From Joseph to Moses
Genesis 50
I. Joseph and an Egyptian funeral for Jacob (1-14)
2: Egyptian embalming was a science.
3: 40 day grieving for the embalmed; or was it 70?
4-6: Pharaoh grants Joseph permission to bury Jacob in Canaan
7-9: A very large company of Egyptian and “Hebrew” adults form the funeral procession
10-11: Along the way, the group stops to mourn for another week
12-13: Jacob is buried in the family burial ground, along with his grandparents and father (and others?)
14: As promised, Joseph returns to Egypt along with his brothers
II. Joseph and his fearful brothers (15-21)
15: Naturally and guilt-ridden, the brothers fear that Joseph will now punish them
16-17: They send a messenger to Joseph with the lie that Jacob wanted Joseph to be kind to his brothers
18: They come to Joseph themselves, and submissively bow before him
19-21: Joseph assures them that they need not fear him for his intention is to care for them and their family as God as willed
III. Joseph and his dying wish (22-26)
22, 26: Joseph lived to be 110 years old. Remembering his youth when he first came to Egypt, he spent all of his adult life in Egypt–most of it AS an Egyptian.
23: In his lifetime Joseph was allowed to see grandchildren and great-grandchildren.
24-25: Prophetically Joseph announced that his family would eventually return to the land that God had promised them; and Joseph made them promise to take his bones with them when that happened.
Meditation Points:
- Can funerals be too elaborate? Does “Christian burial” exist? What is too much mourning?
- Employers/governments with a heart, that allow servants to attend to personal and family matters
- What grace did it take for Joseph not to hold a grudge against his brothers?
- Look again at God’s sovereignty working to save His people–who have proven that they do not deserve saving
- Exodus 13:19 “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him: for he had straitly sworn the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you; and ye shall carry up my bones away hence with you.”
Exodus 1
IV. Jacob’s family prospers in Egypt (1-7)
After the death of the original 12 sons of Jacob
V. Jacob’s family prospers under Egyptian cruelty (8-14)
8: The NEW KNEW not. A man great in his day is forgotten by following generations.
9-10: The Egyptians became fearful of the Hebrews, of whom there was nothing to fear.
11: The foreigners, who came as shepherds, became the construction workers of Egypt.
12-14: Though working conditions were made intolerable, the Hebrews thrived.
VI. Jacob’s family prospers in spite of Egyptian genocide (15-22)
15: The Egyptian pharaoh was not the last politician with desire to eradicate suspect foreigners.
16: He even attempted to enlist the medical community for his crimes against Hebrew humanity.
17-19: But the God-fearing midwives would not be pressured into sin, not even by the King.
20-21: And God blessed the women because of their decision.
22: The pharaoh then ordered the Egyptian populace to become part of the ethnic cleansing.
Meditation Points:
- Why are men often afraid of foreigners?
- How do you treat foreign workers, co-workers?
- When is it right to disobey the government (Romans 13)?
- God blesses the faithful.
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