The Beverly Hillbillies

January 15, 2009, 12:21 pm by dc-agape.

Genesis 45

As with any lie, Joseph cannot continue deceiving his brothers. Even though he sent all his servants away, everyone heard him weeping in front of his brothers.  Of course the message got to the Pharaoh.  But the Pharaoh did not know what the weeping was about until Joseph had spent much time with his brothers.

Because of the lie that Joseph was living, his brothers could not respond to his declaration.  They were basically freaked out.  Can you imagine being in the presence of Egypt’s second-in-command while the man starts to weep so loudly that the entire building hears it?  I am sure the brothers believed they were responsible for this misery and would soon be dead.

Joseph had finally, after 21 years, forgiven his brothers.  It is the second year of the famine that only kept the grain crops from growing; Israel still had honey and pistachios.  Somehow Joseph has risen above the Pharaoh:

^{Gen 45:8} “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 

Joseph is either lying again, or the power has made him arrogant.  When the Pharaoh put Joseph in charge he said:

^{Gen 41:40} You shall be in charge of my palace, and all my people are to submit to your orders.  Only with respect to the throne will I be greater than you.”

So you can see that Joseph was neither the “father” to Pharaoh nor was he ruler of all Egypt. 

^{Gen 41:43} He had him ride in his chariot as second-in-command, and men shouted before him, “Make way!”  Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.

He was in charge of Egypt, but that did not make him the father of Pharaoh or the ruler of all Egypt.  If the Pharaoh had heard Joseph say these things, Joseph would have been killed.  He was admitting to attempting to usurp the throne of the Pharaoh!

When the Pharaoh heard that Joseph’s brothers were in Egypt, he and all his officials were pleased.  The Pharaoh suggested that all of Joseph’s family move to the “best” lands in Egypt to live off the “fat of the land”.  I am really starting to think that this was not a true famine, but one more of the type that was caused by corrupt dictatorships.  Joseph can provide a huge meal to his brothers on their first trip, and that the Pharaoh tells Joseph that his family can live off the “fat of the land”.  There is the fact that grain cannot be stored for much more than a year or two, and that other food stuff were still available (cattle, honey, pistachios, almonds).  It looks like in preparing for the seven years of famine, the Pharaoh and Joseph caused the famine!

The Pharaoh goes on to tell Joseph to bring his entire family, and not to worry about their “possessions”.  Everything would be replaced by the Pharaoh once they got to Egypt.  If they were in the middle of a famine, supplies would be short…all supplies!  This was an agricultural society; everything was based off animals and plants.  The ability of the Pharaoh to replace all of Jacob’s belongings except his livestock seems suspect as well.

Well to say the least, Jacob is total surprised by his son’s words and by the “gifts” that the Pharaoh and Joseph sent with the brothers.  The best gift was the knowledge that his favorite son had not died 21 years earlier, as the brothers had claimed.  So Jacob packs up and moves to Cal-i-for-n-y! 

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