Then Isra’el said to Joseph:
I am About to Die, but God Will Be With You
48: 21-22

Then Isra’el said to Joseph: I am about to die, but God will be with you DIG: Where was the land of your fathers that Ya’akov was talking about? When Joseph replaced Reuben as the firstborn, how did he receive a double portion? What two word plays are seen here and what was Jacob saying to Yosef?

REFLECT:  Do you have a light touch on the things of this world? Or are you building your mansion in the here and now? In what sense are you an alien or a stranger?

This chapter ends with a prophecy of the future exodus out of Egypt and a return to the Promised Land. Then Isra’el said to Joseph, “I am about to die in Egypt, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers. The old patriarch believed that ADONAI would restore his family to the land of your fathers. To have referred to this land as the land of Canaan would arouse much less emotion than the land of your fathers.⁷⁵³ Nevertheless, convinced that the LORD would take them back to the land of promise, Isra’el said that a double portion belonged to Yosef.

Through his sons, Joseph had replaced Reuben as the firstborn of Isra’el (First Chronicles 5:1-2) and as a result, not only received a double portion through Ephraim and Manasseh, he also received a double portion of land. There are two wordplays here. First, Isra’el said: And I give you one portion more than your brothers (NASB). The Hebrew word for portion is shechem, which is a wordplay on the name of the city of Shechem.⁷⁵⁴

In the second wordplay ADONAI said that this portion was a ridge of land that Isra’el took from the Amorites with his sword and his bow. The Hebrew word for ridge of land is skm, which is another wordplay on the city and district of Shechem. This phrase is in the Hebrew perfect tense, which, when used prophetically means an event in the future that is viewed as an accomplished fact today. Isra’el wasn’t looking back, he was looking forward. There were no Amorites at Shechem when Jacob’s sons slaughtered the men there (to see link click Ie – The Slaughter at Shechem by Simeon and Levi). But there would be when Joshua conquered Canaan after the exodus from Egypt and forty years of wilderness wanderings (Joshua 2:10, 3:10, 7:7, 9:1, 9:10, 10:5, 10:12, 11:3, 12:2, 12:8, 13:4, 13:10, 13:21, 24:8, 24:11, 24:15 and 24:18). Therefore, Ya’akov regarded that ridge of land as a pledge of the future possession of the whole land of promise. In the piece of land purchased there, the bones of Joseph were eventually buried (Joshua 24:32).⁷⁵⁵

Yosef did inherit the city of Shechem, which sat near the border of the tribe of Ephraim and the tribe of Manasseh (Joshua 17:7-9). This is also confirmed in the Gospels where we read that Yeshua had to go through Samaria. So He came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, which is a suburb of Shechem, near the plot of ground Jacob had given his son Joseph (John 4:5-6). This area has been an area of controversy up to the present time. It is here that modern Isra’el wants to build, on the West Bank.⁷⁵⁶

The promise that the Hebrews would one day return to the land of their fathers, and that it would be an eternal possession for them, is a central and significant one in the present story (and the whole book of Genesis for that matter). Yes, the Hebrews were able to take possession of some property and land in Egypt, but that was not the Promised Land. They were not to settle down there and think that it was! The Hebrews were to understand that they were aliens and travelers in a foreign land (Acts 7:6 and Hebrews 11:13).

The Scriptures teach that the Church today, made up of both Jews and Gentiles (Ephesians 2:11-22), is in a similar situation. Believers are merely aliens and strangers in the world (First Peter 2:11). This world is not our true inheritance or home. Something greater awaits us! As Kefa so wonderfully announces: Praised be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua Messiah, who, in keeping with His great mercy, has caused us, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to be born again to a living hope, to an inheritance that cannot decay, spoil or fade, kept safe for you in heaven (First Peter 1:3-4 CJB). So let us not build mansions on the earth as if this were our permanent residence. Let us live in tents until we are called to the great mansion that God has prepared for His people for eternity.⁷⁵⁷

When Joseph had originally been called to his father’s deathbed (48:1), the other brothers were probably called as well. They came as quickly as they could and when Isra’el had finished speaking to Yosef, his other sons were present. On his deathbed, then, he had something to prophesy to each one of them.

Isra’el Reached Out His Right Hand
and Put It On Ephraim’s Head,
Though He Was the Younger
48: 8-20

Isra’el reached out his right hand and put it over Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger DIG: Do you find anything ironic about the way that Jacob changes things up when he blesses Manasseh and Ephraim? What is different about the way in which Joseph and his sons accept this reversal, from the way Ya’akov and Esau acted?

REFLECT: Of all the events in Jacob’s one hundred and forty seven years, why do you think this one act of blessing is singled out by the writer of Hebrews as an example of outstanding faith (see the commentary on Hebrews, to see link click Cr – The Faith of Jacob)? If Hebrews Chapter 11 were to include you in its “Hall of Faith,” what event in your life would stand out as evidence of great faith? Do you submit to your heavenly Father even when you don’t understand? Have there been times when you think you know better than God what to do in your life? What changed?

At this point, Ya’akov realized that Joseph had not come alone. Ephraim and Manasseh were probably standing behind, or off to the side of their father. When Isra’el saw the sons of Joseph, he asked: Who are these? His sight was good enough to distinguish people but not to specifically identify them. Yosef replied: They are the sons God has given me here. Then Isra’el, realizing that his time was short, said: Bring them to me so I may bless them (48:8-9). The motif of a blind patriarch giving a blessing to his descendants is reminiscent of when Jacob’s own father Isaac was in this condition (27:1-5). Here, once again the firstborn will not receive the blessing. But this time it is the patriarch himself who causes the unexpected to occur.⁷⁴⁷

Now Israel’s eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly see as man sees. But he could see something that Joseph couldn’t see. So Yosef brought his sons close to him, and still sitting, his father brought his sons close to him, and as they leaned over to him as he was sitting on the bed, his father kissed them and embraced them (48:10).

Isra’el said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children, too.” As his mature sons stood by their grandfather’s bed near his knees, Yosef moved them back a little so he could bow down with his face to the ground in prayer and submission to his father (48:11-12). Even though he was the prime minister of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh, Joseph found it appropriate to bow down before his father. Long ago he had a dream where his father, mother and brothers were all bowing down to him (37:9-10). His brothers did bow down to him (42:6,44:14,50:18), but his parents did not as far as we know from Scripture. Perhaps that part of his dream was influenced by his youthful opinion of himself.

After praying, Yosef rose and took both of them, Ephraim on his right toward Isra’el’s left hand and Manasseh on his left toward Israel’s right hand, and had them kneel close to Jacob as he sat on his bed. Joseph, thinking that his father couldn’t see that well, positioned his sons the way he thought they should be blessed. In his mind, Israel’s left hand would be on Ephraim’s head because he was the younger son, and his right hand would be on Manasseh’s head because he was the older son (the right hand being the more favored position of the firstborn). But once they were close to his face, Isra’el could see them clearly. Then, to the surprise of everyone but himself, Isra’el reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim’s head, though he was the younger, and deliberately crossing his arms, he put his left hand on Manasseh’s head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn (48:13-14).

The blessing of the sons became the blessing of the father. As his hands were on the heads of Ephraim and Manasseh, he blessed Joseph through them and said: May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my Shepherd all my life to this day, the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm – may he bless these boys. This is the first time in the Bible that the Hebrew word goel, or redeemed is used, and it is significant that it occurs as a description of the Angel of the Lord, none other than the preincarnate Messiah.⁷⁴⁸ May they be called by my name and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they evangelize (The Hebrew is vague: The root is dag, meaning fish), and fish among the nations of the earth (48:15-16). This is the source of Yeshua’s statement to His apostles when He sends them out to fish for people (see the commentary on The Life of Christ Cj – Come, Follow Me, and I Will Show You How to Fish for People). To fish like who? To fish for people like Abraham did in Haran (see Ec – When Abram Heard Lot Had Been Taken Captive, He Went in Pursuit as far as Dan).⁷⁴⁹

When Joseph saw his father placing his right hand on Ephraim’s head he was displeased because Manasseh was the firstborn. When Jacob and Yosef had previously discussed the blessing and adoption of his sons, Joseph had been silent. But when he realized that Jacob was going to bless Ephraim first, Yosef tried to correct what was in his mind a mistake. So he took hold of his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head (48:17). The rabbis teach that Jacob was confused because he couldn’t see, so Joseph said to him, “No, my father, this one is the firstborn; put your right hand on his head” (48:18). Yosef assumed that his father must have thought that Joseph would naturally have Manasseh at his right hand, which would have been Jacob’s left, and that he had therefore crossed his hands.

Joseph, like so many others, expected ADONAI to work in a certain way, but found that He is often pleased to work differently and sometimes even unconventionally. But faith recognizes that God’s ways are not always man’s ways. It took Ya’akov a lifetime of discipline to learn that lesson. But learn it he did, and then he blessed the younger over the firstborn. For five consecutive generations this reversal continued: Abraham over Haran, Isaac over Ishmael, Jacob over Esau, Joseph over Reuben, and now, Ephraim over Manasseh.⁷⁵⁰

But his father refused to uncross his hands and said:I know (Hebrew: yadati, in the perfect tense, meaning I have always known), my son, I know (yadati). Jacob believed that he was guided by the LORD’s grace to bestow spiritual and material possessions, all of which were irrevocable. Rather than a prayer, the final blessing was more like a prophecy, the fulfillment of which was ensured by ADONAI Himself. For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways (Isaiah 55:8).

Joseph thought his father was blind, but in reality, Jacob saw into the future with great clarity when he prophesied: He too will become a great people, and he too will become great. No mistake was made. He was blessing according to the will of God, not according to human custom. Nevertheless, his younger brother will be greater then he, and his descendants will become a group of nations (48:19). We can see the fulfillment of this in subsequent Scripture because Ephraim eventually became the dominant tribe in, and a synonym for, the entire northern kingdom of Isra’el (Isaiah 7:2, 5, 9 and 17; Hosea 9:3-16).

Jacob’s prophetic view is seen in the benediction he gives. He blessed them that day and said: In your name will Isra’el pronounce this blessing, “May God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh.” He saw Isra’el as a nation pronouncing a blessing on Ephraim and Manasseh. The content reminds us of Ruth 4:11-12, in which it is said: May your family be like that of Perez. It was a great honor to receive such praise. Significantly, the name of Ephraim appears before his brother. So he put Ephraim ahead of Manasseh (48:20). And that fact sealed their places in this history of the tribes of Isra’el.⁷⁵¹  Thus the patriarch had his way, and Yosef promptly and fully accepted the situation.⁷⁵²

The writer to the Hebrews tells us that the blessing of Joseph through his sons was an act of faith on Jacob’s part. And of all the things the Holy Spirit could have picked to be an example of faith in Ya’akov’s entire life, He picked the blessing of Yosef through his two sons. By faith Jacob, when he was dying blessed each of Joseph’s sons, and worshiped as he bowed himself on the head of his bed (Hebrews 11:21 and Genesis 47:31 NKJ). Ya’akov would die a man of faith.

Jacob Adopted Joseph’s Two Sons
Ephraim and Manasseh
48: 1-7

Jacob adopted Joseph’s two sons Ephraim and Manasseh DIG: Why did Jacob choose to adopt Manasseh and Ephraim? What, if anything, does Rachel have to do with this adoption?

REFLECT: Do you know for sure that you are adopted into God’s family (Ephesians 1:4-5; John 1:12; Galatians 3:26-29)?

Jacob blatantly favored Joseph because of his love for his mother Rachel. Therefore, when the time came for Jacob to die and for him to pronounce his “will,” Jacob formally adopted Joseph’s two sons. Manasseh and Ephraim. This adoption was a formal legal procedure done according to the established customs of the day.

Joseph knew that his bedridden father was old and ready to die when he was compelled to agree to bury him in the Promised Land (47:28-31); when news came that his father was ill and close to death, this came as no surprise. So Yosef responded by taking his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim along with him as Jacob’s life drew to a close (48:1). Jacob would now adopt his two grandsons as his own children. This was such an important occasion that Joseph’s silence, and the fact that he only brought his two sons and not his brothers seems to indicate that Ya’akov, after much prayer, had discussed his adoption of Manasseh and Ephraim previously with Joseph. They were about eighteen to twenty years old at that time, having been born before Jacob had returned to Egypt. Yosef had married when he was about thirty years old, and he would have been about fifty-six at this time.

When Ya’akov was told, “Your son Joseph has come to you,” Isra’el rallied his strength and sat up on the bed with his feet upon the ground. When his son arrived, Jacob reminded him of perhaps the most important event of his entire life, the appearance of El Shaddai, the strong and powerful God, who appeared to him in a dream at Bethel (28:10-22).⁷⁴³ Ya’akov said to Yosef, “El Shaddai appeared to me at Bethel, in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed me. And He said to me, “I am going to make you fruitful and will increase your numbers. I will make you the head of twelve tribes, and I will give this land as an everlasting possession to your descendants after you” (48:2-4). Egypt was only his temporary home because his true inheritance would be Canaan.

Now then, your two sons born to you in Egypt before I came to you here will be reckoned as mine; Ephraim and Manasseh will be mine, just as Reuben and Simeon are mine (48:5). Ya’akov replaced Reuben and Simeon, who were the first sons born by Leah, with Ephraim and Manasseh. It is obvious that Joseph had brought up his sons to fear God. For although they were highly favored because of their father’s position, when Jacob adopted them, they made the same decision as Moses did, to give up the riches of Egypt for the people of God.

There are only two spiritual families in the world. There is the family of God and the family of Satan. No one is born into the family of God; the only way you can get into His family is to be adopted. When did this adoption take place? On God’s part it took place in all eternity past: For God the Father chose us in Christ before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in His sight. In love, God predestined us to be adopted as His sons and daughters through Yeshua the Messiah (Ephesians 1:4-5a). However, on our part, it took place at the moment of faith in Christ: Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become the children of God – children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God (John 1:12-13).

When parents adopt a child today, they choose a boy or a girl that they want to adopt into their family. It takes a great deal of planning and preparation. This child, apart from his or her adoption, may have an extremely bleak future. The child might spend most of his or her life without siblings or parents. But when adopted, everything that is true of the parents is true of the adopted child. In other words, the adopted child has all the rights and privileges of the family. And although the parents might be disappointed or even angry with the child for a time, he or she is still their child. No one is unadopted. This is also true of God’s family. When we are adopted, we are transformed from slavery to children of the King, from being completely cursed, to utter consolation.

As we saw in the case of Esau and Jacob, it was customary that the oldest son receive a double portion of the inheritance, but the father, as head of the family, could alter this arrangement if the situation, in his opinion, needed to be changed. Jacob, therefore, was perfectly within his rights to transfer the birthright from Reuben to Joseph. Reuben was the first born, but when he defiled his father’s marriage bed with Bilhah, his rights as firstborn were given to the sons of Joseph, the son of Isra’el (First Chronicles 5:1). Ya’akov decided that the easiest way to do this was to give the double inheritance directly to Joseph’s two sons, rather than to Yosef himself. This he would do by adopting them as his own children, so that each would have equal status to Reuben and Simeon.⁷⁴⁴

Jacob explained to Yosef, “Any children born to you after them will be yours; in the territory they inherit they will be reckoned under the names of their brothers” (48:6). Legally, at that point, Ephraim and Manasseh were Jacob’s sons. If Joseph had any more sons, their inheritance would be from him, not Ya’akov. These other sons of Yosef are not mentioned anywhere in the Bible, but their descendants are included in the families of Ephraim and Manasseh in Numbers 26:28-37 and First Chronicles 7:14-29).⁷⁴⁵

In receiving the double portion and the birthright, Joseph was silent. There is no sense of appreciation here because he had probably already expressed his gratitude to his father earlier. More than likely, they had discussed this many times before. Whether Manasseh and Ephraim were also told, we do not know. But unlike Ya’akov, who had to go to such great lengths to get his blessing, Yosef had left the future with ADONAI.⁷⁴⁶

As Jacob was reminiscing on his deathbed, he remembered his first love Rachel and the place where he buried her. He said: As I was returning from Paddan Aram, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little distance form Ephrath at Ramah (to see link click Ij – The Birth of Benjamin ad the Death of Rachel). So I buried her there beside the road to Ephrath (48:7). Rachel died too soon, so there would be no more sons by her. But Ya’akov wanted to honor Rachel’s memory by placing Manasseh and Ephraim before Leah’s Reuben and Simeon. She would always be the love of his life, and he always knew that if it weren’t for the scheming of Laban, she would have been his only wife.

The Blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh
48: 1-22

After receiving the oath from Joseph that he would be carried out of Egypt and buried with Abraham and Isaac, Jacob continued to be bedridden with a lot of time on his hands. Alone on his bed, he must have frequently reminisced, recalling the amazing events of his long walk with the LORD. One day, when Yosef came to visit him with his two Egyptian sons, God inspired Ya’akov to prophesy over them. This resulted in Jacob adopting Ephraim and Manasseh and elevating them to the status of full Israelite tribes along with Joseph’s other brothers. Therefore, there were fourteen tribes of Isra’el, although no more than twelve are listed at any one time in the Bible. As we shall see, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh has a specific reason for choosing some and omitting others, but many times Ephraim and Manasseh are included in the place of Joseph.

The passing over of the firstborn is one of the most striking features of Genesis. Seven times this happened: (1) with Seth being chosen over Cain, (2) Shem being chosen over Japheth, (3) Abraham being chosen over Haran, (4) Isaac being chosen over Ishmael, (5) Jacob being chosen over Esau, (6) Joseph being chosen over Reuben, and now (7) Ephraim over Manasseh. Ya’akov gave the birthright to Yosef by changing the status of Ephraim and Manasseh from grandsons to sons.⁷⁴² In this way, Joseph inherited a double portion of the inheritance because his sons would then be included as equals among the brothers.

Carry Me Out of Egypt
47: 27-31

Carry Me Out of Egypt DIG: What was the significance of Joseph putting his hand under the thigh of Jacob? When was this done before? Why did Jacob make Yosef swear an oath? In what way did Joseph foreshadow the life of Christ?

REFLECT: What preparations have you made to ease the burden on your family at the time of your death? Does it make any difference where you are buried? Why was this an act of faith on Ya’akov’s part? What was his hope? What is your hope?

78. Both Joseph and Yeshua settle the children of Isra’el in a land of their own. Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number (47:27). Goshen was the best of the land of Egypt (45:18b, 47:6). Pharaoh had told Yosef and his sons not to worry about their belongings because the best of Egypt would be theirs (45:20). The result was that the Israelites would live in peace and multiply (Exodus 1:8). So Palestine will be the best part of the earth during the messianic Kingdom where the wilderness will rejoice and blossom (Isaiah 35:1-2), where the riches of the nations will be brought to the Israelites (Isaiah 60:1-16) and where they will live in peace (Ezeki’el 34:25-29).

After the remaining five years of famine, the Nile River began to overflow its banks once again. The land began to flourish once more. With hundreds of Israelites having entered Egypt (to see link click Km – Jacob’s Genealogy), they would leave with over two million (Num 1:46 counted over six hundred thousand men older than twenty years of age). So ADONAI blessed His people according to the promises He made to Abraham. They were becoming a great nation, as God worked behind the scenes. He blessed Pharaoh because he had blessed the descendants of Avraham with the best land that Egypt had to offer. But later, during the time of Moses, when another Pharaoh oppressed the Israelites, God dealt harshly with him, thus fulfilling God’s promise to Abraham: I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse (12:3a).

Haftarah vaYigash: Yechezk’el (Ezeki’el) 37:15-28
(see my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

Reunion in Egypt highlights the activity of the Torah portion and forms the context for the Haftarah. In this reading Judah has matured into the nation that gives spiritual direction, but it has been exiled for seven years from the Temple. The tribes have matured, but they lead disconnected lives. Brotherly hatred had replaced brotherly love. Now the prophet Ezeki’el, in exile with his people, promises complete restoration between the tribes led by the southern kingdom of Judah and the northern kingdom of Isra’el led by Joseph’s son Ephraim. Indeed, the two kingdoms will be united under a king from Judah (Ezeki’el 37:22-24). God promised to purify His people into a holy Kingdom (Ezeki’el 37:23). He promised a covenant of peace, and a Sanctuary in which He would dwell among His people. Only then, would the nation find its place among the nations of the world.

B’rit Chadashah suggested reading for Parashah vaYigash:
Luke 6:12-16; Acts 7:9-16 (specifically verses 13-15)

Yeshua, a descendant of David, a descendant of Judah, begins to redeem the prophecy of Ezeki’el. When Messiah came to Rome, it was the world super-power, with king Herod, an Edomite, in charge. In this reading, Yeshua devotes all night to prayer for the purpose of selecting from His disciples twelve apostles as foundation stones (Lk 6:13; Eph 2:20). The Hebrew equivalent of apostle, or shaliach, describes on who is sent forth with a message and authority of the one who sent him. Yeshua represents Himself as a shaliach of God the Father (John 5:19, 24, 30). Here, Yeshua selects the twelve to represent corporate Isra’el. It is interesting that Judas Isacriot comes from a town in the heart of Judah (Joshua 15:25). How ironic that Judah’s own nation must be purified of men who sin against the Father by selling a Brother for thirty pieces of sliver.

Parashah 12: vaY’chi (He lived) 47:28-50:26

The Key People include Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim, Manasseh, all the sons, and Pharaoh.

The Scenes include Egypt, Canaan, Shechem, the cave of Machpelah, Goshen, and Abel-mizraim.

The Main Events include Jacob’s seventeen years in Egypt, his request for burial with his fathers, the adoption of Ephraim and Manasseh by Joseph, the younger son getting the blessing, Jacob’s final words for each tribe, Judah’s position of praise, Jacob’s death, his burial in Canaan, Joseph’s brothers fearing him after Jacob’s death, Joseph’s reassurance, and Joseph’s death at 110 – declaring that YHVH would deliver the Israelites out of Egypt and they must carry his bones back to rest in the Land.

The subject of death dominates this week’s portion, which records the passing away of two of the most important people in the history of redemption: Jacob and Joseph. Obviously, we cannot always determine the time of our own death, but sometimes ADONAI gives us sufficient time to make the necessary preparations. This is the case with Jacob in parashah vaY’chi. He was not taken by surprise; he had more than adequately prepared for his death.

Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years. That was the same length of time that Joseph had lived with his father in Canaan before he was sold into slavery. Consequently, the time period of seventeen years serves as bookends to the Joseph story. The first seventeen years of his life was spent with his father, and the last seventeen years of his father’s life was spent with him. When Ya’akov was a hundred and forty-seven years old, he was ready to die (47:28).

He called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness” (47:29a). As seen earlier in 24:2b, this is a euphemism for the holding of the genitals, which are the source of life. It was a symbolic gesture that if the oath were not carried out, then Israel’s other descendants would avenge Yosef’s unfaithfulness. He had one final request, and who better to make sure that his wishes were carried out than Joseph? He asked Yosef to swear to him that he would not be buried in Egypt (47:29b). He continued: When I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where Abraham and Isaac are buried in the cave at Machpelah (23:3-18). Joseph said: I will do as you say (47:30).

But Ya’akov needed more assurance, and insisted that Joseph’s word be cemented with an oath. Jacob pleaded: swear to me. Why was this necessary? Yosef had just promised to do as his father had said! However, Jacob knew that if Joseph took an oath, it would reinforce in Joseph’s memory his promise to his father. Not only that, the oath would make Yosef directly accountable to God and His wrath if he were to go back on his promise. Then Joseph swore to him.

Did Jacob not trust his favorite son? This was not the issue at all. Jacob wisely knew that Pharaoh might take it as an insult or question Isra’el’s allegiance, if Joseph asked to bury his father outside of Egypt. By requesting that Joseph make a legal oath; Jacob made it possible to request permission from Pharaoh from an entirely different standpoint  – the legal agreement between him and his father Jacob. Indeed, that is exactly the reason why Pharaoh did give him permission, saying: Go up and bury your father as he made you swear (50:6). Thus, Jacob took the matter our of Joseph’s hands and made a legal issue out of it that Pharaoh would honor. This is but one example of a legal matter which Jacob had the foresight to take care of out of love and consideration for his family. It would be wise for all of us to follow the patriarch’s example and ease the burden of decision-making upon our loved ones at the time of our deaths.

Isra’el had talked to Joseph while sitting upon his bed. When Yosef swore to bury him in Canaan, Isra’el turned and bowed himself on the head of his bed worshiping ADONAI, thanking Him for granting his last wish (47:31 NKJ), just as David also worshiped upon his bed (First Kings 1:47-48).⁷³⁸ According to the writer of Hebrews, this was an act of faith because Isra’el knew that his descendants would not be in Egypt forever and would one day return to the Promised Land (Hebrews 11:21b). Egypt was to Isra’el and his family what the ark was to Noah, a temporary shelter from the disaster on the outside.⁷³⁹ The hope of the TaNaKh was an earthly hope. Abraham believed that he would be raised from the dead in Canaan and he wanted to be buried there. Isaac believed the same. Now Ya’akov is expressing the same faith. You see, the hope of the TaNaKh was not to be caught up to meet the Lord in the air and enter the city of the New Jerusalem, which is the final destination of the Church. The hope of the righteous of the TaNaKh was in God’s Kingdom that will be set up on this earth (Isaiah 2:2-4, 11:6-9, 65:18-23; Jeremiah 31:12-14, 31-37; Ezeki’el 34:25-29, 37:1-6 and Chapter 40-48). That is why Jacob had faith in the resurrection from the Promised Land. If Jacob had no faith or hope in ADONAI’s promise to him, why would it matter where he was buried? The promise of the messianic Kingdom was why he did not want to be buried in Egypt.

It took all of his remaining strength for Jacob to raise himself and utter the prophetic words of Chapters 48 and 49. But he received both his strength and his inspiration by faith, still trusting in the absolute certainty that, though he himself would not live to see it, God would give his seed the land of Canaan and that, someday, all peoples on earth would be blessed through him (12:3b).⁷⁴⁰

For those who believe in, and follow Messiah today, it makes no difference where we are buried. At the time of the Rapture (see my commentary on Revelation By – The Rapture of the Church), wherever we are, we shall be raised either from death or from life. For the Lord Himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will be raised first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever (First Thessalonians 4:16-18). So it won’t make any difference if we are buried in Egypt, in Canaan or in Timbuktu. The living in Christ and the dead in Christ all over the world will be caught up to be with Him. We don’t need a launching pad to take off from. No, our hope is a heavenly hope.⁷⁴¹ We wait for the blessed hope – the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Yeshua Messiah (Titus 2:13). As Rabbi Sha’ul said to the believers at Thessalonica: Therefore, encourage each other with these words.

The People Became Tenant Farmers on the Land
that Belonged to Pharaoh
47: 23-26

The people became tenant farmers on the land that belonged to Pharaoh DIG: When the seven years of famine was coming to an end, what was Joseph’s plan for the people sustaining themselves thereafter? Was it fair for Pharaoh? Was it fair to the people? What was their response?

REFLECT: Are you a grateful person? Are you grateful for the eighty percent the Lord gives you in your life, or do you resent the twenty percent you have to give up? In what ways has ADONAI spared your life? How can you continue to find favor in the eyes of the LORD?

Yosef said to the people of Egypt, “Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground” (47:23). After the seven years of famine were over, Joseph allowed the people to return to the land. They did not return as owners, however, but as tenant farmers working the land for Pharaoh.

In the fourth stage (to see link click Kq – Joseph and the Famine), the people were taxed. But when the crop comes in at the harvest, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children (47:24). Now that Pharaoh owned most of the land, the plan was that when the crop was reaped, the people would give twenty percent of it to Pharaoh. The other eighty percent they could keep as seed and as food for themselves. Their rent for the land, twenty percent of the produce, was lower than normal in the ancient world. This was a progressive tax in that it was proportioned according to income. In all likelihood, a similar arrangement was made for those who had occupations other than farming, like Joseph’s brothers.

The people did not complain about these terms. They said: You have saved our lives. They recognized that they were being treated fairly and generously and that there could really be no other plan which would work as well under the circumstances. They would work the same land as before and live in the same house. They would have no overhead expenses, their lives were spared, and they kept eighty percent of what they harvested. Their only desire was to continue to find favor in the eyes of Yosef. Despite the personal hardship, they were grateful for their lives and willing to be Pharaoh’s servants.⁷³⁷ So Joseph established it as a law concerning the land in Egypt – still in force during the time of Moses – that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh’s (47:25-26).

All the Land in Egypt Became Pharaoh’s for Grain
47: 18-22

All the land in Egypt became Pharaoh’s for grain DIG: In reality, all the land of Egypt belonged to the king of Egypt anyway (except the land allocated to the priests). Who asked that the land be taken in exchange for grain? And who suggested tenant farming as a way to obtain food to live?

REFLECT: Of the three things the people of Egypt gave up to Pharaoh, money, property and independence, which would be the easiest for you to give up? Which would be the hardest? Which one are you struggling with the most today?

When that year was over, the people came to him the following year and said: We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land (47:18). When the people reached this desperate state, they sent a representative to Joseph with a plan of their own.

First they asked a rhetorical question. Why should we perish before your eyes – we and our land as well? Then they came up with the answer. Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate (47:19). The people wanted to become tenant farmers and dedicate themselves and their land for service to Pharaoh in return for food on a regular basis. It was their proposal, not Yosef’s. It is true that it created what amounted to a feudalistic economy, but giving grain away for free would have bankrupted the government, and probably culminated in social anarchy. The storehouses would have been depleted and mass starvation would have followed.

The people had learned to trust Joseph. He had always charged them a fair price and, even though they had used up all their own money and marketable possessions, they still had their dignity and self-respect.⁷³³

So in the third stage (to see link click Kq – Joseph and the Famine), Yosef agreed to their plan and he bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh’s (47:20). Joseph’s economic policy simply made Egypt, in fact, what it always was in theory; the land became Pharaoh’s property and its inhabitants his tenants.⁷³⁴ In order to speed up the distribution of the grain, Yosef moved the people from the country into the cities, from one end of Egypt to the other where the storehouses were located (47:21). This system did limit their freedom, but it saved their lives. However, the priests were a noteworthy exception to those arrangements. They had their own extensive holdings and they didn’t want to turn them over to the king. However, he did not buy the land of the priests, the very ones who would later turn their staffs into snakes (Exodus 7:8-12), because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land (47:22).

Once again the sovereignty of God was at work behind the scenes. The net effect of Pharaoh owning almost all of the land of Egypt was that the power of the old aristocracy was broken and power was centralized into the hands of Pharaoh. With that being so, it was easy for the Pharaoh of Joseph’s day to protect Jacob and his family, but it also made it easier for the new king, who did not know about Joseph (Exodus 1:8), to enslave the Israelites when Yosef and his work were forgotten.⁷³⁵

Why did the Ruach ha-Kodesh inspire Moshe to preserve this story for us today? What is the significance of Joseph’s agrarian policy? In 15:13-14, ADONAI spoke to Abraham and said: Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. Yosef was a tool of Ha’Shem in the fulfillment of that promise. The Seed of the woman (3:15) would be protected and allowed to thrive.⁷³⁶

The People of Egypt Brought Their Livestock to Joseph
and He Gave Them Food
47: 15-17

The people of Egypt brought their livestock to Joseph and he gave them food DIG: What was significant about the Egyptians giving up their livestock?

REFLECT: When have you had to give up something that you worshiped to survive? Something that you had to give up to live spiritually, not physically. Something that was not giving you life, but was killing you? Have you had to give up a relationship you knew was wrong? Drugs? Alcohol? Television? How is your life better now?

When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said: Give us food. Why should we die of hunger before your eyes? Our money is all spent buying grain. What would he do? Then Joseph said: Bring your livestock, since your money is gone (47:15-16).

So in the second stage (to see link click Kq – Joseph and the Famine), they brought their livestock to Yosef, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys (47:17a). It must have been terribly difficult for the people to give up their livestock for religious reasons. When a new king, who did not know about Joseph refused to let the Israelites go to worship the LORD, God told Moses that He would bring a terrible plague on the livestock in the field, on the horses and donkeys and camels and on the cattle and sheep and goats. But ADONAI made a distinction between the livestock of Isra’el and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites would die (see my commentary on Exodus Bo – The LORD Will Bring a Terrible Plague on Your Livestock in the Field). Every plague of Egypt attacked something that they worshiped, and they worshiped their livestock.

Eventually all Egyptian livestock became Pharaoh’s possession. This kept the people going for another year, but ultimately all their animals were also gone. Both the money and the animals became the property of Pharaoh, or, in effect, were owned by the central government. This arrangement actually benefited both the people and the animals, since they would have been unable to keep the animals alive during the famine.⁷³¹

And Joseph brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock (47:17b). Here Yosef is pictured as a shepherd who was guiding his people through a dangerous and difficult period. Perhaps the phrase brought them through reflects the fact that Joseph’s actions were not harsh or greedy, but he had the people’s best interests in mind.⁷³²  Every time the people gave Yosef something of value, he gave them grain to live.

Joseph and the Famine
47: 13-26

The famine was relentless. No food grew in Egypt or Canaan. The citizens paid for the grain that had been stored, but finally their money ran out. Joseph told them that if they would bring their livestock instead of money, he would exchange their livestock for grain. They followed that plan until Pharaoh owned all the livestock. To help the hungry people, Yosef proposed that they let the king of Egypt buy their land in exchange for grain. And just like before, Pharaoh ended up owning all the land in Egypt, and in this way the people of Egypt were reduced to slavery. Now that Pharaoh owned all of the land (except for the land of the priests), Joseph distributed seed to be planted as the famine finally subsided. The plan was that when a crop was reaped, the people would give one fifth of it as tax to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths they would keep for themselves. The people did not object and were grateful to Yosef for saving their lives.⁷²⁵

This process is something for which Yosef has been criticized. People say that he took advantage of poverty, closed on the mortgages and bought the land, but this is an unfair criticism of Joseph. To begin with, he was the agent of Pharaoh. None of this was for himself. He was not dishonest in any sense of the word and did not personally gain because of the famine. An illustration of this is the scarcity of, and demand for, uranium during World War II in America. When some men found that they had uranium on their properties (especially in Arizona), they were paid a lot of money for their land. Were they taking advantage of their government? I don’t think so. The law of supply and demand was at work. It seems to me that this same principle was at work in the land of Egypt. Yosef bought the land for the king of Egypt, and he enabled the people to live by providing grain to them. He couldn’t just give the grain away. If he did that, the whole world would have been at his doorstep. The result would have been chaos. It is reasonable to conclude that Joseph stayed within the law of supply and demand.⁷²⁶

Yosef has also been criticized for favoring his own family by providing them grain while everyone else had to pay for it. But it should be pointed out that the Israelites were guests of Pharaoh, and as such, were on completely different footing than the rest of the Egyptians. Besides, there was no possibility of their purchasing food because they had left their possessions behind them. They had been told by the Hyksos king not to be anxious about what they possessed in Canaan, and he promised that all the good of Egypt should be theirs. Pharaoh’s care of them was a matter of philanthropy, while a free gift of corn to the people would probably have resulted in chaos and anarchy.⁷²⁷

But the result of this four stage process was that everyone in Egypt became the economic slaves of Pharaoh. As long as the Hyksos and Joseph remained in power, the children of Isra’el prospered. But here would come a day when the Egyptians would overthrow the Hyksos and a new dynasty would come to power in Egypt (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Ag – Then a New King Who Did Not Know About Joseph Came to Power).

Joseph Collected All the Money in Egypt
in Payment for the Grain
47: 13-14

Joseph collected all the money in Egypt in payment for the grain DIG: How severe were the next years of famine? To what do the people finally resort? What would have happened if Joseph just gave the grain away? Why was it important that the people of Egypt and the world buy it?

REFLECT: What happens to young adults who are given everything and not asked to work and buy things for themselves? Have you ever been out of work for an extended period of time? How did it make you feel? What does it do to your self-esteem?

There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan were exhausted with hunger and they wasted away because of the famine (47:13). The reason that only Egypt and Canaan are mentioned is because they are the two geographical locations that are involved in our story. If Jacob had remained in Canaan with his family, they would have died. Grain had been stored in the land of Egypt, but the land was not producing grain anymore. Evidently the famine had spread all over Africa, because the Nile was not overflowing, which was necessary for Egypt’s crop production.⁷²⁸ As the days wore on, the famine continued. With no relief in sight, the people continued to buy their grain from Joseph’s storehouses. Though Yosef presumably asked a fair price for the grain, it was just a matter of time before they had spent all their savings on food.⁷²⁹

In the first stage (to see link click Kq – Joseph and the Famine), Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying (47:14a). The people bought their grain from the storehouses of Egypt. This was, and is to this day, an important principle. When any government merely gives its people food without working for it, that society eventually collapses. It destroys the spirit of its people and makes them dependent upon the state. Most of all, it robs them of their dignity. There is a spiritual principle built into the fabric of the world: If a man will not work, he shall not eat (Second Thessalonians 3:10b).

Though it may appear to some today that Joseph’s policies were repressive, it was clear in the ancient world that one paid one’s way so long as one had anything to part with – including, in the last resort one’s own freedom. Israelite law accepted this principle, while modifying it with the right to buy it back at a later time (Leviticus 25:25-55).⁷³⁰ Therefore, Yosef did not profit from the sale of grain. He was very ethical, and he brought the money to Pharaoh’s palace (47:14b).

Jacob Settled in Goshen
47: 11-12

Jacob settled in Goshen DIG: Why was it a good thing that the Israelites were isolated in Goshen? How did they remember that time? Compared to what? How different was Jacob’s time in Egypt compared to his grandfathers?

REFLECT: Joseph wanted his family to live in Egypt, but not be of Egypt (which is symbolic of the world). Likewise, we are to live in the world, but not be of the world (Second Corinthians 10:3-6). We are to live separated, holy lives and point people to the Messiah. This is a delicate balance. We cannot shut ourselves off from the world and have no influence on it, but neither can we fall in love with the world and be stained by it (First John 2:15-17). How can we know the difference as we travel as pilgrims in this world?

So Yosef settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, Goshen, or the district of Ramses, as Pharaoh directed (47:11). This section is known in modern Egypt as Wadi Tumilat. It is a valley that is thirty-five miles long, extending from the eastern Nile to Lake Timsah. The Ramses of the nineteenth dynasty, who ruled Egypt much later than the fifteenth dynasty of the Hyksos, may very well have been named after this particular valley. Much later, in their wilderness wanderings, the Israelites would remember Goshen fondly and say: We remember the fish we ate in Egypt at no cost – also the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions and garlic (Numbers 11:5). It was a very fertile land, also called the region of Zoan, because it was one of the outlet channels of the Nile to the sea (Psalm 78:12). In general it was close to Egypt’s northeast corner, more or less isolated from the bulk of the Egyptian population, which tended to concentrate more to the south and west.⁷²²  The famine was still under way, so Joseph also liberally provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their children (47:12).

How different is Jacob’s descent to Egypt from his grandfather’s (12:10-20)! Both sought out the safety of Egypt because of famine. To save his family, Jacob engages in blessing. The Pharaoh at Abraham’s visit was only too happy to see Abraham return to his own country. The Pharaoh at Jacob’s visit insists that Jacob would stay and settle on some choice land. Abraham retreated from Egypt, but for Ya’akov, Egypt was his new home. Abraham left Egypt lucky to be alive; however, Jacob would leave Egypt dead.⁷²³

Joseph took great pains to ensure that his family settled in Goshen. Matthew Henry comments: He would have them to live by themselves, separate from the Egyptians, in the land of Goshen, which lay nearest to Canaan, and which perhaps was more thinly peopled by the Egyptians, and well furnished with pastures for cattle. He desired that they might live separately, that they might be in less danger both of being infected by the vices of the Egyptians and of being insulted by their malice. Thus Yosef did not want the Hebrews to be assimilated into Egyptian culture (as he himself had been), so that intermarrying with the Egyptians might not endanger their national and religious identity as the people of God.

Ending up in bed with the world is as much of a problem for believers today as it was for the Israelites of old. Often one can see no difference between the way people behave and think, within the Church or messianic synagogue, from those outside it. Recent studies, for example, indicate that sexual promiscuity and adultery occur as often among believers as unbelievers. The holy ones (Deuteronomy 33:2-3), however, are called to be holy or set apart. God says: Be holy, because I am holy (First Peter 1:16). J. Wilbur Chapman, who wrote the hymn “Jesus, What a Friend for Sinners,” once said, “Anything that dims my vision of the Lord or takes away my taste for Bible study or cramps my prayer life or makes godly work difficult is wrong for me, and I must, as a believer, turn away from it.” This simple rule may help you find a safe path for your feet along life’s road.⁷²⁴

Then Jacob Blessed Pharaoh
and Went Out from His Presence
47: 1-10

Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence DIG: How do Jacob and his sons conduct themselves before the king of Egypt? How does Ya’akov portray himself?

REFLECT: Jacob could have acted like a big shot in front of Pharaoh. But he chose to be humble and give the glory to God. How do you react when you have something to brag about? Is there a difference between good self-esteem and conceit? How do you know where to draw the line?

Although Joseph was only accountable to Pharaoh in all of Egypt, he could not make the decision to allow his family to settle in the best part of the land, namely, Goshen (45:10) without approval from the king. But because they were in the midst of famine, in reality, no land was particularly valuable at that time. So having temporally settled his family in Goshen, Joseph went to Pharaoh and said: My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen awaiting your pleasure (47:1). This was where Joseph wanted them to settle all along (45:10. 46:28).

He chose five of his eleven brothers and presented them before Pharaoh (47:2). The text says that Joseph chose from all his brothers. But in Hebrew it literally reads that he chose from the edge, end or extremity. This suggests that Josephselected the most outstanding ones, or the brothers who would make the best impression. The same term is used in First Kings 12:31, where Jeroboam purposefully chose non-Levites for the priesthood of Isra’el. It was not a random selection by Joseph. Like everything else he did, it was planned very carefully.⁷¹⁶ However, the rabbis take the opposite position. They teach that Joseph took five of the most inferior brothers, fearing that Pharaoh would make soldiers out of the stronger brothers if Joseph had taken them. According to rabbinic tradition, Joseph took Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Benjamin and Issachar with him.

As Joseph had anticipated, Pharaoh asked the brothers, “What is your occupation?” And according to Joseph’s instructions (46:34), they replied: Your servants are herdsmen, just as our fathers were (47:3).⁷¹⁷ They threw themselves upon the mercy and good grace of the king of Egypt.

They also said, “We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is so severe in Canaan and your servants’ flocks have no pasture.” They had no intention of permanently living in Egypt. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen. Pharaoh responded directly to Joseph and said: Your father and your brothers have come to you and the land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock (47:4-6). Again, this shows that Pharaoh was a Semitic Hyksos ruler, because that simply would not have been the case if he were Egyptian. But the meeting was a success in gaining permission for Jacob’s family to live in Goshen. But it reached its climax in the conversation between Pharaoh and Ya’akov.⁷¹⁸

Then Yosef brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. This must have been quite a meeting, the earth’s greatest king encountering the man chosen by God to lead His people of that day. The aged and feeble patriarch stood before Pharaoh. Though the king was more powerful, Jacob was clearly superior, for it was he who blessed Pharaoh (47:7). Melchizedek had blessed Abraham (14:19), thus showing His superiority to Abraham, for the lesser person is blessed by the greater (Hebrews 7:7). When you read between the lines, you get the feeling that the king of Egypt also sensed this. He seemed subconsciously to recognize that he was speaking to a man of unusual spiritual depth and understanding, a man who had walked with ADONAI for many years.⁷¹⁹

Therefore, Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty.” Then, because of his many years of conflict with Esau and Laban, Rachel’s death and Joseph’s supposed death, he added: My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers (47:8-9). Indeed his grandfather Abraham had died at a hundred and seventy-five years of age (25:7), and his father Isaac had died at a hundred and eighty years of age (35:28). Although he lived another seventeen years in Egypt (47:28), he knew he could not hope to live as long as they had. The longevity of mankind had begun to gradually decline from what it had been before the Flood. But the point here is that Ya’akov had the opportunity to brag about himself and act like a big shot in front of the most powerful man in the world; however, he chose to be humble and give God the glory for his life.⁷²⁰

Scripture doesn’t record their entire conversation, but before concluding, Jacob once again blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence (47:10). There is finality to this statement and Pharaoh never saw him again. At any rate, in addition to the continuing witness of Yosef, this pagan king had been the recipient of the testimony, and the object of the prayers of the greatest man of his generation.⁷²¹

Jacob Arrived in Egypt
46: 28-34

Jacob arrived in Egypt DIG: How has Joseph prepared his family to meet Pharaoh? Did they tell the truth or did they lie? In what way did Joseph foreshadow the life of Christ?

REFLECT: Jacob had one wish, and that was to see Yosef alive before he died. What one wish would you like to see come true before you die? What would you be willing to sacrifice to see it fulfilled?

As the Israelites approached Egypt, they knew they would be stopping in Goshen, according to Yosef’s instructions (45:10). Therefore, Ya’akov sent Judah (now fully recognized as the leader among Jacob’s sons) on ahead to tell Joseph to meet him in Goshen, and to direct them exactly where to go.⁷¹¹

Now Ya’akov sent Judah, once again taking a leadership role, ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. The rabbis believe that this passage teaches that there will be two Messiahs. They teach that Joseph would receive the Kingdom before Judah, because Joseph was in Egypt before Judah. They believe that a descendant of Joseph will be the first Messiah, or the suffering Messiah (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant), and the second Messiah, a descendant of Judah, and then David, will be the ruling Messiah (Psalm 72). When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph quickly had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Isra’el (46:28-29a).

77. Both Yeshua and Yosef make themselves ready to meet Judah first, then Isra’el. This is really the epiphany of Joseph. He reveals himself in the splendor of a king to his people. He meets Judah first and then meets his father Isra’el. This is also how it will be with the Messiah. See, ADONAI is coming with fire and His chariots are like a whirlwind (Isaiah 66:15a). Jesus will also appear first to Judah, then to Isra’el. The LORD will save the dwellings of Judah first. On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 12:7 and 13:1).

Yosef and his father had been separated for twenty-two years and as soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. There were no words, only tears. Finally Isra’el said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive” (46:29b-30). In many ways Jacob’s reaction, upon seeing Yosef, parallels that of Simeon in the Temple: ADONAI, dismiss your servant in peace . . . for my eyes have seen salvation (Luke 2:29-30). Ya’akov can now happily accept death, knowing that he will no more go to his grave with unanswered questions about his beloved Joseph’s circumstances. Jacob may feel he is prepared to die, but he will actually live in Egypt another seventeen years.⁷¹²

It was impossible for Jacob’s household to settle in Egypt, even with Yosef’s approval, without the matter being referred to Pharaoh for his royal consent. Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him: My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own” (46:31-32). Knowing that the Egyptians looked down on shepherds, Yosef tried to prepare his family to present themselves honestly but honorably to the Egyptians.

Joseph’s words are an interesting combination of principle and prudence. He encouraged them to stress that they tended cattle rather than herded sheep. When Pharaoh calls you in and asks: What is your occupation? You should tell the truth and answer: Your servants have tended cattle from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did. Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians (46:33-34). Goshen was most likely located on the eastern side of the Nile delta region. This area was extremely fertile with excellent grazing facilities. The Egyptians despised all shepherds because they despised sheep both as food and for sacrifices. They had monuments that constantly showed shepherds as lanky, withered, distorted, emaciated and sometimes almost ghostly figures. According to Herodotus, the swine herders were the most despised of the seven castes of the Egyptians.⁷¹³  They would not want them as close neighbors, and would prefer to have them settle in the region of Goshen, a part of Egypt that was particularly suited to grazing livestock.⁷¹⁴

The Word of God has much to say about shepherds, and Yeshua said of Himself: I AM the good Shepherd; I know My sheep and My sheep know Me (just as the Father knows Me and I know the Father), and I lay down My life for the sheep (John 10:14). He is the great Shepherd of His sheep who watches over them today (Hebrews 13:20). And my friend, He is detestable to the world. The real Jesus is not well received. The world has changed the Messiah into someone it cannot accept. The One it talks about is not virgin-born, never performed miracles, did not die for the sins of the world and was not raised from the dead.⁷¹⁵  Therefore, it is best to remember that anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God (James 4:4).

Jacob’s Genealogy
46: 8-27

Jacob’s genealogy DIG: What does the number seventy represent? Why is the actual number of people who went down to Egypt substantially more than seventy? When Jacob’s sons went to Egypt to buy grain, could they carry enough back for this many people? How long do you think the grain would last?

REFLECT: Is there more to your genealogy than meets the eye? Who are the characters in your family line? What story does your family genealogy tell? But more importantly, are you written in the genealogy of ADONAI, the Lamb’s Book of Life (Psalm 69:28; Revelation 3:5 and 21:27)?

This is Jacob’s genealogy, probably written by Joseph after they had all settled in Egypt. He was interested in knowing all his relatives and wanted a formal document. Some time later, Moses, who compiled eleven family documents, added it to the record of Genesis. Because it was a formal genealogy, Yosef was only interested in Ya’akov’s direct descendants. We must remember that we need not expect genealogies to operate in the Jewish culture as they do in ours. As a result, both his daughters and his daughters-in-law are not mentioned (46:26). Because this was a patriarchal society, only his grandsons are mentioned, not his granddaughters. In addition, a few great grandchildren are mentioned, while most are not.

By the time of Messiah, formal Jewish genealogies had evolved to the point where no women were to be mentioned at all. For example, Luke tells us about the birth of Christ from Mary’s perspective and follows the strict Jewish law of his time (Luke 3:23-38). He mentions no women, not even Mary whose line he is tracing, but he uses her father’s name, Heli. As a result, it was no accident that in ancient Jewish writings of the first and second century Yeshua was referred to as the son of Heli. Therefore, the purpose of Luke’s genealogy is to show us why Jesus could be king, because He was a descendant of David, but apart from Jeconiah. Matthew, on the other hand, tells us about the birth of Messiah from Joseph’s perspective. But Matthew’s was not a formal Jewish genealogy of his time. Even though he names Yeshua as a descendant of David, he mentions women, skips names and includes Jeconiah. Therefore, the purpose of Matthew’s genealogy is to show us that if Jesus really were Joseph’s son, He could not be king.

Jacob’s genealogy is not based upon the order of the birth of his sons. It is based on his wives, and there are four lists. The first six sons are listed as children of Leah; the second lists the two sons who belong to Zilpah, then Rachel’s two sons are mentioned in the third list, and fourthly, the last two sons belong to Bilhah.

First, we have the names of the sons of Leah and Isra’el (Jacob and his direct descendants) who went to Egypt (46:8a): Several times here, his daughters-in-law are not mentioned (46:26), even though we know that his sons had wives and children when they left Beersheba (46:5). It is similar to the genealogy recorded in Numbers 26:4-62, although the latter includes later generations as well.

Reuben was the firstborn of Ya’akov (46:8b). The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi (46:9). The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman (46:10). This phrase may have been inserted as a stinging rebuke of Simeon and of his relations with a pagan woman. Ironically, it was Simeon (along with Levi) who slaughtered the men of Shechem for dishonoring his sister Dinah (34:25-31).⁷⁰⁵  The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath and Merari (46:11).

The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul (46:12). There are thirteen living grandsons of Jacob listed before we get to his twin grandsons, Perez and Zerah, and thirty-eight in all (not counting Manasseh, Ephraim and Benjamin’s sons). Then we are told that Perez had two children, Hezron and Hamul. How many other great grandchildren were there? Joseph was almost forty by that time, and his brothers were all older than him except for Benjamin. Therefore, it is improbable that no great grandchildren were born at all by this time because we know that the sons of Isra’el grew into a great nation. We get all the way down to Asher and we are told that his last son Beriah, had two great grandsons of Jacob, Heber and Malkiel (46:17b). Did Dan or Naphtali’s children have any grandsons or granddaughters by then? No granddaughters are mentioned even among the older brothers, although I am sure there were many. There is no way of knowing. But it is safe to say that if the thirteen grandsons of Ya’akov (let alone the thirty-eight) had only two children each, which does not seem that far fetched when you look at the number of children their fathers had, there would be at least twenty great grandchildren.

This concept of only counting the men continued up until the time of Christ. When Jesus fed the five thousand, Matthew records: The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides the women and the children, which indicates the total could have been as large as twenty-five thousand (Matthew 14:21).⁷⁰⁶

The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron (46:13). The sons of Zebulan were Sered, Elon and Jahleel (46:14). These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. Each of the four sections delineating Jacob’s offspring, ends with a summarizing formula.⁷⁰⁷ These direct sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all (46:15).

Second, we have the names of the sons of Zilpah and Isra’el (Jacob and his direct descendants) who went to Egypt. The sons of Gad were Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli. The sons of Asher were Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah. No other daughters are mentioned except for Serah, although I am sure there were many. The sons of Beriah were Heber and Malkiel. These were the direct children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah, sixteen in all (46:16-18).

Third, Joseph and Benjamin were the names of the sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel. She is called Ya’akov’s wife, and is a distinction reserved for her and not applied to any of the other wives in Jacob’s genealogy. It indicates her favored position in Ya’akov’s and Joseph’s eyes.⁷⁰⁸  In Egypt, Ephraim and Manasseh were born to Yosef (The Septuagint, or the Greek translation of the Bible, added five of Jacob’s great grandchildren through Ephraim and Manasseh here) by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On. The Greek translation of the Bible added five descendants of Ephraim and Manasseh here. Even though the ten sons of Benjamin probably were not actually born in Canaan because he was only in his early twenties, they are listed in order to make this roll of founders parallel and complete, since all of Jacob’s grandsons were to be listed among the founders. You could say that they were in the loins of Benjamin. The sons of Benjamin were Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard (46:21). These were the direct sons and grandsons of Rachel who were born to Ya’akov, fourteen in all (46:19-22).

Fourth, we have the names of the sons of Bilhah and Isra’el (Jacob and his direct descendants) who went to Egypt. The sons of Dan were hushim (46:23). Hushim is not the name of a son although you will see it listed that way in genealogies. The im ending is plural and a tribal collective. It’s like saying the sons of Dan were those guys. He is the only one of the brothers whose sons were not listed. We will discover the tribe of Dan is singled out for disdain by the Holy Spirit from day one. The reason for that will become evident as we study further in 49:16-17. The sons of Naphtali were Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem (46:24). These were the direct sons and grandsons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel, seven in all (46:25).

All those who actually went to Egypt with Jacob (but not including Jacob), those who were his direct descendants, not counting his daughters-in-law, numbered sixty-six persons (46:26), but when Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh, or the two sons who had been born to him in Egypt and Ya’akov were added to the members of Jacob’s direct descendants which went to Egypt, there were seventy in all (46:27). However, seventy is merely a symbolic figure.

The number seventy seems to have been associated in a particular way with the nation of Isra’el ever since the time when these seventy apparently became its official founders. (Note Deuteronomy 32:8, which suggest that this number was tied to the seventy other nations of the world first established by ADONAI, as listed in Chapter 10 (to see link click Dj – The Line of Shem). There were seventy elders in Numbers 11:16, there were seventy years of Babylonian dominance declared (see my commentary on Jeremiah Gu – Seventy Years of Imperial Babylonian Rule), there are seventy weeks decreed on the nation of Isra’el to atone for their sin, there were seventy translators of the Septuagint translation of the TaNaKh into Greek, there were seventy members of the Sanhedrin in the days of Yeshua and there were seventy witnesses to Isra’el sent by Messiah in Luke 10:1.⁷⁰⁹

Stephen’s speech in Acts 7:14 seems to contradict this account by saying that there were seventy-five people who came into Egypt with Ya’akov. But Stephen, being Hellenistic or Greek, would have used the Septuagint translation of the Bible, which added five of Jacob’s great grandchildren through Ephraim and Manasseh.

Because this genealogy contains only the names of his direct descendants, there are four groups that are not accounted for. First, Ya’akov took his daughters with him to Egypt. Only Dinah was named, but there must have been about an equal number of daughters as sons. Second, there are Jacob’s eleven daughters-in-law (Asenath being already in Egypt). Third, there were probably at least thirty-five granddaughters when they left Beersheba (46:7) and fourth, there were his great grandchildren, which could possibly number twenty or thirty. Therefore, I think it would be conservative to say that the number of people who accompanied Ya’akov into Egypt must have amounted to hundreds, at least.

Notice what care the Holy Spirit takes with each name. Many of these names are only listed here in the Bible and not found anywhere else. We don’t know who they are, but ADONAI does. He has a list of those who are in His family; it is called the Lamb’s Book of Life (Revelation 21:27). Yeshua said: He who overcomes will be dressed in white. I will never blot out his or her name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his or her name before my Father and His angels (Revelation 3:5). Have you ever heard of it? The better question is this, is your name written in it? You were born into the family of Adam, but the only way you can get into His genealogy is by adoption when you receive Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. When you do that, you become a child of God⁷¹⁰ (see my commentary on The Life of Christ Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith).

So Isra’el Took All His Offspring with Him to Egypt
46: 1-7

So Isra’el took all his offspring with him to Egypt DIG: What concerns Isra’el as he leaves his homeland of Canaan? As he prepares to meet his long lost son Joseph? As he goes where he has never been before, an alien, likely never to return? How did God reassure Jacob about going to Egypt?

REFLECT: If ADONAI were calling you, rather than Yosef, what would He be asking you to leave behind? Why? What would God want you to keep for your journey? When the Lord wants you to alter your lifestyle, what does He do? How does He get your attention? What might God be asking you to change about your lifestyle now?

Isra’el probably thought he was going to Egypt for only a few years, and even then it was with some reluctance and hesitation that he consented. God had instructed his grandfather Abraham and his father Isaac (Hebrew: Yitz’chak) to stay out of Egypt. He was going, but he felt uncomfortable about it. Until then, each time he had made an important move in his life, God had spoken to him directly. When he left his parents to go to Haran, God had appeared to him at Bethel (28:13-15), when he had been with Laban long enough, God instructed him to return to Canaan (31:3) and even when he left Shechem, God had appeared to him (35:1).⁶⁹⁹ He needed a little more encouragement than the invitation from his son Joseph or even from Pharaoh. He needed a green light from God.⁷⁰⁰

Nevertheless, Isra’el set out with all that was his, and as he journeyed south from Hebron to Egypt, he stopped just before leaving the Promised Land at Beersheba. It was the southern border of the Land and the “point of no return” before entering Egypt. It was there that Abraham had a special revelation from God (21:33), and where he lived after the offering of Yitz’chak (22:19). Jacob had grown up there, but even more, it was a significant location in the life of his father Isaac. It was at Beersheba that God had appeared to Isaac in the night and spoken to him words of promise and comfort.In response, Isaac built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD (26:23-25). Now, perhaps on the same altar, Jacob offered sacrifices to the God of his father Yitz’chak (46:1).

And then, the God of his father Isaac spoke to Isra’el in a vision at night. The inspired author Moses commonly used the name Isra’el, when referring to Jacob. Therefore, God spoke to him and said: Ya’akov ! Ya’akov! The repetition was for emphasis. And Jacob replied: Here I am (46:2). Then for the third time, God comforted Isra’el by reaffirming the Abrahamic Covenant. He said: I AM God, the God of your father. There is no doubt who was speaking to Isra’el. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt (46:3). This is the only time that God approved of the family leaving the Promised Land. Previously, God had told Jacob’s grandfather Abraham not to go down to Egypt, but he disobeyed, and in the process acquired an Egyptian maidservant named Hagar with disastrous consequences (16:1-15). Likewise, the LORD appeared to Isaac and told him, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live” (26:2). But like his father Abraham, he did not listen and almost had his wife taken from him. Even Jacob himself had fled to Haran against God’s wishes after deceiving his father. But here, for the first time, God approved of Ya’akov leaving the Promised Land with his family.

Then the reason is given. God said: For I will make you into a great nation there (46:3). This was a foreshadowing that his journey to Egypt would not be a short one. The Holy Spirit knew that Jacob’s family was in fact leaving the Land of promise and entering a land of slavery. In Egypt, the Israelites would multiply without intermarriage with the goyim. They were fruitful and multiplied greatly, and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land [of Egypt] was filled with them (Exodus 1:7; Psalm 105:24). Eventually their slavery would accomplish God’s purposes just as Joseph’s slavery had been used to His glory. The Israelites would eventually escape from Egypt because of God’s mighty acts (Exodus 7:1 to 14:31), and by His grace they would enter Canaan as a great nation.⁷⁰¹

I will go down to Egypt with you, as He was in Haran and in the Promised Land, and I will surely bring you, singular you meaning Ya’akov, back again (46:4a). Is this an absolute singular or a collective singular? If it is an absolute singular, it means that Jacob will be carried back to the Land and buried there, but if it is being used as a collective singular, it means that the sons of Isra’el will be brought out of Egypt, and therefore God promises the exodus. But either way, his going down to Egypt will fulfill God’s covenant with Abraham. Earlier ADONAI said to Abraham, “Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own, and they will be enslaved and mistreated four hundred years. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions. You, however, will go to your fathers in peace and be buried at a good old age. In the fourth generation your descendants will come back here, for the sin of the Amorites has not yet reached its full measure” (15:13-16).

And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes in death (46:4b). How comforting for Jacob to know that the one he thought dead will be with him at his death.⁷⁰² He now knows that his life will end in Egypt, and indeed, he would spend the next seventeen years there. But there was no turning back once God spoke to him.

Therefore, at Beersheba, God encouraged Ya’akov about going down to Egypt. Identifying Himself as the God of his father Yitz’chak, He assured Jacob that He (El, the strong Creator and Sovereign of all men) would protect and bless him in Egypt, even as He had in Canaan.⁷⁰³  That was the green light Ya’akov had been looking for!

No longer hesitant, Jacob left Beersheba, and Isra’el’s sons took their father Ya’akov and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters. All his offspring were included in God’s divine blessing (46:5-7). Jacob’s family had certainly had as much, if not more, friction as that of Abraham and of Yitz’chak. Yet Ya’akov had no Ishmael, as Abraham had, and no Esau, as Isaac had. Jacob’s decidedly dysfunctional family was on the verge of coming together again, but this time in peace.⁷⁰⁴

Jacob Moves His Family to Egypt
46:1 to 47:12

Joseph is the link between the children of Isra’el and the nation of Isra’el. The conclusion of the Yosef narrative now begins to intersect with the conclusion of the Jacob story, and ultimately with the conclusion of the patriarchal narratives in general. The rest of Genesis brings together issues that relate to the past and future of the patriarchal family. These two chapters bring closure to the past by relating the move of the family to Egypt and their settlement in the land of Goshen (Psalm 105:23-25).⁶⁹⁸

This starts the length of time that the Israelite people lived in Egypt. All totaled, the Bible tells us that they lived there 430 years to the very day (Exodus 12:40).

● From the descent of Ya’akov into Egypt to the death of Yosef, there were 71 years.

● From the death of Joseph to the birth of Moses, there were 278 years.

● From the birth of Moses to his flight into Midian, there were 40 years.

● From the flight of Moses to Midian to his return into Egypt, there were 40 years.

● From the return of Moses into Egypt to the exodus, there was 1 year.

My Son Joseph is Still Alive,
I Will Go and See Him Before I Die
45: 21-28

So the sons of Isra’el did what Pharaoh told them to do. Joseph gave them carts as Pharaoh had said and he also gave them provisions for their journey. As a special favor, he gave each of them two changes of new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes (45:21-22). It is ironic that the bitterness between Yosef and his brothers began over a piece of clothing, Joseph’s coat of many colors (37:3). Now their reconciliation was symbolized by his gifts of new clothing to them.⁶⁹⁵

And to his father he sent ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Again, a truly Egyptian Pharaoh would never have done this. Only a Hyksos Pharaoh would take care of other Semites in that manner. Those were twenty donkeys in addition to the brothers’ own donkeys. After all, they had eighty people to feed. Then Yosef sent his brothers away and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way” (45:23-24)! In other words, don’t poison the future with the pain of the past. He wanted them to know that every one of his promises was real, and they should hurry back to Canaan without delay.

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. Then they told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” The very one whom they had greatly feared was their brother! It is interesting to note though, that there is no record of any confession on their part of the crime committed so many years previous. Jacob was stunned and did not believe them at first (45:25-26). 76. Although Isra’el believed the lie that Yosef was dead, and he would not believe the truth that he was alive. The same is true for Isra’el today; they believe that Yeshua is dead, and will not believe the truth that He is alive.⁶⁹⁶

But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Yosef had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Ya’akov revived. This was proof of what they were saying. His shock and disbelief eventually turned to joy and Isra’el said: I’m convinced! My son Yosef is still alive. I will go and see him before I die (45:27-28). It is fitting that Ya’akov be called Isra’el at the last. Isra’el was Jacob’s new name, a name that spoke of a new destiny and a new future. And Isra’el did indeed have a new hope and a new expectation. Joseph was alive! Isra’el would see him shortly.⁶⁹⁷

Pharaoh told Joseph: Return to Canaan
and Bring Your Father and Families Back to Me
45: 16-20

It didn’t take very long for the news of Joseph’s reunion with his brothers to reach the ears of Pharaoh. Yosef was respected by all of Egypt. He had saved them from starvation and they were grateful. When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Yosef’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased (45:16). As much as Joseph was respected, for any Pharaoh of Egypt to be pleased to see a family of Semitic herdsmen from Canaan was unusual to say the least.

Pharaoh had such a high regard for Yosef that he said to him, “Tell your brothers to load their animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt where you can enjoy the fat of the land” (45:17-18). This is an expression denoting the best products of the land, including oil, corn, wine and wheat. The famine would not last forever, and when it was over the fat of the land would be theirs. This was a very generous offer by Pharaoh.

Such an invitation coming from an Egyptian Pharaoh for Semites was only possible during the Hyksos rule. Normally, an Egyptian Pharaoh, who was truly Egyptian, would never, and I mean never, allow this to take place. However, the Hyksos, being the Semitic conquerors of Egypt, made it possible for another Semitic family to be honored in this way.

You are also directed to tell them, to take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and then come back to live here (45:19). This would make the journey easier for them because then they would not have to walk, and would have been especially helpful to the children. These carts normally had two wooden wheels, and were drawn by oxen or horses. They were unique to Egypt and could be used even where there were no roads. Pharaoh continued to show his concern: Never mind about your bulky household belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours (45:20). Again, this would absolutely never happen with a truly Egyptian Pharaoh. Taking all their bulky household belongings would obviously slow them down, and Pharaoh wanted them to come without delay. This highlights the seriousness of the famine at that time, and it demonstrated Pharaoh’s genuine affection for Joseph.

Joseph Made Himself Known to His Brothers
45: 1-15

Joseph made himself known to his brothers DIG: Why was Joseph able to freely forgive his brothers for what they had done to him? Are his brothers convinced of his forgiveness (see 50:15-21)? Why or why not? As Yosef reveals himself and who he really was, how did he also make God known for who He is, has been, and will be? Based on Joseph’s story how would you define divine providence? What five ways did Joseph foreshadow the life of Christ?

REFLECT: What makes restoring a broken relationship so difficult? What makes attempting to restore a broken relationship so worth the effort? What is the best way to initiate a reconciliation process? Joseph said four times that God was behind the events of his life (verses 5, 7, 8, 9). How does looking at the big picture of life help a person deal with past hurts and injustices? When in your life have you enjoyed divine providence? What is the one thing you have learned from Yosef’s story that would be most helpful to share with someone experiencing tough times? Is there a person in your life that needs your forgiveness? Or is there a person that you need to ask to be forgiven?

Joseph was approaching his fortieth birthday. He was the prime minister of Egypt and had worldwide power. He had wealth that staggered the mind. He had a royal chariot pulled by matching stallions, and wherever he went people would bow before him. His fame had reached around the world. He had a mansion of breathtaking beauty. He had a beautiful wife and two handsome sons, and a wonderfully close relationship with God. But his dream had not come true. He was separated from his brothers and his aged father Jacob, whom he loved dearly. He had everything but a reunion with his family.

No longer could there be any doubt in Yosef’s mind that his brothers were completely changed men. He had subjected them to the most severe tests, and they had passed with flying colors. The testing itself had been a means of spiritual growth for them; they were more conscious than ever of the leading of God and their responsibility to Him. They were more aware than they had ever been of their own unworthiness and of God’s mercy. Finally, their troubles had brought them all closer together, and now they were of one mind, loving one another and their father, as they had never done before.

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” What he was about to say would have been inappropriate for anyone outside the family to hear. So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his eleven brothers (45:1). Even though the servants may not have understood what he was doing, he was so forceful, they obeyed nonetheless. And when he was left alone with his brothers, he cried out to them that he was their brother Yosef, the one they thought was dead.⁶⁸⁴

71. Both Joseph and Jesus were men of compassion. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard him (45:2). Seven times we read of Joseph weeping. First, he wept as he listened to his brothers confessing their sin (42:24). Second, he wept at the sight of his brother Benjamin (43:30). Third, he wept when he made himself known to his brothers (45:2). Fourth, he wept when he was reconciled with his brothers (45:15). Fifth, he wept at the sight of his father Ya’akov (46:29). Sixth, he wept at the death of his father (50:1). And last, he wept when his brothers questioned his love for them (50:15-17). Joseph wept more than anyone in the TaNaKh. How all this reminds us of the tenderheartedness of the Lord Jesus Christ, as so often it was said of Him that He was moved with compassion (Matthew 9:36, 14:14, 18:27; and Mark 1:41, 6:34), and twice He wept; once at the tomb of Lazarus (John 11:35), and later over the holy city of Yerushalayim (Luke 19:41).

72. Both Yosef and Yeshua reveal themselves to the children of Isra’el in an unmistakable way. No longer speaking through an interpreter, Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph!” Two words in Hebrew, and then he added: Is my father still living (45:3)? Judah’s plea to Joseph had centered on the welfare of Jacob, and this had touched his heart. So he naturally asks about him again.⁶⁸⁵  Even though they were at first in shock that the ruler of Egypt spoke Hebrew, in a moment, they knew his true identity. Christ will also reveal Himself in an unmistakable way. After the leadership of Isra’el invites him back (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ), they will look upon Him, the One they had pierced (Zechariah 12:10b). They will see the wounds of His crucifixion, and be convinced that He is the Messiah.

Words fail to describe this scene. It is perhaps the most dramatic reunion in all of literature. It was here that the miracle nation of the children of Isra’el was established. It was the founding of a unique people to whom God’s word and the Messiah would be given. That story continues in the book of Exodus.

73. The children of Isra’el were, at first, troubled at the presence of both Joseph and Jesus. But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were stunned at his presence (45:3). The same is true for the children of Isra’el at the end of the Great Tribulation when they see the wounds of Jesus, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for Him as one grieves for a first-born son (Zechariah 12:10c). At that time, the children of Isra’el will learn the extent of their sin in rejecting and crucifying their Messiah. They shall be troubled indeed.

74. Both Joseph and Jesus acted toward the children of Isra’el in marvelous grace. Then Yosef said to his brothers, nagas, meaning: Come close to me. It was an intimate closeness. The brothers’ stunned silence indicated that they needed further convincing. So when they had drawn close to him he repeated his claim for the second time, saying: I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save your lives that God sent me ahead of you (45:4-5). This was information so personal and private that some members of their own family were unaware of it. They had carefully carried the secret of what they had done to Yosef for twenty-two years. Only Joseph himself could have known the horrible truth. Now he had spoken words they never expected to hear, and none of his brothers could deny the reality of that terrible crime so many years ago. This was Yosef, and there was no escaping that fact.⁶⁸⁶ They were the ones who had put him in a pit and sold him off to slavery. But when they meet again, Yosef had all of the power. What would he do? What would you do if you had all of that power and you gathered the eleven people on earth that had hurt you the most into one room? Bless them? Yosef, however, becomes the portrait of God’s amazing grace. What did he do?

Joseph prepared a royal banquet for those who had hurt him the most. Grace is getting from God what you don’t deserve. Grace can calm the troubled sea of your soul. Grace can fill the barren desert of your life with living water. Grace can bring you through the fire. Grace is an ocean without a shoreline. Grace will set you free from the chains of your past. Have you failed in life? Have you made the wrong choices? Ask the Lord for forgiveness and experience His amazing grace. His grace is greater than all of your sin. Forgive yourself because ADONAI has buried it in the deepest sea. Don’t poison the future with the pain of the past.⁶⁸⁷ And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them (45:15a). So it will be when Isra’el is reconciled to Christ. On that day a fountain will be opened to the house of David and the inhabitants of Yerushalayim, to cleanse them from sin and impurity (Zechariah 13:1). Then shall Messiah say to Isra’el: For a brief moment I abandoned you, but with deep compassion I will bring you back. In a surge of anger I hid My face from you for a moment, but with everlasting kindness I will have compassion on you says ADONAI your Redeemer (see the commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Je – The Restoration of the Wife of the LORD).

Jacob and his family could not have survived had they lived in the land of Palestine at that particular time. They would have perished because the famine was closer to its beginning than to its ending.⁶⁸⁸ For two years now there has been a famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing or reaping (45:6).

And Yosef announced prophetically: But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance (45:7). Joseph knew that the providence of God desired that Isra’el and his sons be preserved in Egypt. No doubt Joseph had consoled himself many times with this principle of faith.⁶⁸⁹

Continuing to speak in Hebrew, for the third time he said to them, “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.” It is interesting that Yosef talks about his personal accomplishments last. He does not start with how important he is, the success he has achieved, or the honors that have come his way. Finally, he says: He made me prime minister to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt (45:8). This was no selfish display because he begins by divulging to his brothers why, in his analysis, he was in Egypt in the first place. Joseph talks more about God than about himself.⁶⁹⁰

75. The children of Isra’el went out and proclaimed the glories of both Yosef and Yeshua. Now hurry back to my father and say to him, “This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don’t delay” (45:9). In the same way, Isra’el, after being reconciled with Christ, will proclaim the glories of their King. ADONAI says: I will set a sign among them, and I will send some of the believing remnant of Jews, those who survive the Great Tribulation, to evangelize the Gentile nations – to Tarshish, to the Libyans and Lydians, to Tubal and Greece, and to the distant islands that have not heard of My fame or seen My glory. They will proclaim My glory among the nations (Isaiah 66:19).

You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me, you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have (45:10). Goshen was located in the eastern Nile delta region, which was the land bridge that connected the Egypt of Africa with the land of Canaan. This was near the city of Tanis, which was the capital of Hyksos rule. This would put them near Joseph, with territory suitable for grazing.

I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will literally be robbed of their possessions and become destitute. You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you (45:11-12). They stood there absolutely spellbound as they listened to Joseph speaking words that seemed unbelievable. And they would have been unbelievable, except that Yosef was right there before them.⁶⁹¹   Yes, this was certainly Joseph, and there was no getting around it.⁶⁹²

Even Benjamin, to whom all that must have been a complete surprise, could see and hear that it was really Yosef. He had been only a child when Joseph had supposedly been slain by a wild animal, so that he hardly remembered him, except for what his father had related to him. The experiences of that day would be very real in his mind for a long time, the shock of having Joseph’s silver bowl found in his sack, the uncertainty as to the terrible fate that seemed his, Judah’s impassioned defense and offer to substitute for him, and now suddenly finding that his older brother was alive and ruling Egypt! There had never been such a day in his entire life. Indeed he would tell his father all that he had seen and heard that day!⁶⁹³

Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly (45:13). They needed to get out of the land of Canaan. Now Yosef wanted his father to know that he was going down to life, not to death, to Egypt, not to the grave as he said in 42:38.⁶⁹⁴

Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. They were reunited. And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. They were reconciled. Afterward his brothers talked with him (45:14-15). Did Joseph disown his brothers because they sinned against him? Did he replace his brothers with his Gentile bride when they came in? No he did not, and because Yosef points us to the Messiah, neither will He. Therefore, replacement theology is entirely false. God has not replaced the Jewish people with the Gentile Church. For ADONAI will not reject His people; He will never forsake His inheritance (Psalm 94:14; Isaiah 41:17, 42:16).

Yosef was making peace with his past. He did not retaliate even though his brothers had sinned against him, even though, from a human perspective, he had every right to do so. He responded with compassion and forgiveness. He embraced them and loved them. How could he do that? How could he act against human nature? He truly believed in the sovereignty of God. He understood that ADONAI was working through all the painful events, and that His purposes were coming to pass. What an example of Christ-likeness! Then Peter came up and said to him, “Rabbi, how often can my brother sin against me and I have to forgive him? As many as seven times?” “No, not seven times,” answered Yeshua, “but seventy times seven” (Matthew 18:21-22 CJB). Dear friend, is there a person in your life whom you need to forgive? Or from whom you need to receive forgiveness? Take care of it now so that Yeshua ha-Meshiach may be honored. For how can we not forgive others when the Christ has forgiven us?

Judah said: Let Me Remain as Your Slave,
but Let the Boy Return to My Father
44: 18-34

Judah said: Let me remain as your slave, but let the boy return to my father DIG: How do Judah’s actions here compare with what he said and did when Joseph was sold into slavery (37:26-28)? How great a sacrifice is he willing to make? For whose sake, primarily? His own? Benjamin’s? Isra’el’s? Why do you think so? What does this tell you about how Judah has matured spiritually?

REFLECT: Where is ADONAI calling you, like Judah, to do something honorable or courageous? Where, like Yosef, have you given your brothers or sisters in Christ the chance to prove themselves or be reconciled? When has this chance to forgive been offered to you? What did you do with the chance? With whom do you still hold out hope for reconciliation? What hope does this story give you?

Parashah 11: vaYigash (He approached) 44:18-47:27
(see my commentary on Deuteronomy, to see link click Af – Parashah)

The Key People include Judah, Joseph, the brothers, Jacob, Pharaoh, and the sons.

The Scenes include Goshen, Egypt, Canaan, Beersheba, and the district of Rameses.

The Main Events include Judah offering to take Benjamin’s place, Joseph revealing his identity, the brothers returning to Jacob, God reassuring Jacob on his trip to Egypt, sons listed, Pharaoh giving the family the best land in Goshen, the famine continuing with the Egyptians selling Joseph their livestock, their land, and themselves, being indebted to Pharaoh.

We now come to the dramatic climax of the story of Joseph. Without question, this account is, perhaps, one of the most exciting, intense, and beautifully constructed narratives in all of the Scriptures, if not in all literature. In this last and greatest episode, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers; is reunited with his father, Jacob; and provides a temporary home for his family in Egypt to save them from the terrible famine that was devastating the western Near East.

There are so many deep emotions ready to surface in this dramatic conclusion of Joseph’s story. First, we need to think of Jacob. He was quit aged, having told Pharaoh in 47:9 that he was one hundred and thirty years old. Yet, he had spent many of his latter years in sorrowful grief over the loss of his favorite son, Joseph. Even though he had eleven other sons, he could still not be comforted from what he thought of as the death of Joseph. He was in great need of being united with his dear son.

Then there were the eleven brothers of Joseph. How did they feel about what happened? This is something Joseph has been sitting on the edge of his throne to know! This is the main reason he devised the tests that he carried out on them. He wanted to find out how they felt about his departure and to see if there was any repentance or remorse.

Finally, there was Joseph. What was he feeling? Already before this parashah, we have had significant glimpses into his emotions. When his brothers first approached him during their initial trip to Egypt, we are told when Joseph overheard them discussing what they did to him, “He turned away from them and wept (42:24). Again on the second visit, after he saw Benjamin for the first time since coming to Egypt, “Joseph hurried out, because his feelings toward his brother we so strong that he wanted to cry; he went into his bedroom and there he wept (43:30).  Finally, for the third time, Joseph burst into tears when he revealed himself to his brothers, and then a fourth time when he was reunited with his father.

As we begin this portion, just the mention of their father stirred Joseph’s heart because he realized what would happen to him if his sons returned without Benjamin. Yosef could tell that his brothers would rather not go back at all than to see their father die from grief. So Judah spoke up again, this time asking to exchange his life for the life of his younger brother. His speech is the longest and perhaps the most moving in Genesis.

Then Judah, as spokesman for the brothers, went up to Joseph and speaking very respectfully, said: Please, my lord, let your servant speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself (44:18). Then he reviewed selected portions of the conversations he had had earlier with Yosef and his father. Understandably, Judah only recalls those things that will be helpful in gaining Benjamin’s release.

My lord asked his servants, “Do you have a father or a brother?” And we answered, “We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him (44:19-20).

Then you said to your servants, “Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.” And we said to my lord, “The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die. But you told your servants, “Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again” (44:22-23).

When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said. Then our father said, “Go back and buy a little more food.” But we said, “We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.” Your servant my father said to us, “You know that my wife bore me two sons. Rachael was the only woman I really wanted for a wife, and so it was as though I only had two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. Actually, Isra’el had been deceived, and Joseph can see that now. He believes that Yosef had been torn to pieces and was dead. Previous statements about him had been somewhat vague. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery (44:24-29). As a result, Judah was not only pleading for the life of Benjamin, but also for the life of his father.

So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life (the Hebrew literally reads his soul is knit with the boy’s soul), sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. The relationship between Jonathan and David is also pictured this way in First Samuel 18:1. Your servant will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Judah knew that he would be responsible for causing the death of his father. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, “If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life” (44:30-32). At last, Judah came to the climax of his appeal.

Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers (42:33). It was Judah’s suggestion that Yosef was sold into slavery, but now he was willing to become a slave as a substitute for Benjamin. He was indeed a changed man. The Ruach ha-Kodesh was at work, testing, training and transforming him.⁶⁸²  Long ago he was jealous of Joseph’s special relationship with his father, but now, he had no jealousy of Benjamin’s special relationship with Isra’el.

I would have loved to be there with Joseph and to see his face after hearing Judah’s words. You see the important part of this encounter between Joseph and Judah teaches us that people can change. It teaches us that just because a person made some big mistakes it does not mean that he doesn’t have a conscience. It teaches us that in every one who walks on two legs, and can talk and think and imagine, there is the bad inclination and also there is a good inclination. The challenge that we all have is the same challenge that Judah had It is the challenge to own up to our mistakes and evil deeds and reverse the evil as much as possible by doing good, owning up to our mistakes and evil inclinations and doing good. Yes, Judah does it, and he now volunteers information about Jacob, his father, and Joseph’s father. This information will melt Joseph’s heart and force him to repent too and confess what he has been hiding from his eleven brothers.

Judah and all the brothers knew that Benjamin did not steal the silver bowl, but he could not argue against the evidence. Therefore, the only thing he could do was to bear his punishment for him. He would claim the sack in which the cup had been found as his own, and Benjamin would take Judah’s. Therefore, he said to the prime minister of Egypt: How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come upon my father (44:34). Earlier, Judah had promised his father that he would be surety for Benjamin (43:9). Little did he know how literal his promise would become.

It was indeed an unselfish action on Judah’s part to offer himself in his brother’s place. As Yeshua stated: Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends (John 15:13). And indeed, that is what King Jesus has done for you and me. Although He was sinless, He came to the earth to be our substitute, and whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life (John 3:16). Although we deserve death for our sins, He went to the cross instead. Is this not a King worthy of following? Have you made a decision to follow the Kosher King this day?⁶⁸³

Therefore, the children of Isra’el, especially Judah, had clearly changed and passed Joseph’s last test. Rather than see Benjamin go into slavery, they all would have been willing to take his place. This transformation of the brothers, represented in Judah, was every bit as miraculous as the rise of Yosef to prime minister of Egypt and when we next see Joseph, we will see that he has changed as dramatically as his brothers.