Jacob receives great confirmation from the Lord that the promise still stands–God will make him a great nation, and he will be able to see his son again.

The reunion of father and son must have been a magnificent sight. I can’t imagine the emotion both of them must have felt. The father, thinking the son was dead for over 20 years. The son, being estranged from his family throughout all the roller coaster ride that was his life up to this point.

As for the people of Egypt, they do survive the famine, thanks to the wisdom of Joseph. They essentially give all they have to the government in exchange for food, but shoot, that was the only way they would make it.

This section ends with Jacob deciding to bless the younger rather than the elder son of Joseph. Reminds me of someone else… hm… Jacob.

In case you didn’t pick up on this simple fact, the writer wants to be very clear: Joseph’s dreams came true. Three times in chapter 43, the text reads something to the effect, “The brothers bowed down before Joseph.”

Also, in case you start thinking that Joseph’s valleys are the result of senseless and wrongful punishment, void of any meaning, Joseph confirms three times that this was not the case. He tells his brothers, in 45:5-8, that “God sent me” for this occasion, to save his brothers, his family, the people.

All this reading of Joseph lead me to read a Psalm, number 115. In it, there’s emotion and praise. There’s mention of the power of God to do exceptional things. And I can’t help but wonder if Joseph himself didn’t quote things like what’s written in Psalm 115–after seeing the dream come true, after seeing his brothers, after seeing the vanity of Egypt’s idol worship, after recognizing the goodness of God toward him after all those years.

These two chapters summarize over 22 years of Joseph’s life:
Sold to caravan
Exalted
Wrongfully imprisoned
Exalted
Forgotten for two years
Exalted
Dream comes true
Two boys

That’s a long time. That’s a lot of difficult times. That’s a lot of valleys to go through before hitting the mountain top.

We’re going to finish the book of Genesis. This section (chapter 37 thru 50) will cover the life of Joseph.

If you pay attention in chapter 37, you’ll see that three times the author mentions that Joseph’s brothers hate him. The author mentions that the father loves him one time. And after Joseph shares his symbolic dreams with his family, his brothers grow indignant, while his father keeps the matter in mind. It reminds me of Mary keeping the sayings about Jesus in her heart.

When Jacob calls Joseph to do a task, Joseph says, “Here I am.” Again, reminds me of another story in the Bible, the story of Isaiah receiving the call from the Lord. Both guys really have no idea what is coming next after they say, “Here I am.” In both cases, difficulty follows. The point, though, is that they’re available. They are available and willing to do their Father’s work, and that is commendable. God likes that.

As for chapter 38, in the past, it always seemed like the strangest of interruptions. Why bring in Judah’s sin with Tamar in the middle of Joseph’s story? But this time, it made sense. The interruption helps us understand what’s going on in the rest of Joseph’s family. Reuben, the firstborn, had already screwed up with incestual relations. Simeon and Levi had fallen out of favor due to their slaughtering of Hamor and Shechem. Now, number 4, Judah was screwing up as well. None of them would receive the blessings of the firstborn. Not only that, but this chapter shows us the stark contrast between Joseph and all his brothers. Joseph flees immorality; his brothers plot it and walk right into it.

Finally, I hope the things that are written of Joseph in 39:2-6 can be said of me as well. I desire God’s favor and good hand to be upon me. I pray for it. I hope you do too.