1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers 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 provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.
13…26
27 Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
Pharaoh gave Joseph’s family some of the best grazing land of Egypt. He even put some of them in charge of his own livestock.
When Jacob was presented to Pharaoh he acknowledged that he had lived a troubled life of 130 years. Jacob blessed Pharaoh. The Israelites are now in a foreign land, living in a different culture, and their patriarch (family leader) wished God’s blessing on Pharaoh.
As the famine persevered the people ran out of money to buy food. Then Joseph acquired their livestock in exchange for food. Finally, he acquired their land and homes in exchange for food. By the end of the famine, Joseph had acquired all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Then Joseph gave them all seed to replant the land in exchange that they give one-fifth of all the produce back to Pharaoh (essentially a rental price). The people survived but they were in bondage to Pharaoh.
Israel settled in Egypt in the land of Goshen and prospered and multiplied. God blessed His people as He had promised Abraham. They were quickly growing into a great nation.
Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt to the age of 147. When he was near to death he called Joseph and made him promise not to bury him in Egypt but in the burial site of Abraham and Isaac.
Pharaoh recognised God’s hand on Joseph and put him in charge over Egypt. Pharaoh honoured God’s people, Joseph’s family, by giving them the best of the land of Egypt. As a result we see God blessing Pharaoh greatly. In a couple hundred years a different Pharaoh isn’t going to treat God’s people well and God will deal harshly with him.