Episode 318 - "Jacob and Joseph are reunited" - Genesis 46:28-Genesis 47:12

Gen. 46:28 He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

Gen. 47:1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 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 able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Gen. 47:7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning 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 sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers 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. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

A few years ago, a friend of mine who was 100 years old buried one of his sons who had died of cancer. The son was in his early to mid-seventies. He had lived a full life. My friend’s wife had died not too long before I had met him and when we met, he would talk about his wife and how much he missed her. But sometime after his son had died, he told me, “It’s hard to lose your spouse. But it’s even harder to lose a child.” I knew others who had lost adult children, and they all said the same thing. From everything we can tell, Jacob never got over the grief of losing Joseph. So, it’s not surprising that when he finds out Joseph is alive and is reunited with him, he said, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive” (Gen 46:30). I don’t think Jacob definitely wanted to die right then. I don’t think he had a death wish. How I interpret that statement is that Jacob had an unending grief in the belief that Joseph had been killed. He had lived a long time with that pain, and at long last, there was a resolution and healing for that pain. If you recall, Jacob initially refused to let Benjamin go to Egypt because he feared that if he lost him as well, he would die in extreme grief.

Interestingly, we find a similar sentiment many years later in a man named Simeon, who was a righteous man. The Scriptures tell us that it had been revealed to him that he would not die until he had seen the Messiah. When Jesus was brought to the temple for dedication, the Holy Spirit led Simeon to the child, and he said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples,a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” (Luke 2:29-32) Simeon had an anxious hope to witness the coming of the Messiah. His advanced age must have worn on him. But when that hope was realized and the LORD had fulfilled his promise, he was ready to depart this life at any time. He was comforted by witnessing the LORD fulfilling his promise and bringing hope to his people and to the nations.

I find encouragement in this because we do not know the challenges and the grief we will experience in this life. I think it’s safe to say that we’ll all have our moments and events that bring grief. But the Scriptures consistently reveal that the LORD is faithful to his word and his goodness endures forever. The LORD was faithful, protecting Joseph to use him to spare his father and family. Jacob is not just being reunited with his son. He witnesses what the LORD has done and is doing to provide for himself, his descendants, and even Egypt. He knows that when he does die, he will depart in peace.

We have also seen in past episodes how the LORD has brought Judah, in particular, to repentance for his treachery against Joseph and how the LORD has made him a leader. This is manifested again when Jacob sends Judah ahead to lead the way to Goshen, a fertile area in Egypt near the Nile River.

I must say that I’m confused and amused by the instructions Joseph gives his brothers on how they should respond when Pharaoh asks them their occupation. It appears that Joseph does not want them to state that they are shepherds because, he says, Egyptians consider shepherds an abomination. However, when the brothers are in the company of Pharaoh and he asks them their occupation, they report that they are shepherds. Was Joseph serious about that instruction, or was it a test to see if they would speak truthfully? Regardless, it does not appear to be a problem for Pharaoh, and he allows them to tend their livestock in the good land.

This section continues with Jacob’s interaction with Pharaoh. What is important to notice is that Jacob twice blesses Pharaoh. Pharaoh has blessed him, and now Jacob is blessing Pharaoh. This is another example of God’s covenant promise to Abraham, which has been passed down. Jacob is blessing “the families of the earth.”

Gen. 12:1 Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2 And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. 3 I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

The story of Jacob and his sons has one conflict after another, caused mainly by their own doing and lack of trust and obedience to the LORD. Yet, the LORD is patient and, above all, He is faithful to his word. Let us take encouragement in that.