Basically, Pharaoh gives Joseph everything a man could ask for. 'At present the origin of the first syllable is still doubtful, and though the latter part of the name is certainly the Egyptian n-ti-pa-ankh ("of the life"), it is difficult to say in which of its different senses the expression pa-ankh ("the life") is employed' (Sayce, ut supra, p. 213). There are records of many, many viziers throughout Egyptian history- but the first evidence which connects Imhotep with Joseph is an amazing inscription found carved on a large rock on . We have here a full-length portrait of the prime minister, or vizier, which brings out three points -- his elevation, his naturalisation, and his administration. Pauline Epistles Whatever our task, let us do it, as Joseph did his, with strenuous concentration, knowing, as he did, that the years in which it is possible are but few at the longest. In order to do this, Joseph would need more than enough to cover the seven years of famine. The Israelites journey from Egypt to Mt Sinai, 26. Joseph's administration opens up questions as to Egyptian land tenure, and the like, which cannot be dealt with here. So Pharaoh put Joseph in charge of all Egypt. As soon as he did so, the time of plenty predicted by Pharaoh's dreams began. Curt Blattman May 19, 2022. Joseph had been 30 years old at the time of his appointment to office (Genesis 41:46). And if we understand what life here means, we shall be more covetous of spheres of diligent service than of places of shining dignity. If one of Joseph's misfortunes had been omitted, his good fortune would never have come. Using the website implies your agreement to the use of cookies. Joseph in the book of Genesis also found himself as a just man who was unjustly sent to prison, but his rise from being a prisoner to Prime Minister of Egypt; one of the major civilizations of the time, was nothing short of miraculous. John's Revelation to the 7 Churches of Asia, John's Letter to the 7 Churches of Asia Minor, The messages to the believers on the coastal plain, The messages to the believers living inland, 21. But Joseph is also the thief on the cross, in a sense. (Psalm 50:10), If you have material needs, God is only a prayer away. We must make ourselves, by God's help, ready, in obscurity, and especially in youth, for whatever may be laid on us in after days. But occasionally, we need a little additional help. Near the Faiyum oasis 30 miles / 50 km south of Giza, visitors can explore the pyramid complex of Amenemhat III at Hawarah, built to house the mortal remains of the pharoah who probably appointed Joseph to the top administrative post in Egypt (see Map 42). And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. When Jesus performs a miracle, He does it abundantly! And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures of fine linen, and put a gold chain about his neck; 43. In this fast-paced, caller-driven program, Janet evaluates newsworthy topics with guests and listeners using the Bible as a framework for discussion. Historical Books Or eternal life in God's kingdom? Would you prayerfully consider a gift of support today? Many of us have to fight our way through analogous difficulties at the outset of our career; and we are apt to lose heart and get restive when success seems slow to come, and one hindrance after another blocks our road. The Romano-Jewish world of the New Testament, 22. Maybe you need to be a better steward of what God provides in order to cover your needs. They would have no prejudices against Joseph on account of his being a foreigner. New Living Translation (NLT). It was better to be the Joseph who deserved his high place, than to have the place. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. But we can read between the lines, and be tolerably sure that the thirteen years of trial were well endured, and that the inward life had grown so as to fit him for his advancement. And if we understand what life here means, we shall be more covetous of spheres of diligent service than of places of shining dignity. And such a character is always the reward of such patience, faith, and self-control, whether chains and chariots are added or not. 42 And Pharaoh took off his ring from his hand, and put it upon Joseph's hand, and arrayed him in vestures . The Tel el-Amarna tablets show that the knowledge of cuneiform writing was common in Egypt (Sayce, Higher Criticism and the Monuments, p.214). And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Forasmuch as God hath shewed thee all this, there is none so discreet and wise as thou art: 40. Now, I dont know about the economic situation in Egypt at the time, but this sounds like a double-taxation. Pauline Epistles Yes, Joseph Cook was the 6th prime minister of Australia. Genesis 45:8, by calling Joseph 'Ruler of all Egypt,' seems to suggest that he became the Vizier of Egypt. GenesisExodusLeviticusNumbersDeuteronomyJoshuaJudgesRuth1 Samuel2 Samuel1 Kings2 Kings1 Chronicles2 ChroniclesEzraNehemiahEstherJobPsalmsProverbsEcclesiastesSong of SongsIsaiahJeremiahLamentationsEzekielDanielHoseaJoelAmosObadiahJonahMicahNahumHabakkukZephaniahHaggaiZechariahMalachiMatthewMarkLukeJohnActsRomans1 Corinthians2 CorinthiansGalatiansEphesiansPhilippiansColossians1 Thessalonians2 Thessalonians1 Timothy2 TimothyTitusPhilemonHebrewsJames1 Peter2 Peter1 John2 John3 JohnJudeRevelation. Patriarch Joseph is said in the Bible and the Quran, to have been sold as a slave into Egypt. I suspect this was the case. And as he sought to trust and obey God during that terribly lonely, desolate time, things went from bad to worse. He had recommended the appointment of 'a wise and discreet man,' with supreme authority over the land. Ezekiel warns of the conquest of Jerusalem, Ezekiel's vision of idolatry in the Temple, Ezekiel speaks through prophesies and parables, Further prophecies & the fall of Jerusalem, Hope for the future - New life for Israel, 45. Sayce proposes another explanation, also from the cuneiform tablets: 'There was a word abrik in the Sumerian language, which signified a seer, and was borrowed by the Semitic Babylonians under the varying forms of abrikku and abarakku. Linking the story to Christ enhances that beauty. Joseph, the favored son of the patriarch Jacob, was given into captivity by his own envious brothers. And in the seven plenteous years the earth brought forth by handfuls. Joseph gives them supplies of grain, keeps Reuben (who saved Josephs life some fourteen years earlier) as surety, and sends the other nine brothers back to Canaan. Potiphar is only mentioned in 2 chapters in Genesis. But the ground on which Pharaoh put it goes far to explain it. 1And Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. The people, who could not look so far as seven years ahead, and wanted to enjoy, or make money out of, the good harvests, had to be looked after, and an army of officials to be kept in order. Depend on it, he did not wear his fine clothes or ride in the second chariot, when he was hurrying about the country at his task. Such an alliance placed him at once in the very innermost circle of Egyptian aristocracy. Johannine Writings Joseph's story is found in Genesis 3750. The Journey continues from Sinai to Moab, The Israelites defeat King Sihon and King Og, The Israelites defeat the kings of Midian, Canaan is divided among the twelve tribes, 28. Finally, by God's grace, Joseph was enabled to supernaturally interpret two of Pharaoh's dreams and as a result was released from prison and promoted to become the Prime Minister of Pharaoh. What are all the persons concerned in the narrative but unconscious instruments of His? Joseph recognises his half-brothers, but they dont realise who he is. And Joseph was thirty years old when he stood before Pharaoh king of Egypt. He had absolute control over who would receive any grain that was stored up in Egypt. If his brethren had not hated him, if he had not been sold, if he had not been imprisoned, he would never have ruled Egypt. The basic question is whether Joseph ever became Vizier, or Prime Minister, of Egypt. Not one thread in the tapestry could have been withdrawn without spoiling the pattern. Who would have thought that God would use a pagan nation to supply the needs for His people? We have here a full-length portrait of the prime minister, or vizier, which brings out three pointshis elevation, his naturalisation, and his administration. No grass grew under this man's feet. Wasteful consumption of the abundant crops had to be restrained, storehouses to be built, careful records of the contents to be made, after Egyptian fashion. We are also told that Jacob . Seven years of good inundations (marked by high water levels) would have produced seven years of plentiful crops; but seven years of even higher catastrophic flood levels (similar to those recorded at Semna and Kumma) would have swept away the irrigation bunds and destoyed the crops producing years of famine. Men execute God's purposes, even when unconscious or rebellious, but are responsible, and often punished, for the acts which He uses to effect His designs. There was a common ground of recognition of a divine Being on which they met. Like all the Scripture narratives, this history of Joseph has little to say about feelings, and prefers facts. And Joseph went out from the presence of Pharaoh, and went throughout all the land of Egypt. This explanation is tempting, but it is perhaps scarcely probable that the proclamation should have been in any other language than Egyptian, or should have had reference to anything but Joseph's new office. Joseph's administration opens up questions as to Egyptian land tenure, and the like, which cannot be dealt with here. This title has an exact Egyptian counterpart, which is normally translated into English as 'Chief Steward of the King.' The main job of the Chief Steward was the detailed supervision of the King's personal agricultural estates, the number of which would have been vast. The naturalising was completed by his marriage to Asenath (supposed to mean 'One belonging to the goddess Neith'), a daughter of a high officer of state, Poti-phera (meaning, like its shortened form, Potiphar, 'The gift of Ra' the sun-god). Most Christians are familiar with the story of Joseph that we read about in the book of Genesis. The Egyptian obelisk commonly called Cleopatras Needle on the Embankment in London, and its twin in Central Park, New York, have nothing to do with Cleopatra. Only we may be very sure that a marriage in which a common faith is not a strong bond of union lacks its highest sanctity, and is perilously apt to find that difference in religious convictions is a strong separator. Genesis Chapter 41. Little remains at the site of On (later called Heliopolis by the Greeks), now in the northern Cairo suburb of Al Matariyyah (not the modern suburb called Heliopolis which has no connection with the ancient site). The Jewish World of the Old Testament, Sources of the History of Israel and Judah. The Gospels 5 And the waters of the sea will be dried up, and the river will be dry and parched, 6 and its canals will become foul, and the branches of Egypt's Nile will diminish and dry up, reeds and rushes will rot away. They were moved to Alexandria by the Romans shortly before the beginning of the Christian era, and finally left Egypt nineteen centuries later during the rule of Khedive Ismail the Magnificent (1863 1879AD). He placed in every city the food from its own surrounding fields. Today, only one obelisk - one of a pair erected by Pharaoh Senusert I (c.1971 1928BC) remains at the site. So well, in fact, does he do his duties that soon he becomes an . The prosperity of the Egyptian Middle Kingdom depended on the successful management of the Nile floods by the Pharaoh and his Vizier. I encourage you to read all about him in (Genesis 37 50) to discover other lessons we can learn from this great man of God. An Egyptian official bought the young Hebrew boy and made him overseer over his house, but when the . Genesis 41:47 and 53 tell us that 7 years of plenty came in Egypt . Like all true men, he thought more of his duty than of his honours. This explanation is tempting, but it is perhaps scarcely probable that the proclamation should have been in any other language than Egyptian, or should have had reference to anything but Joseph's new office. He then emerged as Pharaoh's Prime Minister and was able to welcome his father and brothers (and more) into Egypt and into his kingdom. Text, maps & photos (unless otherwise stated) by Chris & Jenifer Taylor 2022. He was given a new name, a new robe, and a new bride. The king gave Joseph a new name "Zaphnath-paaneah (Genesis 41:45). And dont be surprised if He does! (Deuteronomy 15:7-11) He also notes that debts are to be canceled every seven years. To resist temptation, to do modestly and sedulously whatever work comes to our hands, to be content to look after a jail even though we have dreamed of sun and moon bowing down to us, is the best apprenticeship for whatever elevation circumstancesor, to speak more devoutly, Godintends for us. The people, who could not look so far as seven years ahead, and wanted to enjoy, or make money out of, the good harvests, had to be looked after, and an army of officials to be kept in order. Observe that Pharaoh and Joseph both speak in this chapter of 'God.' To resist temptation, to do modestly and sedulously whatever work comes to our hands, to be content to look after a jail even though we have dreamed of sun and moon bowing down to us, is the best apprenticeship for whatever elevation circumstances -- or, to speak more devoutly, God -- intends for us. Gen 39:1-23 Joseph works hard and is well thought of until Potiphars wife makes unjust sexual allegations and Joseph ends up in prison for nine years. How long his prison life lasted is uncertain; but it was long enough for the promises contained in his early dreams to 'try him' (Ps. Parshat Mikeitz continues the story of Joseph, who becomes Prime Minister of Egypt, prepares for the coming famine, and finally confronts his estranged brothers. At age seventeen, after Joseph shared two dreams portraying that he would rule over his siblings and even his parents, his jealous brothers decided to sell him into slavery. 45. Joseph later became prime minister of Egypt, and when Joseph's brothers refused to abandon Benjamin, after Joseph put them to a test, Joseph realized his brothers had a change of heart and were willing to risk their lives for their youngest brother. Joseph became the Prime Minister of Egypt. The narrator gives no judgment on the fact, and we have to form our own estimate. 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