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Notes. Doc P. 110 DSB 9-Sep-05 Genesis IV – Notes Lesson

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Notes. Doc P. 110 DSB 9-Sep-05 Genesis IV – Notes Lesson Genesis IV – Notes XI. Jacob Blesses Joseph’s Sons 14-Aug-05 Genesis 47:13-48:22 Theme: God blesses the people of Egypt through Joseph and Joseph’s sons through Jacob, thus furthering both the promises of God and their fulfillment. Key Verses: Genesis 48:15-16 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: “God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 the Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; let my name be named upon them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.” Review Last week we looked at Genesis 46:1-47:12. I divided this section up into three main topics. First, we considered the promises of God in 46:1-4. Jacob headed towards Egypt, but was uncertain about that destination. And so he worshiped God at Beersheba and in response, God granted him a third visionary experience. God reassured Jacob that he should go down into Egypt. Furthermore, God reiterated the covenant promises and indicated that the growth of the nation of Israel would occur in Egypt, not in Canaan as Jacob might have thought. God encouraged Jacob by promising that he (and his descendants) would one day return to the Promised Land. Finally, God comforted Jacob by telling him he would die peacefully in his son Joseph’s presence. The largest section of the text described the people of God in 46:5-27. We have a headcount of those who descended into Egypt. However, the purpose of the enumeration was primarily theological, not genealogical. In Genesis 10 we had the seventy nations representing all of mankind. However, they were sinful and were scattered at Babel. God began working His plan of salvation by selecting one man, Abraham, and building up a new nation through him. The seventy descendants of Abraham that went to Egypt are representative of that new nation, and in fact, are a replacement nation for the whole of sinful humanity. God’s activity in redemptive history would not be through the seventy nations, but through this replacement nation sprung up from seventy souls. And ultimately, it would be one descendant of Jacob, the Seed of Abraham, Jesus Christ, who would reconcile lost sinners of all nations to God by being the perfect substitute for sin. Finally, we saw the provision of God in 46:27-47:12. Through Joseph and Pharaoh, Jacob’s family is permanently given the best land in Egypt, the land of Goshen, to settle and raise their livestock. It was a sheltered area, perfect for the new nation to develop without outside contamination, such as they would have experienced in Canaan. They are granted royal privileges and legal status uncommon for foreigners. God’s providence has accomplished His will. Jacob and sons are exactly where they need to be at this stage of redemptive history as God prepares them for the next stage – the development of a family into a nation. Introduction Structurally, we will be looking at the eleventh panel and the first half of the twelfth panel. I’m dividing the text up this way because the eleventh panel (47:13-27) concerning Joseph’s rule over Egypt is relatively short, while the twelfth panel (47:28-49:33) concerning the blessings of Jacob is much longer and contains a lot of detail that we would not be able to cover in one Genesis IV – Notes. Doc p. 110 DSB 9-Sep-05 Genesis IV – Notes lesson. So, this week we will look at the blessing that Joseph is to Egypt and the blessing that Jacob bestows on Joseph’s sons. Next week we will look at the blessing that Jacob bestows on his own sons. Structure of Panel 11 a famine in Egypt and Canaan (47:13) b Joseph gathers money for Pharaoh by selling grain (47:14) c Joseph gathers livestock in exchange for grain (47:15-17) d CENTER: Jacob gathers land and people (as servants) for Pharaoh (47:18-20) c’ Joseph controls people (but not priests) (47:21-22) b’ Joseph gathers double tithe (20% tax) for Pharaoh (except from priests) (47:23-26) a’ Israel prospers in Goshen (47:27) Structure of Panel 12 a summary of Jacob’s life (47:28-29a) • nearing death b Jacob charges Joseph to bury him in Hebron (47:29b-31) c Jacob blesses Joseph’s two sons , who have equal status with his own twelve sons (48:1-20) d CENTER: Jacob blesses Joseph (48:21-22) c’ Jacob blesses his twelve sons (49:1-28) b’ Jacob charges his sons to bury him in Hebron (49:29-32) a’ summarizing statement (49:33) • Jacob’s death A. Joseph Rules over Egypt (47:13-27) As we come to this passage, we have a bit of a difficult interpretative issue facing us. I’ve entitled this section as “Joseph Rules over Egypt,” but it could also be entitled, “Joseph Enslaves Egypt.” Some headline writers at the New York Times might put this spin on it, “Whiny Hebrew Exacts Revenge on Former Masters by Reducing Them to Abject Slavery and Oppression.” Like a good newspaper article is supposed to do, the Bible gives us just the facts. We are challenged to interpret them. How we do so is determined in part by our biases. Consider these comments from a conservative writer, Wallace: “We are perhaps perplexed that during the last few years of the prevailing famine, when the poor in Egypt were so desperately suffering from hunger, Joseph deliberately brought the whole population into complete subjection to Pharaoh. He created a system in which gross inequality between rulers and ruled would be perpetuated, and he showed no trace of perplexity over the social or practical implications of his actions, or of sympathy for the deepening wretchedness of the common people. This is the third time in the narrative that Joseph’s behavior is open to criticism. So far we have been able to find excuses. But in this final case we are forced to join in the censure. Joseph’s fault here was simply that he acted harshly and without pity in the face of massive human misery. We believe that if Joseph at the climax of his rule in Egypt had remained as sensitive to God’s guidance as he had been during the days of his own suffering and his deep concern over his brothers, he would have acted differently. He was infected by the corruption that so often mars those who wield great power and continually want more power, thus losing the common touch.” Has Joseph become a despot? Is he no longer sensitive to human misery, having experienced so much himself? Has he become corrupted by absolute power? Or is he once again, Genesis IV – Notes. Doc p. 111 DSB 9-Sep-05 Genesis IV – Notes misunderstood? I believe that Joseph is acting godly in this passage, and hope to show that as we go through the text. 1. Joseph Gains (47:13-26) Genesis 47:13-26 gives us the overview of the famine years and Joseph’s work in that time. During these years, Joseph accomplished what he sets out to do: namely, he feeds the people of Egypt during this difficult time period. While doing so, he gained all of Egypt for Pharaoh in stages: 1) their money (47:14); 2) their livestock (47:15); 3) their land (47:20); and 4) even the people themselves as slaves or indentured servants (47:21). Egyptologist K. A. Kitchen observes: “Joseph’s economic policy simply made Egypt in fact what it always was in theory: the land became Pharaoh’s property and its inhabitants his tenants.” The uprooting of the people in verse 21 sounds particularly severe: “And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.” This sounds like the policy of relocation used by later empires such as the Assyrians to scatter conquered peoples and break their resistance. However, this verse is difficult to translate and there are several other possible translations which are likely better. First, it may mean that Joseph “reduced the people to servitude” from one end of the kingdom to the other. In this case, it is simply summarizing what the rest of the text has stated. Alternately, it could mean that Joseph “caused the people to pass over to the cities.” In this rendition, the meaning is that the people would have to travel to the cities to receive the grain stored in the granaries. Whichever translation is more accurate, either one is better than the implication of forced relocation. The condition of slavery that the people were in is more akin to indentured servanthood than the type of slavery in American history that we are more accustomed to thinking about. The Egyptians had lost their freedom, yes; but in turn they received tremendous security because now the Pharaoh was responsible to feed them and take care of them. We can see that in verses 23- 24, because Joseph is providing seed for the people to farm the land. The people then have the responsibility to farm that land (which is now the Pharaoh’s) and to pay back a double-tithe of 20% to the Pharaoh’s household. However, the people get to keep 80% of the crops for their own use.
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