Canaan depends on rainfall to provide the water needed to raise crops. Egypt though, depends on the Nile River, which overflows annually and enriches the farmlands lying along its banks. Times of famine are reported in ancient Egyptian records, yet the Nile generally made Egypt famine-proof. Egyptian records show people from Syria and Palestine asking permission to stay in Egypt during times of famine and coming to Egypt to buy food.
An ancient inscription confirms that the land in Egypt was supposed to belong to Pharaoh and 20% of the crops were to belong to him. It also says that the Temple lands did not belong to Pharaoh, which meant that Egypt’s rulers were often troubled by two independent religious hierarchies. No independent Egyptian records tell the story of Joseph or explain how Pharaoh’s ownership was established.
It’s sometimes confusing – the 12 tribes of Israel are frequently mentioned in the Old Testament, yet if we compare lists there are actually 13 tribal groups. Levi is not included in some lists because this tribe provided priests and worship leaders. On other lists (such as the one in Revelation 7:5-8), Levi is included but Dan is left out. What happened is that Jacob adopted two sons of Joseph. These two sons; Manasseh and Ephraim become heads of tribal groups and the name Joseph was dropped.
It’s helpful for us to remember this if someone else is given credit for something we have done whilst our name remains unmentioned.
Genesis reminds us that it isn’t recognition that is important, but contribution. Joseph’s name may not appear in Scripture lists of Israelite tribes, but God knows. He knows that Joseph made a greater contribution than any of the other brothers.
