16 When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants. 17 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, 18 and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’ 19 And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. 20 Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.’”
21 The sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons, according to the command of Pharaoh, and gave them provisions for the journey. 22 To each and all of them he gave a change of clothes, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five changes of clothes. 23 To his father he sent as follows: ten donkeys loaded with the good things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain, bread, and provision for his father on the journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they departed, he said to them, “Do not quarrel on the way.”
25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob. 26 And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.” And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
(ESV)
STOP! Think a little 🤔 What is God saying to you?
- What is the writer saying?
- How do I apply this to my life?
When Pharaoh heard that Joseph’s brothers had come he was pleased and told Joseph to send his brothers to fetch their entire family and bring them to Egypt. He promised them the best of the land. He told them not to even worry about their possessions they were leaving behind because the best of the land of Egypt was theirs. Joseph sent them with wagons to bring back their wives and children. He gave each of his brothers clothes, but to Benjamin, he gave 330g of silver and five changes of clothes. They loaded ten donkeys with gifts from Egypt and ten donkeys with food for their journey. Joseph sends them off with a warning not to argue on the way.
When the brothers got home, they told Jacob that Joseph was alive and ruler over the entire land of Egypt. Jacob was stunned in unbelief. But when he was told all that Joseph had said and shown the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry them back to Egypt he was convinced. His spirit was revived and he decided to go and see Joseph before he died. This move of Jacob (Israel) and his family to Egypt was a fulfilment of God’s prophecy to Abraham that his offspring would move to a land and multiply (Gen 15:13-16)
Jacob had lived for around 13 years believing his son, Joseph, was dead. In a sense, God has brought Joesph back to life from Jacob’s point of view. Even things that seem completely hopeless are never hopeless with God. How could things be different if, instead of focussing on what we’ve lost, we focussed instead on the God who gives good gifts to those who love Him (Mat 7:11; Jas 1:17)?