The Final Chapter — Perspectives

Now that Joseph and the brothers are reunited, it’s time to get Jacob!

The brothers head home to give their father what had to be the best news of his life and to move the family to Egypt where Joseph could look after them during the five years of famine yet to come.

It was a big company of Israelites that rolled into Egypt:

All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. Genesis 46: 26

I can’t even imagine that reunion between Jacob and the firstborn son of his beloved Rachel, whose supposed death he’d grieved all of these years.

Joseph’s family is also welcomed and well-received by Pharoah.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.” Genesis 47:5-6

Jacob lived seventeen years in Egypt. As the time of his death grew near, he called for Joseph and made a special request:

…. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” Genesis 47:29-30

And Joseph promised.

Before Jacob dies, he blesses the two sons of Joseph, counting them as his own and thus giving Joseph a double portion of the inheritance. There’s a pattern of younger sons being put above older sons going all the way back to Abraham:

Ishmael was Abraham’s firstborn, yet it was Isaac through whom God promised the blessing. (See Who’s in Charge Here?)
In the case of Isaac’s twin sons, it was Jacob the younger and not Esau who ended up with the birthright and his father’s blessing. (See One Determined Mother.)
Now, Jacob not only blesses Joseph (son number 11) above the others but makes a point of putting Joseph’s younger son, Ephraim, ahead of his older brother, Manasseh.

Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Ephraim … all favored over the literal “firstborns.”

As Jacob blesses his own sons, Reuben’s actions come back to haunt him - as does the violence of Simeon and Levi (sons number 2 and 3) in the revenge they took for the rape of their sister. (See Crimes, Consequences, and New Beginnings.)

Simeon and Levi: When the Promised Land was later conquered and divided among the tribes of Israel, Simeon’s inheritance lay within the territory of Judah (Joshua 19:1) and the Levites had no inheritance of their own but rather were given towns from the inheritances of the other Israelites (outlined in Joshua 21).

Judah was son number 4. He was the one who offered to take Benjamin’s place as Joseph’s slave. (See Perspectives.) Judah would become the leader among the tribes of Israel. and the tribe from which came Jesus, who literally DID give His life to rescue those enslaved by sin.

The Death of Jacob

Jacob’s death was followed by a 40-day embalming process, a 70-day mourning by the Egyptians, and a very large “funeral procession” that even included Pharaoh’s officials, dignitaries of his court, and dignitaries of Egypt. As per his instructions, his body was taken to the land of Canaan and buried with his family in the cave Abraham had bought following the death of Sarah.

From *A Piece of the Promise*
The cave serves as a burial ground for Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Jacob and Leah.

As we come to the close of Genesis, it’s almost a happy ending but not quite the one I would have written! Although Joseph lived 110 years and saw grandchildren, great and even great-great-grandchildren, I wanted him to outlive all of those brothers, but that’s not the way it was.

Knowing he was about to die, Joseph reminded his brothers that God would return them to the land of promise and requested that, when that happened, his bones be taken as well (which was fulfilled when Moses left Egypt in Exodus 13.)

As significant as was the life of Joseph, it would seem that he would be among the honored “patriarchs” in the genealogy of Jesus; however (and although Joseph was given Reuben’s rights as firstborn), the promise came through

Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Judah

The next in line was a son born to Judah and his daughter-in-law (See The Trouble with Tamar) in yet another ”younger ahead of older” case.

Perez appears in the genealogy of Jesus (Luke 3).

The family’s move from Canaan to Egypt wasn’t meant to be permanent; it was the land of Canaan, not the land of Egypt that God promised to Abraham and his descendants. Yet following the deaths of not only Joseph but of his brothers and that whole generation, not only are the Israelites still living in Egypt; they’re thriving!

According to Exodus 1:7 they “became so numerous that the land was filled with them.”

Aaand … the stage is set for the story of how God’s people ended up back in Canaan!

Genesis is a book of beginnings.

The beginning of time. The beginning of the world - and everything in it. The start of the Israelite people and their development as a nation.

Its stories not only reveal truths about human nature but also glimpses into the character of God. For all that changes across cultures and over time, it seems the most important ones remain the same.

I hope you have been as blessed by reading the “Life Lessons” study as I have been writing it, Kim