The Open Word

After Joseph determined that his brothers had changed over the past twenty years, and they were now ready to do anything to protect Benjamin, he finally reveals his identity to them. Instead of exacting revenge, Joseph pleaded with them to get his father and come to Egypt where he could care for his brothers, his father, and their families.

Having been elevated to prime minister of Egypt, Genesis 43–44 records Joseph's brothers traveling to Egypt for food. Testing them, Joseph discovers that whereas they once sold him with no second thought, they now beg him to allow Benjamin to return home. Judah, one of the instigators of Joseph's sale into captivity, now offers to take the place of Benjamin. 

Genesis 41–42 records Joseph's rise to Pharaoh's second-in-command. After Pharaoh's dream regarding seven years of plenty, followed by seven years of famine, and Joseph's subsequent interpretations of the dream, Joseph is elevated over all of Egypt. After the seven years of plenty, famine does hit, and in Genesis 41 we find Joseph's brothers traveling to Egypt for grain.

We continue our examination of the life of Joseph. Genesis 39–40 records Joseph's life in the household of Potiphar, the false accusation by Potiphar's wife, his subsequent imprisonment, and how he interpreted the dreams of the baker and cup-bearer.

Genesis 37–38 record two separate incidents. The first introduces Joseph, the main character in the remaining chapters of Genesis. In Chapter 37, Joseph recounts his dreams, causing his brothers to sell him into slavery in Egypt. In Chapter 38, we have the account of Judah's incest with Tamar in which she bore Zerah, and Perez through whom the Messianic line ran.

Genesis 34 records the rape of Dinah by Hamor the Hivite and the subsequent slaughter of all the men of Shechem. Levi and Simeon, the perpetrators of the slaughter, lost their privileges as the second and third son of Judah because of this, making Judah the one through whom the Messianic line would descend (as Reuben was disqualified due to incest). This causes Jacob to return to Bethel, then to Ephrath where Rachel died giving birth to Benjamin. Genesis 36 records the descendants of Esau.

Genesis 32–33 chronicles Jacob's return to Canaan. On the way, he meets the Angel of the Lord, wrestles all night, and receives a blessing and a new name. He also meets up with Esau, who in the meantime became a wealthy individual himself.

We continue our discussion of Jacob and Laban. Jacob found himself working twenty years for his uncle, during which time he married two of Laban's daughters, had several sons, and increased in wealth. At the end of that time, Yahweh appeared to Jacob instructing him it was time to return to Canaan, the land of promise. 

Jacob, fleeing his brother's wrath, makes his way north to Padan-Aram to stay with his uncle Laban. On his way, he has his dream of a ladder to heaven, and a confirmation from Yahweh that he is the one through whom the Abrahamic Covenant will flow. Jacob, know as a conniver, meets his equal in Laban, a conniver himself, who tricks Jacob into marrying Leah over Rachel, who bore him four sons: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah.

In this session, we pick up the account of Jacob and Esau. Since Esau was the oldest, the blessing of the firstborn would normally belong to him. However, with Rebekah's help, Jacob was able to trick Isaac into giving him the blessing of the firstborn. This subterfuge so enraged Esau that he vowed to kill Jacob after Isaac's death, which prompted Rebekah to send Jacob to Padan-Aram to her brother Laban.