THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND THE EXODUS - PART TWO

"The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed.  So Moses said, 'I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.'  When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.'  Then He said, 'Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.'  He said also, 'I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.'" 

Exodus 3:2-6

Three sets of 40 years for Moses

Moses' 120 years of life were divided into 3 sets of 40 years each: 40 years as a young man in Egypt, 40 years in Midian, fathering two sons before he encountered the burning bush and returned to Egypt to save his people from the bondage of slavery.  Later, Moses led the Israelites through the wanderings in the wilderness for another 40 years.  And when this set of 40 years was over, Moses died, Acts 7:17-43.

In Exodus 3-4, Moses takes his sheep to the area of  Mount Horeb to find good pasture.  It is there that he has his first encounter with God.  Something interesting to notice is that Moses met God at this Mount Horeb and later received the Ten Commandments there.  It is also on this same mountain that God spoke to Elijah the prophet in a "still small voice"  I Kings 19. 

The angel of the LORD appeared to Moses in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush and when Moses looked he noticed that the bush was burning with fire yet it was not consumed.  So Moses, out of curiosity, decided to investigate it. It is then that God called Moses' name and asked him to remove his sandals since he was standing on holy ground. This practice of removing one's shoes was common when entering a home or a sacred place in those days.  Notice that God was not asking Moses to remove his shoes because the place was holy, but because God Himself is holy and was there.  Moses fell face down when he realized he had come into God's presence.  He hid his face in fear.  Then God said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.”  He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Exodus 3:5-6.  We see many occasions in the Bible where men and women fell face down in God's presence, Genesis 17:3, Ezekiel 1:28.

God told Moses that the cries of the Israelites had reached his ears and that He intended to rescue them. God asked Moses to go to Pharaoh and demand the deliverance of His people. Moses perhaps out of shock asked "Why me?"

In this third chapter of Exodus, God tells Moses who He is in five different ways.  Let's consider the following:

1. (3:6) God tells Moses, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"

2. (3:14) God tells Moses "God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, "Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, I AM has sent me to you"

3. (3:15) Moses is instructed to tell the Israelites that God is "The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob"

4. (3:16) Moses is instructed to tell the elders that God is "The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob"

5. (3:18) Moses is instructed to tell Pharaoh that God is "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews"

Notice that Moses was reluctant to go and began giving reasons why he was the wrong person to go since no one would ever believe him.  But in response to Moses, God provided him with a series of signs he could use to prove God's power and authority:  1) God changed Moses' staff into a snake. When Moses grabbed the snake by its tail, it changed back to a staff.  2) God caused Moses' hand to become leprous like snow and restored and healed it.  3) God told Moses that if they would not believe him with those two signs, he should take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground and it would become blood on the dry ground.

Even though God had promised to Moses that He would give him the right words to say, Moses still wavered saying he was not eloquent but slow of speech and slow of tongue.  So Moses begged God to send someone else in his place. God was angry with Moses, but allowed Moses' brother Aaron to speak in Moses' place. Moses would start a journey as the leader of the Israelites. Exodus 5:10-16.

In Exodus 5-10, Moses and Aaron back in Egypt, approached Pharaoh saying "Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let My people go that they may celebrate a feast to Me in the wilderness.’” But Pharaoh said, “Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go?  I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go. Instead, the Pharaoh increased the Israelites' work load.  He commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves.  But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it.  Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.” When they couldn't fulfill their brick quotas, they were beaten and they blamed Moses for bringing trouble upon them. In turn Moses blamed God saying, "O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people?  Why did You ever send me?  Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all."  Exodus 5:22-23.  But God renews his promises and again He tells Moses who He is in four different ways:

God spoke further to Moses and said to him, "I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them.  I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned.  Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.  Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage.  I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.  I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord."  Exodus 6:2-8 NASB.

When Moses and Aaron approached Pharaoh again they used one of the signs that God had given them: Aaron threw down his staff and it turned into a snake. Notice that he did not use sorcery or chants, but simply threw it down. But the Egyptian court magicians were also able to turn their staves into snakes by their secret arts. Aaron's snake consumed the magicians' snakes, but Pharaoh was not impressed.

Interesting Fact: The Ancient Egyptians loved their snakes. Their favorite was the rearing cobra with its distinctive good spread. The Pharaoh's headdress often resembled the cobra's hood for protection as a symbol of royalty.  Snake charmers around the world still perform this trick today.  The real shocker of the day was when Aaron's snake ate the magicians' snakes.

In Exodus 7:14-24 - 12:1-51, we read about the 10 plagues.  When the signs failed to convince Pharaoh, God had to take drastic measures. God began a series of ten plagues on the Egyptians, both with the purpose of convincing Pharaoh of God's mighty power and authority and also to release the Israelites from the bondage of slavery.  The plagues would also demonstrate God's superiority to the Egyptian gods.  The plagues are usually divided into four groups, three groups of three plagues each and one final climactic plague.  The first three plagues affected all of Egypt.  After that the plagues spared the area around Goshen where the Israelites lived.

PLAGUE	WARNING	TIME	RESPONSE	EGYPTIAN GOD
1. BLOOD	YES	MORNING	PHARAOH'S HEART WAS HARDENED	Hapi, Knum, Osiris
2. FROGS	YES	NONE	PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART	Heqt
3. LICE/ GNATS	NO	NONE	PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART	Kheper, Geb
4. INSECTS	YES	MORNING	PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART	Kheper, Amon-Ra
5. LIVESTOCK	YES	NONE	PHARAOH'S HEART WAS HARDENED	Apis (bull), Hathor (cow)
6. BOILS	NO	NONE	LORD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART	Imhotep, Serapes, Thoth
7. HAIL	YES	MORNING	PHARAOH HARDENED HIS HEART	Nut (sky goddess)
8. LOCUSTS	YES	NONE	LORD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART	Seth, Nepri, Thermuthis
9. DARKNESS	NO	NONE	LORD HARDENED PHARAOH'S HEART	Ra (sun god)
10. DEATH	YES	NONE	PHARAOH LET THE ISRAELITES GO	PHARAOH

1. Blood	All the water in the Nile and in the streams, reservoirs, ponds, and even buckets and jars were changed to blood. All the fish in the Nile River died as a result. The Magicians replicated this plague using their sorcery arts. Pharaoh turned his back on Moses going into the palace.
2. Frogs	The frogs were so many that they were everywhere; in the houses, in the bedrooms and all the food. After Moses prayed their dead carcasses were everywhere with a foul smell. The Magicians also made frogs appear using sorcery, but they couldn't remove the LORD's frogs. Pharaoh begged Moses to remove the frogs promising to let the Israelites go to offer sacrifices to God if he succeeded. After the frogs disappeared, Pharaoh hardened his heart.
3. Lice/ Gnats	The lice or gnats descended upon everyone, people and animals. The Magicians were unable to replicate this plague. They acknowledged God's hand. Pharaoh would not listen.
4. Insects	The insects (flies or beetles) swarmed everywhere, eating almost everything and probably spread disease everywhere they went. This plague affected only the Egyptians. The land of Goshen where the Israelites lived was spared. Pharaoh tried to negotiate by suggesting that the Israelites could worship God in Egypt, but Moses stood firm, insisting that he let the Israelites go to the desert. Pharaoh agreed to let them go only if Moses would pray to have the insects removed. After the insects were removed, Pharaoh hardened his heart again.
5. Livestock	The Egyptian livestock which included the cows, sheep, goats, camels, horses and donkeys died. This plague affected only the Egyptians. The Israelites' livestock survived. Pharaoh's heart was unchanged.
6. Boils	Open boils covered all the Egyptians and animals. The Magicians were unable to heal themselves from this plague. They were ashamed of the impotence of their so called gods. They couldn't stand in Moses' presence. Pharaoh's heart was still not changed.
7. Hail	The worst hailstorm ever known to man was this. It destroyed trees, flax and barley. The land of Goshen was spared as well as some of the Egyptians who obeyed God's warnings and His power. Pharaoh recognized that he had sinned against the Israelites and begged Moses to stop the hail. Moses agreed and prayed to God although he knew Pharaoh had not truly repented. When the hail was over, once again Pharaoh hardened his heart.
9. Darkness	Thick darkness throughout all the land of Egypt. The land of Goshen was not covered in darkness. I think this darkness is a period of silence. Usually before the LORD's judgment, there was a period of this in Scripture,  Mark 15:33; Rev. 16. This ninth plague is the set up for the tenth and final plague. Pharaoh agreed to let the Israelites go to worship God, but insisted that they could not take their livestock. Moses refused causing Pharaoh to throw him out of the palace threatening to kill him if he ever returned. Again, the LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart.
10. Death	All the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, in each family whether slave or free were to die, except those that would heed the warning of the LORD and mark their door frames with blood. After Pharaoh's firstborn son died, he sent the Israelites away in his own grief. The people took their dough before it was leavened with their kneading bowls bound up on the shoulders. Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for he had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, "God will surely take care of you, and you shall carry my bones from here with you."  Exodus 13:19. They also took what Moses had requested of the Egyptians: articles of silver, gold and clothing. The LORD gave favor in the eyes of the Egyptians toward the Israelites so that they could take all these articles. So the Israelites began their great exodus from Egypt.

In Exodus 11-12, we read of the Passover and the final plague which killed all of the firstborn sons. This to me is very shocking! This may be interpreted as God's judgment on Pharaoh for killing all the Hebrew boys we read about at the beginning of the Book of Exodus. This is a powerful reminder to all, that God is the Master of life and death, and that what He gives to us, He may also take away from us. After the plague of darkness, Moses warned Pharaoh that at midnight all of the firstborn sons in all the land of Egypt were to die, except for the firstborn sons of the Israelites. They were to be spared. The Israelites were also to take heed and obey the instructions of the LORD so that the angel of death would pass over and not kill them. Pharaoh's heart has been hardened by God, and he did not listen to Moses.

The account of the Passover is one of the most important miraculous events in all of the Jewish history and the Christian faith.   Remember that Christ is our Passover.  A lot of the Jewish roots are based on this account. The narrative of events stops here briefly for a section on the procedures for Passover night, instructions for future celebrations of  Passover and a new Jewish calendar.

In Exodus 12:1-2, God instructs Moses and Aaron to direct the Israelites to abandon the Egyptian calendar and adopt a new one.   The Passover would now begin their new year.  Their new calendar would be the first step toward creating a new society a free people. The Egyptian calendar was built around the Egyptian gods and three festivals: the festival of the gods, the festival of the kings and finally the festival of the dead. The new Jewish calendar was not based on mythology or seasonal changes, but on a historic event.  Their new lives, free from the bondage of Egyptian slavery, to new lives under the True God who rescued them from this bondage.   

Procedures for the Passover (Exodus 12:3-13)

• Lamb: The Israelites were to take a male lamb about a year old without blemish, taken from the sheep or the goats. Each family was to kill it at twilight. Each family was to take some of the blood and put it on the doorposts and on the lintel of the houses in which they ate it. They were to eat the flesh roasted with fire. Interesting fact: This same blood that was shed and saved the Israelites is a parallel with the blood required for the forgiveness of our sins that we read of in Hebrews 9:22
• Herbs: For the Passover meal, they were to eat the roasted lamb with bitter herbs, most likely a salad made up of lettuce and other stemmed plants.
• Unleavened Bread: They were also to eat unleavened bread, a kind of flat cake that could be prepared quickly since it didn't need to rise.
• No leftovers: They were not to save food from the Passover meal, but were commanded to consume or burn it up. This rule was applied to food that had been used for an offering.
• Loins girded: A flowing garment was the normal attire for an Israelite. When they needed to move quickly, they would grasp the garment at the bottom pulling it to the waist and tucking it to the belt. This would allow for easy maneuvering.
• Sandals and staff: The Israelites were to be prepared to leave as soon as they were given the signal, so they were to eat with sandals on and a staff in hand. According to tradition, the sandals were to be removed inside the house and the staff was to be kept near the door in order to be taken up when one left.  But the Israelites were not to leave the house until morning, Exodus 12:22.  This highlights their urgent waiting on the LORD and their readiness to follow.  It emphasizes the need to wait on the LORD and to be ready to move when God decides to act upon.

In Exodus 12:14-20, we read of the Feast of Unleavened Bread.

Moses had instructed the Israelites about how to celebrate the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread before they even had their first one.  They were to celebrate it each year thereafter.  Although they had not yet been free from Egyptian bondage, God in His mighty power established a yearly commemoration of the Passover even before it actually was in effect.   Moses and the Israelites obeyed God's instructions. They placed the blood on their doors, readied themselves in their houses and waited for the Lord's Passover.   Isn't that amazing!

"Now it came about at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of cattle.  Pharaoh arose in the night, he and all his servants and all the Egyptians, and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was no home where there was not someone dead." Exodus 12:29-30 NASB.

In the last part of this study we will consider the 40 years that Moses led Israel from the crossing of the Red Sea unto the gates of the Promised Land.

Luci

THE NATION OF ISRAEL AND THE EXODUS - PART ONE

GIANTS OF THE FAITH:  MOSES

Moses was born to a man and a woman from the house of Levi, the Hebrew tribe of priests.  Moses was born in the terrible time when the Pharaoh of Egypt had ordered that all male Hebrew babies should be killed at birth. They were to be thrown into the Nile River.  His mother hid him for three months.  When she realized that she could not hide him any longer, she put him in a wicker basket and sealed it with tar and pitch so that it would float.  The Hebrew word translated "basket" means "ark" and is the same word used for Noah's ark.  Moses' mother put him in this little saving ark and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile River.  His sister Miriam stood at a distance to watch over him.  Pharaoh's daughter came down to the river to bathe, along with her maidens. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid to bring it to her.  As soon as she opened the basket and saw baby Moses crying, she had pity on him and noticed he was of the Hebrews' children.  Miriam, Moses' sister, said to her, "Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?  Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Go ahead.' So the girl went and called the child's mother.  Then Pharaoh's daughter said to her, 'Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.' So the woman took the child and nursed him. The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. And she named him Moses, and said, 'Because I drew him out of the water."'  Exodus 2:7-10.  We can clearly see God's providential hand when Moses was saved from Pharaoh's death sentence by Pharaoh's own daughter, and was able to remain with his mother until he was weaned, most likely between the ages of 3 to 5 years old.

Although Moses grew up as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, he was very aware of his origin as the child of a Hebrew slave.  When Moses grew up and went out to his Hebrew brethren and saw how oppressed they were with hard labor, he noticed an Egyptian beating one of his Hebrew brethren and became disturbed in his heart. Notice that there are 3 times in this section of Exodus 2 where Moses was willing to get involved where there was conflict.  Moses intervened in all three times of conflict with an action.  It is obvious to me that he was a peacemaker in all three cases.  He had compassion on the weak and the vulnerable and was willing to intervene to protect.

Conflict	Response	Result
1. Egyptian abusing Hebrew	Moses kills Egyptian	Moses turns away from life of privilege

"Now it came about in those days.... and he saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren.  So he looked this way and that, and when saw there was no one around, he struck down the Egyptian and hid him in the sand."  Exodus 2:11-12.

Conflict	Response	Result
2. Hebrew fighting Hebrew	Moses attempts to reconcile them	Moses is forced to flee

"He went out the next day; and behold, two Hebrews were fighting with each other; and he said to the offender, 'Why are you striking your companion?'  But he said, 'Who made you a prince or a judge over us?  Are you intending to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?'  Then Moses was afraid and said, 'Surely the matter has become known.' When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses.  But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well."'  Exodus 2:13-15.

Conflict	Response	Result
3. The Midianites drive off the shepherd girls	Moses defends the girls	Moses gains a wife, Zipporah

"When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the presence of Pharaoh and settled in the land of Midian, and he sat down by a well. Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters; and they came to draw water and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock.  Then the shepherds came and drove them away, but Moses stood up and helped them and watered their flock."  Exodus 2:15-17.

4. This period of Israelite history ends with the increased abuse of the Israelites by a new Pharaoh. Moses possibly knew this Pharaoh since he was raised in the Pharaoh's household. The Israelites begin to cry out to God, and a compassionate God hears their cry.

"Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died.  And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God.  So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.  God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them."  Exodus 2:23-24.

NOTICE that in the same way that Moses responded to oppression, God also responded.  The oppressed did not go unnoticed by God when they cried out. God listened!   

FASCINATING FACTS: THE MIDIANITES

Moses ran to Midian after he fled Egypt. The Midianites were descendants of Abraham, just as Moses was: "Now Abraham took another wife, whose name was Keturah.  She bore to him Zimran and Jokshan and Medan and Midian and Ishbak and Shuah. Jokshan became the father of Sheba and Dedan. And the sons of Dedan were Asshurim and Letushim and Leummim.  The sons of Midian were Ephah and Epher and Hanoch and Abida and Eldaah.  All these were the sons of Keturah."  Genesis 25:1-4.

The Hebrews' relationship with the Midianites was friendly allowing Moses to be welcomed in the house of Jethro, the priest and judge of Midian.  Moses married one of Jethro's daughters and had two sons, Gershom and Eliezer, Exodus 18:2-4.

In Exodus 18, Jethro helped Moses set up a court system similar to the one he used as a priest and judge in Midian.  Together they brought offerings of worship to God for all that He had done for the Hebrews.

In Numbers 22:4-7, the Midianites have become the Israelites' enemies because of their conspiracy with the Moabites to curse Israel through Balaam becoming enemies until finally Gideon defeats the Midianites in Judges 6-7.

The first 80 years of Moses' life prepared him to take the leadership of a slave nation, the Israelites, and led them out of Egyptian slavery through another 40 years of wandering in the dessert.  The second part of this study concerns the deliverance of the Israelites from their Egyptian taskmasters.

Luci

EGYPT'S NEW KINGDOM

EGYPT'S NEW KINGDOM (1570-1070 BC)

The expulsion of the Hyksos ordered by Ahmose I marked the beginning of the New Kingdom and the 18th Dynasty for Egypt. This was a period of prosperity, art, massive building projects, abundant foreign trade and conquest of nearby lands. Many of Egypt's best and most famous Pharaohs were part of this 18th Dynasty. This was Egypt's golden age!

At the beginning of the 19th Dynasty, Egypt continued to rise in power. The Great Ramses II was this Dynasty's most notable Pharaoh reigning for 67 years. He made peace with the Hittites and brought prosperity to the region. By the end of the 19th Dynasty, Egypt could not maintain his kingdom and was beginning to fall into chaos.

In the 20th Dynasty, Ramses III protected the country from foreign invasion. But internal corruption and social chaos prevented him from restoring Egypt back to its former glory. Egypt divided into factions from his death through the end of the 20th Dynasty.

The 18th Dynasty (1570-1292 BC)

Ahmose I	Best known for ridding the country of the Hyksos
Amenhotep	Maintained dominance over Nubia and the North after his father's death. He was the first Pharaoh who separated his tomb from his temple in order to protect it from grave robbers.
Thutmose I	It is possibly that he reigned as co-regent before Amenhotep I died. He pushed Nubia's borders deep into Nubia. He also extended his power into Canaan, fighting against the Hyksos all the way into the Euphrates River.
Thutmose II	Although he was a third son, he took the throne when his father died because his older brothers had died. He married his half-sister Hatshepsut for royal reasons.
Queen Hatshepsut	One of three queens to rule Egypt. She was the daughter of one of Thutmose I. She was ambitious and selfish. She married her half-brother. When her husband died, her son Thutmose II took the throne. Since her stepson was very young when her husband died, she was able to claim power as her stepson's regent; and in this way she managed to reign for 20 years despite her gender. She considered herself equal to any male ruler which was very unusual for her time. She even dressed as a man and wore a fake beard. She is well known for funding expeditions into Africa and commissioning hundreds of building projects. It is speculated that she might have been the "Pharaoh's daughter" who found baby Moses hidden in the rushes along the banks of the Nile River, Exodus 2:1-10. It is also speculated that Moses might have been raised as a half-brother to Thutmose II. So, if this is true then Thutmose III, might have been the Pharaoh who tried to punish Moses for killing the Egyptian slave driver. Likewise, Thutmose III's son Amenhotep II might have been the Pharaoh to whom God said through Moses, "Let My people go!" That is very interesting!
Thutmose III	Thutmose III spent 21 years of his reign watching from the sidelines as his step-mother ruled as a Pharaoh. When she died he ruled in his own right for over 30 years. Egypt was at its largest during his reign. His son Amenhotep II co-ruled with him for his last few years as a Pharaoh. If Hatshepsut was indeed the one who saved baby Moses, Thutmose III would be the Pharaoh who sought to kill Moses after Moses killed the Egyptian slave master for beating one of the Hebrew slaves, Exodus 2:11-15.  If this is true, he would have known Moses as a child and perhaps they might have been raised in the same household. Remember, Moses fled to Midian and lived there in exile for about 40 years.
Amenhotep II	Reigned as Pharaoh for 23 years. He continued his father's military campaigns, especially in Syria. He was very athletic and skilled in bow hunting and rowing. He might have been the Pharaoh of the Exodus, the one who endured the 10 plagues and whose heart was hardened repeatedly. Also, the one who gave the Hebrews permission to leave and then chased them to the Red Sea, Exodus 7-14
Thutmose IV	He reigned for about 9 years. He built up government bureaucracy by cutting the size of the military. He was well known for the Dream Stele, a carved stone that sits between the paws of the Great Sphinx. He claimed a god told him to restore it. There was some politics behind this dream since some suggested that the dream was an effort to claim to the kingship. It is possible that he was Amenhotep's firstborn son. It is also speculated that he might have died in the Plague of the Firstborn, Exodus 11.
Amenhotep III	He reigned for 38 years in peace. He built monuments encouraging the arts.
Amenhotep IV	He was a younger son to Amenhotep III. He succeeded his father after his older brother died. His primary focus during his 17 year reign was the establishment of a monotheistic religion in Egypt , believing in one god,. Egyptians have always been polytheists, believing in many gods, but he sought to change this by bringing worship unto the sun-god, Aten meaning disk. He changed his name to Akhenaten because it associated him with a different god, Amun. He forced the priests of other gods to disband, removing the names of other gods from their temples. However, none of these changes endured. When he died all the monuments he had built were destroyed , erasing his name. Polytheism was restored under Tutankhamen.
Smenkhkare	He reigned for 3 years. It is uncertain to know who he was. He may have been Akhnaten's wife Nefertiti, his father or son-in-law. He allowed the monotheistic religion of Akhenaten to gradually collapse, restoring gradually Egypt's old gods to their previous place.
Tutankhamen	He is the most famous Pharaoh of all in modern times because his tomb was discovered undisturbed by grave robbers, by Howard Carter in the Valley of the Kings in 1922. He is popularly known as King Tut, and his burial mask is well known as the image of ancient Egypt. He reigned only for nine years. He was originally named Tutankhaten by his father. After his father died he changed his name to Tutankhamen which means "living image of Aten." He died around 16 years of age, possibly murdered by his own advisers.
Ay	He took the throne after Tutankhamen died. He was his Grand Vizier. He was the best qualified to take the throne in the absence of a dynasty heir. He reigned for 4 years trying to restore polytheism.
Horemheb	The last Pharaoh of the 18th Dynasty. He was a military adviser to Tutankhamen. Like Ay, he was apparently judged to be best qualified to assume the throne in the absence of a legitimate heir. He returned power to the central government, restoring the pharaoh's role, and fully restoring the worship of Aten. He reigned for about 36 years. He appointed his military commander, Paramessu since he too had no heirs. Paramessu changed his name to Ramses I and started a new Dynasty.

The 20th Dynasty (1185-1070 BC)

This dynasty began with the three-year reign of Setnakhte. Little is known about his reign except that Setnakhte restored law and order in Egypt which was in decline by the end of the 19th Dynasty. His dated reign is from the time of Seti II, as if the reigns of Siptah and Tawosret never happened. Ramses III followed Setnakhte. He is considered the last great king of Egypt. Ramses III defended Egypt against the Libyans and Sea People. After him another series of Ramses, 8 in all, held power, but economic and social struggles sent the country into downward fall. After the 20th Dynasty, Egypt returned to chaos allowing the Intermediate Period to begin.

Conclusion:  The more we have learned about the power and glory of the Egyptian Pharaohs and their Dynasties, the more amazing it is to me to see God's power and providence in saving the Israelites from Egyptian bondage.  Our God is an AWESOME GOD!

Luci

EGYPT AND THE NATION OF ISRAEL

 

EGYPT'S MIDDLE KINGDOM

EGYPTIAN PYRAMIDS 

The Ancient Egyptians believed that their dead went onto another life in the After-world, and the soul could live on only if the body was preserved from decomposing. These Ancient Egyptians took drastic measures about preserving the body of the deceased. They also protected it from thieves. Their bodies were buried along with treasures the deceased might be needing in the next world, as they would call it. This captured the interest of grave robbers.

During the Old Kingdom of Egypt, the Egyptians buried their dead in "mastaba" tombs. These were flat and rectangular structures, built of brick or stone, and sloping sides. The body was placed deep in a sealed chamber, along with all his treasures. They used false doors and filled the shaft with stones and created a system of elaborate sliding doors to keep the sarcophagus from grave robbers. These mastaba tombs were no longer good enough for the gods they considered themselves to be when Egypt's wealth and empire grew. They then began to build pyramid tombs with pointed tops that reached the sky. 

 

 

THE PYRAMID OF DJOSER

This pyramid is the earliest known pyramid built around 2630 BC for King Djoser of the 3rd Dynasty. It was 203 feet tall, located near present-day Cairo. Its purpose was to serve as a gigantic stairway up to the heavens for the deceased pharaoh. This Pyramid of Djoser was built by Imhotep. His pyramid was remarkable for both its size and innovative use of dressed stone.. He began with a mastaba tomb and then added another mastaba tomb on top of it, followed by four more making a total of six levels. The result was the first step stone pyramid. Around it was a complex of buildings that resembled pharaoh's palace and its surrounding buildings. This entire complex was enclosed by a 30 foot wall with 14-15 entrances with only one that was functional. What an unimaginable work!  Under it was an elaborate maze of tunnels, chambers, galleries and shafts that would total over 3 1/2 miles long. These were built for religious purposes and to discourage grave robbers. After the 3rd Dynasty, all that was left of the Djoser's tombs was his mummified left foot as remains and treasures.

 

THE GREAT PYRAMID OF GIZA (2550 BC)

The Great Pyramid of Giza is the largest of all. It was built for King Khufu(Cheops) of the 4th Dynasty. This was part of an immense complex of monuments to the dead known as a Necropolis(city of the dead). It measured 756 feet on each side and weighed almost 6 million tons. It took 20 years to be built, required about 800 tons of stone per day. It was the tallest man-made structure at 480 feet high, for over 3,800 years. It remains substantially intact today. Inside the pyramid were 3 chambers: a King chamber, a Queen chamber, and an unfinished chamber deep inside. It was surrounded by smaller buildings which included temples, mastaba tombs for court nobles and four smaller pyramids. Beside the pyramid sits a statue, the Great Sphinx of Giza. Its carving has the body of a lion and the head of a king or a god. It still remains the largest statute in the world at 65 feet high and 240 feet long. Unfortunately, the Sphinx has lost its nose. There are endless theories that have grown out of the loss of the nose. One suggests that a Muslim chopped it off. The story is impossible to verify and is only one of several.

As the Old Kingdom of Egypt declined around 3000-2100 BC, it split into dozens of independent states. This period is known as the First Intermediate Period. The Middle Kingdom began with the 11th Dynasty in 2040 BC, but its real reunification began under Pharaoh Amenemhet I and the 12th Dynasty in 1991 BC. Amenemhet I was not of royal lineage. He was a powerful military general who managed the throne establishing Egypt's 12th Dynasty. He ruled from 1991 to 1962 BC. He used many tactics to reunify Egypt. He also built a strong of fortress called "The Wall of the Prince" along the eastern Delta to protect Egypt's border with Asia. Under his reign Egypt prospered. He expanded his empire by pushing his army south into exotic Nubia gaining total control of trade routes. He was killed around 1962 BC and his son took the throne. The 12th Dynasty reigned from around 1991-1802 BC.

BIBLE FOCUS

No one can explain with certainty how the Bible narrative fits in with what is known of Egyptian history, but here is a possible overlay of the Twelfth Dynasty with the Biblical account story:

Amenemhet I - reigned 1991 - 1962 BC	1991 BC - Abraham dies
Senusret I - reigned 1971  - 1928 BC	1930 BC - Jacob travels to Haran
Amenemhet II - reigned 1929 - 1895 BC	1899 BC - Joseph taken to Egypt
Senusret II - reigned 1897 - 1878 BC	1886 BC - Joseph released; 1879 BC - famine begins
Senusret III - reigned 1878  - 1843 BC	1876 - Jacob moves to Egypt; 1859 - Jacob dies
Amenemhet III - reigned 1842 - 1797 BC	1806 - Joseph dies
Amenemhet IV - reigned 1798  - 1790 BC

THE HYKSOS

I want to point out that the 12th Dynasty of Egypt reached its peak under the reign of Amenemhet III with his son succeeding him, Amenemhet IV. His son reigned for only one year dying without an heir. His wife, Queen Sobekneferu, took the throne making the Pharaoh's power grow weak under her. This is the beginning of a new period in Egyptian history called the Second Intermediate Period (1782-1570). During the Intermediate Period between the Middle Kingdom and the beginning of the New Kingdom, the Hyksos invaded the eastern part of the Nile Delta. They seized power in 1663 BC and ruled Egypt as the 15th Dynasty. The Hyksos were a group of Semitic-Asiatic descent who first settled in northern Egypt during the 12th Dynasty. Their name meant "king-shepherds." They ruled most of Lower Egypt and part of Upper Egypt, ruling for about 150 years and probably had a friendly relationship with the Israelites who lived in that region. They made alliances with the Nubians without moving into southern Egypt. The Hyksos Dynasty was probably diminished because of conflicts with the Egyptians. And around 1567 BC, Ahmose I of the 18th Dynasty defeated the Hyksos reuniting again with Egypt. This was the end of the Second Intermediate Period and the beginning of the New Kingdom.

THE ISRAELITES AS SLAVES

The Israelites began their time in Egypt towards the end of the Book of Genesis as a family of seventy. They were given the land of Goshen thanks to Joseph's influence. This was the most fertile part of the Nile Delta. We read, "But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them." Exodus 1:7. Notice the 7 words the Bible uses to describe the Israelites' prosperity in Egypt: fruitful, increased, greatly, multiplied, exceedingly, mighty and filled.

Exodus 1 does not say much about how many Israelites there were when the exodus began. But it does mention that the entire land of Goshen, a region in Egypt's Nile Delta, was "filled with them." In Numbers 1, Moses ordered a count (census) of all able men to go out to war in Israel older than twenty. This was in the second year after the Israelites had fled Egypt. The total number was 603,550. These were only males. It did not include the women, the children, the Levite men (priests from the tribe of Levi, who did not fight). If we take all these into account, the entire population may have been as many as two million or perhaps even more. All this population growth from 70 to perhaps two million took around 400 years from the time of Moses to Jacob. I bet the Egyptians were astounded over the Israelites' growth in number. They were alarmed when the Hebrew's numbers grew this large. It is then that the Pharaoh ordered their midwives to kill all Hebrew baby boys in an attempt to slow down their rapid growth.

In Exodus 1:8-9, we read that when a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph and said to his people, "behold the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we." This king may have been from a new Dynasty, possibly the Hyksos, who rose to power around 1663 BC. Or it could have also been Ahmose I of the 18th Dynasty. This may be the one since he succeeded in driving out the Semitic invaders, the Hyksos. The Israelites were considered a second set of Semitic people, the Hebrews,and a threat. His solution against the Hebrews was slavery. The Bible indicates that he forced them to build two great cities, Pithom and Rameses. But this did not slow their growth. The Israelites' prosperity was of great concern to Egypt's pharaohs, who were desperate to grow and protect their kingdom.

In Exodus 1:12-14 we read, "But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel. The Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them." Even though the Israelites were forced to work in the meanest of conditions, they continued to multiply. Again, the Bible uses seven words to describe the hard labor the Egyptians assigned with the purpose of controlling their growth: labor, rigorously, made, labor, labor, labors and rigorously.

Because of the Israelites' growth, the pharaoh took drastic measures instructing the Hebrew midwives to kill any male Hebrew. Fortunately there we two good Hebrew midwives who feared God, Shiprah and Puah that refused to obey the pharaoh's order to kill all male Hebrew boys. Because these midwives refused to obey pharaoh's order to exterminate Hebrew children, God blessed them, establishing households for them, "So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, He established households for them." Exodus 1:20-21. God loves those who are upright; He does not forsake His godly ones; He preserves them forever; He surrounds them with His favor as with a shield; His lovingkindness toward those who fear Him is as high as the heavens. We can surely see God's nature and character when He blessed these midwives who refused to obey the Pharaoh's order, but instead preferred to obey God. This is remarkable!

FASCINATING FACT ABOUT MIDWIFERY: Ancient midwives held positions of prestige. Shiphrah and Puah, the two Hebrew midwives, were probably overseers of a large guild of midwives. They could have not cared for the entire Israelite population alone. Did you know that pregnant women used a birthing stone or brick decorated with scenes of the birthing process? The woman would stand, kneel or squad and the midwife would position her in front of the mother to catch the baby. What an experience! I thank God for this blessing myself since I have had the privilege of using a midwife to have a home birth.

Exodus 1, ends with Pharaoh taking matters into his own hands. He orders everyone to cast every Hebrew male boy into the Nile River. His orders could not have been ignored since he was considered a god among the Egyptians. His target was to decrease the Israelite population.

The following is a timeline of Egypt's Old, Middle and New Kingdoms:

KINGDOM	ROUGH DATES	IMPORTANT PHARAOHS	DYNASTIES
Old Kingdom	3000 BC - 2100 BC	Djoser, Khufu	3-8
First Intermediate Period			9-10
Middle Kingdom	2040 BC - 1782 BC	Amenemhet I, Amenemhet III	11-12
Second Interm. Period		(the Hyksos)	13-17
New Kingdom	1570 BC - 1070 BC	Ahmose I, Rameses II	18-20
Third Interm. Period			21-25

The more that we learn about the power and glory of the Egyptian Pharaohs, the more amazing it is to me that the slave people of Israel should have been able to escape them, were it not for the great power of God as He worked through Moses and the Bible account of the ten plagues. It is inconceivable that such a people could be defeated in any other way, God's Way.

Luci

GIANTS OF THE FAITH: JOSEPH - PART ONE

Joseph was Jacob's eleventh son and also Rachael's firstborn, the wife that Jacob loved best.  Rachael had to be patient, waiting many years to conceive Joseph.  Unfortunately, she died giving birth to her second son, Benjamin, Joseph's younger brother.  Joseph was Jacob's favorite son.

The Bible covers the story of Joseph from chapters 37-50 of Genesis; being one of the longest stories found in the Bible, far longer than the creation and flood story.

Notice that the LORD does not speak directly nor does He reveal himself to Joseph in the same way that He did to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  There is no account of direct revelations or miracles.  While Joseph did not have these same direct encounters with God, His guiding hand is obviously seen throughout his life. Joseph had a remarkable ability to interpret dreams and visions that made him closer to God.  Joseph acknowledges God's part in what happens to him.  Ancients viewed dreams as messages from their gods. Ancient dreamers rarely interpreted their own dreams.  Only their priests and wise men, who had access to the gods, were considered qualified to interpret dreams.

The account of Joseph is rich, filled with twists and turns that almost make you cry, cringe and rejoice.  It is beautifully written, designed to impress the hearers.  It begins in the land of Canaan ending in the land of Egypt.  It begins with Jacob's family in Hebron.  The central character throughout the story is Joseph, except for chapter 38, which covers Judah and Tamar.

  
In Genesis chapter 37, we notice there is trouble with Joseph’s brothers.  The rivalry among the brothers is similar to the rivalry we saw in the stories of Abraham over Ishmael and Isaac, and continued with Isaac's favoritism toward Esau and Rebekah's favoritism toward Jacob. This is exactly the problem in Jacob's family. Back in chapter 6 of Genesis, we see the rivalry between their mothers, Leah and Rachel. Unfortunately, the rivalry did not end when the boys were born, but was passed down to the sons.   Jacob's other sons noticed that he favored Joseph, even though he was the eleventh in line.   Jealousy and bitterness grew stronger against Joseph. 

 In Genesis 37:1-11, we read of the sad events that brought this hatred to a climax. "Now Jacob lived in the land where his father had sojourned, in the land of Canaan.... Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his sons, because he was the son of his old age; and he made him a varicolored tunic.  His brothers saw that their father loved him more than all his brothers; and so they hated him and could not speak to him on friendly terms.  Then Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him even more.  He said to them, Please listen to this dream which I have had; for behold, we were binding sheaves in the field, and lo, my sheaf rose up and also stood erect; and behold, your sheaves gathered around and bowed down to my sheaf.  Then his brothers said to him, “Are you actually going to reign over us? Or are you really going to rule over us?  So they hated him even more for his dreams and for his words.  Now he had still another dream, and related it to his brothers, and said, Lo, I have had still another dream; and behold, the sun and the moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me.  He related it to his father and to his brothers; and his father rebuked him and said to him, “What is this dream that you have had?  Shall I and your mother and your brothers actually come to bow ourselves down before you to the ground?   His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the saying in mind." Sibling rivalry can divide many families.  Should we blame Joseph for the way that his brothers treated him?  Not at all!

In Genesis 37:5-11, Joseph tells of two dreams. In his first dream, his sheaf of grain stands straight, while his brother's sheaves of grain bow down to it.  In his second dream, the sun and the moon, representing his parents and eleven stars, his 11 brothers, bow down to him.  These dreams cause Joseph's brothers to hate him even more.   But, when he tells his father his second dream, Jacob rebukes him.  Jacob and his other sons could not foresee bowing down to Joseph as a ruler.   In fact, we will see later that his dreams in fact came true. They were to be subject to Joseph in Egypt, and Joseph was to receive the birthright as the firstborn.  In fact, many years later, Moses speaks of Joseph as the "prince among his brothers" and like a "firstborn bull" in Deuteronomy 33:13-17.   Joseph, like a firstborn, receives a double portion of the Promised Land through his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.

In Genesis 37:12-36, Jacob sends Joseph to check on his brothers who were attending to their flocks. When Joseph arrives in Shechem, they had already moved to Dothan, but he catches up with them there. When his brothers see him approaching from a distance, wearing the robe his dad had made for him, they were filled with rage and plotted to kill him; they began to mock him, calling him dreamer.   The plan was to kill him and throw him into a water storage pit. But Reuben, the oldest brother, intervenes and rescues him out of their hands saying, "let us not take his life." Gen. 37:21.  Reuben also, said to them, "shed no blood. Throw him into this pit that is in the wilderness, but do not lay hands on him"--that he might rescue him out of their hands, to restore him to this father, Gen. 37:22 NASB. Remember, that the firstborn in this case Reuben, was responsible for the welfare of his younger brothers and doesn't want to be guilty of his younger brother's innocent blood. Unfortunately, he does not speak in Joseph's defense. He allows his brothers to strip Joseph of his robe and throw him into a pit, a dry water cistern. Reuben's hatred of Joseph was as great as that of his other brothers. 

Later, they sit down to eat and in the distance see a caravan of Midianites or Ishmaelites, approaching on their way to Egypt.   Judah convinces his brothers to sell Joseph to the Midianites instead of killing him since he was their brother, Gen. 37:25-27. So, they pulled Joseph out of the pit and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver.  Joseph then goes with them to Egypt, Gen. 37:28.  Reuben returns to the pit finding it empty and his brothers gone.  In desperation, he tears his clothes in grief, not caring so much about Joseph but about what was going to happen to him when his father should find out.  So the brothers formulate a plan.  They stain Joseph's robe with the blood of a goat, take it home and show it to their father Jacob, who believes that his son has been killed by a wild animal.   Jacob tore his clothes, and put sack-cloth on his loins, and mourned for his son many days, Gen. 37:31-35.

Genesis 39 begins and ends with emphatic statements about God's presence in Joseph's life. Joseph is in Egypt being sold to Potiphar, an officer of the Pharaoh.  Now Joseph is far from his home without a single friend or family member.  Even though Joseph is living in exile,"God is with him," making him into a successful man.  His master saw that God was with Joseph and how God had caused all that Joseph did to prosper in his hands.  Everything he touched God blessed.  So Joseph found favor in Potiphar's eyes and he placed Joseph in charge over his entire household, Gen. 39:2-4

Unfortunately, a problem arose with Potiphar's wife. She wanted to seduce him, wanting to be romantically involved with him, but Joseph refused her and said "Behold, with me here, my master does not concern himself with anything in the house and he has put all that he owns in my charge.... How then could I do this great evil, and sin against God?", Gen. 39:8-9. What great loyalty to God and his master! After many attempts of seduction which Joseph rejected, she caught him by his garment and tried again to seduce him. Joseph fled leaving his garment behind. She used the garment against him saying to her husband, that Joseph had tried to take advantage of her. Potiphar, believed his wife's side of the story and had Joseph thrown into jail. But again, "God was with Joseph," extending kindness to him, and gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer, Gen. 39:21.  And all that Joseph touched was blessed, so the chief of the prison put Joseph in charge of the entire prison.  What a remarkable thing!

While Joseph is in prison, a cupbearer and a baker from Pharaoh's court get themselves into trouble and wind up in prison with Joseph.  After some time, both men are troubled by disturbing dreams.  When Joseph saw the two men, he asked why their faces looked sad.  Then they told Joseph of their dreams.  Joseph then tells them that God is the only One who can interpret their dreams.  Thus Joseph declares to them his faith in the One God.   So Joseph asks them to tell their dreams to him.  In one of the dreams, the chief cupbearer sees a grapevine with three branches filled with grapes.  He, the cupbearer, takes the grapes squeezing them into Pharaoh’s cup putting the cup into his hand, Gen. 40:9-11.  In his dream, the baker, sees himself carrying 3 baskets of bread on his head for the Pharaoh, but the birds were eating the bread out of the basket, Gen. 40:16-17.

Joseph interprets the cupbearer's dream to mean that in three days, on Pharaoh's birthday, he would be restored to his position as chief cupbearer.   Joseph also interprets the baker's dream to mean that in three days, he will be executed.  Both of these things happened as Joseph predicted.   Joseph asks the cupbearer to tell the Pharaoh about him after he is restored to the court, but the cupbearer forgot.  Thus sadly, Joseph remains in prison, Gen. 40:18-23.

Two more years pass and Pharaoh has a dream while Joseph is still in prison.   Neither his magicians nor the wise men in Egypt could interpret his dreams. In the first dream, seven cows come out of the Nile River and graze on the banks.  The seven sleek and fat cows come out and stand beside seven other cows that are ugly and gaunt.   The ugly and gaunt cows then eat the sleek and fat cows. In his second dream, he dreams of seven healthy heads of grain growing on a single stalk.  Beside them, seven other heads of grain are being scorched by the wind making them thin and barren.  Then the thin heads of grain swallow the healthy heads, Gen. 41:1-7.  Pharaoh was disturbed so he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt along with the wise men, but no one was able to interpret the Pharaoh's dreams. The cupbearer remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh about a Hebrew youth who perfectly interpreted his own dreams.   Pharaoh immediately sends for Joseph, Gen. 41:14. Before Joseph gives Pharaoh the interpretation of his dream, he says, "It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer." Gen. 41:16.   Joseph gives credit to God.

Then he tells Pharaoh this:  The seven healthy cows and the seven healthy heads of grain stand for seven good years.  The seven lean and ugly cows along with the seven thin heads of grain stand for seven years of famine.  God has shown to Pharaoh what He is about to do.  God is going to bring seven years of abundance to Egypt, but they will be followed by seven years of famine and Egypt must prepare itself during the good years for the bad years to follow. Joseph, tells Pharaoh to look for a man discerning and wise and set him over the land of Egypt.  The proposal seemed good to Pharaoh and to all his servants.   Pharaoh realizing that the Spirit of God is with Joseph makes Joseph second in command, Gen. 41:37-41.  Notice, this is the third time that Joseph has been placed over everything: first in Potiphar's house, then in prison and finally in Pharaoh's kingdom. Pharaoh gives Joseph three items to wear: a signet ring, representing legal authority over everything; a fine linen garment that represented his new social status (that would later be used in the Tabernacle representing spiritual authority); and a gold chain as an Egyptian symbol well known as one of the highest distinctions a Pharaoh could bestow representing royalty.  Joseph also received a chariot, riding before the people who would bow down to him out of respect for his new commanding authority. Finally, he receives a wife.

Joseph has proven himself faithful as a slave and as a prisoner and now he has been promoted to ruler of all Egypt under Pharaoh.  In the second part of this story, Joseph now must prove himself faithful as a brother who has been wronged.

Luci

GIANTS OF THE FAITH: JOSEPH - PART TWO

Joseph is now 30 yrs. old and has been in Egypt for 13 years, Gen. 41:42-46. Joseph begins to travel throughout Egypt, gathering and storing enormous amounts of grain from each city.  During this time before the famine, Joseph has two sons: Manasseh (meaning God has made me forget) and Ephraim (meaning God has made me fertile). Gen. 41:46-57.

Joseph's two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, provide yet another example of a younger son winning out over an older, Gen. 48. Later in the story, when Jacob arrives in Egypt, he adopts Joseph's two sons into his own family, giving them a share of the inheritance as if they were Jacob's own sons. As Jacob (now Israel) prepares to bless the two boys, he places his right hand on Ephraim, the younger son, and his left hand on Manasseh, the older son. This is backwards, the right hand signifies the firstborn. We see that Jacob has to cross his arms to do this. Joseph then tells his father that his hands are backwards, and that Manasseh is the oldest. This is what Joseph tells his father, "Not so, my father, for this one is the firstborn.  Place your right hand on his head." Jacob refuses and responds, "I know, my son, I know; he also shall become a people and he also shall be great. However, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations. And he blessed them that day, saying, by you Israel shall pronounce blessing, saying, may God make you like Ephraim and Manasseh!  Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh." Genesis 48:18-20. As a fulfillment of Jacob's blessing, Ephraim became the most dominant of the tribes in the kingdom of Israel.  The name Ephraim became metaphorical for the entire kingdom.

When the famine arrives in Egypt as Joseph had predicted, Egypt is prepared. Joseph begins to ration the grain, first to Egyptians and then to foreigners who begin to travel to Egypt to buy grain.

Back in Canaan, Jacob's family is feeling the famine's effects.  Jacob sends Joseph's brothers to buy some grain when he hears that Egypt has it for sale. Next, are two parallels in some ways of the brothers’ two journeys to Egypt:

FIRST JOURNEY	SECOND JOURNEY
The 11 brothers travel to Egypt to buy grain. Benjamin, the youngest brother, stays home with Jacob.	The 11 brothers travel to Egypt to buy grain. This time they bring Benjamin along as well as a double payment since their first payment was returned to them.
The 11 brothers bowed before Joseph when they approached him, being Pharaoh's second in command.	The 11 brothers arrive in Egypt, tell Joseph their story to Joseph's steward and then bow before Joseph when they meet him.
Joseph recognizes his brothers, but they did not.	Joseph recognizes Benjamin, but brothers still cannot recognize him.
Joseph accuses them of being spies throwing them in prison.
Joseph weeps.	Joseph weeps.
Joseph keep Simeon sending the rest away and demanding that they come back with Benjamin.
Joseph orders their sacks be filled and their silver returned	Joseph order their sacks be filled and their silver returned. He adds his personal silver cup to Benjamin's sack.
The 10 brothers leave Egypt, but realize that their silver has been returned to their sacks	The 11 brothers leave Egypt, but realize that their silver has been returned. Benjamin has Joseph's cup.
Jacob grieves the loss of Joseph, Simeon and now Benjamin.
	When the 11 brothers fear over the cup thinking they're in trouble they return to Egypt. Joseph demands Benjamin as his slave in payment for the supposed theft. Judah begs for mercy and offers himself in place of Benjamin.
	Joseph weeps intensely.
	Joseph reveals himself to his brothers

For 20 years Joseph has been estranged from his family.  Jacob has thought him dead and his brothers have sold him into slavery.   When Joseph sees his brothers he does not reveal his identity to them.   He wants and needs to know for sure what kind of men his brothers have become. When Joseph accuses them of being spies three times, he puts them in prison for three days so that he can watch them.  The brothers think this is God's punishment for the horrible treatment toward Joseph.  Joseph weeps after hearing of their remorse. Wanting to make sure that the other brothers are coming back, Joseph holds Simeon. Back in Canaan, they beg Jacob to allow Benjamin return with them so that they can rescue Simeon.  Isn't it something that Reuben even offers his two sons as a sacrifice to his father so that Benjamin could come with them? Gen. 42:37.  But Jacob was not going to bargain for Benjamin, his only survivor of his favorite wife Rachael.   It is only when the family begins to starve that Jacob agrees. 

In another test, Joseph returns the brothers' silver to see what they will do with it.  Remember, that years ago, they had sold him for 20 pieces of silver.  Joseph wants to test them to see how they handle the situation having their treasures returned. Joseph is testing them to see whether they keep quiet or return the silver. With this test he will find out if they still love money more than their brothers. When they returned with Benjamin, Jacob welcomes them and sets Simeon free.  Still he does not reveal himself to them.  He eats with them and asks them questions about his father. 

In preparation for the final test, he plants his personal silver cup in Benjamin's sack for the return journey. Joseph send his steward after their brothers while they are going on their journey.  He finds the cup in Benjamin's sack. The brothers returned and Joseph sets them a final test.  He told his brothers that since Benjamin stole the silver cup, he was going to become his slave and the rest were to go free. In a humble speech Judah offers himself in place of Benjamin. What a different Judah this is!   Judah tells Joseph of the special love that Jacob has for Benjamin and of his lost son Joseph as sons of his favorite wife, Rachel.  The remarkable thing is that Judah is no longer bitter over this.  His love for his father and his desire to do what is right this time overrides his hatred and bitterness.   He begs for his father to be able to keep his son whom he loves more than any of the rest.  This is so touching!  When finally Joseph believes in his brothers’ repentance and sees that his brothers have passed the test, he breaks down and weeps without consolation. Then finally he reveals himself to them.   He forgives them and offers them forgiveness for their sin.  This is what he tells them, "Then Joseph said to his brothers, I am Joseph! … I am your brother whom you sold into Egypt. And do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life....Now, therefore, it was not you who sent me here, but God; and He has made me a father to Pharaoh and lord of all his household, and ruler over all the land of Egypt." Genesis 45:3-8. Joseph sends them back to Canaan with wagons so they can bring Jacob and the rest of the family back to Egypt to escape from the famine.

FASCINATING FACT: Judah was the 4th son of Leah, but at the end of Joseph's story, he had the leadership of the whole family.  Reuben lost his place as firstborn when he slept with his father's slave, Bilhah, Genesis 35.  Simeon and Levi lost favor for their revenge against the Shechemites in Genesis 34.  Jacob passes over the first three sons in his blessings of his sons, Gen. 49:3-12 and gives Judah the firstborn, blessing, saying, "your father's sons will bow down to you." Judah's tribe became the strongest and eventually became the southern kingdom when Solomon died, the Kingdom of Judah, in fulfillment of this blessing.  Our Lord Jesus was born of Judah's line.  Jesus' genealogy to this point: Abraham - Isaac - Jacob - Judah and Tamar.

All through Joseph's long story, God speaks directly only once, and it is not to Joseph. God speaks to Jacob when Joseph's brothers return a second time from Egypt, reassuring him that his promises to him will remain with him in Egypt, Gen. 46:2-4. The promise of a great nation to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob will still be fulfilled. God also promises that Jacob will not be left in Egypt, but that his body will be brought back to the promised land: "And God spoke to Israel in vision of the night and said, "Jacob, Jacob." And he said, "Here I am." And He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will close your eyes." Genesis 46:2-4.  When Jacob arrives in Egypt, he and his family, receive the best land. Jacob's family prospers and grows in their new land, thanks to Joseph even when the other Egyptians are forced to sell their land to Pharaoh in exchange for food.

Jacob's wish was to be buried in the Promised Land, and not in Egypt.  Remember, God has promised him he would bring him back to Canaan.  After he had blessed his sons, he instructed them about what to do with his remains, Gen. 49:29-31. When he died, Joseph took Jacob's body back to Canaan burying him there in a cave along with Abraham and Isaac, just as Jacob asked.   After his death Joseph reassures his forgiveness to his brothers saying. "Do not be afraid, for am I in God's place?  As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result to preserve many people alive.  So therefore, do not be afraid, I will provide for you and your little ones.  So he comforted them and spoke kindly to them." Genesis 50:19-21.  This is such remarkable forgiveness!  Joseph stayed in Egypt, he and his household, and lived 110 years.  Before Joseph was about to die, he  makes them swear to return his body back to the Promised Land. Unfortunately, this promise is not fulfilled until Moses' time, around 300 years later. This is fulfilled when Moses took the children of Israel out of Egypt, "Now they buried the bones of Joseph, which the sons of Israel brought up from Egypt, at Shechem in the piece of ground which Jacob had bought from the sons of Hamor the father of Shechem for one hundred pieces of money; and they became the inheritance of Joseph's sons." Joshua 24:32.

Joseph appears in Hebrews 11, the "faith hall of fame" as a giant of the faith because he trusted God ordering the return of his bones from Egypt to the Promised Land. "By faith Joseph, when he was dying, made mention of the exodus of the sons of Israel, and gave orders concerning his bones." Hebrews 11:22

The stories of Joseph foresee the grace, mercy, faith and hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. We see self-sacrifice, forgiveness, and the regeneration of bitterly sinful men. We see an example of a youth tempted in a strange place far away from home, with nothing to lose and no one to disappoint except God, and yet he stands true to his God. We see a father grieving over the death of his son for twenty years because he believed a lie. When he is presented with the truth, he at first refuses to believe it!  Finally there is the joyful reunion. God in His providence will not disappoint us.  If only we would believe that He knows what He is doing!

May we learn from this beautiful story of forgiveness and learn to have the heart of Joseph who died to himself  in order that he might bless those who had wronged him.  In doing this, Joseph fulfilled God's will and provided a privileged refuge from the famine.  May we always remember that, GOD MEANS IT FOR OUR GOOD even when others have wronged us. May we free ourselves of all bitterness as Joseph did.

Luci