Genesis 48:10

Genesis 48:10 says, Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them.  Israel's eyes were getting dim, much like Isaac's were when he blessed Israel, or Jacob as he was known then  Verse eleven states,  And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.  Israel told Joseph that he had not thought that he would ever see him again, but now he was seeing not only Joseph but Joseph's children as well.  Sometimes, things that seem impossible with the world are very possible with God.  Verse twelve says, And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.  I guess that the boys were clinging to Joseph, but he brought them out to present to Israel.  When it comes to meeting Christ, we cannot hide behind our parents or anyone else.  We must come before Him face to face,  Verse thirteen says, And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him.  Ephraim was on Israel's left hand side and Manasseh was on his right.  Verse fourteen declares, And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.  This would not have been the natural way for Israel to reach out to them, but he willingly chose the manner in which he would bless them.  Again, we may not make much out of blessings and birth order, but some cultures do.  Fortunately for us, God doesn't.  All are blessed equally.  Verse fifteen adds, And he blessed Joseph, and said, God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God which fed me all my life long unto this day,  Israel then asked God to bless Joseph.  He identified God as the God of Abraham and Isaac Who had blessed him all his life.  As followers of Christ, we need to let others know that the God that we follow is the One God of all time.  Verse sixteen says, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.  Israel asked that God continue to fulfill His promise through Ephraim and Manasseh.  We can be certain that God will continue to work through our children if they accept the blessing of salvation through Christ.  Verse seventeen declares,  And when Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand upon the head of Ephraim, it displeased him: and he held up his father's hand, to remove it from Ephraim's head unto Manasseh's head.  Joseph attempted to change Israel's hand from Ephraim to Manasseh's head.  He was displeased with the order in which Israel we blessing them, since the birth order was wrong.  We cannot demand that God bless our children in a particular order.  Verse eighteen states, And Joseph said unto his father, Not so, my father: for this is the firstborn; put thy right hand upon his head. Verse nineteen adds, And his father refused, and said, I know it, my son, I know it: he also shall become a people, and he also shall be great: but truly his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his seed shall become a multitude of nations.  Israel refused to change the order, because he said that the younger would become greater thane the older, much like with Esau and himself.  We cannot demand that God works in a particular order in the lives of our children.  Verse twenty states, And he blessed them that day, saying, In thee shall Israel bless, saying, God make thee as Ephraim and as Manasseh: and he set Ephraim before Manasseh.  Israel asked God to bless them both.  All we can ever do is to ask God's blessing on our children and that they come to Christ for salvation.  Verse twenty-one continues, And Israel said unto Joseph, Behold, I die: but God shall be with you, and bring you again unto the land of your fathers.  Israel told Joseph that he would die, but that God would be with Joseph and bring him again to the land of his fathers.  Even if we die, God will bring us safely to our heavenly home.  Verse twenty-two concludes, Moreover I have given to thee one portion above thy brethren, which I took out of the hand of the Amorite with my sword and with my bow.  Israel was still showing favoritism to Joseph.  We really should never do that with our children.

Genesis 48:1

Genesis 48:1 says, And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  Joseph received word that his father was sick, so he took his sons to Jacob.  He may have just wanted his son's and himself to be able to say good-bye.  Still, I believe that God had more in mind, as He often does when we do certain things today.  Verse two states, And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. Someone also told Judah, or Israel, that Joseph was coming, and his strength was revived.  This is not unheard of today, where someone who is old and ill will revive when family comes around.  Verse three adds, And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me,  We could say that Jacob was now sharing his personal testimony with Joseph.  Had Joseph not been sold into slavery, maybe Jacob would have done so before, but I have to wonder why Jacob had not done so before that.  As followers of Christ, we should tell our children about our coming to faith in Christ as soon as they are able to understand what it means and not wait until we are on our death bed.  Verse four continues, And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.  Jacob, or Israel, continued to tell Joseph about God's promises.  God would make a great nation of Israel's descendants and it was an everlasting promise.  As followers of Christ, God makes us a part of His great nation and it is an everlasting promise.  Verse five states, And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.  Jacob basically said that Joseph's two sons would be considered just as much a part of God's promise as his own sons, even though they were born in Egypt.  As followers of Christ, we are all equal heirs with each other, no matter where we were born or who our parents are.  Verse six declares, And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance.  Jacob was just once again stating that Joseph's sons would be a part of God's promise.  Of course, we cannot make our children a part of God's family.  We can only point them to Christ.  Verse seven adds, And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.  Israel told Joseph about the death of his mother.  Verse eight states, And Israel beheld Joseph’s sons, and said, Who are these?  I believe that we would have to assume that Israel was having memory problems at this time, since he had just declared Joseph's sons to be a part of God's promise to him.  Verse nine concludes, And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them.  Israel told Jacob to bring his sons to him and he would bless them.  We can only bring our children to Christ, and if they accept Him as their Savior and Lord, then God will bless them.

Genesis 47:21

Genesis 47:21 says, And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof.  Joseph moved the people to the cities.  If the land was unproductive, there was no sense in having to go all over the country to feed them.  As followers of Christ, we need not remain in a place where we are spiritually desolate, but need to come to where God can offer us spiritual nourishment.  Verse twenty-two declares, Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands.  The land of the priests was not bought, and Pharaoh gave them their portion of food.  There should always be a difference between what is dedicated to God's use and what is not, and we as Christians should always support those who are set apart doing God's work, such as preachers and missionaries.  The land of the priests was not productive, but God through Pharaoh provided for their needs.  Verse twenty-three declares, Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones.  Joseph told the people that he had bought them and their land, but he was going to give them seed to sow.  This would be for when the draught was over.  He then told them that a fifth of what they harvested would belong to Pharaoh.  When we become a follower of Christ, I believe that God will bless us with enough to meet our needs, but everything we have really belongs to Him.  I believe that we should also set aside a portion of what God blesses us with to support those who are doing His work, again preachers, missionaries, and such.  Verse twenty-five states, And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.  The people told Joseph that he had saved their lives and that if they could find mercy in his sight that they would be Pharaoh's servants.  We, as followers of Christ, have found mercy with God and He has saved our lives spiritually, so we should likewise be willing to serve Him.  Verse twenty-six says, And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh’s.  Joseph made it a law that a fifth of everything the people produced would go to Pharaoh, except for what the priests produced.  God has asked of His people a tenth of what they produce to be set aside for His work, and the reward is much greater.  Verse twenty-seven declares,  And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly.  Israel and his family lived in the land of Goshen and grew and multiplied exceedingly.  This was what God had promised Abraham all those years ago.  God's promises will always come true, even if it is years after they are made.  Verse twenty-eight adds, And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years.  Jacob lived long enough to see God's promise being fulfilled, but not long enough to return to the Promised Land.  We may not live long enough to see God's promises fulfilled in this lifetime, but we can rest assured that His promises will be fulfilled.  Verse twenty-nine adds, And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt:  Before Jacob died, he had Joseph promise to not bury him in Egypt.  Verse thirty continues, But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said.  Jacob wanted to be buried with his fathers, or ancestors.  Though I don't believe that it matters much where our final resting place is in this world, I believe that as followers of Christ we will ultimately be called out of this world to live with our brothers and sisters in Christ in His Promised Land.  Verse thirty-one states, And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed’s head.  Jacob wanted to be certain that Joseph would carry out his promise.  Though Joseph had the ability to fail to keep his promise, God never will fail to keep His.

Genesis 47:11

Genesis 47:11 says, And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.  Joseph gave his family land in Egypt.  Not only did Joseph give them land, but he gave them some of the best of the land as Pharaoh had instructed him to.  When we become followers of Christ, God gives us the best home, one that is everlasting, though it may be many years before we get there.  We can also be certain that what God gives us no one has the authority or power to take away.  Verse twelve states, And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.  Joseph provided bread for his family, according to their needs.  We are not told that he gave fine delicacies, but bread.  We are promised that God will give us our daily bread, but too often we think we need steak.  Verse thirteen proclaims, And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.  The famine was in its second year when Joseph's family arrived, and it continued to get worse.  Verse fourteen states, And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.  Joseph gathered all the money in the land and brought it to Pharaoh's house.  Money was of little value or use to the people when they were starving.  Without Christ as their Savior and Lord, people are spiritually starving today, but often they would rather continue to starve spiritually than to surrender everything to God.  We cannot allow the things of this world to become more important than our relationship with God.  Verse fifteen adds, And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth.  When the people ran out of money, they came to Joseph and asked why they should just starve because they had no more money.  Verse sixteen states,  And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.  Joseph told the people if they ran out of money, then they could trade their cattle for the bread.  We are fortunate that we don't have to bargain with God for salvation, but like the people with Joseph then, we must not attempt to hang on to the things of this world feeling that they are more important than our relationship with God.  Verse seventeen says, And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year.  Joseph provided for the people and their animals for a year.  Verse eighteen adds, When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands:  The people came to Joseph the next year and said that all they had left was their land and themselves.  Eventually, if we are to become followers of Christ, we must acknowledge that all we can offer God of value is our self.  Verse nineteen continues, Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.  The people said they would give their land and themselves to Pharauh for bread.  I guess some would say that Joseph was being somewhat mercenary in his actions, but he was offering the people life instead of death.  There are people today who say that God demands too much when He wants them to give up everything and serve Him, but He offers them the only way to everlasting life.  Then, when a person accepts Christ as Savior and Lord, He promises to meet that person's needs forever.  Verse twenty declares, And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.  Pharaoh and not Joseph, eventually owned all the land.  Like Joseph with Pharaoh, we are simply representatives of God if we are followers of Christ and should never attempt to enrich ourselves because of our relationship with Him.

Genesis 47:1

Genesis 47:1 says, Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.  Though Joseph had invited his family to come to the safety of Egypt, Pharaoh was still in charge and Joseph needed Pharaoh's agreement, or blessing, for them to stay.  We can bring people to the safety of salvation, but God is still the Only One Who can grant them salvation.  Fortunately, God stands ready to forgive everyone who comes to Him by faith and grant them an everlasting home in heaven.  Verse two says, And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.  Joseph took five of his brothers with him to meet Pharaoh.  To continue the analogy with God, we must all come before Him for salvation and not just a part of our family.  Verse three declares, And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.  Pharaoh asked the brothers what their occupation was, and they said that they and their father were shepherds.  This was a lowly occupation to Pharaoh.  When we come to Christ, we can only come as lowly, unworthy sinners.  Verse four says, They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.  The brothers told Pharaoh why they had come.  There was a famine in Canaan, and then flocks would starve if they stayed there.  When someone comes to Christ, that person may be rich in the eyes of the world, but they are still in a spiritual famine and will die without hope without accepting Him as Savior and Lord.  Verse five declares,  And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:  Pharaoh asked Joseph if his father and brother had come to Joseph for help.  Then verse six adds, The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.  Pharaoh told Joseph that his brothers could live in the land of Goshen, and if he felt that any of them were qualified to put them in charge of his cattle as well.  I believe that this was so much more than what the brothers hoped for and deserved, and when we come to Christ, He gives us so much more than we deserve or could even hope for.  Just as with Joseph's brothers, God will also give us a purpose in his kingdom other than just sitting back and enjoying our salvation while awaiting Christ's return.  Verse seven states, And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.  Joseph brought his father before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed pharaoh, or more accurately asked God's blessing on Pharaoh.  Though Jacob stood before Pharaoh, who had all the earthly power, Jacob was God's representative in the world.  No matter how powerful a person may be in the world today, if we stand before them as followers of Christ, we need to ask God's blessing on them.  Verse eight asks, And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou?  Jacob evidently appeared to be very old, so this would have been a common question.  Verse nine declares, Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.  Jacob referred to his life as a pilgrimage, and said that he had not been on his pilgrimage as long as his fathers, or ancestors, had lived on their pilgrimage.  We, as followers of Christ, are on a pilgrimage in this life, as is anyone else who is a follower of Christ.  Jacob said his pilgrimage had been full of evil days.  We may look at the world today as a place filled with evil, but we must continue on our pilgrimage with Christ.  Verse ten adds, And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.  Once again, Jacob blessed Pharaoh, then he left Pharaoh's presence.  Since this blessing would really be from God, it was up to Pharaoh what he would do with the blessing.  Likewise, we can bring people to the blessing of God's salvation, but it is up to them what they will do with it.

Genesis 46:28

Genesis 46:28 says, And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen.  Israel sent Judah ahead to Joseph.  I am not sure how Judah became the spokesman for the brothers, but he seemed to have taken this responsibility, though I don't believe that he felt he was more important than the other brothers.  They had been in a bad situation when Judah had begun speaking for them, and when we as Christians find ourselves in a bad situation, someone needs to have the courage to speak up.  Judah was to tell Joseph to meet them at Goshen.  Verse twenty-nine states, And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.  Though Israel and his family were traveling in wagons, Joseph took a chariot to meet them.  Joseph didn't take the chariot because it was an implement of war, but because it was faster.  Joseph could have demanded that they come to him, but he was impatient to see them.  When we come to Christ, He meets us where we are.  God could demand that we meet all the requirements of His law before we come to Him, but He meets us where we are through our faith in Christ.  This does not mean that God is any less in charge, but God loves every person so much that He does not simply sit back and wait for a person to come to Him, but He reaches out to everyone with His love.  Then, it is up to each person whether or not he or she will accept that love.  Israel and his family still weren't all the way to the safety of Egypt, just as we are not all the way to spiritual safety until we accept Christ as our personal Savior.  Verse thirty declares,  And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.  Israel was ready to just die where he was because he had seen Joseph again.  That would have been a sad outcome, not only for Israel, but for the rest of his family, and I believe for Joseph in particular.  When someone stops just short of salvation, it is a sad thing, not only for those who are related to them, but it should also for all those who are followers of Christ as well.  Verse thirty-one proclaims, And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;  Joseph told his brothers and his father that he would go before them to Pharaoh and tell him who they were.  Just as Joseph went to Pharaoh, Jesus goes to the heavenly Father on our behalf, so we no longer have a reason to be afraid of God.  Verse thirty-two adds, And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.  Joseph said he would explain to Pharaoh that they were shepherds and therefore Pharaoh had no reason to be concerned about their intentions.  Joseph said that he would tell Pharaoh that they had brought their flocks and herds and everything that they had with them.  When we come to Christ, we can only come humbly and should bring everything that we have to God.  Just as Pharaoh was still in power over Israel and his family, and that includes Joseph, so is God in power, or authority, over all who accept Christ.  Verse thirty-three adds, And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?  Joseph asked them what they were going to say was their occupation when they were called before Pharaoh.  Joseph was not attempting to fool Pharaoh, but was simply asking his family to be honest about who they were.  Likewise, when we come to Christ, we must come with the honest statement of who we are, which is simply a sinner in need of being saved by the grace of God.  Verse thirty-four concludes, That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.  Joseph told them to be truthful about who they were, and he would ask that they be allowed to live in the land of Goshen.  When we come to Christ for salvation, we must come honestly and we will continue to live where we are, which is in this old sinful world, until such a time that God will call us home to heaven.

Genesis 46:8

Genesis 46:8 says, And these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn.  The next several verses are simply a genealogy of Jacob's children and grandchildren, starting here with Reuben.  Verse nine states, And the sons of Reuben; Hanoch, and Phallu, and Hezron, and Carmi.  Verse ten says, And the sons of Simeon; Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman.  Shaul evidently had a different mother, a Canaaninte woman.  Verse eleven states, And the sons of Levi; Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.  Verse twelve says, And the sons of Judah; Er, and Onan, and Shelah, and Pharez, and Zerah: but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Pharez were Hezron and Hamul.  We are told that Judah's oldest sons died and are given the names of two of Judah's grandsons.  Verse thirteen states, And the sons of Issachar; Tola, and Phuvah, and Job, and Shimron.  Verse fourteen says, And the sons of Zebulun; Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel.  Verse fifteen adds, These be the sons of Leah, which she bare unto Jacob in Padanaram, with his daughter Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were thirty and three.  These were Leah's sons, and also there was Dinah, her daughter.  Jacob had a total of thirty-three children and grandchildren with Leah.  Verse sixteen says, And the sons of Gad; Ziphion, and Haggi, Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli.  Verse seventeen declares, And the sons of Asher; Jimnah, and Ishuah, and Isui, and Beriah, and Serah their sister: and the sons of Beriah; Heber, and Malchiel.  Then verse eighteen adds, These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls.  Jacob had sixteen children and grandchildren with Zilpah, Leah's handmaiden.  Verse nineteen states, The sons of Rachel Jacob’s wife; Joseph, and Benjamin.  Then verse twenty adds, And unto Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, which Asenath the daughter of Potipherah priest of On bare unto him.  Though Joseph was in Egypt, and his sons were born to the daughter of a priest of On, they were still Jacob's descendants.  Verse twenty-one says, And the sons of Benjamin were Belah, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.  We may think of Benjamin as a young man, but he was grown with ten sons at this time.  Verse twenty-two states, These are the sons of Rachel, which were born to Jacob: all the souls were fourteen.  Jacob had fourteen children and grandchildren with Rachel.  Verse twenty-three says, And the sons of Dan; Hushim.  Verse twenty-four says, And the sons of Naphtali; Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and Shillem.  Verse twenty-five adds, These are the sons of Bilhah, which Laban gave unto Rachel his daughter, and she bare these unto Jacob: all the souls were seven.  Jacob had a total of seven children and grandchildren with Bilhah, Rachel's handmaiden.  Verse twenty-six declares, All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six;  Then verse twenty-seven adds, And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten.  Jacob had sixty-six descendants with him to travel to Egypt, and counting himself, Joseph and Joseph's two sons, who were already in Egypt, there were seventy total.  This was a large family, but still was no where near being an innumerable nation.  God's promise to Abraham was still in effect though.  We may feel at times that God is slow to fulfill His promises, but He will always fulfill them.  It will simply be on His timetable.