The following is Pastor Nate’s teaching transcription from Calvary Monterey’s 10/27/20 Tuesday Night Service. We apologize for any transcription inaccuracies.
Thanks for joining me on this study through the Book of Genesis. If you get out your Bible or turn to Genesis chapter 47, we're continuing to look at the life of Joseph together.
And as always, if you are thankful for these teachings, it's a blessing to us if you share them or leave a great review on the podcast that you're receiving them from. Just saying thanks for what God is doing in your life. But what a blessing to get into the word of God together, to be able to study it together. And really in a sense, it just washes over our minds and our hearts, which I think is so important for every season of life that we could ever go through. Every trial, difficulty, season of joy, and gladness, and prosperity. We need the word of God to wash over our minds, wash over our hearts. That we might gain the mind of God, which the spirit of God gives to us as the word of God is shared with us. So let's pray. Lord, we pray that by your spirit today, we would know your word. In Jesus' name we pray together. Amen.
Settling In Egypt
Now last time we were in Genesis, we saw Joseph reconciled to his brothers. His brothers reconciled to him. At first reading, it almost seems as if Joseph is punishing his brothers for their past behavior, their persecution of him, their throwing him into a pit and selling him into slavery punishing them for their jealousy.
But upon further inspection of the story proceeding this chapter, we come to the conclusion that Joseph was not punishing, but purging. He was dealing with his brothers. That he was an instrument in the hands of God making a way for them to not only be reconciled to him, but to actually confess their sin to have long past guilt dealt with. And this is so what our Lord does for us.
He makes a way for our shame, for our guilt to be dealt with. Remember what Judah had said. He said, "How can we clear ourselves?" He said that to Joseph before he knew who Joseph was, just thinking him an Egyptian official. How can we clear ourselves? And we can't clear ourselves, but the Lord Jesus Christ by his blood, he can clear us. He can make a way for us to be cleansed. And Joseph, a picture of Jesus did just that. He made a way for his brothers to be cleansed. And as a result, they were unified together, restored, reconciled to one another.
Now Jacob eventually was sent for, and the old man comes and unbelievably holds Joseph and Joseph's sons, his grandsons. And is just so amazed that God has brought the family together again. Now Joseph had told his siblings, "When you come to Egypt, tell Pharaoh that you are shepherds, because that will put you in the Land of Goshen to care for the Egyptian flocks. And the Land of Goshen is good land. And the Egyptians think that shepherds are an abomination. So they will separate you from themselves," which I'll talk about in a moment.
1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh.
But as we pick up chapter 47, we get a glimpse into the conversation that Joseph and Joseph's brothers had with Pharaoh himself. All right. So let's begin the story in verse one. It says, "So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, my father and my brothers with their flocks and herds and all that they possess have come from the Land of Canaan. They are now in the Land of Goshen." And from among his brothers, he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Okay. So this is Joseph going through with the plan to report to Pharaoh that the brothers or the family is in the business of taking care of flocks.
Now obviously, this is something that they want Pharaoh to give them permission to do, but that God is going to do through Pharaoh. In other words, God is going to be the one controlling Pharaoh's decision at this point. It says in Proverbs 21 verse one that the king's heart is a stream of water in the hand of the Lord. He turns it wherever he will. And in this story, we see an example of that proverb. Pharaoh's heart turned in the direction that God wanted it to turn like directing rivers of water.
It says in Romans 13 verse one that every person should be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except from God. And those that exist have been instituted by God. So in this story, we see an example of that truth as well, that Pharaoh has been installed into his position by God. Because the decision he is going to make is going to lead to the expansion of God's people into a great people, which would provide the incubator for the Christ Messiah to develop and eventually die for the sin of the world.
3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”
Now Pharaoh verse three said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh. "Your servants are shepherds as our fathers were." And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now please let your servants dwell in the Land of Goshen." Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. The Land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them settle in the Land of Goshen. And if any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock." So as we were hoping, everything goes according to plan. And Pharaoh commissions the family to take care of the royal livestock in the Land of Goshen, which was a good and beautiful land.
By the time of Exodus, it appears that they were calling the land of Goshen Ramesses, which is near the Nile River or the delta of the Nile River. A good and fertile land near likely where Joseph had to carry out his official capacity. So they were able to be near Joseph somewhat and in a beautiful and prosperous place.
But that was not the reason that Joseph wanted them to live in the Land of Goshen exclusively. Of course, he wanted to bless his family. Of course, he wanted them to thrive and prosper. But the real reason that he wanted them to live in Goshen is because he wanted to separate his family from Egypt. He wanted them to live in Egypt, but also still be separate from Egypt. And this mechanism confessing that they have a long history of taking care of livestock, this mechanism will provide a way because of the religious convictions of the Egyptians for the Israelites to be separated. The Egyptians thought that shepherds were unclean. So the Israelites would be enabled to live a separate life from the Egyptians. That's what Joseph is doing. He is separating his family from Egyptian influence.
In a sense, what Joseph knows is one of the wisest things that we should know today. That if they do not separate, they will assimilate. That if they do not separate, then they will assimilate. Now our Joseph, Jesus, he does a similar thing for us as well. He also knows that if we do not separate, we will assimilate.
Now, Jesus is the best example of this. Because sometimes when we think about separation versus assimilation, we think about a life that is so detached from the non-believing world, so detached from arts, and culture, and technology, and the beautiful things that humanity has been able to create and build. We think of ourselves as so detached from those things. In the world yet not of the world. Not loving the planet, just looking forward to the redemption of all things exclusively.
But when Jesus came, he was separate from yet among the world. I mean, he ate with tax collectors and sinners. Not in any kind of way where he was influenced by them, but there was an attraction about Jesus and his character. He was winsome. Paul tells us to let our speech be filled with grace, seasoned with salt. There should be a pleasant demeanor about believers. So we're not talking about a separation that means having nothing to do with the world, but a separation that is still attractive to the world around us. That's the kind of separation that we can have in our modern New Testament era.
And just as Joseph's brothers were separated by their confession, so we as Christ followers can be separated by our confession. These guys identified themselves as shepherds, and that got them separated from Egypt. And there will be moments when we as believers have to verbally identify who we are, our convictions, what we believe. Again, not in any kind of form of hostility. I think it's ridiculous when believers expect the world to behave like believers. This is not something that is possible. But as we make our confession, sometimes we are then by default separated from the culture and the world that we live in.
Jacob and Pharaoh
7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
But consider the wisdom of Joseph before we move on today. Separation is better than assimilation. "Then Joseph," verse seven, "Brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh. And Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many are the days of the years of your life?' And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life. And they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers and the days of their soul journey.' And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh."
Now this is a climactic moment in the Book of Genesis. I mean, Jacob and Joseph had been separated for many years. They've finally been reunited. And now, Joseph wants to introduce Jacob, his father, the one who's loved him, and been close to him, and supported him his whole life. He wants Jacob to meet Pharaoh. Joseph's boss, the most powerful man in the world at that time. And this innocent shepherd, sojourner, wanderer, man of the flock Jacob, he holds his own with Pharaoh, the greatest man alive according to the vision of humanity in that moment.
8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.
And as they're standing there together, it says that Jacob or Joseph stood his father before Pharaoh, Jacob being an old man who needs help standing even before Pharaoh. And Pharaoh asks him a question. Some believe that this was just chit-chat or a polite sort of moment of conversation. And he asked Jacob, "How old are you?" It's a fairly innocent question. Perhaps Jacob in that culture would be proud of how old he was and how many years he'd been able to live. And he could give that report. And he does give that report. He tells Pharaoh that he was 130 years old. But Jacob does not stop there. He sneaks in a message to Pharaoh. And the message that he sneaks into Pharaoh is this. "Life for the person of God is a pilgrimage. Life for the person of God is a pilgrimage." That's what he tells Pharaoh. He says, "The days of my sojourning are 130 years." He's letting Pharaoh know in no uncertain terms, this is just a pilgrimage that I'm on. This life is going to end, but I'm just a pilgrim here. I'm so journeying here. This is not my eternal forever home. And he says the same thing about his ancestors. He says, "They also were sojourning. They also had days of pilgrimage."
You see Jacob understood that this life was not the end game. He confesses that his sojourning, his pilgrimage, it was a difficult pilgrimage. He says, "Few and evil have been the days of my life, the days of my sojourning." But still, he believed that there was something greater, better that was coming. And that this life, it was just like camping in preparation for the real thing that was to come.
In fact, it says in Hebrews chapter 11, verse 13 that all of these, including Jacob died in faith not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar. And having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. That's what Jacob was confessing, that he was a stranger, that he was an exile on the earth. But Hebrews goes on to say, "For people who speak like this make it clear that they are seeking a homeland." If they'd been thinking about the land from which they had gone out, they would have had an opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country that is a heavenly one. Therefore, God is not ashamed to be called their God. For listen to this. He has prepared for them a city. It's as if Jacob is telling Pharaoh, the greatest man on earth who has developed a nation with many incredible cities, "I have a city better than anything that you have ever constructed. All your pyramids, all that stuff, it is nothing in comparison to the city that God has prepared for me." That's what Jacob believed. And that's why he spoke of this sojourning.
And we also must have that same perspective. that no matter what this life throws at us, when we pray, your kingdom come, your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven, we are believing and trusting that there is something greater that God is doing than even what we see, and hear, and feel here on earth.
Now, the other important factor in this meeting between Jacob and Pharaoh is the direction of the blessing. Notice that when they first met, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And then when their meeting was over with and Jacob departed, Jacob again blessed Pharaoh. He was the one doing the blessing. Pharaoh was the one receiving the blessing.
Now part of this was due to the age of Jacob. That was a culture that valued age, valued physical maturity in that sense. In a sense, you could say that when a society goes backwards completely, they begin to reverse this value system and they start longing for the approval of young people. And I think that's the world that we are in today in the West. There is an infatuation with youth. Nine-year-olds, ten-year-olds making millions on their YouTube channels as their parents pimp them out for eyeball views in order to become popular. Young musicians that should just be living an innocent, youthful life that are being used to make money for the machine. Trying to get the approval of other young people. Young people have the purchasing power. We're a culture that has it backwards with our value system. We even think in our culture, some people do at least, that it might be something good, it might be a good thing when someone's older and they're not able to get around as well to have the choice to end their own life.
But this is foolish. Once you give in to de-valuing human life in any form, in any shape or capacity, you devalue all human life. No matter who we are, we are made in the image of God. And people who are older in years, even to the point where they have to be helped to stand up like Jacob did, or as we'll see later in the chapter, helped to sit up in bed. People like that are a blessing to their community, a blessing in God's sight.
So they had it backwards or we have it backwards, but they got it right. They knew that Jacob was the greater in that room partly because of his age, but also he was greater than Pharaoh because of his relationship with God. That's the real kicker. Not the age, but the relationship that Jacob had with God. In other words here, what you have is a man who has everything spiritually, blesses the man who has everything materially in Pharaoh. Pharaoh had it all. But Jacob blesses him because there was something that Pharaoh didn't have. He didn't have God. He didn't have the blessings of God.
Says in Genesis 12, verse three, God promising to Abraham. He said, "I will bless those who bless you. And him who dishonors you I will curse. And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed." And here's Jacob, a descendant of Abraham blessing, just like God had told Abraham, blessing one of the families of the earth. Blessing Pharaoh and the land of Egypt. So Pharaoh might've looked like he had a lot going on, but Jacob a man of God, he had more going on.
It says in Hebrews seven, verse seven, it says, "It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. The inferior is blessed by the superior." Now in that passage, it was about Melchizedek. If you remember that episode from earlier in Genesis, Melchizedek greater than Abraham. Here though, we can apply it to this scene and declare that Jacob was greater than Pharaoh.
Now before I move on from this passage, I should mention that there is some application for us today in our relationship with the world that we live in. I've just shared with you that we don't want to assimilate. We want to be separate from. But as much as that separation exists, we should also strive to be a blessing
Here, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. He's in a foreign land. He's in a country with a different culture and a different value system. And still, he blessed. And we also can do the same thing. We can bless with our words. We can bless with our prayers. We can bless with our attitude. We can bless with our work, the work of our hands. We can bless our society and culture in many different ways. But we should be a blessed people who bless, because we have been blessed by God.
I think one great template for you to follow in our modern time comes from when the people of Israel were held and taken into captivity in Babylon. They didn't want to go. They resisted, they chafed against it. They thought they needed to fight the Babylonians. But the Prophet Jeremiah encouraged them to just go. Submit to God's plan. This is the kind of environment you're going to live in. Submit to it. And then he said pray for the peace of Babylon. Build houses, and plant gardens, and do what you can as you are an exile in that city.
I think a lot of people, at least in the society I'm in, the culture I'm in here in the West and especially in the United States are morning what has been lost and feeling that we must somehow go back to getting some kind of value system back that we lost years ago. But for me, I believe that it's good for us to go forward and to adopt that Babylonian mindset, to just know. Look, a day is coming where the morality of the Bible, the morality that has been promoted through the scriptures and is trickled down into even the non-believing parts of our society, that value system is changing. People are going to believe in a way that is contrary to the word of God. Still though, we can figure out how to as God's people, live set apart lives where we are still a blessing to the Babylon so to speak, that we are living in. And I think Jacob here is a good model for that as he blessed Pharaoh.
Settled
11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.
All right, let's go on in the text. Verse 11. It says, "Then Joseph settled his father, and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt. In the best of the land, in the land of Ramesses as Pharaoh had commanded." And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependence.
So here, Joseph takes his family and does just what Pharaoh had said. And he settles his father and his brothers in the Land of Goshen. Now I should mention just quickly that these policies from Joseph, this wisdom from Joseph, it basically set Jacob's family the people of Israel, it set them up for a four century run there in the land of Egypt. It took a long time for them to fall into disfavor in that country. They had 400 years of prosperity and unprecedented, incredible growth during that time that they were in Egypt. It was only until hundreds of years later, there was a Pharaoh who did not know of Joseph, who forgot about Joseph, who was not connected to the story of Joseph. That the people of Israel fell into disfavor in Egypt. And it was the policies of Joseph that set up his family so well. So an incredible benefactor, an incredible man who set things up well for the family to come. He had the wisdom of God in other words.
And part of that wisdom is found in the verses that follow in the way that he expands Egypt's territory. Remember the dreams that God had given to Pharaoh? Those dreams indicated there would be seven years of plenty followed by seven years of famine. It was this beginning years of famine that drove the brothers to Joseph in the first place to buy grain. But still, there are years of famine to come. And that's what we'll read about in these verses.
Joseph Expands Egypt
13 Now there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.
It says now verse 13, "There was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe. So the Land of Egypt and the Land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the Land of Egypt and in the Land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house." So again, the famine grows more severe than before. They're getting into year three, and four, and five. And people are exchanging all the money they have to buy grain from Egypt. And the famine is severe.
15 And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, “Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.” 16 And Joseph answered, “Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone.” 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.
And verse 15, "When the money was all spent." So now they've spent all the money. They don't have any resources left in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone." And Joseph answered, "Give your livestock. And I will give you food in exchange for your livestock, if your money is gone." So they brought their livestock to Joseph and Joseph gave them food and exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.
So they basically run out of money. They can no longer purchase grain with the traditional currency. Now Joseph proposes and says, "Well, you can buy grain now with the currency of your livestock." And if you really think about it, this was likely a blessing for the people, because they didn't even have grain to feed themselves, let alone their livestock. So they get rid of their livestock and have a smaller amount of food that they needed to acquire would have been helpful to the people. And Pharaoh's flocks and livestock are growing during this time. And again, who is taking care of the livestock? Well, you have Jacob and his family. They are prospering as all of this unfolds.
18 And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord’s. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.” 20 So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s.
And verse 18 when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, "We will not hide for my Lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my Lords. There is nothing left in the side of my Lord, but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes both we and our land? By us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh and give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate." So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh's.
The concern of the people here as the famine progresses is, "Hey, we ran out of money. Now we've run out of livestock. And all we have left our own bodies, and our land. They don't want they say to Joseph, their bodies to die, which of course will happen if they don't have any food. But they also say, "We don't want the land to die. We don't want the land to be desolate." Without seed, without strength to work the ground, they have no chance of keeping the ground alive. It will just go back to its natural state. It will become desolate. And they work years for those crops.
So this is a big deal. This is a crucial moment. So Joseph, he makes a deal with them. He begins to give them seed in exchange for their service and in exchange for their land. And it just says the land became Pharaoh's.
Now I want to mention to you that Joseph, he was through his wisdom prospering Pharaoh. Like I said earlier, here you have a descendant of Abraham who received a promise that he would be a blessing to all nations. You have a descendant of Abraham who is blessing Pharaoh. You have a believer, a Godly man who is operating as an astute businessmen at this particular point. And there is no contradiction. There are some people who just have a problem considering a godly person who also is discerning in the marketplace. But there is no contradiction at all. Joseph is actually serving the needs of the population very well, allowing them something fair that enables them to live while also expanding his employer's portfolio. And he is, as we've seen already, a godly and good man.
21 As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their land.
23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And at the harvests you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.” 25 And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.” 26 So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; the land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.
Verse 21. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, "Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, you shall sow the land. And at the harvests, you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own. As seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones." And they said, "You have saved our lives. May it please my Lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh." So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt. And it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's.
Now as I alluded to earlier, there are some who think that what Joseph was doing in this whole passage was somehow sinful and wrong. That he is bullying the people, taking advantage of his position of power to wrong the people, to harm the people. But notice their perspective in verse 25. We might feel this way thousands of years later, but the actual actors in this story, they say to Joseph, "You have saved our lives." Didn't even occur to them that Joseph might just give them seed and give them land, and be the one who kept them alive. That was very far from their thoughts. They were thankful for what Joseph had done. And Joseph for his part gave them a very fair deal. They would keep 80% for themselves, give 20% to Pharaoh. Which after all, they were receiving everything from Pharaoh's household, from Pharaoh's estate. So to give back 20% was actually not that significant. Even in that culture, a 20% tax was not that large in comparison to other economies. And even in our modern era, 20% is not that big of a deal. I know plenty of people who would love if only 20% was what they had to pay.
So Joseph here is making these people the servants of Pharaoh. He'd been fair. He'd been generous. He allowed them to live. He could have been much more harsh, much more severe, just taken everything for himself, but he would not crush them. Like Jesus, a bruised reed he will not break and a smoking flax he will not quench. Joseph just was a hard working man. It says in Ecclesiastes nine verse 10, that whatever your hands find to do, do it with your might.
As we work, we are to do our work with our mind. We are to apply ourselves in our place of business. Christians, believers should be the greatest assets of their companies. And of course, often they're not. Often they're outworked. Often, others have greater wisdom. There are natural gifts and spiritual gifts. But believers should be giving their all and working hard in their place of employment, of course within balance.
So Joseph here, he exhibits incredible leadership and wisdom. There is one little note there that is interesting. It's mentioned twice. Once in verse 22, and again in verse 26. "The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh's." Pharaoh's house gave the priests and allowance. So the priests were under no financial pressure to sell the land that belonged to them.
Now, why is this mentioned? I think this is partly mentioned because these priests, they needed to thrive in order for a great showdown between God and the false gods of Egypt to take place in about 400 years from this point. You see in Exodus chapter 12 verse 12, God said that the Passover would occur, which was of course the ultimate of the plagues that came upon Egypt. He said that, "I've done these things and will strike the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And on all the gods of Egypt, I will execute judgments. I am the Lord." And many have pointed out that there's a sequence of plagues in the early chapters of Exodus were actually judgments directly against various false gods throughout and in Egypt.
Don't Bury Me in Egypt!
27 Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.
Now if these priests had been forced to sell their land and the priesthood was not thriving, then you would have them at their weakest state when God came to deal with them. Instead, because they didn't have to sell their land and they were allowed to flourish and prosper, they would be in their most powerful state. So the great showdown was set up. In their full strength, God wipes them off the map because false gods are no gods at all. Now verse 27, it says, "Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt in the Land of Goshen." And they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life were 147 years.
Abraham died at 175, Isaac died at 180, and Jacob dies at 147 years of age. He lived 17 of those years, the last 17 in the Land of Egypt. And during those years in the Land of Egypt, in the Land of Goshen, the people of Israel it says in verse 27, "Multiplied greatly." This is in contrast of course, with everybody else. Everybody else is not multiplying. They have to go to Joseph to get grain, and seed, and to live. But the people of Israel, they are prospering, they're flourishing during this time. It speaks of the hand of God upon his people.
29 And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.” He answered, “I will do as you have said.” 31 And he said, “Swear to me”; and he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.
Verse 29. "And when the time drew near that Israel must die he called his son, Joseph and said to them, 'If now I have found favor in your sight, put put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.' He answered, 'I will do as you have said.' And he said, 'Swear to me.' And he swore to him. Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed."
In this tender scene, Jacob in his old age approaches his son Joseph. They carry out the act of a covenant in that era, the placing of the hand under the thigh, in order for a promise or a covenant to be made. And the thing that Joseph, excuse me that Jacob wants more than anything is for Joseph to promise him that he would not bury him in Egypt. This was his first concern. His first concern was to ensure that his own bones should not rest even temporarily in foreign soil. He, Jacob whose name was changed to Israel. He had to rest in the promised land. Israel had to be buried in Israel, so to speak.
Now this is beautiful because what does it say about Jacob? It says that he is looking forward and he still sees the promise of God. He knows there is a promised land, and I'm not in it. As great as Goshen is, I am not in the promised land. Listen as great as life might be today, we are not yet in the promised land, brothers and sisters. There is more for us to have in Christ Jesus.
Now he asks Joseph to take him to the burying place of his fathers. This was the Cave of Machpelah if you go all the way back to Genesis 23, that Abraham had purchased for his wife Sarah, and had also been buried in himself. And then Jacob it says worshiped, bowed himself on the head of his bed.
Genesis 48 -- Blessing Joseph and His Sons
1 After this, Joseph was told, “Behold, your father is ill.” So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And it was told to Jacob, “Your son Joseph has come to you.” Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed.
Now verse one of chapter 48, this passage or theme continues. After this, Joseph was told, "Behold, your father is ill." So he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And it was told, "Jacob, your son Joseph has come to you." Then Israel summoned his strength and sat up in bed. So he's a little weaker now than he was before. He was helped to stand before Pharaoh. Now he summons his strength just to sit up in bed. He's got one more lesson that he wants to teach. One more time that he wants to recount God. One more thing that he wants to say to Joseph and to the rest of his sons. He wants to pass on a strong heritage to his children.
3 And Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, 4 and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.’
And Jacob said to Joseph verse three, "God almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and will make of you a company of peoples. And will give this land to your offspring after you for an ever lasting possession.'"
Here, what Jacob does is he recounts the time that God met him so many years earlier as a young man when he was on the run from his brother Esau, because he stole the blessing and the birthright. And God appeared to him at Luz, which he renamed Bethel. And promised him that through you Jacob, all the earth will be blessed. You will be the recipient of the Abrahamic blessing and covenant. And I'm going to make you into a company of peoples and give this land to your offspring after you for an ever lasting possession.
And here he is on his death bed. He's sick. He is clearly not in the land of promise. Still with a small family relatively. And he draws strength and confidence for the future by remembering what God has done for him in the past. He's confident in what is coming because of what God had said in the past.
5 And now your two sons, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, as Reuben and Simeon are. 6 And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 As for me, when I came from Paddan, to my sorrow Rachel died in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath, and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem).”
Now verse five, it says, "And now your two sons who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, they are mine. Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine as Reuben and Simeon are. And the children that you fathered after them shall be yours. They shall be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. As for me, when I came from Peyton, to my sorrow Rachel died in the Land of Canaan on the way when there was still some distance to go to Ephrath. And I buried her there on the way to Ephrath." That is Bethlehem.
Now here, Jacob does something fascinating to Joseph. He says, "Look, I'm going to take your sons Ephraim and Manasseh and they are going to be like my sons. Just like Reuben and just like Simeon is, Ephraim and Manasseh are going to be to me." Now Ephraim and Manasseh at this point are in their twenties. They were born to Joseph in Egypt, and their grandfather is now telling them, "Your life, it's going to be like you are one of my sons. You're going to be right on line with Reuben and Simeon."
Now I should say that some people think that what Jacob is saying here is that Ephraim and Manasseh replaced Reuben and Simeon. And in some respects, this must be true. Because First Chronicles chapter five, verse one and two talks about Reuben coughing up his heritage, coughing up his blessings. And in chapter 49 of Genesis, when Jacob pronounces a blessing or a prophetic word upon each of his sons, Reuben and Simeon are judged harshly by their father. Still, they become figureheads of tribes in Israel.
But Ephraim and Manasseh, they became the greatest of the tribes in some respects. So much so that when you read the Book of Hosea, he is able to refer to all of Northern Israel, the 10 Northern tribes as Ephraim. He just wraps them all up in this one tribe, Ephraim. So these two would become great. Perhaps they did take the position of Reuben and Simeon, and replace them in some respects.
But what does this do for Joseph? There is no tribe of Joseph. There is no land of Joseph as the people of Israel developed. He has two portions. One for Ephraim, and one for Manasseh. Really what this did was create not 12 tribes, but 13 tribes. Joseph, the 12th, is replaced by two. So that means 13. But then you say minus one, because the Tribe of Levi did not receive any land because God was their inheritance. And the Levitical tribe was the tribe that housed the priesthood for God. So you have the 12, including Ephraim and Manasseh plus the Levites.
Now what he's doing here is he's giving that inheritance of the future land to Ephraim and Manasseh. And that's what I've been alluding to here. And in verse seven, there's this interesting little statement where he talks about the death of Rachel. I'll be honest with you, some commentators, many in fact, look at this statement from Jacob and think that Jacob is showing some of his old age, maybe some senility at this moment. Because he randomly brings up the death of his beloved bride Rachel. But others have pointed out, and I tend to agree with them, that this makes all the sense in the world. What he's pointing out is that Rachel died too soon. He expected to have more sons with Rachel, more children with Rachel than only Joseph and Benjamin. So Joseph's children will become Jacob's children because Rachel died way too soon. This 30 year memory of his beloved wife helps him come to the conclusion that Ephraim and Manasseh be considered his own sons.
Blessing Joseph
8 When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?” 9 Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.” And he said, “Bring them to me, please, that I may bless them.”
Now verse eight, when Israel saw Joseph's sons, he said, "Who are these?" Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons whom God has given me here." And he said, "Bring them to me please, that I may bless them." So Jacob has announced to Joseph there on his death bed that Ephraim and Manasseh will be blessed that they will be like Reuben and Simeon to him, that they will be like his own sons. And then he says of these two young men, Ephraim and Manasseh, who are these?
And of course we wonder, why did he ask that question? Is this senility? Is this old age that's showing up? Is this bad eyesight, which is indicated throughout the text? I think though, that this is a formal proceeding. You know at the beginning of a wedding, the pastor will often ask the question, "Who gives this woman to be this man's lawfully wedded wife?" And it's sort of the kickoff question to the proceedings. And I wonder if Jacob is doing that right here. If he's saying who are these. It's indicating that an official ceremony is about to begin.
10 Now the eyes of Israel were dim with age, so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them and embraced them. 11 And Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face; and behold, God has let me see your offspring also.”
Now the eyes of Israel verse 10 were dim with age so that he could not see. So Joseph brought them near him, and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said to Joseph, "I never expected to see your face. And behold, God has let me see your offspring also." This is so incredible. For many reasons. One reason this is incredible is because of this, remember when Jacob was blessed by his father Isaac? Isaac could not see. His eyes like Jacob as described here were dim with age, but Isaac was deceived in blessing Jacob.
Now here's Jacob, an old man, his eyes dim with age. And there's no deception. What a blessing for this man. Things have been redeemed. He's not being duped by his children any longer. But even though he can't see, he's being dealt with honestly, and he can give an honest blessing to these two young men.
But also, this is incredibly beautiful. Because he simply announces to Joseph, "I never thought I'd see your face. And now I get to see your face and see the face of your children." God is just amazing in the way that he works in our lives. The way that he surprises us. the things that we thought we'd never see, that we'd never do, that God ends up doing through our lives. Some of our chiefest disappointments when committed and handed over to God, he does a restorative work that is so beyond compare that we can never imagine in our own strength. That's what Jacob says, "I could never imagine this. I never even dreamed that I would see your face. I thought that you were dead Joseph. But now I've seen you and I've seen your children, my own grandsons. God is so good." He does a work beyond compare.
12 Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. 13 And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel’s left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel’s right hand, and brought them near him.
Then Joseph verse 12, removed them from his knees. And he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both Ephraim and his right hand towards Israel's left-hand, and Manasseh in his left hand towards Israel's right hand. It brought them near him. And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger. And his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands. For Manasseh was the first born. And he blessed Joseph and said, "The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walk. The God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day. The angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys. In them, let my name be carried on. In the name of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth."
Now, this is fascinating. Four generations now have seen the younger blessed above the older. Isaac blessed over Ishmael. Jacob blessed over Esau. Joseph blessed over Reuben. And now Ephraim the younger, blessed over Manasseh.
And it's all prophecy coming out of Jacob's mouth. He wants Ephraim and Manasseh's tribes to be great. And as I said earlier, they did become great. And I love how Jacob recounts the history with God in his family. He mentioned that Abraham and Isaac, they walked with God. He mentioned that God had fed him and led him all of his life. And he mentioned that God had redeemed him from all evil. This is Jacob just recounting God's faithfulness in his life, God's leadership in his life. God's blessing in his life. God had been leading Jacob all his life long. This is just a beautiful thing that Jacob is mentioning.
Now when we talk of God's leadership, of course we chuckle. Because we as we've studied in the Book of Genesis have just gotten in a mirror handful of weeks, an overview of Jacob's life. And we know that that Jacob did not follow God all that closely at times. I heard one person used the illustration of the way a dog off leash will follow their master as their master walks through a field. That dog will take different journeys, and go sniff this bush, and dig in this hole, and wander over this hill. Basically follow their master, but kind of doing their own thing the whole time.
14 And Israel stretched out his right hand and laid it on the head of Ephraim, who was the younger, and his left hand on the head of Manasseh, crossing his hands (for Manasseh was the firstborn). 15 And he blessed Joseph and said, “The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, 16 the angel who has redeemed me from all evil, bless the boys; and in them let my name be carried on, and the name of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.”
And that was Jacob in some ways. Following God, kind of from afar, but really in many ways doing his own thing. But he now looks back on his life and says, "The Lord, he's redeemed me from all evil. He shepherded me. My fathers walked with him, and he has walked with me." It's just a beautiful statement from Jacob. So Jacob is blessing Ephraim and Manasseh by putting them under that same care of God. Under God's shepherding hand, under the angel of the Lord, the one who delivers.
And by the way, this of course is the greatest gift that a parent can give to their children or a grandparent can give to their grandchildren, to give them a heritage in the Lord. To bring them to Christ, to teach them about Jesus. Look, if you're a parent today and your children are still in your home, do not be afraid, be courageous. And open your mouth and tell them about the things of God. Tell them what the Lord is doing in you and for you. Tell them of the word of the Lord.
Blessing Ephraim and Manasseh
17 When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the head of Ephraim, it displeased him, and he took his father’s hand to move it from Ephraim’s head to Manasseh’s head. 18 And Joseph said to his father, “Not this way, my father; since this one is the firstborn, put your right hand on his head.” 19 But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know. He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.” 20 So he blessed them that day, saying, “By you Israel will pronounce blessings, saying, ‘God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.’ ” Thus he put Ephraim before Manasseh.
Verse 17. When Joseph saw that his father laid his right hand on the hand of Ephraim, it displeased him. And he took his father's hand to move it from Ephraim's head to Manasseh's head. And Joseph said to his father, "Not this way my father, since this one is the firstborn. Put your right hand on his head." But his father refused and said, "I know my son. I know. He also shall become a people. And he also shall be great. Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations." So he blessed them that day saying, "By you, Israel will pronounce blessings saying, 'God make you as Ephraim and as Manasseh.'" Thus put Ephraim before Manasseh. That's what this whole crossing of the arms was about for Jacob. He knew he wanted to bless the younger above the older.
Now interestingly enough, Joseph, the father of these two, who was younger than his 10 older brothers. He wanted to have the older blessed above the younger. But Jacob says, "No, this is not the way of God. God, he has a different way." And here at this point in his life, Jacob submits to the will of God. He had learned the way of God. Isaac of course, his own father had not learned this way, but Jacob had learned this way from God. He'd learned to expect God to act contrary to the ways of man. This same God would be the God who chose David, the youngest of all of his brothers, his eight brothers to be the future King of Israel. To replace Saul who is excellent in outward form, but not the man that he needed to be internally.
This is the God who chose Paul as one born out of due time. A Pharisee, a persecutor of the church, to be the apostle to the Gentile world. You see God has plans and ways that are so far beyond our ways. And Jacob here at this stage of his life, he's learning how to submit himself to the contrary ways of God. So he blessed them that day.
Now before moving on and closing out this chapter, I have to mention to you that in the New Testament, particularly in Hebrews chapter 11, when the author to the Hebrews lays out all these Old Testament characters and the acts of faith that they engaged in with their lives. This episode is the episode that is mentioned about Jacob and his faith.
Now there were many faith filled moments in the life of Jacob. But this is the episode that God pointed out in the New Testament era. It says in Hebrews 11, verse 21, that by faith Jacob, when dying blessed each of the sons of Joseph. Bowing in worship over the head of his staff. This was his great and incredible active faith as he bowed in worship. On the head of his staff, he blessed Joseph's sons.
And I think that what was happening here was pleasing in the sight of God, because of something very simple. All his life, Jacob was a man who sought the blessing from God. At the river, he clung to the man and said, "I will not let you go unless you bless me." His whole life, he struggled for the blessing. He wanted the blessing. At Bethel when God made all these outrageous promises to him, he says, "If you bless me like that, you will be my God. And I will be your man." All his life, he sought for the blessing. All his life, he looked for the stuff, the things, the trappings of life. Those blessings.
But while he aimed for blessings, Jacob's life was hard. So very hard. Rachel died in childbirth. Reuben, his oldest son betrayed him through sexual sin. He lived a ton of his life believing that his beloved son Joseph had been killed by wild beasts. He endured famine and struggled to provide for his family. Though all he wanted was blessings, it seems like all he got was battles. While he and his old age was reunited with Joseph in Egypt, he met Joseph's boss Pharaoh. He said to Pharaoh, as we already saw , "Few and evil had been the days of the years of my life. I've lived a life that has been filled with evil. It was a pain filled journey."
But in this last moment of Jacob's life, the lights clicked on and everything turned in the right direction. He saw clearly. He had Joseph and Joseph's sons right there before him. And he had his staff. That's all he had. He's about to die. He's got this staff in his hand, no promise land, but that was all he needed. Because God was there for him.
And that's why he worshiped. In this moment, he realized, "My whole life I've been chasing the blessings, and I've not prioritized the blesser." So there leaning on his staff, he worships the Lord. All he's God is his staff. And he worships the Lord. He can bless these boys with a conscience that is clean. And just say, "Now, I'm truly blessed. Because I've given it all away. And I have God. I have God." At this point, his faith became dynamic, and powerful, and exemplary for us.
A Final Promise
21 Then Israel said to Joseph, “Behold, I am about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. 22 Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow.”
Now it closes this chapter in verse 21, by saying, "Then Israel said to Joseph 'Behold, I'm about to die. But God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your fathers. Moreover, I have given to you rather than to your brothers, one mountain slope that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my boat.'"
This is beautiful because Jacob says to his son, "Look, I'm going to die. But God will be with you. I can't minister to you anymore, but God will minister to you." God is still alive. "And God will," he says in verse 21, "Bring you again to the land of your fathers." So Jacob's life as it's wrapping up, closes with a promise that the people of Israel will return to the Land of Canaan, return to the land of promise. And he gives Joseph some previously unmentioned land from a previously unmentioned battle. And we know from the New Testament that eventually, Joseph's descendants took this plot of land and they cultivated it. Jacob had apparently dug a well in this places where the woman from Sumeria met with Jesus at Jacob's well in the land here, that he committed to Joseph's descendants. Church, let's believe God, let's trust him. And let's pursue the blesser rather than the blessing. God bless you. Have an incredible week.