Read-Post Through the Bible

[daniel1212av]

"And whosoever shall exalt himself shall be abased; and he that shall humble himself shall be exalted." (Mat 23:12).  In one day Joseph went from a place of shame and debasement to honor and exaltation, from obscurity to public proclamation, from being powerless and poor (in the earthly sense) to a place of of power and prosperity, and from prison garments to royal attire. The Lord's deliverance, when it comes, reverses the negative that had been had been and can be quite sudden and dramatic!. This can be seen in miracles by God in this life, and spiritually this dramatic reversal is what happens spiritually to every soul that humbles themselves before God as a lost sinner and receives by faith the Lord Jesus (Eph. 1 - 3). And as in the case of the Lazarus (Lk. 16:19-31), so it will be realized in the end that some shall rise “to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt” (Dan. 12:2). To the praise and glory of God.  "The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day" (Isa 2:11).

 In Joseph we have an example of humbly suffering patiently, and being right with God so that he could be used by Him. And also of wise stewardship, which the Bible speaks much of.

(Luke 12:42-46)  "And the Lord said, Who then is that faithful and wise steward, whom his lord shall make ruler over his household, to give them their portion of meat in due season? {43} Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. {44} Of a truth I say unto you, that he will make him ruler over all that he hath. {45} But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming; and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; {46} The lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers."

(Luke 16:10-12)  "He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much: and he that is unjust in the least is unjust also in much. {11} If therefore ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? {12} And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another man's, who shall give you that which is your own?"

"Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 10:4).

(1 Cor 4:2). "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."  (1 Pet 4:10).

So we and the church corporate are to be such good and wise stewards in all things the Lord has entrusted us with, though i have often failed, and to those that obey obey Mt. 6:33, will He entrust the more.

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 42)  "Now when Jacob saw that there was corn in Egypt, Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon another? {2} And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is corn in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from thence; that we may live, and not die. {3} And Joseph's ten brethren went down to buy corn in Egypt. {4} But Benjamin, Joseph's brother, Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest peradventure mischief befall him. {5} And the sons of Israel came to buy corn among those that came: for the famine was in the land of Canaan. {6} And Joseph was the governor over the land, and he it was that sold to all the people of the land: and Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves before him with their faces to the earth. {7} And Joseph saw his brethren, and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and spake roughly unto them; and he said unto them, Whence come ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. {8} And Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. {9} And Joseph remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. {10} And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to buy food are thy servants come. {11} We are all one man's sons; we are true men, thy servants are no spies. {12} And he said unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are come. {13} And they said, Thy servants are twelve brethren, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. {14} And Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you, saying, Ye are spies: {15} Hereby ye shall be proved: By the life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your youngest brother come hither. {16} Send one of you, and let him fetch your brother, and ye shall be kept in prison, that your words may be proved, whether there be any truth in you: or else by the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. {17} And he put them all together into ward three days. {18} And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live; for I fear God: {19} If ye be true men, let one of your brethren be bound in the house of your prison: go ye, carry corn for the famine of your houses: {20} But bring your youngest brother unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so. {21} And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. {22} And Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying, Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear? therefore, behold, also his blood is required. {23} And they knew not that Joseph understood them; for he spake unto them by an interpreter. {24} And he turned himself about from them, and wept; and returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes. {25} Then Joseph commanded to fill their sacks with corn, and to restore every man's money into his sack, and to give them provision for the way: and thus did he unto them. {26} And they laded their asses with the corn, and departed thence. {27} And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass provender in the inn, he espied his money; for, behold, it was in his sack's mouth. {28} And he said unto his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in my sack: and their heart failed them, and they were afraid, saying one to another, What is this that God hath done unto us? {29} And they came unto Jacob their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that befell unto them; saying, {30} The man, who is the lord of the land, spake roughly to us, and took us for spies of the country. {31} And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no spies: {32} We be twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the land of Canaan. {33} And the man, the lord of the country, said unto us, Hereby shall I know that ye are true men; leave one of your brethren here with me, and take food for the famine of your households, and be gone: {34} And bring your youngest brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies, but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your brother, and ye shall traffic in the land. {35} And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that, behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and when both they and their father saw the bundles of money, they were afraid. {36} And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are against me. {37} And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. {38} And he said, My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead, and he is left alone: if mischief befall him by the way in the which ye go, then shall ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave."

[daniel1212av]

"I the LORD search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer 17:10).  "...I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works." (Rev 2:23b)

Vs. 1 – What is past is a preparation for the chastisement of Joseph's brethren, and the trying of their heats and faith. Jacob's family is feeling the famine, and acting as a family, Jacob sends his sons to Egypt for provision. Joseph recognizes them but hides himself form them and speaks harshly to them, accusing them of being spies, which they earnestly protest against, explaining their situation, that they be the sons of one man, the youngest of which is back with his father, and that one of their brothers “is not” (v. 13). But Joseph places them in prison any way. As v. 21 makes clear, Joseph had anguish of soul" when they put him in the pit on the day of his “burial” by his brethren, but Joseph's action here by God is not in retribution, but for the necessary purposes of  proving their heart, of causing them to remember their sin, and be brought to contrition, and to evidence repentance. “..reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” 2 Tim. 4:2b). "But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world" (1 Cor 11:32). Think here of the continuing parallels in the life of Christ, which shall later be detailed

Vs. 18 – 20: On the 3rd day Joseph requires  them to give up one of their brothers to captivity while they return to their father with the corn, and bring their youngest son (Benjamin) back to Egypt with them, “so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not die. And they did so.” 

Vs. 21 – 24:  It is here that it is manifest that they have carried the guilt of their crime against the child Joseph all these years, whom they believe to be dead, as they rightly recognize that all this has come upon them due to their sin. Reuben in particular reminds the others of how he protested against their sinful intent (to kill him). Joseph heard this but his brothers presumed he could not understand them as he spoke by them through an interpreter, but hearing their contrition “he turned himself about from them, and wept” (V. 24a), revealing that it caused him sorrow to see this necessary chastisement and sorrowful contrition. "But though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. For he doth not afflict willingly nor grieve the children of men.  To crush under His feet all the prisoners of the earth, To turn aside the right of a man before the face of the most High, To subvert a man in his cause, the Lord approveth not." (Lam 3:32-36). 
   
Vs.  24b – 28: Regaining his disguised composure, Joseph “returned to them again, and communed with them, and took from them Simeon, and bound him before their eyes” just as they once saw young Joseph taken into captivity by the Ishmeelites (Gn. 37:25-28). He then fills their sacks and returns all their money into their sack and sends them on their way. After one of them opens one of the sacks to feed his donkey,  they discover that their money has been returned, which could be used to prove that they were indeed thieves, and seeing this they fear it is part of their continuing chastisement by God. This again is part of the “poetic justice” realized by them, who deceived their father with the blood spattered colored coat of Joseph. 

Vs. 29 – Returning to their father they recount what transpired, which brings grief anguish of heart to Jacob. In response, Reuben earnestly the return of his brother Simeon, and offers the life of his two sons as guarantee that he does not bring Simeon back again by returning to Egypt with Benjamin, but .  Jacob refuses to allow Benjamin to go back with them to retrieve Simeon, as he would not be able to withstand another death of his beloved son, like as happened (he believes) to Joseph. 

We can become so intrigued by the details and depth of this story that we fail to realize the pain  experienced by the individuals involved and why. We have a man who could have been killed but instead was sold into bondage, then his death fabricated, resulting in a twice grief – stricken father,  and sons suffering under guilt for years, and a young man suffering the betrayal of familial love, bondage and emotional distress, all of which was deleterious for  the family a whole. And all of which was the result of  jealousy and it's cousin, resentment. Then we have the wrongful imprisonment of Joseph and labor due to one women's lusts and lying, and the kind of emotional grief realized by him in seeing his brothers in distress of guilt. And in whose affliction the Lord Himself was afflicted (Is. 63:9).

That the Lord manifests His grace in the light of such sin, and did and will work good out of it, fulfilling His word and saving the contrite and doing justice for the oppressed while executing justice upon the unGodly, by no means justifies sin.  "What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  "God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Rom 6:1, 2). Almighty God is under no obligation to save any one, sinners be we all, and it is to the praise of the glory of His grace that any be made “accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. 1:6), and when we presume upon His grace (which i too have done many times in different ways) we both hurt ourselves and others – sometimes for eternity – and above all we dishonor our God.  "But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin" For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end" (Heb 3:13, 14).

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 43)  "And the famine was sore in the land. {2} And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the corn which they had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go again, buy us a little food. {3} And Judah spake unto him, saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. {4} If thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy thee food: {5} But if thou wilt not send him, we will not go down: for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. {6} And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? {7} And they said, The man asked us straitly of our state, and of our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive? have ye another brother? and we told him according to the tenor of these words: could we certainly know that he would say, Bring your brother down? {8} And Judah said unto Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou, and also our little ones. {9} I will be surety for him; of my hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee, and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for ever: {10} For except we had lingered, surely now we had returned this second time. {11} And their father Israel said unto them, If it must be so now, do this; take of the best fruits in the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm, and a little honey, spices, and myrrh, nuts, and almonds: {12} And take double money in your hand; and the money that was brought again in the mouth of your sacks, carry it again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: {13} Take also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: {14} And God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.

{15} And the men took that present, and they took double money in their hand, and Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood before Joseph. {16} And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the ruler of his house, Bring these men home, and slay, and make ready; for these men shall dine with me at noon. {17} And the man did as Joseph bade; and the man brought the men into Joseph's house. {18} And the men were afraid, because they were brought into Joseph's house; and they said, Because of the money that was returned in our sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for bondmen, and our asses. {19} And they came near to the steward of Joseph's house, and they communed with him at the door of the house, {20} And said, O sir, we came indeed down at the first time to buy food: {21} And it came to pass, when we came to the inn, that we opened our sacks, and, behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our hand. {22} And other money have we brought down in our hands to buy food: we cannot tell who put our money in our sacks. {23} And he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them. {24} And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their asses provender. {25} And they made ready the present against Joseph came at noon: for they heard that they should eat bread there. {26} And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present which was in their hand into the house, and bowed themselves to him to the earth. {27} And he asked them of their welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom ye spake? Is he yet alive? {28} And they answered, Thy servant our father is in good health, he is yet alive. And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance. {29} And he lifted up his eyes, and saw his brother Benjamin, his mother's son, and said, Is this your younger brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. {30} And Joseph made haste; for his bowels did yearn upon his brother: and he sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and wept there. {31} And he washed his face, and went out, and refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. {32} And they set on for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the Egyptians, which did eat with him, by themselves: because the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. {33} And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright, and the youngest according to his youth: and the men marvelled one at another. {34} And he took and sent messes unto them from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him."

[daniel1212av]

[3-09-07]
Gn. 43
Anyone who wants to do a true to text type Biblical play or movie (which of the Old Testament we need more of I think) may not need to look any further than the story of Joseph and his brethren, and in such i suppose this would be Act 3. 

Vs. 1 – 14 After grieving over the loss of Simeon for some time, and the bought food being gone, what would not be risked out of sheer love for him will now be justified due to the need for food. As it was Reuben and Judah who stood out as the brothers who sought to save Joseph's life (Gn. 37:22, 26, 29), so after the captivity of Simeon it is these two who are manifest as seeking Simeon's return.  Reuben has already spoken in the last chapter (42:47), and now Judah reminds their father Jacob of the conditions set forth by the ruler of Egypt, and that unless he sends Benjamin as required they will not go. A bereaved Jacob/Israel asks (probably more rhetorically) why they even said they had a brother, and after Judah explains it was  unavoidable, he then urges his father to send them all on their way back. Jacob assents and instructs them to return with both some of choice foods as a gift to the ruler of Egypt, but to double the money that was returned to them. And to take their brother, Benjamin, the beloved of Jacob. He then gives a type of benediction, that “God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may send away your other brother, and Benjamin. If I be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved” (v. 14). Like Reuben and Judah in particular, i am sure Simeon's wife and family (Gn. 46:10), if he had them by now, were glad at this decision and hopeful of it's success. 

Vs. They return to Egypt and stand before Joseph, who must veil himself from his familial identity,  which we may see later as part of the Joseph's typology of Christ, veiling in human flesh. "Verily thou art a God that hidest thyself, O God of Israel, the Saviour." What follows here is the continuance of the trying and manifestation of their hearts that began with the first visit.  Are they still of the manner of heart that would seek to kill out of jealously and unholy anger, and use guile to conceal their crime, causing untold distress upon their victims, or are they now of the humble, honest and contrite heart that is necessary to “see” God and for both conversion and real use by God, and that is repentant, manifesting works fit for repentance (Acts 26:22)? Joseph commands they be brought home and a feast be prepared for them. His brothers fear a plot, in which Joseph will find reason to enslave them due to the apparently stolen money. They therefore explain to the steward of the house their innocence in the matter of the money, and he responds, “Peace be to you, fear not: your God, and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto them” (v. 23(. This indicates that the steward himself was a believer in the one true God. He then brings them (further?) into Joseph's house and gives them water by which they wash their feet and feeds their donkeys. Knowing they are to eat with Joseph at noon, the make ready their present. When he comes in they bring it to him,  and every one of them bows down to him to the ground in obeisance, in fulfillment of the dream prophecy of Gn. 37: 5-8). Here their protest question, “Shalt thou indeed reign over us? or shalt thou indeed have dominion over us?, is answered in the affirmative, but which will all be for their benefit. So it is that while our flesh cries against the Lord, like the rebellious citizen in Lk. 19:14, “We will not have this man to reign over us” meaning Christ, yet true freedom and victory is found in submission and surrender to Him. to Him (will we ever learn?).  . 

Vs. 27 - 34 Joseph then asks of their father's welfare, which surely was of uppermost concern to him, and they respond that he is alive and in good health. “And they bowed down their heads, and made obeisance.”  . Joseph then sees and asks about the younger brother, and blesses him saying “God be gracious unto thee, my son.”  After some time he washes his face and seeking to maintain his composure, goes out and commands that all be fed, but in an arrangement in which they all eat separately, likely at different tables in the same room, his brothers by themselves, and Joseph by himself and the Egyptians by themselves, because it would be an abomination unto the Egyptians to eat with the Hebrews. Joseph placed his brothers at table according to their age, and with them marveling at the grace in being given such a reception, Joseph sent them food to them but he gave to Benjamin five times as much as the rest. “And they drank, and were merry with him." Souls also marveled at the great grace manifested by Jesus as well (Mt. 89:, and the goodness of God is  should be motivation unto necessary repentance (Rm. 2:4), but this is sadly not usually the case with man.

To be continued....

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 44)  "And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. {2} And put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the youngest, and his corn money. And he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. {3} As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. {4} And when they were gone out of the city, and not yet far off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them, Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? {5} Is not this it in which my lord drinketh, and whereby indeed he divineth? ye have done evil in so doing. {6} And he overtook them, and he spake unto them these same words. {7} And they said unto him, Wherefore saith my lord these words? God forbid that thy servants should do according to this thing: {8} Behold, the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? {9} With whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen. {10} And he said, Now also let it be according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall be my servant; and ye shall be blameless. {11} Then they speedily took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened every man his sack. {12} And he searched, and began at the eldest, and left at the youngest: and the cup was found in Benjamin's sack. {13} Then they rent their clothes, and laded every man his ass, and returned to the city.

{14} And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house; for he was yet there: and they fell before him on the ground. {15} And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this that ye have done? wot ye not that such a man as I can certainly divine? {16} And Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's servants, both we, and he also with whom the cup is found. {17} And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. {18} Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. {19} My lord asked his servants, saying, Have ye a father, or a brother? {20} And we said unto my lord, We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother, and his father loveth him. {21} And thou saidst unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set mine eyes upon him. {22} And we said unto my lord, The lad cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father, his father would die. {23} And thou saidst unto thy servants, Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall see my face no more. {24} And it came to pass when we came up unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my lord. {25} And our father said, Go again, and buy us a little food. {26} And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be with us, then will we go down: for we may not see the man's face, except our youngest brother be with us. {27} And thy servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare me two sons: {28} And the one went out from me, and I said, Surely he is torn in pieces; and I saw him not since: {29} And if ye take this also from me, and mischief befall him, ye shall bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to the grave. {30} Now therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad be not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the lad's life; {31} It shall come to pass, when he seeth that the lad is not with us, that he will die: and thy servants shall bring down the gray hairs of thy servant our father with sorrow to the grave. {32} For thy servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying, If I bring him not unto thee, then I shall bear the blame to my father for ever. {33} Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren. {34} For how shall I go up to my father, and the lad be not with me? lest peradventure I see the evil that shall come on my father."

[daniel1212av]

After a great manifestation of grace, in which they ate and were merry, and with Simeon returned and Benjamin not lost, all of Joseph's brothers are to be sent on their way. And so far the one time would- be murderers have shown contrition and evidence of repentance in recognizing, like the penitent thief one the cross, that they were being punished “justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds” (Lk. 23:41). But as the Psalmist cried, “Thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress”  (Ps. 4:1), there is   yet a more thorough work of abasement and contrition, and of brotherly love that must be brought forth before Joseph will reveal himself to them, and their father and the entire clan be brought down to Egypt. We see a similar situation is seen in Neh. 8 + 9ff in which celebration came before abasement and confession and repentance.

Vs. 1 – 13: Joseph commands his steward to fill his brethren sacks with as much food as they can bear, along with their money, as Joseph is not looking to gain but to give. Unlike they did, he will not sell his brother  for silver, but he instructs the steward to put Joseph's own silver cup in the sack of his little brother Benjamin. The next dawn they were all sent away, and once out of the city Joseph sends his steward to overtake them and to accuse them of the theft of Josephs silver cup. They vigorously  protest their innocence, reasoning that since they brought the money back that was originally unexpectedly found in their sake, why would they steal?  Earnestly standing fast in their integrity, they   propose to the steward that “whomsoever of thy servants it be found, both let him die, and we also will be my lord's bondmen” (v. 9). The steward accepts, but that the guilty party shall be his servant while they be held blameless. Confident of their innocence, they then quickly take down their sacks and the steward searches them beginning with the eldest and ending with the youngest, in whose sack the silver cup was found. They tear their clothes in  remorse, load up and return to the city.

Vs. 14 – 34: “And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's house..” It is notable that Judah is singled out as the leader. They all fall before Joseph in another instance of the prophetic fulfillment as before, and with Judah as as their spokeman he basically goes beyond pleading nolo contendere, and states “God hath found out the iniquity of thy servants”, though perhaps this refers to their iniquity of their crime against Joseph. Judah then also presents them as Joseph's servants, along with the one in whose sack the cup was found. Joseph however, will only have Benjamin as his servant, and tells the rest to return to their father. To this heart - breaking situation Judah draws nearer and earnestly entreats Joseph, with a manner of reverence like that of Abraham toward the LORD in Gn. 18, that he might not be angry, reverencing Joseph's Pharaoh – like authority. He then pleads for the life of his brother and his father, recounting how Joseph required them to bring their youngest brother (who represented Joseph) back to Egypt. He then tells in his father's own words of how he so loved Benjamin that he could not bear the loss if Benjamin return not, as he is the only son left of one wife, the other having been already lost, apparently eaten by wild animals. Judah thus entreats Joseph that indeed their father will die if Benjamin returns not. The one who then proposed that Joseph be sold into slavery now asks Joseph that seeing that Judah himself became surely for his life, he would allow him to take Benjamin's place as Joseph's servants, while Benjamin returns to his father. For how can Judah bear to see his fathers resultant death when Benjamin fails to return?   

This honest humility, heartfelt intercession and absolute unselfish plea is in obvious contrast to both the original murderous jealousy of Joseph's brethren as a whole which would have seen his death, as well as the compromise solution of Reuben and Judah by which he ended being sold into slavery. This contrary response of contrition and repentance evokes that which Paul spoke of in regard to the Corinthians, who were once carelessly tolerant of open sin, but upon his written chastisement (1 Cor. 5) dealt with the problem in holy zealous righteousness. Of which he pens, “(2 Cor 7:11)  "For behold this selfsame thing, that ye sorrowed after a Godly sort, what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves, yea, what indignation, yea, what fear, yea, what vehement desire, yea, what zeal, yea, what revenge! In all things ye have approved yourselves to be clear in this matter."

Such “works meet [fit] for repentance” (Acts 26:20) is rare today, as we have much changed the holy glory of the incorruptible God into an image more to our own liking, in which the absolute holiness of God – the lack of effectual reverence for which once cost the men of Bethshemesh 50,000 lives (1 Sam. 6:19) - is subordinated to an emphasis upon a kind of grace that cost little and expects little in regard to fulfilling the righteousness of the law (Rm. 8:4). And hence it produces offspring that cannot endure much convicting peaching of sound doctrine but instead cries, “speak unto us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Is. 30:10; cf. Benny hinn, etc.). This by means infers that all the church (of born again believers has succumbed to that level, nor that i myself am not guilty of such, but that this broad road is where we seem to be headed in the prosperous west, rather than being the holy and pious yet bold in the faith manner of souls that marked the primitive church and men of God of old. 

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 45)  "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. {2} And he wept aloud: and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard. {3} And Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they were troubled at his presence. {4} And Joseph said unto his brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near. And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt. {5} Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to preserve life. {6} For these two years hath the famine been in the land: and yet there are five years, in the which there shall neither be earing nor harvest. {7} And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance. {8} So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt. {9} Haste ye, and go up to my father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry not: {10} And thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all that thou hast: {11} And there will I nourish thee; for yet there are five years of famine; lest thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast, come to poverty. {12} And, behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin, that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. {13} And ye shall tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye have seen; and ye shall haste and bring down my father hither. {14} And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. {15} Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him. {16} And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. {17} And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; {18} And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. {19} Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. {20} Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours. {21} And the children of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them provision for the way. {22} To all of them he gave each man changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. {23} And to his father he sent after this manner; ten asses laden with the good things of Egypt, and ten she asses laden with corn and bread and meat for his father by the way. {24} So he sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto them, See that ye fall not out by the way. {25} And they went up out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob their father, {26} And told him, saying, Joseph is yet alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt. And Jacob's heart fainted, for he believed them not. {27} And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived: {28} And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die."

[daniel1212av]

Vs. 1 – After Judah's heartfelt entreaty, Joseph cannot contain either his composure nor his disguise any longer. Commanding all the Egyptians to go out from him, he weeps aloud and declares to his brethren that he is Joseph(!), and inquires as to the life of his father. Being  fearfully disturbed at his presence they cannot answer him. Joseph then calls them to draw near and more intimately reveals, “I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold into Egypt” (v. 4), and that they are not (any longer) to be grieved nor angry with themselves for having sold Joseph into slavery, for it has the Lord's doing by which he came to Egypt, to save them by a great deliverance, and preserve their posterity, seeing that there are five years remaining of this great famine. That Joseph of a long time has recognized that his captivity and such was the plan of God for the good of all is even more clearly stated by his words, “So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and a ruler throughout all the land of Egypt”  (v. . Therefore he instructs them make haste to go to his father and bring the entire clan with all they have into the land of Goshen where he will noursih them, lest they come to poverty. He then calls them, and especially. Benjamin to be his eyewitness that he is indeed Joseph, and to tell his father of this and of all the glory that Joseph has received. And then Joseph does what he has long longed for, and “he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. Moreover he kissed all his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his brethren talked with him” (vs. 14, 15).

Vs. 16 - Pharaoh and his household know of the glorious news “and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants”, and in another confirmation of the Lord's will he instructs Joseph to give his brethren wagons and, leaving things they came with, go back  to Canaan and then return with their father and households to Egypt, where they shall eat the fat of the land. 

Joseph gives them the wagons, and Pharaoh gives the provisions for the trip, but to Benjamin he  give 300 pieces of silver and 5 changes of clothing,  them on their way And for Jacob there father he sends 20 beasts of burden laden with goods and food.

Thus Joseph's brethren whose dreams of glory at one time made them so jealous and angry that they could not even wish him a good day, now return in awe and joy and tell their father that Joseph his son is not only alive but governor of all the land of Egypt, and that they all are to return there in great blessing.. Such a report is incredible to him, but when  they tell him the words of Joseph and he sees the loaded wagons, “the spirit of Jacob their father revived:  And Israel said, It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see him before I die" (vs 27, 28).

There is much one can say about this chapter alone, but as a whole, the story of Joseph thus far in many many ways reveals him as an earthy type of the Heavenly Messiah, to the glory of God the father. 

In the Bible we have many “types” or foreshadows of New Testament realities (Col. 2:16, 17), such as the temple and it's priesthood, and most notably, those of Christ himself, in such persons as Moses the deliverer and law-giver, etc, and the passover lamb, etc. But it should be noted that in such things there need not always have a one to one correspondence in all things, and if every aspect is forced it would require such things a making “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29) an animal!  Likewise, Joseph (or Moses) as a type of Christ in no way makes Joseph Divine, nor robs Christ of His Divinity, which itself is testified to indirectly as well as by explicit testimony.

I have been working on this for a few hours today, and it is  getting late for todays posting so i will just list the parallels that i see already on the Genesis side, and hopefully later will list their New Testament anti types.

Help in listing these parallels is invited. In what ways did Joseph typify Christ?

Gn. 37:2, 3: Joseph was hated by his brethren because of his father's special love, and for his exposure of their sinfulness.

37:5-11: Joseph was the subject of  Divine prophecies which exalted him above his brethren, and which they persecuted him for. 

37:12-17: Joseph willingly went to seek his brethren.

37:19-20: Joseph came unto his own and his own received him not, and conspired to kill him. .

37:24: Joseph was cast into a pit wherein was not water.

37:28 Joseph was sold for 20 pieces of silver.

37:31-33: Joseph's brethren conspired a fabrication to explain Joseph's (assumed) death

38:4: Joseph was a faithful and wise servant who took care of his “flock.”

38:6-12: Joseph resisted great temptation.

38:13-18: Joseph was falsely accused and arrested.

39:20: Joseph was cast into the prison, a place where the king's prisoners were bound:

40: Joseph “preached” unto the captives in prison.

40:14: Joseph sought deliverance, without departure from the will of God.

41: Joseph prophesied of two different ends for two different people.

40:12, 13: Joseph spoke of a man, worthy of punishment, who would be given a high servant position among brethren

40:8; 41:16; Joseph always attributed gave glory to God for his supernatural abilities.

41:16: Joseph was “raised“ from prison and changed into new garments and came to the ruler of the land.

41:25-36 Joseph was the authoritative interpreter of th revelations of God, and a wonderful counselor as to what to do.

41:38-44: In one day, Joseph was raised from abasement to exaltation at the ruler's (Pharaoh's)  right hand, and made lord and savior of the (known) world.

41:45: Joseph was given a foreign wife.

41:37: Joseph's words and work found full approval by the ruler.

41:47, 54: Joseph's words came to pass in their time.

41:40, 41, 44, 57; 42:6: People came to Joseph for a need no one else could meet.

42:6, 43:28: Joseph's brethren bowed down to him.

42:9: Joseph's actions toward them were in accordance with God – given prophecy

42:7: Joseph appeared in a form his brethren did not recognize.

42:21, 22; 44:16: Joseph worked conviction, contrition and confession.

42:23: Joseph spoke with them through an interpeter.

42:25: Joseph gave them food. 

44:1: Joseph had a steward that he commanded to give food to his brethren.

42:15; 43:9; 44:33: Joseph required works that showed repentance.

43:30, Joseph greatly yearned after his brethren, especially the one that was most like him

44:18: Judah equated Joseph as Phraoh.

44:32, 33: Joseph basically required his brethren to love their neighbor as themselves, and to lay down their life for their friend.

45:1-3: Joseph revealed himself to his brethren, in tge absence of others

45:4: Joseph called the fearful brethren to drawn near to him.

45:5: Joseph spoke words of peace and comfor to his fearful brethren

45:7, 8: Joseph revealed that what had happened to him was all in accordance with God's plan.
45:9-11: Joseph told his brethren who believed that he was alive to tell the rest of their clan.

45:12, 13: Joseph called his brethren to give eyewitness testimony to him.

45:13: Joseph called all his brethren to see the glory that was given him of the ruler.

45:17-19: Joseph and the Pharaoh, and call them into the land he had prepared for them.

45:20: Pharaoh blessed them with all the good of all the land of Egypt.

45:22: Pharaoh gave them all changes of raiment;

45:24 Pharaoh warned them “See that ye fall not out by the way.”

45:25-28: Joseph's brethren went and told their father, who was persuaded by the word of their testimony. 

45:28: Joseph's father made his decision to see Joseph before he died.

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 46)  "And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. {2} And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. {3} And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: {4} I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. {5} And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. {6} And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him: {7} His sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed brought he with him into Egypt.

{8} And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob's firstborn. {9} And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. {10} And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. {11} And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. {12} And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zarah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul. {13} And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron. {14} And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. {15} These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three. {16} And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. {17} And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel. {18} These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. {19} The sons of Rachel Jacob's wife; Joseph, and Benjamin. {20} And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him. {21} And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard. {22} These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen. {23} And the sons of Dan; Hushim. {24} And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem. {25} These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven. {26} All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons' wives, all the souls were threescore and six; {27} And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. {28} And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.

{29} And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. {30} And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive. {31} And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; {32} And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. {33} And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? {34} That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians."

[daniel1212av]

V.1 Israel has not forgotten the God of his fathers, but worships the Living and True God (EL, the Mighty) with sacrifices. And we in Christ are to do the same. "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name. But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God is well pleased" (Heb 13:15-16).

Vs. 2-4. The LORD, as He did to Abraham and Isaac, confirms His plan to Jacob/Israel after worships the LORD.  "And they went forth, and preached every where, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen" (Mark 16:20).

Verse 8-27
[The list given here of the family of Jacob as it came down into Egypt is not to be identified with a list of their descendants two hundred and fifty years after, contained in Num. 26, or with another list constructed after the captivity, and referring to certain of their descendants in and after the times of the monarchy. Nor is this the place to mark out or investigate the grounds of the diversities from the present which these later lists exhibit. Our proper business here is to examine into the nature and import of this ancient and original list of the family of Jacob. It purports to be a list of the names of the sons of Israel, “who went into Mizraim.” This phrase implies that the sons of Israel actually went down into Egypt; and this is accordingly historically true of all his immediate sons, Joseph having gone thither about twenty-two years before the others. And the word “sons” is to be understood here in its strict sense, as we find it in the immediate context Gen_46:7 distinguished from sons’ sons and other descendants.

“Jacob and his sons.” From this expression we perceive the progenitor is to be included with the sons among those who descended to Egypt. This also is historically exact. For the sake of clearness it is proper here to state the approximate ages of these heads of Israel at the time of the descent. Jacob himself was 130 years of age Gen_47:9. Joseph was in his thirtieth year when he stood before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams and receive his commission as governor-general of Egypt, Gen_41:46. At the end of the second year of the famine nine full years were added to his life. He was therefore, we may suppose, 39 years old when Jacob arrived in Egypt, and born when his father was 91. As we conceive that he was born in the fifteenth year of Jacob’s sojourn in Padan-aram, and Reuben in the eighth, we infer that Reuben was at the time of the descent into Egypt seven years older than Joseph, or 46, Simon 45, Levi 44, Judah 43, Dan about 43, Naphtali about 42, Gad about 42, Asher about 41, Issakar about 41, Zebulun about 40, Dinah about 39, Benjamin about 26. “Jacob’s first-born Reuben.” This refers to the order of nature, without implying that the rights of first-birth were to be secured to Reuben 1Ch_5:1-2.” - Barnes.]

V. 26 “all the souls were threescore and six;”  Strictly speaking, there were only sixty-six went to Egypt; but to these add Joseph and his two sons, and Jacob the head of the clan, and the whole number amounts to seventy. In the speech of Stephen (Act_7:14) the number is stated to be seventy-five; but as that estimate includes five sons of Ephraim and Manasseh (1Ch_7:14-20), born in Egypt, the two accounts coincide.
.

V. 29  After years of longing and, Joseph cannot wait until his father arrives at his house, but he makes haste to met him and “he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.” 

Vs. 33-34
[The dislike of the Egyptians to shepherds arose from the fact, that the more completely the foundations of the Egyptian state rested upon agriculture with its perfect organization, the more did the Egyptians associate the idea of rudeness and barbarism with the very name of a shepherd. This is not only attested in various ways by the monuments, on which shepherds are constantly depicted as lanky, withered, distorted, emaciated, and sometimes almost ghostly figures (Graul, Reise 2, p. 171), but is confirmed by ancient testimony. According to Herodotus (2, 47), the swine-herds were the most despised; but they were associated with the cow-herds (βουκόλοι) in the seven castes of the Egyptians (Herod. 2, 164), so that Diodorus Siculus (1, 74) includes all herdsmen in one caste; according to which the word βουκόλοι in Herodotus not only denotes cow-herds, but a potiori all herdsmen, just as we find in the herds depicted upon the monuments, sheep, goats, and rams introduced by thousands, along with asses and horned cattle. - K+D]

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 47)  "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. {3} 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. {5} 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. {7} 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. {11} 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. {13} 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. {15} 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. {18} 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. {21} 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. {23} 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. {25} 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. {27} 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. {29} 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."

[daniel1212av]

I am presently having a hard time finding the energy and hours it usually takes to do a more in-depth exposition of these chapters, and so will post more of the words of others, which i will put in italics.

Though Joseph is the prince of the land, he shows in his chapter, as a subject, deep respect his ruler.   "Honour all men. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the king" (1 Pet 2:17). Likewise Joseph, as a son and a brother, shows great love to his brethren, notwithstanding all the unkindness he had once received from them.

Gen 47:1-6 -
Though Joseph was a great man, especially in Egypt, yet he owned his brethren. Let the rich and great in the world not overlook or despise poor relations. Our Lord Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren..- Henry

Joseph . . . told Pharaoh, My father and my brethren--Joseph furnishes a beautiful example of a man who could bear equally well the extremes of prosperity and adversity. High as he was, he did not forget that he had a superior. Dearly as he loved his father and anxiously as he desired to provide for the whole family, he would not go into the arrangements he had planned for their stay in Goshen until he had obtained the sanction of his royal master. - JFB

v. 6 As all spiritual blessings in the Heavenlies are given to believes in the real Christ (Eph. 1), the only begotten so of God whom Joseph typified, so his brethren are blessed with the best land of Egypt. 

The king then empowered Joseph to give his father and his brethren a dwelling in the best part of the land, in the land of Goshen, and, if he knew any brave men among them, to make them rulers over the royal herds, which were kept, as we may infer, in the land of Goshen, as being the best pasture-land - K+D

Gen 47:9 - The days of the years of my pilgrimage, &c.--  The Hebrews, at least, still attained a protracted longevity.  Though a hundred thirty years, he reckons by days (compare Psa_90:12), which he calls few, as they appeared in retrospect, and evil, because his life had been one almost unbroken series of trouble. The answer is remarkable, considering the comparative darkness of the patriarchal age (compare 2Ti_1:10). - JFB

Such was the life of the patriarchs in the land of promise Heb_11:13. “Few and evil.” Jacob’s years at this time were far short of those of Abraham and Isaac, not to speak of more ancient men. Much bitterness also had been mingled in his cup from the time that he beguiled his brother of the birthright and the blessing, which would have come to him in a lawful way if he had only waited in patience. Obliged to flee for his life from his father’s house, serving seven years for a beloved wife, and balked in his expected recompense by a deceitful father-in-law, serving seven long years more for the object of his affections, having his wages changed ten times during the six years of his further toil for a maintenance, afflicted by the dishonor of his only daughter, the reckless revenge taken by Simon and Levi, the death of his beloved wife in childbed, the disgraceful incest of Reuben, the loss of Joseph himself for twenty-two years, and the present famine with all its anxieties - Jacob, it must be confessed, has become acquainted with no small share of the ills of life. “Blessed Pharaoh.” It is possible that this blessing is the same as that already mentioned, now reiterated in its proper place in the narrative. “According to the little ones.” This means either in proportion to the number in each household, or with all the tenderness with which a parent provides for his infant offspring.- Barnes

Gen 47:7-12 - With the gravity of old age, the piety of a true believer, and the authority of a patriarch and a prophet, Jacob besought the Lord to bestow a blessing upon Pharaoh. He acted as a man not ashamed of his religion; and who would express gratitude to the benefactor of himself and his family - Henry

Gen 47:13-26 -
Care being taken of Jacob and his family, which mercy was especially designed by Providence in Joseph's advancement, an account is given of the saving the kingdom of Egypt from ruin. There was no bread, and the people were ready to die. See how we depend upon God's providence. All our wealth would not keep us from starving, if rain were withheld for two or three years. See how much we are at God's mercy, and let us keep ourselves always in his love. Also see how much we smart by our own want of care. If all the Egyptians had laid up corn for themselves in the seven years of plenty, they had not been in these straits; but they regarded not the warning. Silver and gold would not feed them: they must have corn. All that a man hath will he give for his life. We cannot judge this matter by modern rules. It is plain that the Egyptians regarded Joseph as a public benefactor. The whole is consistent with Joseph's character, acting between Pharaoh and his subjects, in the fear of God. The Egyptians confessed concerning Joseph, Thou hast saved our lives. What multitudes will gratefully say to Jesus, at the last day, Thou hast saved our souls from the most tremendous destruction, and in the season of uttermost distress! The Egyptians parted with all their property, and even their liberty, for the saving of their lives: can it then be too much for us to count all but loss, and part with all, at His command, and for His sake, who will both save our souls, and give us an hundredfold, even here, in this present world? Surely if saved by Christ, we shall be willing to become his servants – Henry.

Continued..

[daniel1212av]

V. 17 and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses; with which Egypt abounded, to which many places of Scripture have respect, Deu_17:16,  and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds; the sheep and the oxen; which shows that these creatures were bred and fed by them, and were, no doubt, slain, and used for food: and for the asses; which were used for carrying burdens: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle, for that year; which seems to be the sixth year of the famine: one would wonder what Joseph should do with all their cattle, where put them, and feed them, in such a time of drought; though it is probable the number was not exceeding large, since they only fetched one year's provision of bread. - Gill

Gen_47:13-26
Joseph introduces remarkable changes into the relation of the sovereign and the people of Egypt. “There was no bread in all the land.” The private stores of the wealthy were probably exhausted. “And Joseph gathered up all the silver.” The old stores of grain and the money, which had flowed into the country during the years of plenty, seem to have lasted for five years. “And Joseph brought the silver into Pharaoh’s house.” He was merely the steward of Pharaoh in this matter, and made a full return of all the payments that came into his hands. “The silver was spent.” The famishing people have no more money; but they must have bread. Joseph is fertile in expedients. He proposes to take their cattle. This was really a relief to the people, as they had no means of providing them with fodder. The value of commodities is wholly altered by a change of circumstances. Pearls will not purchase a cup of water in a vast and dreary wilderness. Cattle become worthless when food becomes scarce, and the means of procuring it are exhausted. For their cattle Joseph supplies them with food during the sixth year. .- Barnes

Gen_47:18-20
The seventh year is now come. The silver and cattle are now gone. Nothing remains but their lands, and with these themselves as the serfs of the soil. Accordingly they make this offer to Joseph, which he cannot refuse. Hence, it is evident that Pharaoh had as yet no legal claim to the soil. In primeval times the first entrants into an unoccupied country became, by a natural custom, the owners of the grounds they held and cultivated. The mere nomad, who roamed over a wide range of country, where his flocks merely cropped the spontaneous herbage, did not soon arrive at the notion of private property in land. But the husbandman, who settled on a promising spot, broke up the soil, and sowed the seed, felt he had acquired by his labor a title to the acres he had cultivated and permanently occupied, and this right was instinctively acknowledged by others. Hence, each cultivator grew into the absolute owner of his own farm. Hence, the lands of Egypt belonged to the peasantry of the country, and were at their disposal. These lands had now become valueless to those who had neither provisions for themselves nor seed for their ground. They willingly part with them, therefore, for a year’s provision and a supply of seed. In this way the lands of Egypt fell into the hands of the crown by a free purchase. “And the people he removed into the cities.” This is not an act of arbitrary caprice, but a wise and kind measure for the more convenient nourishment of the people until the new arrangements for the cultivation of the soil should be completed. The priestly class were sustained by a state allowance, and therefore, were not obliged to alienate their lands. Hence, they became by this social revolution a privileged order. The military class were also exempted most probably from the surrender of their patrimonial rights, as they were maintained on the crown lands.- Barnes

Gen_47:22 - The lands of the priests Joseph did not buy, “for the priests had an allowance from Pharaoh, and ate their allowance, which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they sold not their lands.” חק a fixed allowance of food, as in Pro_30:8; Eze_16:27. This allowance was granted by Pharaoh probably only during the years of famine; in any case it was an arrangement which ceased when the possessions of the priests sufficed for their need, since, according to Diod. Sic. i. 73, the priests provided the sacrifices and the support of both themselves and their servants from the revenue of their lands; and with this Herodotus also agrees (2, 37).- K+D

Regardless of that above comments, The principal of providence for those who are consecrated to spiritual things is one that is found with God

Gen_47:23-26
I have bought you. - He had bought their lands, and so they might be regarded, in some sort, as the servants of Pharaoh, or the serfs of the soil. “In the increase ye shall give the fifth to Pharaoh.” This explains at once the extent of their liability, and the security of their liberty and property. They do not become Pharaoh’s bondmen. They own their land under him by a new tenure. They are no longer subject to arbitrary exactions. They have a stated annual rent, bearing a fixed ratio to the amount of their crop. This is an equitable adjustment of their dues, and places them under the protection of a statute law. The people are accordingly well pleased with the enactment of Joseph, which becomes henceforth the law of Egypt.

Gen_47:27-31
And they were possessed thereof. - They become owners or tenants of the soil in Goshen. The Israelites were recognized as subjects with the full rights of freemen. “They grew and multiplied exceedingly.” They are now placed in a definite territory, where they are free from the contamination which arises from promiscuous intermarriage with an idolatrous race; and hence, the Lord bestows the blessing of fruitfulness and multiplication, so that in a generation or two more they can intermarry among themselves. It is a remarkable circumstance that until now we read of only two daughters in the family of Jacob. The brothers could not marry their sisters, and it was not desirable that the females should form affinity with the pagan, as they had in general to follow the faith of their husbands. Here the twelfth section of the Pentateuch terminates.

Gen_47:28-31
Jacob lives seventeen years in Egypt, and so survives the famine twelve years. “He called his son Joseph.” Joseph retained his power and place near Pharaoh after the fourteen years of special service were completed; hence, Jacob looks to him for the accomplishment of his wishes concerning the place of his burial. “Put thy hand under my thigh” Gen_24:2. He binds Joseph by a solemn asseveration to carry his mortal remains to the land of promise. “And Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.” On receiving the solemn promise of Joseph, he turns toward the head of the bed, and assumes the posture of adoration, rendering, no doubt, thanks to God for all the mercies of his past life, and for this closing token of filial duty and affection. The Septuagint has the rendering: ἐπί τὸ ἄκρον τῆσῥάβδον αὐτοῦ  epi to ākron akron tēs rabdou autou “on the top of his staff,” which is given in the Epistle to the Hebrews Heb_11:21. This is obtained by a mere change in the vowel pointing of the last word. - Barnes

V. 29  "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Heb 9:27), so we must take care not only for our earthly burial, but most critically our eternal destiny, which salvation is only found through “repentance towards God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts 20:21).

“thy hand under my thigh:” a gesture in swearing an oath in regards to posterity, as in Gen. 24:2, which is as close to the procreative organ another man could get. 

“bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt..”  As Jacob was separated from idolaters in life, so he would be i death, having a plot already prepared for him (Gn. 49:29-32), as was also his eternal home, Heb. 11:16: “But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.” Praise ye the Lord.

[daniel1212av]

(Gen 48)  And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. {2} And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. {3} And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, {4} And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. {5} And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. {6} And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. {7} And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem. {8} And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? {9} And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. {10} Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. {11} And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath showed me also thy seed. {12} And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. {13} And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. {14} And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn. {15} And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, {16} The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth. {17} And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head. {18} And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. {19} And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations. {20} And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh. {21} And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers. {22} Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.