A Testimony to God’s Providence

Genesis 45:1-5, 9-15

GOLDEN TEXT: “Oh that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of men!”—Psalm 107:8

JACOB was surprised, almost stunned, when his sons brought back word from Egypt that Joseph was alive, and that next to Pharaoh, he was ruler of Egypt. But he was pleased too, and manifested no hesitancy in responding to Joseph’s message to come at once to Egypt and there to make his home. It was not an easy move at his age, but he seemed to have no doubt that the Lord was directing the step—and He was.

It would seem reasonable that Jacob would now remember Joseph’s dreams when the lad was but seventeen years old—dreams which pointed forward to a time when his brethren would bow down to him. (Gen. 37:2,5-11) At that time Jacob rather resented the thought that he and his other sons would ever have to bow down to Joseph. To some extent, he shared the feeling of Joseph’s brethren in the matter. Jacob rebuked him for telling his dreams, yet “observed the saying” in the sense of remembering the dreams and no doubt wondered if ever they would have a fulfillment. (Gen. 37:11) Now that the dreams had come true it was probably one of the factors which helped Jacob decide to heed Joseph’s wishes and move to Egypt.

After Jacob and his family had started on the journey to Egypt, the Lord appeared to him in the night and confirmed his understanding of the divine will. God said to him, “Fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation. I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.”—Gen. 46:2-4

It was very likely this prophecy that caused Jacob to request that his bones be brought out of Egypt when his people returned to the land which God had given to them. (Gen. 47:29,30) Jacob knew that although it was in God’s providence that they were moving to Egypt, it was not their land—they were merely to be sojourners in. it until such time as it served the divine purpose to bring them back to Canaan, which great deliverance was wrought under the leadership of Moses, long after Jacob and Joseph and the pharaoh who exalted Joseph, had died.

Pharaoh had made Joseph supreme ruler in Egypt, next to himself, and it was he who urged Joseph to bring his whole family into the land of Egypt and to provide for them. When they came, Joseph introduced five of his brothers to the king, and later his father. The brothers thus had an opportunity to request the privilege of being harbored in the land of Goshen, and this request Pharaoh willingly granted.

It is of more than passing interest that Joseph chose five of his brothers to represent the entire family in this interview with Pharaoh. In the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, in which the rich man represents particularly those of Israel residing in and around Palestine at the time of Jesus’ first advent, Jesus refers to all the remainder of the natural descendants of Abraham as the five brethren of the rich man. Probably Jesus knew that the Jews would understand this much better than most Gentiles have done.

The Egyptians did not look upon shepherds very favorably and it was Joseph’s suggestion that they had requested occupancy in the land of Goshen. Here was good pasturage, and by living in this area, the Israelites were more or less isolated from Egyptians and thereby unnecessary friction was avoided. Pharaoh not only agreed to Joseph’s proposals, but went further. He told Joseph that if there were any others of his family who were capable of serving as managers, he would be glad if they could be put in charge of his cattle. Pharaoh was evidently a shrewd king. He had recognized the great ability of Joseph, and if there were others in the family like him, he knew that he could safely entrust them with responsibilities also.

But conditions in Egypt did not always remain favorable for the Israelites. After Joseph and the pharaoh who honored Joseph died, they became an oppressed people. Their prosperity became, as later Egyptian rulers thought, a menace to the well being of Egypt and the Egyptian people; so hardships of one kind or another were imposed upon them, until finally God, in fulfillment of His promise to Jacob, wrought a mighty deliverance for them.

On many occasions since, and especially in recent years, the Israelites have become an unwanted people hated and oppressed in the lands where they have sojourned. Their deliverance from Egypt is an illustration of a far more spectacular deliverance which will be wrought on their behalf in the closing phase of the world’s great Armageddon struggle. That will be a permanent deliverance, not only from their national enemies, but will extend to a deliverance from the great enemy of sin and death. And with their deliverance will come a similar deliverance for all mankind, when the greater than Moses leads all nations back to God and to paradise restored.

QUESTIONS:

What practical lesson may Christians derive from Joseph’s viewpoint of his trials?

Was Joseph justified in believing that all things were working together for his good?

Does God forgive all sin?

| Home Page | Table of Contents |