History of Israel: The Big Reveal

This is it...the ultimate moment in the book of Genesis. Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers and we see the fallout from that event. In this episode of Bible Backdrop, Joseph is reunited with his brothers and then, later, with his father who he has not seen for over 20 years. All the families move and are settled in the land of Goshen. We talk about what the land of Goshen was, why the Israelites were able to grow separate from the Egyptians, and why it was important to tell Pharaoh they were shepherds. We also see power become centralized in Pharaoh's hands as the famine goes on. 

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Transcript

The old man looked to the west for what felt like the hundredth time in the past few hours. How long had it been since his sons had left for Egypt? 3 weeks? 4? It felt like years.

He went through everything that had happened that brought him to this moment. A famine had been ravaging the land for 2 years now and nothing grew. News got out that Egypt had grain and it was willing to sell. How they had grain when nobody else did was nothing short of a miracle. His sons went down there and returned with grain, but there had been a few snags. His second child, Simeon, didn’t return with them. He then found out that the Egyptian official that sold them the grain demanded that to get more grain and get Simeon back, he had to send his youngest. There was no way that was going to happen. Simeon had caused trouble when he and Levi killed all the men of Shechem. Maybe sitting in an Egyptian prison wasn’t the worst thing for him. Well, that’s what Jacob thought to justify his actions.

Then the food ran out and the only way to get more was to send Benjamin with them. Life had been unfair and this was the final straw. But there was no getting around it. Benjamin had to go if the family was going to survive. So they packed up their donkeys and made their way west toward Egypt. Now Jacob spent every day looking west wondering when they would return. Or if they would return. The Egyptian official sounded like a hard man and he could have easily imprisoned them all.

As he was about to turn away, movement caught his eye. He looked again, convinced the fading light was playing tricks on him...preying upon his hopefulness. As he looked again, he could see it wasn’t a trick. Something was definitely moving, coming towards him. “Father!” the man shouted. Jacob hurried over and was overjoyed when his eyes confirmed what he had been hoping for. His sons were coming over the hill to the camp. He kept scanning until his eyes fell on Benjamin and his heart burst with thanksgiving. They had all returned.

 “Father!” the first man said and he noticed it was Judah. “You’re not going to believe what we have to tell you!” His other sons came crowding around and it was then that he noticed something else. The caravan was massive! And they had strange machines with them...flat pieces of wood with two round wheels that helped them roll. 

 “Where did you get all this?!” he exclaimed. “That’s what we need to tell you!” Judah replied. “Joseph is alive! He’s the official we’ve been meeting with and he rules over all Egypt! He wants us all to come live with him and will give us the best land. That’s why he sent these machines...they’ll carry everything we have!”

Jacob was stunned. Did he hear them correctly? Joseph? It couldn’t be...they said he was dead! Killed by a wild animal!

 “Are you sure?” Jacob said.

 “Yes father! We spoke to him ourselves. He proved to us that he was Joseph with only things he could have known!”

Jacob couldn’t believe it. It...it was all too much. He sat down and began to weep. All his sons gathered around him, comforting him. But he wasn’t sad. No...this day has become the most joyous day he had ever known. His son, who was dead, was now alive.

Hello again everyone and thank you for listening to another episode of Bible Backdrop. As we continue with our history of Israel series, we come to what I call The Big Reveal. Joseph has given his brothers one final test and Judah has offered to take Benjamin’s place as a slave after Joseph’s silver cup had been discovered in Benjamin’s bag. Although certain of his innocence, Judah has had such a change of heart that he is willing to trade his life for Benjamin’s so as not to bring sadness to his father. Joseph now sees that the brothers have changed and are willing to sacrifice themselves for their family. He is convinced that they are repentant.

Overwhelmed with emotion, Joseph makes all the Egyptians leave. When they’re out of the room, Joseph finally reveals himself to his brothers and asks again if Jacob is still alive. The Bible says “But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence.” The Hebrew word used her for terrified is bahal which means amazed, frightened or terrified and was probably all 3. How he revealed himself is not mentioned. Joseph may have shown them scars or birthmarks to prove himself. Or he may have spoken to them in Hebrew. Either way, it was obvious that the brothers did not doubt it was Joseph. Then Joseph said “Come near to me”; the brothers had obviously cringed back when Joseph revealed himself. Well, maybe all except Benjamin who wasn’t involved in selling him as a slave. Joseph then goes into an explanation telling them about the remaining years of famine and how God had sent him ahead to preserve their lives and “...a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.” As noted in the previous episode, God sent them to Egypt so that they could grow as a nation since the Egyptians thought of them as inferior and would not intermarry with them unlike the Canaanites who would have loved to absorb the Hebrews into their culture. 

After revealing himself, Joseph sends his brothers back home to get their father and their families and bring them back to Egypt. Before sending them away, he weeps with Benjamin and spends time talking to his brothers catching up on everything that had been happening. During this time, it’s reported to Pharaoh that Joseph has reunited with his brothers and he is pleased with the news. He gives them carts, which was a very advanced piece of technology for the time. Joseph gives them other pieces of wealth...clothing and silver. Of course, he favors Benjamin above the others. He gives them more donkeys, the carts and plenty of food for the journey. The last thing he tells them is: “See that you do not become troubled along the way.” He knew as soon as they were on the road, they could start fighting with each other about who would get what land, or wondering why Benjamin was so favored. 

They return to Jacob and share the good news with him. At first he doesn’t believe it, but they somehow prove it to him. It may have been something they said or seeing the treasures and carts that convinces him. Either way, Jacob has to be overjoyed to have all his sons and to find out that his favored son, Joseph, is still alive. However, something must be bothering him. In Genesis 46, he comes to Beersheeba which is the southernmost outpost in Canaan on the way to Egypt. He offers sacrifices to God there and God speaks to him and tells him “...do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.” God has to give Jacob reassurances. Why? It’s possible that he heard stories of when Abraham went to Egypt during a famine and how that ended. He may have also been told by his father, Isaac, that God told him NOT to go to Egypt. So this may have all been weighing on him. Plus, he knew he was leaving the land God had promised his descendants. Would they ever return? God assures him that his people would return and that Joseph would “put his hands on your eyes.” Basically, God promises that Joseph will care for him. 

At this point, the Bible does a genealogy of Jacobs sons and their families. This is to mark exactly who went with Jacob and that nobody was left behind. All told it was about 70 people. Quite a large crowd, but one that could easily fit into the land of Egypt without causing a problem...for now.

As they get closer, Jacob sends Judah to Joseph to point the way to the land of Goshen. This was the land that Pharaoh had promised to Joseph for his family in the previous chapter. What was this land? Goshen was on the eastern part of the Nile delta, so in the northern part of the country. It was a fertile land, but mostly unpopulated. Of course, during the famine, nothing grew but it may have had grass or some sort of feed for the livestock. This was a good place for the Israelites to grow as a nation as it was away from the Egyptians and they could be left mostly alone.

Joseph then sees his father for the first time in over 20 years and the reunion is very emotional. The Bible says he “...fell on his neck and wept on his neck for a good while.” Then Joseph tells them that he will be a representative to Pharaoh for them. It was important, even though Pharaoh trusted Joseph, that he follow protocol. He also instructs them to say that they are shepherds, which they are. This is important because, as Joseph says: “...for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” So while an agricultural society, it was mostly farming crops as sheep were seen as unclean. So this would keep the Hebrews separate from the Egyptians even more. 

In Chapter 47, we see Joseph bring Jacob before Pharaoh who asks Jacob about his age. Jacob responds that he is 130 and that he has not attained the length of age as his ancestors, Abraham and Isaac. Then Jacob blesses Pharaoh which is a very remarkable event. Pharaoh was thought to be the embodiment of the sun god, Ra; so him accepting Jacob’s blessing may show that Pharaoh understood that there was someone above him. This may be the result of Joseph’s work and the evidence before him of being able to sell grain while the rest of the world starved.

The chapter continues with Pharaoh commanding Joseph to give the land of Goshen to his father and brothers. It says that Joseph situated them there and provided bread for his father’s household. This is important. As we’ll see, the Egyptians had to keep buying bread, but Jacob’s family came under the covering of Joseph and were included in whatever food he received. Also, it shows that Jacob’s family was entirely dependent on Joseph. They almost certainly did some kind of work as Pharaoh stated that they could be his chief herdsmen, but they did not have to purchase the grain necessary to live.

However, as the chapter continues to tell, the Egyptians still had to buy from Joseph. And this was becoming a problem as the famine went on and they had nothing with which to buy the grain. So Joseph told them to sell him their livestock, which they did. Then when the famine continued on, they had no choice but to sell themselves and their land. So instead of citizens that owned their own land, they became direct subjects of Pharaoh and he moved them into cities. Why? Two reasons: First, it’s easier to control a population if they are condensed in one place, especially at this time when mobility was so limited. Second, if they lived in cities and were removed from the land, there would be no attachment to it. They would understand that it’s Pharaoh’s land and they were just working on it. During times of national crisis, it’s not unusual for the central government to grow stronger. As the famine is coming to an end, Joseph gives them seed to plant so that they can start the growing process again. He also demands 20% of every harvest to go to Pharaoh, except for the priests as they were excluded. The people agree and the tax continues on for many years.

As the chapter ends, it is 17 years later and Jacob knows that his end is near. He makes Joseph swear that he will be buried in Canaan and not in Egypt. It was imperative that the last patriarch show that he understands his role in the Abrahamic covenant and keep the people connected to the Promised Land. If he’s buried in Egypt, then the people may lose their connection with their land. We’ll see this repeated later when Joseph passes away.

Moving to chapter 48, Joseph is told that Jacob is ill and goes to him bringing his children, Manasseh and Ephraim. Jacob tells him that he is adopting these two sons of Joseph and they will share in the inheritance, the same as Reuben or Simeon. This was seen as a great honor as they would receive a portion of the Promised Land. Also, they would be identified with Jacob and the other Hebrews instead of with the Egyptians. However, something strange happens. When Joseph brings the children to be blessed, he puts Manasseh, the oldest, near Jacob’s right hand and Ephraim, the younger, near his left hand. The right hand was considered to be the favored position and Joseph assumed it would go to the eldest. But Jacob crosses his hands so that his right hand is on Ephraim and his left is on Manasseh. Joseph is annoyed by this and tries to correct his father, but Jacob has not made a mistake. Driven by God, he prophetically tells him that Ephraim will be greater than his older brother and “...shall become a multitude of nations.” Later, when we discuss the book of Kings, we see that northern Israel is often called Ephraim.

In chapter 49, Jacob, realizing death is at hand, calls his sons together for a final time. As he talks to each, he gives them a prophecy about how their legacy will turn out. I won’t go into each one here as you can read it for yourself, but Judah’s is fascinating. It is obviously a prophecy about the Messiah and shows that Judah has become the leader of the family after the failures of Reuben, Simeon and Levi. 

After this, Jacob reminds them again that he is to be buried in the Promised Land and then the Bible records that he “...breathed his last.” At the age of 147, Jacob, the last of the patriarchs, is called home. Now, you would think the story would end there, but it does not. The Bible says that the entire nation of Egypt mourned for 70 days. Given that a royal mourning period was 72 days, this shows that Jacob was honored just below a pharaoh. It goes to show how much Joseph was revered that they treated his father in this manner.

Joseph then goes to Pharaoh’s household and has them ask Pharaoh for permission to bury his father in Canaan. Why go that route? Why not ask Pharaoh directly? And why did he need permission at all? There’s a lot of debate on this topic and no clear answer. Some believe that Joseph speaks to the household because he is not quite as close to Pharaoh as he was before. Now that power has been put into Pharaoh as the central authority, maybe Joseph was no longer needed as much as before. As a result, allies at court would help make sure that his request was received positively. It’s also possible that Pharaoh was afraid that Joseph would leave and not return, which means he still had an important role at court. It’s hard to say which is true. Pharaoh does give him permission and a large royal retinue goes with the mourning family. Although they may have gone just to make sure Joseph came back. Either way, as promised, Jacob is brought back to Canaan and buried there. The mourning was so great, the Canaanites even noticed it. After this, they return to Egypt.

Now comes the interesting part. Without their father acting as a buffer, Joseph’s brothers are afraid that he will now take this moment to mete out his revenge. They send messengers to him saying that their father had asked Joseph to forgive their sins against him. When they meet, they bow and tell him they are his servants. They show great humility now and are willing to be his slaves. Joseph, though, is heartbroken that they feel this way and that they think so little of his character. He comforts them and says that though they had meant evil, God meant it all for good. As a result, many people would be saved and a nation would be forged.

We now come to the end of the book of Genesis. At the age of 110, Joseph prepares for his death. He has seen his grandchildren as they were “brought up on Joseph’s knees.” Usually, this quote is used to show deep familial bonds between Joseph and his offspring. It may also mean that Joseph officially adopted his grandchildren, the same as Jacob adopted Ephraim and Manasseh. Either way, it represents God fulfilling his promise to bless the family of Jacob and to show Joseph that even through life’s hardships, he would see these blessings. Before he dies, Joseph reminds his family that he wished to have his bones returned to Canaan. He understood the covenant relationship with God and his heart rested in the Promised Land. After his death, his body is embalmed and put in a coffin, but not buried. This had to be a very specific instruction that was fulfilled and speaks to Joseph’s stature among the Egyptians that it was fulfilled. It also stood as a reminder to the Hebrews that this was not their home...that they would return to the land God had promised them.

On that note, we are now finished with the book of Genesis. As we get into Exodus and the other books of the Torah, we will not get into the depths of the stories as we have here. This required a good foundation for where the people of Israel came from and why the Promised Land is so important. If you are enjoying Bible Backdrop, please subscribe and leave a 5 star rating and review. You can also e-mail the show at BibleBackdrop@gmail.com. Word of mouth is still the best way for this show to get around, so please tell a friend and have them subscribe. Thank you again for listening and have a great week!