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27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” 31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed. ~ Genesis 47:27-31
Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 47 where the grace of God has been put on full display as He used Joseph to save his family and many Egyptians from certain disaster. Amazingly, had Joseph not gone through the many intense trials including being rejected by his brothers, sold into slavery, separated from his father for many years, accused falsely by Potiphar's wife, thrown into prison again, he would have never risen to the second most powerful position in the world at that time. The next time an unwanted trial enters our life, we must seek God to determine the plan He has in mind for our lives since He either caused it or allow the trial to come.
In v.27-28 of today's passage we read, "27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years."
Exactly as was promised by Pharaoh to Joseph, the people of Israel were given Goshen as their temporary home to live. Goshen means "drawing near" while Egypt in the Hebrew means "double distress." These two places paint a picture of the gentiles and the people of Israel. Egypt was without God and without the covenant blessings while Israel was drawing near to its deliverance from the famine and from the exile from Canaan. There in the land of double distress Israel lived and waited for their return to the promised land.
Israel's journey to Egypt and the coming Exodus pictures the incredible work of God for all people in His overall plan of redemption. One of the immediate advantages of God’s plan in the journey to Egypt was that it kept the covenant people together. Going all the way back to the Fall in the Garden of Eden, there is a continual pattern of families separating. Cain was the first to be separated from his family after committing his wicked deed against his brother Abel.
There were a total of 75 people within the covenant community who came from Canaan to Egypt with Jacob. Within a 215 year period of time, this small group of people grew to a total of 603,550 fighting-aged men. When we add the women, children, and the older folks their numbers were as high as 3 million people. These numbers attest to the fact that God’s hand was upon Jacob and His family. To further the argument, God has kept them together ever since.
Jacob entered the land of Egypt in the year 2299 BC at the age of 130 years, and, he continued on in Egypt for a total of 17 years. Interestingly, this is the same amount of time that Jacob had with his son Joseph before he was sold off to the Ishmaelite traders by his brothers. Like bookends on the span of Joseph’s life until the death of Jacob, these two 17-year periods mean that in all, Jacob had 34 years with his eleventh son. That is actually close to, maybe a bit more than, the amount of time Mary had with her Son who, like Joseph, was given the title "The Savior of the World."
Jacob was born in the year 2169 BC and his death at 147 years of age occurred in the year 2316 BC. Jacob, who is Israel, lived seventy-seven years in the land of Canaan before moving to Padan-aram where he stayed 20 years. After that, he moved again to Canaan and lived there for thirty-three more years. And finally, as directed by God, he moved once again from the Promised land to live his 17 final years in Egypt. The events of the life of Jacob were used in a most astonishing way to reveal future events in the history of redemption. Only God who knows all things, including the future, could have so carefully woven the stories and their intended fulfillment together.
In v.29-30 of today's passage we read, "29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, 'Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, 30 but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.' And he said, 'I will do as you have said.'"
In the Bible we are presented with two different types of death; There is the death of the spirit which is separation from God, and there is the death of the physical body which is the end of our earthly life. The first death, the spiritual death, is inherited but can be reversed. In an act of faith in God’s provision through the work of Jesus Christ, man can be regenerated in his spirit. This is what it means to be "born again." For those who are never "born again" the death of the physical body means that the spirit will never be received by God. Those who are never "born again" await the Lake of Fire. This is the reward for a self-inflicted wound which has never healed. "Born once, die twice; born twice die once."
Knowing that his time on earth was limited, Jacob requested that Joseph place his hand under his thigh. This would be an everlasting covenant. To swear upon the hand placed under the thigh is to invoke allegiance to the One from whom man originally came. Jacob was asking to be taken out of the land of double-distress, the land of Egypt, and to be buried with His fathers. He desired to be placed along with them in their burial place. Instead of being buried with his beloved Rachel, Jacob asked to be buried in the cave that was purchased in Genesis 23 by Abraham. That cave was a significant spot which looks forward to the resurrection of the righteous. It is to this location that Jacob asked for his remains to be buried.
In v.31 of today's passage we read, "Then he said, 'Swear to me.' And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed."
Jacob has been referred to as Jacob twice and as Israel twice in this passage. The two times he was referred to as Jacob referenced the number of his years alive on the earth and his number of years in Egypt. The two times he was referred to as Israel, spoke of his approaching death and of his worship of God. Jacob, like us was defined at some points by his flesh and as Israel he was defined by God. That which we worship defines us.
The principle throughout God's Word is that the word is binding when the word is spoken. The word of the Lord which is recorded in the Bible is His oath. When God speaks, it is a vow in and of itself. Everyone who has trusted in the Lord Jesus for the forgiveness of sin can bank on it because it has been issued by the authority of God Himself. The highest of all authorities will keep His promise. As a result, Jacob worshipped God. In 2 Corinthians 1:20 we read, "For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'Yes' in Christ. And so through him the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."
