For today, we read the story of Joseph bringing his father's entire family to Egypt. The number 70 reflects only the blood line through the males. Daughters, daughters-in-law, and grand-daughters were not factored in, nor were servants or concubines. So the actual number of Israelites at that point, had to be somewhere around 150. And did you notice that Benjamin had 10 sons! I had assumed that he was far too young to have so many children. He wasn't a "boy" at all!
Because of the way God had blessed Joseph and enabled him to find favor with Pharoah, Joseph was able to spare his family, and the future nation of Israel, from dwindling by starvation. He had gained Pharoah's admiration to such a degree that Jacob and his descendants were given the best of the land in which to settle. He offered to hire them to shepherd his flocks, which were soon to be very substantial due to Joseph's shrewd managing. So while the rest of Egypt was turning all of their property over to Pharoah and becoming slaves, Jacob's family "acquired property, and they were fruitful, and their population grew rapidly". This laid the groundwork for the oppression of the Israelites in Egypt just 300 years later...the oppression from which Moses would eventually free them. They became so powerful, wealthy, and numerous due to Pharoah's warm welcome, (which was ultimately due to his affinity for Joseph... which was due to God's blessing upon him), that they were a threat to a future king.
The famine in Egypt and the surrounding areas had to have been significant, in keeping with the Biblical record, so I skimmed some internet articles to determine whether any extra-Biblical evidence existed for it. The most succinct commentary was found in an article by the BBC; hardly a "Christian" source. I have pasted it below...
Studies in 'ice cores' found in Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania - the mountain which supplies the Nile with its water - have revealed that a drought did take place around 3600 years ago - around the time the Bible sets Joseph's story.
We also know of another event around the same time. One of the most fertile areas in Egypt was the land around Lake Quarun. This lake was fed with water from one of the branches of the Nile. Droughts in Egypt used to cause this branch to dry up, leaving the land around the Lake destitute. We do know that between 1850 and 1650 BC a canal was built to keep the branches of the Nile permanently open, enabling water to fill Lake Quaran and keep the land fertile. This canal was so effective that it still successfully functions today. There is no record of who built the canal, but for thousands of years it has only been known by one name. In Arabic it's the Bahr Yusef. This translates into English as The Waterway of Joseph. Could this canal have been built by a certain Prime Minister called Joseph as part of his work to save Egypt from famine? Was this Prime Minister the son of a Canaanite called Jacob?
Tomorrow's reading: Genesis 47:28-50:26
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
This brought a recently received e-mail to mind. The e-mail quoted a sermon based on part of Gen. 47. In the sermon, it speaks of the people going to the government for provision in hard times rather than depending on God. By relying on the government, the Egyptians ended up losing their money, livestock, land, real estate and eventually their freedom. Here is a bit of the sermon:
ReplyDelete"What can we learn from this, brothers and sisters?
That turning to the government instead of to God to be our provider in hard times only leads to slavery? Yes. That the only reason government wants to be our provider is to also become our master? Yes. But look how that passage ends, brothers and sisters! '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.' God provided for His people, just as always has! They didn't end up giving all their possessions to government, no, it says they gained possessions!"
Then the sermon goes on to remind us that the same thing is happening today with the share the wealth philosophy of many in government, and warns that
"if we go along with it, and do it willingly, then we will wind up no differently than the people of Egypt did four thousand years ago - as slaves to the government, and as slaves to our leaders."
Something to think about, huh?