Family reunions don’t get any better than this. Be blessed.
Genesis 46: Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt
1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here am I."
3 Then he said, "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.
4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes."
5 Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him.
6 They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him,
7 his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.
8 Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn,
9 and the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi.
10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.
11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul.
13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Yob, and Shimron.
14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel.
15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.
16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli.
17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, with Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel.
18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob---sixteen persons.
19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.
20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, bore to him.
21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard.
22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob---fourteen persons in all.
23 The sons of Dan: Hushim.
24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem.
25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob---seven persons in all.
26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all.
27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.
Jacob and Joseph Reunited
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."
Genesis 47: Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen
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."
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.
Joseph and the Famine
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine.
14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.
15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone."
16 And Joseph answered, "Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone."
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.
18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord's. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land.
19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate."
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's.
21 As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other.
22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.
24 And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones."
25 And they said, "You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh."
26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.
27 Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.
28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt,
30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place." He answered, "I will do as you have said."
31 And he said, "Swear to me"; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
Things to think about…
Jacob has to hear from the Lord directly to know whether to move to Egypt, Gen 46:2-4. His father and grandfather were warned not to go to Egypt, but in this case the Lord had a bigger purpose for Israel. Imagine the thoughts and feelings going on in Jacob after such a long period of loss, deceit, anger and hope. One can only imagine. Family ties often bring out the best and worst in people. As members in Christ’s family let’s continue to stir one another up in love and good works.
Jacob arrives in Goshen Egypt with seventy people, Gen 46:27. We know Israel left four hundred years later with over six hundred thousand men, not including women or children. So Israel was likely to have had between two and four million at the Exodus. The Lord multiplied them and hence the later Pharaohs became concerned at their great number. We should never despise a small number or small churches. I thank God that we are seeing growth in our church, but I do remember when it was hard to stand against criticism simply because we were small and only had a few families in our church. It is encouraging to see new families, converts and a good spirit in ther church. Keep praying for the blessing over us even though like Egypt of old there is a plague that has affected the whole world. We are called to shine and be a blessing to this generation.
When Jacob is presented to Pharaoh and is asked his age, Jacob responds with “Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life”, Gen 47:9. How sad. Even though Jacob was blessed by the Lord, he had known much suffering due to deception and strife especially from his sons. How much of this do you think he brought on himself because of his witness and how much lay at the feet of his sons? We are all accountable for our sin regardless of the witness of our parents. Our parents don’t stand with us on the day of judgement. May we all be reconciled with as many people that the Lord allows so there are no issues as we enter into the next life.
4. Joseph’s administration through the remaining five years of drought continued to be marked by wisdom. Once the money was gone, the people paid with livestock, once the livestock was gone they paid with land, once the land was taken they paid with themselves as slaves to Pharaoh. Pharaoh was made rich and powerful through the wisdom of Joseph. We are told as Christians that we have the mind of Christ. What spiritual wealth are you leaving with the wisdom the Lord has given you to those in your family, church and community?
5. Jacob lives to 147 years Gen 47:28. He lives seventeen years with Joseph in Egypt. His days ended with length and blessing rather than being few and evil. May this be the case with us as we seek to glorify our Lord Jesus by loving each other with grace and truth.
Vision Point
CBC’s Vision :- To be a growing biblical church community, significantly influencing our city and beyond, through intentional outreach, fulfilling our mission.
Questions for Cell groups
Sunday’s sermon, “A new name - Israel” came from Gen 35 by Ps Jay.
1. Jacob was told to return to Bethel. He wrestled with an angel (pre incarnate Christ) and receives a new name “Israel”. Israel means “wrestles with God”. When you got converted Christ gave you a new heart. Jacob rather than going to Bethel, goes to Shechem. He reaps from his rebellion. Discuss what happened and how this lesson instructs us today as Christians.
2. Bethel means ‘house of God’. Jacob asks his family to put away their foreign gods and idol symbols – earrings etc. He travels to Bethel and is told his name “Israel” again by the Lord. As Christians we often need reminding of our new identity. This is why it is important to go to the house of God – church, our modern day Bethel. Discuss this and the current pandemic crises and the new challenges Christians find themselves in.
3. We have a name from the Lord we will receive from him. This name is written on a white stone, Rev 2:17. What does this name and this white stone represent do you think?
4. It is important to maintain identity in Yeshua – Jesus. There is no other name under heaven by which we can be saved, Acts 4:12. Discuss the importance of sharing the gospel in a world that has lost its identity in the Creator and what it means for you to preach Jesus as a Christian.
5. Pray for your cell group and prayer/praise points. Pray for our “Blessing Beirut” appeal as we endeavour to help these ‘sons of Abraham’.
Prayer Points
1.Pray for Lebanon and the people of Beirut with this accidental blast from the storage of ammonium nitrate. 157 confirmed dead. 5000 wounded, 300, 000 left homeless. $10 - $15 billion to rebuild.
2.Pray for those who heard the gospel on Sunday. Pray for Christ to grant them salvation.
3.Continue to pray for Victoria but also Qld as these new cases have arisen and the infections that will no doubt be confirmed over the next 2 weeks.
4.Pray for our church services would reach out into our community and beyond every Sunday.
5.Continue to pray for our government for wisdom and economic management.
6.Sunday’s messages and for Kids church. The message this week – “Joseph just like Jesus” Gen 40-50 – Graham Willey.
7.Church finances to meet our expenses and to put a roof over our café.
8.Our City and Country – Pray for revival over our city and the leadership of our country even through these challenging times.
Praise Points.
1.New visitors. Please pray that they receive Christ as their Saviour. Pray they keep coming back to CBC.
2.Wonderful spirit of joy in our church. Thankyou Jesus.
3.Finances being maintained and donations to Café roof ($5,145) and Blessing Beirut ($900). Thankyou!
1.We have established a “Blessing Beirut” fund. After prayer and seeking after a support partner the Lord has led us to Ras Beirut Baptist. We have received word back from them. Pray our gift would bless Beirut with the gospel.
2.One service at 9:30am Every Sunday morning. This service will also be live streamed. No kisses, hand-shakes or hugs are allowed. Hand sanitizer is to be used, tables will be wiped and chairs arranged for appropriate distancing. Families can of course sit together. CBC is allowed up to 50 people inside, then we will have an overflow in the house and Kids church will be in the crèche in the cafe.
3.Cell groups – Ask for details as to how and what is required.
4.Church bank details bsb:- 704 913 and Acc number:- 4000 4388 1
5.Kids Church will be run in the house when the message starts.
Q. 15. What do we pray for in the fifth petition? A. That God would pardon our sins for Christ's sake, and enable us to forgive those who have wronged us.
