Genesis 48:1-7

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1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick;" and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. 2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you;" and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. 3 Then 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 multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.' 5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance. 7 But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)." ~ Genesis 48:1-7

Today, we transition into Genesis 48 where Jacob and his twelve sons are living in a placed named Goshen. It was there that they flourished even though the whole world was still in a famine. It is clear that God had been true to His word to Joseph and to his father Jacob. In today's passage, we will learn of the great significance of the dying words of Jacob to the sons of Joseph, Ephraim and Manasseh.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, 'Indeed your father is sick;' and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim."

It was quite apparent that Jacob was about to die. Joseph was informed that his father Jacob was so sick that he was about to pass into the realm of eternity. So, Joseph brought his two adult sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, to be blessed by their grandfather. Amazingly, these words of the old patriarch was nothing less than the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. These words of Jacob spoken to these two grandsons will be something that will affect humanity from this point onward.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob was told, 'Look, your son Joseph is coming to you;' and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed."

The sudden change in this verse from the name "Jacob" to the name "Israel" is quite instructive. When Jacob spoke, it was as Jacob the man. When Israel spoke, it was on the behalf of the God of the Bible and under His inspiration. This subtle change underscores the constant struggle that we all face from moment to moment, relying on ourselves or relying on God. When we are weak we discover that God is granting us the opportunity to be strong but only as we are being defined by Him.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Then 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 multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'"

After Joseph and his two sons arrived, Jacob gave them a history lesson from his life. Jacob told his son and grandsons that God Almighty appeared to him at Luz in the land of Canaan, and there He blessed him. Jacob referred to the place as Luz, not Bethel which is its other name. Luz was the original name of the location, but Jacob renamed it Bethel after his blessing. Luz means "to turn away from." Luz represented a people who had "turned away from God." This is why Jacob called the place Luz, not Bethel because all mankind needs the redemption that only comes through the Lord Jesus Christ.

In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. 6 Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance."

Here, the names of the two grandsons were reversed by Jacob. By doing so, Jacob moved Ephraim and Manasseh to an equal footing and position with the other grandsons as redemptive history would continue to unfold. The naming of Ephraim before his older brother reveals that at the foot of the cross of the Lord Jesus we are all viewed by God as equals in Christ. 

In v.5 Jacob literally said, "Ephraim and Manasseh as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be to me." This clearly meant for Ephraim and Manasseh that they were expected to leave their luxurious lives in Egypt and be united with Israel in their inheritance. History bears out that they agreed with this and they accepted the covenant inheritance, and became united to their people Israel. The highest honor in this life is not wealth, fame, or riches as most think. Rather, the highest honor is to be united to the Lord and to be the covenant people of God. 

Ephraim and Manasseh's adoption mirrors the adoption that God has granted all believers in the Lord Jesus Christ. In Hebrews 2:11-13 we read, "11 For both He who sanctifies and those who are being sanctified are all of one, for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren, 12 saying: 'I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will sing praise to You.' 13 And again: 'I will put My trust in Him.' And again: 'Here am I and the children whom God has given Me.'"

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."

Here, Jacob mentioned Padan which means "Ransom." This is the last of 11 times this word is used in Genesis, but it is the only time that it is used alone. The other ten times it is called Padan Aram. Rachel means "ewe lamb" which is the same word used when speaking of the Lord Jesus as the suffering lamb in Isaiah 53. Then Jacob used the word "beside." Whether he knew it or not, Jacob was painting a picture of the gospel of the Lord Jesus with his words.

Canaan which means "lowly" was next to be mentioned by Jacob. The name Ephrath means both "ash heap" and "place of fruitfulness" depending upon its context. Jacob used this name twice in the same sentence. Ephraim is the plural of Ephrath. Both, ash heap and place of fruitfulness were implied as Jacob used Ephrath twice here.

Then, at the end of the verse, Jacob mentioned Bethlehem which means "House of Bread." All of this wording in a sentence which when put together literally says, "But as for me, when I came from the place of ransom, the Lamb died for me, in my place, in the land of the humbled on the journey when there was a long distance to the place of fruitfulness and I buried the Lamb in the place of ashes, the land of affliction when sin was judged in the Lamb. The place of the house of bread."

Genesis 47:27-31

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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." 

Genesis 47:23-26

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23 Then Joseph said to the people, “Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones.” 25 So they said, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.” 26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s. ~ Genesis 47:23-26

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 47 where Jacob and his sons are now in Egypt and are at the end of the sixth year of the seven year famine. Everything had failed the people of Egypt, their money and the Nile River which was to them one of their many gods. So, even their theology had failed them. In the context of their misery, the Egyptians asked Joseph to make them Pharaoh's servants so that they might eat and live. As this was happening, God provided for and protected Jacob and his sons through Jacob's eleventh son. This provides for us a picture of how God looks over all who are in His family. He doesn't promise absence of problems, He promises purpose through the problems.

In v.23-24 of today's passage we read, "23 Then Joseph said to the people, 'Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. 24 And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones'"

At this point in the narrative, Jacob and his sons were in the seventh year of the worldwide famine. God had long ago told Joseph the famine would last seven years. This is why at this point Joseph gave the people seed to be sown. Once the sown seed produced crops, the people were told that 1/5 of the crop would be Pharaoh's and 4/5 would be their's. Earlier, the 1/5th percentage was the same percentage that was bought up by Pharaoh during the seven abundant years before the famine. At this point Joseph required of the people one-fifth as their payment for renting the land owned by Pharaoh. Pharaoh grew in wealth and power while the people happily made themselves his indebted servants.

In v.25 of today's passage we read, "So they said, 'You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants.'"

Provided for us here is a perfect picture of the Lord Jesus Christ. First the Egyptians said to Joseph, "You have saved our lives." Then they said, "Let us find favor in the sight of my lord." The word "favor" is a Hebrew word which means "grace." In essence, they said, "By your grace we are saved." The Egyptians understood and affirmed the fact that had Joseph not come into the narrative when he did, they would have been doomed. There is no question in my mind that had the Lord Jesus not come into my life when He did, I would have been doomed. As a result of my mother dying when I was five years old and my father dying when I was seventeen, I was an orphan. And, for 43 years the Lord has not missed a beat in my life. He has been most faithful and due to His grace I trust Him unswervingly. After the Egyptians acknowledged Joseph's grace, they agreed to be the servants of the Pharaoh. This was how we became servants of God, through the saving grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, pictured here by Joseph. 

The key to our willingness to let God be the Supreme Being in our lives is grace. Our unwillingness to be subservient to God reveals our lack of knowledge of Him and our lack of subsequent trust in Him. We are saved specifically by God’s grace alone manifested ultimately through the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ. God's grace is a force that makes us want to serve. In Ephesians 2:8-9 we read, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast."

God’s grace is a mind-blowing gift from the Supreme Being of all. We are made right with God by His grace. No amount of good works on our behalf can earn us a right relationship with God. The forgiveness of our sin comes to us by grace as a gift. Once we have received God's free gift of forgiveness by His grace we are propelled into a personal relationship with Him. If we could have been saved by any goodness that we could have produce then the law of Moses would have lifted us out of our condemned condition.

Once we see that we cannot bridge the massive gap that our sinfulness created between us and God, the only alternative is the grace of God which is hard for us to accept because it is so foreign to us. Our default mode is to pull up our moral boot straps and try to improve upon ourselves. But we are completely broken. Of course, this is why the Lord Jesus came to live a perfect life and to die a perfect death on the cross for you and me. Through His grace, God reached down and brought us up to be on the same level as Himself through His Son.

In v.26 of today's passage we read, "And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh’s."

In this verse yet again the grace of God is subtly brought to the fore for those who have come to the end of themselves. The entire account of today's passage reveals to us God's grace. Pharaoh’s house, as ruled by Joseph, hadn’t done anything overbearing or reprehensible towards the people of Egypt. Instead, the Lord God used Joseph to save many of them alive through the famine, picturing a much greater salvation provided for us through the cross of the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace is so much more than forgiveness because forgiveness describes what God kept us from, that is, His judgment. Through His grace God gave us His righteousness which is what grants us a right standing with God. God, through the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus, gave us a new and an acceptable status before Him. 

In Colossians 1:21-22 we read, "Once you were alienated from God and were enemies in your minds because of your evil behavior. But now he has reconciled you by Christ’s physical body through death to present you holy in his sight, without blemish and free from accusation." 

Genesis 47:18-22

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18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate." 20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands. ~ Genesis 47:18-22

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 47 where the people of the world were enduring a severe seven-year famine. The famine was so severe the Egyptians traded their land and themselves for food. When Joseph was done, Pharaoh owned all the land, and all the people had sold themselves into slavery. In terms of an economic policy, Joseph had transformed Egypt from a place where individuals had wealth and property and freedom to a place owned by the government.

In the 1970's Bob Dylan sang a song titled "Gotta Serve Somebody." In the chorus of that song, Dylan sang, "You're still gonna have to serve somebody, yes, you're gonna have to serve somebody. Well, it may be the Devil and it may be the Lord but you're gonna have to serve somebody." No truer words have ever been spoken. The truth is, we are all servants to someone or something and we always becoming like the someone or something we serve. The answer to this is to walk in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is simply being sensitive to listen to the leading of the Holy Spirit primarily through His word and then do what He tells us. In addition to this we must pray which is an on-going conversation with God. Listening to Him as we read His word and talking to Him are the two primary ways that we discover what it means to walk in the Spirit.

In v.18-19 of today's passage we read, "18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, 'We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands. 19 Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate.'"

Today's narrative took place about 500 years after the flood. This famine was at the end of its sixth year and the beginning of its seventh year. Everything in Egypt had been reduced to poverty level, subsistence living. The money failed the people, even the Nile River failed them. They desperately sold their animals and themselves to garner the food to remain alive. They went from prosperity to grappling for food over night. The only option besides death was to give up everything they owned and become the servants of Pharaoh. 

In all of his epistles the Apostle Paul identified himself as the bondservant of Jesus Christ. A bondservant is a slave. The Greek word "doulos" means "one who is subservient to, and entirely at the disposal of his master." Like us, the Apostle Paul learned that being a bondservant of the Lord Jesus is not a duty, it is a pleasure. Servanthood is an act of devotion because the Lord Jesus has delivered us from the eternal clutches of Hell itself through His sacrifice made on our behalf on the cross. 

In v.19 the people begged for "seed." The word translated "seed" was used in Genesis 3:15 of the promised coming Messiah. That prophecy pointed us to the Seed of the woman. Of course, a woman doesn't have a seed. It wasn't the woman's seed, it was God's Seed. This was God's first hint that the Messiah would be born of a virgin and it was not the last. In Isaiah 7:14 we read, "Therefore the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child and bear a son, and she will call His name Immanuel." Our greatest need is not for temporal food which fuels our bodies for a short time. No, our greatest need is for a Savior and only the perfect God could overcome death on our behalf by giving Himself over to death. And when He did so, sin and death died.

The desperate request from the Egyptians reveals to us the reality of what they were enduring. They were so desperate for food that they themselves became the slaves of the Pharaoh. And tucked away in this true story was to be found the mystery of how God would solve mankind's desperate need for forgiveness which was our greatest need because it is our sin that has separated us from life itself. 

In v.20 of today's passage we read, "Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh’s."

Until this point in the narrative, Pharaoh had no claim on the lands of the people. Only now had he consolidated his power and ownership entirely over the people and the lands. And all of this had been orchestrated by the hand of Joseph. Interestingly, this is also almost a mirror picture of what Joseph's name means. The name "Joseph" comes from two phrases: to subtract and to add. In one period of seven years, Joseph had taken away all of that which belonged to the Egyptians and had added it to Pharaoh’s wealth. But notice here, even though Canaan had been mentioned three times since v.13 in this chapter, it is excluded from this verse. Canaan was never assimilated by the Pharaoh, thus allowing for the continuing plan of God to unfold exactly as it would in the future. 

In v.21-22 of today's passage we read, "21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands."

Here, God set the stage for the events that would lead to the Exodus of the Jewish people approximately 400 years later. God used this seven-year famine to transfer the wealth of the Egyptians to Pharaoh. Much of that wealth was given to Israel when they left Egypt during the Exodus. 

Israel’s family lived separate from the Egyptians in Goshen while shepherding their animals. The Egyptians considered shepherding to be a loathsome profession. Research reveals that people who have never turned to God before may suddenly turn to Him in a crisis or through suffering. In those cases, a "bad" thing can inspire someone to receive the free gift of forgiveness from the Lord Jesus, resulting in an eternity in heaven instead of hell. 

Only those who trust in the Lord Jesus will be protected by God. We all go through life knowing where we want to go, but not knowing how to get there. We may think that we are making good time in our journey, only to find out in the end that we have been headed in the wrong direction. Twice in the Book of Proverbs we read, "There is a way that seems right to a man, but its end is the way to death." The only way that is real is the pathway the Lord Jesus beat for us into eternal life. It is only through Him that we discover "The way, and the truth, and the life" because "No one comes to the Father except through the Lord Jesus Christ."  

Genesis 47:13-17

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13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because 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, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed." 16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone." 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year. ~ Genesis 47:13-17

Today, we return to Genesis 47 which happened during a period when the people on the earth were experiencing a seven year famine. Before the famine set in God revealed through Joseph that there was coming seven years of abundance of food which would prepare them for the seven year famine. It happened just as God had revealed, knowing it gave Joseph favor in the eyes of the Pharaoh. The fact that Joseph resisted the impulses of his flesh and was defined by the Lord, positioned him to recognize the leading of God. Having recognized the Lord, Joseph obey His Word and as a result he was defined by God.

The seven year famine in Joseph's day pictures for us a time of famine which will come upon the whole world during the seven year event that most refer to as the Tribulation. The Bible actually never calls this period the Tribulation, it is referenced in Daniel 9 as the seventieth seven of Daniel's prophecy for Israel. In Jeremiah 30:7 it is called a time of Jacob's trouble. At the opening of the third seal in Revelation 6 there will be a rider on a black horse who will appear as a sign of the famine. There will also be at that time a famine of the Word of God. As we’ve seen in our study of Genesis, grain has consistently pictured the word of God. It is one thing to lack food for the body, it is quite another to lack food for the soul.

In v.13 of today's passage we read, "Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine."

The mentioning of the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan here is significant. Both will languish which means that this will be a worldwide famine, for both Israel and the rest of the world. Only those who have a personal relationship with God will be cared for supernaturally. This is foreshadowed in today's passage in the prospering of Israel while they were in the land of Goshen while everyone else suffered. The word translated "languished" meant that in such a state the people became exhausted to the point of fainting.

In v.14-15 of today's passage we read, "14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, 'Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed.'"

This is the last time the word grain is mentioned in Joseph's story. It was yet again a picture of what will happen on the earth during the Tribulation. This scenario is exactly referred to in Ezekiel 7:19 which reads, "They will throw their silver into the streets, and their gold will be like refuse; Their silver and their gold will not be able to deliver them In the day of the wrath of the Lord; They will not satisfy their souls, nor fill their stomachs, because it became their stumbling block of iniquity." 

The famine outlasted the money. We live in a world where everyone believes that if they just had a little bit more money they would be okay. Those who trust in money more than the Lord will never be secure. Even though the US currency bares the message, "In God We Trust," engraved by our faith-filled founding fathers, that phrase is a reminder not to waste our energy engaging money as the source of our security. We invite trouble into our souls when we trust money more than we trust God. It is impossible to obtain a totally secured financial future. God knows we need this uncertainty to stay dependent upon Him. Frustration and fear become the pattern of those who focus on finances over faith in the God of the Bible.

Only in Goshen did God protect and provide for Israel as long as they were willing to be defined by Him. It will be the same for those Jews during the Tribulation. According to the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24, those who will flee to the wilderness will be safe. The rest will endure intense hardships. Knowing the word of God in advance and being defined by the Lord will be the precursor for their protection and God's provision for them.

In v.16-17 of today's passage we read, "16 Then Joseph said, 'Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.' 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year."

At this point in the narrative it was the sixth year of the seven year famine. In a wise moment for both Pharaoh and for the animals, when Joseph proposed an exchange of food for the livestock of the people. The exchange was made and the few possessions of value left to the people became the property of Pharaoh. Here, the picture of the future Tribulation comes into focus. In the book of the Revelation we learn not one person will be able to buy or sell anything unless they have the mark of the beast, the sign of their allegiance to the enemy. The only difference will be those who will be born again by asking the Lord Jesus into their lives. Sadly those who will resist the number during that time will die awful deaths. This is the clear difference between the Lord Jesus and the enemy. The Lord Jesus died for us while the devil will require those not subject to him to die. Our choice is clear, to trust in the one who loves us or to trust in the one who appeals to our flesh.

Genesis 47:7-12

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7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?" 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty 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 pilgrimage." 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. 11 And Joseph situated 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 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families. ~ Genesis 47:7-12

Today, we continue our study of Genesis 47 where we are allowed to peak into a conversation between Jacob and the Pharaoh. This exchange between these two men, though brought about by Joseph, was actually planned by God. Every detail that happens in our lives is orchestrated by God to demonstrate His providential power over everything. There is not even one rogue atom in all of the universe known to man. And even the unwanted moments that come into our lives all have a profound impact on our lives and the lives of those whom we love.

The lies of evolution and global warming present for all to see a world where God seems to lack control and unable to keep His promises. The fact is our God is great in all ways, perfect in His very being, and He holds absolute sway over the smallest details of our lives. We can trust Him with every concern that we have because He truly is sovereign over all. Nothing takes Him by surprise. The key is that we learn to walk with Him on a daily basis because when we are walking with Him, we are granted an insiders view of Him at work.

In v.7 of today's passage we read, "Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh."

When Jacob was brought by Joseph before the Pharaoh, Jacob blessed him. The word "blessed" here provides a picture of one man showing honor to another. Jacob was living out of the covenant of God which means his value was being found in God and not in anyone else. In doing this, Jacob taught us a very powerful lesson: If we are being defined by God, we will not seek definition in anything or anyone else. Pharaoh was not a man of God, yet Jacob honored him as more important than he. When we honor others, it is really not about them but us. People who are defined by sin treat others poorly. People who are defined by the truth are defined by the truth and deal with people in truth.

In v.8 of today's passage we read, "Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How old are you?'"

Standing before the most powerful man in the world, Jacob was asked his age. Jacob was a gray, long haired man with a long gray beard. He would have been calloused in hand and foot, wrinkled in his face and bent over at the back. Pharaoh's question was asked with an air of astonishment. The years had worn on Jacob. This is what feeding the flesh does to us, it brings with it death and all of its forms.

In v.9 of today's passage we read, "And Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty 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 pilgrimage.'"

In his response to Pharaoh, Jacob began with words of faith. This word translated "pilgrimage" literally means "not at home." Pilgrimage was one of the markers of Jacob's granddad. Most places Abraham went there were two obvious things in his life: a tent and an altar. The tent was a reminder that he was to not settle down in a particular place for he was only passing through this world. This world isn’t our ultimate destination. This is why we must walk by faith in the God who has called us into a personal relationship with Himself.

Jacob was born in the year 2169 BC and it was now the year 2299 BC. Jacob was 130 years old at this point in his life. God provided Jacob's age so that we could navigate through the dating of the Bible and determine where we are in human history. At that point Joseph was 39 and so he was born when Jacob was 91. No wonder Pharaoh was astonished by Jacob's appearance. And, Joseph was fully grown with his own family and Jacob was 91 years older than his son!

In v.10 of today's passage we read, "So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh." 

As Jacob did when he entered the Pharaoh's presence, he showed him great honor by blessing him before departing his presence. As Jacob aged he embraced humility in a greater way. At the root of all of our problems is pride. It was William Wadsworth who likened pride to a rocket that emulates the stars. The key word here is emulates. It is our pride that causes us to be superficial. It is our pride that causes us to not seek God. It is our pride that leads us down the road of the enemy. It is our pride that causes us to give ourselves the credit for something that God has accomplished. It is our pride that takes the glory that belongs to God alone. Pride is essentially self-worship.

Jacob had come to the pace in his life where he was regularly hosting humility as evidenced by the deference that he showed the Pharaoh. Humility is the ability to accurately view ourselves. As a result, we do not get inflated when we succeed and we do not get daunted when we fail. Being humble means that we acknowledge that we are rightfully defined by God. Being humble means we are learning to be wholly dependent on God and that without Him, we would be nothing. Jacob had learned the freedom of self-forgetfulness and he had been trained by God to see that humility is not weakness, it is a sure sign of strength. 

In v.11-12 of today's passage we read, "11 And Joseph situated 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 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families."

Had it not been that Joseph was Jacob’s favorite son, the brothers would have never been jealous of Joseph. Without their pride, his dreams wouldn’t have enraged them. Without their pride they would never have thrown him into a pit nor sold him into slavery. Without being sold off, Joseph would never have ended up in Potiphar’s house. If Joseph had never been placed in Potiphar's house, he never would have been shackled in the royal prison. If never in the royal prison, Joseph never would have heard the dreams of Pharaoh’s officials. If he had never heard those dreams, he couldn’t have given their interpretation. Without their interpretation, he never would have been brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. Without Joseph's interpretations, he never would have been exalted to ruler of Egypt. And if this were the case, then Egypt would have suffered and perished in the famine. Without the famine, there would have been no need for Israel to get grain from Egypt. Without coming to Egypt, Israel would never have been reconciled to Joseph.

As God weaves the truth into our yielded lives, at some point we begin to see the tapestry He is creating. God miraculous uses the good and the bad to bring about His will in, to and through our lives. The front of this tapestry is art while the back is simply a mess. A tapestry is made by weaving together different-colored threads, and the images and designs are created by the interplay between the different colors and textures. Without the wisdom of God operative in our yielded lives, we miss the value of the front and the back, the wanted and the unwanted. Both work together for our good as God is allowed to bring about His will in, to and through our humble lives.

Genesis 47:1-6

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1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" And they said to Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers." 4 And they said to Pharaoh, "We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen. 5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock." ~ Genesis 47:1-6

Today, we transition into Genesis 47. Without the Bible, it is hard to see the miracle of the nation of Israel. Only when we look at Israel's history in the light of the Bible, do we find her existence amazing. For 2000 years that small piece of land and that small number of people were forgotten. The land laid in ruins and her people were scattered around the world. And, suddenly God reestablished the people of Israel back in the land promised them in 1948. Like our passage today which introduced Israel to 215 years in Egypt, in order to be reestablished in the land, the Jews had to go through the Holocaust. 

 
In v.1-2 of today's passage we read, "1 Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, "My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen." 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh."

Joseph was finally reunited with his father and his brothers when he went down to meet them in Goshen. While his family remained in Goshen, Joseph went back to Pharaoh with his report. Joseph's family had completely removed themselves from Canaan and they moved to Goshen in Egypt. They lived there for 215 years. It was the year 2299 BC and the Jews eventually exited Egypt in the year 2514 BC.

At this point in the narrative, it had been 215 years since Abraham was given the promises from God in Genesis 12. At that time, since there was also a famine in Canaan, Abraham left there for Egypt. That happened exactly 430 years after the Flood. Abraham's visit to Egypt resulted in plagues on Pharaoh’s house. Exactly 430 years after that, Israel who was in Egypt, were enslaved by the Egyptians under Pharaoh’s rule. Again, the result was plagues and Israel was forced out of the land of Egypt. In both of these instances, their departure from Egypt resulted in Israel garnering great wealth.

Today's passage happened exactly at the halfway point between these two afore mentioned events. There are many mysteries in the Bible to be discovered by the one willing enough to seek. The patterns of the Bible are rich, complex, astonishing and very rewarding. It is incredible once we realize how God has woven everything together in this great drama that we are involved. During both times in Egypt, that of Abraham and that of Israel, when it seemed that all hope had been lost, it turned out that the Lord was in control every step of the way.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "3 Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.' 4 And they said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.'"

As Joseph had forewarned his brothers, so Pharaoh asked them certain questions. It happened exactly as Joseph told them it would. Joseph's brothers were keepers of the flocks and it had been that way throughout their generations. They said this because shepherds were considered an abomination to the Egyptians and so Joseph kept them all safely isolated from the people and together as a family.

God ensured these things would come about in order to keep Israel together as a collective unit until it was time to bring them out of Egypt. Although it took 215 years, it was no different than what God will do for the nation of Israel during the Tribulation. God will keep Israel safe and He will redeem them while He will deliver great judgments upon the unbelieving world, just as He brought great judgments on Egypt at the time of the Exodus. 

The event in v.4 was prophesied by the Lord to Abraham about 200 years earlier. In Genesis 15:12-14 we read, "12 Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. 13 Then He said to Abram: “Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. 14 And also the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward they shall come out with great possessions."

Like Israel, our lives are being directed by the sovereign hand of God. He did this for Israel when He brought them down to Egypt through a series of mostly unwanted events. Along the way, God had provided hints that should have given the Jews great comfort in advance of them happening to them. Like Israel, when we are being defined by the Word of God, we will increase in our confidence and security in the Lord. There is no greater counter punch to our insecurities than our willingness to be defined by the Lord.

In v.5-6 of today's passage we read, "5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make them chief herdsmen over my livestock.'"

The picture given us here in these two verses is quite encouraging. While the world suffered through the famine, completely dependent on the grain of Pharaoh for survival, the Israelites enjoyed the best of the land because Goshen was close to the Nile River. It was that river that provided the water necessary to grow healthy grass for Israel's livestock. While the Egyptians loss their property and their possessions, the Israelites did not only keep their possessions, they grew and multiplied exceedingly. In like manner, during the coming seven year tribulation, Israel will be miraculously provided for and protected by God.

Jacob, Joseph's father, thought his firstborn son with Rachel  had died. But Joseph went away, and while he was away, he prepared a place for his family. When his family joined him, they were blessed by their reunion. In John 14:3 we read, "And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also." Right now the Lord Jesus is preparing a place for us. This is our the story with God and it is a story that many more will enjoy because we were faithful to the Lord to share the Gospel with whomever will listen.

Genesis 46:28-34

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28 Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen. 29 So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said to Joseph, "Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive." 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, "I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, 'My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have.' 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' 34 that you shall say, 'Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians." ~ Genesis 46:28-34

Today, we conclude our study of Genesis 46 where the world was engulfed in a seven year famine. In order to protect and provide for His chosen people Israel, God allowed his brothers to injure their younger brother Joseph resulting in him becoming the second most powerful man in the world. God did these things so that Joseph would be positioned to care for his family during the seven year famine. The famine was immense, but it was no match for God. Joseph was given great wisdom by God which enabled him to ensure that his family would be kept in Goshen, a place which was isolated from the world of Egypt. 

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Then he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to point out before him the way to Goshen. And they came to the land of Goshen."

Israel who was Jacob as a believer in the God of the Bible, with his family, departed Canaan and on their way to Egypt Israel selected Judah to go before the family to Goshen. Jacob did this so that the Egyptians would not mistake his extended family as an advancing army since they were so many in number. The irony of Judah being chosen to go before the family like this was that it was he who had suggested selling Joseph off as a slave those many years earlier. The grace that Joseph showed him was a picture of the Lord Jesus who has dealt with us with insurmountable grace.

For us, Judah represents all of the Jews. The term "Jew" comes directly from the name Judah. And, as happens often in the Bible, Judah was sent forth first. Judah means "thank you God." Gratitude is recognizing the good in our lives and acknowledging that this goodness is a gift from God. The greatest fuel for our obedience to God is gratitude which is mentioned 157 times in the Bible. Gratitude is fueled most by our growing understanding of God's sovereignty and kindness toward us. 

It is gratitude that helps us to experience all the fruits of the Spirit. By being grateful to God, we are positioned to experience joy, peace, and self-control. And, we will be more patient, kind, gentle, and generous toward others as well. In addition, we will be more faithful to God. Gratitude is at the root of our spiritual growth. Gratitude is a transformative force. It’s an invitation to view life through the lens of the cross through which God spoke "I love you" to mankind the loudest. Our problem is our angle. With the angle of the cross all things make more sense, even the pain that frames up for us a grateful heart.

In v.29 of today's passage we read, "So Joseph made ready his chariot and went up to Goshen to meet his father Israel; and he presented himself to him, and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while."

In the first 27 verses of this chapter, the name Jacob was used 15 times and the name Israel was used 4, but only two of those were applied to him as his name. Suddenly, in the last 7 verses, the name Jacob isn’t used at all and the name Israel is used twice. It was to his father Israel that Joseph made his chariot ready as he traveled up to Goshen. Without a bedrock faith in God and a trust that enables us to endure the trials He allows in our lives, we lack the posture to recognize the good in the bad.

Joseph came to his father and in the most tender moment of either of their lives, they were reunited face to face and in tears of joy they embraced. In fact, we are told Joseph fell on his father's neck and wept a good long while. Jacob had for many years been the grieving father. For many years the flesh won over the Spirit causing Jacob to miss many blessings from God. However, as Israel stood before his son Joseph, it was the greatest moment of his life.

Jacob pictured wayward Israel while Joseph pictured our faithful Savior. The words "and he presented himself" is used 20 times in the Bible in this exact construct. Every instance except one in Ezekiel refers to the appearance of God to someone. The one in Ezekiel is speaking of Jerusalem in a metaphorical way. When Joseph "appeared" to Jacob he pictured the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ to Israel at the end of the Tribulation. In Zechariah 12:10 we read, "And I will pour on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the Spirit of grace and supplication; then they will look on Me whom they pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his only son, and grieve for Him as one grieves for a firstborn." The Tribulation will be a painful means of God's grace to all who will come to faith in the Lord Jesus. Sometimes we must fall hard upon our backs in order that we might look up to the help that always comes from on high.

In v.30 of today's passage we read, "And Israel said to Joseph, 'Now let me die, since I have seen your face, because you are still alive.'"

In that moment Israel was looking at Joseph who was known in Egypt as Zaphnath Paaneah, the Savior of the World. Israel verbalized that the result of seeing his firstborn son, he was prepared for death. These are the words on the lips of every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Without Christ, nobody is truly ready to die. In Christ, we are prepared to be transported into the presence of God at any moment. This is what enables us to be preoccupied with seeing those in darkness pass into the light. From that moment Israel lived another 17 years.

In v.31-34 of today's passage we read, "31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s household, 'I will go up and tell Pharaoh, and say to him, My brothers and those of my father’s house, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for their occupation has been to feed livestock; and they have brought their flocks, their herds, and all that they have. 33 So it shall be, when Pharaoh calls you and says, 'What is your occupation?' 34 that you shall say, 'Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,' that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians."

Joseph informed his brothers that he was going to Pharaoh to tell him of their arrival. He was going to inform Pharaoh that his brothers were shepherds. During that time in Egypt there was a strict caste system in place. People were categorized and given their status based on their lineage and their work. Joseph was preparing his brothers for their meeting with Pharaoh, knowing that he would ask them for their occupation. Shepherds were considered to be a lower class than others in Egypt at that time.

This picture of the brothers as shepherds provides for us a picture of true leadership. The feeding of flocks is symbolic throughout the Bible of those who are true leaders. These are known for tending to, and caring for, those under their influence. These shepherd brothers of Joseph and their flocks then would be the people of Israel under their leaders as noted in the book of the Revelation. During the Tribulation all of the tribes of Israel will be tended to and cared for by Christ their Chief Shepherd. 

I find it interesting that being a shepherd in Bible days was considered to be lowly, and yet God prized it as the most noble of jobs. Both testaments use shepherds as the epitome of character and both testaments ascribe the job spiritually to the Lord. The sons of Israel, Moses, and David were all shepherds. And the Lord Jesus is called the Shepherd in both the Old and New Testaments. It does not matter what our job is, what matters is that the Lord defines us. He determines where we are to go and where we are to stay and what we are to do. And, when we are living out of His will, others will be blessed to the point of being those who render glory to God.

Genesis 46:5-27

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5 Then Jacob arose from Beersheba; and the sons of Israel carried their father Jacob, their little ones, and their wives, in the carts which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 So they took their livestock and their goods, which they had acquired in the land of Canaan, and went to Egypt, Jacob and all his descendants with him. 7 His sons and his sons’ sons, his daughters and his sons’ daughters, and all his descendants he brought with him to Egypt. 8 Now these were the names of the children of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben was Jacob’s firstborn. 9 The sons of Reuben were Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon were Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi were Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah were Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). The sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar were Tola, Puvah, Job, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun were Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These were the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Padan Aram, with his daughter Dinah. All the persons, his sons and his daughters, were thirty-three. 16 The sons of Gad were Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher were Jimnah, Ishuah, Isui, Beriah, and Serah, their sister. And the sons of Beriah were Heber and Malchiel. 18 These were the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob: sixteen persons. 19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob’s wife, were Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Poti-Pherah priest of On, bore to him. 21 The sons of Benjamin were Belah, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These were the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob: fourteen persons in all. 23 The son of Dan was Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali were Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These were the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and she bore these to Jacob: seven persons in all. 26 All the persons who went with Jacob to Egypt, who came from his body, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt were two persons. All the persons of the house of Jacob who went to Egypt were seventy. ~ Genesis 46:5-27

Today, the family of Jacob embarks on a massive relocation project. It wasn’t just one family moving, this was a multi-generational move. At the command of God, Jacob moved his entire extended family from Hebron in the Promised Land of Israel to Goshen in the foreign land of Egypt. The journey included distance of just over 200 miles. As Jacob moved his family to Egypt, he set in motion the drama of the Old Testament including the formation of the nation, the exodus, and the conquest of the Promised Land. And when Israel disobeyed God, He sent them back into exile in Babylon. Even this factored into God's great plan to present to the world the birth of His Son, the long awaited Messiah of Israel, the Lord Jesus Christ.

Until this point in the narrative God placed the focus on how He had developed the life of Joseph, but in today's passage the spotlight moves onto Joseph's father, Jacob. As we reflect on Jacob's experience, we’ll see familiar themes like the complexity of family dynamics, haunting memories of the past, anxious fears for the future, and the hopes of a storybook picture of the perfect family. But in the middle of all of this, we will see how God meets Jacob just at the right spot. And this will help us in our walk with the Lord whether we’re moving, staying, or somewhere in between.

Jacob trusted God and obediently responded to Him by leading his family to Egypt. In v.5 Jacob’s sons are referred to as "the sons of Israel." This designation is used over 600 times in the Old Testament. It became a phrase for the people of God, the people that the LORD God has chosen for Himself. When Jacob went down into Egypt, all of Israel went with him. They were the complete nation of Israel to that point in time, ready to grow as God had ordained. This narrative reveals further description of how God was forming "the sons of Israel" into the nation through whom He would bless all the nations of the earth.

The second section of today's passage is a long list of names of people we know little about. God saw fit to include these names in the narrative because He makes several key points by doing so. This list was not meant to be a precise counting of the individuals who moved from Hebron to Egypt because the number doesn’t include all of the wives and most of the children. And then, in v.10 "Shaul" is mentioned. He was "the son of a Canaanite woman." Others in the list were born of Canaanite women, but Moses didn’t mention them because he wanted to highlight that Shaul was a son of Simeon which means "He who hears." The key is that we listen to the Lord because as the Apostle Paul reminds us: "Faith comes by hearing the Word of God." This is key because who we really hears defines us.

This list is a symbolic reference to the sons of Jacob. From the moment that Abraham came to Canaan it had been 215 years til this point. And there had been only 70 names given of those in the covenant line. The number 70 is meaningful. It communicates perfection, completeness, and totality. This is the whole family of Jacob. No one was left behind. This is not a perfect family, but this is the family of God’s perfect plans. In the same amount of time while in Egypt, just 215 years from this point in time, there will be born to Israel over 600,000 fighting-aged males. These, along with all the others probably numbered between 2 to 3 million Israelites who came out of Egypt during the Exodus. 

Back in Genesis 10, there was a listing of the nations of the world. The sons of Gomer, the sons of Ham, the sons of Cush. The number of nations listed in Genesis 10 is 70. These were the nations that Abraham was to bless. This family subsequently moved to Egypt, one of those nations of the world. The purpose wasn’t just to escape the famine, it was to fulfill Abraham’s blessing to the entire world. The number 70 tells us that our calling is for the sake of the whole world. We are the whole people of God with a message of salvation for the whole world.

Through the numbers accentuated throughout the Bible, we can discover mystery messages that God has placed in His Word for the one willing enough to seek and knock. What seems arbitrary isn’t. What seems confusing is because we are looking at individual trees and not the forest. If we can keep in mind the macro-structures of the Bible, we can more clearly see what is going on in the individual details and why things are listed as they are. Of all of the macro structures, there is one overall theme which is that there is a God who loves us all dearly, so dearly that He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ who did everything required to grant us delivery from Hell into a personal relationship with the God who created us.  

God’s goal is not to make us comfortable, it is to make His kingdom known on earth. Jacob led his family into Egypt and in due time they were ill-treated. The ensuing oppression lasted for 400 years. All of this was part of God’s plan for the sake of the 70 nations. For the sake of the world. The number one god in America right now is comfort. One of the reasons we struggle walking with God is due to the fact that He deliberately leads us into uncomfortable situations. He does this because there are yet lost people who need to enter into God's family. We are wise to obey God to the point that it is uncomfortable because it is out of the uncomfortable that we transcend to the point to see God for who He really is and that is comforting. 

Genesis 46:1-4

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1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, "Jacob, Jacob!" And he said, "Here I am." 3 So He said, "I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. 4 I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes."  ~ Genesis 46:1-4

Today, we transition into Genesis 46. The past many stories which were focused on Joseph reveal to us glimpses of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ, all the way through the church age and to the point to the end times when Israel will again turn to the God of the Bible. These true stories showed us a woven tapestry which spanned over 2000 years of history, clearly demonstrating that there was a plan for the world during Israel’s time of exile and that there is a plan to preserve Israel through the time of the Tribulation.

In v.1 of today's passage we read, "So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac."

In this chapter, the name Israel and the name Jacob are used several times, sometimes even in the same sentence. Jacob is Israel as an unbeliever and Israel is Jacob as a believer. As a believer Israel is the believer being by the Spirit who always acts in concert with the Word of God. Jacob is the pictured as the believer who being defined by the flesh. Like him, when we are led by our flesh we do the dumbest of things which always lead us away from God and His purposes for our lives. In this verse, it was Israel who set out on this journey of obedience. It was in the context of obedience that Jacob worshipped God.

I would imagine that this particular worship service for Jacob was the best he had ever experienced. Jacob's first worship service was in Bethel while he was on his way to Padan Haran. This was at the time when Jacob was fleeing for his life from his brother Esau. While at Bethel, he had a vision in the night of the angels of God descending and ascending into heaven on a ladder. In that place he called it the house of God which is what Bethel means. It was a wonderful moment for Jacob since God met him there but he was yet uncertain about his future. Then Jacob said to the Lord, "If You will bring me back to this place, then You will be my God." Eventually, God brought him back to Bethel which caused his fellowship with God to deepen.

In the larger scheme of things, Jacob's story wasn’t just about one family moving to Egypt to make their life better. It was about how that family’s decision fit into the bigger story that God was writing. When Jacob moved his family to Egypt, God began to unfold the rest of His story with Israel throughout the rest of the Old Testament. All of this, eventually, led to the birth of the Messiah. God almost always blesses us with others in mind.

Jacob's journey from Hebron where he lived at that time to Beersheba was 26.5 miles. It took him about a week to get there. Beersheba is the contraction of two words, Beer which means "well" and Sheba which means both "oath" and "seven." So Beersheba was "the well of the oath." Abraham and later Isaac both took an oath at that very spot. It was there at Beersheba that Jacob offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. As is always the case with those of faith in the God of the Bible, our sacrifices are mere expressions of our allegiance to the One who created us, the One who has called us to be defined by Him.

In v.2 of today's passage we read, "Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, 'Jacob, Jacob!' And he said, 'Here I am.'"

The God of Israel spoke to Jacob who had to that point lived a fairly faithless life. In that context God came to Jacob on his level to comfort him. God called out his name not once, but twice. The first time God did this was in Genesis 22 when Abraham was just about to plunge the knife into his son Isaac. The word "visions" is the plural of the word "glass" indicating that Jacob saw God, not directly, but as in a mirror. It was reflective. The weakness of Jacob's faith explains the up and down nature of his walk with God. The more we see God with our hearts the more we will draw nearer to Him and the more we will walk with Him.

In response to God's communication, Jacob said, "Here I am." This is the second time that Jacob spoke these words to God. The first was in Genesis 31 when God spoke to him and told him to return to Canaan after being away for those many years. And now this time when he was leaving Canaan for what will be many long years in Egypt. Interestingly, Joseph responded with these same words when Jacob asked him to go see how his brothers were doing in the fields with the flocks. That was the last time Jacob ever saw Joseph, but it was the very thing that precipitated the move he was making to Egypt.

In v.3-4 of today's passage we read, "So He said, 'I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.'"

God reiterated the promises that He had given Jacob before. He did this because, like us, Jacob forgot so easily and so quickly. The word "remember" is such an important word in the Bible. It is used 352 times and when its variants are counted, that number jumps to more than 550 times. God must sometimes lead us into the dark room of uncertainty in order to develop great faith in us. 

That night in Beersheba God made three promises to Israel. The first was that He was going down with him to Egypt. We can do anything as long as God is with us. Then God promised: "I will also surely bring you up again." That promise was fulfilled when 2.1 million Jews came out of Egypt at the time of the Exodus and they carried Jacob's bones with them. And the third promise was that Joseph would put his hand on Jacob's eyes. This meant that Joseph would be with Jacob at his death. God was telling Jacob that Joseph would be the one to close his eyes at his death. 

While it was not the will of God for Abraham and Isaac to go to Egypt, the will of God for Jacob was to go there. The will of God for me may not be the will of God for you and the will of God for you may not be the will of God for me. Certain things will be the same across the board but individually the will of God will vary for us all. Whatever the will of God is for you and me, it will be good, acceptable, and perfect. The key for you and me is that we are being defined by Him.

Genesis 45:25-28

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25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying, "Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt." And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. 28 Then Israel said, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die." ~ Genesis 45:25-28

Today, we close out our study of Genesis 45 where Joseph has revealed his true identity to his brothers who were blown away by the fact that he was still alive. Then Joseph informed the Pharaoh of his brothers visit and the Pharaoh then showered Joseph's brothers with his favor by giving them more than they needed to go back to Canaan where there dad was at that time. Then the Pharaoh told the brothers that they could live in Egypt and enjoy all that his empire had to offer them. Today, we pick up the narrative as the brothers arrive back home in Canaan.

In v.25-26 of today's passage we read, "25 Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. 26 And they told him, saying, 'Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.' And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them."

And so the brothers went up, out of Egypt and headed home to Jacob their father. Imagine the suspense in them as they anticipated every possible thing that they could say to their father about their brother. Imagine their conversation regarding how he would react. In similar fashion to what Jacob's sons were going to tell him about his son Joseph, someday, the people of Israel will understand the extraordinary story of their long-awaited Messiah. It will be something beyond imagination to them. Imagine what Jacob felt when he learned that his son was alive. Perhaps that gives us insight into how Israel will respond. Jacob wrestled with the thought that God had abandoned him when he lost Joseph. Israel for sure has thought the same through their many trials down through time. Jacob thought his son was dead and Israel was sure the Lord Jesus was dead too. They considered Him a mere myth. But Joseph was alive and he was lord over Egypt. Similarly, the Lord Jesus has been alive all along and He is Lord of heaven and earth.

When Jacob heard the news about Joseph, his heart stood still which meant he simply couldn’t believe it was so. Jacob's reaction was normal and it also gives us a picture of what it will be like for the people of Israel during the seven year Tribulation. Jacob grew cold temporarily, but he didn't remain cold. During the Tribulation, those who are truly of faith in the God of the Bible will warm up once again to God because they will be given all the necessary evidence to believe that their Messiah is the Lord Jesus Christ. According to Zechariah 14:4 at His second coming the Lord Jesus' feet will stand on the Mount of Olives. And the Mount of Olives shall be split in two, from east to west, making a very large valley. For those who will be humble enough to choose to believe their eyes, they will be saved in that moment. 

In v.27 of today's passage we read, "But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived."

Some need only to hear the good news of Jesus Christ and they are soon born again. Some need more. Some need to read the Word, think upon the evidences in the Word and in lives of others before they believe. Some, like me and Jacob, need to feel deep pain and then he needed to see the evidence. He saw the royal Egyptian carts which Joseph had sent, then he believed. The moment Jacob saw the carts, he knew the truth. Here, Jacob pictured Israel of the future, they will be given all of the evidence to believe and they will bow their knees before the Lord Jesus. 

According to Zechariah 13:9 one third of Israel will believe at the end of the Tribulation. The number 1/3 is big in the book of the Revelation. In fact, a unique repetition of one third is found in Revelation 8. In this prophetic chapter, within only six verses, v.7-12, the word "third" is recorded eight times. It is utilized two additional times in Revelation 9 with its final appearance in Revelation 12. One third is used thirteen times, from Revelation 8:7 to 9:18, to delineate the false from the real. According to Revelation 12, one third corresponds to the amount of angels that Lucifer deceived into following him out of heaven. The deceptions he used to deceive one third of the angels brought chaos and spiritual misery to all who identified him as their leader. He will repeat those deceptions during the Tribulation and one third of the Jews on the earth at that time will see through his deceptions and they will believe on the Lord Jesus as their Messiah.

Jacob’s revival was carefully worded by Moses in Genesis 45:27. It had to be carefully described because it points us to the spiritual truth that man without the Lord Jesus Christ is dead. And, the opposite of this is true, man with the Lord Jesus Christ is made alive. As the Apostle Paul told us so long ago, "For me to live is Christ."

In v.28 of today's passage we read, "Then Israel said, 'It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.'"

Sin is a desperate disease. We were born with it and we currently live in it. Only one remedy can take it away. And it came at a very high cost for our Savior. Our proper response to His sacrifice is to give up on the self-life and to call on the Lord Jesus as our God and Savior. This truth is needed for everyone who has not entered into a personal relationship with Him. God has offered and we must be humble enough to receive that free offer or we will spend our eternity with the deceiver. 

Here, Jacob is called Israel. Three times in this chapter he has been called Jacob. Up until now, he was Jacob the deceiver who was still deceived into believing that the self-life is the answer. Satan never tries to get us to follow him directly. No, he tries to get us to follow him indirectly by getting us to follow ourselves. Once Jacob saw that his son Joseph was still alive, he believed! The Lord Jesus will one day soon reveal Himself as the Messiah to the people of Israel, to those who once were His enemies. Like Jacob, when they see the glory of the Lord, they will say with Jacob, "It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."