"Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh."
Here is a tender example of the church and state working together, as they ought. God first brought Joseph, and later all his family, to Egypt. The pagan pharaoh gave the Israelites some of the best of the land of Egypt. Now, Jacob, pleased with pharaoh, blesses him.
The church is to bless the state, so that the state may benefit the church. When these two God-ordained institutions work in harmony, the whole world feels the positive consequences. Jesus Christ's human nature's forbearers were nurtured and fed in Egypt.
[Puritan quote of the day: "The true notion of the visible church of Christ is that part of mankind which, as His people, is united in up-
holding His appointed worship." --Jonathan Edwards, in his sermon, "The Nature and End of Excommunication"]
