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28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.' 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' 34 that you shall say, 'Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians." ~ Genesis 46:28-34
Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 46 where the world was engulfed in a seven year famine. In order to protect and provide for His chosen people Israel, God allowed his brothers to injure their younger brother Joseph resulting in him becoming the second most powerful man in the world. God did these things so that Joseph would be positioned to care for his family during the seven year famine. The famine was immense, but it was no match for God. Joseph was given great wisdom by God which enabled him to ensure that his family would be kept in Goshen, a place which was isolated from the world of Egypt.
In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen."
Israel who was Jacob as a believer in the God of the Bible, with his family, departed Canaan and on their way to Egypt Israel selected Judah to go before the family to Goshen. Jacob did this so that the Egyptians would not mistake his extended family as an advancing army since they were so many in number. The irony of Judah being chosen to go before the family like this was that it was he who had suggested selling Joseph off as a slave those many years earlier. The grace that Joseph showed him was a picture of the Lord Jesus who has dealt with us with insurmountable grace.
For us, Judah represents all of the Jews. The term "Jew" comes directly from the name Judah. And, as happens often in the Bible, Judah was sent forth first. Judah means "thank you God." Gratitude is recognizing the good in our lives and acknowledging that this goodness is a gift from God. The greatest fuel for our obedience to God is gratitude which is mentioned 157 times in the Bible. Gratitude is fueled most by our growing understanding of God's sovereignty and kindness toward us.
It is gratitude that helps us to experience all the fruits of the Spirit. By being grateful to God, we are positioned to experience joy, peace, and self-control. And, we will be more patient, kind, gentle, and generous toward others as well. In addition, we will be more faithful to God. Gratitude is at the root of our spiritual growth. Gratitude is a transformative force. It’s an invitation to view life through the lens of the cross through which God spoke "I love you" to mankind the loudest. Our problem is our angle. With the angle of the cross all things make more sense, even the pain that frames up for us a grateful heart.
In v.29 of today's passage we read, "So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while."
In the first 27 verses of this chapter, the name Jacob was used 15 times and the name Israel was used 4, but only two of those were applied to him as his name. Suddenly, in the last 7 verses, the name Jacob isn’t used at all and the name Israel is used twice. It was to his father Israel that Joseph made his chariot ready as he traveled up to Goshen. Without a bedrock faith in God and a trust that enables us to endure the trials He allows in our lives, we lack the posture to recognize the good in the bad.
Joseph came to his father and in the most tender moment of either of their lives, they were reunited face to face and in tears of joy they embraced. In fact, we are told Joseph fell on his father's neck and wept a good long while. Jacob had for many years been the grieving father. For many years the flesh won over the Spirit causing Jacob to miss many blessings from God. However, as Israel stood before his son Joseph, it was the greatest moment of his life.
Jacob pictured wayward Israel while Joseph pictured our faithful Savior. The words "and he presented himself" is used 20 times in the Bible in this exact construct. Every instance except one in Ezekiel refers to the appearance of God to someone. The one in Ezekiel is speaking of Jerusalem in a metaphorical way. When Joseph "appeared" to Jacob he pictured the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel at the end of the Tribulation. In Zechariah 12:10 we read, "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." The Tribulation will be a painful means of God's grace to all who will come to faith in the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we must fall hard upon our backs in order that we might look up to the help that always comes from on high.
In v.30 of today's passage we read, "And Israel said to Joseph, 'Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.'"
In that moment Israel was looking at Joseph who was known in Egypt as Zaphnath Paaneah, the Savior of the World. Israel verbalized that the result of seeing his firstborn son, he was prepared for death. These are the words on the lips of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, nobody is truly ready to die. In Christ, we are prepared to be transported into the presence of God at any moment. This is what enables us to be preoccupied with seeing those in darkness pass into the light. From that moment Israel lived another 17 years.
In v.31-34 of today's passage we read, "31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, 'I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have. 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' 34 that you shall say, 'Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."
Joseph informed his brothers that he was going to Pharaoh to tell him of their arrival. He was going to inform Pharaoh that his brothers were shepherds. During that time in Egypt there was a strict caste system in place. People were categorized and given their status based on their lineage and their work. Joseph was preparing his brothers for their meeting with Pharaoh, knowing that he would ask them for their occupation. Shepherds were considered to be a lower class than others in Egypt at that time.
This picture of the brothers as shepherds provides for us a picture of true leadership. The feeding of flocks is symbolic throughout the Bible of those who are true leaders. These are known for tending to, and caring for, those under their influence. These shepherd brothers of Joseph and their flocks then would be the people of Israel under their leaders as noted in the book of the Revelation. During the Tribulation all of the tribes of Israel will be tended to and cared for by Christ their Chief Shepherd.
I find it interesting that being a shepherd in Bible days was considered to be lowly, and yet God prized it as the most noble of jobs. Both testaments use shepherds as the epitome of character and both testaments ascribe the job spiritually to the Lord. The sons of Israel, Moses, and David were all shepherds. And the Lord Jesus is called the Shepherd in both the Old and New Testaments. It does not matter what our job is, what matters is that the Lord defines us. He determines where we are to go and where we are to stay and what we are to do. And, when we are living out of His will, others will be blessed to the point of being those who render glory to God.
