Beginning of the End - Ellen G. White

you are still alive.'"
Joseph wished to save his brothers from the temptations to
which they would be exposed at a heathen court, so he counseled
them to frankly tell the monarch that they were shepherds. The sons
of Jacob followed this counsel, being careful to also tell Pharaoh
that they had come to stay in the land temporarily, not to become
permanent residents. By doing this, they reserved the right to leave
if they chose.
Jacob's Sunset Years
Not long after their arrival, Joseph brought his father to be
presented to the king. Jacob was a stranger in royal courts, but he
had been close to a mightier Monarch in the grand scenes of nature.
Now, in conscious superiority, he raised his hands and blessed
Pharaoh.
In his first greeting to Joseph, Jacob had spoken as if, with this
joyful ending to his long anxiety and sorrow, he was ready to die.
But seventeen years were still to be given to him in the peaceful
retirement of Goshen. These years were in happy contrast to those
that had preceded them. He saw evidence of true repentance in his
sons. He saw his family surrounded by all the conditions they would
need to develop into a great nation, and his faith grasped the sure
promise that they would be established in Canaan in the future. He
himself was surrounded with every token of love and favor that the
prime minister of Egypt could bestow.
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