God’s Great Wisdom

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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. (Genesis 43:32)

There is no denying that Joseph, one of the 12 sons of Jacob (Israel), was abused and victimized by many people. These included his brothers, the Midianites who bought and sold him as a slave, his master Potiphar, Potiphar’s wife, and the baker and the butcher in prison. In their own ways, each of these did wrong to Joseph, and there were probably several more that the biblical account never mentioned.

Why? Why did God allow such terrible things to happen against Joseph? Even if we said that God did not do these things by His own hand, it is still true that God allowed them to happen. We suppose God had a purpose, but what was it?

One part of the answer is in Genesis 43:32, a verse explaining some of the dining customs of the ancient Egyptians. When Joseph invited his brothers for dinner, he ate at a place by himself. They Egyptians knew Joseph was a foreigner, so there were three tables at this dinner party. One for the Egyptians, one for the Hebrew brothers, and one for Joseph by himself.

They didn’t eat at the same table because it was an abomination to the Egyptians. According to some sources, in those ancient days, Egypt was one of the most racially separated societies on earth. The claim is that the ancient Egyptians believed that they came from the gods, and all other people came from lesser origins. Therefore, there was little social mixing with foreigners.

This is especially seen in that the Egyptians also ate…by themselves. The Egyptians would not eat with Joseph, much less the strangers from Canaan (the sons of Jacob). Even with all his status and power, Joseph could still not eat with “real” Egyptians.

Here we see the wisdom of God. Before the book of Genesis is finished, God brought the entire family of Jacob into Egypt, where they were isolated from the surrounding people for some 400 years. In that time, they multiplied greatly, increasing to the millions.

If God had allowed the family of Israel to remain in Canaan they would have simply assimilated into the corrupt and godless peoples of Canaan. God not only had to take the family of Israel out of the corrupt environment of Canaan, but He also had to put them among a racially separated people who would not often intermarry or mingle with them. God simply sent Joseph on ahead to make the arrangements.

They couldn’t see it at the time, but God had a great reason for sending Israel to Egypt. God has a great plan for your life, even in the hard times He allows. He has a good and wise reason for it all, even when you can’t see it.

Click here for David’s commentary on Genesis 43