Genesis 46

AJewish proverb says, “For the ignorant, old age is as winter; but for the learned, it is a harvest.”

Jacob was now 130 years old; and during those years, he had learned many important lessons about God, himself, and other people, especially his sons. Some of those lessons in the school of life had been difficult to learn, and Jacob hadn’t always passed every test successfully. But now, thanks to God’s goodness and Joseph’s faithfulness, Jacob would reap a rich harvest in Egypt during the next seventeen years. His closing years wouldn’t bring winter with its cold and storms. Jacob’s sunset years would be as the autumn, with the warm golden sunshine of peace and the bounties of God’s gracious harvest.

Change is something most elderly people fear and resist, and we can’t blame them. Familiar surroundings and furnishings, and the presence of family and longtime friends, all give older folks a feeling of confidence and control that makes life feel safer and happier. Jacob had lived with his family in Hebron for many years, but now the time had come for all of them to move.

God’s promise (vv. 1–4). Jacob and his family left Hebron (37:14) and traveled for about a week until they came to Beersheba, the southernmost town in Canaan (Josh. 15:21, 18). Beersheba was a very special place to Jacob, for there Abraham had dug a well (Gen. 21:30) and there Abraham lived after offering Isaac on Mount Moriah (22:19). Isaac had also lived at Beersheba (26:23, 32–33), and it was from the home in Beersheba that Jacob left for Laban’s house to find a wife. At Beersheba, God had appeared to Hagar (21:17) and to Isaac (26:23–24), and now He would appear to Jacob.

Since Jacob was about to leave his own land and go into a strange country, he paused to build an altar and worship the Lord. It’s good to ask for God’s special help and blessing when we’re about to enter a new phase in life. I recall seeing an entire family come to the front of the church at the close of a worship service and kneel to pray. Since the father was in the armed forces and was being transferred to another base, the whole family joined him in committing themselves to the Lord for this new venture.

But why should Jacob worry about going to Egypt? Didn’t his son Joseph instruct him to come? Wasn’t it the wisest thing to do in light of the continued famine in the land? Perhaps Jacob was fearful because he remembered that his grandfather Abraham had gotten into serious trouble by going to Egypt (12:10ff.). And when Jacob’s father Isaac started toward Egypt, the Lord stopped him (26:1–2). Egypt could be a dangerous place for one of God’s pilgrims.

But the Lord came to Jacob at night and assured him that it was safe for him and his family to relocate. “Jacob, Jacob!” reminds us of “Abraham, Abraham” (22:11), “Samuel, Samuel” (1 Sam. 3:10), “Martha. Martha” (Luke 10:41), and “Saul, Saul” (Acts 9:4). It’s encouraging to know that the Lord knows our names and our personal needs (John 10:3, 14, 27). Jehovah wanted to remind Jacob that He wasn’t limited to the land of Canaan, for He’s the Lord of all the earth, including Egypt (Josh. 3:11, 13; Ps. 83:18). God would go with Jacob to Egypt and be with him to bless him, just as He had been with Joseph and blessed him (Gen. 39:2, 21). Jacob had nothing to fear, because the Lord would keep the promises He had made to him at Bethel (28:15).

Why did God want Jacob’s family to live in Egypt? Because in Egypt He would multiply Jacob’s descendants and make them into a great nation (12:2). The Jews would begin their sojourn in Egypt under the protection of Pharaoh, enjoying the best of the land. Centuries later, however, the Jews would be suffering cruel bondage in Egypt and crying out to God for deliverance (Ex. 1; 2:23–25). But God would use their suffering to mold them into a mighty nation under the leadership of Moses.

God gave Jacob the added assurance that he would die in Egypt and that his beloved son Joseph would see to it that his funeral would be an honorable one. Jacob’s body would be brought back to Canaan and buried in the cave where Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah, and Leah had been buried (49:30–31). On the basis of these promises, Jacob left Canaan and moved to Egypt.

God’s blessing (vv. 5–27). Pharaoh had told them not to bother to bring their possessions since the wealth of all Egypt was at their disposal (45:20), but it would have been cruel to abandon their livestock during a famine, and no doubt they brought some of the personal possessions they treasured. In typical Semitic fashion, the males are named in this list but not the females, except for Jacob’s daughter Dinah (46:15). “Daughters” in verse 7 must refer to daughters-in-law, since we know of no other daughters born to Jacob.

It must have encouraged Jacob to see how God had multiplied his descendants, protected them, provided for them, and kept them together for this important move. Some of the family may not have realized it, but they were a very special people to the Lord because He had important work for them to do in the years ahead. That little band of migrants would eventually bring blessing to the whole world (12:1–3).

The record lists first the sons, daughter, and grandsons of Leah (46:8–15), followed by the families of Zilpah (vv. 16–18), Rachel (vv. 19–22), and Bilhah (vv. 23–25), a total of seventy people. Jacob’s words at Jabbock come to mind: “With my staff I passed over this Jordan; and now I am become two bands” (32:10). His descendants would become as numberless as the sand of the sea and the stars of the heaven (15:5; 22:17; 26:4; 32:12), because the Lord keeps His promises.

God’s goodness (vv. 28–30). The eleven brothers had already been reunited with Joseph, but now Jacob would meet him after a separation of twenty-two years. That Jacob chose Judah to be their guide indicates that he trusted his son, which suggests that the men had told their father everything and were in his good graces again. Now Jacob could see the hand of God in all that had happened. In spite of his past failures, Judah now proved himself faithful, and his descendants were eventually named the royal tribe (49:8–12).

The land of Goshen was located in the northeast part of the Nile delta, an area of about nine hundred square miles, very fertile and excellent for grazing cattle. It was there that Joseph and his father met each other, Joseph waiting in his royal chariot and Jacob riding in one of the wagons Pharaoh had provided. For the fifth time, we find Joseph weeping, although there’s no specific statement that Jacob wept. Perhaps Jacob was so overcome with joy and thanksgiving to God at seeing Joseph again that he was unable to shed tears.

Jacob’s statement in verse 30 reminds us of Simeon’s words when he beheld the infant Jesus: “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word; for my eyes have seen Your salvation” (Luke 2:29–30 nkjv). Jacob seemed to be preoccupied with sorrow and death rather than with the joys of spending his latter years with his family and especially Joseph.

Joseph’s dreams had all come true. Now it was time to share the joys and sorrows of life with his extended family.

Although Joseph was a “father” to Pharaoh (45:8), it was still necessary for Joseph’s family to be officially presented at court as new “resident aliens” in Egypt. Since Joseph and Pharaoh had already agreed to settle his family in Goshen, the brothers’ appearance at court was a formality, but an important one.

Pharaoh and Joseph’s brothers (46:31—47:6). Joseph was careful to brief his family on what it meant to be a shepherd in Egypt. The fact that Jacob’s sons had brought their flocks and herds along indicated clearly that they were planning to stay in Egypt and continue their occupation. Knowing that the Egyptians were prejudiced against shepherds, Joseph’s emphasis was on the herds of cattle and not the flocks of sheep. However, they didn’t lie about their occupation but were honest and aboveboard in all their dealings with Pharaoh.

We don’t know which five of his brothers Joseph selected to represent the family or why they were chosen. A keen student of human nature and a discerning man, Joseph knew which of his brothers could best meet Pharaoh and make a good appearance. But Pharaoh kept his promises and gave them the best of the land for their families and their flocks and herds, and he requested that they care for his herds as well. This was quite a promotion for the eleven sons of Jacob. One day they were ordinary resident aliens, and the next day they were Pharaoh’s official herdsmen! Joseph had been kind to Pharaoh, and now Pharaoh showed kindness to Joseph’s family.

Pharaoh and Joseph’s father (vv. 7–10). Pharaoh must have been anxious to meet the aged father who meant so much to Joseph. The first thing Jacob did was to bless Pharaoh in the name of his God, and he also blessed Pharaoh at the close of their interview. In this, Jacob was a good example of how a true believer is to relate to those who are outside the family of God (see 1 Peter 2:11–17). In spite of his failings, and we all have them, Jacob brought God’s blessing wherever he went.

Everybody has some metaphor to describe life—a battle, a race, a trap, a puzzle—and Jacob’s metaphor was that of a pilgrimage. The patriarchs were pilgrims and strangers on the earth (Heb. 11:13–16), but so are all of God’s people (1 Chron. 29:15; 1 Peter 1:1; 2:11). We agree with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that this world is not our home. Our time here is brief and temporary, and we’re eagerly looking for our permanent home, the city of God in heaven.

“My years have been few and difficult,” Jacob told Pharaoh (Gen. 47:9), who probably thought that 130 years was far from “few.” But Isaac had died at 180 and Abraham at 175, so comparatively speaking, Jacob’s pilgrimage was a short one. The word “evil” (kjv) doesn’t imply wickedness, but rather “misery” or “distress.” Jacob’s life had been a difficult one, but now it would close with seventeen years of peace and happiness.

We can’t help but admire Joseph in the way he handled the relocation of his family and their presentation to Pharaoh. He was surely a gifted administrator. In a land devoted to the worship of numerous gods and goddesses, it was important that Joseph’s family bear witness by their conduct to the true and living God. Peter called this “having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles” (1 Peter 2: nkjv).

Pharaoh and Joseph’s people (47:11–27). Pharaoh allowed Joseph’s family to settle in the best part of the land of Egypt, where they were more than adequately cared for, and yet the native Egyptians had to pay dearly to sustain their lives. As the remaining five years (45:6) of the famine came and went, the Egyptian people became poorer and poorer, until finally they had to sell themselves into slavery in order to live. To make food distribution easier, many of the farm workers were moved into the cities until such time as seed would be available for planting.

By the time the famine ended and farming could begin again, Pharaoh possessed all the money in Egypt and owned all the people and all their property, except the land of the priests, and the farmers had to pay a fifth of the harvest to Pharaoh as an annual tax. Not only had Joseph saved the nation from starvation, but also he had set up an economic system that enabled Pharaoh to control everything.

And what were the people of Israel doing? Multiplying! (See Ex. 1:7.) By the time Moses led the nation out of Egypt, the Jews numbered at least 2 million people. God had promised that He would make them a great nation, and He kept His promise.

Pharaoh was a pagan ruler who worshipped a multitude of false gods, and yet the Lord worked in his heart and used him to care for Jacob and his family (Prov. 21:1). Too many Christian believers today think that God can use only His own people in places of authority, but He can work His will even through unbelieving leaders like Pharaoh, Cyrus (Ezra 1:1ff.; Isa. 44:28), Nebuchadnezzar (Jer. 25:9; 27:6), and Augustus Caesar (Luke 2:1ff.).