More Benefits Of Reconciliation

It was a few days journey from Beersheba to Egypt.  Jacob sent Judah ahead to meet Joseph and find out where they were to go.  Joseph met them in the land of Goshen in the area between the Nile delta and the present day Suez Canal, on the eastern edge of Egypt.  Judah and Joseph then went to Goshen and met Jacob and the family, in Genesis 46:28-30.  “And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.  And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.  And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.”

What a reunion that must have been.  The rest of the family had not seen Joseph and believed him dead for twenty two years.   One can only imagine the hugging and tears of joy.  Jacob said he could die in peace now that he had seen Joseph again. 

Joseph still needed to report their arrival to Pharaoh. The Hebrew’s culture was very different from That of the Egyptians, and as we have already seen, the Egyptians were very race and class conscious.   He suggested that they tell Pharaoh they were sheep herders because the Egyptians looked down on people who messed with sheep and would leave them alone rather than trying to assimulate them into Egyptian culture, as Genesis 46:31-34 tells us.  “And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and show Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.  And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?  That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.”

Joseph took five of the brothers and his father and introduced them to Pharaoh, who took the time to get acquainted with them, in Genesis 47:1-6.  “Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.  And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation?

And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.  They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.” 

Learning they were shepherds, Pharaoh suggested they stay in the Goshen area, which had some of the best pastureland in Egypt,  Since the Egyptians considered nomadic herdsman as inferior, they did not use Goshen very much.  In fact it was considered such a demeaning profession Pharaoh could not get Egyptians to herd his own sheep and cattle.  He asked if any of Jacob’s sons would be interested in taking the job. 

Pharaoh was impressed with Jacob, as we see in Genesis 47:7-10.  “And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.  And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?

And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.  And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.”

When asked about his age, Jacob complained that he was only a hundred and thirty and had not lived nearly as long as his father and grandfather.  He also complained about how hard his life had been.  He totally ignored the fact that most of his problems had been the result of his own actions.  He had been forced to to go to Padanaram as a result of cheating his brother.  His efforts to cheat had created a conflict between him and his father in law forcing him to leave Haran.  His sons had followed his example forcing them to leave Shechem, then had sole Joseph with the same attitude.   Joseph had just been restored to him and he had been given the best land in Egypt for his business, and he was complaining about how hard his life had been!   Like many today, he was focused on the problems rather than on God’s blessings.  It was the reconciliation between Joseph and his brothers that made this all possible. 

Joseph proceeded to fulfil Pharaoh’s instructions in Genesis 47:11-12.  “And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, 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.  And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families.”

Then name Ramses means “created by Ra,” and referred to the entire Nile delta region, some of the richest soil in the world.  Centuries later, one of the Pharaohs, Ramses I would claim that name for himself and name his capital Ramses, but the land had been called that for almost a thousand years before he came to power.   Many have assumed the land and city were named after the king, resulting in confusion about the historical dates for Genesis and Exodus.