8. Genesis 42 to 46: Jacob's family is reunited and they move to Egypt.

We now move on, in our journey, to a story of high emotion and drama. You

will recall that Jacob's favourite son had been sold as a slave into Egypt where,

through favourable circumstances, he had become ruler of the country under

Pharaoh.Now, twenty years later, the brothers, who had sold him as a slave,

turn up in Egypt to buy corn. Joseph recognizes them but they do not recognize

him. He determines to play tricks on them including accusing them of spying

and hiding money in their sacks which they discover on the way home (Ch 42

vv 5-28).

The brothers must have been most agitated when they returned to their father

and told him what had happened, especially as they had left Simeon as a

hostage. In Chapter 43 the famine forces the brothers to return to Egypt to buy

food.

Because Joseph had insisted that their journey would be useless if they did not

also take their younger brother Benjamin with them Jacob, in great sorrow, had

to allow him to go. Chapter 43 tells what happens when they arrive with

Benjamin in Egypt. Verse 15 is interesting as it tells us of some of the products

of Palestine at that time.

Chapter 44 tells us that Joseph had one more trick to play on the

brothers. He certainly made them

pay for what they had done to him

in the past. Chapter 44 verses

1 5 - 3 4 are some of the most

moving verses in the Bible (in

my opinion). At last, Joseph is

overcome with emotion and in

Chapter 45 verses 2 and 3 he                   Jacob is reunited with Joseph

reveals himself to his brothers

who were dumbfounded. He then tells them

not to take it amiss that they had sold him into slavery as it was part of God's

plan for them. With Pharaoh's consent they return to Palestine and bring Jacob

and his whole tribe with all the animals to settle in the delta of the River Nile.

Because space is very limited in a Parish magazine I have only been able to

make a brief précis of the story of Joseph and his brothers. Do read it for

yourself in Chapters 42, 43, 44 and 45.

Next month Jacob passes away, followed later by Joseph, and we leave behind the book of Genesis