1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." 4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen. 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock." ~ Genesis 47:1-6
Today, we transition into Genesis 47. Without the Bible, it is hard to see the miracle of the nation of Israel. Only when we look at Israel's history in the light of the Bible, do we find her existence amazing. For 2000 years that small piece of land and that small number of people were forgotten. The land laid in ruins and her people were scattered around the world. And, suddenly God reestablished the people of Israel back in the land promised them in 1948. Like our passage today which introduced Israel to 215 years in Egypt, in order to be reestablished in the land, the Jews had to go through the Holocaust.
In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh."
Joseph was finally reunited with his father and his brothers when he went down to meet them in Goshen. While his family remained in Goshen, Joseph went back to Pharaoh with his report. Joseph's family had completely removed themselves from Canaan and they moved to Goshen in Egypt. They lived there for 215 years. It was the year 2299 BC and the Jews eventually exited Egypt in the year 2514 BC.
At this point in the narrative, it had been 215 years since Abraham was given the promises from God in Genesis 12. At that time, since there was also a famine in Canaan, Abraham left there for Egypt. That happened exactly 430 years after the Flood. Abraham's visit to Egypt resulted in plagues on Pharaoh’s house. Exactly 430 years after that, Israel who was in Egypt, were enslaved by the Egyptians under Pharaoh’s rule. Again, the result was plagues and Israel was forced out of the land of Egypt. In both of these instances, their departure from Egypt resulted in Israel garnering great wealth.
Today's passage happened exactly at the halfway point between these two afore mentioned events. There are many mysteries in the Bible to be discovered by the one willing enough to seek. The patterns of the Bible are rich, complex, astonishing and very rewarding. It is incredible once we realize how God has woven everything together in this great drama that we are involved. During both times in Egypt, that of Abraham and that of Israel, when it seemed that all hope had been lost, it turned out that the Lord was in control every step of the way.
In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.' 4 And they said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'"
As Joseph had forewarned his brothers, so Pharaoh asked them certain questions. It happened exactly as Joseph told them it would. Joseph's brothers were keepers of the flocks and it had been that way throughout their generations. They said this because shepherds were considered an abomination to the Egyptians and so Joseph kept them all safely isolated from the people and together as a family.
God ensured these things would come about in order to keep Israel together as a collective unit until it was time to bring them out of Egypt. Although it took 215 years, it was no different than what God will do for the nation of Israel during the Tribulation. God will keep Israel safe and He will redeem them while He will deliver great judgments upon the unbelieving world, just as He brought great judgments on Egypt at the time of the Exodus.
The event in v.4 was prophesied by the Lord to Abraham about 200 years earlier. In Genesis 15:12-14 we read, "12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions."
Like Israel, our lives are being directed by the sovereign hand of God. He did this for Israel when He brought them down to Egypt through a series of mostly unwanted events. Along the way, God had provided hints that should have given the Jews great comfort in advance of them happening to them. Like Israel, when we are being defined by the Word of God, we will increase in our confidence and security in the Lord. There is no greater counter punch to our insecurities than our willingness to be defined by the Lord.
In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.'"
The picture given us here in these two verses is quite encouraging. While the world suffered through the famine, completely dependent on the grain of Pharaoh for survival, the Israelites enjoyed the best of the land because Goshen was close to the Nile River. It was that river that provided the water necessary to grow healthy grass for Israel's livestock. While the Egyptians loss their property and their possessions, the Israelites did not only keep their possessions, they grew and multiplied exceedingly. In like manner, during the coming seven year tribulation, Israel will be miraculously provided for and protected by God.
Jacob, Joseph's father, thought his firstborn son with Rachel had died. But Joseph went away, and while he was away, he prepared a place for his family. When his family joined him, they were blessed by their reunion. In John 14:3 we read, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." Right now the Lord Jesus is preparing a place for us. This is our the story with God and it is a story that many more will enjoy because we were faithful to the Lord to share the Gospel with whomever will listen.
