Israel Settles in Egypt

Genesis 47-48

            When Israel came to Egypt, they settled in Goshen, which seems to have been in northeastern Egypt in the area where the Suez Canal runs today. As it’s presented in Genesis, Goshen is the ideal place for the Israelites because it is removed from the Egyptian population centers. The location, coupled with the reported Egyptian disdain for shepherds means that, although Israel is in a foreign land, they will not be in danger of intermarriage and assimilation. As a matter of fact, there’s no indication that the Israelites were ever tempted by Egyptian idols while they were there. The Lord quietly protects His promise.

            In view of how Israel understood their land, namely, that the land was the Lord’s and He gave it to them for use, it is interesting how Joseph secured the land for Pharaoh, legitimizing Pharaoh’s claim over all of Egypt. In the ancient world—frankly, into the Middle Ages—the power of kings was absolute: the land was theirs unless they made a royal gift and the people owed them loyalty, taxes, and their very lives. The Egyptians, at least, seem to take it in stride. But as we read Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy in the coming weeks, keep this in mind. Israel’s society is meant to be much different.

            Finally, we have two interactions between Jacob and Joseph. In the first, we see Jacob extracting a promise from Joseph that Jacob would be buried in the land of promise. We saw the unusual (to us) practice of placing a hand ‘under the thigh’ in Genesis 24. It probably indicates putting one’s hand near another’s genitals, and it seems to be a way of making solemn vow, especially when claims of kinship are involved. It is noteworthy that Jacob asks for this promise from Joseph, not from Judah, who will become the heir. Perhaps that’s as simple to explain as that Joseph remains the favorite and that he has the most power in that moment. The most important aspect, though, is surely that Jacob recognizes that he is going to die outside of the land that the Lord had promised to him, and he wants to go back.

            That last pairs well with the story of Jacob meeting and blessing his grandsons, Manasseh and Ephraim. Genesis 48:15 stands out, “The Jacob blessed Joseph and said, ‘May the God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked faithfully, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day…’” Jacob finally calls the Lord his God. After a lifetime of struggle, a lifetime of not walking faithfully, Jacob sees that the Lord has been leading him and owns the Lord as his God, not just the God of his fathers.