In Genesis 37 we read the story of Joseph, who as a young lad had dreams of overpowering his brothers and parents. His brothers soon conspired to kill him, but after deliberation chose to sell him into slavery instead. Joseph was then taken to Egypt to serve the Pharaoh.
Accordingly in Genesis 38, Judah, one of Israel's sons, took a wife from the land of Canaan. Of this woman he had three sons. The first son was killed by God because he was wicked. One has to wonder why God couldn't convert them to good people instead? Maybe because it is easier to kill someone than to work with them and guide them to a spiritual awakening? In any case, Judah's second son was told by God to marry his older brother's widow and have children. This second son masturbated, instead, and God killed him too. Later on, after seeing the importance of increasing the population of Abraham's offspring, we understand why masturbation was forbidden. Further along in this chapter there is yet another story of incest, and once again, it was the woman's fault.
The first really decent person to show up in Abraham's family was Joseph. He was a good man, hard working, and did good deeds. He even suffered for doing what was right rather than giving in to immoral behavior. For all his sufferings he became only one step lower than the Pharaoh of Egypt. The Pharaoh, himself, gave Joseph's family chariots to move Jacob/Israel from Canaan to Goshen during the great famine. This is the second time we read of the Pharaoh's kindness as he bestows his generosity on the family of Abraham. And while the citizens of Egypt were becoming consumed by the famine, to the point of selling themselves and their land to Joseph in exchange for food, Jacob/Israel was increasing his herds and multiplying his family to even greater numbers.
For all the power and glory Joseph attained, though, the Bible does not tell us that he taught the path to inner peace nor the way to find eternal happiness. So far, nobody in Joseph's family seems to even be aware of what inner peace might mean. So far, all the good done by God is to increase the size of Abraham's family and its herds.
When Jacob/Israel lie on his death bed, he called his sons to tell them what he saw in store for them. All Jacob spoke of was future troubles, increases and decreases of wealth, increases and decreases in power... His blessings were blessings of wealth and prosperity. There is nothing spiritual happening at Jacob's death. His last concern was that his body be buried with his fathers.
In Genesis 50 we see the Pharaoh allowing Israel to be embalmed and then all of Egypt mourned the passing of Jacob/Israel. Once again, the Pharaoh bestows his kindness upon the family of Abraham. Israel was then taken at the Pharaoh's expense to the land of Canaan to be buried with his fathers at the family cemetery. This enormous expense of taking a huge portion of Joseph's large family to the cemetery was paid for by Egypt, even while everyone else was starving to the point of selling themselves into slavery.
Gen 50 7.And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8.And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father's house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. 9.And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company.
And before Joseph could die we are reminded by his final words...
24. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Surely this family has had it in their hearts for many generations to take the land of Canaan for their own. And God, as benevolent as we are taught, seems to have no other item on His agenda than to give these people the land of the Canaanites.
It is worth noting that when Joseph died, he was embalmed and buried in Egypt, in a coffin. He was not buried with Abraham and he was given an Egyptian funeral.