DISCOURSE LV. JOSEPH'S CONDUCT IN THE SETTLEMENT OF HIS BRETHREN, AND IN THE AFFAIRS OF EGYPT. Gen. xlvii. VER. 1, 2. JOSEPH, having adjusted matters with his father and his brethren, with respect to their appearance before the king, takes with him five of the latter, and introduces them. His object is not merely a compliance with the rules of respect which were proper on such an occasion, but to obtain for them a residence in Goshen, where they might pursue their usual avocations, and be near unto him. To this end he mentions that they were then in that part of the country with their flocks and their herds; hoping that this might induce the king to consent to their continuance there. Ver. 3, 4. The young men appearing before Pharaoh, he asks them, as Joseph supposed he would, what was their occupation. A very proper question to be put by a magistrate to young men at any time; but the object in this case seems to have been to ascer tain what posts in the state they were qualified to fill. He took it for granted that they were of some lawful calling; and every government has a right to require that those who enjoy its protection, should not be mere vagrants, but by their industry conVOL. V. 48 tribute in some way to the public good. Their answer accords with their previous instructions: they were shepherds, both they and their fathers. To this they added what was their wish, if it might please the king, which was, not to be naturalized, but merely to sojourn for a season in the country, with their flocks and their herds, which were starved out by the severity of the famine in their own land. This language implies their faith in the divine promises; for they that say such things declare plainly that they seek another country. It would also tend to second the endeavours of Joseph, in removing from the king's mind all thoughts of promoting them to places of honour, and obtaining for them a residence in Goshen. Their answer concludes with an express petition for this object. Ver. 5, 6. Pharaoh, turning himself to Joseph, with much politeness and frankness, thus addressed him: Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: the land of Egypt is before thee. In the best of the land, in the land of Goshen, seeing they prefer it, let them dwell. And as to promoting them, it does not seem to suit their calling or their inclinations, to be raised in the manner which I might have proposed on their behalf: I will therefore leave it to you to make them happy in their own way. If there be one or more of them better qualified for business than the rest, let them be appointed chief of my herdsmen.' Ver. 7-10. The grand object being accomplished, all hearts are at rest, and now Joseph introduces to the king his aged father; not upon business, but merely in a way of respect. When the young men were presented, they stood before him; but Jacob, in honour of his years, and in compassion to his infirmities, is placed upon a seat. The first object that meets his eyes is Pharaoh, sitting in his royal robes before him. The sight of a prince who had shown such kindness to him and his, in a time or distress, calls forth the most lively sensations of gratitude, which he is prompted to express by a solemn blessing! How befitting, and how affecting is this! It was reckoned by the Apostle as a truth beyond all contradiction, that the less is blessed of the better, or greater. In one respect Pharaoh was greater than Jacob; but in another, Jacob was greater than he; and Jacob knew it, and thought it no presumption to act upon such a principle. He was a son of Abraham, whose peculiar honour it was, that he and his posterity should be blessings to mankind: I will bless thee, and thou shalt be a blessing. He was also himself a man who, as a prince, had power with God and men, and prevailed. The blessing of such a man was of no small account; for God suffered not the words of his servants to fall to the ground. It would seem at first sight, as if Pharaoh was not struck with the blessing, but merely with the venerable aspect of the man, and therefore proceeded to inquire his age but I incline to think he was chiefly struck with the former. He must have perceived a wide difference between this, and any thing he had ever met with from the Egyptian sages, something heavenly and divine: and as the steward appeared to be well acquainted with the religion of the family, telling the brethren that their God and the God of their father, had given them the treasure in their sacks; (Chap. xliii. 23.) so we may suppose was Pharaoh himself. He would see also in this solemn blessing, in which Jacob no doubt made use of the name of the Lord, something perfectly correspondent with what might have been expected from the father of a man in whom was the spirit of God. If he felt the force of these things, it would overcome him, and render him scarcely able to speak; and hence it would be natural, in order to recover himself, to turn the conversation upon a less affecting topic, inquiring, How old art thou? The answer to this question is very pathetic and impressive: The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hun dred and thirty years; few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. We have a comment upon this answer, in Heb. xi. 13, 14, where it is called a confession, and its implication is insisted on: They that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. We may see in it a charming example of spirituality, and how such a state of mind will find a way of introducing religion, even in answer to the most simple and common questions. We go into the company of a great man, and come away without once thinking of introducing religion nay it would seem to us almost rude to attempt it. But wherefore? Because of our want of spiritual-mindedness. If our spirits were imbued with a sense of divine things, we should think of the most common concerns of life in a religious way; and so thinking of them, it would be natural to speak of them. Jacob, in answer to this simple question, introduces several important truths, and that without any force or awkwardness. He insinuates to Pharaoh, that he and his fathers before him were strangers and pilgrims upon the earth; that their portion was not in this world, but in another; that the life of man, though it extended to a hundred and thirty years, was but a few days; that those few days were mixed with evil; all which, if the king properly reflected on it, would lead him to set light by the earthly glory with which he was loaded, and to seek a crown which fadeth not away. It is admirable to see how all these sentiments could be suggested in so prudent, so modest, so natural, and so inoffensive a manner. If Pharaoh was affected with Jacob's blessing him, and wished by his question to turn the conversation to something less tender, he would be in a manner disappointed. He is now in company with a man, who, talk on what he will, will make him feel; and yet it shall be in a way that cannot hurt him; for he says nothing about him, but speaks merely of himself. Having thus made a suitable confession, the patriarch, whose heart was full, could not take leave of the king without repeating his solemn blessing. Whether Pharaoh ever saw him again, we are not told: but if what was then said had a proper effect, he would remember this interview as one of the most interesting events of his life. Ver. 11, 12. Joseph having obtained the consent of the king, places his father and his brethren in the situation he intended, and there continued to nourish and cherish them, as a little child is nourished. And thus he is made, more than at the birth of Manasseh, to forget all his toil, and all the distresses which he had met with in his father's house. Ver. 13-26. The sacred writer informs us as a matter by the bye, of the state of things in Egypt, during the remaining five years of famine, under Joseph's administration. The famine was so sore in the land, that to purchase the necessaries of life, the inhabitants first parted with all their money,; and not only they, but the countries adjacent: so that the king's treasury became greatly enriched. And when money failed, their cattle were required; and last of all their lands, and their persons, save only that the lands of their priests, or princes, were not sold for being, according to the laws of the country, considered as a part of the royal household, they were not under the necessity of selling their estates, but were participants of all the advantages which Pharaoh derived by Joseph. : This part of Joseph's conduct has been thought by some, very exceptionable, as tending to reduce a nation to poverty and slavery. I am not sure that it was entirely right, though the parties concerned appear to have cast no reflection upon him.* If it were not, it only proves that Joseph, though a good and great man, yet was not perfect. But difference of time and circumstances may render us incompetent to judge of his conduct with accuracy. The following remarks, if they do not wholly exculpate him from blame, may at least serve greatly to extenuate the evil of his conduct. (1.) He does not appear to have been employed by the country, but by the king only, and that for himself. He did not buy up corn during the plentiful years, at the public expense, but at that of the king, paying the people the full price for their commodities, and, as it would seem, out of the king's private purse. (2.) If the Egyptians had believed the word of God, as the king did, they had the same opportunity, and might have laid by grain enough, each family for itself, during the seven plentiful years, fully to have supplied their own wants during the years of famine. But it seems they paid no regard to the dreams, nor to the interpretation, any more than the antediluvians did to the preparations of Noah. All the plenty which had been poured upon them, according as Joseph had foretold, did not convince *No prince ever obtained arbitrary power so fairly, yet perhaps it laid the foundation for the subsequent oppression of Israel. R. |