Israel eats all the grain Joseph sent home with his brothers and the famine was still severe. Jacob tries to get his sons to go back for more without Benjamin, but they refuse, fearing what the prime minister of Egypt might do to them. When the rumblings of Jacob's stomach get louder than the rumblings coming from his lips, he relents. Judah is adamant that he will be personally responsible for Benjamin's safety, so their father loads them down with gifts for the PM and sends them back with twice the amount of silver, in case there was some mistake made when the money was placed back in their sacks.
Jacob is now a believer in God Almighty, praying over the brothers as they prepare to leave.
Joseph prepares a great feast for them upon their return. But the guilty brothers are fearful it is a trick to take them all captive. They try to explain the return of the money from the first trip to Joseph's steward, who calms their fears, also invoking the name of the God of Israel. They again bow themselves at Joseph's feet, who inquires after their father's health. Joseph was greatly moved upon seeing his younger brother, Benjamin, and excused himself to go to his room and weep.
The brothers are slightly astonished when they are seated according to their ages, but still don't suspect the Prime Minister is their brother. They must have been perplexed when Benjamin was served five times as much food as any of the rest of them, but still clueless.
Joseph again fills their feed sacks and returns the money on top of the grain, but he also has his steward stash his own silver cup in the mouth of Benjamin's sack—still working his plan to reveal the contents of his brother's hearts. When the Israelites left Egypt with their sacks of grain, Joseph sends the army after them to apprehend them with an accusation of theft of the cup.
Unaware of the cup hidden in Benjamin's sack, they swear on his life and their freedom they don't have it. In dramatic fashion, the steward searches all their sacks, going from oldest to youngest and finding the cup in Benjamin's bag. They tore their clothing as a sign of sorrow and returned to Joseph, where they prostrated themselves on the ground in front of him. Judah, who has become the spokesman for the family, offers them all up to him. When Joseph refuses to enslave them all, but demands Benjamin, the supposed thief, become his slave while the rest of them return to Canaan, Judah gives a very impassioned speech, offering himself in place of Benjamin.
Joseph can no longer contain himself. He sees the true repentance and sorrow of his brothers, so he sends all the Egyptians out and makes his identity known to them with weeping so loud that even Pharaoh heard of it. The brothers are speechless and terrified.
Joseph calms their fears by telling them how God had turned to the good what they meant as evil. He requests they return to Canaan to fetch their father and come live in Egypt for the duration of the famine, which was just starting. Pharaoh agreed, because he valued Joseph very much, and was caught up in the drama unfolding before him, sending carts, donkeys and provisions for their trip back.
Old Jacob almost had heart failure when he was told Joseph was alive and the ruler of Egypt.
What a story! I love this story. It proves that dreams really do come true, and that God can turn things men mean as evil into something very good and that men can and do repent and become changed—that Jesus is alive and working in the affairs of humans.
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Genesis 40 - 42
Joseph then comes in contact with the fellow who would be his deliverer from prison later when he is placed over the king's baker and cupbearer who were also thrown in there with him. The dreamer became the interpreter of dreams when the king's servants each had a dream the same night. They were troubled by their dreams and told them to Joseph at his request.
The cupbearer's dream was of a fruitful vine with three branches from which he took grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, placing the cup in the king's hand. Joseph called on God and told the cupbearer the meaning of the dream. He said the three branches represented three days, after which the cupbearer would be restored to his position. Joseph entreated the cupbearer to remember him when he was again presenting the cup to Pharaoh and to ask for his release from prison.
The baker was emboldened by the favorable interpretation Joseph gave to the cupbearer, so he also told his dream, which involved three baskets of bread on his head for Pharaoh, but birds were eating the bread from them. In a grisley interpretation, Joseph told the baker that in three days, Pharaoh would behead him and place his body on a tree for the birds to peck at!
It happened that in three days, Pharaoh did just as Joseph said, but the cupbearer, in his excitement or intrepedation, neglected to mention Joseph's release from prison until two full years later.
At that time, Pharaoh himself had dreams which troubled him. After all the magicians and so-called wise men of Egypt couldn't discern the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams, the drinky fellow suddenly remembered Joseph and reported to Pharaoh that Joseph was able to correctly interpret dreams. So Pharaoh called for Joseph, who took time to shave and clean himself up before presenting himself to the king. This is notable in that Hebrews didn't believe in shaving, so it shows that Joseph had adopted Egyptian culture and desperately wanted to be acceptable to the king. He had been in jail unfairly about 12 years at this point! Joseph again gave God the credit for his ability to interpret dreams.
Pharaoh's dreams involved seven fat cows being consumed by seven skinny cows and seven full heads of grain being swallowed up by seven anemic heads of grain. Joseph told him the dreams were a warning from God that seven years of plenty were coming, to be followed by seven years of drought and famine. Joseph notes here that the repetition of the same dream in another form was confirmation from God that the contents of the dream would, indeed, come to pass. He advised Pharaoh to put a wise man in charge of the land to store up produce during the seven good years so there would be provision in the seven years of famine.
Pharaoh was converted that day by Joseph. He became a believer in God and he discerned that Joseph had God's spirit in him, so he put Joseph in charge of all Egypt, even giving him his signet ring, which had the force of law when imprinted on papyrus. This scene evokes the story of the prodigal son which will be written in the new testament and our stories as we become children of the living God. Joseph is given a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah, a robe, a position of authority, jewelry and servants to help him in his duties. He is age 30 when he began is ministry, also a parallel with Jesus, who was the same age at the beginning of his public ministry.
So Joseph was busy for seven years gathering up the riches of Egypt during the seven good years, and was ready when the famine came.
In chapter 42, the story of Joseph comes full-circle and his own childhood dreams come true when his brothers show up in Egypt asking to buy food during the famine which was also in Canaan. By this time, about 22 years have passed since Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, and he has become like an Egyptian in speech and outward appearance, so they don't recognize him as they bow themselves at his feet to ask for food. He recognizes them, remembering the dream in which their sheaves of grain bowed to his, and he quickly decides to test them to see if their hearts are still hard toward him and God.
Jacob had kept Joseph's full brother, Benjamin, at home, possibly suspecting his other sons had something to do with Joseph's disappearance. Joseph knew of his father's great love for his and Benjamin's mother, so requests one of them go back to fetch their youngest brother while the rest stay there to prove their story that they were not spies. They hesitate, so Joseph puts them all in prison for three days. What a complete turn of the tables. Those boys had thrown Joseph into a pit for probably three days until the caravan came by; now he throws them into a dungeon for that same amount of time. Then he offers them the alternative of leaving one brother there as a hostage while the rest of them go back to Canaan with food.
They are convicted of their guilt as they reflect on their misdeed against Joseph 22 years earlier and begin to discuss how this misfortune that has befallen them is possibly related to that sin. They still didn't realize Joseph was their brother and could understand everything they said. Joseph is very moved by their repentance and has to hide his tears. He keeps Simeon as the hostage. Simeon was the second-born son of Jacob and Joseph's half-brother. Joseph probably would have kept Reuben, the first-born, except that Reuben had shown compassion for him during the dastardly deed, entreating his brothers not to kill Joseph with the intent to come back later and rescue him from the cistern.
So Joseph sends them on their way with sacks of grain, into which he placed the money they had brought for purchasing the food. When they poured out the grain upon their return and saw the money, they were frightened that they would then be accused of thievery and Simeon would be dead when they returned. Old Jacob, the eternal pessimist, moaned that everything was against him. He was quite sure Simeon was dead, along with Joseph, and now the brothers were wanting to take his beloved youngest son from him. But Reuben promises on his son's lives to protect Benjamin and bring him back alive. Jacob resists until his belly begins groaning more than his mouth.
I can't help but also drawing a parallel here between Jacob's eldest, Reuben, and my eldest brother, Jim. Jim was always looking after his younger siblings and wanting to protect us. He began helping support us as soon as he was out of high school and had a job, buying our school lunch tickets and helping Mom with whatever needs our father's ranch job couldn't provide.
The cupbearer's dream was of a fruitful vine with three branches from which he took grapes and squeezed them into Pharaoh's cup, placing the cup in the king's hand. Joseph called on God and told the cupbearer the meaning of the dream. He said the three branches represented three days, after which the cupbearer would be restored to his position. Joseph entreated the cupbearer to remember him when he was again presenting the cup to Pharaoh and to ask for his release from prison.
The baker was emboldened by the favorable interpretation Joseph gave to the cupbearer, so he also told his dream, which involved three baskets of bread on his head for Pharaoh, but birds were eating the bread from them. In a grisley interpretation, Joseph told the baker that in three days, Pharaoh would behead him and place his body on a tree for the birds to peck at!
It happened that in three days, Pharaoh did just as Joseph said, but the cupbearer, in his excitement or intrepedation, neglected to mention Joseph's release from prison until two full years later.
At that time, Pharaoh himself had dreams which troubled him. After all the magicians and so-called wise men of Egypt couldn't discern the meaning of Pharaoh's dreams, the drinky fellow suddenly remembered Joseph and reported to Pharaoh that Joseph was able to correctly interpret dreams. So Pharaoh called for Joseph, who took time to shave and clean himself up before presenting himself to the king. This is notable in that Hebrews didn't believe in shaving, so it shows that Joseph had adopted Egyptian culture and desperately wanted to be acceptable to the king. He had been in jail unfairly about 12 years at this point! Joseph again gave God the credit for his ability to interpret dreams.
Pharaoh's dreams involved seven fat cows being consumed by seven skinny cows and seven full heads of grain being swallowed up by seven anemic heads of grain. Joseph told him the dreams were a warning from God that seven years of plenty were coming, to be followed by seven years of drought and famine. Joseph notes here that the repetition of the same dream in another form was confirmation from God that the contents of the dream would, indeed, come to pass. He advised Pharaoh to put a wise man in charge of the land to store up produce during the seven good years so there would be provision in the seven years of famine.
Pharaoh was converted that day by Joseph. He became a believer in God and he discerned that Joseph had God's spirit in him, so he put Joseph in charge of all Egypt, even giving him his signet ring, which had the force of law when imprinted on papyrus. This scene evokes the story of the prodigal son which will be written in the new testament and our stories as we become children of the living God. Joseph is given a new name, Zaphenath-Paneah, a robe, a position of authority, jewelry and servants to help him in his duties. He is age 30 when he began is ministry, also a parallel with Jesus, who was the same age at the beginning of his public ministry.
So Joseph was busy for seven years gathering up the riches of Egypt during the seven good years, and was ready when the famine came.
In chapter 42, the story of Joseph comes full-circle and his own childhood dreams come true when his brothers show up in Egypt asking to buy food during the famine which was also in Canaan. By this time, about 22 years have passed since Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery, and he has become like an Egyptian in speech and outward appearance, so they don't recognize him as they bow themselves at his feet to ask for food. He recognizes them, remembering the dream in which their sheaves of grain bowed to his, and he quickly decides to test them to see if their hearts are still hard toward him and God.
Jacob had kept Joseph's full brother, Benjamin, at home, possibly suspecting his other sons had something to do with Joseph's disappearance. Joseph knew of his father's great love for his and Benjamin's mother, so requests one of them go back to fetch their youngest brother while the rest stay there to prove their story that they were not spies. They hesitate, so Joseph puts them all in prison for three days. What a complete turn of the tables. Those boys had thrown Joseph into a pit for probably three days until the caravan came by; now he throws them into a dungeon for that same amount of time. Then he offers them the alternative of leaving one brother there as a hostage while the rest of them go back to Canaan with food.
They are convicted of their guilt as they reflect on their misdeed against Joseph 22 years earlier and begin to discuss how this misfortune that has befallen them is possibly related to that sin. They still didn't realize Joseph was their brother and could understand everything they said. Joseph is very moved by their repentance and has to hide his tears. He keeps Simeon as the hostage. Simeon was the second-born son of Jacob and Joseph's half-brother. Joseph probably would have kept Reuben, the first-born, except that Reuben had shown compassion for him during the dastardly deed, entreating his brothers not to kill Joseph with the intent to come back later and rescue him from the cistern.
So Joseph sends them on their way with sacks of grain, into which he placed the money they had brought for purchasing the food. When they poured out the grain upon their return and saw the money, they were frightened that they would then be accused of thievery and Simeon would be dead when they returned. Old Jacob, the eternal pessimist, moaned that everything was against him. He was quite sure Simeon was dead, along with Joseph, and now the brothers were wanting to take his beloved youngest son from him. But Reuben promises on his son's lives to protect Benjamin and bring him back alive. Jacob resists until his belly begins groaning more than his mouth.
I can't help but also drawing a parallel here between Jacob's eldest, Reuben, and my eldest brother, Jim. Jim was always looking after his younger siblings and wanting to protect us. He began helping support us as soon as he was out of high school and had a job, buying our school lunch tickets and helping Mom with whatever needs our father's ranch job couldn't provide.
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