Faith of Our Fathers - Genesis 47:1-31

INTRODUCTION:

            I have a hoodie that I received from my sister that says, “Living to leave a legacy” on the front, on the back there is a tombstone that says R.I.P. and the question, “What will they say about you?”  Are you living to leave a legacy?  Most of you know that my father entered into his Savior’s eternal glory this past summer.  My Dad was a quiet man, but my father left for me and my sisters and my Mom a legacy of a man of God who loved the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart, soul, mind, and strength.  I pray that I can leave that kind of legacy to my children and to Karla, that they will be able to say when I am gone to glory that I was a man who walked with God and loved the Savior with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength.

            This morning we continue on in the history of the life of Joseph, but the focus in today’s passage is really Jacob, something happened to him when God appeared to him in Beersheba and the man that arrived in Egypt is not the same man who had left Canaan.  Jacob lives out the rest of his life to leave a legacy, he recognizes that he is to represent God to his family and to the people of the land of Egypt.  Jacob does not want to blend in with the Egyptians and their belief in multiple gods, but he wants to stand out as one who walks with the true God, the Creator God, the Lord of heaven and earth.  Let’s pray and then get into our chapter this morning.

--PRAY--

SCRIPTURE:

            Turn in your Bibles to Genesis 47.  Again, this morning we are going to tackle the whole chapter, verses 1-31.  If you are able please stand for the reading of God’s Word and follow along as I read.

     Genesis 47:1-31,

                “Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, ‘My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.’ He took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, ‘What is your occupation?’ So they said to Pharaoh, ‘Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.’ 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. Now, therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.’ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘Your father and your brothers have come to you.  The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.’ Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, ‘How many years have you lived?’ So Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.’ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence. So 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 ordered. Joseph provided his father and his brothers and all his father’s household with food, according to their little ones. Now there was no food in all the land, because the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine. Joseph gathered 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. 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, for why should we die in your presence? For our money is gone.’ Then Joseph said, ‘Give up your livestock, and I will give you food for your livestock, since your money is gone.’ So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses and the flocks and the herds and the donkeys; and he fed them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year. When that year was ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, ‘We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent, and the cattle are my lord’s. There is nothing left for my lord except our bodies and our lands.  Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be slaves to Pharaoh. So 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 every Egyptian sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. Thus the land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he removed them to the cities from one end of Egypt’s border to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy, for the priests had an allotment from Pharaoh, and they lived off the allotment which Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land. Then Joseph said to the people, ‘Behold, I have today bought you and your land for Pharaoh; now, here is seed for you, and you may sow the land.  At the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four-fifths shall be your own for seed of the field and for your food and for those of your households and as food for your little ones.’ So they said, ‘You have saved our lives! Let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s slaves.’ Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth; only the land of the priests did not become Pharaoh’s. Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous. Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down 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.’ He said, ‘Swear to me.’  So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.” (Genesis 47:1–31, NASB95)[1]

THE FAITHFULNESS OF JACOB (Genesis 47:1-31)

            Last week at the end of the message Joseph had prompted his brothers on how they were to respond to Pharaoh when they were presented to him.  This morning our chapter opens with Joseph informing the Pharaoh that his father, his brothers and all their households and all their flocks and herds have come down to him in Egypt.  Joseph then brings in five of his brothers and presents them before Pharaoh, the five were to represent the household of Israel.  As Joseph warned them, the Pharaoh asked them what was their occupation.  The 5 brothers responded as Joseph had directed them and told Pharaoh that they had been shepherds since their youth just as their ancestors before them had been.  Then they explained to Pharaoh that they had come to Egypt because the famine was so severe in Canaan and they had no pasture for their flocks and herds.  Then they asked if they could sojourn in the land of Goshen.  It is interesting that they used the word “sojourn” because it does imply that they have come freely and that they would like to leave freely when they are ready to go back to Canaan.  We can assume that Pharaoh was speaking to Joseph’s brothers through an interpreter or that Joseph is interpreting for them, because now Pharaoh turns from speaking to the brothers and begins speaking to Joseph, because with Joseph he does not need an interpreter.  He tells Joseph that since his father and brothers have come to him, the land of Egypt is at his disposal, he tells Joseph to settle them in the best part of the land, or the part of the land that is most suitable for their needs.  The land of Goshen being in the delta of the Nile was great pastureland for flocks and herds and was not heavily populated and they could make their own community.  Pharaoh goes a step further and says if any of them are especially talented at animal husbandry then to make them the overseers of Pharaoh’s herds and flocks. 

            Joseph ushered his brothers out and then brought in his father Jacob and presented him before Pharaoh.  Notice immediately what it says when Jacob was brought before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh, this word translated “blessed” is a word that refers to pronouncing God’s blessing on men.  A prime example is when Melchizedek blessed Abraham with the blessing of God.  In Hebrews 7:7 when the author is speaking of the blessing that Melchizedek gave to Abraham he writes, “But without any dispute the lesser is blessed by the greater.” (Hebrews 7:7, NASB95)[2] As Jacob stands before the Pharaoh, possibly the greatest ruler of all the earth at that time thanks to Joseph and his wise administration of the land, but as Jacob stands before him he understands that this man pales in comparison to the God whom Jacob serves and so instead of bowing before him, he blesses him with the blessing of the Most High God.  The greater, the messenger of God blesses the lesser.  Pharaoh wonders at this aged man before him invoking his God’s blessing upon him and asks, “How old are you?”  Jacob tells Pharaoh that he is 130 years old, very old by Egyptian standards, but Jacob goes on to say that they are few and unpleasant and he has not attained to the years that his fathers lived during their lifetimes.  Jacob is saying two things here, first, he is saying that his years are few compared to his father and grandfather.  Abraham lived to the ripe old age of 175 and his father Isaac lived to be 180.  Jacob says he has not attained to their age and does not believe he will.  Second, he says his 130 years have been unpleasant.  That may not be the best translation, your version may say evil, the word translated may refer to the fact that Jacob had not lived the righteous life that was attained by Abraham and Isaac and the result was that he had a difficult life full of misery and distress.  But as we are seeing Jacob is now seeking to leave a legacy.  Jacob again showing himself to be the greater of the two ended his audience with Pharaoh by blessing him again in the name of God.

            Joseph settled his family in Goshen, giving them a possession in the land of Egypt.  All was done legally so that they could settle down and begin their new life in Egypt.  Joseph provided his father, and his brothers, and their households with food according to how many were in the household.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF JOSEPH (Genesis 47:13-26)

            Joseph was a faithful and loyal ruler for Pharaoh, it is understandable why Pharaoh was eager to provide for Joseph’s family, because Joseph was making the Pharaoh a very wealthy man and making him the absolute ruler in the land.  As the famine continued to ravage the lands of Egypt and Canaan Joseph continued to sell grain to the people.  The Scripture tells us that Joseph gathered all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan and brought it into Pharaoh’s house and the famine continued.  The Egyptians came to Joseph wanting food, but they had no more money.  Joseph told them to bring their livestock and he would give them food for their livestock.  They brought their horses, sheep, goats, cattle, and donkeys and Joseph gave them food in exchange for their animals.  This sustained the people for another year.  Then they came to him again and said, “Our money is gone, our livestock is gone, all we have left is our land and ourselves.  Buy us and our land and we will be slaves for Pharaoh and give us food.”  So we are told that Joseph bought all the land of Egypt and the land became Pharaoh’s.  He brought the people into the store cities and they became slaves of Pharaoh and Joseph fed them.  Only the pagan priests did not sell their land because they had an allotment from the Pharaoh and they lived off of their allotment.  As the famine came to an end Joseph sent the people back to their farms with seed and they were told to plant and when they harvested a fifth of their harvest would go to Pharaoh and four-fifths of the harvest was for replanting and for feeding their families.  Joseph made this a law that was still in effect when Moses wrote the book of Genesis.  The people praised Joseph for saving their lives, they were willing to be slaves of Pharaoh.  Joseph had established Pharaoh in the land, had made him exceedingly wealthy and had made him the absolute owner and ruler of all the land of Egypt.  Joseph faithfully carried out his role under the Pharaoh.

THE FAITHFULNESS OF ISRAEL (Genesis 47:27-31)

            Now Israel lived in the land of Goshen, this is not referring to the man, but the nation, they acquired property and they were very fruitful and became very numerous.  They are no longer the band of 66 people that came down to Egypt, they are becoming a large and powerful nation.  Jacob saw this beginning to happen in his lifetime, he began to see God fulfill His promise to make him a great nation in the land of Egypt.  Israel, the man lived 17 years in the land of Egypt.  He had Joseph with him for the first 17 years of Joseph’s life and for the last 17 years of his life.  During those 17 years Israel, the man grew in his faith and I cannot help but think that Joseph had something to do with that growth.  Joseph was a great man of faith, and his faith I believe inspired his father to be faithful.  At the age of 147 years old Israel knew that the day of his death was drawing near and he called for Joseph, his eldest son by Rachel.  Jacob wanted to discuss with Joseph his burial.  Israel did not want to be buried in the land of Egypt and he wanted Joseph to put his hand under his thigh and swear an oath to carry his body to Canaan and bury him in the cave Abraham had bought for a burial place.  Abraham and Sarah were buried there, Isaac and Rebekah were buried there, Leah was buried there and Israel wanted to be laid to rest there as well.  Joseph said he would do it and swore the oath that he would carry it out.  There was a purpose for this desire to be buried in Canaan.  Jacob had received the covenant blessing from God and he wanted his funeral to be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshipping Egyptian, but that he was a believer and follower of the true and living God.  By burying him in Canaan instead of Egypt it would be a solemn reminder to his descendants of God’s promise to give them the land of Canaan.  Egypt was not their home, they were only sojourners there and they needed to remember that home was were their father was buried.  This aged man who is about to die bows his head at the head of his bed and worships God, possibly thanking him for the 17 years of joy and peace with God in Egypt and the blessing of having Joseph and all his sons with him for the last years of his life.

CONCLUSION:

            Israel’s life was changed when God appeared to him at Beersheba and it gave him a new direction for his life, it caused him to finish well, he lived his 17 years in Egypt to leave a legacy.  He showed that as God’s man he was greater than Pharaoh, he enjoyed the blessings of God watching his family become a nation, he made sure that when he died he would leave a reminder to his descendants that Egypt was not their home, but God had promised them a land flowing with milk and honey.  What about you?  What will people say when you are gone?  Are you living to leave a legacy?  Every time I put that hoodie on to go hiking or to go out I am reminded that I need to be living to leave a legacy.  Paul spoke to Timothy about this need to leave a legacy, he wrote in 1 Timothy 4:12, “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.” (1 Timothy 4:12, NASB95)[3] I do not have to worry about anyone looking down on my youthfulness since that is long gone, but I do need to in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity show myself an example to those who believe, starting with my own family and moving out in ever-widening circles.  Living to leave a legacy.

[1]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995

[2]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995

[3]New American Standard Bible : 1995 Update. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995