JACOB IN EGYPT

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46:1-7

So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.   Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob!’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’ So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.’ Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. His sons and his sons' sons, his daughters and his sons' daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt.

This account in the life of Jacob reveals his uneasiness in leaving the land of promise. Before he would agree to leave, he took a trip down to Isaac's seven well, Beersheba (31:31), and sought God’s will there. He was not disappointed. The Lord spoke to him through night visions and told him not to fear going down to Egypt. The Lord said he would make Jacob a great nation there and promised he would be with Jacob and would surely bring him up again. With this great assurance from his God, Jacob was now ready to proceed down to Egypt.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding; In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths.

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46:8-27

Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob's firstborn.   The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.   The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three. The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all. The son of Dan was Hushim. The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all. All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy.

I find the genealogies of the Bible to be fascinating. When we read them, we are reading history. These are not just names but real people who God has seen fit to include in his eternal Word. The list we have here are the people who were part of Jacob’s family when he entered Egypt. There are some very interesting things about them. Let me point out a few.

1. Four of Jacob’s great grandchildren are listed here. Two were the sons of Pharez ... the man born to Judah and Tamar, through whom Messiah would come (v. 12). And two were born to Beriah, a son of Asher (v. 17).

2. We find that Benjamin, the youngest, was the most prolific of all of Jacob’s sons. By the time of Israel’s entry into Egypt, Benjamin already had 10 sons of his own.

3. Dan was the least prolific of Jacob’s sons. He only had one son.

4. All totaled, Israel, along with his children, numbered 70 individuals when they came into Egypt.  33 are from Leah’s line; 16 from Zilpah (Leah’s maid); 14 from Rachael’s line; and 7 are from Bilhah (Rachael’s maid).

What difference does this make? It makes a lot of difference. It’s God’s Word, beloved. Without it, you and I will never be mature believers! As you have it in Second Timothy 3:16:

All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.

I’m sure that there is much more here than we have noticed at first glance.

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46:28-34

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. 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. And Israel said to Joseph, ‘Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.’  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. 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.' So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' 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.

I guess we would have just had to have been there to fully appreciate Joseph’s first meeting with his father, Jacob. This is one of the great reunions recorded in the Bible. It so affected Jacob that he said … Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive. This reminds me of Simeon’s words, when he finally laid eyes on the baby Jesus in the temple  He exclaimed,

Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of your people Israel. Luke 2:29-32

When a reunion is so significant that it causes you to say you are now ready to die, you know it's been sweet, brother. There are many today who would say just that, if they could be reunited with a particular loved one. Now, just one more thought before we close out this chapter. Egyptians, in that day, were highly prejudiced against shepherds. In their eyes, the people who cared for livestock were at the bottom rung of the social ladder. This insured that Jacob’s clan would be separated and sent off down the Nile valley to the land of Goshen. It was the perfect spot for them to grow and prosper and, as much as possible, to stay away from all those Egyptian idols.

Before we move on ... I would like to insert here a list of Pharaohs and other rulers that reigned during Israel's 430 year sojourn in the land of Egypt. I find it fascinating. Also, I have put in the biblical dates of Joseph’s and Jacob's arrival in Egypt … as well as that of the Exodus. This list was taken from Wikipedia, off the Internet. Many of these secular dates are in question, but the biblical dates are solid. Notice that 80 to 100 Pharaohs and rulers reigned during Israel's 400 year stay in Egypt.

Eleventh Dynasty Continued

The second part of the Eleventh Dynasty is considered to be part of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt.

Twelfth Dynasty

The Twelfth Dynasty ruled from wikipedia home 1991 to 1802 BC, and is considered by later Egyptians to have been their greatest dynasty.

Thirteenth Dynasty

The Thirteenth Dynasty (following the Turin King List) ruled from wikipedia home 1803 to around 1649 BC and lasted 153 or 154 Yrs according to Manetho. This table should be contrasted with Known kings of the 13th Dynasty

The position of the following kings is uncertain:

[edit] Fourteenth Dynasty

The Fourteenth Dynasty was a local group from the eastern Delta, based at Xois (Avaris), that ruled from around wikipedia home 1705 to around 1690 BC.

The position of the following kings is uncertain:

The Turin King List provides an additional 25 names, some fragmentary, and no dates. None are attested to elsewhere, and all are of very dubious provenance.

[edit] Fifteenth Dynasty

The Fifteenth Dynasty arose from among the Hyksos people: desert Bedouins who emerged out of the Fertile Crescent to establish a short-lived governance over much of the Nile region, and ruled from wikipedia home 1674 to 1535 BC.

[edit] Sixteenth Dynasty

The Sixteenth Dynasty was a local native kingdom from Thebes who ruled Egypt for between 80 and 100 years, according to Kim Ryholt.

Some sources include as many as six more names –

[edit] Seventeenth Dynasty

The Seventeenth Dynasty was based in Upper Egypt and ruled from wikipedia home 1650 to 1550 BC:

New Kingdom

The New Kingdom is the period covering the Eighteenth, Nineteenth, and Twentieth dynasty of Egypt, from the 16th century BC to the 11th century BC, between the Second Intermediate Period, and the Third Intermediate Period.

Through military dominance abroad, the New Kingdom saw Egypt's greatest territorial extent. It expanded far into Nubia in the south, and held wide territories in the Near East. Egyptian armies fought with Hittite armies for control of modern-day Syria.

Two of the best known pharaohs of the New Kingdom are Akhenaten, also known as Amenhotep IV, whose exclusive worship of the Aten is often interpreted as the first instance of monotheism, and Ramesses II, who attempted to recover the territories in modern Israel/Palestine, Lebanon and Syria that had been held in the Eighteenth Dynasty. His reconquest led to the Battle of Qadesh, where he led the Egyptian armies against the army of the Hittite king Muwatalli II.

[edit] Eighteenth Dynasty

The Eighteenth Dynasty ruled from wikipedia home 1550 to 1295 BC:

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47:1-12

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.’ And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 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.’ 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.’ Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you. 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.’ Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How old are you?’ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.’ So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. And Joseph situated his father and his brothers, 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. Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.

This initial audience with Pharaoh was critical. You will remember that Joseph coached Jacob and his sons ahead of time for it (46:31-34). Kings and dictators are known to be very capricious at times, and it was doubly so in Egypt in those days. A Pharaoh's word was law. Life and death were in his hands. Proverb 23:1-2, says,

When you sit down to eat with a ruler, consider carefully what is before you; and put a knife to your throat if you are a man given to appetite.

The point is well taken. When in the presence of a king, discretion is the better part of valor. Joseph was highly respected by Pharaoh, yet it was well known that the Egyptians looked down on lowly shepherds. I strongly suspect that these five sons of Jacob, who went in before this Egyptian Potentate, were knocking at the knees. But, they did well. They answered as they were instructed to. Then, Joseph brought Jacob himself in and introduced him to Pharaoh. And, unexpectedly, Jacob blessed Pharaoh! You never know what an aged dad might do or say, aye kids? I’m sure that Jacob's blessing was sincere. It came out of his heartfelt gratefulness for Pharaoh’s kindness to him and to his boy, Joseph. It is good to bless people, by the way. As you have it in Romans 12:14b:

... bless and do not curse.

Have you blessed anyone lately? No? Go look for someone.

Now, by this time, Jacob was well up there in years and he had been carried down to Egypt in one of the carts that Pharaoh had provided. Pharaoh inquired about Jacob’s age and Jacob replied … The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty years. Chapter 47, verse 28, informs us that Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt before he died at the ripe old age of 147.

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh supply cities, Pithom and Raamses.

Finally, after settling into their new home, it says that Joseph provided bread for his father and his brothers. I suspect they were very appreciative. It kept them from starvation, during the remaining 5 years of famine. You and I know little of hunger in our country today, but it is a common thing in much of the rest of the world. We are singularly blessed here in America. A couple of verses in First Timothy 5:8 and 6:6-8 come to mind here:

But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

And,

Now godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

Joseph saw to it that his family was provided for. They were simple shepherds.  I‘m sure they were quite content and God was with them  ... just as he had promised that he would be (46:3-4).

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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