Genesis 47
Joseph’s Wise Administration
1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, “My father, my brothers, their flocks and herds, and all that they own have arrived from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.”
Joseph gave a royal report to Pharaoh about his family’s transport to Goshen. The transport had been successful.
2 He took five of his brothers and introduced them to Pharaoh.
These five brothers were representatives of Joseph’s entire family.
3 Pharaoh said to Joseph’s brothers, “What is your occupation?” They said to Pharaoh, “Your servants take care of flocks, just as our ancestors did.”
Shepherds were disgusting to Egyptians. Pharaoh was a Semitic Hyksos king ruling over Hamitic Egyptians. The Semites came from Shem, which was the same family as the Hebrews. The Hamites came from the line of Ham, which was cursed by Noah.
4 Then they said to Pharaoh, “We have come to live as temporary residents in the land. There is no pasture for your servants’ flocks because the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. So now, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.”
The Hebrew word for "temporary" is לָג֣וּר (lagur), meaning to live as a newcomer without original citizen rights. Jacob and his family came to live in Egypt only temporarily. They must remain in Egypt until the cup of iniquity of the evil Amorites was filled. This temporary stay would last for 400 years.
5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you.
Pharaoh talked to Joseph, the vizier of Egypt.
6 The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best region of the land. They may live in the land of Goshen. If you know of any highly capable men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
Pharaoh commanded Joseph to give his family the best land of Goshen. They were also to be in charge of Pharaoh’s own personal royal flock.
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh. Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
In Egyptian culture, Pharaoh was higher than Jacob. However, in Jewish culture, the Patriarch was higher than the Pharaoh. This was a bold move for Jacob to make in front of Pharaoh’s court. Jacob was declaring the Hebrew God over Pharaoh.
8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How long have you lived?”
Pharaoh asked Jacob his age.
9 Jacob said to Pharaoh, “All the years of my travels are 130. All the years of my life have been few and painful; the years of my travels are not as long as those of my ancestors.”
Shem, Terah, Abraham and Isaac lived to 600, 205, 175, and 180 years of age. Jacob would live for 17 more years. He would eventually die at 147 years of age. Before the flood, some men lived to over 900 years of age. After the flood, man’s lifespan began to drop. Later on, man would be given about seventy years of age. Basically, a man is given about seventy years of life to serve God. Some men are given more or less time, depending upon the grace (or the kindness) of God. Martyrdom or the sin unto death can shorten a man's life. It is the Lord Jesus Christ who possesses the keys to Death and Hades. He decides how long a man will live or die.
10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.
The Hebrew word for "blessed" is בָּרַך (barak), meaning to receive prosperity from God. Pharaoh was to kneel to Jacob and be blessed by Jehovah. Pharaoh had helped the nation of Israel survive the famine, so he was to be blessed by the Abrahamic Covenant.
This introduction ritual was most likely the only meeting between Pharaoh and Jacob. Jacob was able to share his witness to the Egyptians about the one true God through this patriarchal blessing. Pharaoh and Egypt would be blessed through the Abrahamic Covenant. It was this covenant which moved Egypt from Old to Middle Egypt.
It is important to note that it was the blessing aspects of the Abrahamic Covenant which turned Egypt into a very powerful River Valley Civilization. Jehovah sent Jacob to save Egypt so that Egypt could save Israel from the seductions of the Canaanite culture.
The Abrahamic Covenant blessings are not mentioned in secular historical books. Students are taught that it was the Nile River, not the Abrahamic Covenant, which made Egypt a great River Valley civilization. Also, public school text books will often spend half a chapter on the history of Israel and about three-five chapters on the origin of Islam. Satan does not want the next generation of students to know that Israel is the center of God's attention. At the beginning of the literal 1000 year Millennial Kingdom, the Lord Jesus Christ will return literally to the Mount of Olives and establish Israel as the head of the nations.
11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers. He gave them territory in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the land, the land of Rameses, just as Pharaoh had commanded.
Pharaoh Ramses came later in the 19th dynasty. He may have been named after this land.
This territory was the best land of Egypt. It was in the northwest corner of Egypt, away from the rest of the Egyptian population. This distance kept the Egyptians from intermarrying with the Jewish tribe. There were some mixed marriages between Egyptians and Israelites. These mixed marriages would later become the mixed multitude who gave Moses many problems during the Exodus out of Egypt.
12 Joseph also provided food for his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household, according to the number of their little children.
Joseph had to ration out the food to his family so that they could survive.
13 But there was no food in all the land because the famine was very severe; the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan wasted away because of the famine.
The famine affected Egypt and Canaan as well.
14 Joseph collected all the money that could be found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan as payment for the grain they were buying. Then Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s palace.
All of the money from Egypt and Canaan was transferred into the Royal Treasury of Egypt. Egypt became the wealthiest nation of the ancient world. The tiny nation of Israel was being supported and protected by a world power.
15 When the money from the lands of Egypt and Canaan was used up, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food! Why should we die before your very eyes because our money has run out?”
Egypt cornered the gold market. They used their wealth to protect Israel from foreign powers who wanted to destroy them.
16 Then Joseph said, “If your money is gone, bring your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock.”
Notice that the Egyptians possessed cattle during the famine. However, they would not eat their cows, because they were sacred. The Egyptians worshiped the cow.
This situation of ancient Egypt is very similar to that of modern India today. India's main religion is Hinduism. Hinduism believes in reincarnation. India is currently starving to death, even though they have a rich supply of cattle and wheat. There is enough cattle to feed the people of India Rats are eating the wheat of India, However, India will not kill cattle or rats, because they might be killing their transmigrated ancestors.
It is important to note that Satan likes to keep nations hungry so that he can control them through the distribution of food and medicine. One of the purposes of socialism is for Satan to control the food, medical, shelter, oil, and weapon supplies of all of the nations. Once Satan controls the gross national product of a nation, then he can censor the teaching of the Word of God. This censorship of the Word of God has already been done in Russia, China, Cuba, and other socialist/communist nations. Socialism is stealing from those who produce and giving to those who do not produce. Socialism is governmental theft by legislation. Communism is governmental theft by violence. The Communist leaders execute the property owners and distribute their property among the masses. This is nothing but governmental murder and theft. The means of socialism and communism are different, but the end result is the same. The government gains control of the food and weapons supply. The government then decides who eats and who does not eat. The Bible is censored. Those who study the Bible are starved to death or executed. The future mark of the beast system of the Antichrist will operate upon socialistic philosophies.
America is slowly moving towards socialism. Eventually, 51% of the population (the liberal majority) will force 49% of the population (the conservative minority) to support the liberal majority through nationally taxed socialistic programs. The liberal majority will have to remove guns from the conservative minority so that the liberal majority can receive free stuff with no opposition.
Social programs are evil, because this type of legislation is organized theft. Biblically, it is the responsibility of the local church to feed, clothe, and shelter its own. The church is not commanded to feed, clothe, and shelter the people of the satanic world system. Romans 13 gives the government the responsibility of protecting the people from foreign enemies. The government is not commanded to steal from the people and give to those of their political party.
17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their horses, the livestock of their flocks and herds, and their donkeys. He got them through that year by giving them food in exchange for livestock.
Pharaoh cornered the livestock market.
18 When that year was over, they came to him the next year and said to him, “We cannot hide from our lord that the money is used up and the livestock and the animals belong to our lord. Nothing remains before our lord except our bodies and our land.
The Egyptians would have to sell their land cheaply to Pharaoh.
19Why should we die before your very eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we, with our land, will become Pharaoh’s slaves. Give us seed that we may live and not die. Then the land will not become desolate.”
The Egyptians sold themselves into slavery to Pharaoh.
20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. Each of the Egyptians sold his field, for the famine was severe. So the land became Pharaoh’s.
All of the farmland belonged to Pharaoh.
21 Joseph made all the people slaves from one end of Egypt’s border to the other end of it.
All of the Egyptians were made slaves. Their Egyptian gods could not help them. Joseph moved the Egyptians out of the land that was not producing and into cities.
22 But he did not purchase the land of the priests because the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh and they ate from their allotment that Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land.
The priests were so powerful that Joseph could not purchase their land.
23 Joseph said to the people, “Since I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you. Cultivate the land.
Joseph gave them seed. They were to continue to live in the city, travel to their old land (which was now governmental fields), and then plant the seed and cultivate it. They were not returning to their land as owners, but as government employees.
24 When you gather in the crop, give one-fifth of it to Pharaoh, and the rest will be yours for seed for the fields and for you to eat, including those in your households and your little children.”
Joseph administered a 20% tax on the people. This was a feudal system which many monarchs would later copy. The people became serfs to Pharaoh. There was no wealthy or poverty class. Everyone (including the Pharaoh, Joseph, and the people) were rationed food and property.
It is important to note that divine socialism is good. The socialism of the satanic world system is evil. The Antichrist will attempt to copy the socialism program of Joseph during the Great Tribulation, but it will become an evil system of greed and corruption. The socialistic program of the Antichrist will be utilized to starve people into submission. Satan has already practiced his satanic socialistic programs in Russia, China, Vietnam, and Cuba. He is currently fostering socialism in European nations and even in America.
One of the modern American political party’s main issues is socialism. Socialism is evil, because it is organized theft. Socialism is stealing from those who produce and giving to those who do not produce. This theft comes about by socialistic legislation.
The electorate of America is so biblically ignorant that they will vote in evil leaders who support socialism. Socialism causes 51% of the population to enslave 49% of the population. Affirmative action, welfare programs, Robin Hood programs, and open border immigration are all governmental theft programs that are voted into law by liberal legislation.
The sad thing is that these socialistic programs will lead a nation into slavery to the government. The government will eventually be forced to take loans from other nations more evil than themselves so that the people can continually receive more free stuff. Currently, socialistic programs have enslaved America to China. America was a nation founded upon Biblical principles. But their digression from Biblical values has placed them into slavery to an evil communist nation who censors the Bible in their own land. China just recently refused to college educate any citizen who attends church.
During the Mosaic Law dispensation, every Jewish family received equal land. This was divine socialism. The land could be worked and cultivated to make profit. This was divine capitalism. If a family fell into debt, then they could lose their land temporarily. This was divine capitalism. However, the land could return back to the original owner by either selling oneself into slavery to pay the debt, the redemption of a kinsman redeemer, or the return of the land on the Day of Jubilee. This was divine socialism. Therefore, God's method of government is a combination of divine socialism and divine capitalism.
There will most likely be divine socialism during the Millennial Kingdom, but it will be mixed with divine capitalism. However, this mixture of socialistic and capitalistic government will not be run by evil men who are totally depraved and evil, The Millennial government will be established by a Perfect Divine Messianic King who actually loves His subjects more than Himself.
The socialistic political leaders of today do not love the people whom they serve. They love power so much that they are willing to steal from their own people and even enslave them to communist nations. The electorate is so Biblically ignorant that they are willing to vote themselves into this kind of economic slavery.
Vladimir Putin recently stated that America is no longer a democracy, because they are dictated to by a super delegate system that chooses the Presidential candidates. Americans are voting, but the system is rigged. When the Lord Jesus Christ returns and establishes the Millennial Kingdom, then there will be no rigged political system. There will be a divine theocracy run by an all knowing King who is both God and man. He will be the perfect King because He knows both the divine and human side of existence.
25 They replied, “You have saved our lives! You are showing us favor, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.”
The people were grateful to Joseph, because he had saved them from starvation.
26 So Joseph made it a statute, which is in effect to this day throughout the land of Egypt: One-fifth belongs to Pharaoh. Only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s.
This same feudal system was still in effect 400 years later during the days of Moses. The new Pharaoh at this time was staying in power from this same divine feudal system which Joseph established, yet he did not even know Joseph. Joseph’s father-in-law was a priest, so he was exempt.
27 Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number.
According to the census in Exodus, the tribe of Israel increased from a population of 70 to over two million.
28 Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; the years of Jacob’s life were 147 in all.
The results of the post-flood world were beginning to shorten man’s lifespan.
29 The time for Israel to die approached, so he called for his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt,
The hand under the thigh was a symbol of vital power. Jacob wanted to be buried in the Promised Land.
30 but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” Joseph said, “I will do as you say.”
Jacob expected to live in the afterlife with Abraham and Isaac.
31 Jacob said, “Swear to me that you will do so.” So Joseph gave him his word. Then Israel bowed down at the head of his bed.
Joseph promised to bury Jacob’s body in Canaan.