GENESIS
April 7, 2018
(All Scripture taken from One New Man Bible unless otherwise noted)
It is now time, humanly speaking that is, for God and man to meet: “And Joseph brought in Jacob his father and set him before Pharaoh and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How old are you?’ 9And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred thirty years: few and bad have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.’ 10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from before Pharaoh.” Genesis 47:7-10
In these three verses, we see that Jacob, the man of God, blessed Pharaoh the man of the world not once but twice: when they first met and when they departed.
The Pharaoh Jacob met was Rameses II who, according to historians, and he reigned during the 19th dynasty. His name means son of the sun, which would mean that he figured he was descended from the sun god Ra, one of their most powerful idols. He became Pharaoh at the age of 30 and reigned for 67 years. So hearing that Jacob was 130 at the time of their meeting must have been very impressive! And we do not know Pharaoh’s reaction to Jacobs’ blessings, but as Joseph was in so much favor, we can assume that he accepted and maybe even considered Jacob’s evangelism. However, we never hear about any revival going on – even after the Exodus, so we know that although the seed was planted, via Joseph and his father Jacob, it did not grow. [And that actually becomes more than clear during Moses’ exchanges with his Pharaoh!]
The rest of chapter 47 tells us how the famine progressed and what it meant to the people of Egypt and Canaan. At first the people bought their grain with money: “And the famine was over all the face of the earth and Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, and the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57And all countries came into Egypt to Joseph to buy grain because the famine was severe in all lands.” Genesis 41:56-57. And in Genesis 43:27 we read that one of Joseph’s brothers, while returning back home from their first trip, “…saw his money, for, behold, it was in his sack’s mouth.”
But the famine lasted seven years and how can farmers and herdsmen keep making money during a famine which would directly affect their base source of income? What to do? Joseph took it step-by-step: “And when money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us food, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has been spent.’ 16And Joseph said, ‘Give me your cattle and I shall give you grain for your cattle, if money fails.’” Genesis 47:15-16
And after that…“‘We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent. My lord also has our herds of cattle, there is not anything left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies and our lands. 19Why will we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread and we and our land will be servants to Pharaoh, and give us seed so we may live and not die, so that the land will not desolate.’ 20And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for the Egyptians sold each man’s field because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.” Genesis 47:18-20
And, although this passage comes after the arrival of Joseph’s family, it must have taken place beforehand else Pharaoh would not have been able to offer them the land of Goshen, as it would not have been his to offer.
So Joseph drew up a contract between the citizens of Egypt and Pharaoh that lasted as long as the Pharaohs did: “Then Joseph said to the people. ‘Behold, I have purchased you and your land for Pharaoh this day, so here is seed for you and you will sow the land. 24And it will be with the increase that you will give a fifth part to Pharaoh, and four parts will be your own, for seed of the field, for your food, for those of your households, and for your little ones.’ 25And they said, ‘You have saved our lives. Let us find favor in the sight of my lord ad we will be Pharaoh’s servants.’ 26And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part, except the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s.” Genesis 47:23-26
Notice that Joseph did not order them to give a tenth. He surely was told throughout his childhood the stories of Abraham his great-grandfather (who died 76 years before he was born) who gave 10% of his spoils to Melchizedek which he understood to be the tithe. But interestingly enough Joseph doubled that tribute for Pharaoh. This, I believe was the wisdom of God also, considering Man is never as generous as God, especially one who thinks he is one!
So we are wrapping up the seven year famine. Pharaoh now owns not only all the land but all the people, which totally propagates his god-like ego, and answers all the questions I have ever had. God’s people are saved and safe via His placement, “And God sent me before you to preserve you for a heritage in the earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8So now it was not you who sent me here, but God.” Genesis 45:7-8
AND simultaneously fulfilled a prophecy God personally gave to Abraham at the time of the first covenant He made with him in Genesis 15:13-14, “And He said to Abram, ‘Know of a surety that your seed will be a stranger in a land that is not theirs and will serve them and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14And also that I AM will judge that nation whom they will serve, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.’”
But as for now, “Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in the region of Goshen and they had obtained possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.” Genesis 47:27
So now all the chess pieces of God’s plan have been put in place and there will be a season of peace and prosperity. It’s time to relax and enjoy life. They’re on their mountain top experience, which will be well deserved considering what is going to happen in a few years or so. We don’t know how long their actual slavery lasted although it probably happened fairly soon considering 15:13 that we just read. What we do know is that it was cruel and harsh and their entire lifespan in Egypt was four hundred years – to the day, by the way, and by that time something happened in their written records that wiped Joseph, or Zephanath-paneah the Semite off their historical records.
But what we need to remember is that no matter what happens in life, we belong to Him and He not only knew what was going to happen before it did, but He had a plan for it also: either a plan for escape, or a plan for our character improvement and always a plan for His glory if we would just continue to trust in Him.
So, (and I quote this tongue-in-cheek, as it is my main struggle in life) “Consider it all joy, my brothers, when various trials light upon you, 3knowing that the proving of your faith produces endurance. 4And the endurance must attain its purpose, so that you would be mature and complete and not falling short in any way.” Jacob 1:2-5 (bold mine for much needed emphasis – at least for me).
But may this week, at least, be a mountain top week for you!!
“‘The LORD will bless you and He will keep you. 25The LORD will make His face to shine upon you and He will be gracious to you. 26The LORD will lift His countenance to you and He will establish Shalom for you.’ 27And they will put My name upon the children of Israel and I will bless them.” Numbers 6:24-27
And we are all His children adopted into Israel! BE BLESSED!!
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