Signs of the Times, Book 1 - Ellen G. White

seen thy face, because thou art yet alive."
Joseph took five of his brethren to present to Pharaoh, and receive from
him a grant of land for their future home. He did not wish them to be
exposed to the temptations which must surround them if engaged in the
king's special service, amid the corrupting, idolatrous influences at court;
therefore he counseled them, when the king should ask them of their
occupation, to tell him frankly that they were shepherds. The monarch, on
learning this fact, would not seek to exalt them to some honorable position
for Joseph's sake; for the occupation of a shepherd was regarded in Egypt as
degrading. When taken before Pharaoh they followed the wise counsel of
their God-fearing brother; and the king gave Joseph permission to settle his
father and his brethren in the best part of the land of Egypt. He selected
Goshen, a well-watered, fertile country, affording good pasture for their
flocks. Here, also, they could worship God, undisturbed by the ceremonies
attending the idolatrous service of the Egyptians. The country round about
Goshen was inhabited by the Israelites, until with power and mighty signs
and wonders, God brought his people out of Egypt.
Not long after their arrival in Egypt, Joseph brought his father also to be
presented to Pharaoh. The patriarch was unawed by the pomp of royalty, and
the magnificence surrounding him. Amid the sublime scenes of nature he had
communed with a mightier monarch; and now, in conscious superiority, he
raised his hands and blessed Pharaoh. The king struck by his venerable
appearance, inquired, "How old art thou?" Jacob answered, "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 had
seen much trouble and suffered much perplexity. The jealousy of his wives
had brought a long train of evils, and the sinful course of some of his
children had made the father's life very bitter. But his last years were more
peaceful. His sons had turned from their evil ways, Joseph had been restored
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