Seating Arrangements
Genesis 43: 32 So they set him a
place by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by
themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat food with the Hebrews, for
that is an abomination to the Egyptians. 33 And
they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright and the
youngest according to his youth; and the men looked in astonishment at one
another. 34 Then he took servings to them from
before him, but Benjamin’s serving was five times as much as any of
theirs. So they drank and were merry with him.
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Even though Joseph was appointed governor of al of Egypt, he
was still an outsider according to the Egyptians. They set a place for him to
eat by himself and they made a spot for themselves. They set Joseph’s brothers
in another place and arranged them from oldest to youngest.
My Observations:
- Egyptians
revered themselves as smarter, stronger and more supreme than any other
race.
- Most
Hebrews were people who follow GOD and were probably viewed as strange,
but dangerous.
- Joseph
must have informed the Egyptians about his brothers ages and had them
seated accordingly.
This seating arrangement spoke volumes about the
relationship between Egyptians and the Hebrews. Eating was a special time that
could not be shared with Hebrews, according to Egyptian culture. More than
likely, a person who interacted too much with Hebrews, would be shunned and
lose their place in society.
But Joseph was a strange anomaly. He was a slave who was
placed over all of Egypt. They had to accept his commands, according to Pharaoh
who was seen as a god. They obeyed Joseph and seated his brothers according to
their age. He also gave Benjamin five times as much as any of theirs. The
brothers celebrated with Benjamin.
Challenge
- Why
does GOD tell Moses about the Egyptian seating arrangements?
- Have
you ever been made to feel less than everyone else?
- Do
you believe you are a child of GOD and you are not “less than” but made
wonderfully?
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