A Review and A Preview

 

In our last episode, Joseph: The Grand Finale, Part 2, we brought the curtain down on Act 1, Scene 2 of God’s One Big Story. In that scene, we met the four men—the Four Patriarchs—who were most responsible for the creation of the nation of Israel, God’s Future Wife.  And it was there that we learned it was…

• • With Abraham that God entered into a Marriage Covenant for Abraham’s future descendants;
  • Through Isaac that God’s Covenantal Promises were realized;
  • To Jacob that the Twelve Sons who would make up the future nation were born; and,
  • Because of Joseph that the nascent nation was removed from the wicked culture in Canaan and set apart in the land of Goshen in Egypt, the place where they would grow both in numbers and in maturity.

In this episode, before previewing the attractions coming up in Act 1, Scene 3—A Long Engagement, a Short Honeymoon—we will be reviewing these important elements of our Story…

• • The essentials of the Ancient Jewish Wedding Tradition, which provides the format for this story;
  • The Big Story Picture and where we are in it now; and,
  • Where this part of the story is in Time.

 

An Overview of the Story So Far

 The Essentials of the Ancient Jewish Wedding Tradition—

Since the One Big Story of the Bible is the Story of God’s love relationship with the nation of Israel, it was formatted according to the Ancient Jewish Wedding Tradition, a tradition made up of three distinct phases…

1. 1. The Negotiation or Arrangement Phase—when the Father of the Groom, his agent, or Son, enter into negotiations with the family of a prospective Bride, and they work out the details of a marriage contract between the two parties.
   2. The Betrothal Phase—the period of time between the successful negotiation of a marriage contract and the actual wedding. Once both parties have agreed to the contract, the Groom returns to his Father’s house and begins preparing a place for His Bride to live and the Bride begins preparing the garments for her wedding day.
   3. The Marriage/Consummation Phase—when the Father is satisfied that His Son’s preparations are complete, He gives permission for His Son to return for His Bride and carry her away to His Father’s house, where the marriage will be consummated and a great feast will be held in celebration of the event.

 

The Big Story Picture and Where We Are Now–

When Scene #3 opens, the Betrothal Period between God and Israel (initiated when God and Abraham ratified the terms of their Marriage Contract for Israel in Genesis 15) comes to an end as Moses, acting as the human agent for God, comes to Egypt to deliver Israel from her bondage and whisk her away to her wedding with God on Mount Sinai.

 

 

Where This Part of the Story is in Time—

When Scene #2 ended, Joseph and his brothers had reconciled completely, and they and their many descendants were living peaceful and prosperous lives in Egypt.  Joseph had died at 110 years of age and was embalmed, in preparation for the time when his bones would one day be carried back for burial in the Promised Land.  A lot of time had passed since his death but since no specifics were given in this passage as to how much time that was, we can—using information gathered from other parts of scripture—make some educated guesses.

In 1 Kings 6:1, we learn that the 4^th year of Solomon’s reign—966 BC—was 480 years after the Exodus, so 966+480=1446, making that the year of the Exodus; and, from Exodus 12:40-41, we learn that the Israelites lived in Egypt 430 years.  Adding these numbers up—1446+430—gives us a date of 1876 BC–the year that Jacob and his sons went down to Egypt.  At that time, Jacob was 130 years old, Joseph was 40 and had already been in Egypt for 23 years….

• • Since Joseph was about 17 (1899 BC) when he was sold into slavery, this would give him a birthdate of 1916 BC.
  • He was 30 (1886 BC) when he was miraculously released from prison and elevated to the position of Grand Vizier.
  • 1886 BC, then, was when the 7 good years began (1886-1879 BC), with the 7 years of famine following from 1879-1872 BC.
  • His brothers first visit to Egypt was most likely in the second year of the famine (1878 BC), and their second visit was in 1877 BC (as there were still five years of famine left, according to Genesis 45:6 & 11).
  • With a birthdate of 1916 BC and with Joseph dying at 110, this would give us a death date of 1806 BC for him. This places Joseph’s life within the Twelfth Dynasty of the Middle Kingdom of Egypt, which lasted from 1991 BC to 1786 BC.[1]

Considering all of that, this is what the political situation in Egypt would have looked like during the lifetimes of Jacob and Joseph…

 

 

Based on these calculations, when the curtain finally rises again on Act 1, Scene 3 of our story, approximately 380 years will have passed since the death of Joseph. A whole new dynasty will have come to power and the memory of all that Joseph had done in service to Egypt will have been forgotten. This new generation of Egyptian leaders will possess a completely different attitude toward the descendants of Israel–no longer viewing them as a blessing but as a potential threat. That’s because the seventy descendants of Jacob who had originally come to live in the land will now have multiplied to well over a million people–something that will cause the Pharaohs during Moses’ lifetime a great deal of concern.

That being said, here is what the political situation in Egypt would have looked like during the time of Moses and the Exodus…

 

 

Of course, this being the briefest of previews, there is still so much more to learn about this volatile situation and the critical role that it will play in our story. So be sure to check back soon for our next episode, Moses–An Unlikely Deliverer–when Act 1, Scene 3–A Long Engagement, a Short Honeymoon–actually gets underway!

 

[1] Eugene H. Merrill, Kingdom of Priests: A History of Old Testament Israel, (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1987), 48-51.