Torah Portion Vayechi - The Nation of Israel is Born

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/jyM6gbtGz_k

Reading – Genesis 47:28-48:22

 

By Dan and Brenda Cathcart

This Torah portion is called Vayechi meaning “And he lived.” Jacob lived a total of one hundred forty-seven years. As his death approached, Jacob imparted final instructions to Joseph, blessed Joseph’s two sons, and blessed his twelve sons. What do Jacob’s final words communicate about His faith in God and the certainty that God would fulfill His promise that Jacob’s descendants would receive the land of Canaan as their inheritance? How do his words indicate the birth of the nation of Israel?

As the time for Jacob’s death approached, Jacob called Joseph to his bedside and made him promise to take his body back to the Promised Land.

Genesis 49:29-30 MKJV 29 And he charged them and said to them, I am to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite, 30 in the cave that is in the field of Machpelah, which is before Mamre, in the land of Canaan, the field which Abraham bought from Ephron the Hittite for a burying-place.

This request demonstrates two main aspects of Jacob’s faith. These two aspects are that Jacob had faith that God would carry out His promises and that Jacob believed in the resurrection of the dead.

When Jacob left Canaan to go to Joseph in Egypt, he hesitated to leave the Promised Land. He sought God’s guidance about leaving during the time of famine. God spoke to him in a vision telling him to go to Egypt.

Genesis 46:3-4 NKJV 3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

After Jacob’s arrival in Egypt, the famine lasted another five years. However, Jacob didn’t pack up his family and move back to Canaan at the end of the famine. He stayed until his death seventeen years after going into Egypt. It could be that the lives of Jacob’s family there in Egypt were so comfortable that they simply chose not to leave. The land of Goshen where they lived in Egypt was on the delta of the Nile River. The yearly flooding of the Nile watered the land and replenished the soil. As a result, Goshen contained some of the best grazing land in Egypt. In contrast, the land of Canaan was filled with rocky hills which were dependent on the rain in order to grow grass and food crops.

However, there may have been other reasons for staying in Egypt. God told Jacob that he would die in Joseph’s presence when God stated in the vision that “Joseph would put his hand on your eyes.” Joseph was still second in command to Pharaoh; he couldn’t just leave the country. After Jacob’s death, Joseph had to get permission from Pharaoh to go up to Canaan to bury Jacob.

Genesis 50:5-6 NKJV 5 'My father made me swear, saying, "Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me." Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.'" 6 And Pharaoh said, "Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear."

Joseph and his brothers along with many Egyptian officials went to Canaan. However, they left their children and their livestock in Egypt. Not only did Joseph need to return so did all of his brothers.

Genesis 50:14 NKJV 14 And after he had buried his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him to bury his father.

Although Jacob’s return to the land was after his death, his return parallels his return from Padan Aram and the return of the children of Israel to the land. Each return was marked by a short stay outside the land before crossing the Jordan and going into Canaan. When Joseph took Jacob’s body up to Canaan, they paused outside the land for seven days. It seems that they concluded the official seven days of mourning right before they buried Jacob instead of right after the burial.

Genesis 50:10-11 NKJV 10 Then they came to the threshing floor of Atad, which is beyond the Jordan, and they mourned there with a great and very solemn lamentation. He observed seven days of mourning for his father. 11 And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, "This is a deep mourning of the Egyptians." Therefore its name was called Abel Mizraim, which is beyond the Jordan.

Many years earlier, when Jacob returned from Padan Aram, he camped for a period of time at Mahanaim and, then, at Succoth. When the children of Israel entered the Promised Land, they paused outside the Land on the plains of Moab for sixty days. During the first thirty days, Moses gave instructions to the people, after which Moses died. The children of Israel stayed on the plains of Moab while they mourned Moses for another thirty days.

Deuteronomy 34:8 NKJV 8 And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab thirty days. So the days of weeping and mourning for Moses ended.

After the mourning for Moses was over, God told Joshua to take the children of Israel into the Promised Land.

Joshua 1:1-2 NKJV 1 After the death of Moses the servant of the LORD, it came to pass that the LORD spoke to Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' assistant, saying: 2 "Moses My servant is dead. Now therefore, arise, go over this Jordan, you and all this people, to the land which I am giving to them-the children of Israel.

A major difference in these events is who goes to the Promised Land. When Joseph brought Jacob’s body to Canaan the children and livestock were left behind. When Jacob returned from Padan Aram and when the children of Israel came out of Egypt, they brought all of their children and livestock with them.

This brings up a second reason that Jacob’s family did not leave Egypt after the famine. God told Jacob that He would make Jacob into a great nation while in Egypt. This had not yet happened. Seventeen years was not long enough to become a nation. It seems that Jacob knew this part of the promise that God made to him was not yet fulfilled. It wasn’t time to bring the children and the flocks with them. Again, there are parallels with Jacob’s time in Padan Aram. God told Jacob to leave after Jacob had acquired his wives, children and all the livestock that he had earned working for Laban and to bring all of them with him.

Genesis 31:17-18 NKJV 17 Then Jacob rose and set his sons and his wives on camels. 18 And he carried away all his livestock and all his possessions which he had gained, his acquired livestock which he had gained in Padan Aram, to go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan.

Notice that the account emphasizes that Jacob brought all of his possessions with him. He left nothing behind.

When Jacob asked Joseph to take his body to the Promised Land for burial even though his family would be staying in Egypt, Jacob demonstrated his faith that God would bring all of them up. With his body buried in Canaan, it is as if Jacob is there ahead of the family waiting for them to arrive. This leads us to the second aspect of Jacob’s faith that is revealed here. Jacob believed in the resurrection of the dead. Jacob didn’t tell Joseph he was about to die, he said that he was about to be gathered to his people. If there was not life after or death or no resurrection, there would be no “gathering with his people.” First Fruits of Zion in Unrolling the Scroll state:

That is what he means when he told his sons, “I am about to be gathered to my people” (Genesis 49:29). Jacob anticipated being reunited with his forefathers.[i]

In addition, God had told Jacob that he would bring him back to the land, if there was not resurrection of the dead, then God broke his promise to Jacob, and there would be no reason to take Jacob’s body to the Promised Land for burial.

Before Jacob died, he blessed his twelve sons, but he also, singled out Joseph’s two sons for blessing. These are not Jacob’s only grandsons! Counting Jacob, the scripture says that there were seventy members of Jacob’s family that went into Egypt. So, why did Jacob single out Joseph’s two sons? The answer is, as usual multi-layered.

Before singling out Joseph’s sons, Jacob refers to the promise God had made to him before he left Canaan the first time when he went to Padan Aram.

Genesis 48:3-4 NKJV 3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 "and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'

Jacob, then, proceeded to explain that he was adopting Joseph’s sons Ephraim and Manasseh.

Genesis 48:5-6 MKJV 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who are born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you into Egypt, are mine; like Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 And your issue, which you father after them, shall be yours, and shall be called after the name of their brothers in their inheritance.

By adopting Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob ensured that Joseph would receive the double portion of the inheritance that goes to the firstborn. This double portion should have gone to Reuben his firstborn son. However, Reuben, along with Simeon and Levi the next sons in birth order, were disqualified in Jacob’s eyes from receiving the double portion because of their actions. Technically, the double portion should then have gone to Judah as the next son in line. However, Jacob desired that it would go to Joseph, the firstborn son of his wife Rachel. By claiming Ephraim and Manasseh as sons along with Reuben and Simeon, Jacob was able to pass on to them the double portion.

But what was the double portion? Jacob did not possess the Promised Land. Was the inheritance merely an extra share of the flocks and herds that Jacob possessed? No, the double portion would not be realized until all the children of Israel possessed the Promised Land!

Genesis 48:21-22 NKJV 21 Then Israel said to Joseph, "Behold, I am dying, but God will be with you and bring you back to the land of your fathers. 22 "Moreover I have given to you one portion above your brothers, which I took from the hand of the Amorite with my sword and my bow."

Jacob indicated that the extra portion for Joseph was in the land of the Amorites.

Now, let’s go to the actual blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh. It began with Jacob asking Joseph to present his two sons.

Genesis 48:8-9 NKJV 8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?" 9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."

As Jacob lays his hands on the sons, he crosses his arms so that his right hand is on the hand of Ephraim, the younger son.

Genesis 48:13-14 NKJV 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim with his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh with his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near him. 14 Then Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand on Manasseh's head, guiding his hands knowingly, for Manasseh was the firstborn.

Ephraim, although the second born is blessed with Jacob’s right hand. Keep in mind that Jacob began this adoption process by stating God’s promise the He would make Jacob fruitful and multiply him. Ephraim’s name, number 669 in Strong’s Concordance, means doubly fruitful. When Joseph tried to correct the placement of Jacob’s hands, Jacob explained that Ephraim would be greater than his older brother. Ephraim would be “doubly fruitful.”

Genesis 48:19 NKJV 19 But his father refused and said, "I know, my son, I know. He (Manasseh) also shall become a people, and he also shall be great; but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his descendants shall become a multitude of nations."

After the placement of his hands on Ephraim and Manasseh, Jacob formally adopted them.

Genesis 48:15-16 NKJV 15 And he blessed Joseph, and said: "God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, The God who has fed me all my life long to this day, 16 The Angel who has redeemed me from all evil, Bless the lads; Let my name be named upon them, And the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; And let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."

Jacob’s concluding words of the adoption ceremony once again refer back to God’s promise to Jacob at Luz. This time, Jacob refers to the promise that he would be a multitude of peoples. Further, Jacob declared that his name along with the names of Abraham and Isaac be conferred on Ephraim and Manasseh. It seems like the promise of Abraham is being passed on to Ephraim and Manasseh. Wait a minute! The Messiah is prophesied to come through the line of Judah who is now the legitimate firstborn of Jacob. How can the promise be given to Ephraim and Manasseh? Here is where we see the birth of the nation of Israel!

After the adoption ceremony, Jacob declares that Israel will bless by the names of Ephraim and Manasseh.

Genesis 48:20 NKJV 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, "By you Israel will bless, saying, 'May God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh!'" And thus he set Ephraim before Manasseh.

Jacob, whose name is also Israel states that Israel will bless by the names of Ephraim and Manasseh. At this point, Israel is not a nation, Israel is the name Jacob received after wrestling with the angel. Jacob is seeing into the future to a time when all of his children will become a nation called Israel. The promise given to Abraham will not be passed on to one son or even to two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, but to all the descendants of Jacob. The words of the blessing are that all the sons of Israel would be like Ephraim and Manasseh. In the adoption ceremony, Jacob referred to the God who shepherded him and the Angel who redeemed him. So, the blessing to be like Ephraim and Manasseh is that God would shepherd the children of Israel and send the Angel who would redeem them. This is exactly what happened when Moses brought the children of Israel out of Egypt. God sent Moses, his shepherd, to guide them and the angel of the LORD went with them.

Exodus 14:19 NKJV 19 And the Angel of God, who went before the camp of Israel, moved and went behind them; and the pillar of cloud went from before them and stood behind them.

The meaning of the names of Ephraim and Manasseh add to the understanding of this blessing. The name Manasseh, number 4519 means “causing to forget.” Joseph explained that he chose the name because God had caused him to forget all his affliction and all his father’s house. Isaiah said that through all the affliction of the children of Israel, God was also afflicted; and He sent the Angel of His presence to redeem them.

Isaiah 63:9 NKJV 9 In all their affliction He was afflicted, And the Angel of His Presence saved them; In His love and in His pity He redeemed them; And He bore them and carried them All the days of old.

Right now, the children of Israel are once again in exile among the nations. God will send the redeemer and they will forget the days of their affliction.

Isaiah 25:8-9 NKJV 8 He will swallow up death forever, And the Lord GOD will wipe away tears from all faces; The rebuke of His people He will take away from all the earth; For the LORD has spoken. 9 And it will be said in that day: "Behold, this is our God; We have waited for Him, and He will save us. This is the LORD; We have waited for Him; We will be glad and rejoice in His salvation."

This even ties into the days of Adam and Eve when God first exiled them from the Garden of Eden. He declared that they would labor to bring forth the fruit from the ground. There will be a time coming when the toil of Adam would be forgotten, and the earth would be fruitful and give forth of her bounty!

Ephraim and Manasseh are the sons of Joseph whom Jacob will bless using five names or titles of God. Jacob blesses Joseph with the blessings of the heaven above, the deep below, and of the fruit of the earth.

Genesis 49:25-26 NKJV 25 By the God of your father who will help you, And by the Almighty who will bless you With blessings of heaven above, Blessings of the deep that lies beneath, Blessings of the breasts and of the womb. 26 The blessings of your father Have excelled the blessings of my ancestors, Up to the utmost bound of the everlasting hills. They shall be on the head of Joseph, And on the crown of the head of him who was separate from his brothers.

These blessing will be upon the one who was separated from his brother. Literally, Joseph is the one who was separated from his brothers. At a deeper level, Yeshua is the one separated from his brothers. When Yeshua returns, He will come as the Redeemer of Israel and judge of the entire world. All those who have been redeemed through Him will experience the fruit of righteousness and all their afflictions will be forgotten.

Revelation 21:4 NKJV 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away."

Through these blessings, Jacob communicated his faith that God would do what He had promised. He believed that he would return to the Promised Land and be restored to life in that land. He believed that his descendants would become the nation of Israel. He believed that they would be doubly fruitful like Ephraim and forgetful of their afflictions like Manasseh. He believed that a day was coming that the toil of Adam would be forgotten, and the land would once more be fruitful. May you be fruitful like Ephraim and forgetful of all your afflictions like Manasseh!

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      What are some of the parallels between Jacob’s return to Canaan from Padan Aran, the return of his body to Canaan, and the return of the children of Israel to Canaan? What does this tell us about Yeshua’s return? What does this tell us about our spiritual entrance to the Promised Land?

 

2.      How is Jacob asking Joseph to vow that he will take his body to Canaan to be buried alongside his fathers a declaration of his faith that God would give the Promised Land to his descendants and that he believes in the resurrection of the dead?

 

3.      Jacob stated that “Israel will bless saying, ‘May God make you as Ephraim and Manasseh.’” In what way or ways is this a blessing? How does it connect with the original promise God gave to Abraham? How does it apply to us?

 

General Portion Questions

 

4.      Abraham and Isaac passed on the promise to only one of their sons. How does Jacob communicate that the promise will go to all of his sons not just one? How is this related to his name Israel?

 

5.      Jacob promised Joseph that he would receive one portion above his brothers (Gen 48:22). How was that realized? 

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

© 2023 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] Unrolling the Scroll. First Fruits of Zion. ©2007, 2017 Daniel T. Lancaster. Page 196.

Torah Portion Vayigash - I am Joseph Your Brother

The Video version is available at: https://youtu.be/_1OomLSrQj8

Reading - Genesis 44:18-45:5

 

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

Our Torah portion this week is called Vayigash, which means “and came near.” In this portion we reach the climax of the story of Joseph and his long-estranged brothers. These events at the end of the story of Joseph parallel events at the beginning of Joseph’s story. When Jacob sent Joseph to check on the welfare of his brothers and the flocks back in the Promised Land, Joseph was greeted with being thrown into a pit that had no water. While Joseph suffered in the pit, his brothers sat down to a meal. In contrast, when Jacob sent his other sons to Egypt, and unknown to them at the time, to Joseph, now second in command of all Egypt, they were greeted with hospitality and water to wash their feet and a meal was prepared for them. At this meal, the brothers gave Joseph presents instead of imprisonment.

At the beginning of the story of Joseph, the brothers plotted to kill him, but instead, sold him into slavery. They then deceived Jacob, their father, into thinking Joseph was dead. Their selfish actions had unintended consequences. Jacob’s mourning for Joseph was intense and long lasting. As this portion begins, it had now been twenty-two years since they had sold Joseph into slavery, and Jacob was still mourned his loss of Joseph. But Joseph was alive and well, and his suffering had ended in Egypt. As second in command to Pharoah, Joseph had been ruling over Egypt for nine years. He was living a life of wealth and power. Joseph had prepared carefully for the coming famine and then, over the last two years, provided grain for all the people of Egypt.

Genesis 41:55 NKJV 55 So when all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Then Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, "Go to Joseph; whatever he says to you, do."

The famine extended to all the lands around Egypt as well, driving the people from surrounding nations to come to Egypt to buy grain which Joseph had carefully stored away. When Joseph’s brothers came to buy grain, Joseph immediately recognized them, but they did not recognize him. Joseph wanted to know if they were still the vindictive, hateful brothers who had plotted to kill him, or had they changed? Since the youngest brother, Benjamin had not come with them to Egypt, the most important question that Joseph wanted answered was, how had they treated his brother Benjamin? Were they as hateful to Benjamin as they were to him? Joseph devised a scheme to test his brothers. Joseph would keep Simeon in prison until they brought Benjamin to Egypt so he could see Benjamin and observe how they treated him. When the brother returned with Benjamin, Joseph had them brought into his presence.

Genesis 43:24-25 NKJV 24 So the man brought the men into Joseph's house and gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave their donkeys feed. 25 Then they made the present ready for Joseph's coming at noon, for they heard that they would eat bread there.

Joseph greeted his brothers with words reminiscent of his original mission to check on their welfare. He asks about not only their welfare but the welfare of their father.

Genesis 43:27 NKJV 27 Then he asked them about their well-being, and said, "Is your father well, the old man of whom you spoke? Is he still alive?"

Joseph had them all sit down to a banquet prepared for them. Joseph sat them down in the order of their birth, demonstrating that he knew them well.

Genesis 43:33-34 NKJV 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

Benjamin’s serving was five times that given to the older brothers. There are several levels of meaning to be gleaned from this account. First, this favoritism to Benjamin is meant to bring to light any jealousies the brothers have when Benjamin is later accused of theft. If they are jealous of Benjamin, they would more than likely to leave Benjamin to his fate.

On another level, Benjamin received five times the amount of food at this banquet then his brothers had. Five times the amount is the payback to be given as restitution for a guilt offering. Joseph’s brothers had stolen and sold Joseph into slavery, so they owed five times the value in restitution. The Torah explains this principle in the case of a stolen ox.

Exodus 22:1 NKJV 1 "If a man steals an ox or a sheep, and slaughters it or sells it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox and four sheep for a sheep.

Joseph may be subtly reminding his brothers of the redemption price they owe to Benjamin because of their sale of him into slavery. But we see that it is Joseph himself who eventually pays the redemption price even though it is his brothers who owe it!

Genesis 45:22 NKJV 22 He gave to all of them, to each man, changes of garments; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.

After the banquet, Joseph’s real test of the brothers is put in motion. The brothers are sent on their way, but the silver they had paid for the grain they were returning home with was also placed in their grain sacks. And the silver cup belonging to Joseph is secretly placed in Benjamin’s sack.

Genesis 44:1-2 NKJV 1 And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, "Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man's money in the mouth of his sack. 2 "Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken.

Silver represents redemption. When God took the children of Israel as His own at Mt. Sinai, he had them numbered but only through the offering of a half-shekel of silver for each person. This offering is described as a ransom or atonement.

Exodus 30:11-12 NKJV 11 Then the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: 12 "When you take the census of the children of Israel for their number, then every man shall give a ransom for himself to the LORD, when you number them, that there may be no plague among them when you number them.

The returned money along with Joseph’s silver cup emphasizes a theme of redemption. In Matthew’s gospel account, we see Yeshua refers to a cup when James and John’s mother wanted her sons to be at Yeshua’s side. Yeshua asked them if they could drink from the same cup that He drank from.

Matthew 20:22-23 NKJV 22 But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" They said to Him, "We are able." 23 So He said to them, "You will indeed drink My cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with; but to sit on My right hand and on My left is not Mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by My Father."

Just as Yeshua’s cup of redemption cannot be stolen, given away, or used by anyone other than the Messiah. Joseph’s cup could not be stolen, given away or used by anyone other than Joseph without serious consequences.

The test of the stolen cup was laid out for Joseph’s brothers. Benjamin was destined for slavery unless someone else stepped up. When Joseph’s silver cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, the brothers tore their clothes in grief.

Genesis 44:13 NKJV 13 Then they tore their clothes, and each man loaded his donkey and returned to the city.

Once again, this takes us back to the beginning of the story when Joseph’s brothers took Joseph’s coat of many colors which Jacob had gifted to him, tore it, and put goat’s blood on it to cover up what they had done. Now they tear their own garments in response to what was done to Benjamin.

As all the brothers are brought before Joseph for judgment, would they allow Benjamin to go into slavery, or would they stand up for him? Judah, who had lost two sons of his own, could not let their father Jacob lose both Joseph and Benjamin. Judah approached Joseph to plead for Benjamin’s freedom.

Genesis 44:18 NKJV 18 Then Judah came near to him and said: "O my lord, please let your servant speak a word in my lord's hearing, and do not let your anger burn against your servant; for you are even like Pharaoh.

Judah goes on to plead for Benjamin’s freedom because of the harm his imprisonment would do to Jacob. Judah explains that He took responsibility for Benjamin’s safety and could not return without him.

Genesis 44:32 NKJV 32 "For your servant became surety for the lad to my father, saying, 'If I do not bring him back to you, then I shall bear the blame before my father forever.'

Once again, this contrasts with the beginning of this story when Judah takes the lead to sell Joseph into slavery as opposed to killing him as the rest of the brothers wanted to do. Now Judah again takes the lead, this time pleading for Benjamin’s safety and even offering to take his place in slavery.

Genesis 44:33-34 NKJV 33 "Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the lad as a slave to my lord, and let the lad go up with his brothers. 34 "For how shall I go up to my father if the lad is not with me, lest perhaps I see the evil that would come upon my father?"

With this act, Joseph and Judah come together both desiring the best outcome for Benjamin. Joseph desires to know that Benjamin has been well treated in his family and Judah desires to know that Benjamin will be returned to his father.

After hearing the desperate plea that Judah makes regarding Benjamin, Joseph could not restrain himself any longer. He orders that the room be cleared of all the Egyptians, so it would be only himself and his brothers present when he gave way to his emotions.

Genesis 45:1-3 NKJV 1 Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, "Make everyone go out from me!" So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. 3 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph; does my father still live?" But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence.

In all of Joseph’s trials, the Bible records Joseph weeping only twice. First, when he sees Benjamin, and now when he is about to reveal himself to his brothers. The Bible records that Yeshua also wept twice. He wept when his good friend Lazarus died and then, he wept over Jerusalem and the fact that His identity was hidden from His brothers.

Luke 19:41-42 NKJV 41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.

Joseph’s brothers were understandably confused and fearful. The Egyptian that held control over all of Egypt was actually their brother that they had sold into slavery! What would Joseph do with his brothers now that he had total control over their destiny? Had he brought them there to put them into slavery as they had done to him? Joseph discerned their thoughts and reassured them. He recognized God’s hand on all that had led to him being sold into slavery and then raised to the right hand of Pharaoh.

Genesis 45:4-5 NKJV 4 And Joseph said to his brothers, "Please come near to me." So they came near. Then he said: "I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. 5 "But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.

Joseph’s death to his family and new life in Egypt was necessary to preserve the lives of the Egyptians, the nations around Egypt, and ultimately Joseph’s own family. Joseph’s exile was necessary to set up the exile that God told Abraham would happen to his descendants. If Joseph had not been the one in control in Egypt when the famine hit, Jacob’s entire family would most likely have starved or perhaps become slaves in a foreign land. God’s promise to Abraham would have been broken! Instead, they enter as honored guests in Egypt and receive the best grazing land for their flocks and cattle.

The Chumash explains the connection between Joseph announcing himself to his brothers and God eventually revealing His plan to Israel.

“When Joseph said “I am Joseph,” God’s master plan became clear to the brothers. They had no more questions. Everything that had happened for the last twenty-two years fell into perspective. So, too, it will be in the time to come when God will reveal Himself and announce, “I am HASHEM!” The veil will be lifted from our eyes, and we will comprehend everything that transpired throughout history.”[i]

The eyes of the brothers were blinded to the identity of their brother Joseph. While Joseph remained hidden from his brothers, Joseph’s actions while in Egypt, brought salvation to the Egyptians and many other peoples during the famine.

Paul tells us that the spiritual blindness of Israel was necessary to bring salvation to the Gentiles. When that is accomplished, the eyes of Israel will be open to see their salvation.

Romans 11:25-27 NKJV 25 For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. 26 And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written: "The Deliverer will come out of Zion, And He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob; 27 For this is My covenant with them, When I take away their sins."

After Joseph explained that the famine would continue for five more years, Joseph’s brothers were finally able to speak.

Genesis 45:14-15 NKJV 14 Then he fell on his brother Benjamin's neck and wept, and Benjamin wept on his neck. 15 Moreover he kissed all his brothers and wept over them, and after that his brothers talked with him.

Joseph’s brothers who were unable to speak peaceably to him at the beginning of this account, were now able to speak to him.

Joseph immediately sent his brothers to bring the word to his father that he was alive. When Jacob received word, that Joseph was alive, he is at first referred to as Jacob, but when he receives the word and believes, he is then referred to as Israel, the one who struggles and prevails.

Genesis 45:26-28 NKJV 26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob's heart stood still, because he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

As Jacob made his journey from Hebron south towards Egypt, he came to Beer Sheva where he began to have second thoughts. When famine was in the land when he was a boy, his father Isaac remained in the land. Also, Jacob had already lived in exile from the Promised Land for twenty years. Should he once again leave the land or stay like Isaac did? Jacob sought the LORD by bringing offerings at Beer Sheva and God appeared to him in a vision.

Genesis 46:2-4 NKJV 2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." 3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."

When Jacob and his family were facing starvation, suddenly salvation appeared in the form of the carts and camels sent by Joseph ready to carry them into the safety of Egypt. When the time of Yeshua’s second coming approaches, God will send salvation.

Isaiah 11:11-13 NKJV 11 It shall come to pass in that day That the Lord shall set His hand again the second time To recover the remnant of His people who are left, From Assyria and Egypt, From Pathros and Cush, From Elam and Shinar, From Hamath and the islands of the sea. 12 He will set up a banner for the nations, And will assemble the outcasts of Israel, And gather together the dispersed of Judah From the four corners of the earth. 13 Also the envy of Ephraim shall depart, And the adversaries of Judah shall be cut off; Ephraim shall not envy Judah, And Judah shall not harass Ephraim.

The sons of Jacob, separated for twenty-two years were finally reunited in the fertile land of Goshen. But not before Joseph had put his brothers to a test. Joseph tested them to see how they had treated his brother Benjamin in his absence. Would they take the responsibility and do what was right and return to Joseph in humility? Only after passing the test did Joseph reveal his true identity.

This reconciliation among brothers did not come without a price. Joseph suffered slavery and imprisonment in Egypt as a result of the actions of his brothers. Knowing what they had done, the brothers suffered through years facing a grieving father and the humiliation of a famine in their land.

We, too, face a daily test. Yeshua tests us to see how we treat our brothers and sisters around us. Do we pass our test? In the end will we be invited into our “land of Goshen?”

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      Discuss Judah passing the test that Joseph set before the brothers. How did Judah pass the test? How does this show true repentance?

 

2.      In nearly every Torah portion to this point, we have seen case after case of sibling rivalry. How did Joseph break the cycle and heal the rivalry with his brothers?

 

3.      What does the story of Joseph and his brothers teach us about forgiveness? As believers, is forgiving others an option for us?

General Portion Questions

 

4.      Discuss the Messianic implications and metaphors of the Joseph story? In what ways does Joseph represent Messiah?

 

5.      The account of Joseph involves concealed identity. What previous accounts of concealed identity have we examined in the Torah thus far? How are these instances similar and dissimilar to the Joseph story?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

 

© 2022 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] The Stone Edition Chumash. Artscroll Series. Rabbi Nosson Scherman/Rabbi Meir Zitz. Mesorah Publications, Ltd. ©2007. Page 253.

Torah Portion Miketz - God Speaks, and He Lives

The video version is available at: https://youtu.be/B09Nv2-tx-Y

Reading – Genesis 41:37-57

 

By Dan & Brenda Cathcart

This Torah portion contains many layers of meaning and prophecy. The account begins when Pharaoh has two dreams that his magicians cannot interpret.  Pharaoh’s cupbearer remembers that the prisoner Joseph has the gift of interpreting dreams. When Joseph reveals the meaning of Pharaoh’s dreams, Pharaoh elevates him to second in command over his entire kingdom and gives Joseph an Egyptian name.

Genesis 41:45 NKJV 45 And Pharaoh called Joseph's name Zaphnath-Paaneah. And he gave him as a wife Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On. So Joseph went out over all the land of Egypt.

According to the NKJV Study Bible and others, the name Zaphnath-Paaneah means “God speaks, and He lives.” However, the transliteration of the Egyptian into Hebrew, according to the Jewish Targum Onkelos, sounds like the Hebrew for “He who explains the Hidden.” Both of these understandings for Joseph’s Egyptian name sets up the layers of meaning in this Torah portion. God speaks; He lives and explains the hidden.

The Torah portion begins with Pharaoh having a dream that the magicians are unable to interpret.

Genesis 41:8 NKJV 8 Now it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled, and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt and all its wise men. And Pharaoh told them his dreams, but there was no one who could interpret them for Pharaoh.

Joseph is able to interpret the dream and explain the plan to save Egypt from famine. So, Pharaoh declares that the spirit of God is in Joseph.

Genesis 41:37-38 NKJV 37 So the advice was good in the eyes of Pharaoh and in the eyes of all his servants. 38 And Pharaoh said to his servants, "Can we find such a one as this, a man in whom is the Spirit of God?"

Many years later, another Pharaoh will rise to power who did not know Joseph. When his magicians are unable to replicate the plagues sent by God through Aaron and Moses, the magicians declare that Aaron and Moses act through the finger or spirit of God.

Exodus 8:19 NKJV 19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." But Pharaoh's heart grew hard, and he did not heed them, just as the LORD had said.

The Pharaoh of Joseph’s time recognized the actions of God and believed; this resulted in the salvation of his land and people. Ultimately, through him, all of Joseph’s family, the children of Israel, would be saved. However, the Pharaoh of Moses’ time did not acknowledge the actions of God resulting in the destruction of the land and people of Egypt. These two different Pharaohs bracket Israel’s time in Egypt.

Joseph was rewarded by Pharaoh for the wise plan God gave to him to prepare for the upcoming famine. In addition to a new name, Joseph is given a wife. During the seven years of plenty, Joseph’s wife bears him two sons. The motif of two sons that began with the birth of Cain and Abel continues with the birth of Joseph’s two sons. Joseph names them Manasseh and Ephraim.

Genesis 41:51-52 NKJV 51 Joseph called the name of the firstborn Manasseh: "For God has made me forget all my toil and all my father's house." 52 And the name of the second he called Ephraim: "For God has caused me to be fruitful in the land of my affliction."

From these names, it seems that Joseph has turned his back on his entire family. The name Manasseh, number 4519 in Strong’s Concordance, means “causing to forget.” Joseph declares that God has caused him to forget all his toil and all his father’s house. The word “toil” is the Hebrew word “amal,” number 5999, meaning a wearing effort, sorrow, toil, trouble, and travail. It can also mean mischief or wickedness. God caused Joseph to forget the trouble and wickedness he endured at the hands of his brothers in his father’s house. The Stone Edition Chumash comments on Joseph’s ability to forget.

Joseph acknowledged that God had allowed him to forget the hardships his brothers had inflicted on him in his paternal home. He was able to recognize that everything they had done was part of the Divine master plan and consequently he bore them no ill will. For that he was grateful.[i]

Joseph’s declaration at the birth of his second born son, Ephraim, confirms that Joseph had not traded his identity as a son of Israel to become a son of Egypt. Joseph called Egypt the land of his affliction. The fact that God caused him to be fruitful reminds us of God’s command to Adam and Noah that they be fruitful and fill the earth. The command was given to Adam after he was exiled from the garden and to Noah after the flood destroyed the earth. Isaiah writes of a time when the sorrow will not be remembered.

Isaiah 65:17-19 NKJV 17 "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; And the former shall not be remembered or come to mind. 18 But be glad and rejoice forever in what I create; For behold, I create Jerusalem as a rejoicing, And her people a joy. 19 I will rejoice in Jerusalem, And joy in My people; The voice of weeping shall no longer be heard in her, Nor the voice of crying.

In the book of Revelation, John records the voice in heaven declaring that the sorrow of the former times will pass away and all things are made new.

Revelation 21:4-5 NKJV 4 "And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away." 5 Then He who sat on the throne said, "Behold, I make all things new." And He said to me, "Write, for these words are true and faithful."

The motif of two sons continues later in the account when Joseph holds Simeon, the second born son of Leah, as hostage until the brothers bring Benjamin to him. Joseph apparently exonerated Reuben when he overheard Reuben rebuking his brothers for selling him into slavery.

Genesis 42:22 NKJV 22 And Reuben answered them, saying, "Did I not speak to you, saying, 'Do not sin against the boy'; and you would not listen? Therefore behold, his blood is now required of us."

Reuben sees the demand to bring Benjamin into Egypt as the uncovering and consequences of their sin against Joseph. As the oldest son, Reuben would be the one to be held accountable for that sin. However, with Reuben exonerated, the accountability fell on Simeon as the second born. When the other nine brothers discovered that the money they paid for the grain was returned to them, they were frightened.

Genesis 42:27-28 NKJV 27 But as one of them opened his sack to give his donkey feed at the encampment, he saw his money; and there it was, in the mouth of his sack. 28 So he said to his brothers, "My money has been restored, and there it is, in my sack!" Then their hearts failed them and they were afraid, saying to one another, "What is this that God has done to us?"

They were faced with a dilemma. If they didn’t return to Egypt, Simeon would remain a prisoner. If they returned, they could be accused of stealing and be taken as slaves. The Stone Edition Chumash comments:

The self-proclaimed “God-fearing” viceroy was treating them in a way that would give him an excuse to enslave them.[ii]

After the nine brothers return to Canaan and their father Israel, they are faced with famine unless they return to Egypt with Benjamin. Reuben offers the death of his two sons in surety of Benjamin’s safety. In a sense, Reuben is offering his two sons in the place of Rachel’s two sons; Joseph, who was regarded as already dead, and Benjamin whom Jacob feared would die in Egypt. Jacob rejects Reuben’s offer.

Judah, who lost two sons, and then was granted two others through his daughter-in-law Tamar, eventually takes responsibility for Benjamin’s safety. Instead of offering death like Reuben did, Judah offered life, that “we may live and not die.”

Genesis 43:8-9 NKJV 8 Then Judah said to Israel his father, "Send the lad with me, and we will arise and go, that we may live and not die, both we and you and also our little ones. 9 "I myself will be surety for him; from my hand you shall require him. If I do not bring him back to you and set him before you, then let me bear the blame forever.

Notice that Judah speaks to Israel his father. Israel is the man who held onto the Angel of the LORD and wouldn’t let go until he prevailed in receiving the blessing. Judah’s words remind Israel that he needs to continue to have faith and hold on! In next week’s Torah portion, Judah will be called on to fulfill his words to Israel to stand for Benjamin.

Returning to the years of plenty, Joseph traveled throughout the land of Egypt exercising the authority given to him by Pharaoh to take one fifth of the grain harvest and store it up for the years of famine. He describes the amount of grain collected as “the sand of the sea.”

Genesis 41:49 NKJV 49 Joseph gathered very much grain, as the sand of the sea, until he stopped counting, for it was immeasurable.

God’s uses this same metaphor in his promise to Abraham that his seed would be as many as the sand upon the seashore.

Genesis 22:17 NKJV 17 "blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your descendants shall possess the gate of their enemies.

Jacob reminds God of this promise when he is getting ready to face Esau.

Genesis 32:12 NKJV 12 "For You said, 'I will surely treat you well, and make your descendants as the sand of the sea, which cannot be numbered for multitude.'"

The grain Joseph collected is as much or as many as the descendants of Abraham! At one level of understanding, these are the children that will be born to Israel in Egypt. They will be so numerous that the new Pharaoh will fear them. At another level, Joseph, as a type of Messiah, goes throughout Egypt, the Gentile world, and gathers the souls, the spiritual descendants of Abraham. They are as many of the sands of the sea. Yeshua uses the metaphor of grain as souls who are saved in a parable about the harvest of the end times. The good seed produces wheat which is gathered into the barn. The bad seed produces tares which are burned in the fire.

Matthew 13:37-38 NKJV 37 He answered and said to them: "He who sows the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 "The field is the world, the good seeds are the sons of the kingdom, but the tares are the sons of the wicked one.

Literally, the grain that Joseph collects will keep Egypt and his own brothers and their families from dying. It is through the grain or souls collected from the Gentiles, that Israel will be saved. Paul writes to the Gentiles about them gaining salvation because the Jews were disobedient. But through the same mercy shown to the Gentiles, the Jews will also receive mercy.

Romans 11:30-32 NKJV 30 For as you were once disobedient to God, yet have now obtained mercy through their disobedience, 31 even so these also have now been disobedient, that through the mercy shown you they also may obtain mercy. 32 For God has committed them all to disobedience, that He might have mercy on all.

It was through the disobedience of Joseph’s brothers that Joseph was in Egypt to prepare the people for the famine. Both the Egyptians and the children of Israel receive grain to sustain their lives through Joseph. Joseph’s first dream is actually about this situation. In his dream, his brothers’ sheaves bow down to his sheaf.

Genesis 37:7 NKJV 7 "There we were, binding sheaves in the field. Then behold, my sheaf arose and also stood upright; and indeed your sheaves stood all around and bowed down to my sheaf."

When Joseph’s brothers first arrive in Egypt and appear before him to buy grain, they bow before him.

Genesis 42:6 NKJV 6 Now Joseph was governor over the land; and it was he who sold to all the people of the land. And Joseph's brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the earth.

Joseph recognized them and remembered his dream.

Genesis 42:9 NKJV 9 Then Joseph remembered the dreams which he had dreamed about them, and said to them, "You are spies! You have come to see the nakedness of the land!"

Joseph’s accusations that they are spies may have had some basis from their actions when arriving in Egypt. It is possible that they used the opportunity to carefully inquire about their brother Joseph. The Stone Edition Chumash comments on this possibility.

The brothers, knowing that the original purchasers of Joseph had been bound for Egypt, wanted to find him and ransom him. They entered the country through ten different gates and spread out in the marketplace looking for him.[iii]

The commentary goes on to explain that Joseph’s accusation of them being spies prevented them from persisting in their search for him and, thus, finding him before he was ready to reveal his identity to them. Joseph quickly forced his brothers out of Egypt, holding only Simeon hostage in surety of their return with Benjamin.

When the brothers arrived with Benjamin, Joseph prepared a banquet for them. He sat separated from them and had them seated in the order of their birth.

Genesis 43:32-34 NKJV 32 So they set him a place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one another. 34 Then he took servings to them from before him, but Benjamin's serving was five times as much as any of theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.

There are several hidden things going on at this banquet. First, Joseph is sitting separate from his brothers which may be an allusion back to the last meal he shared with his brothers. At that time, Joseph was in a pit separate from his brothers while his brothers ate a meal. Second, they were sitting in birth order which hints at Joseph’s knowledge of his brothers but, also, may be a reference to the birthright which was at the heart of the friction between Joseph and his brothers. Finally, Benjamin, the youngest son and full brother of Joseph, is given five times the serving size of his brothers. Clearly, Joseph, this supposed Egyptian official, is deliberately favoring the son that he knows is the youngest. How would the brothers react to this favoritism? All these little pieces are a reminder that Jacob favored Joseph over his brothers to inherit the birthright and the promise of Abraham. If that isn’t enough, Joseph sets Benjamin up to be accused of stealing his personal cup. The theft of the silver cup would result in Benjamin being taken into slavery. Did Joseph’s brothers regard Joseph as if he was stealing the birthright?

Genesis 44:2-4 NKJV 2 "Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money." So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. 3 As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. 4 When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, "Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, 'Why have you repaid evil for good?

The brothers react with indignation confident that they were innocent of the charges. They declare that the one who is found with the silver cup be put to death.

Genesis 44:9 NKJV 9 "With whomever of your servants it is found, let him die, and we also will be my lord's slaves."

The silver cup that was found in Benjamin’s sack is identified as one that Joseph uses for divination. In other words, it is used as a household idol to tell the future or reveal hidden motivations. The brothers’ rash oath is reminiscent of Jacob’s rash oath when Rachel had stolen and hidden her father Laban’s idols.

Genesis 31:32 NKJV 32 "With whomever you find your gods, do not let him live. In the presence of our brethren, identify what I have of yours and take it with you." For Jacob did not know that Rachel had stolen them.

Joseph’s brothers were more fortunate than Jacob. Joseph’s steward did not accept their oath but instead rephrased it to be that the one who had the silver cup would be Joseph’s slave. Again, this is a reminder of Joseph being betrayed by his brothers and sold into slavery.

Judah recognizes that all this happened because of their sin against Joseph. It was not the silver cup that revealed their actions, but God.

Genesis 44:16 NKJV 16 Then Judah said, "What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord's slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found."

Judah, unlike Reuben, cannot be exonerated for selling Joseph. He is the one who came up with the plan to sell Joseph! Judah offers that they, the ones who sold Joseph into slavery, be taken into slavery along with Benjamin so Benjamin is not left alone.

Our Torah portion ends with Joseph’s steward rejecting Judah’s offer and declaring that only Benjamin would be held accountable for stealing the silver cup. We are left with the question of what the brothers will do to protect Benjamin and to protect Jacob from having his heart broken once again.

Throughout this Torah portion, God speaks. He reveals information about the upcoming sojourn of all the children of Israel in Egypt. He reveals that the sins of the brothers against Joseph had not gone unnoticed. He sets up patterns that will be fulfilled when God sends His son to check on the welfare of His brothers. Like Joseph, God’s son would be betrayed by His brothers, but that betrayal will be uncovered. The next Torah portion will reveal, that though the brothers meant their actions for evil, God sent Joseph to preserve their lives just like God sent His son Yeshua to preserve our lives and the lives of His Jewish brothers.

Study Questions:

Teaching Questions

 

1.      Joseph’s Egyptian name means God speaks, and He lives. It sounds like the Hebrew for He who explains the hidden. How does God speak through Joseph and reveal the hidden?

 

2.      How do the names of Joseph’s two sons Manasseh and Ephraim point to the reign the reign of Messiah?

 

3.      What are the different underlying meanings of Joseph having his silver cup placed in Benjamin’s sack?

General Portion Questions

 

4.      We’ve explored the motif of the two sons several times as we have gone through Genesis. What additional understanding do we gain about the two sons through Reuben offering his two sons and the birth of Joseph’s two sons?

5.      How does the theme of slavery weave through the account of Joseph both in this Torah portion and in the previous Torah portion Vayeshev, Genesis 37:1-40:23?

 

6.      What other insights did you gain from this teaching? What indicators are there in this Torah Portion that point to Messiah Yeshua?

© 2022 Moed Ministries International. All rights reserved.

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[i] The Stone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000 Mesorah Publications, ltd. Page 230.

[ii] The Stone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000 Mesorah Publications, ltd. Page 237.

[iii] The Stone Edition Chumash. General Editors Rabbi Nosson Scherman and Rabbi Meir Zlotowitz. Mesorah Publications, ltd. ©1998, 2000 Mesorah Publications, ltd. Page 233.