Jacob & Joseph | The Birth of a Nation Creation to Kings | Episode 4
Sometime after the death of Sarah, Isaac married Rebecca
and they had two twin sons, Esau and Jacob.
Esau was a hunter, wild and impetuous, always living for the moment.
Jacob was a strategist, quieter and more stable.
Longing for the spiritual blessing that accompanied the birth of the eldest son,
Jacob deceived his father and stole the birthright.
Forced to leave home in the aftermath of this debacle,
Jacob traveled north to Haran
where he married two sisters, Leah and Rachel, due to the deceit of his father-in-law.
Sensing a need to reconcile with his brother,
Jacob, along with his wives and children, made the trek back home and made peace with Esau.
He would then settle in the hill country right here around Jerusalem.
One of the most significant turning points in his life was when he wrestled with an angel
and his name was changed from Jacob to Israel, meaning 'overcomer'.
His descendants would then be known as the Israelites.
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Jacob had 13 children from four different women
and his favourite son was Joseph.
He gifted him a multi-coloured coat which aroused the jealousy of his brothers.
One day Joseph was carrying food to his brothers
and they attacked him and threw him into a pit.
This site here in Dothan is traditionally thought to be the pit that Joseph was thrown into.
Deciding not to kill him, they sold him to some Midianite traders for 30 pieces of silver.
Joseph was then taken to Egypt where he was sold as a slave to Potiphar.
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Transitioning from favourite son to slave,
Joseph worked tirelessly in Potiphar's house.
Initially he flourished, but things didn't last long.
Falsely accused of assaulting Potiphar's wife,
he was thrown into jail where he remained until he was summoned by Pharaoh.
Pharaoh had a dream that he couldn't understand,
and the king's butler recommended Joseph as an interpreter of dreams.
The king had a two-fold dream.
He saw seven fat cows, seven lean cows.
He saw seven full ears of grain, and seven withered ears of grain.
Joseph correctly interpreted that it would mean seven years of plenty
followed by seven years of famine.
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He then tells Pharaoh that he needs to prepare for the seven years of plenty.
Interestingly, during this time there was an agricultural program
whereby 17,000 acres of land, or 450 square kilometres, was irrigated.
Many believe this correlates with the seven years of plenty.
This area of land today is connected
by a manmade canal called Bahr Yussef, or Joseph's Canal,
to the River Nile and is known as the Fayum Basin.
Then during the seven years of famine there is a land reclamation project,
whereby all land that is privately owned is consolidated under the crown, or pharaoh.
Many believe this correlates with Genesis 47 which says they traded their land for food.
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During the seven years of famine
Joseph is reunited with his brothers, and he forgives them.
He also sees his father before he dies.
His father, though, requests that he be buried not in Egypt,
but that they carry his bones back to Canaan,
and he is buried in the Cave of the Patriarchs in Hebron.
The Children of Israel then lived here in Egypt,
where the Bible says they lived in the land of Goshen,
at first peacefully, with their families for the next few hundred years.
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This biblical story is rich in meaning and there are many lessons to learn.
Perhaps the most significant lesson from the life of Joseph
is how he dealt with misfortune and fame.
From favourite son to slave to prisoner to prime minister,
he always put God first in life.
Never has someone been subject to such changes in life circumstances
in such a short space of time.
Joseph gives us an example of steadfastness in spite of change,
no matter what life throws at us.
May we be faithful to God and always put Him first,
no matter what happens with us.