Author: Jefferson Vann

Genesis 47

Genesis 47:1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they have, have come from the land of Canaan. Notice, they are now in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 47:2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your slaves are shepherds, as our fathers were.”

Genesis 47:4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to stay as guests in the land, because there is no pasture elsewhere for your slaves’ flocks, because the famine is heavy in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your slaves locate in the land of Goshen.”

Genesis 47:5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, and this is what he said “Your father and your brothers have come to you.

Genesis 47:6 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 competent men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Genesis 47:7 Then Joseph brought Jacob his father and presented him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:8 And Pharaoh asked Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?”

Genesis 47:9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years I have wandered 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 travel.”

Genesis 47:10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh then went away from the presence of Pharaoh.

Genesis 47:11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

Genesis 47:12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s family with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Genesis 47:13 There was no food in all the land, because the famine was very brutal, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine.

Genesis 47:14 And Joseph collected 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.

Genesis 47:15 And when the money was all finished[1] 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? Because our money is gone.”

Genesis 47:16 And Joseph answered, “Give your living things, and I will give you food in exchange for your living things, if your money is gone.”

Genesis 47:17 So they brought their living things 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 living things that year.

Genesis 47:18 And when that year was finished, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not conceal[2] from my lord that our money is all finished. The herds of living things are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land.

Genesis 47:19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be barren.”

Genesis 47:20 So Joseph purchased all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, because all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was strong on them. The land became Pharaoh’s.

Genesis 47:21 As for the people, he made slaves of them from one end of Egypt to the other.

Genesis 47:22 Only the land of the priests he did not purchase, because the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; so, they did not sell their land.

Genesis 47:23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Notice, I have this day purchased you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you will replant the land.

Genesis 47:24 And at the harvests you will give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths will be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your families, and as food for your little ones.”

Genesis 47:25 And they said, “You have saved our lives;

 “May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be slaves to Pharaoh.”

Genesis 47:26 That was when Joseph made it a decree concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

Genesis 47:27 So Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land called Goshen. And they gained property in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.

Genesis 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So, the days of Jacob, the years he lived, were 147 years.

Genesis 47:29 And when the time drew near for Israel to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to show covenant faithfulness and firmness with me. Do not bury me in Egypt,

Genesis 47:30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial plot.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.”

Genesis 47:31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.

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[1] תָּמַם = be finished. Genesis 47:15, 18.

[2] כָּחַד = to conceal, make to disappear.

Genesis 47 quotes:

“If we are right in thinking that the Pharaohs of this time were from the occupying Hyksos tribe, theirs would have been a precarious power-base. We have already suggested that a Hyksos Pharaoh would have been more likely than an indigenous Egyptian monarch to promote Joseph, a former slave, to the position of Prime Minister. But this kind of ‘foreign’ dynasty would have been very susceptible to overthrow by a coup d état (as ultimately happened).”

Searle, David C. Joseph : “His Arms Were Made Strong.” Banner of Truth Trust, 2012. p. 154.

“Though a foreigner and a recipient of Pharaoh’s assistance, Jacob stood before the great ruler with dignity. In the consciousness that he was the representative of the Almighty, “Jacob blessed Pharaoh” (Genesis 47:10). Knowing that he held a sublime position in God’s program, he spoke the holy blessing upon Pharaoh.”

McQuay, Earl P. Joseph : Seeing God in the Worst of Times. Acc´ent Books, 1989. p. 101.

“Since the words of Scripture are never incidental, it is of some interest to note that Genesis 47:13-26 contains a rather detailed record of Joseph’s plan for the government of Egypt during one of the worst “depressions” in world history. It is a testimony to the amount of surplus that was available during the prosperous years, as well as the adjustment that was necessary to accommodate the time of famine. That model is a textbook case for governmental management—even as Joseph managed the sale of goods that ultimately transferred the wealth of several countries to the nation of Egypt.”

Morris, Henry M. The Book of Beginnings : A Practical Guide to Understand and Teach Genesis. Institute for Creation Research, 2012. p. 227.

Genesis 47 links:

“To be gathered to his people”
a lasting spiritual legacy
ACST 2 The Promise
Excursus- “To Be Gathered”
Joseph- humility and integrity
Joseph- the legacy of Israel
kachad
Life is…
saving Egypt for Pharaoh
What is Life – Life is…
who we belong to

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Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, January 29, 2021
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, January 30, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Tuesday, January 29, 2019

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

Genesis 45

Genesis 45:1 Then Joseph could no longer restrain himself before all those who stood by him. He cried, “Send everyone away from me.” So, no one remained with him when Joseph made himself known to his brothers.

Genesis 45:2 And he wept aloud, so that the Egyptians heard it, and the residents of Pharaoh’s household heard it.

Genesis 45:3 And Joseph said to his brothers, “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” But his brothers could not answer him, because they were troubled by his presence.

Genesis 45:4 So Joseph told his brothers, “Come near to me, please.” And they came near. And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.

Genesis 45:5 Now do not be troubled or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, because God sent me before you to preserve life.

Genesis 45:6 Because the famine has been in the land these two years, and there are still five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor harvest.

Genesis 45:7 So God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the land, and to keep alive for you many survivors.

Genesis 45:8 So it was not you who sent me here, but God. He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.

Genesis 45:9 Go up to my father quickly and tell him, ‘This is what your son Joseph says, God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; do not delay.

Genesis 45:10 You will dwell in the land of Goshen, and you will be near me, you and your children and your children’s children, and your flocks, your herds, and all that you have.

Genesis 45:11 There I will provide for you, because there are yet five years of famine to come, or else you and your household, and all that you have, will be reduced to poverty.’

Genesis 45:12 And notice that your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin see, that it is my mouth that speaks to you.

Genesis 45:13 You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and of all that you have seen. Quickly bring my father down here.”

Genesis 45:14 Then he embraced his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.

Genesis 45:15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them. After that his brothers talked with him.

Genesis 45:16 Then the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” and it delighted Pharaoh and his slaves.

Genesis 45:17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Tell your brothers, ‘Do this: load your donkeys and go back to the land of Canaan,

Genesis 45:18 and bring your father and your families, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat from the fat of the land.’

Genesis 45:19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.

Genesis 45:20 Have no concern for your goods there, because the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.'”

Genesis 45:21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, as Pharaoh commanded, and gave them provisions for the journey.

Genesis 45:22 To each and all of them he gave sets of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothing.

Genesis 45:23 To his father he sent these: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provisions for his father on the journey.

Genesis 45:24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they left, he said to them, “Do not be agitated on the way.”

Genesis 45:25 And they left Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.

Genesis 45:26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart went numb, because he did not believe them.

Genesis 45:27 But when they told him all the words that Joseph said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the breath of their father Jacob revived.

Genesis 45:28 And Israel said, “This is too much; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

Genesis 45 quotes:

“What was the first thing Joseph did9 After Judah finished his speech, Joseph cried, “…Cause every man to go out from me. And there stood no man with him…” (Genesis 45:1). When Joseph made himself known unto his brethren, it was secret. Why did Joseph do that? He did not want the Egyptians to know what his ten brothers had done to him. It was going to be a secret buried for ever and ever.”

Kendall, R. T. God Meant It for Good. MorningStar Publications, 1988. p. 153.

“God would save the family from extinction by the famine because He would one day fulfil the promise given to Abraham to make them into a great nation through whom He would accomplish his purpose in the world. That purpose is nothing less than the reconciliation of the world. “God was reconciling the world to Himself in Christ, not counting men’s sins against them” (2 Corinthians 5:19). And we, through our own reconciliation are now instruments in furthering that work through our preaching and witness. For God “has committed to us the message of reconciliation.

Williams, Peter. From Eden to Egypt: Exploring the Genesis Themes. DayOne, 2001. p. 39.

“The ending of this story brings tears to my eyes when I realize how much Joseph endured, how much he trusted, how long he waited, and how much God blessed him. He had been a slave boy on an auction block with no appreciable value, but now he said to the brothers who had sent him there, “Tell my father of all my splendor in Egypt, and all that you have seen” (Genesis 45:13).”

Isaacs, Bill. Embracing Destiny: Lessons from the Life of Joseph. Pathway Press, 2001. p. 171.

Genesis 45 links:

introducing the breath of God
Joseph- sent on a mission
seeing the mission
this is too much

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Maranatha Daily Devotional – Monday, January 28, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Thursday, January 28, 2021

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

Genesis 44

Genesis 44:1 Then he commanded the one over of his house, and this is what he said “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack,

Genesis 44:2 and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.” And he did as Joseph commanded him.

Genesis 44:3 As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away with their donkeys.

Genesis 44:4 They had gone only a short distance from the city. Then Joseph said to his steward, “Get up, follow after the men, and when you catch up with them, say to them, ‘Why have you repaid evil for good?

Genesis 44:5 Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination? You have done evil by doing this.'”

Genesis 44:6 When he caught up with them, he said these words to them.

Genesis 44:7 They answered him, “Why does my lord speak such words as these? Far be it from your slaves to do such a thing!

Genesis 44:8 See, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan. How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?

Genesis 44:9 Whoever of your slaves is found with it will die, and we also will be my lord’s slaves.”

Genesis 44:10 He said, “It will be as you say: he who is found with it will be my slave, and the rest of you will be innocent.”

Genesis 44:11 Then each man quickly lowered his sack to the ground, and each man opened his sack.

Genesis 44:12 And he searched, beginning with the oldest and ending with the youngest. And the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack.

Genesis 44:13 Then they tore their clothes, and every man loaded his donkey, and they returned to the city.

Genesis 44:14 When Judah and his brothers came to Joseph’s house, he was still there. They fell before him to the ground.

Genesis 44:15 Joseph said to them, “What deed is this that you have done? Do you not know that a man like me can indeed practice divination?”

Genesis 44:16 And Judah said, “What will we say to my lord? What will we speak? Or how can we clear ourselves? God has discovered the guilt of your slaves; notice, we are my lord’s slaves, both we and he also in whose hand the cup has been found.”

Genesis 44:17 But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so! Only the man in whose hand the cup was found will be my slave. But as for you, go up in peace to your father.”

Genesis 44:18 Then Judah went up to him and said, “O my lord, please let your slave speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not your anger burn against your slave, because you are like Pharaoh himself.

Genesis 44:19 My lord asked his slaves, and this is what he said, ‘Do you have a father, or another brother?’

Genesis 44:20 And we said to my lord, ‘We have a father, an old man, and a younger brother, the child of his old age. His other brother is dead, and he alone is left of his mother’s children, and his father loves him.’

Genesis 44:21 Then you said to your slaves, ‘Bring him down to me, that I may set my eyes on him.’

Genesis 44:22 But we said to my lord, ‘The boy cannot leave his father, because if he ever left his father, his father would die.’

Genesis 44:23 Then you said to your slaves, ‘If your youngest brother does not come down with you, you will not see my face again.’

Genesis 44:24 “When we went back to your slave my father, we told him the words of my lord.

Genesis 44:25 Then when our father said, ‘Go again, buy us a little food,’

Genesis 44:26 we said, ‘We cannot go down. If our youngest brother goes with us, then we can go down. Because we cannot see the man’s face unless our youngest brother is with us.’

Genesis 44:27 Then your slave my father said to us, ‘You know that my wife gave birth to two sons for me.

Genesis 44:28 One left me, and I said, he must have been torn to pieces, and I have never seen him since.

Genesis 44:29 If you take this one also from me, and injury happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs by hardship to Sheol.’

Genesis 44:30 “So now, as soon as I come to your slave my father, and the boy is not with us, then, as his throat is bound up in the boy’s throat,

Genesis 44:31 as soon as he sees that the boy is not with us, he will die, and your slaves will bring down the grey hairs of your slave our father grieving to Sheol.

Genesis 44:32 Because your slave has become a pledge of safety for the boy to my father, and this is what I said, ‘If I do not bring him back to you, then I will absorb the failure before my father all the days.’

Genesis 44:33 So Now, please let your slave remain instead of the boy as a slave to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.

Genesis 44:34 Because how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me? Or else I could not look on the evil that would find my father.”

Genesis 44 quotes:

“Judah knew what it would mean if they had to go back to Canaan and face their father without Benjamin. The thought of that was something none of them could bear. Judah stepped forward. He made the most tearful plea you could ever imagine. The first thing he sought to do was turn Joseph’s wrath away from Benjamin. “Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh” (Genesis 44:18, italics mine). Judah’s aim was to persuade the governor not to be angry with Benjamin. He said in effect, “Turn to me, blame me.””

Kendall, R. T. God Meant It for Good. MorningStar Publications, 1988. p. 142.

“Reference to Joseph’s divining cup may seem strange, but we do not know that he actually used it for that purpose, and mention of it was probably part of his strategy to convince the brothers of his Egyptian identity.”

Williams, Peter. From Eden to Egypt: Exploring the Genesis Themes. DayOne, 2001. p. 36.

“As we pick up his story, we come to what seems to be a rather uneventful incident. In fact, Martin Luther had trouble with Genesis 44 and once wondered why the Spirit of God took the time to preserve such a trivial thirty-four verses.” Why indeed. The truth of the matter is that it is in the trivial and mundane details of life that our attitude is tested the most. Most of life is not “super-fantastic”! Much of life is just a cut above toothpaste — just plain, garden-variety, ordinary stuff, not that much to write home about.”

Swindoll, Charles R. Joseph: A Man of Integrity and Forgiveness: Profiles in Character. Thomas Nelson, 1998. p. 136.

Genesis 44 links:

a pledge of safety
Excursus- Sheol- The Old Testament Consensus
Joseph- a test for his brothers
only those who love the Father
Sheol in the Bible- The Old Testament Consensus

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Maranatha Daily Devotional – Friday, January 25, 2019
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Thursday, January 26, 2023
Maranatha Daily Devotional – Wednesday, January 27, 2021

GENESIS in Jeff’s library

GENESIS in Jeff’s library