Verses 1-2 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen. 2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
Even though Joseph was the second ruler in control of all of Egypt, he remained humble and took the time and effort to keep Pharaoh appraised of the situation regarding his family.
Application: Believers need to remember that, just as Joseph and Jesus remained humble even though they were/are kings, they need to remain humble and approachable to believers and unbelievers alike should they be placed by the will and grace of God in positions of leadership and authority. This writer worked with 4, 5, and 6 year old boys in a Wednesday night Royal Rangers program in a local Assembly of God church. Even though this writer was in charge as the adult and teacher, as much as possible, the boys were encouraged to ask questions, express ideas and determine how their projects and learning should be done. This writer let them think they were in charge, and as a result, they learned to be responsible decision makers for their age. What works with children works with adults with whom the believer may come into contact. Christian believers should never “lord it over” others, but consider and serve others humbly in the same way Jesus would.
Verses 3-4 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. 4 They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.
Joseph’s brothers told Pharaoh exactly what Joseph had instructed them to say. There was a divide between the people of Egypt and the people who worked with sheep, goats or cattle. Basically, the ranchers were looked down upon in Egyptian society. Does this divide exist today in society? Do the city dwellers of today look down upon the people who farm and ranch for a living?
Verses 5-6 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: 6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.
For Pharaoh to offer a herdsman job to Joseph’s brothers was an honor. Scripture does not tell us if this did indeed happen, but eventually Pharaoh became the owner of all the cattle in Egypt and so Joseph’s family may very well have managed the livestock.
Application: Israel dwelt in the best of the land in the midst of pagan Egypt. Believers dwell spiritually in the best of the land while living physically in the midst of this world which can be referred to as Babylon, Sodom and Egypt. Babylon represents corrupt power. Sodom represents perverse sex. Egypt represents false and demonic religion. Power, sex and religion is how all human governments work and keep control of people. Believers live and function within this system, but are not participators in the system. Because Christian believers live spiritually in the Kingdom of God, they cannot be controlled by the governments of this world, but can live in freedom, relying on the power of God to sustain and keep them from harm. Just ask a Christian living in a Muslim or communist country were Christian persecution is rampant. Think about it.
Verses 7-10 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
Jacob mentioned that his fathers had lived longer than he had and, as mentioned in other chapters, as sin became greater and greater on the Earth, the longevity of man became shorter. Before Noah’s flood, seven or eight hundred years was the norm for the life expectancy of individuals. After the flood, this shortened over time and men lived for fewer and fewer years. Sin caused both physical and spiritual death to mankind when Adam and Eve rebelled against God. Now, as the Earth has been polluted with toxins and chemicals, the decline in life expectancy is still occurring and often, should people live past seventy years of age, they are plagued with disease and disability.
Application: The Christian believer is not immune to disease and disability, but believers have Heaven to look forward to as this world is not their home. Think about this. “And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.” Revelation 21:4
Verses 11-12 And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.
God always takes care of His people, and in the case of Israel and his children, God placed Joseph in the right position at the right time to care for his relatives so that they could continue to live and prosper in a safe environment.
Application: Remember that Israel and his family faced difficult times before rescue occurred. Often the believer will face a time of temptation or trouble before rescue occurs. This is where faith has to be practiced and belief in the promises of God has to be present. If God said it, He will do it. He said He would never leave or forsake the believer and, since this is true, rescue will happen according to His plan and His timing. Wait upon the LORD. “But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.” Isaiah 40:31
Verses 13-14 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
The next set of verses demonstrate how governments get control of free people and how people become slaves to governments. No specific government is being singled out here. But the progression of how governments have worked down through history is represented very well in these verses and is the first example recorded in history. Remember, Genesis is the book of beginnings. Egypt was the first one world government and it set the stage for other governments to emulate. Step one is basically the principle of never letting a catastrophe go to waste. Using a natural disaster or a created one, give the people a solution but charge them for it. Take all the money.
Verses 15-17 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.
Step two is take all the people’s assets when they cannot afford to pay with money any more.
Verses 18-20 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. 20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.
Step three is, when the assets are gone, take the land.
Verses 21-22 And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22 Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.
Step four is move all the people off their lands into the cities where they can be controlled. But don’t touch the religious institutions because that would anger the people.
Verses 23-24 Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.
Step five is allow the people to have their land or possessions as long as they work for the state.
Verses 25-26 And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants. 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.
Step six is tax everyone. Joseph was kind in that he only charged 20% in taxes for everyone. In today’s modern society, depending on the country one is living in, taxation rates of above 40% is not uncommon on income tax and then taxes on purchases, vehicles, property and so on can raise the total tax to above 50%. The people of Egypt became willing slaves because the government saved them. Think about the history of nations over the past 100 years and see if you can find a correlation to the events and outcomes recorded in this part of Genesis.
Application: Why is this story included in the Bible? To give an example of what a human government would be like. Only under the ruler-ship of Almighty God are people truly free. During the early history of the nation Israel, it was a theocracy under the rule of the LORD. God told His people when they rebelled against His rule and demanded a man to rule them that, “This will be the manner of the king that shall reign over you: He will take your sons, and appoint them for himself, for his chariots and to be his horsemen; and some shall run before his chariots. And he will appoint him captains over thousands, and captains over fifties; and will set them to ear his ground, and to reap his harvest, and to make his instruments of war, and instrument of his chariots. And he will take your daughters to be confectionaries, and to be cooks, and to be bakers. And he will take your fields and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them, and give them to his servants. And he will take the tenth of your seed, and of your vineyards, and give to his officers, and to his servants. And he will take your menservants, and your maidservants, and your goodliest young men, and your asses, and put them to his work. He will take the tenth of your sheep: and ye shall be his servants. And ye shall cry out in that day because of your king which ye shall have chosen you; and the LORD will not hear you in that day. Nevertheless the people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said Nay; but we will have a king over us. That we also may be like all the nations; and that our king may judge us, and go out before us, and fight our battles.” 1 Samuel 8:11-20 Think about how this has applied down through history and what it will be like in Heaven when living with a holy God in a perfect environment.
Verses 27-28 And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.
When the age of Jacob is added up, the total is 12 which is the number of his sons and the number of the tribes that inhabited the promised land and became the nation Israel.
Verses 29-31 And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: 30 But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. 31 And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.
Jacob wanted to be buried with his father, Isaac, and with his grandfather, Abraham back in the land of Canaan.