; Test. Under Moses this custom became law (see Deuteronomy 25:5–10). How easy it would have been for him to give up, to say, “What’s the use of trying to serve God? When Joseph was finally raised to his exalted position in Egypt, all bowed the knee to him. It seems more logical that this very capable young man was somewhat cocky and didn't hesitate to humiliate his brothers. As inheritors of the blessings of Jacob, it is the privilege of the gathered remnant of Jacob to receive their own patriarchal blessings and, by faith, to be blessed equally with the ancients. Rachel had Joseph and when Benjamin was born, she died. His chronology shows: * Reuben was born when Jacob was 84 * Benjamin was born and Rachel died when Joseph was 107. It is significant that Judah, who suggested that Joseph be sold (see Genesis 37:26–27), became the one who was willing to become “the surety” for Benjamin. Jacob decided to transfer the rights of the firstborn to Rachel's first son, Joseph. The unedited full-text of the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia. Calculating backward, and knowing that there is a 60 year difference between Isaac and Jacob, Isaac would have died just before Joseph turned 30. Typically, the price for a slave was thirty pieces of silver (see Exodus 21:32). xxxv. Still have questions? “I believe this is the greatest lesson that can be learned by the youth of Zion—to do the right thing because you love the Lord. His father made the mistake of showing more love for Joseph than for his older brothers (Genesis 37:3-4 Genesis 37:3-4 [3] Now Israel loved Joseph more than all his children, because he was the son of his old age: and he made him a coat of many colors. I am solely responsible for the content of this website. It was the custom in early times to bestow upon the firstborn son special privileges and blessings, and these were looked upon as belonging to him by right of birth. This chart is very helpful, but I was wondering how you figured that Jacob was 74 when he left for Laban’s house. This despicable act was similar to what the apostle Paul addressed in 1 Corinthians 5:1 1 Corinthians 5:1It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife.American King James Version×as "sexual immorality as is not even named among the Gentiles—that a man has his father's wife!" 9yrs after Joseph becomes 2nd in Egypt. This would seem to indicate a very distant land from Palestine.” (Orson Pratt, in Journal of Discourses, 14:9.). Now the sons of Jacob were twelve: It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. Truly, Joseph is a model to be emulated. If you find errors in my posts, feel free to comment and explain why a correction needs to be made. And how very, very significant that is! An additional lesson here shows that ancestry is not the determiner of one’s righteousness. Christ was sold for thirty pieces of silver, the price of a slave His age. One thing of interest out of all of this is that Leah was the one God chose. That is about 26 years, but you only have about 22 years from 17 year-old Joseph and 39 year-old Joseph when Jacob talks to Pharoah. If that was the case, he was taking his anger out on Bilhah by humiliating her when Rachel was no longer around as a protector or witness. We know how old Jacob was when he met with Pharoah (age 130). Elsie is from Detroit, Michigan. . (See [JST, Genesis 50:24]. What the Bible tells us about him is interesting and thought-provoking. Reuben. Whatever the case, the hand of the Lord certainly preserved Joseph from what would otherwise have been almost certain death. If that principle were to be stated negatively, it would read, “When ye are exploiting or sinning against your fellow beings, you are only sinning against God.” Joseph understood this principle perfectly and answered Potiphar’s wife by pointing out that it would be a terrible thing to take advantage of his master in this way. The phraseology in this verse is the same as that used in Genesis 37:7, 9. “This ability to turn everything into something good appears to be a godly characteristic. princeps, p. 121a; Test. In Egypt Reuben was the patriarch of the brothers, this right of rulership being transferred after his death to Simon and then to Levi (Num. 18). xxix. And when I was younger I couldn't go some places without bringing him along. Don Hooser is a minister and writer for the publications of United Church of God. Then Jacob agreed with Laban, to work another seven years for Rachel, so Laban their father gave Zilpah to Leah as a handmaiden [ she was mother of Gad and Asher for Leah... Are you asking a question and then answering it yourself or what???? removes tool for defrauded students, Publix worker's family blames policy for COVID-19 death, Burt's Bees apologizes for offensive holiday ad, Director apologizes for snarky comments made over Zoom, Cowboys strength coach suffers medical emergency, Elon Musk becomes world's 2nd richest man, What Donald Trump liked about being president. We are close now, but didn't have a great relationship until I was out of high school. Surely these matters must have been determined by the kind of lives we had lived in that premortal spirit world. You need at least four more years in this period. Second, the story shows the lineage of Judah from which the Messiah would eventually come (see Matthew 1:3; Luke 3:33). Over twenty years had passed since his brothers had sold Joseph into slavery, and yet they still felt tremendously guilty about what they had done. He showed leadership, commitment and a willingness to sacrifice as he pledged to protect Benjamin. 22), and in punishment his rights as first-born (ib. That is because age-wise, in relation to Joseph’s age of 17, the death of Isaac occurs when Joseph is in Egypt. 2,635. The disqualification of these sons would make him the rightful legal heir. Many assume that the dreams of pharaoh were beyond the scope of Egypt’s wise men and yet, in some ways, it is remarkable that these magicians could not have come up with some kind of logical explanation using their own well-known symbolism. Classical rabbinical sources argue that the birthright had included the right of his descendants (the tribe of Reuben) to become ruler over the tribes (transferred to Judah) and priests (transferred to Levi).