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SERIES B --- A CHOSEN PEOPLE --- LESSON 19

THE STARS BOW DOWN

WHO IS THAT MAN?

From Genesis 44:14-45:3

When the brothers arrived at Joseph’s house, they fell down before him to beg for mercy. [How could you do this to me?] Joseph asked. [Didn’t you realize that I would discover that my cup was missing and know who took it?] Judah spoke for the group. [What can we say to you? And how can we help you see that we did not do this?] he told Joseph. [YHVH has discovered our sins of another time. We are your slaves, all of us.] [No,] said Joseph. [The one who had the cup will be my slave. The others may return to your father.] By saying this, Joseph was testing their loyalty to both Jacob and Benjamin. [Please let me tell you something,] Judah said. [I know you hold the power of life and death over us, so please don’t be angry with me. You asked us if we had a father or a brother. We told you that we had a father, a brother who is dead, and a younger brother at home. That young man is the only remaining child of his mother and is a special son to his father. You have told us to bring him here. We brought him because you would refuse to see us without him. But his father would die if anything happened to him. My father said to us, ‘My wife had two sons, but only one is left. The other was torn to pieces by wild animals and I have never seen him again. If something happens to this son, I will surely die of sorrow.’ The old man’s life is tied to this lad, so if I come home without him, my father will surely die. Then we will be responsible for his death. I guaranteed this lad’s safe return, so let me remain as your slave instead of him. Otherwise, how can I go home to my father, realizing all the trouble that would come to him?] The strain was too much for Joseph. He could not keep his secret any longer. [Go!] he cried out to all the Egyptians present, leaving him alone with his brothers. Then he began to cry so loudly that everyone in his house and even in Pharaoh’s house could hear him. [I am Joseph!] he cried out to his brothers. [Is my father really alive?] The brothers were so shocked at this turn of events that they couldn’t say a word. They did not know what to expect from the brother they had sold as a slave.

THE BIBLE COMES ALIVE

HOUSES IN ANCIENT EGYPT

Joseph’s youthful dream that his family would bow before him now came true. The crushed brothers, frightened at the discovery of Joseph’s cup in Benjamin’s sack, fell prostrate before the powerful ruler of Egypt. When Joseph was taken to Egypt as a slave, his home changed drastically. Back in Canaan, he had lived in a tent. In Egypt, he lived in the house of a rich man. Compared to other facets of Egyptian life, little is known about ancient Egyptian houses. A few tomb paintings picture houses, but there are almost no actual remains. What is known comes from the paintings and from a few models of houses found in tombs. Most houses in ancient Egypt were made of sun-dried mud bricks. Centuries of weather and flooding have destroyed almost all of them. The poor lived in a house of one or two rooms, with a roof made of palm trunks. These simple houses were built close together, often in a long double line. Narrow slits high in the walls gave what little light and air there was. By contrast, the houses of the rich towns were two or even three stories surrounded by a carefully landscaped den. The entire estate was enclosed by a wall. Several small latticed windows high on each story of the house were covered mat curtains that could be rolled up and down like window shades. The servants lived and worked on street level. Here they did the baking, weaving, and brewing for the household. The master and his family lived and ate on the second and third floors. The roof held storage bins, a kitchen, and even ventilators to direct breezes inside the house. Country homes of the wealthy were often very elaborate, and took up as much as an acre or more of ground. Sometimes they had several houses; one for the master, another for his wife and children, a third for servants, a separate area for guests, kitchen, and storage rooms. Balconies and outside sleeping porches were open to the usual direction of the evening breeze. Since the countryside was mostly without grass or trees, a lush and carefully tended garden flourished in the courtyard. Often shade trees were planted beside a small copper-bottomed pool, in which lotus blossoms floated and fish swam. A wide porch lined with pillars greeted visitors when they arrived, who were then taken to a central reception hall. Colourful wall hangings, carpets and rugs appeared in all the rooms. Since the sun was the only reliable source of light, it is likely that meals were scheduled accordingly. The major meal was probably eaten in the middle of the day. At sunset, which was shortly before everyone retired for the night, a small supper would be served. Visitors and family did not sit together around one table. The most important guests each had their own separate small tables or trays. The less important guests ate with their dishes on the floor. People in ancient Egypt did not eat with knives, forks and spoons. Instead, they ate with their fingers from many different bowls of various sizes. Joseph, used to a shepherd’s tent in Canaan, had much to learn when he came to Egypt.

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