Lesson 95 Getting Settled in Goshen Genesis 47:1- 12

Standing Before Pharaoh 47:1-6

English Standard Version (Chapter 47)

47 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.”

Joseph now personally introduces five of the male family members/ brothers to Pharaoh. The introduction begins with the verbal completion of the invitation for them to come and settle. Jacobs family was invited by Pharaoh so Joseph is just confirming that the task is done. I’m sure that when Pharaoh gave an order, he inspected that which he ordered. That’s accountability. It is also precision. All along the way we have heard and seen accounts of certain tasks, happenings, and events more than once, The repetition is for accountability and precision. The Bible is true and it does not flinch at recording an event more than once. They are here in Goshen and this is who they are. Pharaoh meet my Brothers. Brothers, this is Pharaoh.

Occupation of the Brothers

Verse three begins with the exchange about occupations. Conversations among men usually begin with much the same topics today. Once we get over the formality/ pleasantries of name and where are you from, we ask “what do you do (for a living)?” instead of following Joseph’s lead of saying they are cattlemen, they say they are shepherds, the hated occupation of the Egyptians. They explained the have no pasture left in Canaan and that is why they are in Egypt. They asked formally for permission to dwell in Goshen because of their flocks. BTW, flocks of sheep and goats, do graze down to the nub. They clear grass and everything down to nothing. If they are not moved around in pasture, they will ruin a field. They leave nothing behind. Of course the good side is they keep the pasture clear of weeds.

Pharoah replies with a phrase we have heard before and this is confirmation, stay in Goshen and settle here in the best of the land. On top of that, “if any of you are good with livestock, put your family in charge of MY LIVESTOCK!” By telling the truth, they are rewarded with responsibility and jobs for the duration of their stay! No longer afraid of telling the truth, immediately they are rewarded by God and Pharaoh. Boom. We are here to stay and we have jobs! This may be more generous than the brothers had anticipated. They would not just tend to Pharaoh’s livestock, but they were put in charge. I’m not saying that someone just lost their job to Jacob’s boys, but that is what happened.

Jacob Stands Before Pharaoh. 47:7- 12

English Standard Version (Chapter 47)

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.

Jacob is finally introduced to this magnificent ruler and the first thing he does is bless Pharaoh. The blessing of God’s man on any ruler is better than money in the bank. If the whole nation cannot be blessed, then for sure bless the leaders. By this time Jacob has seen the water under the bridge a few time as he is now 130 years old. People just don’t live that long today. Maybe someone will reach a 110, but I don’t think many reach 120, let alone 130. At this writing, a woman in Spain is 116, and the Oldest man lives in Venezuela and he is 114. A lady in France lived to see 120, but she died in 1997. Old people are a treasure and their age was prized by the Egyptians.

Jacob did mention that his days(130 years) were few and evil, giving nod to his troubled but blessed past. He does not get dramatic and moan about how really bad it was because this is not the place for drama. Drama may be for the family setting when telling a story, but not in Pharaoh’s presence. Get in and get the message out, bless Pharaoh and tell him how wonderful it is to be here. That’s how it is to be done. From there they are given their possession in the land of Goshen, in the best of the land. The term best is superior in class or kind. It was all about location, location, and location in the land of Rameses. There was nothing better because Pharaoh had commanded it. The Joseph gave his family the food they needed according to dependents. Even at this point, food was being measured according to dependents. The famine was bad, really bad.

The Famine Deepens 47:13- 17

English Standard Version (Chapter 47)

13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.”

17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.

This is the point that people were starving. That is what languish would lead us to think. In fact the government, under Joseph’s control, started gathering up all of the money in the land from the sale of grain. People had give all they had financially to buy grain. This situation even reached up to Canaan from where Jacob’s family had fled- vs.15. Now, all of the money is gone and the people start to sell off their livestock in exchange for food. All of the livestock in Egypt is brought to Joseph and guess who is taking care of the livestock? Joseph’s brothers. Talk about being in the right place in a foreign land, it was Jacob’s family. God’s protection extends to the furthest realms and beyond our wildest expectations. God had a plan and it had been set in place even as Joseph was sold into slavery. The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob was about to go one step further in deliverance. We shall hear about that next week.