Pharaoh and Jacob

A Solid Life

(Genesis 47:1-12, Preaching: Pastor Stephen Magee, October 4, 2015)

[47:1] So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” [2] And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. [3] Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” [4] They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” [5] Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. [6] The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

(1-6) Safe and sound? Provision beyond their wildest dreams? Time would tell.

God would use Pharaoh to bless the chosen people. Joseph's plan seems to have worked perfectly. Of course, only the Lord knows the secret providences that will help to form Israel over the next 400+ years. The story of this entire period is told in Exodus 1:7-8.

[7] Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. [8] And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” [9] And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” [10] And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. [11] Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. [12] And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

(7-12) Jacob displayed an understanding of life that went beyond what might seem obvious and customary.

The chosen seed meets the leader of an empire. Jacob will bless Pharaoh, but the two men will operate in their separate spheres. Jacob understands his life in a way that may seem ungrateful or depressing. The key is that he knows himself to be a sojourner here below. His true worth comes from the Lord of eternal goodness who calls His children to the most solid life imaginable.

It should not shock anyone that the people of the covenant may see themselves and their lives in ways that appear unusual to others. When Jesus came into this world to accomplish the purposes of His Father, he lived and died in a way that displayed a different view of life than all those around Him. That right perspective on everything came from a more stable place than this fading earth. His kingdom is not of this world. His sufferings and glories may well be wrongly interpreted by those who do not speak the tongue of Canaan—the language of covenant love.

Old Testament Reading—Psalm 150:1a

Praise the LORD!

Gospel Reading—Matthew 26:14-16 – Judas to betray Jesus