This Way To Genesis

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Genesis 44:14-34


● Gen 44:14-17 . .When Judah and his brothers re-entered the house
of Joseph, who was still there, they threw themselves on the ground
before him. Joseph said to them: What is this deed that you have
done? Do you not know that a man like me practices divination?

. . . Judah replied: What can we say to my lord? How can we plead,
how can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered the crime of
your servants. Here we are, then, slaves of my lord, the rest of us as
much as he in whose possession the goblet was found. But he
replied: Far be it from me to act thus! Only he in whose possession
the goblet was found shall be my slave; the rest of you go back in
peace to your father.

Surely Jacob wouldn't blame the older boys for the loss, since he was fully
aware of the risks involved when he sent his sons back to Egypt for food;
and the evidence against Benjamin made it appear he had no one to blame
but himself for getting into trouble. And this time, the men wouldn't have to
fake a death like they did Joseph's. It was a perfect situation; and I really
think Joseph fully expected them to take advantage of Benjamin's plight and
go back home without Joseph's brother; clapping themselves on the back for
their good fortune at ridding themselves of yet one more "favorite" sibling.

I can only imagine Joseph's surprise to see them all, to a man, including the
Terrible Trio-- Rueben, Simeon, and Levi --following his steward home with
their clothing ripped, and their heads hung low with fear and anxiety.

Then, as if that wasn't surprise enough; Judah steps forward and pins the
blame, not on Benjamin, but on all eleven of their own selves; thus
demonstrating a degree of solidarity that I have no doubt Joseph had never
before seen among his prone-to-rivalry elder brothers. Instead of asking
how can Benjamin prove "his" innocence, Judah asks how can "we" prove
"our" innocence. So then, Benjamin's alleged guilt is the whole family's guilt,
rather than an individual matter; and in point of fact, it is a national matter
too because those twelve men (counting Joseph) as a unit, represented the
blossoming nation of Israel.

● Gen 44:18 . .Then Judah went up to him and said: Please, my lord,
let your servant appeal to my lord, and do not be impatient with your
servant, you who are the equal of Pharaoh.

Joseph didn't dispute Judah on the matter of being the equal of Pharaoh. Not
that he was a pharaoh; but that to Egypt's people, Joseph was as close to
being the actual pharaoh as anybody under a pharaoh could possibly get.
Compare Dan 7:13-13 where a human being is honored with the powers of
God; so that God's subjects have to bend the knee to that highly exalted
man just as if he were God in person. (cf. Ps 110:1 and Php 2:9-11)

● Gen 44:19-34 . . My lord asked his servants: Have you a father or
another brother? We told my lord: We have an old father, and there
is a child of his old age, the youngest; his full brother is dead, so that
he alone is left of his mother, and his father dotes on him. Then you
said to your servants: Bring him down to me, that I may set eyes on
him. We said to my lord: The boy cannot leave his father; if he were
to leave him, his father would die. But you said to your servants:
Unless your youngest brother comes down, you will not see my face.

. . .When we came back to your servant my father, we reported my
lord's words to him. Later our father said: Go back and procure some
food for us. We answered: We cannot go down; only if our youngest
brother is with us can we go down, for we may not see the man's
face unless our youngest brother is with us.

. . .Your servant my father said to us: As you know, my wife bore me
two sons. But one is gone from me, and I said: Alas, he was torn by
a beast! And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me,
too, and he meets with disaster, you will send my white head down
to death in sorrow.

. . . Now, if I come to your servant my father and the boy is not with
us-- since his own life is so bound up with his --when he sees that
the boy is not with us, he will die, and your servants will send the
white head of your servant our father down to death in grief. Now
your servant has pledged himself for the boy to my father, saying: If
I do not bring him back to you, I shall stand guilty before my father
forever.

. . .Therefore, please let your servant remain as a slave to my lord
instead of the boy, and let the boy go back with his brothers. For
how can I go back to my father unless the boy is with me? Let me
not be witness to the woe that would overtake my father!

Judah's impassioned plea isn't for Benjamin's sake, but for the sake of his
father. That is an incredible turn-around since nobody seemed to care much
about Jacob's feelings back in chapter 37 when they all to a man
manipulated their dad into concluding Joseph was mauled to death by a wild
animal.
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Genesis 45:1-3


● Gen 45:1-2 . . Joseph could stand it no longer. Out, all of you! He
cried out to his attendants. He wanted to be alone with his brothers
when he told them who he was. Then he broke down and wept
aloud. His sobs were so loud that the Egyptians could hear, and so
the news reached Pharaoh's palace.

The brothers have repeatedly proven their integrity, their family unity, and
their filial loyalty. Joseph could gain nothing more conclusive than Judah's
impassioned plea by additional stratagems; and by now, his own emotional
tension was becoming overwhelming; even for a big strong man like himself,
and it was all he could do to order his entourage out of the room before
totally losing his composure right in front of everybody.

I can well imagine the shock and confusion that Joseph's housekeeping staff
must have felt when their normally rock steady, no-monkey-business master
broke down and began sobbing like a little girl who just lost her favorite
Barbie down the garbage disposal. They had probably never once seen the
second highest man in Egypt make an open display of emotion like this
before; and the palace grapevine was instantly abuzz about it.

● Gen 45:3a . . I am Joseph: he said to his brothers. Is my father still
alive?

That question is so unnecessary that it makes no sense he would even ask.
The brothers had mentioned Joseph's dad no less than fourteen times up to
this point. Reading between the lines, and given the stress of the moment,
what Joseph actually said was: Is my father really, really still alive!? And I
don't think he asked that question of his brothers; but of himself; like a
lottery winner who asks themselves: I won!? Me!?

I think, that as the years in Egypt accumulated, Joseph had given up his dad
for dead and fully expected never to see him again. The news of Jacob's
continuing existence has been just beyond belief, and way too good to be
true. No doubt some of us feel very strongly that the world would be a much
better place to be rid of our own dads; but not Joseph. He enjoyed a normal
relationship at home, and was in fact his own dad's favorite son over all the
others.

Joseph was a very fortunate man to have lived with a dad who filled his
developing years with love, nurturing, attention, and acceptance. Some of
us, your host included, have no clue what that must be like; and never will.
I've seen a report online indicating that upwards of 80% of prison inmates
were victims of child abuse. Following are some interesting "father" facts.

Only about 50% of America's kids will spend their entire childhood in an
intact family. 24,000,000 children in America sleep in homes where their
natural fathers do not live.

Approximately half of the kids in the United States will live in a single parent
home at some point before the age of 18.

Nationally, 40% of kids whose fathers live outside the home have zero
contact with them. The other 60 percent have contact an average of just 69
days during the year.

Kids from father-absent homes are 5x more likely to live in poverty, 3x more
likely to fail in school, 2 to 3x more likely to develop emotional and
behavioral problems, and 3x more likely to commit suicide.

Up to 70% of adolescents charged with murder are from fatherless homes;
and up to 70% of long-term prison inmates grew up in a fatherless home.

People like that can't be expected to connect with Joseph's feelings for his
dad. Reading this section in Genesis is about as emotional an experience for
them as reading the Wall Street Journal. I'm not criticizing; I'm only pointing
out that it's difficult for some people to relate to this section of Genesis all
because they were emotionally mangled in the meat grinder of a affection
starved childhood.

The physical growth of thousands of North Korean children is being
stunted by malnutrition; while here in America where our cities' homeless
eat like kings in comparison, the emotional development of thousands of
children is being stunted by filial neglect and indifference. I really don't know
whom to say is the worse off . . NK children or US children.

● Gen 45:3b . . But his brothers could not answer him, for his sudden
emergence was making them palpitate.

I think part of their internal shivering was due to the fact that they instantly
realized that this man, whom they assumed was a foreigner, knew their
language and perfectly understood everything they had been discussing in
his presence all along. Coupled with that was their instant terror that their
long-lost kid brother was in a pretty good position for revenge: to do unto
them as they had done unto him. And the brothers were utterly powerless to
prevent him from doing so.
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Awesome reading WH - when translated into our own every -day -speech ! Thank you for taking the trouble !

 

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Thank you for taking the trouble!

I truly appreciate your gratitude but must confess it's no trouble; it's a
hobby.

I got the urge to attempt Genesis front-to-back in 1997 when I ran across a
book on the bargain rack at Barnes & Noble called "The Bible As History" by
Werner Keller.

Soon after, I found another book called "The Genesis Record" by Henry M.
Morris.

With those two books as a spring board (and a fair amount of naïvetè) I set
out; and even after all these years, and more internet forums and message
boards than I can remember, it's still exciting to pioneer Genesis threads
and blogs in new territory.
_

 

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Genesis 45:4-13


● Gen 45:4a . .Then Joseph said to his brothers: Come close to me.

You can just safely bet they had reflexively shrunk back from him as far as
the boundaries of the room would permit.

● Gen 45:4b-7 . .When they had done so, he said: I am your brother
Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed
and do not be disappointed in yourselves for selling me here,
because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two
years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five
years there will not be plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead
of you to preserve for you a progeny on earth and to save your lives
by a great rescue.

If it was only God's ambition to preserve Israel's future, He could have easily
prevented the famine. And if He was looking ahead to Israel's rescue from
Egyptian slavery, then couldn't He have just simply ordered Jacob to move
everybody down to Egypt? No, that wouldn't have worked because the
Hebrews were an abomination to the Egyptians. They would never have
allowed the Hebrews to immigrate and settle in Egypt's choicest land under
normal circumstances.

So then, God set things up so that Egypt would owe the Hebrews a big
favor; and would welcome them in spite of their disgust. Pharaoh and the
Egyptians couldn't just take Joseph's providence for granted; no, they were
deeply indebted for saving them all from starvation and possibly conquest by
foreign powers.

NOTE: Famines are the result of climate change; which is a natural earth
cycle. Nowadays, climate change is depicted as a man-made evil; but in
reality, climate change is normal and would happen anyway regardless of
the amount of fossil fuel man burns or doesn't burn. In other words: God
didn't cause the famine in Josephs' day as a special event like the Flood; no,
He simply saw it coming before anybody else did; just as He had seen many
like it in the past.

● Gen 45:8 . . So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He
made me father to Pharaoh; lord of his entire household and ruler of
all Egypt.

The sense in which Joseph was a "father" to Pharaoh, was in the capacity of
a guardian; viz: a provider, a counselor, and a protector. If not for Joseph,
Pharaoh's kingdom would have surely collapsed.

The Hebrew word for "father" is 'ab (awb); which is ambiguous in that it has
several applications. It can apply to a genetic ancestor (e.g. Gen 2:24), an
inventor of skills and trades (e.g. Gen 4:20-21), a political big shot (2Kgs
5:13), a spiritual counselor (2Kgs 6:21), and God. (Ps 44:1)

● Gen 45:9-11 . . 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. 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. 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 become destitute.

Goshen was the fertile region in northeastern Egypt; situated to the west of
today's Suez Canal: a district of about 900 square miles; which is pretty
much the eastern half of the Nile delta.

NOTE: When Moses left Goshen, he didn't go directly to Palestine along the
coastal trade route; but took Yhvh's people a bit south first towards the
modern city of Suez (Ex 13:17-18). In his day, the Gulf Of Suez arm of the
Red Sea extended about 50 miles farther north than it does now. Lake
Timsah-- at the current town of Ismailia --and The Great Bitter Lake, and
the Little Bitter Lake are all that remain as witnesses to that portion of the
ancient sea bed.

● Gen 45:12-13 . .You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother
Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. Tell my father
about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you
have seen. And bring my father down here quickly.

Jacob would want to know just exactly how the brothers learned Joseph's
Egyptian identity. By getting the news right from the horse's mouth, there
would be no reason for Jacob to doubt their story.

Joseph didn't refer to Jacob as "our" father; no, he made his association with
Jacob far more personal than that. He referred to Jacob as "my" father;
which reminds me of another's statement.

"Go to my brethren, and say unto them: I ascend unto my Father, and your
Father; and to my God, and your God." (John 20:17)
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Genesis 45:14-28


● Gen 45:14-15 . .Then he threw his arms around his brother
Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. And he
kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers
talked with him.

I seriously think the ten brothers were so consternated to the point of
paralyzing terror as to be rendered utterly mute until Joseph adequately
allayed their fears, and proved his good will towards them with all his
blubbering and hugging; and I also think they never took their eyes off his
hands the whole time, half expecting him to draw a jeweled dagger and
pierce it through each man's liver in turn.

There was a time when the older brothers were so infected with rivalry
towards Joseph that any conversation they had with him, if they had any at
all, was punctuated with hostility (Gen 37:4). I think you can safely bet that
at this point, their conversation is re-punctuated with supplication, humility,
hats in hand, and profuse apologies rather than hostility.

Joseph was an extremely magnanimous man; with a degree of self control
that is really quite amazing. If anybody in the Old Testament was justified to
nurse a grudge, it has to be him. Surely he deserves some recognition for
exemplifying at least one of Jesus' beatitudes.

"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God." (Matt
5:9)

There are some people in this world who are simply implacable. They refuse
to bury the hatchet and move on. No, for them, rivalry, revenge, spite,
retaliation, stubbornness, and grudging are a way of life: every
disagreement is an act of war-- they're emotional and reactive, and they
thrive on criticism, sarcasm, chafing, carping, finding fault, thoughtless
remarks, demeaning comments, insults, contempt, ridicule, bickering, retort
upon retort, endless yeah-buts, telling other people off, and giving people a
piece of their mind.

It should go without saying that warlike people can't possibly be allowed into
heaven because God's home is a place of peace. It just wouldn't be fair to
the others to let confrontational people loose in paradise to wreck it for
everybody.

● Gen 45:21-22a . .The sons of Israel did so; Joseph gave them
wagons as Pharaoh had commanded, and he supplied them with
provisions for the journey. To each of them, moreover, he gave a
change of clothing;

Their "change of clothing" wasn't just some fresh clothes. The changes were
actually garments suitable for formal occasions like an audience with a king,
or hob-nobbing with aristocrats (e.g. Gen 41:14, 2Kgs 25:27-30). So the
changes were pretty expensive; like Valentino suits.

● Gen 45:22b . . but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of
silver and several changes of clothing.

You know, some people just never seem to learn. It was because of
favoritism that Joseph's brothers were provoked to malicious sibling rivalry
in the first place; and here he is repeating the very same mistake grandpa
Isaac made in chapter 25, and the very same mistake papa Jacob made in
chapter 37. Benjamin had done nothing to deserve preferential treatment
over and above his elder brothers. The only reason that Joseph treated him
better than the others is simply the fact that they shared the same mother;
that's all: which Webster's defines as nepotism.

● Gen 45:23-24 . . And he sent to his father these things: ten jack
burros loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female burros
loaded with grain, bread, and food for his father for the journey. So
he sent his brothers away, and they departed; and he said to them:
See that you are not distracted along the way.

Apparently the trade route from Egypt to Canaan offered diversions aplenty
to entertain grown men; which Joseph would like his brothers to avoid this
time around because he was anxious to get his dad moved into Egypt as
soon as was practical. In point of fact, time was of the essence what with
five more years of famine conditions yet to come; with each succeeding year
much worse than those preceding it. I think Joseph wanted his dad settled in
before the worst of it took hold of the region and put them all, including their
livestock, in very imminent danger of perishing.

● Gen 45:25-26 . . So they went up out of Egypt and came to their
father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him: Joseph is still
alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt. Jacob was stunned and didn't
believe them.

He didn't believe them because for one thing; he was led to believe all these
years that Joseph was dead; hence Jacob was incredulous and one could
hardly blame him. As an example, suppose a total stranger should walk up
to your door some day and announce you won a 42 million-dollar Powerball
lottery. Now add that to the fact that you have never bought a Powerball
lottery ticket in your whole life. Would you begin jumping up and down and
shouting hallelujah? I don't think so. I think you would be skeptical; just as
skeptical as Jacob.

The actual Hebrew of Gen 45:26 says that Jacob's heart became sluggish;
viz: his blood pressure dropped and he quite literally paled. You have to
remember that Jacob was 135 years old at this point in his life, and would
live only another seventeen more (Gen 47:28). Older people don't do well
with shock; it can actually kill them.

● Gen 45:26-28 . . But when they told him everything Joseph had
said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry
him back, their father Jacob's strength returned. And Israel said: I'm
convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I
die.

No doubt Jacob had to sit down-- more likely lay down with his feet elevated
--while his sons related their adventures in Egypt; and quite possibly it was
right then that they confessed to their selling Jacob's favorite son into
slavery. Better they tell him now than wait till he finds out later from Joseph.
_

 

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Genesis 46:1-30


● Gen 46:1 . . So Israel set out with all that was his, and he came to
Beer-sheba, where he offered sacrifices to the God of his father
Isaac.

I would imagine that Jacob was a bit uncertain as to whether or not he
should leave the promised land and go to Egypt, even though his granddad
had migrated for that exact same reason back in chapter 12. Jacob was
promised a multitude of offspring who were supposed to inherit Palestine,
and how ever could that happen if he wasn't even living in the land? And it
seemed every time a patriarch left Palestine they got into trouble. Jacob had
to wonder: Was he walking into a trap?

Jacob, being a prophet, may have suspected that the prediction below was
somehow related to his present circumstances.

"Then Yhvh said to Abram: 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." (Gen
15:13-15)

● Gen 46:2-4a . . God called to Israel in a vision by night: Jacob!
Jacob! He answered: Here. And He said: I am 'El, the god of your
father. Fear not to go down to Egypt, for I will make you there into a
great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself
will also bring you back;

Although El's promise to accompany Jacob in Egypt was generous; He pretty
much had to because back in Gen 28:15 Yhvh said "Remember, I am with
you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring you back to this land.
I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you."

Since Jacob was destined to die in Egypt, God's promise to "bring you back"
would be quite hollow unless He intended to raise Jacob from the dead some
day; which He does. (Matt 8:11)

There were so many 'els out and about in Jacob's day that it was necessary
for Jacob's god to pick His words carefully in order to make sure people fully
understood who He was so they didn't confuse Him with one of the other
deities popular in that day. By identifying Himself to Jacob as the "god of
your father" there was no mistaking who was speaking.

● Gen 46:4b . . and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.

That must have been a comforting prediction for Jacob. Not the dying part,
but the fact that he would die in Joseph's company, rather than dying
somewhere distant only for Joseph to hear about it later before he had a
chance to say his farewells.

● Gen 46:5-7 . . So Jacob set out from Beer-sheba. The sons of Israel
put their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the
wagons that Pharaoh had sent to transport him; and they took along
their livestock and the wealth that they had amassed in the land of
Canaan. Thus Jacob and all his offspring with him came to Egypt: he
brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons, his daughters
and granddaughters-- all his offspring.

Not mentioned as participants in the wagon train were the slaves; the
"wealth that they had amassed in the land of Canaan" would have included
them as well as the livestock. If Isaac passed down granddad Abraham's
army to Jacob; then the whole troupe-- family, wagons, slaves, and of
course the herds; composed of sheep, goats, cows, burros, and camels -
must have been a very impressive sight traveling down the road to Shur into
Egypt.

The Hebrew word for "daughter" is ambiguous. It can mean an immediate
female offspring (e.g. Gen 46:15) or even all the females in a whole country
(e.g. Gen 28:8). But in this case, the females referred to were limited to
Jacob's own biological children (vs 7 and vs 26) rather than including every
female in the camp.

● Gen 46:8-27 . .These are the names of the Israelites, Jacob and his
descendants, who came to Egypt-- all the persons belonging to
Jacob who came to Egypt --his own issue, aside from the wives of
Jacob's sons --all these persons numbered 66. And Joseph's sons
who were born to him in Egypt were two in number. Thus the total of
Jacob's household who came to Egypt was seventy persons.

The number would have to include both Joseph and Jacob in order to come
out right. The nose count has its problems with other portions of scripture
that contain the rosters. Expositors with higher IQ's and better educations
than mine haven't had much luck at harmonizing those discrepancies so I
could hardly expect myself to do any better.

● Gen 46:28-29a . . He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph, to
point the way before him to Goshen. So when they came to the
region of Goshen, Joseph ordered his chariot and went to Goshen to
meet his father Israel;

Judging from all past events, and the current ones; Judah appears to have
been the most grown-up (mature and serious) of all the other brothers, and
a man whom Jacob could reasonably depend upon to look after business and
not goof around or allow himself to get distracted.

Judah's going ahead of Jacob wasn't really to get instructions as to where
Jacob should settle (the Hebrew of "point the way before him" is a bit
difficult) but rather, as point man (liaison) to inform Joseph of his father's
imminent arrival. Subsequently Joseph gassed up his Federally-provided
conveyance and roared off to meet his father and personally guide him to
the correct location.

NOTE: Some feel that Joseph's headquarters were in the vicinity of Ramses;
which supports Gen 45:10 that Jacob would settle where he would be "near
me"; that is: in Joseph's neighborhood-- sort of.

● Gen 46:29b-30 . . he presented himself to him and, embracing him
around the neck, he wept on his neck a good while. Then Israel said
to Joseph: Now I can die, having seen for myself that you are still
alive.

There's sometimes an overtone of sadness at reunions as kin become
shaken a bit by the too obvious damage that the aging process wreaked
upon loved ones during the years of their absence; plus the sadness of not
being a part of the years that long-lost kin have lived their lives without us.
_

 

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Genesis 47:1-7a


● Gen 47:1-2 . .Then Joseph came and reported to Pharaoh, saying:
My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that is
theirs, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in the region
of Goshen. And selecting five of his brothers, he presented them to
Pharaoh.

Aren't you curious which five of the eleven brothers Joseph selected; and
what guided his decision?

When Christ went up on a mountain to transfigure (Matt 17:1, Mark 19:2)
he took along only three of his twelve hand-picked apostles. Some
expositors believe he took Peter, James, and John not because they were
the strongest in faith of the twelve; but on the contrary, the weakest. But
who really knows. It could be that Christ chose those three men because he
knew for himself they could be trusted to keep a secret. (cf. Mark 9:9-10)

Quite possibly, Joseph had carefully gauged all eleven brother's reactions
under the stress to which he only just recently had subjected them and
noted the ones who were not easy to intimidate. These would be his best
choice to meet the king because the last thing Joseph needed was his kin
stammering and shivering in the audience of his boss; the Pharaoh of Egypt.
He wanted them to leave the impression that they knew what they were
doing in the world of animal husbandry. (This is all conjecture of course
because I don't really know why Joseph selected the five.)

● Gen 47:3 . . Pharaoh said to his brothers: What is your occupation?
They answered Pharaoh: We your servants are shepherds, as were
also our fathers.

Bang! Direct question/Direct answer-- no stammering, no shivering, no
apologizing, and no beating around the bush as if they had anything to be
ashamed of for being ranchers.

● Gen 47:4 . .We have come; they told Pharaoh; to sojourn in this
land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, the famine
being severe in the land of Canaan. Pray, then, let your servants stay
in the region of Goshen.

After first assuring the king that they had no intention of settling
permanently in his jurisdiction, they then boldly request exactly what they
want. It's a pity more people don't pray like Joseph's brothers because
there's no need to circumnavigate the issue with God. He already knows
what's on your mind before you even open your mouth so you might just as
well get right to the point.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they
think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like
them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask
Him." (Matt 6:7-8)

"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain
mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Heb 4:16)

The Greek word for "boldly" is parrhesia (par-rhay-see'-ah) which means all
out-spokenness, i.e. frankness, bluntness, and/or confidence.

In other words: God's people shouldn't be shy about speaking up and telling
Him exactly what's on their minds. Rote mantras like the Ave Maria and/or
the Our Father etc. are not what I call forthright, out-spoken, frank and/or
speaking up. You just try speaking to your spouse and/or your friends and
associates in rote and see what happens.

● Gen 47:5-6 . .Then Pharaoh said to Joseph: As regards your father
and your brothers who have come to you, the land of Egypt is open
before you: settle your father and your brothers in the best part of
the land; let them stay in the region of Goshen. And if you know any
capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.

Communication between the brothers and Pharaoh was probably of the very
same nature as their own first encounter with Joseph; which was through an
interpreter. In this case, Joseph is the interpreter; viz: actually a mediator
between king and subjects. A mediator doesn't only interpret, but also looks
out for the best interests of both parties and brings about a resolution of
their differences; if any. The brothers were foreign herders, and for that
reason, the king was loathe to speak with them; much less to associate with
them. If not for Joseph, there would have been no audience; the men would
have been barred from Pharaoh's court.

Joseph was both an Israelite and an Egyptian. He understood, and moved
about, in both cultures; consequently he was accepted by each party as one
of their own.

In the same way; remove Christ, and nobody would ever be able to contact
God; not even anybody in the Old Testament. Since Christ is both Divine and
Human, he is perfectly capable of resolving the differences between God and
Man; and he is accepted by both because he's one of their own.

"For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man
Christ Jesus" (1Tim 2:5)

● Gen 47:7a . .Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and
presented him before Pharaoh.

Probably no other moment in Pharaoh's life would be more historic than this
one. Standing before him, as a feeble old common rancher, was one of the
most significant men who ever lived on this earth; but Pharaoh could have
never guessed it under the circumstances. How was Pharaoh to know that
this tired, broken down old man standing before him was to be the
progenitor of a monarch that would dominate not only the entire over-world;
but even the netherworld.

"In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of
Adam, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days
and was escorted into His presence. He was given authority, glory and
sovereign power; that all peoples, nations and men of every language should
worship him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass
away, and his kingdom is the one that will never be destroyed." (Dan 7:13
14)

"God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above
every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven
and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is supreme-- to the glory of God the Father." (Php 2:9-11)
_

 

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Genesis 47:7b-13


● Gen 47:7b . . and Jacob blessed Pharaoh

As a rule, the lesser is blessed of the better (Heb 7:7). However, it's possible
for the better to be blessed by the lesser too. (e.g. Ps 16:7, Ps 26:12, Ps
34:1, et al). It all depends on the nature of the blessing. There's nothing a
man can do to improve God's lot in life, but there's certainly a lot God can
do to improve a man's lot in life; however, either can say nice things about
the other.

Precisely what form Jacob's blessing took is difficult to know for certain; but
it could have been something like: Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the
earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air and
over every living creature that moves on the ground (Gen 1:28) or maybe:
God give thee of the dew of heaven, and the fatness of the earth, and plenty
of corn and wine; let people serve thee, and nations bow down to thee; be
lord over thy brethren, and let thy mother's sons bow down to thee; cursed
be every one that curseth thee, and blessed be he that blesseth thee (Gen
27:28-29) or even as simple as: Let my lord the king live forever. (1Kgs
1:31)

● Gen 47:8-9a . . And Pharaoh said unto Jacob: How old are you? And
Jacob said unto Pharaoh: The days of the years of my pilgrimage are
an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years
of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of
the life of my fathers

The word "evil" isn't restricted to moral awfulness; but can indicate hard
times as well as just plain old bad luck (cf. Job 5:7, Isa 45:7). The days of
Jacob's life weren't totally disagreeable, though he makes it sound like that.

However, he did spend a good number of years in the outdoors, in all sorts
of weather, tending herds. That's not an easy life. Then there was the grief
visited upon him by the sons of his own flesh; Dinah was no help either. And
the peace in his home wrecked by the tension caused by the bitter sibling
rivalry between his wives Leah and Rachel; not to mention all the headaches
uncle Laban contributed.

Jacob also endured the latter years of his life with a handicap resulting from
his encounter with a divine being in chapter 32. It's odd how human nature
tends to dwell upon its misfortunes instead of spending more time reflecting
upon its blessings. For some, the glass is half empty, and for others it's half
full, and yet for others: the glass is too big.

At this point in his life Jacob is wore out: he's winding down, and ready to
retire. Aging folks tend to be a little on the negative side, and sometimes
dwell more on the bad memories rather than the good. It's wise to consider
that the aged weren't born that way. In reality; they're children who've been
alive for a long time. When I was a kid, I tended to think that senior citizens
were a species; not appreciating, till later in life, that I was actually looking
at my future.

● Gen 47:9b . . in the days of their pilgrimage.

Jacob's use of the word "pilgrimage" reflects the cruel reality that none of us
comes into this world to stay. We're here for a while, but that's all: just a
while.

"Where are your forefathers now? And the prophets: do they live forever?"
(Zech 1:4-5)

"For what is your life? It is even a vapor, that's visible for a little time, and
then vanishes away." (Jas 4:14)

● Gen 47:10 . . And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before
Pharaoh.

Just how impressed Pharaoh was with Jacob is difficult to know, but the king
had to wonder to himself just how on earth a genius like Joseph could ever
arise from such humble root stock as this broken down, insignificant old man
who just walked out of his court. But one thing I know for sure: of the two
men; Jacob holds the higher rank in the grand scheme of things.

● Gen 47:11-12 . . So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in
Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the
district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. Joseph also provided his
father and his brothers and all his father's household with food,
according to the number of their children.

Jacob's clan nourished themselves with seafood too.

"We remember the fish we ate in Egypt" (Num 11:5)

NOTE: My early childhood was cultured on John Wayne and cowboy
westerns in which the native Americans were usually either Apache or
Comanche, dwelling in arid regions nowhere near an ocean. Imagine my
surprise to learn of the Wampanoag people of Massachusetts baking clams
centuries before the first Europeans invaded their land.

Joseph's family lived in an area also known as Zoan (Ps 78:12) which was up
in the north, near the Mediterranean Sea in the East Nile delta. The area had
access to the sea, and there was lots of water and wetlands; so that seafood
and migratory fowl were never in short supply. Actually, all told, Jacob's
family fared quite well in Egypt in spite of the famine's overall severity.
Meanwhile, the famine wrecked everybody else.

● Gen 47:13 . .There was no food, however, in the whole region
because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted
away because of the famine.

As mentioned earlier back in chapter 41, famines are usually the natural
result of insufficient rainfall.
_

 

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Genesis 47:14-20


● Gen 47:14 . . Joseph gathered in all the money that was to be
found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, as payment for
the rations that were being procured, and Joseph brought the money
into Pharaoh's palace.

Some people accuse Joseph of profiteering; of exploiting the people's
hardship. But they fail to realize that he wasn't acting on his own. Joseph
answered to a higher authority: to Mr. Pharaoh. If Joseph had gone behind
Pharaoh's back and gave the Egyptians grain for free, then Joseph himself
would have been arrested and either put right back in prison or, worse,
gibbeted. Then who would his clan look to for representation with Pharaoh?

"it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." (1Cor 4:2)

The New Testament Greek word for "faithful" is pistos (pis-tos') which
means: trustworthy. Webster's defines "trustworthy" as worthy of
confidence; viz: dependable.

To be dependable implies looking out for your boss' best interests rather
than either your own or anybody else's. (cf. Luke 11:12-27)

● Gen 47:15-17 . .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 before your eyes? Our money is used up. Then
bring your livestock; said Joseph. I will sell you grain in exchange
for your livestock, since your money is gone. So they brought their
livestock to Joseph, and he gave them grain in exchange for their
horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he
brought them through that year with grain in exchange for all their
livestock.

This is the very first mention of a horse in the Bible.

NOTE: Most Native Americans had never seen a horse until the Spanish
brought them here sometime around 1540. It's believed the Pueblo people
were the first to make good use of the horse; but not by choice. It was as
slaves and laborers on Spanish ranchos that they learned how. After the
Pueblo revolted, they became prosperous horse traders; and by that means
the Plains Indians obtained horses; which greatly improved their nomadic
way of life; and their tactics in warfare too.

The Old Testament Hebrew words for "horse" are cuwc (soos) and cuc
(soos); which means not only a horse (as leaping), but also a swallow (from
its flight style). Both swallows and horses are quite nimble; and of the two,
I'd say the swallows are more so. They can flit like bats when in pursuit of
winged insects.

Horses were the animal of choice for pulling chariots in ancient Egypt. (e.g.
Ex 14:9)

Putting horses on the list of saleable livestock indicates that even relatively
prosperous breeders were falling on hard times too, so that no matter
whether the Egyptians were rich or poor, the famine was effecting them all--
the rich have to eat too, just like everybody else; and money alone makes
poor nourishment. Here in America, when the last bit of arable land is finally
bulldozed for residential housing, and paved over for shopping centers, office
buildings, super highways, cemeteries, malls, light rails, factory sites and
warehouses: that's when we'll finally catch on that money isn't everything.

Only after the last tree is cut down,
The last of the water poisoned,
The last animal destroyed:
Only then will some realize
They cannot eat money.
-- Cree Indian Prophecy --

● Gen 47:18-19a . .The next year they came again and said: Our
money is gone, and our livestock are yours. We have nothing left but
our bodies and land. Why should we die right in front of you? Buy us
and our land in exchange for food; we will then become servants to
Pharaoh.

Joseph's plan had no intention of shackling the Egyptians in grinding poverty
and humiliation like the African slaves of America's pre civil war days.
Though they became Pharaoh's slaves, they also become share-croppers;
which is a very tolerable arrangement in comparison to slaves who are
permitted to keep none of the fruits of their labors. In effect then, the
Egyptians would actually be afforded the dignity of working for
compensation; and it was pretty generous too.

● Gen 47:18-19b . . Just give us grain so that our lives may be
spared and so the land will not become empty and desolate.

They not only needed grain for food, but also enough to sow their fields in
anticipation of next season's crop. Whether the Egyptian populace at large
was aware of the famine's predicted duration can't be known for certain, but
farmers often sow even in famine years because who can tell if the weather
is going to change for the better or not. Joseph, of course, was privy to
knowledge of the famine's end, and I would think that he would surely share
that information with the delegations that negotiated with him in this matter.

● Gen 47:20 . . So Joseph gained possession of all the farm land of
Egypt for Pharaoh, every Egyptian having sold his field because the
famine was too much for them; thus the land passed over to
Pharaoh.

It's reasonable to assume that Pharaoh's only interest would be what's
known as Egypt's so called "black" land; which is primarily the arable soil
located adjacent to the Nile's river banks and was at one time subject to
seasonal flooding; which replenished the soil with fresh deposits of silt each
year.
_

 

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Genesis 47:21-26


● Gen 47:21-22 . . and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from
one end of Egypt to the other. However, he did not buy the land of
the priests, 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.

That regular State allotment must have made religion seem like an attractive
career path. Their constituents may have been suffering, but the priests
were doing just fine and coasting right through all the hard times.

I think it's notable that God doesn't permit Judaism's priests to own land;
nor permit them to feed at the Federal trough either, thus making them fully
dependent upon the prosperity of ordinary pew warmers. Thus the Aaronic
priests were highly motivated to keep the people in a good standing with
God in order to keep themselves fed because lack of good standing could
easily result in a poor economy in Israel. (cf. Deut 28:1-68)

When Saul was king, there was a time in Israel when the priests didn't even
have enough food of their own on hand to supply David's escape (1Sam
21:1-6). That was a pretty good indication that Saul's kingdom had fallen
into spiritual decline during his administration; and definitely time for a
change in leadership.

● Gen 47:23-24 . . Joseph said to the people: Now that I have bought
you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can
plant the ground. But when the crop comes in, 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.

Four-fifths is equal to 80% which is a pretty good percentage for share
croppers. In addition, there's no mention of either rents or leases. In other
words, the Egyptians lived on Pharaoh's land essentially for free. The only
rent they paid, if you could call it that, was the one-fifth of the land's
produce.

That was a very good deal for the Egyptians because it was flexible. In other
words; no matter how well or how poorly the land produced in any given
year, whether little or much, the percentage never changed. Thus they were
always able to satisfy their obligation to Pharaoh even in years when disease
and/or insects decimated their crops. It was virtually impossible to ever fall
behind in payments.

Since Pharaoh owned all the land, and exacted neither rent nor lease from
share-croppers; it became possible for Egypt's poor to apply for a piece of
acreage. While the drought was a curse for some people; it was a blessing
for others.

● Gen 47:25 . .You have saved our lives; they said. May we find favor
in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.

The word "bondage" is from 'ebed (eh'-bed) which includes all kinds of
servitude; including outright slavery. Another word for "servant" is sakiyr
(saw-keer') which is a person who works for wages; viz: an employee.

It's reasonable to assume that not everyone in Egypt took up farming as
there would still be the need for goods and services like metal smiths,
butchers, seamstresses, barbers, shipwrights, wagon and chariot builders,
longshoremen, pottery, merchant marine, general mercantile, weavers,
shoemakers, freight haulers, and building contractors; et al: every sort of
trade and commercial enterprise imaginable.

Pharaoh had all the money. So then, the barter system probably thrived in
Egypt-- the farmers trading out of their 80% and the merchants and
tradesmen paying Pharaoh his one-fifth out of what trickled down from the
farmers. In other words: in that economy, food was gold.

Apparently few, if any, complained. One thing you could say about the
Egyptians; they didn't look a gift horse in the mouth. If not for Joseph's
providence, they would have all surely died, and lost everything, and they
knew it too. Thanks to him, instead of dying, they all enjoyed a pretty good
standard of living. There were some sacrifices to be made, yes, but all in all,
they fared pretty well under Joseph's administration.

● Gen 47:26 . . So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in
Egypt-- still in force today --that a fifth of the produce belongs to
Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become
Pharaoh's.

The "today" in that passage of course refers of the author's own day.

The 20% flat tax was fair across the board for everybody; rich, poor, and
middle class alike-- no deductions and no exemptions.

Thank God Joseph was a man of integrity because the kind of power he
wielded has a way of tempting men to do some very greedy things; for
example: enforcement of the so-called law of supply and demand. Of one
thing we can be pretty sure: Pharaoh's approval rating no doubt broke all
the records thanks to his selection of Joseph to manage Egypt's affairs
during a very serious national crisis.
_

 

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Genesis 47:27-30a


● Gen 47:27-28 . . Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of
Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and
increased greatly in number. Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years,
and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven.

Jacob immigrated to Egypt when he was 130 (Gen 47:9) so he spent as
many years with Joseph at the last as he had at the first-- seventeen (cf.
Gen 37:2). At this point, the famine had been done and over for 12 years,
since it was during the second year of the seven-year famine that the people
of Israel arrived (Gen 45:11).

During those 12 years, and no doubt the other five too, Jacob's clan did very
well for themselves; so that they eventually became a political element to be
reckoned with (Ex 1:6-10). By the time of the Exodus, the Israelites
numbered over 600,000 adults, not counting children. Israelites were
accounted "children" until the age of 20 (Num 26:2). Here in America, we let
children of 18 vote for Presidents. Now that's scary.

It's interesting that another Pharaoh, in the future-- who would enslave
them in the book of Exodus --wasn't worried about the Israelites increasing
to the point of taking over his country, no, he was concerned they might up
and leave it. What's that saying? It's saying, that as a people, Jacob's clan
were excellent, productive citizens who accounted for a significant portion of
Egypt's gross national product.

The palace itself benefited from their ranching skills (Gen 47:5). No doubt
Hebrew beef from the Nile delta became a highly sought commodity
everywhere in Egypt. Jacob's people not only maintained a fishing industry,
but they farmed too (Num 11:5). And among them were experts in the
construction trades (Ex 1:11) and in every manner of skill and artifice (Ex
31:1-6, Ex 35:20-36:7).

That all tells me that the Israelites weren't freeloaders by any means. They
were hard workers who put their noses to the grindstone and contributed
their fair share to Egypt's prosperity just like today's Hispanic immigrants
contribute their own fair share to America's prosperity. In point of fact, if
today's Hispanic work force should all up and return to their native lands,
America's economy would really feel it. So is it really any wonder then why
the US Government does all it can to accommodate Hispanic immigrants;
even the illegal ones?

● Gen 47:29a . . And when the time approached for Israel to die, he
summoned his son Joseph

Normally, the patriarchs would convene with a natural firstborn son for
serious family business, but that position was transferred to Joseph because
of Reuben's tryst with his father's concubine. (1Chrn 5:1)

NOTE: The reason genealogies aren't reckoned by birthright is because the
status is conferrable upon a younger sibling; which of course would produce
an inaccurate family chronology.

● Gen 47:29b . . and said unto him: If now I have found grace in thy
sight,

The phrase "found grace in they sight" seems to be a Genesis colloquialism
for someone disposed to do you a favor; e.g. Gen 6:8 where God singled out
Noah to survive the Flood.

● Gen 47:29c . . put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and
truly with me.

This is the second, and last, place in Genesis where a hand was placed under
a patriarch's thigh during the making of a promise. The first was Gen 24:2-3
with Abraham.

● Gen 47:29d-30a . . Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with
my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are
buried.

Jacob's statement underscores the fact that when people are gathered to
their ancestors, it doesn't necessarily indicate burial because Jacob's remains
would be stored in Egypt until such a time as he could be transported back
to Canaan. So he would already be at rest with his ancestors prior to
actually being buried with them later. (cf. Gen 49:33, Gen 50:3, and Gen
50:12-13)

When you think about it, choosing the location of one's burial site has no
practical advantages to speak of. Some people want to buried overlooking
the sea or an orchard. But do they themselves really get much of a view?
No, they're gone on to the netherworld; and their remains, being
underground and quite without life or eyesight, have only the inky blackness
of a subterranean pit to view, if that.

So then, is there really any significance to Jacob's request? Yes, it means
that Jacob believed the land of Canaan was on his own property; rather than
just the land of his nativity. He wanted to be buried at home, rather than on
foreign soil. God had promised Jacob deed and title to that land back in
chapter 35; and although he never really possessed it in his own days, Jacob
was confident that God was a man of integrity who would eventually make
good on His promises. The patriarchs were amazingly patient. (Heb 11:13
16)
_

 

[Enocish]

Sorry, I'm a little late to the party, I'm not trying to poke any more holes in your bucket, But I have a lot of question,
let's start with this one If God did not have spirit body back in earlier chapters,
and he had not been born through marys womb yet, how did he get one so Abraham could tell he was a celestial, being
that is going to be hard for me chew on.

 

[Enocish]

Also, who is the seed of the tree of knowledge of good an evil and who is the seen of the woman,

 

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If God did not have spirit body back in earlier chapters, and he had not been
born through marys womb yet, how did he get one so Abraham could tell he
was a celestial, being

I assume you're asking about the incident recorded in the 18th chapter of
Genesis?

Though Abraham spoke to those men as God, and they answered as God,
and they dined upon Sarah's food as God; they weren't actually God in
person. Those men were very high-ranking angels whose name is their
master's, and they have the authority to speak for God, to speak as God, to
appear as God, and to be respected as God.

Not much is known about those kinds of angels, but they are prominent
throughout the Old Testament; and in point of fact, according to Stephen, it
was they who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. (Acts 7:53)

Compare Ex 24:10-11 wherein Moses and the elders are said to have seen
God and dined with God, but of course we know that the man they saw as
God was not the actual God in person; he was one of those special angels.

who is the seed of the tree of knowledge of good an evil

To my knowledge, no seed of that tree exists.

who is the seen of the woman

It's pretty much agreed by most Christians that Eve's predicted offspring
was realized in Christ.

● Gal 4:4 . .When the time had fully come, God sent His son, born of a
woman. (cf. Heb 2:14)

● John 12:31 . . Now is the time for judgment on this world; now the prince
of this world will be driven out.
_

 

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Genesis 47:30b-31


● Gen 47: 30b-31a . . He replied: I will do as you have spoken. And
he said: Swear to me. And he swore to him.

The Hebrew word for "swear" is shaba` (shaw-bah'). It's basically a promise,
guaranteed by repeating it seven times. When God's name is dragged into a
shaba` then it becomes a sacred oath; e.g. Gen 24:2-3. Christ okayed
promises, but frowned upon sacred oaths. (Matt 5:33-37)

● Gen 47:31b . .Then Israel bowed at the head of the bed.

There's differences of opinion among the experts how best to interpret that
verse; but in context, it appears to me that Jacob has become bedridden,
and is-- as best he can for a man of his age and health --doing obeisance to
Joseph as a courtesy in the manner that Abraham did with the Hittites back
in chapter 23. In other words; Jacob lowered his eyes and nodded his head
in a sort of salute; which, courtesy aside, was somewhat equal to saying:
Okay then; we're good.
_

 

[Enocish]

I assume you're asking about the incident recorded in the 18th chapter of
Genesis?

Though Abraham spoke to those men as God, and they answered as God,
and they dined upon Sarah's food as God; they weren't actually God in
person. Those men were very high-ranking angels whose name is their
master's, and they have the authority to speak for God, to speak as God, to
appear as God, and to be respected as God.

Not much is known about those kinds of angels, but they are prominent
throughout the Old Testament; and in point of fact, according to Stephen, it
was they who gave Moses the Ten Commandments. (Acts 7:53)

Compare Ex 24:10-11 wherein Moses and the elders are said to have seen
God and dined with God, but of course, we know that the man they saw as
God was not the actual God in person; he was one of those special angels.

I compared the two, Other than by proxy. Those really don't have anything to do with each other.
You really can't get around the fact that the angels had a body and we were made in his image.
Also, the part where they are highly respected and had rights to speak for God, speak as God and to be respected as God, That sounds a lot like angel worship to me, all they do is repeat what God told them they don't speak for him.

I'm not going to reply to the others, But i will make this one comment, there is a seed of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Hence the fall.

 

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Genesis 48:1-4


● Gen 48:1a . . Some time afterward, Joseph was told: Your father is
ill

The Hebrew word for "ill" is chalah (khaw-law') and can mean not only sick,
but also weak (Judg 16:17) sad (1Sam 22:8) suppliant (1Kgs 13:6) injured
(1Kgs 22:34) in pain (Jer 4:31) drunk (Hos 7:5) and evil: as disaster or
misfortune. (Ecc 5:13)

● Gen 48:1b . . So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and
Ephraim.

The visit was probably just a comfort call; like visiting a friend or relative at
the hospital. I really don't think it was prompted by a fear that Jacob was
going to die at any moment. Joseph's boys apparently came on their own,
rather than by request, because Jacob wasn't expecting them; and what kid
can resist a trip to grandpa's house.

The boys by this time were young men, having been born during the seven
years of plenty, prior to the beginning of the seven years of famine (Gen
41:50). Jacob lived in Egypt at least seventeen years prior to this current
event (Gen 47:28), and immigrated during the second year of the seven
years of famine (Gen 45:6, Gen 45:11). So his grandsons Manasseh and
Ephraim were both in their early twenties by now.

● Gen 48:2 . .When Jacob was told "Your son Joseph has come to see
you" Israel gathered his strength and sat up in bed.

No greetings or social graces are recorded from this meeting; though they
must have occurred. Surely Jacob wouldn't just launch into a speech the
moment his kin walked through the door. How weird would that be;
especially since Joseph was Jacob's very favorite son? But Genesis skips over
that part of the meeting, and without even so much as hinting how the topic
came up at this point in the visit; just goes right to the meat of it.

The speech Jacob is going to make was probably one he had been
rehearsing in his mind for some time as he sensed the nearness of his
impending death; which would certainly serve to remind him that he was
running out of time; so if he was ever going to get these things off his chest,
he better do it at the very next opportunity, while he was able, because who
really knows how many more opportunities one might have left?

People often put off important things-- e.g. making out their will --till sudden
death, or the onset of dementia finally closes the door. Jacob had something
important to say about his two grandsons, so it was fortuitous that they
came along with their dad to visit grandpa that day.

● Gen 48:3a . . And Jacob said to Joseph: El Shaddai appeared to me
at Luz

El Shaddai-- the god who controls the laws of nature (cf. Col 1:17) --is also
Yhvh because that's an appellation Genesis labels Him at Bethel (Gen
28:13). And an appellation Jacob labeled Him too, at the very same site.
(Gen 28:16-20)

Luz is Bethel (Gen 28:10-19, Gen 35:6-7). That location was an especially
sacred site for Jacob because it was his very first personal encounter with
God. You know, hearing about God, and reading about God, and praying to
God, just aren't the same as actually meeting God. Not the same at all.
Head knowledge is one thing, personal experience is quite another; yes,
quite, quite another. There's nothing like a close encounter with God to set
someone's faith in concrete.

● Gen 48:3b . . and He blessed me

At this point, Jacob paraphrases the essential elements of El Shaddai's Luz
blessing, with the exception of one element which I would esteem even
more valuable than the prosperity elements: God's ever-abiding
companionship.

"Remember, I am with you: I will protect you wherever you go and will bring
you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have done what I have
promised you." (Gen 28:15)

● Gen 48:4 . . and said to me: I will make you fertile and numerous,
making of you a nation; and I will assign this land to your offspring
to come for an everlasting possession.

Although Israel's possession of Palestine is eternal, their occupation of it
isn't, as the Jews' past evictions have easily demonstrated.

Jacob's statement of the blessing is selective, and left out a couple of items;
one of which is that God also assigned the land to Jacob himself, not just to
his offspring (Gen 28:13) so God will have to resurrect Jacob in order to
make good on that portion of the blessing.

Exactly how Ephraim and Manasseh felt about the next event in Jacob's life
isn't stated; nor would they have had a say in it anyway as Jacob was the
reigning paterfamilias at the time; and within his own clan, Jacob was only
one step in rank below Yhvh.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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Genesis 48:5-7


● Gen 48:5-6 . . Now, your two sons, who were born to you in the
land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, shall be mine; Ephraim
and Manasseh shall be mine no less than Reuben and Simeon.
Progeny born to you after them shall be yours; but they shall be
recorded under the names of their brothers in their inheritance.

Jacob set a rather odd precedent by adopting his own two grandsons
Manasseh and Ephraim; thus giving them tribal positions equal in rank to his
original sons; and increasing his total number of sons from twelve to
fourteen.

Jacob's motive for adopting Manasseh and Ephraim was in sympathy for his
beloved Rachel being cut off during her child bearing years, which
subsequently prevented her from having any more children of her own.

● Gen 48:7 . . As I was returning from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel
died in the land of Canaan while we were still on the way, a little
distance from Ephrath. So I buried her there beside the road to
Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).

Manasseh and Ephraim brought Rachel's grand total up to six, two boys of
her own, two by her maid Bilhah, and two by Joseph's wife Asenath.
_

 

[Webers.Home]

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Genesis 48:8-14


● Gen 48:8a . .When Israel

At this point, Genesis switches from Jacob's earthly name to his God-given
name; viz: his spiritual name; probably because the first portion of the
interview was personal business while the second half will be conducted in
Jacob's official capacity as a prophet. (Just guessing)

The Hebrew word for "prophet" is nabiy' (naw-bee') which just means an
inspired man. Abel was a prophet (Luke 11:50-51) and Abraham was a
prophet (Gen 20:7).

People needn't be high powered prognosticators like Isaiah to be prophets.
Anybody whom God empowers with a degree of spiritual intuition is a
prophet because prophets aren't necessarily predictors of the future, nor
revealers of sacred secrets, but also just simply savvy in the knowledge of
God.

Where did they get that savvy? From seminary and yeshiva? From rabbis
and Sunday school teachers? No. From God's Spirit.

"Turn you at My reproof: behold: I will pour out My Spirit unto you, I will
make known My words unto you." (Prv 1:23)

It was Moses' wish that all of Yhvh's people were prophets. (Num 11:29)

In the future, they will. (Ezek 36:24-27)

● Gen 48:8b-10a . . saw the sons of Joseph, he asked: Who are
these? They are the sons God has given me here; Joseph said to his
father. Then Israel said: Bring them to me so I may bless them. Now
Israel's eyes were failing because of old age, and he could hardly
see.

The leading cause of eyesight problems in older people is a condition known
as Macular Degeneration. The cone cells within the human eye work hard all
our lives, and when their waste products build up faster than the body can
clear them, tiny yellow spots can form around the fovea. As a person ages,
those plaques, along with leaky blood vessels, tend to interrupt normal rod
and cone functioning.

When you add MD into the mix with cataracts, glaucoma, and stiffening of
the lens, then the victim is really in a bad state of affairs; and in Jacob's
day, there was absolutely nothing people could do about it.

I've heard young people say that old people are cute; and that's probably
because of the grandpa/grandma charisma connected with senior citizens.
Well; let me tell those youngsters something: getting old is neither fun nor
cute; no, not at all. The aging process is a living death: it's cruel, it's
disagreeable, and it's destructive.

It disfigures our faces, puts bags under our eyes, diminishes our libido, thins
our hair, dulls our hearing, misshapes our figures, makes us smell, sags our
flesh, adds pounds where we don't want them, shrinks our muscles, stiffens
our joints, weakens our stomach, recedes our gums, robs of us vitality and
stamina, makes us look haggard, turns down the corners of our mouths
giving us permanent frowns, and seriously diminishes our quality of life as
we slowly disintegrate like crumbling infrastructure.

It would be difficult to believe that Jacob didn't recognize his own
grandsons; but with failing eyesight, it's to be expected that he would
require verbal authentication of their identities before proceeding with the
sacred business at hand.

● Gen 48:10b-12 . . So Joseph brought his sons close to him, and his
father kissed them and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph: I
never expected to see you again, and here God has let me see your
children as well. Joseph then removed them from his knees, and
bowed low with his face to the ground.

I seriously doubt the boys were sitting on Jacob's knees since they were
grown men; but the wording suggests they had each taken a turn kneeling
between Jacob's knees so he could embrace them and then got up and
stepped back to let the other in. In the next sequence, the brothers likely
knelt again, only this time one on either side, so Jacob could reach the tops
of both their heads from a sitting position.

I'm guessing Joseph's bow was either a gesture of whole-hearted approval
and/or submission to Jacob's position as the supreme, God-appointed
patriarch over Yhvh's people at that time so that whatever Jacob says, goes,
regardless of how anybody else in the family, including Joseph, might feel
about it.

Would to God the elderly were treated with such respect nowadays. One of
my favorite movie lines is from "Moonstruck" starring Cher and Nicolas Cage
wherein the grandpa makes this statement at the breakfast table one
morning prior to offering his son a father's advice. "I am old; and the old are
not wanted. And if they say it, they have no weight."

In other words: the typical young person really doesn't care too much for an
elderly person's opinions; nor even for their feelings. There was a time when
my grown son would force me to give him room in a narrow hallway so he
wouldn't have to shoulder me aside as we passed. He not only wouldn't yield
to a senior citizen, but he wouldn't even yield to his own biological father;
and to this day-- in his thirties and no less inconsiderate, no less arrogant,
and no less aggressive than when he was in college --actually has the
chutzpah to regard himself a Christian man.

● Gen 48:13-14 . . And Joseph took both of them, Ephraim on his
right toward Israel's left hand and Manasseh on his left toward
Israel's right hand, and brought them close to him. But Israel
reached out his right hand and put it on Ephraim's head, though he
was the younger, and crossing his arms, he put his left hand on
Manasseh's head, even though Manasseh was the firstborn.

Jacob's inspired intuition guided his hands to the boy God wanted to have
the higher rank in spite of the natural dictates of primogeniture.
_