JACOB SERIES: THE JOYOUS REUNITING

Chapter forty-three of Genesis recounted the return of Jacob’s ten sons to Egypt to purchase food, as famine had spread to Canaan. On this trip, Jacob had reluctantly allowed Benjamin to accompany his brothers. Upon their arrival, they met Joseph, whom they still did not recognize, and he had them brought to his house, where he served them a meal. Genesis 44 stated that the following day, he tested them to see whether they regarded Benjamin the same way they had treated him. At the conclusion of the test, Judah pleaded for the life of Benjamin, who had been innocently framed.

Chapter forty-five opened with Joseph becoming overcome with emotion when he witnessed his brothers’ response, and he revealed who he was. If you are interested in a more detailed account of what transpired between the brothers, it can be found in the archives of theteacherspick.com in the posts titled, “JOSEPH SERIES: SECOND ENCOUNTER WITH BROTHERS,” “JOSEPH SERIES: THE TEST,” and “JOSEPH SERIES: THE REVEAL.”

Happily, Joseph assured his brothers that he was not angry with them but that he realized God had sent him to Egypt to preserve their lives. He told them, “Tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither.”

Pharaoh was excited for Joseph and told him to bring his father and his household to Egypt, where they would be nourished. Pharaoh provided wagons to transport the families, and Joseph gave them food to eat along the way. Joseph sent ten donkeys carrying the best products of Egypt and ten donkeys loaded with grain and bread for his father to eat on his journey to Egypt.

When the brothers returned to Canaan, they said to their father, “Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” The scripture does not say, but I believe the brothers had to finally tell their father that they had sold Joseph to the Ishmaelites, and they deceived him into thinking a wild animal killed Joseph. At first, Jacob was stunned and in disbelief, but when he saw what Joseph had sent for him, he was revitalized and said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis 46 shares the joyous reuniting of Jacob with his favorite son. At the beginning of their journey to Egypt, they came to Beersheba, where Jacob offered sacrifices to God. That night, in a vision, God spoke to Jacob and told him not to fear; He would be with him in Egypt, his family would become a great nation, when he died Joseph would be present, and eventually the family would return to Canaan.

A genealogical table of Jacob was shared, listing his sons and their children. Together, including Joseph’s family, there were 70 family members who went down to Egypt. Upon arrival in Egypt, Judah traveled ahead of them to announce their presence and to get directions to Goshen. Hearing the news, Joseph rode to Goshen in his chariot, and when he saw his father, he fell on his neck and wept. When Joseph stopped weeping, Jacob said to him, “Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.”

The chapter concluded with Joseph informing his family that he would tell Pharaoh of their arrival, their occupation as shepherds, and that they brought their flock and herd with them. He instructed them to inform Pharaoh, when they met with him, that they were shepherds.

Here is additional information and nuggets:

God has a plan for your preservation.

The favor that you have acquired can be extended to your family.

That which is done in darkness will eventually come to light.

Jacob had come to accept the painful fact that his son Joseph was dead, and to hear after twenty years that he was living and had become a great leader in Egypt was mind-blowing.

The statement is true, “Seeing is believing.” Jacob believed Joseph was alive when he saw the provisions that he sent for his journey to Egypt. Evidence of existence can assist your belief system.

Beersheba was the place where God met with Abraham in Genesis 21, Isaac in Genesis 26, and now Jacob in Genesis 46, before he went to Egypt. This visitation of God with him in a vision was the seventh and last recorded time of a Godly encounter.

Jacob was 130 years old when he went down to Egypt.

Being a shepherd was an abominable and loathsome occupation to the Egyptians. Further, noted that the animals Israel ate and sacrificed were the ones the Egyptians held sacred. So, locating Jacob’s family in the land of Goshen, which had the best fertile pasture in Egypt and was close to the Nile delta, would provide the separation needed for both the Egyptians and Jacob’s family.

All of Israel went to Egypt, and 430 years later, God brought all of Israel out of Egypt as He had promised.