Daily Lesson for Monday 30th of June 2025
When Jacob’s family arrived in Egypt after experiencing famine in Canaan (Genesis 46:1-34), the Egyptian king was friendly toward the Hebrews because of Joseph and all that he had done for the Egyptians.
“And Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Joseph’s hand; and he clothed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. And he had him ride in the second chariot which he had; and they cried out before him, ‘Bow the knee!’ So he set him over all the land of Egypt” (Genesis 41:41-43, NKJV).
What was the key to Joseph’s amazing success in Egypt after such a rough start? (Read Genesis 37:26-28 and Genesis 39:2,21.)
Image © The Classic Bible Art Collection – Formerly Standard Publishing at Goodsalt.com
Goodsalt.com
The most plausible historical background to the Joseph story is the following: the new ruler, in Exodus 1:8 (ESV), “who did not know Joseph,” is Ahmose (1580–1546 bc). Next came Amenhotep I (1553–1532 bc), the ruler who feared the Israelites and oppressed them. Later Thutmose I (1532–1514 bc) issued the death decree for all the Hebrew male children. His daughter Hatshepsut (1504–1482 bc) was the princess who adopted Moses to be her son. Pharaoh Thutmose III (1504–1450 bc), who was for some time coregent with Hatshepsut, was the pharaoh of the Exodus.
The Exodus occurred, according to the best calculations, in March 1450 bc (see William H. Shea, “Exodus, Date of the,” The International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, edited by Geoffrey W. Bromiley et al., vol. 2 [Grand Rapids, MI: William B. Eerdmans, 1982], Pages 230–238). To understand the time of the Exodus, study the following biblical texts: Genesis 15:13-16; Exodus 12:40-41; Judges 11:26; and 1 Kings 6:1 (see also Acts 7:6; Galatians 3:16-17).
The first chapter of Exodus covers a long period—from the time of Joseph, when his father, Jacob, with the entire family entered Egypt, to Pharaoh’s death decree. Though some debate exists over the exact number of years, what matters is that, even with His people enslaved in a foreign land, the Lord did not forget them.
That is, even though many details about the Hebrews in Egypt at that time remain hidden, at least for now (see 1 Corinthians 13:12), the revelation of God’s character still shines through the pages of this book, as it does all through Scripture. We can know that no matter how bad things seem, God is always there, and we can trust Him in whatever bad situation we find ourselves.
(1)Source: https://ssnet.org/blog/25c-01-the-historical-background/
