Genesis 47

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.

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.).

Jacob had enjoyed Joseph for seventeen years in Hebron (37:2), and now he would enjoy Joseph and his sons for seventeen years in Egypt (48:28). It was tragic that the sins of his sons had robbed their father of twenty-two years of Joseph’s life, but even in this sacrifice, God had beautifully worked out His plan and cared lovingly for His people.

Jacob plans his burial (47:28–31). Since Jacob had rejected Reuben, Joseph was now performing the duties of the firstborn son, including the burial of the father. Jacob knew that his days were numbered, and he wanted to be sure that he would be buried in the Promised Land and not in Egypt. Someone might argue that Jacob was making a mistake, because the Egyptians were experts at interring bodies, but that wasn’t the issue. Jacob was one of God’s pilgrims, and he wanted to be buried with his family in the land that would one day be home for his descendants (49:29–32; 23:1ff.).

Jacob’s desire was that his funeral would be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshipping Egyptian but a believer in the true and living God. When you stop to think that your funeral and burial are the last public testimonies you will ever give, it makes you want to plan carefully. Making your last will and testament is important, but don’t neglect your last witness and testimony.

During my pastoral ministry, I’ve seen professed Christians make all kinds of ill-advised plans for their funerals, including selecting songs and readings that had no relationship to the Bible or the Christian life. Some of these choices were out-and-out pagan, and the only reason given was that they were favorites of the deceased. It hasn’t been easy to preach the gospel after such performances. Let’s follow the example of Jacob and carefully plan our funeral to the glory of God. Joseph not only promised to fulfill his father’s wishes, but later he also asked his brothers to make the same promise to him that he made to their father (50:24–26).

Jacob adopts his grandsons (48:1–20). Jacob was bedfast, his sight was failing (v. 8), and he knew that the end was near. But when Joseph walked into the room, Jacob mustered enough strength to sit up on the side of his bed and talk with his son about matters that were too important to delay. He didn’t talk about the difficulties of his life; he spoke about God Almighty (vv. 3, 11, 15, 20–21) and what He had done for His servant.

When Abraham was nearing death, his desire was to find a wife for Isaac and transfer to him the blessings of the covenant (chap. 24). Sad to say, when Isaac thought he was going to die, he wanted to eat his favorite meal and then bless his favorite son, who was not God’s choice to bear the covenant blessings (chap. 27). Jacob’s concern was to bless Joseph, whom he had made his firstborn, and then adopt Joseph’s two sons as his own and make them “sons of Israel.” It’s a good thing to be able to end your life knowing you’ve completed God’s business the way He wanted it done.

Jacob reviewed some of the experiences of his pilgrimage with God, beginning with the promises God had given him at Bethel (vv. 3–4; see 12:1–3) and including the death of his beloved Rachel, Joseph’s mother (48:7). Jacob assured Joseph that God would multiply their number and one day take them out of Egypt into their inheritance in the land of Canaan. Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, would have an inheritance in that land, because their grandfather was adopting them.

As we’ve seen, Joseph replaced Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn (49:3–4; 1 Chron. 5:2), and now Joseph’s sons would replace Simeon and Levi (Gen. 49:5–7), Jacob’s second and third sons. The Levites were given no inheritance in the Promised Land but lived in fortyfour cities scattered throughout Israel (Num. 18:20; Deut. 18:2; Josh. 13:33; 14:4; 21:1ff.); and Simeon was eventually absorbed into the tribe of Judah (Judg. 19:1–9). In this way, God punished Levi and Simeon for their anger and violence at Shechem (Gen. 34).

Not only did Jacob adopt his two grandsons, but he also gave them his special blessing. Jacob was probably sitting on the side of the bed and the boys were standing before him, while Joseph was bowed down with his face to the ground. Whether the boys realized it or not, it was indeed a solemn occasion.

For the fifth time in the book of Genesis, we meet a reversal of the birth order. God had chosen Abel, not Cain; Isaac, not Ishmael; Jacob, not Esau; and Joseph, not Reuben; and now He would choose Ephraim over Manasseh. Joseph was upset with what his father did and tried to change his hands, but Jacob was guided by God and knew what he was doing. (This is the only recorded instance of Joseph being displeased with his father or anybody else.)

In blessing Joseph’s sons, Jacob also blessed Joseph, for the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh became strong leaders in Israel. Jacob gave all the glory to God, the God who called his fathers and blessed them, who shepherded him all his life and cared for him, and who saved him from evil and harm even though he had experienced great difficulty.

Jacob shares his wealth (vv. 21–22). Joseph received an unexpected gift that day, a piece of land that Jacob had taken in battle from the Amorites. This is the only evidence we have that Jacob was an accomplished warrior. This victory may have occurred during the painful Shechem affair (34:25–29). Jesus would meet the woman of Sychar there and lead her to saving faith (John 4:15). Being now the firstborn, Joseph was eligible for a double portion of the blessing (Deut. 21:15–17), and Ezekiel 47: indicates that in the future kingdom, Joseph will have two portions of land.

Jacob had now blessed Joseph’s sons, and now it was time to meet all his sons and bless them.