“Now Jacob [living in Caanan] saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons, “Why are you staring at one another?” He said, go down there and buy some for us from that place, so that we may live and not die.” Then ten brothers of Joseph went down to buy grain from Egypt” (Gen 42:1-3). Thus begins a chain of events in which Joseph toyed with his brothers while selling them grain. The end of all this was that Jacob (Israel) found favor with the Pharaoh and he allowed the Israelites to settle in the land of Goshen. Scripture says: “It was “the best of the land” (Gen. 47:6, 11). Israel remained there until the time of the Exodus. Jacob became old and blessed the two sons of Joseph. “Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel’s left, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel’s right, and brought them close to him. But Israel [Jacob] stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh’s head, crossing his hands, [consciously directing meaning Ephraim was the favored son in his eyes] although Manasseh was the firstborn. He then blessed Joseph. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on Ephraim’s head, it displeased him; and he grasped his father’s hand to remove it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head [because Manasseh was the eldest] Joseph said to his father, “Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn. Place your right hand on his head.” But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know; he also will become a people and he also will be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations” (Gen 48:13-19).
When Joseph saw that his father was blessing Ephraim over Manasseh, he protested. But Jacob’s words, “I know, my son, I know”, expressed the confidence of his faith: he was blessing according to the divine plan, not according to normal custom. He had learned that in spite of what man attempted to do God had blessed him, the younger. This he now carried forward to Joseph’s sons. Years later Ephraim became a leading tribe in the Northern Kingdom, much superior to the tribe of Manasseh, as Jacob had predicted. This showed what a far reaching vision Israel had in foreseeing events hundreds of years in advance. Jacob (Israel) was not only the head of a great family but was an outstanding prophet as well.
The story of Joseph is a prime example of God (Christ) using an impossible situation of hate, jealousy, betrayal and murderous intentions to get what He wanted. His ultimate aim was to destroy the peoples of Cannon but obviously Jacob and his small band was incapable at the time. He needed to maneuver the Israelites into a position where they could grow into a great nation. He saved the Israelites from a famine that would have destroyed them by getting Joseph to Egypt where he would be in a position to save and preserve them. The Israelites were in Egypt 430 years, for the most part happy and prosperous. They became so numerous and prosperous that Egypt began to fear their numbers and fear they might attack Egypt someday. So the Egyptians subjected them to slavery and, in trouble, they began to cry out to God for help. God always works things to His advantage. If they had not been subjected to hardship they may have stayed in Egypt and became Egyptians. But God had greater plans for them, plans which laid the foundation for the coming of Christ and the initiation of the great spiritual Kingdom of Israel in the last days.
“Now Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his father’s household, and Joseph lived one hundred and ten years. Joseph saw the third generation of Ephraim’s sons; also the sons of Machir, the son of Manasseh, were born on Joseph’s knees. Joseph said to his brothers, “I am about to die, but God will surely take care of you and bring you up from this land to the land which He promised on oath to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob [Canaanland] .” Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones up from here.” So Joseph died at the age of one hundred and ten years; and he was embalmed and placed in a coffin in Egypt” (Gen 50:22-26). Joseph’s prophecy concerning his bones were fulfilled in Exodus 13:19: “Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you”.
Epilog to Genesis
In Genesis we’ve seen some of the most important developments in the foundation of the Israelite nation, which is the foundation for everything that was to come later. We have seen Christ and His role as the logos, the word of the Father. We have seen that He existed with the Father from the beginning as a principle part of the Great Trinity. It was no different when he appeared on earth as the Son of God. While here, He was the mouthpiece of the Father. “Have I been so long with you, and yet you have not come to know Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works” (John 14:9-10). Jesus was the exact representation of the Father and He only spoke what was given Him by the Father to speak. As John said: “All things came into being through Him,[Christ] and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being” (John 1:1-3) again, the Father working through the Son.
The father was the Creator of the heavens and the earth, but it was given Christ to speak it into existence. in heaven Even now the Father has given the Son (Christ) all authority and earth. As He said in His parting words: “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth” (Matthew 28:18). The same thing is true of our forefathers Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The Father had all this in mind from before the world was created. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed US with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will,” (Ephesians 1:3-5). And: “For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren; and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified” (Romans 8:29-30). Finally: “Yet we do speak wisdom among those who are mature; a wisdom, however, not of this age nor of the rulers of this age, who are passing away; but we speak God’s wisdom in a mystery, the hidden wisdom which God predestined before the ages to our glory; the wisdom which none of the rulers of this age has understood; for if they had understood it they would not have crucified the Lord of glory; but just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, And which have not entered the heart of man, All that God has prepared for those who love Him” (1 Corinthians 2:6-9; Isaiah 64:4).
The process of creation gave birth to the creative Word of God which would be used by prophets in creating what was to come in the process leading to Christ. Abraham laid the foundation for faith to be reckoned as righteousness, just as Christ proclaimed faith in Himself as salvation. Isaac produced the twins of which one would be called Israel, the beginning of a nation. Jacob gave birth to the 12 Sons of Israel upon which a nation would be built. Joseph was Christ, the savior and deliverer of a nation. Those who did not love God, or