Chapter 45
I love that Joseph asked everyone to leave so that he could reveal himself to his brothers alone. He knew they would be shocked and ashamed, and he didn't want to give them an audience. Joseph is a rare find in a man. He is strong, powerful and manly, but he's not afraid to show extreme emotion when it is appropriate. He was mourning for what had been lost all those years, while rejoicing for what was being restored.
Can you imagine the looks on the brothers' faces when Joseph gets to the punchline? I bet they were scared out of their minds. This is another great example of God's forgiveness--for that is the only way he could have forgiven them. We should never fool ourselves into thinking that we can't face God with what we've done. He already knows. Confronting it isn't going to make it worse--it's going to fix it.
Jacob's reaction to the good news struck me as odd at first, but it was as if his soul had never had rest until this moment. There had been no closure, so he had never gotten through it.
Chapter 46
Jacob is bringing a huge group into Egypt. Seventy people! He is well on his way to becoming his own nation.
I would love to have seen the actual reunion between Joseph and Jacob. He has changed so much. He is a man now, but also a rich, powerful, Egyptian man! The chariot was a nice touch.
It was wise of Joseph to prepare his family for some of the cultural differences they were about to face. I don't really understand the comment about the shepherds, though. Did the Egyptians have something against sheep?
Chapter 47
The Hebrews are immediately accepted into Pharaoh's land, and they are given jobs among the Egyptians.
At the end of the chapter we get another glimpse at how huge God's plan was here. At the end of the famine, they were in control of all of the money. They had all of the livestock. And now they have acquired all of the land surrounding Egypt, and have also taken its inhabitants as slaves! Egypt is easily the most powerful nation in the world right now. I mean, think back to what you know about Egypt...the Pharaohs, the pyramids, the wealth, the gold...all that was handed to them by God on a silver platter. Through Joseph! This kind of wealth could not have been possible if the Egyptians had waged war on the rest of the world, because in war, there is loss even for the victor. The Egyptians didn't lose anything.
Knowing that all of this wealth and prosperity was brought to Egypt by Joseph, it is no wonder that his family was shown such hospitality. Fame like that is not easily forgotten. But it will be forgotten, eventually.
Next time: (Monday) Genesis 48-50 We are at the end of Genesis!
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