Israel Comes to Egypt

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The pharaoh of Egypt had two dreams that greatly disturbed him and he asked for someone to interpret them. His chief cup bearer told Pharaoh that he had met Joseph in prison and Joseph had correctly interpreted his dream. So Pharaoh sent for Joseph.

When Joseph was brought before Pharaoh, the king told Joseph his dreams. "I had a dream that I was standing by the Nile River and seven fat cows came out of the water and fed on grass. Then seven gaunt and thin cows came up after them and ate the seven fat cows. Then I fell back asleep and had a second dream. I dreamed that seven ears of good grain grew on the stalk. But then seven ears of blighted grain grew up after them and ate the seven ears of good grain. Can you interpret these dreams?" he asked Joseph.

Joseph said that God was telling Pharaoh what God was going to do. Joseph explained that the seven fat cows and seven ears of good grain represent seven years of good times when there will be plenty of food. But those seven years will be followed by seven years of famine. He suggested that Pharaoh appoint overseers to take one-fifth of the grain during the seven years of plenty to store it up for the seven years of famine.

Pharaoh thought this a splendid idea and placed Joseph in charge of the project. Further, he made Joseph the number two man in all of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh himself. So Joseph collected food during the seven years of plenty and stored it for the seven years of famine.

When the famine came it did not just touch Egypt but stretched up into Canaan where Jacob lived with his family. When Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt he sent his remaining sons to buy some. He did not send Benjamin, the youngest, a child born to Rachel after Joseph had disappeared. Benjamin was the delight of his father.

So Joseph's brothers went to Egypt to buy grain and when they did Joseph saw them and recognized them but they did not recognize him as he was dressed as an Egyptian and spoke to them through an interpreter, pretending he did not understand them. His brothers bowed themselves before him just as he had dreamed they would, but Joseph accused them of being spies.

His brothers denied the accusation claiming they had come to buy grain. He asked them a lot of personal questions, especially about his father, and then he found out that he had a younger brother named Benjamin. He insisted that to prove they were not spies they return and bring Benjamin back.

Obviously Jacob feared for Benjamin's life, but eventually relented to let his other sons take Benjamin back to Egypt. When they did Joseph allowed them to take grain, but told his servants to place his silver cup in the sack carried by Benjamin. The servants did as they were told, and Joseph accused his brothers of stealing from him. When his silver cup was found in Benjamin's sack. Joseph told the others to go in peace, but Benjamin had to stay and be his slave as punishment for stealing from him.

Joseph's brother Judah begged Joseph to take him instead. He confessed the story of how they had sold their younger brother Joseph into slavery and how it would kill their father if Benjamin did not return with them. It is interesting to note that it is from this tribe, the tribe of Judah who offered himself as a sacrifice in his brother's place, that Jesus comes.

Moved with passion, Joseph began to cry and confessed to his brothers who he was. And he told them not to fear, for though they meant evil by selling him into slavery, the Lord meant it for good. You see, God uses all things for good for those who love Him.

Joseph then told his brothers to go back home and fetch their families and most especially his father and bring them to live in Egypt. His brothers did so. Jacob wept with joy when he saw Joseph whom he thought dead.

Pharaoh was very happy with Joseph for he had saved the king's country and made him very rich and powerful with all of those coming to buy grain from Egypt. So he gave Jacob and his family choice pieces of land to settle on. And Israel's family grew with his sons making up the Twelve Tribes of Israel which became known as Israelites.

Unfortunately, as time passed the pharaohs forgot what Joseph had done for Egypt and they began to fear these foreigners in their land. The new king had the Israelites forced into slavery and they remained slaves in Egypt for 400 years, until God sent a man called Moses to lead them out.

Next: A Prince of Egypt

R.C. VanLandingham is a Catholic homeschool dad just trying to make it through this life and into the next! He has written a Christian children's fantasy series about a boy named Peter Puckett!