A New Chapter Begins

Joseph’s family are permitted to live in the land of Goshen. Goshen is a grassland area to the right side of the Nile delta and is very fertile farmland.

Blessing of the Children:

Reuben- Scolded for sleeping with his fathers wife, Reuben is given an inheritance, but was cursed. Reuben’s tribe never amounted to much. No leaders, priests, or prophets ever came from him and the tribe of Reuben is barely uttered in history.

Simeon and Levi- Simeon eventually became the smallest tribe of the 12, was omitted from the blessings of Moses, and eventually shared land with Judah. Levi was scattered among the people, but because of their faithfulness to God He allowed them to become the priestly tribe of Israel later on.

Judah- Judah is blessed with greatness. He is strong, mighty, and wise. From the tribe of Judah will come David, Solomon, and eventually Jesus whose reign never ends!

Zebulun- His lands never actually bordered the sea, but a major trade route went through Zebulun’s land which brought him prosperity.

Issachar- A hardworking and industrious tribe. They were known for hard laborers.

Dan- An aggressive tribe, but one who was not known for spiritual faithfulness. They abandoned their lands and moved to the extreme northern area of Israel.

Gad- They settles across the Jordan bordering enemy territory. They were frequented by scuffles with enemies, so they became fierce warriors worthy in battle.

Asher- Settle in fertile lands on the coast. This allowed them to produce good worthy of royalty.

Naphtali- They were swift and fierce in battle.

Death of Israel and Joseph: Israel (Jacob) dies, and by custom of the Egyptians he is embalmed so that he may mummify rather than decay. He was then transported back to his land for a proper burial. Joseph dies at 110. He tells his brothers, children, grandchildren, and all who were near that God would be with them and that they would return to possess the land that God had given them. He was embalmed and later returned to the land of Israel.

The Final Settlement Before the Tribulations in Egypt: The family returns to Goshen, and they begin to multiply rapidly. Pharaoh's come and go, dynasties rise and fall, and eventually Egypt is conquered. The new man in charge sees the Hebrews as more of a threat than a sojourning ally, so he seeks to break their spirits and remind them who was really in charge and where they stood. This begins the time of slavery for the Israelites. They would be in slavery for ______ years until God brought Moses into the picture to free them.

Upon freeing them, God sent them back into the land that He had promised them hundreds of years before, and after the conquest they settled into their family inheritance. This is where the rest of the Bible begins to take place.

I want you guys to read the first 4 chapters of Revelation and journal questions for the upcoming weeks