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Mysteries of Genesis
Chapter 12
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[Mysteries of Genesis]
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Chapter XII
The I AM and Its Faculties in the Body
Genesis 42, 43, 44, 45, and 46
THE BIRTH of Jacob, son of Isaac and Rebekah, is described
in the 25th chapter of Genesis, and the remainder of the
book, or exactly half of its fifty chapters, tells of the
activities of Jacob and his twelve sons. Such emphasis
shows the importance of Jacob as a symbol of the I AM, that
spiritual man whose creation, manifestation, and
development is the theme of Genesis. This ideal man does
not fully develop in the Jacob symbol but continues to
unfold all through the Bible, coming into full expression
as Christ Jesus. As Jacob however we find man developing
his spiritual faculties (twelve sons) and then taking them
down into Egypt (body consciousness) to begin the great
work of redemption.
Involution always precedes evolution. The I AM and its
spiritual faculties must be sent down into the body
consciousness before the evolution of the spiritual man can
begin. Spirit does not direct the work of regeneration from
a distant heaven, but from its center in the crown of the
head directs and transforms the very heart of each atom of
the body.
Gen. 42:1-5. Now Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt,
and Jacob said unto his sons, Why do ye look one upon
another? And he said, Behold, I have heard that there is
grain in Egypt: get you down thither, and buy for us from
thence; that we
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may live, and not die. And Joseph's ten brethren went down
to buy grain from Egypt. But Benjamin, Joseph's brother,
Jacob sent not with his brethren; for he said, Lest
peradventure harm befall him. And the sons of Israel came
to buy among those that came: for the famine was in the
land of Canaan.
Many workers in Truth think it is useless to go down into
this obscure kingdom of Egypt within each man. They are not
willing for Joseph to spend a part of his time in that
country making ready the storehouses and filling them with
the vitality that will be needed when the outer man has
used up his resources. These persons will find that they
cannot have that joyous reunion of mind and body with all
the faculties unless they are willing to let the higher
thought go consciously down into the body (Egypt) and rule
there, as Joseph ruled second only to Pharaoh himself.
We must not forget that it is down in Egypt (the body) that
we find the "grain" or substance that is required to
sustain the whole man. The several visits of Joseph's
brothers to Egypt for grain and their final reconciliation
with him are a symbolical representation of the manner in
which we make connection with the obscured vitality center
within the organism, eventually bringing all our faculties
into conjunction with it, that it may in due course be
lifted up to a spiritual manifestation.
Canaan, from which Jacob and his sons migrated, means
"lowland," while Egypt means "tribulation." To the
metaphysician these names represent the two phases of
substance. Canaan represents the invisible substance that
surrounds and interpenetrates all bodies, while Egypt
represents substance that has been formed
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as material and is perceived by the senses. The faculties
of mind, represented by Jacob's sons, first inhabit the
realm of invisible substance and are sustained by it; then
they pass into the realm of the visible or formed
substance--from Canaan to Egypt. This is the way in which
the mind forms the soul and its vehicle, the physical body.
Thoughts are first expressed as ideas in the invisible
substance, then they enter into visibility as things.
When man is ignorant of the creative power of his mind, he
gravitates to a material basis in all his thinking and
acting. Among the sons of Jacob only Joseph (imagination)
had knowledge of the reality of the invisible. The others
scoffed at him as a visionary. They refused to plant their
seed thoughts in the soil of the invisible substance, and
the result was a famine--there was no grain in Canaan.
When we refuse to observe the law of creative mind, we
oppose the working out of life's problems in the divine
way, according to principle, and are compelled to work them
out in a harder way. This is why the "way of the
transgressor is hard." Thousands go down into Egypt and
suffer the trials and limitations of materiality when, if
they were more observant of the law and obedient to their
spiritual leadings, they might remain in the joy and
freedom of Christ. Yet even in the world of materiality
(Egypt) the chosen of the Lord (Israelites) prosper and
multiply. The children of Jacob increased from a few score
to over two million during their sojourn in Egypt. No
matter how great your trials or how dark your way may seem,
if you hold to your belief in the omnipresence,
omnipotence, and goodness of God, you will succeed, and
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no material oppression can hold you down.
Gen. 42:6-24. And Joseph was the governor over the land; he
it was that sold to all the people of the land. And
Joseph's brethren came, and bowed down themselves to him
with their faces to the earth. And Joseph saw his brethren,
and he knew them, but made himself strange unto them, and
spake roughly with them; and he said unto them, Whence came
ye? And they said, From the land of Canaan to buy food. And
Joseph knew his brethren, but they knew not him. And Joseph
remembered the dreams which he dreamed of them, and said
unto them, Ye are spies; to see the nakedness of the land
ye are come. And they said unto him, Nay, my lord, but to
buy food are thy servants come. We are all one man's sons;
we are true men, thy servants are no spies. And he said
unto them, Nay, but to see the nakedness of the land ye are
come. And they said, We thy servants are twelve brethren,
the sons of one man in the land of Canaan; and, behold, the
youngest is this day with our father, and one is not. And
Joseph said unto them, That is it that I spake unto you,
saying, Ye are spies: hereby ye shall be proved: by the
life of Pharaoh ye shall not go forth hence, except your
youngest brother come hither. Send one of you, and let him
fetch your brother, and ye shall be bound, that your words
may be proved, whether there be truth in you: or else by
the life of Pharaoh surely ye are spies. And he put them
all together into ward three days.
And Joseph said unto them the third day, This do, and live;
for I fear God: if ye be true men, let one of your brethren
be bound in your prisonhouse; but go ye, carry grain for
the famine of your houses: and bring your youngest brother
unto me; so shall your words be verified, and ye shall not
die. And they did so. And they said one to another, We are
verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw
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the distress of his soul, when he besought us, and we would
not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us. And
Reuben answered them, saying, Spake I not unto you, saying,
Do not sin against the child; and ye would not hear?
therefore also, behold, his blood is required. And they
knew not that Joseph understood them; for there was an
interpreter between them. And he turned himself about from
them, and wept; and he returned to them, and spake to them,
and took Simeon from among them, and bound him before their
eyes.
A spy is one who seeks to discover certain facts by
stealthy observation. Joseph was testing out his brothers
in his endeavor to ascertain where they stood in
consciousness; also whether his beloved father Jacob (the I
AM) was still alive (functioning in the conscious mind) and
how it was with him. He also desired to see again his own
brother Benjamin (faith). All in all Joseph was yearning to
see his kindred and to be reunited with them.
The brothers were greatly troubled when Joseph insisted
that they bring Benjamin, their youngest brother, down into
Egypt. Benjamin, among the twelve faculties, represents
faith. Imagination (Joseph) needs faith (Benjamin) to
complete its work and to hold fast the gains it has made.
Like Joseph's brothers, we think that faith is too pure,
too lofty and holy to risk contaminating it with the things
of material sense. We like to hold it on the high plane of
spiritual consciousness rather than send it down into the
body consciousness. Yet this we must do if we are to save
the other faculties and the whole man. The brothers were in
grave danger of being held prisoners, or so it seemed to
them, unless Benjamin were brought down into
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Egypt. They remembered their father's great grief over the
loss of Joseph and they felt that the sacrifice of parting
with Benjamin, the other son of his beloved Rachel, would
be too much for him.
During these trying moments their minds recalled Joseph and
his cries for mercy, to which they had turned a deaf ear
when they sold him into slavery. Joseph's immediate
presence may have had something to do with suggesting this
memory even though they did not recognize him. Conscience
stricken, they said one to another, "We are verily guilty
concerning our brother, in that we saw the distress of his
soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore
is this distress come upon us." They evidently understood
something of the law of sowing and reaping in those days,
for at least they did not lay their troubles to charge of
Providence, as is done so much now. They thought they were
about to reap what they had sown years before.
Simeon ("one who listens and obeys") was held in bondage by
Joseph, which reveals that soul receptivity and obedience
are necessary adjuncts to the imagination.
Gen. 42:25-38. Then Joseph commanded to fill their vessels
with grain, and to restore every man's money into his sack,
and to give them provision for the way: and thus was it
done unto them.
And they laded their asses with their grain, and departed
thence. And as one of them opened his sack to give his ass
provender in the lodging-place, he espied his money; and,
behold, it was in the mouth of his sack. And he said unto
his brethren, My money is restored; and, lo, it is even in
my sack: and their heart failed them, and they turned
trembling one to another, saying, What is this that God
hath done unto us? And they came unto Jacob
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their father unto the land of Canaan, and told him all that
had befallen them, saying, The man, the lord of the land,
spake roughly with us, and took us for spies of the
country. And we said unto him, We are true men; we are no
spies; we are twelve brethren, sons of our father; one is
not, and the youngest is this day with our father in the
land of Canaan. And the man, the lord of the land, said
unto us, Hereby shall I know ye are true men: leave one of
your brethren with me, and take grain for the famine of
your houses, and go your way; and bring your youngest
brother unto me: then shall I know that ye are no spies,
but that ye are true men: so will I deliver you your
brother, and ye shall traffic in the land.
And it came to pass as they emptied their sacks, that,
behold, every man's bundle of money was in his sack: and
when they and their father saw their bundles of money, they
were afraid. And Jacob their father said unto them, Me have
ye bereaved of my children: Joseph is not, and Simeon is
not, and ye will take Benjamin away: all these things are
against me. And Reuben spake unto his father, saying, Slay
my two sons, if I bring him not to thee: deliver him into
my hand, and I will bring him to thee again. And he said,
My son shall not go down with you; for his brother is dead,
and he only is left: if harm befall him by the way in which
ye go, then will ye bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to
Sheol.
Joseph (the imaging power of the mind) has access to
unlimited supply (all the substance in Egypt). Joseph knew
that his brothers possessed the same capacities that he
himself did, but they were not consciously aware of this.
Through Joseph they (the other faculties) are being
educated; the famine in their land means that they lack
understanding of their
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spiritual resources. Joseph (imagination) is the avenue
through which these resources are brought to them, and one
of the lessons here presented under the guise of restoring
to them their purchase money is "Give, and it shall be
given unto you." They are treated as spies or aliens in
this land of omnipresent divine resources because they are
ignorant of the fact that they belong in the family of God
and that Joseph is their kin.
Jacob, grieving over the loss of two sons and fearful at
the prospect of losing the third and dearest son next to
Joseph (Benjamin), represents the personal man who is still
in bondage to personal thoughts. But Reuben (spiritual
perception) is launching out and is beginning to realize
that all is well (in divine order) and is willing to offer
up his most valuable possessions as surety for the safe
return of his brother Benjamin: "Slay my two sons, if I
bring him not to thee."
"If harm befall him by the way in which ye go, then will ye
bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol" is
indicative of the grief, sorrow, and darkened state of mind
that result when the human consciousness sees death or the
loss of loved ones as reality.
Gen. 43:1-15. And the famine was sore in the land. And it
came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they
had brought out of Egypt, their father said unto them, Go
again, buy us a little food. And Judah spake unto him,
saying, The man did solemnly protest unto us, saying, Ye
shall not see my face, except your brother be with you. If
thou wilt send our brother with us, we will go down and buy
thee food: but if thou wilt not send him, we will not go
down; for the man said unto us, Ye shall not see my face,
except your brother be
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with you. And Israel said, Wherefore dealt ye so ill with
me, as to tell the man whether ye had yet a brother? And
they said, The man asked straitly concerning ourselves, and
concerning our kindred, saying, Is your father yet alive?
have ye another brother? and we told him according to the
tenor of these words: could we in any wise know that he
would say, Bring your brother down? And Judah said unto
Israel his father, Send the lad with me, and we will arise
and go; that we may live, and not die, both we, and thou,
and also our little ones. I will be surety for him; of my
hand shalt thou require him: if I bring him not unto thee,
and set him before thee, then let me bear the blame for
ever: for except we had lingered, surely we had now
returned a second time. And their father Israel said unto
them, If it be so now, do this: take the choice fruits of
the land in your vessels, and carry down the man a present,
a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and myrrh, nuts,
and almonds; and take double money in your hand; and the
money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks carry
again in your hand; peradventure it was an oversight: take
also your brother, and arise, go again unto the man: and
God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may
release unto you your other brother and Benjamin. And if I
be bereaved of my children, I am bereaved. And the man took
that present, and they took double money in their hand, and
Benjamin; and rose up, and went down to Egypt, and stood
before Joseph.
Here again the outer man has appropriated all his substance
and must go down into Egypt to replenish his store. Judah
(the prayer faculty) calls the attention of Jacob (the I
AM) to the fact that the journey would be fruitless unless
they were accompanied by Benjamin (awakening faith). It
really requires awakening
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faith to open the door into the storehouse of substance
over which the imagination (Joseph) rules.
With great bitterness of heart Jacob finally consents. He
directs his sons (the faculties) to take with them
presents--"a little balm, and a little honey, spicery and
myrrh, nuts, and almonds; and take double money in your
hand; and the money that was returned in the mouth of your
sacks carry again in your hand"--which represent the
limited substance ideas of the personal man. His sons go
forth into Egypt with Jacob's blessing, which Jacob has
poured out upon his idea of substance, though it be meager.
By so doing he has opened the way for a larger spiritual
inflow. "The blessing of Jehovah, it maketh rich."
Gen. 43:16-34. And when Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he
said to the steward of his house, Bring the men into the
house, and slay, and make ready; for the men shall dine
with me at noon. And the man did as Joseph bade; and the
man brought the men to Joseph's house. And the men were
afraid, because they were brought to Joseph's house; and
they said, Because of the money that was returned in our
sacks at the first time are we brought in; that he may seek
occasion against us, and fall upon us, and take us for
bondmen, and our asses. And they came near to the steward
of Joseph's house, and they spake unto him at the door of
the house, and said, Oh, my lord, we came indeed down at
the first time to buy food: and it came to pass, when we
came to the lodging-place, that we opened our sacks, and,
behold, every man's money was in the mouth of his sack, our
money in full weight: and we have brought it again in our
hand. And other money have we brought down in our hand to
buy food: we know not who put our money in our sacks. And
he said, Peace be to you, fear not: your God,
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and the God of your father, hath given you treasure in your
sacks: I had your money. And he brought Simeon out unto
them. And the man brought the men into Joseph's house, and
gave them water, and they washed their feet; and he gave
their asses provender. And they made ready the present
against Joseph's coming at noon: for they heard that they
should eat bread there.
And when Joseph came home, they brought him the present
which was in their hand into the house, and bowed down
themselves to him to the earth. And he asked them of their
welfare, and said, Is your father well, the old man of whom
ye spake? Is he yet alive? And they said, Thy servant our
father is well, he is yet alive. And they bowed the head,
and made obeisance. And he lifted his eyes, and saw
Benjamin his brother, his mother's son, and said, Is this
your youngest brother, of whom ye spake unto me? And he
said, God be gracious unto thee, my son. And Joseph made
haste; for his heart yearned over his brother: and he
sought where to weep; and he entered into his chamber, and
wept there. And he washed his face, and came out; and he
refrained himself, and said, Set on bread. And they set on
for him by himself, and for them by themselves, and for the
Egyptians, that did eat with him, by themselves: because
the Egyptians might not eat bread with the Hebrews; for
that is an abomination unto the Egyptians. And they sat
before him, the first-born according to his birthright, and
the youngest according to his youth: and the men marveled
one with another. And he took and sent messes unto them
from before him: but Benjamin's mess was five times so much
as any of theirs. And they drank, and were merry with him.
It seems almost sacrilegious to give an interpretation of
this Scripture, because it is so beautiful as literature
and so true on the natural plane. However it
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is symbolical of the consummation or final union of the
imagination (Joseph) with its brother faculty faith
(Benjamin). Substance (represented by the feast set before
them) also plays an important part. This is the fulfillment
of the law through faith and imagination and their
auxiliary powers.
The Egyptians and Hebrews sat apart from Joseph. The
Egyptians represent substance on the formed or physical
plane, and the Hebrews represent substance in the spiritual
or invisible realm. Joseph represents the directive or
molding power of Spirit.
The movements of mind just described also presage a new
cycle or round in soul unfoldment.
Gen. 44:1-13. And he commanded the steward of his house,
saying, Fill the men's sacks with food, as much as they can
carry, and put every man's money in his sack's mouth. And
put my cup, the silver cup, in the sack's mouth of the
youngest, and his grain money. And he did according to the
word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning was
light, the men were sent away, they and their asses. And
when they were gone out of the city, and were not yet far
off, Joseph said unto his steward, Up, follow after the
men; and when thou dost overtake them, say unto them,
Wherefore have ye rewarded evil for good? Is not this that
in which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?
ye have done evil in so doing. And he overtook them, and he
spake unto them these words. And they said unto him,
Wherefore speaketh my lord such words as these? Far be it
from thy servants that they should do such a thing. Behold,
the money, which we found in our sacks' mouths, we brought
again unto thee out of the land of Canaan: how then should
we steal out of thy lord's house silver or gold? With
whomsoever of thy servants it be found, let him die, and we
also will be
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my lord's bondmen. And he said, Now also let it be
according unto your words: he with whom it is found shall
be my bondman; and ye shall be blameless. Then they hasted,
and took down every man his sack to the ground, and opened
every man his sack. And he searched, and began at the
eldest, and left off at the youngest: and the cup was found
in Benjamin's sack. Then they rent their clothes, and laded
every man his ass, and returned to the city.
Joseph in Egypt symbolizes the word of the imagination in
subconsciousness, or the involution of a high spiritual
idea. In this Scripture the imagination is given the
opportunity to try out the strength of the other faculties
(Joseph's brothers) in an endeavor to discover if they have
come to that place in consciousness where they can work
from the viewpoint of Truth, regardless of all else.
Joseph's having the cup put into Benjamin's sack represents
one of the subtle ways in which the Lord imparts Truth to
man's consciousness. The cup symbolizes the word or measure
in which Truth is realized, and although the recipient is
not aware of it, it does its work and finally comes to
consciousness in the presence of Jehovah's representative
(Joseph) and all the other faculties (brothers).
This cup, the Scripture relates, was used by Joseph to
"divine" with, which shows its mystical quality. It is also
related to the cup that Jesus used at the Last Supper.
Gen. 44:14-34. And Judah and his brethren came to Joseph's
house; and he was yet there: and they fell before him on
the ground. And Joseph said unto them, What deed is this
that ye have done? know ye not that such a man as I can
indeed divine? And
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Judah said, What shall we say unto my lord? what shall we
speak? or how shall we clear ourselves? God hath found out
the iniquity of thy servants: behold, we are my lord's
bondmen, both we, and he also in whose hand the cup is
found. And he said, Far be it from me that I should do so:
the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my
bondman; but as for you, get you up in peace unto your
father.
Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh, my lord, let
thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord's ears,
and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou
are even as Pharaoh. My lord asked his servants, saying,
Have ye a father, or a brother? And we said unto my lord,
We have a father, an old man, and a child of his old age, a
little one; and his brother is dead, and he alone is left
of his mother; and his father loveth him. And thou saidst
unto thy servants, Bring him down unto me, that I may set
mine eyes upon him. And we said unto my lord, The lad
cannot leave his father: for if he should leave his father,
his father would die. And thou saidst unto thy servants,
Except your youngest brother come down with you, ye shall
see my face no more. And it came to pass when we came up
unto thy servant my father, we told him the words of my
lord. And our father said, Go again, buy us a little food.
And we said, We cannot go down: if our youngest brother be
with us, then will we go down; for we may not see the man's
face, except our youngest brother be with us. And thy
servant my father said unto us, Ye know that my wife bare
me two sons: and the one went out from me, and I said,
Surely he is torn in pieces; and I have not seen him since:
and if ye take this one also from me, and harm befall him,
ye will bring down my gray hairs with sorrow to Sheol. Now
therefore when I come to thy servant my father, and the lad
is not with us; seeing that his life is bound up in the
lad's life; it will come to pass, when he seeth that the
lad is not with us, that he
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will die: and thy servants will bring down the gray hairs
of thy servant our father with sorrow to Sheol. For thy
servant became surety for the lad unto my father, saying,
If I bring him not unto thee, then shall I bear the blame
to my father for ever. Now therefore, let thy servant, I
pray thee, abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord;
and let the lad go up with his brethren. For how shall I go
up to my father, if the lad be not with me? lest I see the
evil that shall come on my father.
Judah made an effective plea for Benjamin and his father.
This is one of the most excellent things of its kind in all
literature. It shows a complete change of mind and heart,
which is true repentance. Judah had proposed to sell Joseph
into slavery. The praise faculty represented by Judah had
been on a low plane of expression at that time. But Judah
had grown with the years (as the praise faculty grows with
use) and had become most unselfish, even to the point of
offering himself as a hostage for his youngest brother.
Where selfishness, jealousy, and hardness had ruled him
before, there was now unselfish love, humility, devotion to
principle, and willingness to serve even to the extent of
giving up his liberty or his life, if need be, for the sake
of his father (the I AM).
True repentance is always followed by forgiveness, which is
a complete wiping out of the error thought from
consciousness and a full deliverance from the inharmony
that the error thought has produced.
Gen. 45:1-15. Then Joseph could not refrain himself before
all them that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man
to go out from me. And there stood no man with him, while
Joseph made himself known unto his brethren. And he wept
aloud: and
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the Egyptians heard, and the house of Pharaoh heard. And
Joseph said unto his brethren, I am Joseph; doth my father
yet live? And his brethren could not answer him; for they
were troubled at his presence. And Joseph said unto his
brethren, Come near to me, I pray you. And they came near.
And he said, I am Joseph your brother, whom ye sold unto
Egypt. And now be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves,
that ye sold me hither: for God did send me before you to
preserve life. For these two years hath the famine been in
the land: and there are yet five years, in which there
shall be neither plowing nor harvest. And God sent me
before you to preserve you a remnant in the earth, and to
save you alive by a great deliverance. So now it was not
you that sent me hither, but God: and he hath made me a
father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house, and ruler
over all the land of Egypt. Haste ye, and go up to my
father, and say unto him, Thus saith thy son Joseph, God
hath made me lord of all Egypt: come down unto me, tarry
not; and thou shalt dwell in the land of Goshen, and thou
shalt be near unto me, thou, and thy children, and thy
children's children, and thy flocks, and thy herds, and all
that thou hast: and there will I nourish thee; for there
are yet five years of famine; lest thou come to poverty,
thou, and thy household, and all that thou hast. And,
behold, your eyes see, and the eyes of my brother Benjamin,
that it is my mouth that speaketh unto you. And ye shall
tell my father of all my glory in Egypt, and of all that ye
have seen: and ye shall haste and bring down my father
hither. And he fell upon his brother Benjamin's neck, and
wept; and Benjamin wept upon his neck. And he kissed all
his brethren, and wept upon them: and after that his
brethren talked with him.
After hearing Judah's plea Joseph could restrain himself no
longer. He made himself known to his brothers, and there
was a happy reunion. This whole
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Scripture proves that back of all the Spirit of the Lord is
working to bring forth the perfect world. "To them that
love God all things work together for good."
Joseph was the chosen servant of the Lord to preserve not
only the Egyptians but also those who dwelt in the
surrounding countries. Out of a seemingly unbearable
jealous condition the lives of thousands were preserved,
and most important, a wonderful soul unfoldment took place
in the whole Israelitish race. Joseph symbolizes the
sublime idea of Truth's going down into the darkened sense
consciousness and under the law raising it up and out of
sense into Spirit. Joseph was seemingly forced to go to
Egypt by his brothers, yet he was sent by the Lord to
prepare for the maintenance of Jacob's family through the
period of dearth that later came to Canaan. The Truth idea
he represents, when taken down into the sense
consciousness, establishes there a new realization of life
that results in the regeneration of the entire man. We must
often go consciously into every part of our body and build
it up in Truth with new ideas of life and substance.
The name Goshen means "drawing near." Metaphysically it
represents a state of unity.
Gen. 45:16-28. And the report thereof was heard in
Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brethren are come: and it
pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And 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. Now thou art commanded, this do
ye: take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your
little ones, and for your wives, and bring your
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father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good
of all the land of Egypt is yours.
And the sons of Israel did so: and Joseph gave them wagons,
according to the commandment of Pharaoh, and gave them
provisions for the way. To all of them he gave each man
changes of raiment; but to Benjamin he gave three hundred
pieces of silver, and five changes of raiment. And to his
father he sent after this manner: ten asses laden with the
good things of Egypt, and ten she-asses laden with grain
and bread and provision for his father by the way. So he
sent his brethren away, and they departed: and he said unto
them, See that ye fall not out by the way. And they went up
out of Egypt, and came into the land of Canaan unto Jacob
their father. And they told him, saying, Joseph is yet
alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt. And his
heart fainted, for he believed them not. And they told him
all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and
when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him,
the spirit of Jacob their father revived: and Israel said,
It is enough; Joseph my son is yet alive: I will go and see
him before I die.
Joseph sent his brothers home rejoicing, laden with
presents for their father, and there was no longer any
regret that they had brought Benjamin down into Egypt. True
repentance means the changing of the mind and all its
contents of error belief. When we have done this we can
unify ourselves with Truth, and then we are blessed in both
mind and body with the true riches of Spirit.
Pharaoh, the ruling ego of the subconsciousness, joyfully
welcomes Joseph's kindred. This reveals that the
constructive imagination (Joseph) not only mirrors forth
plenty that becomes manifest as substantial supply
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but also brings peace and harmony to the whole man. Every
form and thing, whether in the ether or on the earth,
represents some idea or mental attitude. The idea is first
projected into mind substance and afterward formed in
consciousness through the imagining faculty of the mind.
Gen. 46:1-7. And Israel took his journey with all that he
had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto
the God of his father Isaac. And God spake unto Israel in
the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he
said, Here am I. And he said, I am God, the God of thy
father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there
make of thee a great nation: I will go down with thee into
Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and
Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. And Jacob rose
up from Beer-sheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob
their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in
the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. And they
took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten
in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all
his seed with him: his sons, and his sons' sons with him,
his daughters, and his sons' daughters, and all his seed
brought he with him into Egypt.
Beer-sheba here represents spiritual inspiration (wells of
water, reservoir) within man's consciousness that he has
received and is acting on. The amazing activity and success
of the imagination has opened up a larger substance source
in body, and the whole thought family (Jacob's) is moving
in and taking conscious possession of it.
God spoke to Jacob and told him not to fear to go down into
Egypt, because He (God) would go with him and bring him out
again after he had become a
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great nation. The descent into the land of Egypt of Jacob
and his sons, together with the possessions that they had
accumulated in Canaan, their wives, children, goods,
flocks, and herds, symbolizes to us the unification of the
I AM with all the faculties of the mind and of the life
energy and substance of the whole man with the body. This
happy result is brought about by the action of the faculty
of imagination (all dwelt together "in the land of Goshen,"
which signifies unity). This new state of mind becomes a
part of the permanent consciousness in the new land.
"And Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes" means that
through the faculty of imagination the perception of the
other faculties is quickened and increased.
Gen. 46:8-27. And these are the names of the children of
Israel, who come into Egypt, Jacob and his sons: Reuben,
Jacob's first-born. And the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, and
Pallu, and Hezron, and Carmi. And the sons of Simeon:
Jemuel, and Jamin, and Ohad, and Jachin, and Zohar, and
Shaul the son of a Canaanitish woman. And the sons of Levi:
Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. And the sons of Judah: Er, and
Onan, and Shelah, and Perez, and Zerah; but Er and Onan
died in the land of Canaan. And the sons of Perez were
Hezron and Hamul. And the sons of Issachar: Tola, and
Puvah, and Iob, and Shimron. And the sons of Zebulun:
Sered, and Elon, and Jahleel. These are the sons of Leah,
whom she bare unto Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter
Dinah: all the souls of his sons and his daughters were
thirty and three. And the sons of Gad: Ziphion, and Haggi,
Shuni, and Ezbon, Eri, and Arodi, and Areli. And the sons
of Asher: Imnah, and Ishvah, and Ishvi, and Beriah, and
Serah their sister; and the sons of Beriah: Heber, and
Malchiel. These are the sons of
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Zilpah whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she
bare unto Jacob, even sixteen souls. The sons of Rachel
Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. And unto Joseph in the
land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath,
the daughter of Poti-phera priest of On, bare unto him. And
the sons of Benjamin: Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera,
and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard.
These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: All
the souls were fourteen. And the sons of Dan: Hushim. And
the sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, and Guni, and Jezer, and
Shillem. These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave unto
Rachel his daughter, and these she bare unto Jacob: all the
souls were seven. All the souls that came with Jacob into
Egypt, that came out of his loins, besides Jacob's sons'
wives, all the souls were threescore and six; and the sons
of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two souls:
all the souls of the house of Jacob, that came into Egypt,
were threescore and ten.
(For the symbology of Jacob's twelve sons, his wives Leah
and Rachel, and the two handmaids Bilhah and Zilpah see the
interpretation of Gen. 35: 23-26.)
Hanoch ("instructed," "dedicated") represents entrance into
a higher consciousness than has been known and experienced
before.
Pallu ("marvelous," "extraordinary") represents the great
general uplift that comes to the consciousness that has
begun to awaken out of the purely animal phase of thought
to a higher and truer conception of God and of life.
Hezron ("inclosed," "green pasture") represents thoughts
that belong to the perceiving faculty (Reuben) and the
praise of life in its activity (Judah).
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These thoughts are not yet free in their expression in the
consciousness and the organism. They are "inclosed" by the
subconscious limiting error belief of man that all his
faculties and powers are material and transient instead of
spiritual and abiding. (There were two men named Hezron,
one the son of Reuben and the other the grandson of Judah.)
Carmi ("fruitful," "generous") symbolizes a vital,
prosperous, and fruitful attitude of mind.
Jemuel ("God is light," "day of God") represents the stage
of individual unfoldment when the light of Truth is
accepted into consciousness and realized.
Jamin ("right hand," "right place") represents thoughts
pertaining to divine order.
The name Ohad means "one," "unity." Ohad was the son of
Simeon. The name Simeon means "one who listens and obeys."
Simeon represents the spiritually receptive and obedient
attitude in man. Ohad symbolizes unity with God and the
conscious increase of the Christly attributes that is the
result of this union between the divine and the individual.
Jachin ("whom He [God] makes firm") represents the
firmness, steadfastness, and strength of character that
result from the establishment of the consciousness in Truth.
Zohar ("whiteness," "nobility") represents thoughts of a
pure, lofty, discriminating character.
Shaul is a form of the name Saul, and its meaning is the
same as that of Saul ("desired," "demanded"). Shaul
represents the personal will in individual consciousness.
He was the son of a Canaanitish woman (body consciousness).
Gershon was a son of Levi. The name means "expulsion,"
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"exile." The natural law of love is to express itself, but
there are conditions under which the love thought (Gershon)
is exiled from its native element and for a time retarded
or unexpressed.
Kohath ("called together," "assembly") represents the
attracting, unifying element in love, and the power of love.
Merari ("galling," "rebellious") symbolizes love directed
by the ignorance and selfishness of the personal man.
Er ("awake," "watchful") represents observant, attentive,
vigilant thoughts.
Onan ("able-bodied," "strong") represents thoughts
pertaining to strength and vigor yet with a tendency toward
materiality. (Onan's mother was a Canaanitish woman.)
Shelah ("security," "rest," "peace") represents a sense of
peace, harmony, and security that has come about through
prayer.
Perez ("breached," "torn asunder") represents victory
gained through praise or by making one's way out of
apparent limitation and error by means of prayer and praise.
The name Zerah means "rising of light." Zerah represents
the rise of new light, new understanding, in the
consciousness.
The name Hamul means "spared," "gentleness," "compassion";
it also signifies "forgiveness." The attitudes of mind thus
implied are Godlike, and they have to do with the salvation
of the individual who entertains them.
The name Tola means "crimson," "scarlet," "coccus worm."
Tola represents life activity on a seemingly
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low plane but in process of unfoldment to higher and
greater expressions.
Puvah is the same name as Puah, which means "mouth,"
"blast," "utterance." Puvah symbolizes the giving of one's
true thoughts, one's zeal, to establishing the activity of
Truth throughout the consciousness so that it may be
declared aloud and expressed. (Puvah was the son of
Issachar, zeal.)
Shimron ("watch," "careful keeping") represents a watchful,
observant, attentive attitude, which raises to a high plane
the faculties of mind represented by Issachar (zeal) and
Zebulun (order).
Sered ("fear," "trembling," "flight," "escape") represents
fearfulness, extreme unrest, in the order faculty in the
individual consciousness.
Elon ("strong man," "an oak") represents thoughts of
strength and power.
The name Jahleel means "waiting on God," "hoping in God."
Jahleel represents waiting in the silence upon God in an
expectant attitude of mind.
"My soul, wait thou in silence for God only; For my
expectation is from him."
Dinah ("judged," "justified") symbolizes the soul or
feminine side of the judgment faculty, which may be called
intuition, the intuition of the natural man.
Ziphion is the same name as Zephon, which means "watchman,"
"observer," "keeper of the high watch." Ziphion represents
the realization of power (Gad symbolizes power) that is the
result of a desire for and a seeking after power. This
suggests prayer and an earnest desire for and expectation
of something higher and better than the purely mental and
physical aspects of power and might.
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The name Haggi means "feast," "rejoicing," "festival."
Haggi symbolizes a realization of good as taking the place
of seeming evil.
Shuni ("rest," "quiet," "calm," "peace") represents a
tranquil, poised, peaceful state of thought.
Ezbon ("hastening to understand," "splendor," "bright")
represents thoughts that come into the light, into the
brightness and glory of Truth, because they are concerned
with the things of Spirit.
Eri ("my watcher," "worshiping Jah") represents an
unfolding of the power faculty.
Arodi is the same name as Arod and means "fleeing," "a wild
ass." Arod and his descendants represent those traits of
the animal nature in man which are characteristic of the
ass: meekness, stubbornness, persistence, and endurance.
These qualities are good when directed by the true I AM but
are destructive when given over to sense rule.
Areli ("lionlike," "valiant," "heroic") represents the
courage to abide by that which one believes to be right and
best; also boldness and fearlessness in applying one's
ideas practically.
Imnah ("good fortune," "prosperity") represents a strong
belief in and realization of prosperity as being man's
inheritance and the Father's will for him.
Asher had three sons. The first two, Imnah and Ishvah,
represent thoughts of the higher order, but the name of the
third son, Beriah, means "evil," "calamity," "misfortune,"
indicating a negative tendency to evil that sometimes runs
parallel with the good in human consciousness. However the
good tendencies are so much in the ascendant that they
overcome the weaker evil thoughts that belittle man and
cause him
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to develop an inferiority complex.
Ishvah means "equality," "even," "smooth," "resembling
(another)," "self-answering." On the highest plane Ishvah
represents that true poise, peace, and equableness that
come from within man's own true spiritual self when he
realizes that he is made in the likeness of God and is
certain that he will manifest this in the outer in due
time. The thought of "self-satisfying" is also brought out
in this name. This suggests the truth that as we become
conscious of the source of all understanding within us,
namely Spirit, we find within ourselves the answer to all
our questionings, the satisfaction of all our desires.
Serah ("extension," "abundance," "poured forth,"
"diffused") represents a rich, broad, extensive group of
soul qualities, but there is also a strong suggestion of
waste of substance; lack of conservation.
The name Heber means "a passing over" from the purely
sensate, physical, earthly thought to a higher conception
of religious Truth.
Malchiel ("rule of God," "God is king") symbolizes man's
acknowledgment of the supremacy of divine power and
rulership; in other words, the exalting of God in
consciousness, giving Him dominion; bowing to and obeying
Truth.
Manasseh ("who makes to forget") represents understanding;
understanding here denoting denial, the negative activity
of mind. (See Gen. 41:45-47.)
Ephraim ("doubly fruitful") symbolizes the will, which is
the positive or affirmative quality of mind.
The name Asenath means "dedicated to Neith," "favorite of
Neith." Asenath represents the feminine or love side of the
natural man.
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The name Poti-phera means "belonging to Ra." Poti-phera
represents a natural religious tendency in the individual
that gives the force of its influence to the worship and
building up of that for which On stands.
The name On means "city of the sun." In its purity On is a
symbol of Spirit and of true spiritual understanding,
substance, and power. As it appears in our Bible, however,
it represents the worship of the outer sun, and the truth
back of the symbol has been lost sight of to a great degree.
The name Bela means "swallow up," "destroy." Bela, the
eldest son of Benjamin, represents the destroying or
letting go of error by denial, an absorption (swallowing
up) of error by Truth.
The name Becher means "early," "first fruits,"
"first-born." Becher represents the first-born or first
fruits of faith, or the first bringing forth of positive,
upbuilding thoughts. (Benjamin represents faith.)
The name Ashbel means "reproof of God," "man of Baal,"
"judgment of God." Ashbel denotes the admonition of Spirit
("reproof of God") in consciousness against man's looking
upon as real the material thought about formed things ("man
of Baal"). The inharmonious result of looking upon the
outer world as real and as the source of life,
understanding, and existence, instead of seeing formless
Spirit (Divine Mind) as the true God and as the one reality
standing back of all manifestation--this is what is
suggested in the phrase "judgment of God."
Gera ("grain," "kernel") symbolizes faith's taking on of,
or working in, substance.
Naaman ("sweet," "pleasant," "good") denotes
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the joy, and pleasant, agreeable, harmonious, unifying
result that ensues in consciousness when one's faith and
will act in accord with one's highest Truth ideals.
Ehi is the name of a son of Benjamin also called Aharah,
which means "brother." Ehi represents that in man's
spiritually awakening consciousness which follows after
lofty, kindly, brotherly, constructive ideals. The name Ehi
also carries with it the thought of unity.
The name Rosh means "inclination," "will," "head." Rosh
represents the will. Since Rosh was a son of Benjamin
(faith) the significance is that the will, having been
given first place in the consciousness of the individual,
is acting through faith or in conjunction with it.
The name Muppim means "serpents," "glidings,"
"obscurities," "darkenings." Muppim represents human or
sense knowledge that is very subtle but that is unsteady
and unsettled in its reasonings and deductions. Muppim
represents that knowledge which does not reveal the true
light, and therefore it does not lead the individual into
spiritual understanding.
The name Huppim is the same as that of Hupham, which means
"coastman," "seashore," "bank." In all likelihood a
coastman is a fisherman. Huppim thus symbolizes a gatherer
of ideas, especially ideas of increase.
The name Ard means "fugitive," "to flee," "wild ass." The
thought that Ard represents belongs to the outer or animal
phase of consciousness, where fear enters and one runs away
from seeming evil or resists it wildly and stubbornly, as
the case may be, because one fears it. In this phase of
consciousness one does not understand that evil is unreal
and has no power of itself. When one realizes the truth
about seeming evil,
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one no longer fears it, and it is dissolved from one's
world.
The name Hushim means "people of haste," "vehement people."
Hushim represents an acceleration of activity in connection
with thoughts of judgment in man (one Hushim was the son of
Dan, who represents judgment) and in connection with
thoughts of active faith (another Hushim was a Benjamite).
Jahzeel, the name of a son of Naphtali (strength), means
"whom God apportions." Jahzeel represents the realization
that strength is from God and that one receives it
according to one's need or to the extent that one makes use
of it.
The name Guni means "colored," "tinted," "painted," which
suggests the taking on of some foreign idea or substance.
In this case Naphtali (strength) and Gad (power) are
involved. These qualities represented by Naphtali and Gad
are inherently spiritual, divine, but in coming into
expression in the outer, physical, sense man they become
tinged with and colored by material ideas.
Jazer ("formation") represents the formative faculty of
mind, the imagination, established in strength (Naphtali).
The name Shillem means "restoration," "salvation," "peace."
Shillem represents the thought that restoration, salvation,
peace, and perfection are the result of sowing to Spirit.
This restorative, peace-giving thought force is
particularly active in connection with strength and thus
gives its substance to the working out of the law of cause
and effect in consciousness.
Gen. 46:28-34. And he sent Judah before him
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unto Joseph, to show the way before him unto Goshen; and
they came into the land of Goshen. And Joseph made ready
his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to
Goshen; and he presented himself unto him, and fell on his
neck, and wept on his neck a good while. And Israel said
unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face,
that thou art yet alive. And Joseph said unto his brethren,
and unto his father's house, I will go up, and tell
Pharaoh, and will say unto him, My brethren, and my
father's house, who were in the land of Canaan, are come
unto me; and the men are shepherds, for they have been
keepers of cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and
their herds, and all that they have. And it shall come to
pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is
your occupation? that ye shall say, Thy servants have been
keepers of cattle from our youth even until now, both we,
and our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen;
for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.
The Israelites represent radiant or unformed substance and
life, and the Egyptians represent conservators of formed
substance. Jacob (I AM) sent Judah (praise) before him unto
Joseph (imagination) so that the Israelites might be guided
to Goshen, thus forming a perfect union of life (Israel)
and substance (Egypt). The sheep represent the
uncontaminated animal or life forces that are to be
expressed more fully through union with materiality (the
Egyptians). The conservators of formed substance
(Egyptians) have no appreciation of this life ("for every
shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians").
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