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If the parasha cycle was ever made into a T.V. Show this would be where the announcer goes “Last Time On…The Bible!” We continue from last week’s cliffhanger with the resolution of Joseph’s testing of his brothers. Our parasha this week is called Vayigash which translates to “And He Drew Near” and covers Genesis 44:18-47:27. This parasha demonstrates the need for forgiveness and reconciliation as well as a powerful reflection from Jacob on his life.
We continue the narrative with Judah stepping up and begging to take Benjamin’s punishment for his supposed stealing of Joseph’s cup. Judah tells the still unknown Joseph that to lose Benjamin would kill their father Jacob. Judah has shown in this situation that he is a changed man, willing to take the punishment for Jacob’s other favorite son.
At this display of selflessness Joseph can no longer maintain his ruse. Chapter 45 begins with the dismissal of all his servants. With the room cleared Joseph wept loudly, loud enough that all the dismissed servants could still hear him and said “I am Joseph! Is my father still alive?” His first concern was for the wellbeing of his father. The brothers were unable to say anything, stunned by this revelation of their brother now alive and in such a position of power. Joseph tells them to draw near and that he will supply their return trip to Jacob and that they need to bring all their belongings and family with them to Egypt where he promises to take care of them all. After giving these instructions, Joseph falls on Benjamin weeping and Benjamin does the same. The other brothers are not recorded as weeping but rather just talk to Joseph, still holding themselves back.
No doubt the brothers were incredibly scared that Joseph was about to exact punishment for the way they treated him and sold him into slavery. They knew that Joseph would be within his rights to bring his judgment against them. Joseph though has no desire for revenge, having made his peace with their sin and understanding his life from a perspective greater than his own. He tells his brothers that they should not be scared because while they had sinned, the Lord had used them for the preservation of many lives through the famine, sending Joseph before them for the preservation of their family.
In this situation we see a family torn apart by human desires and issues restored. Even the narration of Moses reflects this fact, the brothers of Joseph are called once again his brothers, no longer “the men” that we saw in Genesis 43. Joseph, who was close to the Lord, knew it was time to reach out and reconcile with his family. While his brothers were still stuck in the past, worried that Joseph was going to exact his revenge, Joseph was focused on the present and the future, reflected in his immediate concern for his father, and for their surviving the famine.
Forgiveness and reconciliation are major themes throughout scripture. The Lord desires all of us to live in harmony with one another, to forgive one another and reconcile when possible. But life is not simple and as fallen human beings we receive and give out emotional wounds. Families in particular are a breeding ground for these issues, and while we might not sell our siblings into slavery, many of us have hurt our family members, parents, spouses, children, and others, and/or been on the receiving end of such treatment.
But the Lord does not want us to stay in this state of pain and disharmony. Messiah Yeshua taught to forgive our family, our enemies, and one another, reconciling wherever possible. In His prayer that He gave us as a model, there is a humbling statement for the believer; that if the Lord is gracious enough to forgive us our sins and transgressions, we need to do the same to others. For some of us this may seem impossible, but with the Lord all things are possible. With the power of the Holy Spirit we can deal with these painful wounds.
This is a very personal issue for many of us, myself included. But the Lord really is able to heal us, to give us a heart that is willing to forgive and to build bridges. I’ve seen it in my own life, even in this past year in amazing ways. He is there for healing in your life as well, in His time, if you let Him work within you.
But there is more to this parasha so let us continue with Genesis 45 with the Pharaoh instructing the brothers to be given great provisions for their journey. When they eventually reach Jacob, he cannot believe that Joseph, his son he had mourned so many years for, was still alive. Finally convinced, the spirit of Jacob revives and he agrees to go to Egypt, so he can see Joseph one last time before he dies.
On their journey Jacob or Israel, reaches the familiar place of Beersheba, home to many encounters with the Lord, and the last stop before he would once again leave the Promise Land. At this place he offers sacrifices to the Lord, who comes to Israel in a night vision assuring him that He would go as well to Egypt, that He would bring Jacob back to the Promise Land, and that that Joseph would be with him when the time came for him to die.
This reassurance by the Lord was important for Jacob because he knew he was leaving the land given to him by the Lord, and did not want to defy Him in any way. He was also probably aware of the Lord’s instruction to his father Isaac to avoid the land of Egypt.
When they had reached Egypt, Jacob sent Judah to escort Joseph to their current location. Joseph then arrived and fell weeping onto his father for a good while, and Jacob was now satisfied to die. Joseph then presented his brothers before Pharaoh who gave them good land for shepherds, and then finally Jacob was presented before Pharaoh as well.
This is a very unique and important passage in scripture recorded in Genesis 47:7-9:
“Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.”
The discussion of Jacob’s age is part of the respect for elders in these cultures and the understanding that a long life was a sign of blessing. The parasha ends with Jacob and his family being settled and Joseph gaining great wealth for Pharaoh through the famine. But there is an incredibly powerful moment of candor and reflection from Jacob as he reflects on his life to Pharaoh. He states that his years are few and evil, that they did not reach the days of his fathers. Jacob got everything he asked for in life; the blessing, marriage to Rachel, children, and great wealth. Yet each of these things was a source of struggle and pain for him, starting in the womb with Esau and progressing throughout the rest of his life. Instead of bringing him great pleasure and joy most of what he received brought him pain, the loss of Joseph being the final most painful wound.
There is some deep truth to the words of Jacob that resonate with me and perhaps you as well. The days of our lives pass by so very quickly and too many are a struggle. But Jacob had a focus beyond just this life. While Jacob was ready to die he did not ever give up on God. He continued to live in the land he was promised as a stranger and throughout his days he still looked forward to the future.
This focus on the future is something the writer of the letter to the Messianic Jews discusses in Hebrews 11. Jacob and Joseph both walked by faith, and Jacob knew he was a stranger on this Earth. Jacob desired something better and it is for this reason the Lord identifies himself as the God of Jacob, because He is not ashamed to be called his God and has prepared a heavenly city for him.
Vayigash is a fitting name for a parasha focused on coming together. The Lord also desires us to draw near to Him through Messiah Yeshua. Through the Son of God there is healing like Joseph experienced, and amazing promises of future blessing, like Jacob trusted in. If you have not yet entered into a relationship with the Lord, make it this day. May the Lord, the healer of the broken, the God of our father Jacob, give us true Shalom, true peace and wholeness that comes from knowing He has good plans for our lives, having a real and personal relationship with Him, and knowing by faith we will see Joseph and Jacob in the heavenly city He has prepared for us.