Going to Egypt - Gen 45:16-Gen 46

 

Great Blessings

Joseph had reconciled himself to his brothers, now he is sharing his family with his friends in Egypt. No longer are there secrets and hidden shame and lies. Once received they are received of all. Like when we receive Jesus, we receive a family with it, Gods family and all our sins are removed. The Egyptians were friends of Joseph, but they were not really God's family.

Gen 45:16 And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants.

Joseph had blessed Pharaoh and he had a good reputation. Because of his relationship to the King his family was welcomed. As a Christian we are blessed of King Jesus and through us all our family may be saved as well.

Gen 45:17 And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan;
Gen 45:18 And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.
Gen 45:19 Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.
Gen 45:20 Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
Gen 45:21 And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way.

The King had richly blessed Joseph's family; all their needs were to be met. All the fears of hunger or lack of safety were removed. Salvation had come to the Family of Israel through the castaway son Joseph. Because Joseph had saved Egypt, The King of Egypt would save Joseph and his family.

Gen 45:22 To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment.

Benjamin again as the closest brother is favored.

Gen 45:23 And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way.

The aged father who had suffered loss at Joseph's disappearance now will receive an abundance of provisions. This would bring him security in his old age. But what would be the greatest gift? Would it not be seeing Joseph who he had thought was dead alive again?

Gen 45:24 So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way.

Could the brothers be trusted to deliver the blessings? Would they divide or argue over the ownership of the provisions? Would they get lost?

We have been given much with the gift of receiving a new life in Christ Jesus. Will we deliver to others the blessings of the gospel message? Will we stay true and not have divided hearts? Will we be covetous of the worlds things and lose sight of who we are in Jesus? NO, we will be faithful, but what of the brothers? This is grace once again. We receive Grace by a relationship; with them it was through Joseph, with us it is through Jesus. Praise God.

Into Egypt

Gen 45:25 And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father,
Gen 45:26 And told him,saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not.

Joseph is alive! That was a miracle, but being the governor over all the land of Egypt? Perhaps he was thinking,” They mock me and my hopes". "What have they been drinking?" Wait, is this not similar to the news that Jesus who was dead, now has risen? And he is King of Kings! Who has believed our report? (John 12:38)

Gen 45:27 And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:

The evidence is in the many blessings brought to him, animals, and carts; food and provisions. The evidence supported the words that Joseph was indeed alive and the Lord of Egypt.

Jesus proved he was Lord by his evidence.

John 10:37 If I do not the works of my Father, believe me not.
John 10:38 But if I do, though ye believe not me, believe the works: that ye may know, and believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him.

Gen 45:28 And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.

Israel's faith was made strong by the evidence. Israel, "God prevails", not Jacob the schemer. There is enough evidence. Our own faith is made strong by the evidence of Gods word.

Beersheba

Gen 46:1 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac.

Beersheba was the place where God met Abraham and Jacob. The Most high God; the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (Israel). In whom covenant promises were made, including the promise of a great nation. He returned to the place where he had met God.

Gen 46:2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I.

Yes God does speak at times, in visions and in dreams and at times in a voice that you can hear. Jacob wanted to hear God's will and receive his blessings.

Gen 46:3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation:
Gen 46:4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.

The covenant of a great nation and Gods plan for them to go into Egypt was revealed. Also, that the aged father would die there and Joseph would close his father’s eyes.

Gen 46:5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him.

There is no mention of Jacob's wives; he had outlived them all.

Gen 46:6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:
Gen 46:7 His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

These were the descendants of Jacob. There were probably servants as well, but they were not in the genealogy.

Gen 46:8 And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn.
Gen 46:9 And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.
Gen 46:10 And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.

Simeon married a Caananite woman after his wife died, and bore Shaul.

Gen 46:11 And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.

From these came the priests and the Levites. Moses was born of a Levite family.

Gen 46:12 And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.

Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan, and were included in the genealogy, but did not go to Egypt.

Gen 46:13 And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.
Gen 46:14 And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.
Gen 46:15 These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.

Leah bore six sons and Dinah. Altogether with the grandsons there were 33.

Gen 46:16 And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.
Gen 46:17 And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.
Gen 46:18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.
Gen 46:19 The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.

The sons of his favored wife; the wife of his choice.

Gen 46:20 And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.

The son's of Joseph born in Egypt are mentioned and would be included in the 12 tribes of Israel.

Gen 46:21 And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.

Young Benjamin had ten sons! This would make Benjamin at least 32 years of age. Joseph his older brother was about 39.

Gen 46:22 These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.

Sons and Grandsons of Rachel totaled fourteen.

Gen 46:23 And the sons of Dan; Hushim.

Dan had only one son.

Gen 46:24 And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.
Gen 46:25 These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.

They brought all they owned both from Canaan and the gifts from Egypt. They would settle in the land of Goshen. There they would dwell in peace, for a time, and the nation of Israel would flourish. Gods loving care had brought them into a beautiful land, but this is not the land promised to them in the Abrahamic covenant.

Not Shepherds

There was no way that Egypt would have invited the families of Israel into Egypt's fertile land apart from Joseph. Joseph had an excellent spirit and was greatly favored by the King of Egypt and that favor covered all of his family in blessings.

Gen 46:26 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six;
Gen 46:27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.

Only seventy people of the house of Jacob entered Egypt. When they would come out four hundred years later there would be over three million people.

Gen 46:28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

The land of Goshen was a fertile land, ideal for livestock. Send Judah first is a song title. Judah means praise. Judah was the tribe that Messiah Jesus would come from. Legally Mary came through the tribe of Judah, but Jesus always existed in heaven. Being born a man from the virgin Mary , God is his father.

Gen 46:29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.
Gen 46:30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.

At last the joyful reunion; Is it not beautiful? They had been separated 22 years. The son that was no more has returned; a picture of the messiah who was dead, despised and forgotten by the Jews. In God's time Israel will see the son who was no more, with much weeping and rejoicing.

Gen 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;

Joseph loved his family but Egypt is not so accepting of all that they are. They were in Egypt, a type of the world, and Joseph must caution them.

Gen 46:32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
Gen 46:33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
Gen 46:34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Every shepherd is an abomination to an Egyptian; be careful to not claim that title. Remember also that the Egyptians are racists; they consider themselves as gods and the foreigners as abominations. So Israel in the natural had two strikes against them. What would happen when Joseph died or the Pharaoh? Sounds like trouble could come in the future.

Once we too were outcasts and sinners; we should not claim that title, we are chosen saints in Christ Jesus. God’s people are in the world (Egypt) but not of it. We must stay close to Jesus, who unlike Josephwould not die, but lives forever interceding for us. Thank You Jesus.