The First Journey to Egypt
42: 1-38
As the famine spread throughout the earth, Israel’s family was beginning to fall on hard times. The famine that had started in Egypt had affected Canaan and other lands in the Near East. The Promised Land was not flowing with milk and honey. The invisible hand of ADONAI had turned off the tap. It had become a land of starvation and desperation. Jacob’s family business was primarily raising cattle and sheep rather than farming. They had endured a year of famine before, and they had reserves for such an occurrence. But when the second year of famine came upon them and their reserves had run out, it was time to act. They had to find grain to sustain themselves and their families, about eighty people in all. But even though they had great wealth, there was no grain to be bought in Canaan. So Ya’akov sent his ten sons to Egypt to buy it there. But why didn’t he send all of his sons? He had lost Yosef, and he wasn’t about to lose Benjamin.648
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