Genesis 46:1-47:27

Chapter 46
Was Beersheba a significant place in Jacob’s life? (1a)
--Abraham (Gen. 21:33), Isaac (Gen. 26:25) & Jacob had all had significant moments there
Why do you think Jacob stopped to offer sacrifices? (1b-4)
--It was a difficult thing to leave the land of promise (Gen. 35:12)
How large was ‘Israel’ when they went to Egypt? (5-27)
--70
Who has emerged as the leader amongst the brothers? (28a)
--Judah
Can you imagine the re-union between Jacob & Joseph? (29b-30)
What is the significance of the fact that they were shepherds? (31-34)
--They would have their own land and some freedom of religion

Chapter 47
Why did Joseph select 5 brothers to be presented to Pharaoh? (1-4)
--I don't know, maybe they were the most mature (least likely to mess things up)
If Goshen was the best land, why didn’t the Egyptians live there? (5-6)
--Maybe it was only the 'best' for shepherding
Why did Pharaoh ask Jacob’s age? (7-12)
--Sign of respect
Was Joseph un-ethical to require such payments? (13-19)
--Actually, it was very charitable to allow these people to keep 80%.
Was this the beginning of ‘big government’? (20-26)
--This was a slave state and only had 20% tax. We live in the land of the free and have a higher tax rate than this. Pharaoh/Joseph had the rights to all, but they let the people keep 80%. It is an interesting comparison to God, who owns all that we have, but allows us to keep such a high percentage.
How did God use Israel’s time in Egypt? (27)
--He grew their numbers

*Verse 25 is a great example of how we should respond to salvation with service