Not every Pharaoh would be a friend to the children of Israel; in time to come one would arise who did not remember anything about Joseph (Exodus 1:8). Yet when word reached this particular Pharaoh that Joseph’s brothers had come, “Pharaoh and his servants were pleased” (Genesis 45:16).

Pharaoh did not limit this gladness to mere words. He told Joseph to instruct his brothers, “Do this: load your animals and go back to the land of Canaan. Take your father and your households, and come to me, so that I may give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you may enjoy the fat of the land” (45:17-18).

<A brief note about chronology>

The text does not tell us why Pharaoh responded with such an extensive invitation. Did he want specifically to honor Joseph, for his good service to Egypt? Had Joseph expressed homesickness for his family, at some point? We can only guess at what Pharaoh’s motivations might have been.

In contrast, we can read a description of what Pharaoh did. He acted with remarkable graciousness, to provide welcome and plenty for this group of foreigners. In time to come there would be enmity between Egyptians and Israelites; it’s easy to suppose that some later editor could have been tempted to change the details of this story to make Pharaoh look bad. Instead, the text has the honesty to allow us to learn how this Egyptian took definitive leadership to preserve the life of the covenant people.

* * * * *

We see the great sweep of the story, O Lord, of how you work your great saving will through your covenant people. But we also see that you don’t restrict yourself to this. Again and again you reach beyond the limits we expect, to establish your grace. Open our eyes, Lord, that we may see where you are doing that same thing today.

If you find these studies helpful, please Like, Subscribe, Comment, and Share. Thanks!