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Genesis Chapter Forty-seven
Preface
Arguably the most important revelation this chapter conveys is about the merit of a life that is changed by the power of God, which is seen in the life of Jacob who started out as a supplanter for self-aggrandizement (Genesis 25:29-34; 27:1-40) but ended as a man of faith who genuinely and regularly worshipped God. In fact, he is the only Old Testament person mentioned in the” hall of faith” of Hebrews 11 that is commended as a worshipper (Hebrews 11:21).
Another lesson conveyed by this chapter, equally as important, is the demonstrable truth of God’s Word in the fulfillment of one specific aspect of the covenant in which God entered unilaterally with Abraham to wit: I will bless those who bless you, and I will curse him who curses you . . . . (Genesis 12:3). This is seen in Jacob’s personal blessing of the King of Egypt (47:7, 10) and in Pharaoh’s further accumulation of wealth in the remainder of the chapter.
Genesis 47:1-6 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.” And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 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.” 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.” Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 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.”
Pharaoh provided the “best of the land” (the land of Goshen) in Egypt for Jacob and his family as a blessing for the seed or progeny (descendants) of Abraham, which blessing came back to Pharaoh in abundance in terms of a personal blessing by Jacob and a significant increase in personal wealth. Goshen is not referred to in ancient Egyptian writings, but the name it bore in later times was the nome (province or district) of Rameses (vs. 11; cf. Exodus 1:11).
Goshen was located in the easternmost section of the Delta, NE of Heliopolis (biblical On, Gen 41:45). It is associated with the Wadi Tumeilat, a very fertile area which joins the Nile at Bubastis (Pibeseth, q.v.) with Lake Timsah at modern Ismailiya, N of the Bitter Lakes. (Wycliffe Bible Dictionary, Hendrickson Publishers, 2000)
Not only did Pharaoh grant the expressed request to settle in Goshen, he also charged Joseph to place those of his brethren whom he deemed “competent . . . among them” to be “chief herdsmen” over his livestock—thus Joseph’s fortune was increased in the fortune of his brethren. But the underlying cause of Joseph’s fortune, both for him and his brethren, was his faith in God, which he exhibited both in and out of prison, i.e., regardless of his circumstances—good or bad.
Genesis 47:7-12 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?" 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." So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. 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. Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.
It is fascinating that Jacob blessed Pharaoh, since a biblical axiom is “the lesser is blessed by the better” which is “beyond all contradiction” (Hebrews 7:7). It may be assumed that Pharaoh was superior to Jacob, but not in God’s eyes. At the time of this meeting between Joseph and Pharaoh, Joseph was 130 years old. He would live in Egypt another 17 years prior to his death. The blessings toward Joseph and Jacob demonstrate the validity of the promise to Abraham of reciprocal blessing to those who will bless the Israelites. Instead of bragging in any way to Pharaoh, Jacob admitted that unlike his father and Abraham, both who lived long and blessed lives, his life was brief and full of hardship. The following chronology of the Patriarchs whose facts are taken from The Bible Knowledge Commentary—Old Testament, edited by John F. Walvoord and Roy B. Zuck, Cook Communications Ministries, 1985, is illustrious of their age difference.
Chronology of the Patriarchs
2100 B.C. Abraham was born. (100 years) 2066 B.C. Isaac was born when Abraham was 100 years old (Genesis 21:5). (60 years) 2006 B.C. Jacob was born when Isaac was 60 years old (Genesis 25:26). (15 years) 1991 B.C. Abraham died at age 175 (Genesis 25:7). (76 years) 1915 B.C. Joseph was born (see below). (17 years) 1898 B.C. Joseph was sold into Egypt at age 17 (Genesis 37:2, 28). (12 years) 1886 B.C. Isaac died at age 180 (Genesis 35:28). (10 years) 1876 B.C. Jacob moved to Egypt at age 130 when Joseph was 39 (Genesis 47:9). (17 years) 1859 B.C. Jacob died at age 147, 17 years after he moved to Egypt (Genesis 47:28). (54 years) 1805 B.C. Joseph died at age 110—therefore he was born in 1915—(Genesis 50:26).
47:8 how old: Pharaoh’s question suggests that the long ages of the patriarchal family were truly exceptional, even for this period. Jacob responded in humility and honesty. Jacob had experienced sadness or evil. Years of rivalry with his brother Esau and struggle with Laban had marked the early part of his life. For long years he grieved the supposed death of his son Joseph. His 130 years were fewer than the 175 years of Abraham (25:7) and the 180 years of Isaac (35:28). But his life was not over. He would live to the age of 147 and would be die in Egypt (47:28). (The Nelson Study Bible, Nelson Bibles, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1997)
Genesis 47:13-27 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. 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. 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.” Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 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. 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. 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.” 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. And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 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. 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. 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.” 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.” 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. So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.
It is interesting that at the beginning of this story Joseph was sold into slavery (37:28) and now he is selling the whole of the land of Egypt into slavery and taking their money. As with his brothers, Joseph’s faithfulness to God is the source for heavenly wisdom that is the source of life for everyone in the land. A person cannot always see the effects of his faith, but he may be assured that God always honors faith and faithfulness. One is reminded of following passage:
Trust in the LORD with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths. Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and depart from evil. It will be health to your flesh, and strength to your bones. Honor the LORD with your possessions and with the firstfruits of all your increase; so your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will overflow with new wine. (Proverbs 3:5-10)
As Pharaoh has blessed both Joseph and his entire family (the Jewish people), He is now being greatly blessed in the accumulation of material wealth and the servitude of all the people of Egypt. Unfortunately, Pharaoh’s ownership of the land would eventually lead to gross abuses of power (particularly with the Israelites), as depicted in the book of Exodus.
Joseph proved to be a wise administrator in the land of Egypt, so that under his authority the people were saved from starvation and Pharaoh prospered. The ruler by now was Sesostris III (1878-1843 B.C.). . . . So God blessed His people according to the promises He made to Abraham. They were fast becoming a great nation. Moreover, God blessed Pharaoh because he had blessed the seed of Abraham with the best of Egypt. Later in the time of Moses, when another Pharaoh oppressed Israel, God dealt harshly with the Egyptians. (The Bible Knowledge Commentary—Old Testament, Cook Communications Ministries, 1985)
Genesis 47:28-31 And 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 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, 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.” Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.
As Jacob approached death, his one request was that he be buried in Canaan, the land promised to Abraham and his descendants—the Promised Land. His request is seen in greater detail in Genesis 49:29-33, requesting specifically to be buried in the Cave of Machpelah that had been purchased by Abraham (chapter 23). This is the same request that Joseph will make of his sons when he nears his death in chapter 50:24, 25, which is carried out in Exodus 13:19 and Joshua 24:32. Jacob had Joseph swear to this request by the act of having Joseph place his hand under Jacob’s thigh, a custom that is commented on in the comments pertaining to Genesis 24:1-9.
Putting a hand under the thigh was a sign of making a promise, much like shaking hands today. Jacob had Joseph promise to bury him in his homeland. Few things were written in this culture, so a person’s word then carried as much force as a written contract today. People today seem to find it easy to say, “I didn’t mean that.” God’s people, however, are to speak the truth and live the truth. Let your words be as binding as a written contract. (Life Application Bible, Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. and Zondervan Publishing House, 1991)
And after this most somber act, Jacob then “bowed himself on the head of the bed,” a phrase that may also be translated “worshipped leaning on the top of his staff” (Hebrews 11:21)—a suitable and necessary operation for both him and all children of God. |