Fat of the land
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In English we say “the cream of the crop”. In Hebrew they would say “the fat of the land” (Genesis 44:18). Not that the ground is particularly oily (they’d also talk about “the fat of the wheat”; Psalm 81:16). The fat is the best portion.
And this is what Pharaoh offers to Joseph’s brothers:
“Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land.” (Genesis 45:17-18)
This is a conversation between the arch-ruler, Pharaoh, and his right-hand-man Joseph. Earlier, Pharaoh had said to Joseph:
“I have set thee over all the land of Egypt.” (Genesis 41:41)
Joseph rules the whole land under Pharaoh. And through Joseph’s wisdom, the land is first made prosperous (Genesis 41) and then redeemed – bought back – into the possession of Pharaoh. (Genesis 47).
Now the famished and guilty brothers of Joseph are given a life-line. Much more than a life-line. They come in on his inheritance.
What right do these foreigners have to the fat of the land? None. Except that their brother has made the whole land fat.
What right do these brothers have to share in Joseph’s wealth? None. By rights Joseph should have sold them into slavery the way they’d sold him. Yet he receives his brothers to himself. And they enter into the inheritance of Egypt’s lord. (Genesis 45:8)
Thousands of years later Jesus stood on a mountain proclaiming:
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. (Matthew 5:5)
He doesn’t say ‘they shall inherit eternal life’, though that would be true. He says they will inherit the earth. This future hope is not celestial but very much grounded. But it’s also cosmic. The whole earth.
Who could possibly possess the earth? Surely only the bold. Only the go-getters. Only those who take life by the scruff of the neck. But no Jesus says it’s the meek.
How is this so?
Well we are like Joseph’s brothers. We are desperately guilty, desperately needy and should, by rights, be shut out of the inheritance. But King Jesus is Lord of this world. It’s all coming to Him. And those who come to Him meekly He receives as family into the fat of the land.
“Ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.” [Gen 46:34]
Seems like there are always two sides to every story, and I suspect this is no different. You see, the Hebrew people were shepherds. A descent Egyptian would not have anything to do with them, perhaps because of Egypt’s religious beliefs. So what to do with these brothers of Joseph? Send them off, as tenants, as overseers of Pharaoh’s herd, far apart, to the Nile Delta where the river created the most fertile ground of Egypt, suitable for both farming and livestock. There they would enjoy the “Good of the Land of Egypt and eat the Fat of the Land”. In addition, by being separate the sons of Abraham would not be adversely influenced by the idolatry and practices of the Egyptians in the cities. Here we see the beginnings of a situation of the Jews seen throughout history. Wherever they are, Jews tend to separate themselves from their neighbors in various ways in order to keep their distinctive heritage and make sure the promises of God — likewise their hosts have placed them into neighborhoods set apart — and have frequently persecuted them.
[...] Egypt was not a bad land. In fact it was a very good land. Genesis 13:10 describes it as “like the garden of the LORD”! And under the wise and righteous rule of Joseph it had flourished with the Israelites enjoying “the fat of the land.” [...]
[...] Egypt was not a bad land. In fact it was a very good land. Genesis 13:10 describes it as “like the garden of the LORD”! And under the wise and righteous rule of Joseph it had flourished, with the Israelites enjoying “the fat of the land.” [...]