READ IT! - Genesis 46

So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.

And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”

Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring.

These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt:

Reuben the firstborn of Jacob.

The sons of Reuben:

Hanok, Pallu, Hezron and Karmi.

The sons of Simeon:

Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.

The sons of Levi:

Gershon, Kohath and Merari.

The sons of Judah:

Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).

The sons of Perez:

Hezron and Hamul.

The sons of Issachar:

Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.

The sons of Zebulun:

Sered, Elon and Jahleel.

These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.

The sons of Gad:

Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.

The sons of Asher:

Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi and Beriah.

Their sister was Serah.

The sons of Beriah:

Heber and Malkiel.

These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah—sixteen in all.

The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel:

Joseph and Benjamin. In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.

The sons of Benjamin:

Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.

These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob—fourteen in all.

The son of Dan:

Hushim.

The sons of Naphtali:

Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.

These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel—seven in all.

All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.

Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.

Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”

Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.’ When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ you should answer, ‘Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.’ Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians.”

READ IT! - Genesis 45

Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, “Have everyone leave my presence!” So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh’s household heard about it.

Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still living?” But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” 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 angry with 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 be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance.

“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. 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.’

“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.”

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.

When the news reached Pharaoh’s palace that Joseph’s brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.’

“You are also directed to tell them, ‘Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.’”

So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”

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; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

READ IT! - Genesis 44

Now Joseph gave these instructions to the steward of his house: “Fill the men’s sacks with as much food as they can carry, and put each man’s silver in the mouth of his sack. Then put my cup, the silver one, in the mouth of the youngest one’s sack, along with the silver for his grain.” And he did as Joseph said.

As morning dawned, the men were sent on their way with their donkeys. They had not gone far from the city when Joseph said to his steward, “Go after those men at once, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid good with evil? Isn’t this the cup my master drinks from and also uses for divination? This is a wicked thing you have done.’”

When he caught up with them, he repeated these words to them. But they said to him, “Why does my lord say such things? Far be it from your servants to do anything like that! We even brought back to you from the land of Canaan the silver we found inside the mouths of our sacks. So why would we steal silver or gold from your master’s house? If any of your servants is found to have it, he will die; and the rest of us will become my lord’s slaves.”

“Very well, then,” he said, “let it be as you say. Whoever is found to have it will become my slave; the rest of you will be free from blame.”

Each of them quickly lowered his sack to the ground and opened it. Then the steward proceeded to search, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack. At this, they tore their clothes. Then they all loaded their donkeys and returned to the city.

Joseph was still in the house when Judah and his brothers came in, and they threw themselves to the ground before him. Joseph said to them, “What is this you have done? Don’t you know that a man like me can find things out by divination?”

“What can we say to my lord?” Judah replied. “What can we say? How can we prove our innocence? God has uncovered your servants’ guilt. We are now my lord’s slaves—we ourselves and the one who was found to have the cup.”

But Joseph said, “Far be it from me to do such a thing! Only the man who was found to have the cup will become my slave. The rest of you, go back to your father in peace.”

Then Judah went up to him and said: “Pardon your servant, my lord, let me speak a word to my lord. Do not be angry with your servant, though you are equal to Pharaoh himself. My lord asked his servants, ‘Do you have a father or a brother?’ And we answered, ‘We have an aged father, and there is a young son born to him in his old age. His brother is dead, and he is the only one of his mother’s sons left, and his father loves him.’

“Then you said to your servants, ‘Bring him down to me so I can see him for myself.’ And we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father; if he leaves him, his father will die.’ But you told your servants, ‘Unless your youngest brother comes down with you, you will not see my face again.’ When we went back to your servant my father, we told him what my lord had said.

“Then our father said, ‘Go back and buy a little more food.’ But we said, ‘We cannot go down. Only if our youngest brother is with us will we go. We cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

“Your servant my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife bore me two sons. One of them went away from me, and I said, “He has surely been torn to pieces.” And I have not seen him since. If you take this one from me too and harm comes to him, you will bring my gray head down to the grave in misery.’

“So now, if the boy is not with us when I go back to your servant my father, and if my father, whose life is closely bound up with the boy’s life, sees that the boy isn’t there, he will die. Your servants will bring the gray head of our father down to the grave in sorrow. Your servant guaranteed the boy’s safety to my father. I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, I will bear the blame before you, my father, all my life!’

“Now then, please let your servant remain here as my lord’s slave in place of the boy, and let the boy return with his brothers. How can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? No! Do not let me see the misery that would come on my father.”

Digging Deeper: More Marah in the Desert

Not too long after the time of testing at the bitter well of Marah, God led the Israelites to another desert where there was again no water. And the people once again began to whine and grumble against Moses.

Moses asked, “Why do you quarrel with me? Why do you put the LORD to the test?”

And Moses complained about them to God, claiming they were about to stone him.

So God told him to go hit a rock with his staff.

And When Moses did so, water began gushing forth from the rock and everyone had enough to drink.

Moses called the place “Massah and Meribah,” which means “testing and quarreling.”

Now the book of Numbers later tells a very similar story about water coming from a rock.

While wandering around the wilderness because of their rebellion, the people of Israel arrived in the Desert of Zin.

And we find out that it was here that Moses’ sister Miriam passed away.

And once again there was no water and the people rebelled against Moses, saying, “We’d be better off dying from God’s plagues, or dying in Egypt!”

And God told Moses and Aaron to gather the people at a nearby rock, and he said, “Speak to the rock…and it will pour out its water.”

But instead, Moses was filled with disappointment …and rage. He'd had it with these people. He was done with them.

And Moses screamed at the people, calling them “marah.”…or bitter.

This is the same word used to describe the bitter well water that they had encountered back when they first left Egypt. It is the same word used to describe the bitter spirit that the Israelites had towards Moses and towards God when they were led out into the desert. It’s the same word that Isaac and Rebekah used when their son Esau went out and married several pagan women. It’s the same name that Naomi gave to herself when she returned back to her hometown with Ruth at her side after her husband and both of her sons had died.

Marah.

Bitter.

Moses became just as bitter as the people he was leading. And he disregarded what God had said to him. He violently struck the rock twice with his staff …and water came out.

But God told Moses and Aaron that they had represented Him poorly, and he said, “Neither one of you will enter the Promised Land.”

Instead of gently speaking to the bitter hard rock with the words of God’s “still small voice,” they used the rod of violence – adding marah upon marah – bitter upon bitter.

They forgot that God is not always accusing… nor does he harbor our sins forever. And when we lose hope in our bitterness and we defy him to his face… he is still slow to anger and abounding in love… for his desire is that no one should perish.

And he still gave water to his people.

READ IT! - Introduction to Genesis 43-50

Readings for this week

Monday: Genesis 43

Tuesday: Genesis 44

Wednesday: Genesis 45

Thursday: Genesis 46

Friday: Genesis 47

Saturday: Genesis 48

Sunday: Genesis 49

Introduction to Genesis 43-50

Genesis 43

Eventually, the grain ran out and Jacob told his sons to go back to Egypt to get some more. But Judah reminded him that if they did not bring Benjamin with them then their trip would be pointless. And Jacob again reminds them of how badly they screwed up the first trip, but he eventually gives in.

When they returned, Joseph’s servant led them into the house and had all of them gather together for a meal. The brothers thought it was a trap and that they would all be made into slaves. And on the way in, they tried to return the silver to Joseph’s servant, and apologized for the mix up, but he told them that he didn’t know what they were talking about.

When Joseph saw Benjamin, he had to excuse himself again because he couldn’t hold back the tears.

And Joseph returned Simeon to his brothers and then they all had a meal together. As the brothers were eating, they noticed that the man had arranged their seats in the order of their birth …and that Joseph gave Benjamin five times as much food as his brothers. And they were amazed and confused.

Genesis 44

Before the brothers left, Joseph had his servant fill all their sacks with extra grain and then told him to hide their silver inside them again. He also hid an expensive silver cup inside of Benjamin’s sack. And after they left, Joseph sent his servants after them to have them arrested for stealing his silver cup. They denied any wrong-doing and said if anyone stole anything he would be put to death and the rest of them would become slaves to the Egyptians.

The servants went through all their sacks and found the cup in Benjamin’s. The brothers were scared to death, and when they were brought back, they threw themselves at Joseph’s feet. Judah begged him to spare Benjamin and to make the rest of them slaves. But Joseph said no.

And Judah begged and begged, explaining that his father’s heart would be broken if Benjamin did not return. And Judah offered himself in exchange for Benjamin.

Genesis 45

Suddenly, Joseph began speaking in Hebrew, and he ordered everyone to leave the room, except for the brothers. He then started crying so loud that the people outside could hear him. And He proclaimed, “I am Joseph!” And the brothers were terrified.

Then Joseph said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you.”

Pharaoh heard about Joseph’s family, and he sent his servants to bring the rest of them down to Egypt to live.

And Jacob didn’t believe his sons at first when they gave him the news about Joseph.

Genesis 46

But God spoke to Jacob again, and said, “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there.” So Jacob moved all his family down to Egypt.

The rest of chapter 46 is mostly a list of all of Jacob’s kids and grandkids. Some texts say there were 70 people altogether, others say 75.

And Pharaoh gave them some of the best land in Egypt to live, the region of Goshen.

Genesis 47

Pharaoh had Jacob brought before him, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked him how old he was, and Jacob said 137. The text also says that Pharaoh let Joseph and his brothers live in the district of Rameses.

Now, the famine was still severe. And the Egyptians ran out of money for grain. So Joseph now accepted their livestock as payment for grain. But eventually, the Egyptians ran out of livestock as well. So the Egyptians sold their land to Joseph in exchange for grain. And eventually, the Egyptians sold themselves to the state in return for grain.

This passage serves as an interesting contrast to the story that soon follows - the story of the Exodus. At the end of this story, the Egyptians have sold themselves as slaves to Joseph - a Hebrew. And At the beginning of the next story, the Hebrews have been forced into slavery by the Egyptians.

Joseph established a “one-fifth” tax on everybody’s crops, so that once people could plant grain again, one-fifth of it would belong to Pharaoh.

Later, Jacob made Joseph promise not to bury him in Egypt when he died, but to bring his body back to Canaan where his fathers were buried.

Genesis 48

Jacob became ill, and Joseph brought his sons to him and he blessed them. Jacob declared that Ephraim and Manasseh would receive an inheritance from him just as if they were his own sons. Jacob started to bless the youngest one first, and Joseph tried to correct him. But Jacob insisted on giving the blessing of the eldest child to the youngest son. Jacob also promised to give Joseph’s descendants extra land back in Canaan.

Genesis 49

Jacob gathered all of his sons together to bless them before he died.

Reuben

You defiled my couch…

Simeon and Levi

Cursed be your anger…

Judah

Your brothers will praise you…

You are a lion…

The scepter will not depart from you…

Zebulun

You will live by the seashore…

Issachar

He is a “rawboned donkey”…

Dan

You’re a snake…

Gad

You will be attacked…

Asher

You will have rich food…

Naphtali

He’s a doe with beautiful fawns…

Joseph

You’re a “fruitful vine”…

You are strong…

You have God’s protection…

All good blessings go to you…

Oh yeah… and Benjamin

He’s a ravenous wolf…

And the text says that Jacob died.

Genesis 50

And Joseph and the Egyptians mourned for him and embalmed his body. Jacob’s sons and all the Egyptian dignitaries journeyed to Canaan and buried Jacob in Abraham’s tomb.

Some other people buried here include:

Abraham

Sarah

Isaac

Rebekah

Leah

After Jacob died, his sons were afraid that Joseph was holding a grudge against them. So they made up a story and told Joseph that their father wanted them to tell him that he should forgive his brothers. When Joseph got their message, he wept. His brothers came and offered themselves as slaves to him. But Joseph reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

The text says that Joseph lived to be 110. And he predicted that one day God would lead the descendants of Israel up out of Egypt. Before he died, he made his family promise that when they returned to Canaan in the future, they would bring his body with them. And Joseph died and was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Read Genesis 43

Now the famine was still severe in the land. So when they had eaten all the grain they had brought from Egypt, their father said to them, “Go back and buy us a little more food.”

But Judah said to him, “The man warned us solemnly, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ If you will send our brother along with us, we will go down and buy food for you. But if you will not send him, we will not go down, because the man said to us, ‘You will not see my face again unless your brother is with you.’”

Israel asked, “Why did you bring this trouble on me by telling the man you had another brother?”

They replied, “The man questioned us closely about ourselves and our family. ‘Is your father still living?’ he asked us. ‘Do you have another brother?’ We simply answered his questions. How were we to know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”

Then Judah said to Israel his father, “Send the boy along with me and we will go at once, so that we and you and our children may live and not die. I myself will guarantee his safety; you can hold me personally responsible for him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him here before you, I will bear the blame before you all my life. As it is, if we had not delayed, we could have gone and returned twice.”

Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be, then do this: Put some of the best products of the land in your bags and take them down to the man as a gift—a little balm and a little honey, some spices and myrrh, some pistachio nuts and almonds. Take double the amount of silver with you, for you must return the silver that was put back into the mouths of your sacks. Perhaps it was a mistake. Take your brother also and go back to the man at once. And may God Almighty grant you mercy before the man so that he will let your other brother and Benjamin come back with you. As for me, if I am bereaved, I am bereaved.”

So the men took the gifts and double the amount of silver, and Benjamin also. They hurried down to Egypt and presented themselves to Joseph. When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my house, slaughter an animal and prepare a meal; they are to eat with me at noon.”

The man did as Joseph told him and took the men to Joseph’s house. Now the men were frightened when they were taken to his house. They thought, “We were brought here because of the silver that was put back into our sacks the first time. He wants to attack us and overpower us and seize us as slaves and take our donkeys.”

So they went up to Joseph’s steward and spoke to him at the entrance to the house. “We beg your pardon, our lord,” they said, “we came down here the first time to buy food. But at the place where we stopped for the night we opened our sacks and each of us found his silver—the exact weight—in the mouth of his sack. So we have brought it back with us. We have also brought additional silver with us to buy food. We don’t know who put our silver in our sacks.”

“It’s all right,” he said. “Don’t be afraid. Your God, the God of your father, has given you treasure in your sacks; I received your silver.” Then he brought Simeon out to them.

The steward took the men into Joseph’s house, gave them water to wash their feet and provided fodder for their donkeys. They prepared their gifts for Joseph’s arrival at noon, because they had heard that they were to eat there.

When Joseph came home, they presented to him the gifts they had brought into the house, and they bowed down before him to the ground. He asked them how they were, and then he said, “How is your aged father you told me about? Is he still living?”

They replied, “Your servant our father is still alive and well.” And they bowed down, prostrating themselves before him.

As he looked about and saw his brother Benjamin, his own mother’s son, he asked, “Is this your youngest brother, the one you told me about?” And he said, “God be gracious to you, my son.” Deeply moved at the sight of his brother, Joseph hurried out and looked for a place to weep. He went into his private room and wept there.

After he had washed his face, he came out and, controlling himself, said, “Serve the food.”

They served him by himself, the brothers by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because Egyptians could not eat with Hebrews, for that is detestable to Egyptians. The men had been seated before him in the order of their ages, from the firstborn to the youngest; and they looked at each other in astonishment. When portions were served to them from Joseph’s table, Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as anyone else’s. So they feasted and drank freely with him.