GENESIS: Snoopy's Short & Snappy Review
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unsafe
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Hope you don't mind as this is from Yesterdays Post I think ---but just wanted to clear the confusion on the 70
this is from Genesis 46
26 The total number of Jacob’s direct descendants who went with him to Egypt was 66 people. (The wives of Jacob’s sons were not counted in this number.) 27 Also, Joseph had two sons in Egypt. With these two grandsons, Jacob’s family in Egypt numbered 70 people in all.
The 70 means that Jacob's entire Family is in Egypt ----
Meaning of the Number 70 in the Bible
How is the number 70 connected to Jesus' death? What are the seventy parables Jesus taught?
www.biblestudy.org
Israel in Egypt had its beginnings with Joseph rising in power in Pharaoh's court and Jacob migrating his entire household into the land. A total of 70 Israelites started a nation within another nation that would grow to more than two million by the Exodus.
unsafe
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I would say your right here ----in my view
The NRSV footnote has it right: "Bring you up again has a double meaning. Gpd will bring Jacob (= Israel) up to Canaan to be buried by Joseph (50:1-14), and god will bring Israel up from Egypt in the exodus."
paradox3
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So similar to the story about the Royal Baker and the Cupbearer. Pharoah comments that they will both be "lifted up."
The Cupbearer is reinstated to his former position.The Royal Baker is beheaded and impaled on a pole.
I hear that there are many such plays on words to be discovered in the Torah if you happen to understand the Hebrew language.
paradox3
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Good morning. Here is Genesis 47.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Joseph is one shrewd character!
www.biblegateway.com
Joseph gets his father and brothers settled in Goshen as approved by Pharoah. He provides them with food.
The famine continues in Canaan and Egypt. Joseph collects all the money in the land by selling the people grain. The money is given to Pharaoh.
The Egyptians trade their livestock for food which lasts for a year. Finally they have nothing left but their bodies and their land. Joseph buys the land for Pharoah and makes the people slaves.
Joseph gives them seed for cultivation but tells them one-fifth of the crop will belong to Pharoah. Only the priests retain their own land because Pharoah provides for them.
Jacob's family is fruitful and multiplies. After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob's health is failing. He asks Joseph to bury him with his ancestors in Canaan.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Joseph is one shrewd character!
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 47 - New English Translation
Joseph’s Wise Administration - Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Joseph’s...
Joseph gets his father and brothers settled in Goshen as approved by Pharoah. He provides them with food.
The famine continues in Canaan and Egypt. Joseph collects all the money in the land by selling the people grain. The money is given to Pharaoh.
The Egyptians trade their livestock for food which lasts for a year. Finally they have nothing left but their bodies and their land. Joseph buys the land for Pharoah and makes the people slaves.
Joseph gives them seed for cultivation but tells them one-fifth of the crop will belong to Pharoah. Only the priests retain their own land because Pharoah provides for them.
Jacob's family is fruitful and multiplies. After 17 years in Egypt, Jacob's health is failing. He asks Joseph to bury him with his ancestors in Canaan.
paradox3
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Joseph certainly knows what side his bread is buttered on. He maintains his favorable position with Pharoah by exploiting the poor and desperate.
Is he a shrewd businessman or has he become an oppressor? His rapidly growing clan seems to be doing well. Does this affect our view of Joseph?
Is he a shrewd businessman or has he become an oppressor? His rapidly growing clan seems to be doing well. Does this affect our view of Joseph?
unsafe
Well-Known Member
Interesting read ----on Chapter 47 ---In all these Chapters there are Spiritual lessons that we can learn when the right lens is used to get the message behind the Spoken Word ----
GOD'S WONDERFUL PLAN (GEN 47:1-31)
www.thefellowship.site
Joseph presented them to Pharaoh. What does Pharaoh do specifically for his entire family? In Gen 47:5-6, Pharaoh gives them the best of the and allows them to dwell in the land of Goshen. He also puts them in charge of his livestock. Though foreigners, they have royal employment and land thanks to Pharaoh. What a far cry from their bankrupt, penniless and desperate state that caused them to move from a foreign land! And yet, they did nothing to merit these which they received. Jacob's sons were murderers and liars, and now they now have everything thanks to Pharaoh, through Joseph. They have profited through the goodwill obtained through work of their brother and received blessing through a savior, though they did nothing at all.
If we pause and consider everything, it is not hard for us to see that God had a plan of provision. Looking back at the twists and turns of the previous chapters, we really see how God's sovereignty works out His perfect plans in ways we cannot imagine. What does this mean for us today? It humbles us when we realise how helpless we are. We could not choose our families or even some of our lot in life. We did not even choose our Savior. Yet for so many of us, we have received so much. In all our moments of blessings, it is not because we worked to achieve them, but this God of Jacob and Joseph worked to bring about all things.
But what did Jacob do for Pharaoh in Gen 47:7,10? Jacob blessed Pharaoh. This is a fulfillment of the covenant in Gen 12:1-3, where Abraham was told that his descendants will be blessed in order to bless the nations around them. It is also striking that in the ongoing narrative of Genesis, this is the first time that Egypt is blessed. Egypt stood for a place of trouble and evil in the preceding chapters. How would you describe this kind of God who makes a promise in Gen 12 and fulfills it time and time again, even here in Gen 47? This is a God that makes and keeps His promises.
God did not merely use Jacob and Joseph to bless Egypt. He also blessed his covenant people in Egypt! Verse 11 shows us the extent of their blessing. They were given land, though they were foreigners. What kind of land? The best that Egypt had to offer! Whose land? Rameses' (aka Pharaoh's personal name) portion of the land! Whose order? Under Pharaoh's commands! Thus through Joseph, Jacob, Jacob's sons, their household and wives and children were all cared for (Gen 47:12).
Do you see how this description of Joseph puts him at the centre of everything? His family received a secure inheritance and land because of who he is and what he had done. God blessed his people through the work of one man.
Pharaoh's gains was not merely due to Joseph's shrewdness or business plan. This was not written in just for us to adopt it as an economic policy. The writer of Genesis meant for us to link it to Jacob's blessings just a verse or two before. The Bible continues to remind us through verses like Deut 8:16-18 and Jas 1:17 that wealth and all good gifts come from God. We sing this same truth every week during the Doxology, where we confess that all blessings come from our Trinitarian God. In presenting our tithes and offerings, we merely giving back what He has given us. Do we remember this? Do you have a habit of acknowledging God's right over all of your wealth?
Notice also how he spoke to Joseph. He did not command his son to remove his bones or presume that this request would be fulfilled just because he was the father. In fact, he plays up the sense of indebtedness he had to Joseph and speaks humbly of how much he owes his son. At the end of his life, Jacob understood two things -- a grace that humbles and removes all pretention (even in front of his son) and the promise of God. These are the two things that he takes to his deathbed. This dying man has a lesson for us. For many of us, as we grow older, we are more tempted be more self-reliant and take pride in our achievements. After all, isn't this how we are taught to function at work, and in society? The older we get too, it is easier to grow colder to God and assume that knowing more of the Bible is akin to knowing God more. Jacob in Gen 47, paints a picture of man who at 130 years old, has encountered many things in life, and has allowed these encounters to transform and mould him. Gen 47 helps us see a man who finished well, and remained so soaked and steeped in the grace of God, even to the end.
Gen 47 helps us to see a God who provides, gives all blessings and keeps His promises. He works to bless his undeserving people through the mediating work of one man who truly earned it, and his abundant blessings overflow into the world.
GOD'S WONDERFUL PLAN (GEN 47:1-31)
God's Wonderful Plan (Gen 47:1-31) — The Fellowship
(A) God’s wonderful plan to provide (v.1-6) (B) God’s wonderful plan to bless (v.7-12) (C) God’s wonderful plan for wealth (v. 13-28) (D) God’s wonderful plan for the future (v.29-31)
www.thefellowship.site
(A) GOD’S WONDERFUL PLAN TO PROVIDE (GEN 47:1-6)
What has happened thus far? Joseph reconciles with his brothers in Gen 45 and invites them to come join him. Pharaoh does this too. Gen 46 then breaks into a side story about Jacob’s encounter with God. In the opening verses of Gen 47, Joseph's entire family moves out of Canaan into Goshen, which is part of Egypt, under the rule of Pharaoh (Gen 47:1). It was because of a severe famine in the land of Canaan that they had to make the move (v.4).Joseph presented them to Pharaoh. What does Pharaoh do specifically for his entire family? In Gen 47:5-6, Pharaoh gives them the best of the and allows them to dwell in the land of Goshen. He also puts them in charge of his livestock. Though foreigners, they have royal employment and land thanks to Pharaoh. What a far cry from their bankrupt, penniless and desperate state that caused them to move from a foreign land! And yet, they did nothing to merit these which they received. Jacob's sons were murderers and liars, and now they now have everything thanks to Pharaoh, through Joseph. They have profited through the goodwill obtained through work of their brother and received blessing through a savior, though they did nothing at all.
If we pause and consider everything, it is not hard for us to see that God had a plan of provision. Looking back at the twists and turns of the previous chapters, we really see how God's sovereignty works out His perfect plans in ways we cannot imagine. What does this mean for us today? It humbles us when we realise how helpless we are. We could not choose our families or even some of our lot in life. We did not even choose our Savior. Yet for so many of us, we have received so much. In all our moments of blessings, it is not because we worked to achieve them, but this God of Jacob and Joseph worked to bring about all things.
(B) GOD’S WONDERFUL PLAN TO BLESS (GEN 47:7-12)
Joseph brings his father to Pharaoh and they start off with pleasantries (Gen 47:7-8). Notice how Jacob describes his life in verse 9. He describes it as "few and evil" in verse 9b. In the previous chapters, we have covered the events in Jacob's life. Who was he? Jacob was a liar and deceiver who tricked his brother out of his birthright and blessing, and had to run away from his family because his brother wanted to kill him as a result. Subsequently, he was exploited by his father-in-law and was the object of a conflict between his two wives. He had many sons no doubt, but his sons grieved him. They were mass murderers and sinned greatly. In his later years, his beloved wife, Rachel, died, and his son Joseph was sold by his other sons. What a life. This was the man God called, and chose to use.But what did Jacob do for Pharaoh in Gen 47:7,10? Jacob blessed Pharaoh. This is a fulfillment of the covenant in Gen 12:1-3, where Abraham was told that his descendants will be blessed in order to bless the nations around them. It is also striking that in the ongoing narrative of Genesis, this is the first time that Egypt is blessed. Egypt stood for a place of trouble and evil in the preceding chapters. How would you describe this kind of God who makes a promise in Gen 12 and fulfills it time and time again, even here in Gen 47? This is a God that makes and keeps His promises.
God did not merely use Jacob and Joseph to bless Egypt. He also blessed his covenant people in Egypt! Verse 11 shows us the extent of their blessing. They were given land, though they were foreigners. What kind of land? The best that Egypt had to offer! Whose land? Rameses' (aka Pharaoh's personal name) portion of the land! Whose order? Under Pharaoh's commands! Thus through Joseph, Jacob, Jacob's sons, their household and wives and children were all cared for (Gen 47:12).
Do you see how this description of Joseph puts him at the centre of everything? His family received a secure inheritance and land because of who he is and what he had done. God blessed his people through the work of one man.
(C) GOD’S WONDERFUL PLAN FOR WEALTH (GEN 47:13-28)
Gen 47:13-19 describes how Joseph bought three things from all the people of the land of Egypt. The people make 3 exchanges with Joseph for grain. Pharaoh gains money, livestock and the people legitimately as a result of Joseph's work. Now, he is the supreme ruler of all Egypt, the possessor of all things.Pharaoh's gains was not merely due to Joseph's shrewdness or business plan. This was not written in just for us to adopt it as an economic policy. The writer of Genesis meant for us to link it to Jacob's blessings just a verse or two before. The Bible continues to remind us through verses like Deut 8:16-18 and Jas 1:17 that wealth and all good gifts come from God. We sing this same truth every week during the Doxology, where we confess that all blessings come from our Trinitarian God. In presenting our tithes and offerings, we merely giving back what He has given us. Do we remember this? Do you have a habit of acknowledging God's right over all of your wealth?
(D) GOD’S WONDERFUL PLAN FOR THE FUTURE (GEN 47:29-31)
At the end of this chapter, we read of a Jacob (referred to as 'Israel' in Gen 47:29) near the end of his life. He makes a request of Joseph to bring his bones out of Egypt eventually and to be buried with his fathers, in the cave Abraham bought for Sarah at Machpelah (c.f. Gen 23). What is the significance of this request? It was not merely the emotional significance of where his body is, but the covenantal significance. He remembers the promise and the promised land. Even on his deathbed, he is thinking about the future fulfillment of the promise.Notice also how he spoke to Joseph. He did not command his son to remove his bones or presume that this request would be fulfilled just because he was the father. In fact, he plays up the sense of indebtedness he had to Joseph and speaks humbly of how much he owes his son. At the end of his life, Jacob understood two things -- a grace that humbles and removes all pretention (even in front of his son) and the promise of God. These are the two things that he takes to his deathbed. This dying man has a lesson for us. For many of us, as we grow older, we are more tempted be more self-reliant and take pride in our achievements. After all, isn't this how we are taught to function at work, and in society? The older we get too, it is easier to grow colder to God and assume that knowing more of the Bible is akin to knowing God more. Jacob in Gen 47, paints a picture of man who at 130 years old, has encountered many things in life, and has allowed these encounters to transform and mould him. Gen 47 helps us see a man who finished well, and remained so soaked and steeped in the grace of God, even to the end.
Gen 47 helps us to see a God who provides, gives all blessings and keeps His promises. He works to bless his undeserving people through the mediating work of one man who truly earned it, and his abundant blessings overflow into the world.
paradox3
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The problem I have with this interpretation @unsafe is that it is all so tribal. God favors the people God has chosen to covenant with.
What about the Egyptians who became enslaved to Pharaoh as a result of Joseph's actions? Are they just to be disregarded? Nowhere in Genesis does it suggest they were sinful and deserved punishment.
What about the Egyptians who became enslaved to Pharaoh as a result of Joseph's actions? Are they just to be disregarded? Nowhere in Genesis does it suggest they were sinful and deserved punishment.
"Are you not like the Ethiopians to me, O people of Israel, says the Lord. Did I not bring Israel up from the land of Egypt, and alsp the Philistines from Caphtor (Crete), and the Arameans from Kir (in modern Iraq) (Amos 9:7)?"
paradox3
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Hello again. Here is Genesis 48.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
There's a pattern here.
www.biblegateway.com
As Jacob is dying, he calls for Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph who were born in Egypt. He announces that they will be his in the same way Rueben and Simeon are his.
Any children Joseph fathers after these two will be Joseph's for inheritance purposes.
Jacob blesses his two grandsons who were born in Egypt. Joseph wants the first blessing for Manasseh because he is the eldest. But Jacob refuses and says Ephraim will become the greater of the two.
Jacob predicts God will return Joseph to the land of his fathers. He gives him the mountain slope which he took from the Amorites. In this way Joseph is above his brothers.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
There's a pattern here.
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 48 - New English Translation
Manasseh and Ephraim - After these things Joseph was told, “Your father is weakening.” So he took his two sons Manasseh and Ephraim with him. When Jacob was told, “Your son Joseph has just come to you,” Israel regained strength and sat up on his bed. Jacob said to Joseph, “The Sovereign God...
As Jacob is dying, he calls for Manasseh and Ephraim, the sons of Joseph who were born in Egypt. He announces that they will be his in the same way Rueben and Simeon are his.
Any children Joseph fathers after these two will be Joseph's for inheritance purposes.
Jacob blesses his two grandsons who were born in Egypt. Joseph wants the first blessing for Manasseh because he is the eldest. But Jacob refuses and says Ephraim will become the greater of the two.
Jacob predicts God will return Joseph to the land of his fathers. He gives him the mountain slope which he took from the Amorites. In this way Joseph is above his brothers.
paradox3
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On his deathbed, Jacob continues to show favoritism towards Joseph. And now this extends to his lineage as well.
Birth order isn't everything as we have seen already in Genesis. Why is rivalry between brothers such a theme in the OT?
Why do the stories tend to favor the younger brothers?
Birth order isn't everything as we have seen already in Genesis. Why is rivalry between brothers such a theme in the OT?
Why do the stories tend to favor the younger brothers?
paradox3
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Good Afternoon. Let's carry on with Genesis 49.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Jacob gives his sons his final blessing. He knows these guys very well and his memory is sharp.
www.biblegateway.com
Jacob calls together his sons so he can tell them what is going to happen in future days. Their descendants will become the twelve tribes of Israel.
He addresses each one in turn. (v. 3 - 27).
Starting with the oldest, he says that Rueben is powerful but destructive. He recalls that Reuben defiled his father's bed. The next two, Simeon and Levi, have been violent and angry. They have even hamstrung oxen for pleasure.
Judah, the fourth born receives praise. He is compared to a lion's cub and he will be a successful ruler of nations. Joseph will be greatly blessed and Benjamin is said to be a ravenous wolf.
Finally Jacob requests to be buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah. He breaths his last and goes to his people.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Jacob gives his sons his final blessing. He knows these guys very well and his memory is sharp.
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 49 - New English Translation
The Blessing of Jacob - Jacob called for his sons and said, “Gather together so I can tell you what will happen to you in future days. “Assemble and listen, you sons of Jacob; listen to Israel, your father. Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might and the beginning of my strength, outstanding in...
Jacob calls together his sons so he can tell them what is going to happen in future days. Their descendants will become the twelve tribes of Israel.
He addresses each one in turn. (v. 3 - 27).
Starting with the oldest, he says that Rueben is powerful but destructive. He recalls that Reuben defiled his father's bed. The next two, Simeon and Levi, have been violent and angry. They have even hamstrung oxen for pleasure.
Judah, the fourth born receives praise. He is compared to a lion's cub and he will be a successful ruler of nations. Joseph will be greatly blessed and Benjamin is said to be a ravenous wolf.
Finally Jacob requests to be buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and Leah. He breaths his last and goes to his people.
paradox3
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Here is Genesis 50. It is the final chapter.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Time to ponder the end of two lives on this earth.
www.biblegateway.com
Joseph gets the okay to bury Jacob in Canaan. He travels with his family and Pharoah's senior officials. They all mourn the loss of Jacob.
The entourage returns to Egypt. Joseph's brothers worry he might hold a grudge against them. But Joseph reassures them that God has used their actions for good purpose.
Joseph lives in Egypt long enough to see the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also sees the descendants of Manasseh. They are given special inheritance rights.
Joseph dies and is placed in a coffin in Egypt. The brothers are to carry his bones to Canaan when God comes to them. God will lead them to the land which God swore on an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
Snoopy's Snappy Review:
Time to ponder the end of two lives on this earth.
Bible Gateway passage: Genesis 50 - New English Translation
The Burials of Jacob and Joseph - Then Joseph hugged his father’s face. He wept over him and kissed him. Joseph instructed the physicians in his service to embalm his father, so the physicians embalmed Israel. They took forty days, for that is the full time needed for embalming. The Egyptians...
Joseph gets the okay to bury Jacob in Canaan. He travels with his family and Pharoah's senior officials. They all mourn the loss of Jacob.
The entourage returns to Egypt. Joseph's brothers worry he might hold a grudge against them. But Joseph reassures them that God has used their actions for good purpose.
Joseph lives in Egypt long enough to see the descendants of Ephraim to the third generation. He also sees the descendants of Manasseh. They are given special inheritance rights.
Joseph dies and is placed in a coffin in Egypt. The brothers are to carry his bones to Canaan when God comes to them. God will lead them to the land which God swore on an oath to give to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.
unsafe
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What was Joseph's action that made them enslaved ----they had run out of options to feed themselves Joseph did not cause that -----so how to do see that Joseph is the cause of that -----
paradox3
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The people offered to sell themselves and their land in exchange for food and said they would become Pharoah's slaves. (47:19).
Joseph bought all of the land in Egypt for Pharoah and made all the people slaves from one end of Egypt to the other. (47:20)
Joseph did not cause the famine but he exploited the people for Pharoah's gain when they were desperate.
unsafe
Well-Known Member
Joseph was doing what his boss told him to do ---same as we do ---Joseph worked for Pharaoh ----Pharaoh was in charge of Joseph ---and Joseph followed what Pharaoh wanted ---If you want to blame somebody Blame Pharaoh ---Joseph was an employee ----he did what Pharaoh wanted ----there was an exchange made by the people to have food to sustain them ----- Joseph did not exploit the people ---
Joseph was doing all he could do to make sure people were fed -----
Genesis 47 ---there was an exchange by the people themselves offering to be servants
18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, “We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land.
19 Why should we perish before your eyes—we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate.”
paradox3
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I don't see Joseph acting on specific instructions from Pharoah. He seems to function quite independently as Pharoah's administrator. He knows what side his bread is buttered on as I suggested a few days ago.
The arrangement seems to suit both of them just fine.
The arrangement seems to suit both of them just fine.