My Summary
Joseph takes 5 of his brothers before Pharaoh. Pharaoh asks their occupation and they tell him they are shepherds. They ask to settle in Goshen, and Pharaoh not only gives his permission, but invites them to herd his royal flocks. Joseph then brings Jacob before Pharaoh. Jacob blesses Pharaoh and tells Pharaoh his advanced age and about his difficult life. Jacob's family settles in Goshen and Joseph provides them with what they need. The Egyptians quickly spend all of their money on grain. Then they trade their livestock to Joseph for food, Finally, they trade their land and even themselves as servants for food. Jacob and Pharaoh, who now own the land, give the people seed to plan and command that 20 percent be given as a tax. When Jacob was getting ready to die, he asks Joseph to promise to bury him in Canaan. Joseph swears that he will.
Random Historical Things
1. Jacob was already 130 when he met Pharaoh, and he would live for another 17 years. But his life seemed short to him because of the lives of his ancestors. Abraham lived to be 175 and Isaac died at 180!
2. The mention of horses in verse 17 is important. Horses were not introduced to Egypt until the 17th centure BC, which helps us get a general idea of the date for Joseph. Also, horses were only owned by the richer Egyptians, which shows how drastic the economy of Egypt has become.
3. The 20 percent tax levied by Joseph and Pharaoh on the people was much less than what we see in other documents from the Near Eastern nations of the time.
And So What We Have Learned Applies to Our Lives Today...
1. I only have 1 application from today's chapter. God definitely intervened to make sure that Jacob's family stayed separate. Pharaoh could have put them in a position there in the capital city. They could have lived like royalty in Joseph's house. However, because they were shepherds, they were put into the land of Goshen where the purity of their beliefs would not be corrupted. While we are called to reach the world, we are not called to be like the world. Everybody knew that this family in Goshen was different. Nobody thought they were just another Egyptian family. When people look at Christ's church, they should see something different. It should not just be another group of people, we should be recognizable as strangers and aliens in this world and society.
"How much better it is to possess a remote corner in the courts of the Lord, than to dwell in the midst of palaces, beyond the precincts of the church."
John Calvin's Commentary on Genesis
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