. His tribes were some of the most highly populated. In this sense, he received the material blessing, the double portion of the inheritance of the firstborn. Jacob refers to God as, quote, the mighty God of Jacob.
In these words about Joseph, Jacob listed five great titles for God. These titles show that Jacob really did come to an understanding of who God is.
He refers to God as:
1. The mighty God of Jacob.
2. The shepherd.
3. The stone of Israel.
4. The God of your father.
5. The Almighty.

To verse 26 now,
the blessings of your father have excelled the blessings of my ancestors up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph and on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

Jacob is trying to tie Joseph and the two tribes which will come from him, Ephraim and Manasseh, back to the God of Israel, the creator, the redeemer.
Why?
Well, these tribes, especially Ephraim, led Israel into idolatry.
Jeroboam, who led in the rebellion and placed the two golden calves at Israel’s borders, came from the tribe of Ephraim. So here on his deathbed, Jacob calls them back to the God of his father.
Verse 27:
Benjamin is a ravenous wolf. In the morning he shall devour the prey and at night he shall divide the spoil.
Benjamin was closely identified with Judah, so much so that Benjamin went with the tribe of Judah at the rebellion and the division of the kingdom.
The tribe of Benjamin was the only one that stayed with the house of David.
However, this tribe had a reputation of fierceness and the cruelty of the tribe in general was seen in Judges 19 and 20.

Now, verse 28:
All these are the 12 tribes of Israel and this is what their father spoke to them and he blessed them. He blessed each one according to his own blessing.

See, each son and each tribe that would come from them had their own calling and destiny, yet the remarkable promise remained that they each would survive and grow into significant tribes without one perishing during the centuries to come in Egypt.

Verse 29:
Then he charged them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephraim the Hittite.”

We see that the death of Jacob was not the end of it all.
He was gonna be with his people. He wanted his body to be buried in the cave that Abraham had bought and paid for.
He wanted to make sure that he stayed in that land until the day he would be raised from the dead to live in that land.

Verse 30 in still in Genesis chapter 49:
In the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Momre in the land of Canaan, which Abraham bought, which Abraham brought with the field of Ephraim the Hittite as a possession for a burial place.

We can see how much this man knew of his family history. He probably wasn’t carrying with him a written record, yet he knew all the detailsin his own mind.
Though Jacob was now in Egypt, he knew he wasn’t an Egyptian. He was a son of the promise, an heir of God’s covenant with Abraham, and he asked to be buried in the land promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob by covenant.
Egypt was filled with magnificent tombs, and because of the respect Jacob had, he could have been buried like a pharaoh, but he wanted to be buried in an obscure cave in Canaan, because Canaan was the land of promise.

Verse 31:
There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife, there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah.

This is not so much that he was interested in being buried by Leah, after all Rachel was buried up in Bethlehem, but he wants to be buried where he’ll be raised from the dead at the resurrection, so he’ll be right there when God fulfills his promise to the nation Israel.

Verses 32 and 33:
The field and the cave that is there were purchased from the sons of Heth, and when Jacob had finished commanding his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, and breathed his last, and was gathered to his people.

It’s interesting to see that up to the very last, Jacob kept his feet on the floor.
He started out in life as a man of the flesh, he took hold of his brother’s heel at birth, which was why he was called Jacob the supplanter.
He lived up to that name, which was certainly characteristic of him. He held on to everything that he could find, and he was always trying to be first, and he took what he wanted by any method. As a young man, he walked on his own two feet, and in his own strength and ability.
He depended on his own cleverness and ingenuity, and he thought he could take care of himself, and he didn’t need God. He was self-sufficient, self-opinionated, self-assertive, aggressive, contemptible and despicable.
At Peniel, God crippled him. God had to break him to get him. After that, he went through life limping. He had to go on three legs using a staff or a walking stick because he could no longer walk by himself. Here, before his death, he’s sitting on the bed leaning on his staff.

Now the time has come. He pulls his feet up into the bed, puts down the staff and lies down to die.
This is Jacob. He’s walked a long way through this life.
He ends in a final act of faith, looking forward to the day when he will be raised from the dead in the land according to the promise of God.

Hebrews 11:13 says,
“These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, were assured of them, embraced and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth.”

Now we start Genesis 50:1.
Then Jacob fell on his father’s face and wept over him and kissed him.

Naturally, Joseph was grieved. He loved his father.

Verse 2: And Joseph commanded his servants, the physicians, to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel.

We know that the Egyptians were expert at embalming.
They had a method of preserving bodies that we haven’t even understood properly today. So Joseph called in the physicians to embalm his father.
Remember, it had been his request to be taken and buried in the cave of Machpelah because his hope was an earthly hope.
When he’s raised from the dead, he’ll be there in the land with the nation Israel. The hope of the believer today, the member of the church of our Lord Jesus Christ, is to be caught up with the Lord in the air and to go to a place called the New Jerusalem, out in the dimensions unknown to us now.
There are two different hopes and they’re both glorious.

Verse 3: 40 days were required of him. For such are the days required for those who are embalmed. And the Egyptians mourned for him 70 days.

It took them 40 days to embalm Jacob’s body.
Evidently, there’s a number of different processes involved. We notice here that the Egyptians mourned for him. This was probably not a professional mourning that was often the case in these cultures.
More than likely, Jacob had become a real saint in the land of Egypt and was probably respected as the father of Joseph.
Joseph was a deliverer, but it’s probable that his father Jacob was very highly thought of as a real man of God.

Now, verses 4
Now, when the days of his mourning were passed, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, ‘If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, My father made me swear, saying, Behold, I am dying. In my grave, which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me. Now, therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back. And Pharaoh said, Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.

So Joseph went up to bury his father, and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh’s, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt.
You can see how this man was greatly respected, loved and honoured in the land of Egypt. This huge funeral procession went all the way from Egypt to Hebron and Canaan.

Genesis 50:8.
As well as all the house of Joseph, his brothers and his father’s house, only their little ones, their flocks and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen.

We have to wonder whether Pharaoh required them to leave their little ones and their flocks so that he could be sure they’d come back. Pharaoh didn’t want to lose Joseph because he still needs him.

Verses 9 to 13.
And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen, and it was a very great gathering. Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians. Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan. So his sons did for him just as he commanded them. For his sons carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah before Momre, which Abraham bought with the field from Ephron the Hittite as property for a burial place.

We may wonder why Jacob wasn’t buried with Rachel in Bethlehem, which was probably not more than 20 miles farther north.
Probably the reason is stated here. Abraham had bought this cave and Jacob wanted to be buried with his fathers in a place that was bought and paid for to make sure he would stay in the land.
So he was buried with the other patriarchs. They all had the same hope of resurrection.

Verses 14 to 17 and still in Genesis 50.
And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father. When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, perhaps Joseph will hate us and may actually repay us for the evil which we did to him. So they sent messengers to Joseph saying, before your father died, he commanded saying, thus you shall say to Joseph, I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin for they did evil to you. Now please forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father. And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Evidently the brothers had gone to Jacob before he died and expressed their fears regarding what would happen to them after he was gone.
They were afraid that Joseph would turn on them and be against them once their father was gone. So Jacob had given them a message to tell Joseph and he was sure that Joseph wouldn’t persecute them or attempt to get even with them.
When the brothers do come to Joseph with his confession, Joseph breaks into weeping because of it. Now they’re repenting because of their sin.

Verse 18,
then his brothers also went and fell down before his face and they said, behold, we are your servants.

You see how this prophecy of their falling down before him was repeatedly coming true.

Verse 19, Joseph said to them, do not be afraid for am I in the place of God? Joseph gives God the glory in every case.

He’s refusing to judge his brothers and he’s leaving all that for God to work out.
There couldn’t be a better outworking of Romans 12:19.
Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath for it is written, vengeance is mine and I will repay, says the Lord.

Now here is a remarkable verse of scripture, verse 20,
but as for you,you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring it about as it is this day to save many people alive.

Friends, God has a far-off purpose for you and me that we don’t see.
We must confess how human we are about this because we can’t see further than our own nose when trouble comes to us. We ask, why does God permit this to happen to me?
We need to remember that He has a good purpose and view. He’s not going to let anything happen to us unless it will accomplish the ultimate good purpose in our life.

Now listen to Joseph in verses 21 to 23 of chapter 50.
Now therefore do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones. > And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. So Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he > and his father’s household, and Joseph lived 110 years. Joseph saw Ephraim’s > children to the third generation, the children of Maccah, the son of Manasseh, > were also brought up on Joseph’s knees.

We take this to mean that Joseph was a > great, great grandfather.
Our final verses in this chapter, chapter 50,
and in the study of the book of Genesis, are verses 24 to 26. > And Joseph said to his brethren, I am dying, but God will surely visit you and > bring you out of this land to the land of which he swore to Abraham to Isaac > and to Jacob. Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel saying, God > will surely visit you and you shall carry my bones from here. So Joseph died > being 110 years old, and they embalmed him and he was put in a coffin in > Egypt.

This is the way the book of Genesis ends.
It began with God creating the heaven and the earth, and it ends with a coffin in Egypt.
What happened to the human family? Sin had intruded into the creation of God. Why wasn’t Joseph taken up to Canaan and buried there with the patriarchs?
Well, it’s obvious that Joseph was a hero in the land of Egypt, and his family wouldn’t have been permitted to let his body be removed from Egypt at that time.
He was one of the outstanding patriots who the Egyptians revered. Probably he had a monument raised at his grave.
But Joseph says to his own people, when you get back to Canaan, don’t leave my bones down here. In Joseph we see the same hope that we saw in Jacob. That is a confidence that God would give them the land of Canaan as an eternal position, and they wanted to be raised from the dead in their own land.
Joseph believed that God would raise up his earthly people to inherit the land of promise. The book of Hebrews in chapter 11:22 mentions this as the crowning act of faith in the life of Joseph. > By faith, Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the departure of the > children of Israel and gave instructions concerning his bones.
When we get to Exodus chapter 13, we’ll see how wonderfully God honored Joseph and answered his request. Moses and the children of Israel took the bones of Joseph with them when they left Egypt.

Now this brings us to the conclusion of the book of Genesis, and next time we’re heading off to the New Testament and the Gospel according to Matthew.
I hope you’ve received even a fraction of the joy that I’ve had putting this study together.
Until we meet again in the Gospel of Matthew, may God bless you and keep you.
Thank you for listening to the Why God Bible Study. Until next time, as we continue our study of the whole counsel of God, may God richly bless you with an intimate knowledge of His Son, Jesus Christ, as you study His Word.

When all the livestock were sold and they started to starve again, Joseph bought their land for the price of the food they needed to survive, and the people themselves pleaded for this to be done.

Joseph then made a law throughout the land that the people could stay on their property and continue farming it, but they’d pay one fifth of the harvest to Pharoah. This was a 20% tax.

Then we saw that Joseph’s favour amongst the people was great as he’d saved them and their families from starvation.

Finally, we saw Jacob making Joseph swear to take his body back to Canaan for burial after he died, which Joseph does.

We’re told in Hebrews 11 verse 21 that “By faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.” In this episode we’ll see this, Jacob’s last sickness and his blessing of the two sons of Joseph.

This chapter shows us again the spiritual growth of Jacob. He’s come a long, long way since his early days.

It’s easy for us to feel that it was a pity that this lovely faith which is displayed in Jacob’s last days weren’t present in his early life. But it’s also important for each of us to understand that the spiritual life and the walk of faith is a walk of growth and a development! It’s not some sort of lightning bolt experience which takes place in a moment of time. It’s described in scripture as a walk in the Spirit.

There was too much of the old nature in Jacob when he was a young man, and it’s taken a whole lifetime for the new nature to begin to show.

We’re all familiar with this in our own lives.

We get very little lasting satisfaction when we walk in the flesh compared to the peace, joy, and contentment as we turn from us to Him. Throughout our lives we begin to learn that the pressures of life, the frustration with this world, the anger, resentment and fear all last only as long as the time span in which we choose to walk in self, in the flesh. The moment we turn and put God in place of our flesh, things change. The words of that beautiful old hymn Turn your eyes upon Jesus become so true, “the things of this world grow strangely dim in the light of His glory and grace.”

Friends don’t look for some sensational, earth-shaking experience that’ll suddenly make us fully grown Christians. Scripture tells us in 2nd Peter 3 verse 18 to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

We see in Jacob that the fruit of the Spirit develops over time and through experiences and trials. But thank God for the possibility of growth in our lives and His patience with us. Also, we can thank Him that He doesn’t move in, as we would, and try to force growth. God very patiently dealt with Jacob, and He’ll deal very patiently with you and me.

Now we need to be aware of something in this chapter, chapter 48.

We’ve already seen that in the Bible names play a huge part spiritually and they’re said to be linked to our soul’s purpose and destiny. Many cultures believe that the name a person bears has a direct impact on their life’s journey.

Every person’s name and every place name is very important, but not only that, the placement of those names, the order in which they’re written, the surrounding text, the numbers associated with them all have a deep meaning.

We need to understand that what’s written in this chapter is so deeply meaningful to the family of Israel, to the world and to you and me that we can’t possibly delve deep enough into its treasure in this bird’s eye type of study.

A person could literally spend a lifetime just studying this chapter and not cover everything. For our purposes in this study, it’s important to know that every one of these treasures point to Jesus Christ. We’ve already seen enough of the life of Joseph to see a picture of Christ, but it goes much deeper than any of us can imagine.

So, in beginning chapter 48 I must admit to you that I feel terribly inadequate to attempt to put together this episode in a way that portrays even a tiny portion of its immense value. This has troubled me since we first started this home bible study and as I study each chapter in preparation for bringing an episode together I become ever more aware of my inadequacy to communicate such incredible wonders, especially in such a way as to give an accurate overview rather than an in depth study. How can I summarise such wonders in a way that paints an accurate picture but also encourages each listener to dig deeper and unearth these treasure for themselves.

I can only try my best.

Let’s begin Genesis 48:1-3,

Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, “Indeed your father is sick”; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 

And Jacob was told, “Look, your son Joseph is coming to you”; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 

Then Jacob said to Joseph: “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 

It came to pass after these things means that this happened after the events in the last verses in chapter 47 where Joseph swears an oath to Jacob that his body will not be buried in Egypt, but he’ll be buried back in Canaan with Abraham and Issac.

Now Joseph comes to Jacob as he’s in his death bed.

Friends, notice here the sudden change in one verse from the name “Jacob” to the name “Israel.” As we’ve seen, and will continue to see throughout the Bible, there’s Jacob, the man of flesh and bones. He’s weak in his spirit, he’s weak in his body, and he’s troubled in his mind.

And then, there’s Israel. It’s Israel who strives with God, who declares His name, and who relies on Him for his strength and his speech. When Jacob speaks, it’s as Jacob the man. When Israel speaks, it’s for his God and under God’s inspiration.

Now, here comes Joseph, his favourite son, with his two son’s. Imagine the thrill it must have bought to the old man’s heart?

We need to note here that these two were adults, not little boys as is sometimes portrayed. By looking at Jacob’s age, his time in prison and the years of the famine in the last chapters we can easily work out that these sons were at least 19 years old and probably much older. They understood what was happening and the importance of their grandfather’s words.

Jacob never dreamed he’d ever see Joseph again because as we know he thought he’d been killed. Yet he not only sees Joseph, and sees him in his exalted position in Egypt, he sees Joseph’s son’s, his grandsons, as well. What a bonus for Jacob.

Now, he can clearly see the way that God had worked out the affairs of his life. Jacob’s been in Egypt for 17 years by now and he’s facing death, but he musters his strength to sit at the edge of his bed when he knows Joseph’s on his way.

Jacob begins to tell Jospeh of his life from the time God appeared to him at Luz or Lutz as some people pronounce it. Joseph begins with, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me.”

He goes back over this time for a reason. He’s going to pass on the blessing of Abraham and Issac to Joseph and this reaffirming of what’s taken place is going to lead to that. He’s going to be sure that he gets the wording of God’s promise exactly correct.

This place, Luz if you remember from Genesis 28 and 35, is where Jacob met God twice and after the second encounter, where he wrestled with God, he renamed the place Bethel. But now he uses the original name.

It’s this second visit that Jacob’s referring to here.

He says, “God appeared to me there, and God blessed me.”

Now we see Jacob, the man of faith in verse 4.

and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.’ 

Let’s pay special attention to God’s promise that Jacob mentions here. It runs throughout the whole Bible both through the Old and the New Testaments.

God made the promise to the line of the patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob and there’re three specific points to the covenant: (1) the nation, (2) the land, and (3) the blessing. But the two most important parts of the promise for Jacob in this moment with Joseph are (1) “I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people”; And (2) “and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.” This, of course is referring to the land of Canaan.

The third part of the covenant, “And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” is the part that directly relates to you and me today.”

The reason that you and I are sitting down with the Bible right now is because God has already bought to reality two–thirds of this promise which He covenanted to these patriarchs thousands of years ago. One–third is still not fulfilled. The Jews don’t have the land of Israel yet in the fullness of these promises. Yes, they have a small part of it and through the Belfour declaration of 1948, Israel is now a state, but it’s certainly not universally accepted, and they continue to fight for their place in the sun so to speak. This is definitely not the total fulfilment of God’s promise to this nation.

When they get the full land grant from the hand of God, they’ll live there in peace. Noone’ll argue with God about the ownership of the land as they do every day at present.

As Micah 4 verse 4 says relating to this coming time,

But everyone shall sit under his vine and under his fig tree, And no one shall make them afraid; For the mouth of the LORD of hosts has spoken. 

They’ll own property and pay no taxes and the borders of the promised land will be the original borders, far in excess of what they are now.

This speaks of the Millennium, and this is exactly what will eventually come to pass.

Verses 5 and 6 now,

And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 

Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 

What’s happening here?

Well Jacob’s adopting these two sons of Joseph into his family.

Now Jacob says of these 2, “As Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.”

Reuben and Simeon were the first and second born of Israel. Jacob received the two sons of Joseph as adopted into the family at the highest level, as if they were his own first and second born.

Reuben and Simeon, were disqualified from positions of status and leadership in Israel’s family because of their very serious sins in Genesis 34 and Genesis 35.

Jacob’s adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim explains why there are 12 tribes often listed in different combinations. Because of this adoption, there were actually 14 sons of Israel.

The 12 sons who were born to Jacob are; Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Zebulun, Issachar, Dan, Gad, Asher, Naphtali, Joseph and Benjamin. Now we have added by adoption Ephraim and Manasseh.

But wait, there’s no tribe of Joseph. Instead, we have the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh, so we now have 13 tribes.

You see, what’s actually happened is that Joseph’s received a double portion of the blessing. The tribe that would have been Joseph is now Ephraim and Manasseh.

So, Joseph’s divided into two tribes.

Wherever the tribes are listed throughout the Old Testament, they can be arranged different ways and still remain 12 tribes.

The twelve tribes are listed twenty times in the Old Testament. They’re listed in a different order each time. Sometimes by their mother in other words those from (Leah, Rachel, Zilpha, and Bilhah), their numeric order, their encampment, and more.

The Levites were exempt from military duties so, when the order of military march was given, there are still 12 listed, but they exclude Levi. Levi is left out on four occasions. Dan is also left out on three occasions, the most notable one in Revelation 7.

So, with this extra 13th tribe there’re more than 20 different ways of listing them in the Old Testament and still have 12 tribes. We’ll see this as we come to those instances.

As a number, 12 is often associated with government or administration in God’s eyes. There are 12 tribes (in whatever way they’re counted they’re always mentioned as twelve); 12 apostles; 12 princes of Ishmael; 12 pillars on Moses’ altar; 12 stones on the high priest’s breastplate; 12 cakes of showbread; 12 silver platters; silver bowls; and gold pans for the service of the tabernacle; 12 spies to search out the land; 12 memorial stones; 12 governors under Solomon; 12 stones in Elijah’s altar; 12 in each group of musicians and singers for Israel’s worship; 12 hours in a day; 12 months in a year; 12 Ephesian men filled with the Holy Spirit; 12;000 from each of the 12 tribes sealed and preserved through the tribulation; 12 gates of 12 pearls in heaven, and 12 angels at the gates; 12 foundations in the New Jerusalem, each with the names of the 12 apostles of the Lamb; it’s length, breadth, and height are all 12,000 furlongs; and the tree of life in heaven has 12 fruits. The number 12 is special to God.

Now, Jacob hasn’t passed on the blessing to the 2 sons yet, that’ll happen in the next few verses, and we’ll see something else quite amazing there also.

Jacob now goes back to his lovely Rachel, his beloved wife and Joseph’s mother.

Now Genesis 48:7

But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).” 

Notice here that Jacob speaks of coming out of Padan.

This is interesting because this is the only time Padan by itself is mentioned in the Bible. The other 10 times it appears it’s Padan Aram. There’s a reason for this and it has to do with an amazing hidden text that gives us an equally amazing forecast of the Lord Jesus. We don’t want to sideline this study and there’s simply not enough space to include it here, but I’m going to do a separate article on this as soon as time permits because it’s so amazing. It’s one of the countless proofs we have that the Bible comes from a source outside of our time dimension and that it was engineered by an intelligence high above that of any man who’s ever lived.

Friends, when you and I think of Bethlehem, we think of the birth of Jesus, but for Jacob Bethlehem is remembered for the death of his beloved and beautiful Rachel.

Rachel died beside him in the land of Canaan just a short distance from Ephrath which is Bethlehem and now with this lingering grief, Israel remembered her tragic death at the birth of their son Benjamin and her burial. We saw this in Genesis chapter 35.

Jacob’s on his deathbed now many years later and it’s still a heartbreak to him.

Verses 8 to 10,

Then Israel saw Joseph’s sons, and said, “Who are these?” 

Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place.” And he said, “Please bring them to me, and I will bless them.” Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. Then Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 

Notice that both Isaac and Jacob had trouble seeing when they got old? The brightness of the sun and the dust may have something to do with it. Even today there’s a lot of eye disease in Middle eastern countries. So, we notice here that Jacob didn’t recognise his grandsons.

“These are my sons, whom God has given me in this place,” says Joseph.

We remember that the names of Joseph’s sons were Manasseh (the firstborn) and Ephraim (the younger). The name Manasseh means forgetfulness, and the name Ephraim means fruitfulness. We saw this in Genesis 41.

Verses 11 and 12,

And Israel said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see your face; but in fact, God has also shown me your offspring!” 

So Joseph brought them from beside his knees, and he bowed down with his face to the earth. 

He bowed down with his face to the earth: Joseph lived as a high official of Egypt for many years and had no contact with his father during that time. Yet it didn’t diminish the reverence and respect he had towards his father.

Verse 13,

And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him. 

Joseph’s bringing the boys to their grandfather ready for the blessing about to be given to them. The one who would stand before Israel at his right hand would be the one with priority.

The right hand in the Bible always has the idea of the favoured position, because generally speaking, the right hand is the hand of strength and skill.

The right hand is associated with God’s strength, His favour, and His help. This is why Jesus is described as sitting at the right hand of God the Father in Mark 14:62.

In light of this watch what happens next.

Joseph guides Ephraim (the younger son) towards Jacob’s left hand and Manasseh (the older son) to his right hand. You see, Manasseh, as the oldest, is to receive the more honoured and the more powerful blessing from Jacob’s right hand and Ephraim being the younger son is to receive the lesser blessing from the left hand.

Now to verse 14,

Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim’s head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn. 

Did you see what happened here? Even though Jacob couldn’t see too well, he could tell what Joseph was doing. Joseph was pushing the older son to the position of Jacob’s right hand and the younger son toward the left hand. So, what did old Jacob do? Well, he just switched hands. He crossed his hands and put his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son.

Why did he do this? There’s no doubt that he affection for both boys because they were the sons of his favourite son Joseph. He knowingly gives the blessing to the younger. One reason may have been that he was the younger and he had received the blessing. So, he passes the blessing on to the younger son here.

Also, there’s an interesting principle that runs all the way through the Scriptures. For instance, in the choice of David as king, David was the youngest of the sons of Jesse. Why did God choose him? God’s giving you and I a picture of a great spiritual truth.

God doesn’t accept primogeniture, which is a fancy name for the automatic right of possession or privilege to the oldest person in a family. God will never accept it. There must be the new birth. Therefore, God doesn’t pay attention to our natural human customs.

We say that the oldest boy has the responsibility in a family. Well, the oldest is not the one whom God always chooses. See, God doesn’t choose the natural man. He never chooses a person through natural ability.

We really need to learn this truth in our day!

Now, God can certainly use natural talent, but it’s got to be dedicated to Him! That talent must be yielded to Him to be used of Him.

So, we see here old Jacob crossed his hands as he laid them on the heads of his grandsons so that he gave the younger boy the priority.

Ephraim is to become the leader above Manasseh. Later on, we’ll see that the tribe of Manasseh marched under the banner of the tribe of Ephraim in the wilderness march, as described in Numbers. Joshua came out of the tribe of Ephraim, and there were many great men from that tribe. It became the tribe with priority, there’s no question about it.

Verse 15,

And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 

“The God who has fed me all my life long to this day.” Boy, does Jacob reach a spiritual height here.

Verse 16,

The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” 

“The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads.” He has nothing to boast about except a wonderful Redeemer. And they did “grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth” just as he said.

Now we’re at Genesis 48:17-18

Now when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him; so he took hold of his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 

And Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head.” 

Watch old Jacob’s reaction to this in verse 19

But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations.” 

Jacob tells Joseph he knows exactly what he’s doing and says that Manasseh will become a multitude of nations as well and that’s important to see, however, Joseph needs to accept that Ephraim has received the senior position because he himself is not the oldest, either. He happens to be one of the youngest, and yet this double portion blessing is given to him through his sons.

To verses 20 and 21,

So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will bless, saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!’ ” And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh. 

Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 

Notice once again Israel is the name used because he’s giving glory to God.

Genesis 48:22,

Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow.” 

That is, Joseph, through his two sons, would have a greater inheritance than the other brothers would have.

This apparently was a personal gift made by Jacob to Joseph.

We read about this in the Gospel of John chapter 4 verse 5,

So, He came to a city of Samaria which is called Sychar, near the plot of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. And we see in the next verse in John that place is where Jacob’s well is where the woman of Samaria met the Lord Jesus many centuries later.

Joseph was buried on a ridge near this place.

Two tribes have now come from Joseph, and they needed more territory, and this was a parcel of land which Jacob first bought from the Amorites. The Amorites later they took it back by force, but then Jacob returned the compliment, and he reclaimed it by force. It’s been an area of controversy right up to the present time. It’s that area of modern Israel that’s known as the West Bank.

I just wish I had the ability and the time to go deeper into chapter 48 because there’s a wealth of treasures here.

Next time we’re going to see old Jacob’s death. We’ll also see another remarkable example of the faith that Israel now walks in.

Until then friends keep the Lord close to you through His precious Word because He’ll be with you always and He’ll never leave or forsake you even if sometimes you feel that He has.

Consequently, Abraham found problems in Egypt, and even told the Pharoah at the time that his wife Sarah, was his sister because he was terrified that the Egyptians might kill him to get his wife.

God had also said the same thing to Isaac. In Genesis 26 we see yet another famine in the land and Issac wanting to go down to Egypt to escape it. God told him very specifically not to go as He reconfirmed the promise He’d made to Abraham that the land of Canaan would be his and his descendants and that those descendants would multiply as the stars of heaven.

So now the question is, should Jacob go down into the land of Egypt? The old Jacob would have just packed up and gone if he’d wanted to but Israel, the new Jacob who’s learnt to trust God much more needs more than his own feelings. He needs a little more encouragement than the invitation from his son Joseph or even from Pharaoh. He needs to have a green light so to speak from God.

Let’s begin this 46^th in Genesis 46:1

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 

Now this is quite an amazing thing if we see it in the light of Jacob’s whole life as of course we can. He offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

The first time he’d left that land and headed to the land of Haran, he’d come to Bethel where he spent his first night away from home and family.

Was he looking for God then? No, he thought he’d run away from Him. He wasn’t seeking the mind of God in any way, and he certainly wasn’t asking God for His guidance and leading. What a contrast we see here between young Jacob and the servant of Abraham that was sent to look for a wife for Issac in the same place. The servant of Abraham never took a step without looking to God for guidance, but Jacob didn’t think that he needed God in his life at all. It took a long time for him to learn that his own way was a very poor substitute for God’s way.

How many of us today go through life leaving God pretty much out of the journey.

We make our own decisions and do what we want to do, seldom seeking the Lord’s will.

We absolutely know God exists, but we don’t see His reality in the daily, moment by moment walk through life. Then, when a disaster strikes we cry out to God to get us out of it. If we’d only seek His will first we’d avoid many of those disasters.

Old Jacob had, for most of his life, not been looking to God, but now, as he comes to Beersheba, and he doesn’t want to put his foot over the border into Egypt without consulting God.

He’s left nothing behind in Canaan, and so at this southernmost outpost of Canaan. Israel stops to honour God with sacrifices.

Both Abraham and Isaac lived for a time at Beersheba.

Israel’s grandfather Abraham planted a tamarisk tree in Beersheba many years before and had called on the name of the LORD there. Isaac received a special promise from God and built an altar for sacrifice there, calling on the name of the LORD as well. Jacob was probably at the very place that Issac sacrificed, remembering what God had done before.

So, it was a memorable spot in the history of this family, and in Jacob’s own life because it was here that he saw the ladder to heaven in a vison from God. So, it called for a special time with the Lord. He was to go to a place his fathers were told not to go to and so he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham.

Now God is going to be gracious and appear to him.

Verses 2 and 3,

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. 

The fact that God told Jacob not to be afraid to go to Egypt indicates that he probably was, as most of us would be.

Remember in ancient times, people didn’t travel very far from where they were born. This is a huge move.

Now God speaks to Jacob in a dream, a night vision, and re affirms His promises that He made to Jacob at Bethel that He’ll make of Jacob a great nation and now we see clearly that this move to Egypt is exactly in accordance with God’s purpose.

Did God come good with the promises He made that He would make a great nation from Jacob?

The answer’s in the next book of the Bible in Exodus 1 verse 7,

But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied, and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them.

There was a population explosion of Israelites in Egypt. What is the explanation of that? We’’, God’s made good on His promise to Jacob. “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.” God absolutely made good on His promise.

Verses 4 and 5,

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. 

God also promised here that He’ll be with Jacob the whole time and that He’ll surely bring him up again, meaning He’ll eventually return him to Canaan. You see it’s Canaan that God’s given to Israel not Egypt but this detour into Egypt is necessary for the family’s survival. God then says to Jacob quote, “and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.”

This is God’s final assurance to Jacob that Joseph was indeed alive and would care for him until his dying day. This was sweet assurance.

They put Jacob in one of the wagons, that Pharoah has sent and off they go.

The life of Jacob can be divided into three locations: the land of Haran, the land of Canaan, and the land of Egypt.

These aren’t only geographical areas, but they represent three spiritual levels. Jacob left the land with just a staff. When he came into Haran, he was God’s man living in the flesh. He came out of Haran, running away from his father–in–law and was afraid to meet his own brother Esau. Then in the land of Canaan Jacob had his wrestling match with God. He was God’s man but fighting in his own strength. Now he’s going to Egypt. He’s not walking in his own strength anymore, and he’s not running away anymore. He’s now walking by faith.

Although Joseph is the main character in this section of Genesis, it also features the spiritual growth of the man of faith that is now Jacob. Jacob has become the man that God wanted him to be, and only God can make this kind of man.

Jacob’s life in Haran is typical of a person who knows God exists but who’s living in the flesh, living his own way, by his own ideas of what his life’s going to become and who has little or no regard for God.

Jacob’s life in the land of Canaan is typical of the person who’s come to know God. He sees God’s existence and His power and majesty, but he hasn’t yet learned how to trust God for everything in his life. In other words, he’s still fighting in his own strength.

Jacob’s life in Egypt typifies the person who’s walking by faith.

This’s true for us today as well.

There was that time in our lives when we came in contact with the gospel, the Word of God, and we turned to Him. Then there was that period of struggle when we thought we could live our lives in our own strength. That may have lasted for years. Then there came the time when we grew in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ and began to walk by faith.

Verses 6 and 7,

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. 

Because of the famine, Jacob had to take everyone, children, and grandchildren. And all of their livestock had to go with them since none of them could have survived the famine.

The following verses give the genealogy of Jacob. It’s very important because it is the genealogy which will lead to Jesus Christ and will be followed through the rest of the Bible. After a list of all of Jacob’s descendants, we read this in Genesis 46 verse 26,

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. 

There were sixty–six people who were the direct descendants of Jacob that went with him from Canaan into Egypt. Of course, Joseph and his family were already in Egypt.

Verse 27,

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. 

This brought the total household of Jacob to seventy souls.

There were 70 people of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt.

The total number of males of this clan was 70. There were 66, plus Jacob himself, Joseph, and his two sons. This large family would become a nation of perhaps more than two million over the next 400 years.

Like many great works of God, Israel had a slow beginning.

• From the time God called Abraham, it took at least 25 years to add one son – Isaac.
• It took Isaac 60 years to add another son of Israel – Jacob.
• It took 50 or 60 years for Jacob to add 12 sons and one daughter.
• But in 430 years, Israel would leave Egypt with 600,000 men plus all the women, children, and the elderly.
• It took this family 215 years to grow from one to 70, but in another 430 years they grew to two million or more.

As a bit of a side note, in Acts chapter 7 verse 14, Stephen said that there were 75 who went into Egypt. This is because Stephen quoted from the Septuagint version of the Old Testament, which says 75. The number in the Septuagint is not wrong, just arrived at in a different way, specifically adding five more sons (or grandsons) of Joseph who were born in Egypt.

Notice that each son of Jacob and his offspring are listed by name. Why are these lists of names given to us in the Scriptures? Doesn’t God have more important information to give to us? My friend, there is nothing more important than our Lord Jesus Christ, and this is the genealogy that leads to Him. We’ll find some of these names in the genealogy in the first chapter of Matthew, which we’re coming to very soon. We’ll also find some of these names in the genealogy given to us in Luke, chapter 3.

These lists of names are important for that reason.

There’s another reason, and it is very personal. Have you heard of the Book of Life? It’s mentioned in Philippians 3:3, Revelation 3:5, Revelation 17:8, Revelation 20:12, Revelation 20:15, and Revelation 22:19.

It’s called the Lamb’s Book of Life in Revelation 21:27, The Lamb being Christ, or the Book of Life of the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world in Revelation 13:8, meaning it was always God’s purpose that the Messiah, Jesus Christ would be slain for us.

We’re not told what form this book takes, whether it’s a gigantic physical book, or maybe a book that exists in another dimension and in another form outside of the dimensions we live in, or it may be as Chuck Missler once wrote, the Bible itself that has our name coded into it through the incalculably complex codes that the bible contains.

Whatever form the book takes, the question is, is our name written there? If it is we’re destined for eternal life, never to die spiritually. For those of us who’s name doesn’t appear there, a hopeless and fearful eternity is awaiting.

Just as you and I and every other human got into the line of Adam by birth, we get into the line of Christ by birth. But in the case of the Lamb’s Book of Life, we get there by the new birth which comes about by believing, through our own choice, that Christ is our personal Saviour through his death, burial, and resurrection. When we do that, we become a child of God or reborn spiritually, born again into Christ with His life.

How important are you and I to God? Well, you and I know very few of the 8 billion people on the planet, but God knows every single one of us including the multiplied billions who have already suffered the death of the body. In fact, Matthew 10 verse 30 and Luke 12 verse 7 tell us that He’s numbered the very hairs of our head! He knows you and me better than anyone else knows us. He knows us far and away better than we know ourselves and He loves us more than we can ever fully grasp. Yes my friends, God knows you personally.

In Jacob’s genealogy there’re names that mean nothing to us, but they certainly meant a great deal to God. He knew them intimately, just as He knows us and he knew how each one would play a part in the line that would provide a body for the Lord Jesus Christ, the Messiah.

Frankly we’re not so much interested in them. But God is. He delighted in putting their names down because they were His.

We’re not going to read all the names of this genealogy, but I hope that you’ve realised how important this genealogy is.

So, now here comes Jacob with all of his family to the land of Egypt.

Verse 28,

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. 

It was fitting for Judah to do this since the Messianic line to Christ would come through him and it was Judah who demonstrated the true spirit of repentance and change of heart among Joseph’s brothers. Possibly Judah may have also established just that little bit higher respect in Joseph’s eyes as well because of the way he stood up and pleaded to be taken as a slave rather than Benjamin. More than anything this showed that he was desperate to save his father from the awful blow he would have suffered had Benjamin not returned.

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. 

Joseph fell on the neck of his father and embraced him and wept. The Word of God says this went on for a good while. We don’t know how long a “good while” is, but it does mean that it wasn’t just a brisk handshake that had little or no meaning. It was a reunion charged with emotion. What a wonderfully moving sight this would have been!

Now to verse 30,

And Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.” 

What a joy this was to old Jacob!  He’s an old man now and quite frankly he’s about ready to die.

It could even be that he barely made this trip, but God sustained him. We’ll find that he’s permitted to live for a few years in the land of Egypt. Israel and Joseph have these last years together. Notice that Jacob is now “the child of God who lives by faith.” Therefore, he is called by his name Israel.

Genesis 46:31-34,

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 were 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 servants’ 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.” 

The Egyptians didn’t like shepherds, in fact they were an abomination to them.

The Word of God has a lot to say about shepherds. “Shepherd” is the figure of speech which is used to describe our Lord. He’s the Good Shepherd who gives His life for the sheep. He is the Great Shepherd of His sheep who watches over them today. He is the Chief Shepherd who is yet to appear. He calls Himself the Shepherd.

As we’ve said a number of times, Egypt is a type of this world and just as the shepherd, was regarded as an abomination in Egypt, Jesus is an abomination to the world. He’s not received today.

Of course, we’re talking about the real Jesus Christ.

The world has made up a Jesus who they can accept. They’ve made an idol that doesn’t even look like the Lord Jesus of the Bible. The Jesus the world wants is not virgin born; he never performed miracles; he did not die for the sins of the world; and he was not raised bodily from the dead. Of course, the Jesus that the world has created never lived. There’s no record of a Jesus like that.

The only One we’ve got records of was virgin–born, performed miracles, died for the sins of the world, and arose bodily from the grave. That’s the Shepherd who the world doesn’t like. Yes, friends, the real Jesus is still an abomination to the world today.

Joseph became the representative and the advocate for the whole family. They came to safety in Egypt, but they needed Joseph to represent them. In the same pattern, the believer needs Jesus Christ to represent him or her.

Joseph now gives his brothers instructions on an important next step.

He says to the brothers, “I’ll go up and tell Pharaoh that you’ve arrived and that you’re shepherds who feed you’re livestock and you’ve bought all your flock and herds with you and when Pharoah asks your occupation, say that you’ve been with livestock since you were young the same as your fathers before you.

The Egyptians were agricultural in the sense that they were crop farmers and they considered sheep unclean, and therefore detested shepherds. Even in this we see God’s provision as we’ll see later that Pharaoh gives them the land of Goshen which is referred to in the next chapter of Genesis as the best of the land of Egypt. Then he asks them to take care of his own sheep so that the children of Israel became the shepherds of the land of Egypt.

It’s really quite amazing to see that now the family of Jacob are to live in this lovely land of Goshen and it’s to be their home for a long time.

God had a place for His people. He didn’t bring them to Egypt and give them no home. It wasn’t enough for Joseph to provide for their needs in Canaan; he had to bring them to the place he’d prepared for them.

We see Jesus in both aspects. He takes care of us in the present, but He’s gone to heaven to prepare a place for us there as well where He’ll receive us to Himself.

The pharaohs that came to power after Joseph’s death forgot about Joseph and made the people of Israel slaves as we’ll see in Exodus 1 verses 8-10, but God will be with them throughout all that time. They’ll become the great nation down there as God promised and then God will lead them out under Moses.

Even though there’s no record that God ever appeared to Joseph, we certainly see the provision and protection of God in his life. It’s obvious to us now that he had to come ahead to prepare the way so that the entire family of Jacob could survive in the land of Egypt.

The further we get into the story of Joseph we see the jigsaw pieces falling into place to make up the complete picture of God’s purposes for this nation of Israel.

The fact that God has gone to such great lengths to preserve this special nation should make us fear for those nations and individuals that mean to harm them.

We must never forget that God cannot lie and so He’s not forgotten His promises to that nation and that one day, perhaps very soon, God’s focus will change back to those promises. Then, He’ll bring them into the place and into the position that He purposed for them all along.

Many people who are professing Christians today believe in what’s known as “replacement theology”. They may not even be aware of the term, but replacement theology teaches that the church has replaced Israel in God’s plan and that the many promises made to Israel in the Bible are fulfilled in the Christian church today and not in Israel.

The prophecies in Scripture concerning the blessing and restoration of Israel to the Promised Land are spiritualised and twisted by people who have accepted only bits and pieces of the Bible, and this has cause hideous persecution to the Jewish nation, by the Church, over centuries.

The church has not replaced Israel in God’s plan.

While God may be focusing His attention primarily on the church in this dispensation of grace that we’re in today, God has not forgotten Israel and He’ll restore Israel to His intended role as the nation He’s chosen and, possibly, very soon. Romans 11 leaves us in no doubt whatsoever about this.

Whenever we have any dealings whatsoever with Israel we should be careful to keep in mind the words that God told Abraham in

Genesis 12 verses 2 and 3.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you And make your name great; And you shall be a blessing. 

I will bless those who bless you, And I will curse him who curses you; And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 

In the next episode we’ll see Jacob meeting Pharaoh.

We are going to find that this is the best chapter in the life of Jacob so far so until then my friends may our wonderful God be with you and guide you through the rocky road that is this life.

The dreams turn out to be prophetic insights given to Pharoah by God and God uses Joseph to interpret them. The dreams foretell of a vicious seven year worldwide famine that will come on Egypt and the rest of the world after seven years of great bounty.

Joseph then tells Pharoah what he should do to protect Egypt. His wisdom and insight are clearly from the Spirit of God which Pharoah recognises and makes him the most powerful man in Egypt and the world second only to Pharoah himself. Even then he was greater than Pharoah when it came to matters relating to the famine.

The great famine eventually comes upon the world, that’s the known world at that time, after Joseph has organised massive, uncountable volumes of grain to be stored in every city of the land.

Eventually the famine threatens the family of Jacob down in Canaan along with the ten sons of Jacob, who were Joseph’s half brothers, who hated him and had conspired to kill him but instead threw him in a pit and then sold him into slavery. An eleventh brother, Benjamin, who is Josephs full brother from Jacobs beloved wife Rachel, is down there as well. He was just a toddler at the time of Joseph’s calamity.

As expected the famine causes Jacob to send his ten sons, minus Benjamin, down to Egypt to buy some of the life giving grain that’s only available there.

Joseph recognises the brothers when they arrive and come before him to buy the grain, but they have no idea who he is. Time and a change of appearance made Joseph unrecognisable to them as their brother who they ‘re sure is dead.

Joseph then initiates a plan that will test the brothers to see if they have the same hatred for Jacob’s other favourite son, Benjamin as they had for him. The plan will also reveal whether they’ve changed from their total disregard for Jacob’s feelings when they told him Joseph had been killed.

This is an amazingly intricate plan yet it is perhaps the only way that Joseph can get an accurate, up to date picture of his whole family that he’s not seen for over 20 years.

Now the plan caused the brothers to go back home to Canaan with enough grain to keep them alive but they’re minus Simeon who is kept as a hostage in Egypt. The find the money they used to pay for the grain hidden in the grain sacks. The brothers will need to bring Joseph’s younger brother Benjamin back with them to be able to buy more grain and to free Simeon. They’re forced to do this as the grain they bought runs out and Jacob, who’s adamant that Benjamin will not go to Egypt is forced to relent as starvation threatens again and he so he reluctantly agrees to let Benjamin go with the others to buy more grain. Now they’re once again back in Egypt standing before this all powerful Egyptian official who they have no idea is really their brother Joseph.

Let’s take up the story today from Genesis 43:16-17,

When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 

Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house. 

Joseph’s inviting them to his home because he wants to talk with them in private.

Verse 18,

Now the men were afraid because they were brought into Joseph’s house; and they said, “It is because of the money, which was returned in our sacks the first time, that we are brought in, so that he may make a case against us and seize us, to take us as slaves with our donkeys.” 

The brothers are really panicking now and they’re also very puzzled.

They can’t imagine why they’re being invited into the personal home of the second most powerful man in the world. It can’t be for anything good. They’d been dealt with harshly by him before, and now they’re being invited to lunch!

Under ordinary circumstances this would be something of an honour, like being invited to lunch in parliament house by the prime minister. Yet, for these men, it brings no joy whatsoever.

You see here that it’s that guilty conscience and the nagging thought that God’s going to judge them for their sin that causes them great foreboding.

They feel guilty about everything that happens now and they see everything through that guilt. The guilt changed any joy into misery. In their fear, they wonder and begin to speculate whether or not this powerful man’s plotting to take them as slaves because of the money in the sacks. Of course, they hadn’t hesitated to make a slave of Joseph when they sold him to the Ishmaelites for the slave market in Egypt.

Verses 19 to 22,

When they drew near to the steward of Joseph’s house, they talked with him at the door of the house, and said, “O sir, we indeed came down the first time to buy food;  but it happened, when we came to the encampment, that we opened our sacks, and there, each man’s money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight; so we have brought it back in our hand. 

And we have brought down other money in our hands to buy food. We do not know who put our money in our sacks.” 

We see here that the desperation is rising. They’re beginning to apologize, explain, and plead. They even appeal to this official who’s taking them to Joseph’s home.

Verse 23,

But he said, “Peace be with you, do not be afraid. Your God and the God of your father has given you treasure in your sacks; I had your money.” Then he brought Simeon out to them. 

This official, probably through the testimony of Joseph, had come to a knowledge of the living and true God. It’s probable that Joseph had at least partially let him in on what was taking place. When he said, “I remember that you paid your money,” it probably was of little comfort and more than likely frightened the brothers even more.

Verse 24,

So the man brought the men into Joseph’s house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 

Here we see the custom of foot washing again which was the custom of the day. We saw it in the life of Abraham and then again down in the city of Sodom. This official even fed their donkeys for them.

Genesis 43:25-26,

Then they made the present ready for Joseph’s coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there. 

And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down before him to the earth. 

Remember that old Jacob had told his sons to take a present to “the man.” Notice that they “bowed themselves to the ground in front of him.” Yet again the boyhood dreams of Joseph are being fulfilled.

Verse 27,

Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, “Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?” 

This is another dramatic moment! Joseph is more than likely seated, not necessarily on a throne, but on a seat that’s elevated giving the impression of his high office, as his brothers bow before him. When they stand to their feet, Joseph looks them right in the eye, and they look at him. Joseph asks, “How is your elderly father you told me about. Is he still alive and well?”

You see, Joseph is acutely interested because old Jacob’s his father, also.

Verse 28,

And they answered, “Your servant our father is in good health; he is still alive.” And they bowed their heads down and prostrated themselves. 

Here they go down on their faces again. The prophecies in Joseph’s dreams are fulfilled time and time again. Benjamin is with them this time, and he goes down on his face, too.

Verse 29,

Then he lifted his eyes and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother’s son, and said, “Is this your younger brother of whom you spoke to me?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” 

Joseph looks at his brother Benjamin, “his mother’s son.”

The others are his half–brothers, but this boy is his full–brother, his mother’s son. He asks, “Is this your youngest brother that you told me about?” Probably the brothers nodded. Joseph said to Benjamin, “God be gracious to you, my son.!”

What a dramatic moment! And Joseph can’t contain his emotion as we see in Verse 30,

Now his heart yearned for his brother; so Joseph made haste and sought somewhere to weep. And he went into his chamber and wept there. 

Joseph was deeply moved, and his heart broke with intensity of the emotion.

He felt the emotion turning to tears and we can see him holding back from sobbing as he made some spat out an excuse and got out of the room as quickly as he could. He went into his own private quarters, and he wept. After all these years, about 22 years, he sees his own brother Benjamin again. Joseph is almost forty now, and Benjamin is a young man. The feelings simply overwhelmed him.

Verse 31,

Then he washed his face and came out; and he restrained himself, and said, “Serve the bread.” 

This is a wonderful picture of something prophetic that is yet to be fulfilled. I hope that we’ll not miss this. The prophet Zechariah tells us in Zechariah chapters 12 and 13 that Jesus Christ is going to make Himself known to His brethren, the nation of Israel, someday.

They’re going to ask Him about the piercing of His side and the nail prints in His hands and He’s going to say to them in that day, “Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.”

Then they will recognise Him, and they’ll weep. He’s the One who’s provided salvation for them. He’s the One who gave His life for their redemption.

This is going to take place when the Lord Jesus comes back to the earth. He’ll be revealed to His brethren, the nation Israel. There will be a remnant there who’ll know Him. Many of His brethren did not believe on Him when He came the first time, but at that time they’re going to know Him.

Just as Joseph’s brothers are the ones who delivered him into slavery. They sold him, got rid of him. But now he’s going to make himself known to his brethren. Someday our Lord Jesus Christ is going to do just that.

My Christian friend beware of antisemitism. Regardless of how blind the nation of Israel is today or what they engage in, and regardless of whether or not they’re all lovely people, it’s still true that they’re the brethren of our Lord. There’s coming the day when He’s going to make Himself known to them. It’s a family affair and we’d best leave His family alone. No real Christian can possibly engage in antisemitism.

After Joseph had gone to his private quarters to weep, he regained control of his emotions, washed his face, and returned to his brothers. “Let’s go and eat,” He said.

Verse 32,

So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 

There are several things about this meal that the brothers would’ve noticed had they not been so frightened. In particular the seating arrangements should have struck them as odd. The first thing is that Joseph didn’t eat with the Egyptians. The Egyptians ate alone with Joseph separate from them and then the brothers were seated separately again. Even though Joseph was second in the power hierarchy of Egypt, the Egyptians still thought that it was an abomination for them to eat with Hebrews. The brothers may have put this down to the position Joseph held but they didn’t for a moment click that it was because he was a Hebrew like them.

Now here is something else, in verse 33,

And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another.

Joseph had arranged the place cards, so to speak, and he put Reuben in the first place and Benjamin in the last place, and all the other brothers were in their right order, according to their ages. They looked at each other in amazement and wondered how in the world he knew that. The whole day’s getting stranger as it goes on.

Verse 34,

Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.. 

Also notice that he served their places.

Joseph selected and sent portions to them from his own table, but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs. So, they feasted and drank freely and celebrated with him.

What a wonderful day it had ended up as and it’ll be even more so later on when Joseph finally reveals himself to his brethren.

Now it’s time for us to move on to Genesis chapter 44.

Again, we have a wonderful and dramatic chapter before us.

Joseph has something else up his sleeve and we’ll see that he sends his brothers away with the grain they need. He tests his brothers to get a firm picture of their relationship and their affection for Benjamin and their father, Jacob.

We always remember that the brothers had sold him into slavery. Have they changed? Will they be willing to let Benjamin go into slavery to save themselves? He needs to satisfy his mind in this regard before he makes himself known to them. The test he uses here would give him absolute proof that his brothers would not repeat the episode that he’d experienced at their hands.

We’ll see Judah acting as the spokesman for the group, drawing another wonderful picture for us. He’s willing to take the place of Benjamin, and his impassioned defence of Benjamin is one of the most moving passages in the Bible.

We’ll open Genesis 44:1-5,

And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. 

Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.” So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 

As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 

When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good? 

Is not this the one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing.’ ” 

The servant does as Joseph orders and hides the silver cup in Benjamin’s sack of grain.

Joseph sends them on their way, and the brothers start their journey back home, thinking everything’s all right. They’ve got no idea of the cup in Benjamin’s sack.

Then Joseph commands the servant to go and catch up to the brothers and stop them and ask them why they’d stolen Joseph’s special silver cup when they’d received only kindness from Joseph.

Notice how the steward is to say that Joseph uses this cup for “divination.” Remember that Joseph was a prophet, and he was able to foretell the future through the interpretation of dreams.

We know that because he interpreted the dreams of the baker, the butler, and of Pharaoh. He may have used this cup, or maybe that was part of the ploy he was using. We must understand that his gift of prophecy was a gift that God had given him, and this was before there was any written revelation. We are not to get a cup and look at tea leaves, nor are we to read the daily horoscope. That is all nonsense. It reveals the sad spiritual condition of people today when they turn to that sort of thing.

Joseph had a gift, but the gift was not in the cup it was from God.

The point was to make the brothers aware that this was a special cup, and it was a crime to take it.

Verses 6 to 9,

So he overtook them, and he spoke to them these same words. 

And they said to him, “Why does my lord say these words? Far be it from us that your servants should do such a thing. 

Look, we brought back to you from the land of Canaan the money which we found in the mouth of our sacks. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house? 

With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

They were so sure that none of them had the cup that they use the very words that they’ll condemned by.

Verses 10 to 12,

And he said, “Now also let it be according to your words; he with whom it is found shall be my slave, and you shall be blameless.” 

Then each man speedily let down his sack to the ground, and each opened his sack. 

So he searched. He began with the oldest and left off with the youngest; and the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. 

Can any of us imagine the utter shock and devastation that these brothers when they see the cup come out from Benjamin’s sack.

By their own words they’ve condemned Benjamin to Egyptian slavery or even death.

They must have been physically sick with horror as the planted evidence was found.

According to their oath, they would now be rid of the other favoured son.

If they hated Benjamin as much as they hated Joseph, they would be glad at this.

Verse 13,

Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. 

This was an extreme expression of horror, as if someone had just died.

They weren’t happy at the idea of being rid of Benjamin; they were horrified. They all tore their clothes and they all returned to the city.

The reaction of the brothers showed that for them, this was the worst thing imaginable.

The cup was found in the sack of their father’s favourite son, the one he worried about the most. Now Benjamin was sentenced by their words to a life of slavery in Egypt or even death.

This terrible, horrific, almost uncontrollable despair was a radical change in the brothers. Before, with Joseph, they didn’t care about their father’s feelings or his favourite son. In fact, they were happy to murder him themselves.

Now, the idea of hurting either father or son made them feel worse than as if someone had died.

Each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city. When Joseph was taken as a slave, the brothers allowed him to go and thought nothing of it. Now, they’re willing to stand with Benjamin as he faces slavery or death. This demonstrated a significant change in the heart and attitude of Joseph’s brothers.

Genesis 44:14-15,

So Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, and he was still there; and they fell before him on the ground. 

And Joseph said to them, “What deed is this you have done? Did you not know that such a man as I can certainly practice divination?” 

They came back to the Egyptian official with humility. They’d been wronged; the evidence had been planted. Yet they didn’t come demanding justice, but with a humble plea for mercy.

When they fell before him on the ground, once again – for the third time – they once again fulfilled the dreams Joseph had more than 20 years before.

It also demonstrated that the brothers were desperate to gain favour with this  Egyptian official to obtain the release of Benjamin. They knew it was a genuine disaster to lose Benjamin and that it would kill their father.

When Joseph spoke of divination here it was because it was important, at least for a while longer, to play the part of an Egyptian and not allow them to know he was a Hebrew who worshipped Yahweh, the One true God.

Now Judah comes to the front, and the nobility of this man really stands out now. Remember it’s from the tribe of Judah that the Saviour’s going to come. This man makes one of the finest speeches ever recorded. He makes a full confession that it is because of their sin that this has come upon them.

Verses 16 and 17,

Then Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.” 

But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so; the man in whose hand the cup was found, he shall be my slave. And as for you, go up in peace to your father.” 

Joseph wants to test them now in regard to their love for their brother. He says that Benjamin is the guilty one; so it’s Benjamin who must stay. They’d sold him into slavery; now he says, “Just leave Benjamin here, and he can be my slave. He’s the guilty one. The rest of you can go home.”

Now listen to Judah in verse 18,

Then Judah came near to him and said: “O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord’s hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

You can see the position which Joseph occupies in Egypt.

Verses 19 to 29,

My lord asked his servants, saying, ‘Have you a father or a brother?’ 

And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, who is young; his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’ 

Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’ 

And we said to my lord, ‘The lad cannot leave his father, for if he should leave his father, his father would die.’ 

But you said to your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you shall see my face no more.’ 

“So it was, when we went up to your servant my father, that we told him the words of my lord. 

And our father said, ‘Go back and buy us a little food.’ 

But we said, ‘We cannot go down; if our youngest brother is with us, then we will go down; for we may not see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’ 

Then your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons; and the one went out from me, and I said, “Surely he is torn to pieces”; and I have not seen him since. 

But if you take this one also from me, and calamity befalls him, you shall bring down my gray hair with sorrow to the grave.’ 

Judah here in this statement is recounting what’s happened and the feelings of their father.

Actually, the father had been deceived, and Joseph can see that now. He now knows exactly what the brothers told their father what had happened to him so long ago. Quite probably this is the first time any one of them has ever addressed the incident. They’d said previously that he “was not,” meaning that he was dead.

We can see something else here. Jacob is growing in grace, but he hasn’t arrived. Instead of trusting the Lord, he is leaning on this young fellow Benjamin. If anything had happened to Benjamin, it would have killed him. He would have gone down into his grave, sorrowing.

There are Christians today who reveal a very wonderful faith in God at the time when death comes to a loved one. Others actually collapse when this happens.

My friends, no matter how much you love that person, if both of you are children of God, you know you’re going to see each other again someday. The one walking by faith is not going to collapse completely at a time like that. Yes there’ll be grief and yes there’ll be sorrow but there’ll also be a blessed assurance that you’ll be reunited with that loved one.

We can see that Jacob’s not quite arrived at that place yet, although he is growing in grace. He still doesn’t have a complete trust in God but it’s coming. He’s no different to most of us. Although we know the truth it is often hard to act it out in its fullness.

Notice the concern that Judah has here for old Jacob. Judah is the spokesman for the group but probably any one of the other brothers would have made this same statement. We’ll have to wait until next time to see how Joseph handles this appeal from Judah and it’s heart wrenching in its telling. Until then my friends may God bless you richly and keep you in His care.

That’s important to grasp because when we read the Bible, particularly the older translations like the King James version, we unconsciously think that the people in that day such as Joseph, Potiphar, The prophets, the disciples etc., all spoke Elizabethan English.

One of the great blessings that God’s given us in today’s generation is the abundance of different translations. There are those that believe that any translation other than the King James is not God’s Word, but I urge you to look deeper. Every true Christian translation, apart from the cult translations, has great treasures along with translation variances and some errors.

This is just as true of the King James version as well.

We should be aware that no matter what translation we read, and we should be willing to search and compare, the main overlying messages are the same.

God’s redemption through Jesus Christ and the person and Deity of Jesus, the Messiah is revealed in all of them. God has made sure of that.

Here’s what I believe is our great challenge in today’s world with it’s 24 hour distractions. We find it in 2 Timothy chapter 2:14-16 and I’m giving it in the King James version first, then in the new King James version and in the New Living Translation.

The King James Version:

Of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord that they strive not about words to no profit, but to the subverting of the hearers. 

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

But shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness. 

Now, the New King James version:

Remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord not to strive about words to no profit, to the ruin of the hearers. 

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 

But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness.

And finally, the New Living Translation:

Remind everyone about these things, and command them in God’s presence to stop fighting over words. Such arguments are useless, and they can ruin those who hear them. 

Work hard so you can present yourself to God and receive his approval. Be a good worker, one who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly explains the word of truth.

Avoid worthless, foolish talk that only leads to more godless behaviour.

I have 36 Translations of the Bible on my laptop and every version says the same thing about the key points of the Word of God in a different way and each of them is wonderfully relevant to you and me today.

Now in this episode today as we said in the introduction we’re moving into the next phase of this incredible plan of God and at this point in time Joseph has the key role to play, even though none of this is being bought about by Joseph himself.

God is working through Joseph, guiding him towards a definite end result that was planned before the world and before time itself began.

There’s no lightning strikes or bellowing voices from heaven or choirs of angels that are doing the guiding. In just the same manner as God guides you and me, there’s a subtle touch here and there, a door that opens over here and a door that closes over there. A person or a situation may cross our path and we just know that we know that God was behind it.

By the way I’d just like to add something at this point about what I said in relation to end time prophecy and social media. Of course, not everything that’s posted on social media relating to prophecy is hogwash. There are many people posting God’s Word accurately along with the rubbish. We just need to discern what’s right and what’s wrong and the best way to do that is to fall in love with God’s Word yourself and study it.

We finished off the last episode with Pharoah changing Joseph’s name to Zaphnath–paaneah, which means the revealer of secret things, and we saw Pharoah give a wife to Joseph, Asenath, the daughter of Potipherah, the priest of On.

So, let’s begin today in Genesis 41:46,

And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. 

The first thing we’re told here is Joseph’s age, and we see that he’s been in the land of Egypt for thirteen years.

We know that two of those years were spent in prison after the episode with the butler and the baker. He probably had been in the prison a year or so before that, we’re not told exactly. So he may have been in the house of Potiphar close to ten years. This gives us some idea of how his life was divided into time periods while he was in the land of Egypt.

After these thirteen years, Joseph finds himself in a position which would be similar to the prime minister. He was second only to Pharaoh in Egypt. Why was Pharaoh so willing to accept him? Firstly, of course, the answer is that God was with him. All the way along we’ve been that. The hand of God, His provision and protection were leading this man. Joseph says himself that the brothers meant evil, but God meant good.

There may be another reason for Pharaoh accepting Joseph so readily.

Many scholars, Egyptologists and archaeologists say that the Pharaoh at this particular time in history was one of the Hyksos kings.

The Hyksos were not native Egyptians. They were Bedouins from the Arabian Desert, a nomadic group, and for a period they came in and took over the throne of Egypt. If this is true (and many believe that it is), Pharaoh would have actually been closer in nationality to Joseph than to the Egyptians. This would have added to his confidence in Joseph.

These Hyksos kings apparently found it a bit difficult to find someone in Egypt who would be loyal and faithful to them, and Joseph’s faithfulness was certainly obvious. His confidence that God was moving in his life produced a faithfulness to whoever he was attached.

He was faithful to his task because he knew that God was in it. A racial bond with Pharaoh may well be a reason that Joseph found such a ready reception with him at this time, and he certainly proved to be faithful to him, as we’ll see.

By the way, the Hyksos kings were later expelled from Egypt, which could be the reason that in Exodus 1:8 we read: “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” The Pharaoh of those coming times certainly had no feeling, cultural or otherwise with the Hebrews!

Note that Pharaoh placed a chain around Joseph’s neck, which gave him the same authority that Pharaoh had. Also, Pharaoh gave him for a bride the daughter of the priest of On. Her name, Asenath, means “dedicated to Neith.

Neith was the Egyptian goddess Minerva who was believed by the Egyptians to be the first and main creator of the universe and all it contains, and that she governs how it. She was the goddess of the cosmos, fate, wisdom, water, rivers, mothers, childbirth, hunting, weaving, and war. Neith’s name, also spelled Nit or Net meant “she is the terrifying one”.

She was the Egyptian counterpart to the Greek goddess Athena. Like Athena, Minerva burst from the head of her father, Jupiter (or the Greek Zeus), who had devoured her mother in an attempt to prevent her birth.

So, Joseph’s wife Asenath came right out of heathenism and idolatry.

This event in Joseph’s life gives us another parallel to the life of the Lord Jesus. Joseph had a gentile bride, and the Lord Jesus Christ is presently calling out of this world a gentile bride, which is known as the church.

In this same verse there’s still another parallel. Joseph stood before Pharaoh when he was thirty years old, and the Lord Jesus began His ministry when He was thirty years old. So, at thirty, Joseph takes up his work in Egypt. During these seven years of plenty, he’s gathering the abundant produce of the land into storehouses.

Verses 47 and 48,

Now in the seven plentiful years the ground brought forth abundantly. 

So he gathered up all the food of the seven years which were in the land of Egypt, and laid up the food in the cities; he laid up in every city the food of the fields which surrounded them. 

Notice that he “laid up the food in the cities.” He was planning ahead for easy distribution.

Just having an abundance of produce and goods doesn’t do much good if you can’t distribute it.

Joseph’s doing a very practical thing by laying up the food in the cities. He’s gathering up the surplus and putting it in the cities ready for distribution. Here we see just some of Joseph’s practical wisdom on display.

Verse 49,

Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable. 

Egypt was to become the superabundant breadbasket of the world under Joseph’s management.

Now we pause for a little family note in Genesis 41:50-52,

And to Joseph were born two sons before the years of famine came, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 

Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: “For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father’s house.” 

And the name of the second he called Ephraim: “For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction.” 

From his Egyptian wife Asenath, Joseph fathered Manasseh, whose name means forgetfulness. This was because God made Joseph to forget all the previous pain and trial in his life. He was so much involved that he forgot about his father’s house. He’d been a homesick boy at first, but he’s not anymore.

In the first part of this chapter, we saw that Joseph, when he was released from prison, changed his clothes, and shaved himself before appearing before Pharaoh. It may seem to you that shaving may not be very important, but to us there’s a point of interest.

The Hebrews wore beards, and when Joseph shaved himself and changed his clothing, it speaks to us of resurrection because he laid aside the old life and began the new life. From that point on, he dresses like an Egyptian; he talks like an Egyptian; he lives like an Egyptian. He says, “God made me forget.” So, he names his son Manasseh!

His second son is Ephraim, which means fruitfulness, because God made Joseph fruitful in Egypt.

These boys were born before the famine and Joseph gave them these names because God had made him forget his father’s house and had made him fruitful in the land of Egypt.

Verse 53,

Then the seven years of plenty which were in the land of Egypt ended, 

The seven years of bounty and surplus food are over now, and the famine has begun. Joseph’s now thirty–seven years old. Keep that in mind for the next chapter.

Verses 54 and 55,

and the seven years of famine began to come, as Joseph had said. The famine was in all lands, but in all the land of Egypt there was bread. 

So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do.

Notice the fact that Joseph is the one who had the bread. There’s yet another parallel here. Jesus Christ said, “I am the Bread of life.”

Verses 56 and 57

The famine was over all the face of the earth, and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians. And the famine became severe in the land of Egypt. 

So all countries came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine was severe in all lands. 

Notice that the famine is worldwide.

The dramatic incidents in Joseph’s life continue to unfold.

The pattern of God in using Joseph to preserve the race during the famine and the removal of Jacob and his sons to Egypt begins to emerge in clear detail.

When Joseph was back in that dungeon, he couldn’t see all of this of course, but he believed God. He’s a man, who, because of his faith, was always enthusiastic and optimistic.

We all wish that our faith would be so strong that regardless of what happened, and regardless of what the circumstances are, we could be optimistic.

Sometimes it takes surprisingly few dark clouds and very little rain to make us less optimistic than we should be.

Josephs in a unique position. Most of us could already guess what’s going to happen next. The famine is over all the earth, and all the earth is coming to Egypt to get grain. Guess who that includes!

The famine forces Jacob to send his ten sons to Egypt to buy food. Why only ten? Why didn’t he send Benjamin? Well, it would’ve killed him to have lost Benjamin as well as Joseph. To his knowledge Joseph was killed by wild animals.

Joseph recognised his brothers when they came to buy grain, but they didn’t recognize him. Why not? Well, there’s several reasons. First of all, they thought he was dead, so, they weren’t in any way looking for him. They never expected to see him again, but he did expect to see them.

We must also remember that many years had gone by. He was seventeen when they sold him, and now he is thirty–seven years old, plus however many years the famine had already been going for. Let’s say it was one year; so, they hadn’t seen him in twenty–one years. He’s almost forty and he’s dressed like an Egyptian and speaks and acts like an Egyptian.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.

Genesis 42:1

When Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, Jacob said to his sons, “Why do you look at one another?” 

The brothers were looking at each other in a strange way when Egypt was mentioned and Jacob notices it.

Jacob noticed a strange expression among the brothers when Egypt was mentioned, because the brothers knew it was likely Joseph was sold as a slave there. Their conscience made them feel terrible any time Joseph or Egypt was mentioned.

Joseph’s brothers lived with a terrible secret for over 20 years. They never talked about it, but it never left them. Every time Joseph or Egypt was mentioned in the family it no doubt brought back the guilt. They were not free from the power of their terrible secret.

Verse 2,

And he (that’s Jacob) said, “Indeed I have heard that there is grain in Egypt; go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.” 

See, the famine wasn’t only a world problem; it was a family problem for Jacob.

This illustrates faith. Some people say that faith’s a mystery to them and that they don’t know how to believe. Notice here how Jacob believed. He heard something: “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt.” He believed it, believed that it would bring life to them. So, he acted upon his belief. He says to the brothers, “go down to that place and buy for us there, that we may live and not die.”

Right here friends is what saving faith is. Some ask, “How can I believe in Jesus?” Imagine Jacob standing there before his ten sons and saying, “I’ve heard that there is corn down in Egypt, but how am I going to believe it?” Well, the way to believe it is to act on it. The Bible says in Acts 16 verse 31, “… Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household…”.

You hear something and you believe it. That’s what old Jacob did. That’s the way he got grain which brought life to his family. And the way you and I get eternal life is through faith in Christ.

Genesis 42 verses 3 and 4,

So Joseph’s ten brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. 

But Jacob did not send Joseph’s brother Benjamin with his brothers, for he said, “Lest some calamity befall him.” 

Suppose some sort of disaster falls the other ten boys, then what? Well, for one thing they’re older but frankly, it wouldn’t have hurt Jacob as much as if he were to lose Benjamin.

Benjamin and Joseph were Rachel’s boys, and Rachel was the wife he’d deeply loved. So, he sends out all ten sons and keeps only Benjamin with him.

If Jacob only knew. If he could have only trusted the hand of God, which he couldn’t see! The only reason there was grain in Egypt that could provide for their needs was because God sent Joseph ahead of them all. God knew what He was doing.

Famine was, and is, a terrible thing, but God used it. God can and does use material need and lack in our life to get us to do things we normally would never do. Normally, the brothers would never go to Egypt; but their great need drove them there.

Verse 5,

And the sons of Israel went to buy grain among those who journeyed, for the famine was in the land of Canaan. 

Now we come to this dramatic moment in verse 6,

Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth. 

Joseph’s been waiting watching for them. He knew they’d have to come. There’d been delegations there from all over the inhabited earth of that day because the famine was worldwide.

So, he watches, and lo and behold, one day, here come the ten men.

They all bow down before him. They got right down on their faces before Joseph. They knew that in this time of famine, their lives literally depended on this Egyptian official; therefore, they paid him great respect by bowing.

We can’t help but wonder how he felt. Here’s the literal fulfillment of Joseph’s dreams that God had given all those years ago. Remember how he’d dreamed as a boy that all the sheaves bowed down to his sheaf? Here it is now taking place. All his older brothers are down on their faces before him.

Maybe secretly, deep down in his spirit he thanked God that what He’d showed him all those years ago was true and was now being bought to physical reality right before his eyes.

When Joseph’s brothers plotted murder against him and sold him into slavery, they did it with the specific intention to defeat his dreams as we saw in chapter 37 verses 19 to 20.

Instead, by sending Joseph to Egypt, they actually provided the means for the dreams to be fulfilled.

The great and glorious truth of God’s providence is He can and does use the evil actions of man to further His plan and purpose. This never excuses man’s evil, but it means God’s wisdom and goodness are greater than man’s evil.

Genesis 42:7-8,

Joseph saw his brothers and recognized them, but he acted as a stranger to them and spoke roughly to them. Then he said to them, “Where do you come from?” And they said, “From the land of Canaan to buy food.” 

So Joseph recognized his brothers, but they did not recognize him.

Why did Joseph speak roughly to the brothers? He spoke through an interpreter as we’ll see later, because he didn’t want to reveal that he spoke Hebrew. He didn’t want to reveal his identity to his brothers yet, but he spoke to them roughly instead. Well, he’s testing them you see and he’s going to test them a whole lot more as well. He’s going to ask them some deeply penetrating questions.

Joseph recognised his brothers, but they didn’t recognise him, the verse says. In this, Joseph’s another picture of Jesus. Jesus sees who we are long before we see who He is. He recognises us – and Jesus still loves us in spite of who and what we really are.

Verses 9 to 11,

Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, “You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!” 

And they said to him, “No, my lord, but your servants have come to buy food. 

We are all one man’s sons; we are honest men; your servants are not spies.” 

Joseph remembered the dreams of his youth where the family would bow down to him. The sight of his brethren now prostrating themselves before him recalled those dreams to his mind. What a range of emotions must he have felt.

He says to them, “You are spies”. See, he’s accusing them of coming to spy out the land to see if it’s unfortified and unprotected due to the famine.

The Egyptians were by nature distrustful of strangers. Whenever possible they prevented strangers from penetrating into the interior of their country. Joseph’s suspicion of his brethren from Canaan was perfectly natural reaction as Egypt was open to attacks from Palestine.

Believe me friends, Joseph’s pouring it on. They refer to themselves as “Your servants”. They’re humbling themselves before this 2^nd most powerful man in the known world.

Verses 12 and 13,

But he said to them, “No, but you have come to see the nakedness of the land.” 

And they said, “Your servants are twelve brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and in fact, the youngest is with our father today, and one is no more.” 

Joseph’s trying to get as much information as he can about his family without letting them know who he is.

There’re only ten men there before him, but they confess that they are really twelve and that one is home with their father. The other “is not” or dead.

In other words, they consider Joseph dead, but here he is standing right before them, and they don’t know it!

Now for the third time Joseph accuses them of being spies.

Verse 14

But Joseph said to them, “It is as I spoke to you, saying, ‘You are spies!’

Joseph’s not letting up on them. Again, he calls them spies.

Notice the big difference in the way Joseph deals with the Egyptians who are hungry and how he deals with his brothers. A very deep work of repentance is going to take place in them before they can receive the blessing of food and it’s Joseph who’s going to bring it about.

It’s exactly the same as the history of the nation of Israel after they rejected the Lord Jesus. Israel is now, in our time today, as God describes in Hosea 1 verse 9, “…you are not My people, And I will not be your God….

That is most definitely not to say that God has forgotten them and His promises to them. No way! He’s waiting until His perfect timing has arrived to take up the thread with them again. And all this happens in connection with the true Joseph, the Lord Jesus.

That thread will be taken up and repentance will be worked through what they experience in the great tribulation just before the final coming of the Lord Jesus.

Joseph’s manipulating the situation with his brothers here as he plans to make contact with his youngest brother and to find out all about his family, you see. Now we’ll have to wait and see what happens in the next episode my friends and until then I pray that God keeps you and blesses you greatly.