Transcendence

Twenty-three: Reunited

Joseph's love for his brothers and his father far outweighed his anger. He was happy to provide carts from Pharaoh for his brothers to take on their journey back to Canaan. He also gave each of them new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave five sets of clothes, and added to him three hundred shekels of silver. 

He longed to see his father, he missed him terribly. He sent his father ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt. He also sent ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread. Just before his brothers were out of sight he said, "Don't quarrel on the way!" Joseph's worry about how they would argue with each other stemmed from how they had treated him years earlier.

After a very long trip back to Canaan they safely arrived home. Israel's sons had finally returned to him. Tears were shed as the men eagerly told their father the entire story of their brother, his long lost son, Joseph. Not only was he alive, they explained, but he was ruler over Egypt. An unbelievable story, no doubt, and rightfully so Israel did not believe them at first. But, once he saw the carts, the food, the gifts, the clothes and all that was sent to him, his spirit revived and happily he exclaimed, "I am convinced! My son Joseph is still alive and I will go and see him before I die!"

Making a decision to pack up and move to Egypt was not an easy one. It was a scary move, dangerous to travel to a foreign country, and terrifying to leave behind his home -a settlement where his grandkids had been born and raised up. Israel loved living in Canaan, a beautiful land he was led back to by God himself. But in all his life he had lived with true faith and this time would be no different. He knew that God had placed Joseph in Egypt as a leader there to save them, he also knew God was leading him to take his family and move before starvation took them all. The move, the offer from Pharaoh, and his son being alive were all blessings from God. Israel knew.

The entire family, Israel and all of his offspring, packed up, along with all their livestock and possessions and headed out to Egypt. Those that were were with him were all of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. {Reuben - his firstborn, along with his four sons. Simeon along with his six sons. Levi along with his three sons. Judah and his three alive sons, his two other sons had died while in Canaan. Issachar and his four sons. Zebulun and his three sons. Gad and his seven sons. Asher and his six sons and one daughter. Benjamin and his ten sons. Dan and his son. Naphtali and his four sons. }

Upon reaching as far as Beersheba, Israel offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. That night God spoke to Israel in a vision saying, 'I am The God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you and I will bring you back again. And when you die Joseph's own hand will close your eyes.'

Feeling peace from the vision, Israel was ready to continue the journey. 

Back in Egypt Joseph was anxiously waiting.

When his family finally arrived in Goshen, Joseph was there with his chariot. As soon as Joseph laid eyes on his father he threw his arms around him and they wept for a long time.

Israel told his son, "I am now ready to die, now that I have seen for myself that you are alive." (Although Israel was ready to die peacefully at this moment, God wasn't ready to take him. God saw fit to allow Israel to spend many more years with Joseph and all of his family.)

Joseph took his brothers in to see Pharaoh, who normally detested shepherds, but because of his love and respect for Joseph he ignored the fact that his family were mere shepherds. He took a huge step farther in showing Joseph's importance to his country by giving his family permission to live in the best region. Pharaoh also offered any of Joseph's brothers who were skilled enough to watch over his own livestock.

Joseph then took his father before Pharaoh who blessed him. Pharaoh asked Israel how old he was. He replied, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." Then Israel also blessed Pharaoh and left his presence.

Joseph went about helping his brothers settle in the best region, the region of Rameses which was Goshen, as Pharaoh had directed. Joseph provided them all with food according to the number of their children. (God blessed Israel and his entire family through Joseph. God's plan, no matter how sad it had felt when Joseph was being sold, was to benefit the entire family. God's plan is always for the best, we just have to wait it out to see God's goodness in every single situation.)

As the years went on, the famine continued and both Canaan and Egypt began to waste away. Joseph continued to collect all the money that was to be found in both regions in payment for the grain they were buying. He took it all to Pharaoh's palace. When the people ran out of money they still came begging for food, exclaiming they would surely die right before his eyes without food. Joseph found a way by offering to exchange their livestock for food. Eventually, the livestock was also all traded away and still people needed more food. Joseph then began to buy up all the land in exchange for food, the food that people so desperately needed to stay alive. In time all of the people were reduced to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. Except for the Priest, who were allowed an allotment without payment due to their services to God.

After the five years were through, the famine was finally over and crops were beginning to produce, people were given seed in exchange for food. Their land belonged to Pharaoh, but they were allowed to live on the land and raise the crops, but when it came in, they were required to give a fifth of it to Pharaoh and the other four-fifths were theirs to keep for food to feed their households. All of the people were indebted to Pharaoh, but were grateful that he had saved their lives.

The Israelites (Israel's offspring) settled in Goshen and acquired land there. They were fruitful and greatly increased in number.

Israel lived in Egypt with his family for seventeen years, making him one hundred and forty-seven. When the time for him to die drew near he called for his son Joseph and said to him, "If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but carry me out of Egypt and bury me where my fathers are buried."

Joseph promised to do as his father asked.

(Life question: People have many requests when they pray. What longings does God fulfill in your life?)