Genesis 47:29 – 30: “If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.”
News of Dinah’s discovery spread like a wildfire. Jacob was moved to tears when he heard that Asenath was Dinah’s daughter and exclaimed: “What are the odds that my son Joseph marries into our family while far away in a foreign land!” An idea began to form in his head and he immediately sent for Joseph.
Joseph smiled when he met with his father and remarked: “In hindsight I can see why Asenath was drawn to the God of our forefathers. She also insisted on learning my native language. Our children had no choice in the matter. They had to learn Hebrew, whether they liked it or not.” Jacob laughed, but he quickly became serious and said: “It is on behalf of your children that we meet today. But first, let me get this off my chest: Swear to me that you will carry my bones back to Canaan and bury me in our family tomb.” And Joseph swore by laying his hand on his father’s thigh, which was an old custom indicating that the oath is binding.
After both had sat down Joseph lightly commented: “Hopefully you live many more years, now that we get to see each other so often. But tell me – what is on your mind, Dad?” There was a little pause before Jacob spoke up and said: “You were just a boy when your mother Rachel died. Do you still remember her?” Joseph looked a bit surprised and replied: “Yes, I remember her. We lost her way too soon. I quit talking about her, especially when Benjamin was around. I did not want him to think it was his fault that his mother died giving birth to him.” – “You are a better man than I am, Joseph,” Jacob responded, “I blamed Leah for the death of Rachel. I said words in anger that I now regret.” Joseph frowned and replied: “With all due respect, father, why do you bring this up today?” Jacob replied: “What you don’t know – I placed a curse on Dinah’s baby when Leah told me that her daughter was pregnant with Shemech’s child. ‘It would be best for everybody if that child was stillborn’ is what I said. So I left Leah’s daughter no choice, but to give her baby up for adoption.”
“But in the end God turned everything around,” Joseph observed. Jacob hugged his son and confirmed: “Yes, He rights our wrongs. And I had no idea.” He cleared his throat while he sat back to regain his composure. “Here is what I have decided, Joseph: I want to adopt Manasseh and Ephraim.” A bit perplexed his son asked him: “What do you mean?” And Jacob explained: “Manasseh and Ephraim will enjoy the same status as Reuben and Simeon. They will be reckoned as sons of mine. However, all your younger children will be reckoned as your sons and daughters and the territory they inherit will be under the names of their brothers.”
Joseph knitted his forehead as he always did when he was in deep thought. “I’m not sure that this will go over well with my brothers,” he cautioned, “You know that sibling rivalry and jealousy has brought a lot of heartache upon our family.” – “We are all grown adults,” Jacob objected, “I would think that by now we have learned from our mistakes.”
Around the same time, Pharaoh’s son prepared a secret meeting. He had begrudged the fact that his father had met with Joseph’s family without involving him. Since he was very interested in Joseph’s relatives he decided to bribe one of the chauffeurs who had given Joseph’s family a ride. “Bring two of his brothers to my palace and do it under the cover of night. No one must know!” he ordered.
And so, to their bewilderment, Dan and Gad unexpectedly found themselves in the royal’s private chambers. The doors were closed and they were alone with Pharaoh’s son, except the translator who aided with the conversation. The brothers bowed low before him while the monarch looked at them with disdain. But he quickly caught himself and his hostile demeanor melted into an amicable smile. He motioned them to take a seat and announced: “Welcome to my palace! I am Pharaoh’s firstborn son and his coregent. Did you tell anybody about our meeting?” Dan and Gad both shook their heads and Dan answered for both of them: “We were instructed to keep this a secret, so we told no one that we are here.” Pharaoh’s son replied: “Good! Let’s talk about the reason why you are here.” He leaned forward: “You probably don’t know it, but here is the sad truth: Your brother has used his political prowess to scheme against me. I have talked to my father about this at length, but he is blinded by his affection for him.”
While the translator interpreted his little speech the monarch paid attention to the brothers’ reaction, but their faces betrayed little emotion. In fact, they both seemed a bit aloof. He could not put his finger on it, but his instincts told him that they were not too fond of Zaphnath-Paaneah.
Boldly Pharaoh’s son shifted gears and said: “I called you to ask some personal questions about your brother. After all, you must know him better than I do.” Gad shook his head and politely objected: “Your majesty, I’m afraid you know him better than we do. We have not seen him in thirty years.” – “But you grew up with him!” the coregent countered, “Surely you must know something about him that I don’t know.”
Dan stood up from his seat and respectfully addressed the coregent: “I am sorry, but we cannot help you, Your Majesty!” Pharaoh’s son was disappointed, and yet for some reason he was almost certain that this would not be their last meeting. He had a feeling he would see them again soon. Graciously he dismissed them: “Thank you for coming. Going forward, if you want to bring anything to my attention regarding your brother, feel free to contact me directly. Remember, this meeting is classified. If I find out that you have breached confidentiality and talked to any other person about the discussion we have just had, then you will be considered an enemy of the state, worthy of the death penalty. Understood?” Clearly intimidated, Dan and Gad answered: “Yes Sir!”
Not far from their campground Dan and Gad were dropped off by the royal chariot. “What was that?” Gad asked his brother when they were finally alone. Dan shrugged his shoulders and said: “You shouldn’t be too surprised. After all, Joseph told us he has enemies.” – “I didn’t know he had royal enemies” Gad mused, “That’s one powerful opponent!” – “This situation actually hits pretty close to home, don’t you think?” Dan remarked, “Remember how our father preferred Joseph over all his other sons? It’s kind of ironic that we have a similar situation here. Obviously Pharaoh’s son feels neglected. But – regardless of how we feel about this: we won’t share anything with our family, not even with our wives – agreed?” With his right hand Gad shielded his mouth and confirmed: “My lips are sealed.”