Jacob's Family Comes To Egypt (MP 33)

All went well with Joseph’s plan, and God’s, too;
The seven rich years reaped abundant grain,
And plenty was stored to feed Egypt through;
Their neighbors, as well, under Joseph’s reign!
Joseph’s brothers came to Egypt to buy,
For Canaan suffered during the lean years;
Jacob rejoiced that Jacob was the guy
Running Egypt, and he wept happy tears!
At Joseph’s request, his family moved,
From Canaan to Egypt, and there they stayed;
At first they were welcomed, and well approved,
But they grew so much, Egypt got afraid!
They dwelled down there four hundred thirty years,
Until God’s great Deliverer appears!

Scripture Quoted: Genesis 45:8-11 (NIV) [Brackets added]
“ ‘So then, [Joseph speaking to his brothers that sold him down to Egypt] it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. Now hurry back to my father [Jacob] and say to him, This is what your son Joseph says; God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me. Don’t delay. You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me—you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all that you have. I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will be destitute.’ “

Commentary
God’s Master Plan required that Jacob’s family be isolated in Egypt for 430 years before attaining nationhood as His special race of Israel; that was the reason He caused them to sell Joseph to the caravan going to Egypt in the first place. His plan called for the Canaanites to remain in the land of Canaan until their depravity in sin, which included the sacrifice of babies to idols, had risen to its fullest; also, He wanted Jacob’s family to multiply with pure blood lines from Abram into a large enough tribe that it could conquer all the tribes then living in Canaan. Therefore, when Joseph’s ten brothers came to Egypt to buy grain after the seven abundant years and two of the lean years, Joseph knew them immediately, but they did not recognize him. He put them through a tough ordeal, but in the end he welcomed them with forgiveness. He learned that his mother Rachel had born another child who was his full brother. Jacob had a total of 12 sons, each of whom fathered one of the twelve tribes of Israel; however, instead of Joseph’s one tribe, he had two sons by his Egyptian wife, Manasseh and Ephraim; they were each given a share of the land of Canaan.

When the full story of Joseph is known and considered, it becomes clear how important his role was in the development of the nation of Israel; also, his obedience to the will of God establishes him as one of the most righteous men who ever lived. Yes, as a youngster he was obnoxious to his brothers; however, it was that overbearing manner that motivated them to set God’s Plan into motion. His childhood dreams of his brothers bowing down to him came to fulfillment in the days when they were seeking food, and he was in control of the world’s biggest supply of food. They bowed until he made himself known to them and probably afterward, too. How extraordinary, that a young Hebrew slave could rise to such an exalted position in a foreign nation at exactly the proper time to save the ones that had sent him into slavery! But Pharaohs came, and Pharaohs went, and when Joseph’s benefactor went down, the new Pharaoh didn’t extend the same compassion to the Israelites; in fact, the time came that the Egyptians began to fear the growing number of Hebrews, and it resulted in the enslavement of the entire tribe. That, too, was a part of God’s Master Plan. Keep reading these blogs, and you will find how marvelous and astounding God’s Plan really was!

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him will not die, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

“That if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord’, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.” (Romans 10:9)