At the end of chapter 46 Joseph instructs his family on what to say when they meet Pharaoh. So what do you know, in chapter 47 they followed those instructions. It is apparent now that spiritual maturity had settled in on the House of Israel. In the beginning of the story, Joseph's brothers would never have submitted to him like this. But now we find them willingly following his lead. It is amazing how God moves us to a change of heart, mind, and spirit.

Joseph told his brothers to tell Pharaoh that they were shepherds, like their fathers. So, when Pharaoh asked them they said, "...Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers" (Genesis 47:3). Then Pharaoh met with Jacob. He asked his age, and Jacob tells Pharaoh that he is 130 years old. Then Jacob blesses Pharaoh. So, Joseph then settles his family in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, verse 11. Here is more information about this land: JewishEncyclopedia.com

So, as we move on to verse 13, we get to my favorite part of this chapter. When all of the food was gone, the Egyptians came to Joseph for help. They first bought food with their money. When the money was gone they used livestock in exchange for food. Finally, when they had nothing else to barter, they used themselves. Wow! They were so desperate that they sold themselves. In verses 19-20 the Egyptians literally say, "...we will be slaves to Pharaoh."

I mean, obviously, we all know people will do anything to survive; but, I asked myself when reading this part, why not hunt or migrate to search for food? It seemed like they painted themselves in a corner of false dilemma. I can only speculate that Egypt was that great of a place or attempting to travel through the desert was much too harsh.

I know most scholars focus on how fair Joseph handled this situation. He did not take kick-backs or anything. He treated everyone the same. I just get stuck on the enslaving yourself aspect. I just cannot see a people willingly enslaving themselves in today's culture. Better yet, I cannot see it for me. I might have tried something different. Maybe, if possible, I would have tried migrating instead of slavery. But anyway, back to how the chapter ends.

We see this agreement was a decree that was still in effect when Moses penned this story. In verse 26, we see Joseph's statute that, "...Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh's." The fifth meaning the fifth of their annual harvest. The people were extremely excited about the deal. Then the next thing we see in this narrative is Jacob preparing for his death. He is one hundred and forty-seven years old by now and wants to be buried with his ancestors. After having Joseph swear to him in the traditional way during this time (placing his hand under Jacob's thigh), Joseph agrees. In the next chapter we will go into more detail about Jacob's (or Israel's) last days. In the meantime, be blessed!