First of all, it is quite a testimony to Joseph's character that Pharaoh is so willing to invite Joseph's family to move to Egypt. Egyptians detested Hebrews, and yet Pharaoh was willing to welcome Joseph's family for Joseph's sake.
There's a pretty funny verse in this passage...
Genesis 45:24 Then he sent his brotherw away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!"
How well he knew his brothers! And it is sometimes tempting so parcel out the blame after this big moment has been experienced, and he was reminding them to focus on grace instead.
I think the brothers must've been so relieved to finally be able to share the truth of what had happened all those years before. It had been eating at them for so long, and now they could finally confess to their father what they had done. What a weight off their shoulders!
And what an amazing moment that must've been for Jacob, when he finally believed the wild story his sons returned home with. And yet, I am reminded of the fact that Jacob didn't have to believe his son was dead for all these years. He could've trusted in the dreams Joseph shared with him. I think this is the reason Joseph related his dream to his father - God prompted him to do that, to give Jacob hope. But Jacob didn't trust God enough at that time.
Now, finally at 130 years of age, Jacob is turning things around in his faith. He uproots his entire family and moves to Egypt. Egypt! But he first offered sacrifice to God at Beersheba, which was the farthest Israeli soil he could be on - literally a point of no return. And when he makes this profession of faith, God speaks to him. He against confirms his promise of a great nation, but also that He will be with Jacob in Egypt, and that He would surely bring the people of Israel back again. What a great passage!
And then another genealogy. Here's a quote from this commentary about that....
This list of boring names reminded Moses’ readers of their identity as God’s people in fulfilling His purposes. Additionally, this list would have reminded them that the outworking of God’s purposes takes time, but it is absolutely certain. When Abraham was 75, God told him that He would make of him a great nation. Abraham was 100 before Isaac was born. Isaac was 60 before Jacob and Esau were born. It took 50 or 60 years for Jacob to have 12 sons and one daughter. Now Jacob was 130, and the “great nation,” after 215 years, consisted of these 70 descendants of Abraham. That’s not a quick start. But in the 400 or so years from Jacob to Moses, the number mushroomed from 70 to over two million!Another beautiful redemption is Judah - despite his numerous past failings, Jacob chooses him to go ahead and to be their guide. God's grace is immeasurable!
This section demonstrates the power of exponential multiplication. While discipleship is painfully slow at the beginning, eventually multiplication occurs. One of my mentors likes to say, “If you work the process, the process will work.” Nowhere is this truer than with discipleship. Discipleship is God’s A-plan (Matt 28:19-20). When we faithfully make disciples, God fulfills His will. Our lifetimes are too short to measure God’s purpose. Our task is to understand God’s missionary purpose for the world (to bless all nations through Abraham’s seed) and to devote our lives to seeing that purpose brought about, even if it seems as if God is slow about His promises.
Joseph secures land for his family that is separate from the Egyptians. This was important for their safety and to prevent intermarriage with the Egyptians, protecting them from spiritual adultery. And this was excellent land. The Hebrews were blessed and grew exponentially!
Jacob blesses Pharaoh and God is faithful in that and blessed Pharaoh through Joseph.
Here's another great quote from the same commentary...
I also find it interesting to note that Jacob enjoyed the blessings of God for 17 years—the same number of years he enjoyed Joseph until Joseph was sold into slavery to Egypt by his older brothers (37:2). Coincidence? I don’t think so. God is gracious and merciful. Genesis is silent about these years, but a fast-forward to his ultimate age of 147 suggests uneventful, unruffled tranquility for both father and son. How sweet it must have been for Jacob and Joseph. No doubt these years were used to further inform and deepen Joseph for the continuing role he would play in God’s plan.Tomorrow's readings are Genesis 47:28-50:26 which completes the book of Genesis! Click here to read online.
7 comments:
I love the fact that Jacob (Israel) is reunited with all his sons before he dies.
I find it interesting (I don't know if there's any significance to this) that each of Leah and Rachel's maidservants had 1/2 as many descendants as Leah & Rachel did. Leah - 33; Zilpah - 16; Rachel - 14; Bilhah - 7. Just something I happened to notice.
Indeed, how many wonderful things are in this passage!
As for Genesis 45:34: In the King James, the verse is written "...See that ye fall not out by the way." The word "fall" is translated to, be not troubled. So the verse would read, see that you are not troubled along the way. This is the main reason that I read out of the King James Bible. I believe that it is God's intended word for the English speaking world. I know the other versions make it easier to "understand" so to speak, but it completely changes the context in some verses. I believe that if you will pray for understanding before you read God's Word, He will show you what He wants you to know and give you understanding. It's not a big issue of mine, it doesn't matter to me what version people read, I just thought I'd throw it out there since it was relevant in this peticular verse.
Did I miss something somwhere Tammy? I didn't see anything that said that the brothers told their dad what they had done. I just thought that they told him what Joseph had said.?
Anyhow, I do love this passage, and I love when Jacob is reunited with Joseph. It once again, brings tears to my eyes. How increddible it must have been to have the whole family back together again! (Father & sons, brothers and father I mean) God's mercy is shown in abundance in this passage. Joseph was the only one out of the whole family who we could say even remotely deserved this blessing!
Yes Miriam. And Leah and Bilhah (Leah's maidservant) had exactly twice as many children (8) as Rachel and her servant Zilpah (4). Interesting!
Kristi - You are correct, the passage does not explicitly say that the brothers told their father what they had done. I guess I had assumed that they did, otherwise there would be some major holes to fill in and explanations as to how it was possible that Joseph was still alive. I'm sure Jacob would've asked them how they got Joseph's coat and why it was bloody - and at that point I think they would've confessed the truth. But that is conjecture on my part, I should've noted that.
Okay, just wanted to see if I missed something..thanks Tammy!
Kristi - just a comment on the NIV translation of the Bible - it is a completely new translation from the original texts. It is entirely possible that there are places in the NIV where the meaning of a verse is different than that in the KJV, but there is no guarantee that the KJV is always the correct translation. I often read a passage in two or three different translations if there is something in one that I'm having trouble understanding and I particularly find the Amplified version to be MOST helpful in some situations, as it uses multiple English word equivalents to each key Hebrew and Greek word to clarify and amplify meanings. E.G. the verse you referenced above:
24 So he sent his brothers away, and they departed, and he said to them, See that you do not disagree (get excited, quarrel) along the road.
By the way, I also think in this case the KJV and NIV mean exactly the same thing, as the KJV says "fall not out" and to have a "falling out" is to have a quarrel or disagreement.
I like to read different translations for some passages to compare one to another, my problem is that with the translation of any language to another, you are not going to be able to say the exact same thing in most cases. I've taken German and Spanish and some things just can't be worded the same, no matter how hard you try. So, I choose to read the King James since it is the closest to the original Hebrew and Greek text, and let the Holy Spirit translate for me. All you have to do is miss one an,or,the,etc. and it completely changes what was being said. The Bible isn't just a book for me, it's God's Holy word. It's the words that He inspired and I want them in their truest form. Not changed my man to make them more "understandable"
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