Israel’s Prosperity in Egypt
Genesis 47
As we approach the end of our study in the book of Genesis it’s good to remind ourselves of the big picture. We began the book with God’s good creation where God blessed mankind and gave them dominion over the earth. They lived in Paradise, in the newly created Garden of Eden, where all was right and good in the world under God’s righteous rule. After mankind sinned in Genesis 3 bringing the curse of death, God gave the promise of the seed of the woman who would eventually crush the head of the serpent, that is, destroy the usurped dominion of Satan and bring redemption to mankind and restoration to creation.
In Genesis 4-6 we saw the increasing wickedness of mankind that culminated in the Flood to destroy the earth with God saving only a small remnant in the family of Noah in the ark. As mankind again began to populate the world, man’s pride and rebellion at the Tower of Babel resulted in God’s sovereign judgment of the multiplication of tongues and men’s dispersion on the earth.
Then in Genesis 11 and 12, we saw God call one man, Abraham, to leave his country, his family, and his home to go to the land of Canaan, promising to give all that land to Abraham and his descendants. God promised to bless him and his descendants, to make of them a great nation, and to bless all the families of the earth through Abraham’s seed. God passed on those promises to Abraham’s son Isaac, to his son Jacob, and now to Jacob’s twelve sons.[1]
In all these narratives of Genesis, we have seen God’s sovereign providence at work in protecting and prospering Abraham, then Isaac, then Jacob, and now Joseph to fulfill God’s promises and accomplish God’s ultimate purposes. But it has been a rough road. These men have faltered in their faith at times, have sinned against God and men, and have seemed to jeopardize the very plan of God to save the world. God has tested these men both through prosperity and through affliction. And through all of it, good and bad, God is accomplishing His sovereign purposes and fulfilling His gracious promises.
God had promised to bless Abraham, to make him a great nation, and to bless all nations through his descendants. In Genesis 47 we see God beginning to bless Abraham’s descendants and to use them to be a blessing to others. Throughout this chapter we see the contrast between the prosperity of Israel and the poverty of the Egyptians—yet also how they both were saved through the famine by God’s providence and Joseph’s wise administration.
Let’s divide this chapter into three parts from which we can draw three points of application for our walk with God. In Genesis 47:1-12, Jacob and his sons appear before Pharaoh, settle in Goshen, and God provides for them through Joseph. In this section, we see the principle of distinctness for God’s people. In Genesis 47:13-26, Moses describes the desperate situation of the Egyptians and Joseph’s wise administration in the famine. Here we see the principle of blessing others. Then in Genesis 47:27-31, Jacob has Joseph promise to bury him in Canaan when he dies, not in Egypt. It shows us the principle of priorities.[2]
1. Israel obtains permission from Pharoah to settle in Goshen (Gen. 47:1-12)
At the end of Genesis 46, we saw the reunion of Jacob with his son Joseph (Gen. 46:29-30) and the relocation of Jacob’s entire family to Egypt. Joseph had brought them to the land of Goshen (Gen. 46:28) and prepared his family to meet Pharaoh, instructing them to tell Pharaoh that they are shepherds and keepers of livestock (Gen. 46:31-34) so that Pharaoh would approve of them settling in Goshen. Now In Genesis 47, Joseph brings his family before Pharaoh:
1 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.” 2 And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 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.” 4 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.” (Gen. 47:1-4).
Why would Joseph want to keep his family in the land of Goshen? Let me suggest several reasons, beginning with those least important.[3] First, Goshen must have been some of the best land in Egypt. When Pharaoh heard about Joseph’s family in Genesis 45, he had said to Joseph, “Bring your father and your households and come to me; I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you will eat the fat of the land.” (Gen. 45:18). Now, here in Genesis 47, that is what Pharaoh says he is giving them in the land of Goshen:
5 Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 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.” (Gen. 47:5-6).
Second, Goshen was located close to Joseph so it made it easy for him to provide for them in the famine. In Genesis 45:10-11, Joseph told his brothers, “You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”
But by far the most important reason for Joseph settling his family in the land of Goshen was to keep them isolated and insulated from the culture and religion of Egypt. They were to tell Pharaoh the truth that they were shepherds because as Joseph pointed out in Genesis 46:34, “every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” Joseph saw the disdain for shepherds as a blessing in that it would keep the two cultures from merging.
Joseph was spiritually strong enough to survive life in the city, at the palace, and amid a pagan culture, but his brothers had already proven their propensity to compromise and even intermarry with pagans in Canaan. What would become of the nation Israel if they were integrated into Egyptian life? Joseph clearly saw the need for separation, and thus he ensured that his family settled in Goshen. Joseph’s concern was that God’s people, Joseph’s family, maintain their distinctiveness.
When I look at Jacob’s sons as they approach the Pharaoh, king of Egypt, I can’t help but think of what Peter writes in the New Testament,
11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul ,12 having your conduct honorable among the Gentiles, that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may, by your good works which they observe, glorify God in the day of visitation.
13 Therefore submit yourselves to every ordinance of man for the Lord’s sake, whether to the king as supreme, 14 or to governors, as to those who are sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men–16 as free, yet not using liberty as a cloak for vice, but as bondservants of God.17 Honor all people. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the king.
One of the greatest needs for God’s people today is that we would be distinct from the world, set apart unto God. The biblical term for that is holiness.[4] Biblical holiness is not asceticism, not cloistering yourself away in your own Christian monastery. It is standing apart from the corrupt culture of this world by living according to God’s word. One reason holiness is hard is that we all want to be liked by the world.
Jacob’s family had to anticipate the scorn of the Egyptians in their commitment to live separately unto God in Goshen because shepherds were loathsome to the Egyptians (Gen. 46:34). “You have to recognize upfront that if you’re going to follow the Lord, you may not win any popularity contests. You may be respected, as Joseph was. But more often than not, the world ridicules you behind your back, if not to your face, for living a holy life.”[5]
In Genesis 47:7-10 we see Jacob’s interview before Pharaoh:
7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How old are you?” 9 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.” 10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.
Jacob’s emphasis as he describes his life is that he is a pilgrim. He has been a sojourner. He has endured evil from circumstances, from others, and as consequences of his own sins. But the hand of God’s providence has been on Jacob all along. So Jacob has lived as his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham, as a pilgrim of God, as one who belongs to a better country, as a stranger in this world.
So, in partial fulfillment of the promise of God to bless the nations of the earth through Israel, Jacob blessed Pharaoh. The exact words are not recorded, but probably it was a prayer that God would prosper Pharaoh and be gracious to him. Hebrews 7:7 reminds us “Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.” Although Pharaoh is the ruler of the land, he is the lesser. In God’s plan, this lowly shepherd Jacob is the greater. God’s hand of providence is upon Jacob. The presence of Jacob in Egypt was a blessing to the emerging nation of Israel, but it also greatly blessed Pharaoh and the Egyptians. The Abrahamic Covenant is finding partial fulfillment in this sojourn.
Then finally we see God providing for Jacob and his family through Joseph.
11 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. 12 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number in their families. (Gen. 47:11-12).
In the next section we see that,
2. Joseph administers resources during the famine (Gen. 47:13-26)
Listen to how God worked through Joseph’s wisdom to provide for Egypt during the famine:
13 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. 14 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. 15 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.” 16 Then Joseph said, “Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone.” 17 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. 18 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. 19 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.” 20 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. 21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end. 22 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. 23 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. 24 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.” 25 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.” 26 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.
Jacob’s word of blessing to Pharaoh was fulfilled in deed by Joseph’s wise administration on Pharaoh’s behalf. Notice the contrast between Genesis 47:12, which states that Joseph provided his family with food, and Genesis 47:13 which says that there was no food in the land because of the famine. God’s people prospered while the Egyptians used up their money, then their cattle, then offered their land, and finally themselves to become Pharaoh’s slaves so that they could survive this famine.
Some commentators criticize Joseph for being harsh and degrading these people through slavery. But it is a mistake to read this story through the lens of our own history with slavery or our modern culture. The Egyptians’ evaluation of Joseph was, “You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh’s servants” (Gen. 47:25). If they were happy with him, who are we to criticize him? This was a life-and-death situation. Their concern wasn’t democracy; it was survival and this Joseph ensured for them.[6]
It was no small feat for Joseph to please Pharaoh while at the same time pleasing the people so much that they thank him while he sells them into slavery and taxes them at 20 percent! Joseph did what few have done: he was a skillful administrator while at the same time he was a man who put first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. He was truly a blessing to others.
This is the principle of blessing others. Whether at work, in the neighborhood, or at school, God wants you to bless others. Seek the best interests of your employer and fellow employees at work. He wants you to be His channel for blessing to those around you. How do you do that? The same way that Joseph did—by maintaining your integrity through a close walk with God.
So wherever God has you, God has designed for you to be distinct as a Christian and to be a blessing to those around you through your godly behavior and your gracious words of witness.
Finally, we see in the last section,
3. Joseph promises to bury Jacob in Canaan (Gen. 47:27-31)
27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. 28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. 29 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, 30 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.” 31 Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed. (Gen 47:27-31).
The final 17 years of Jacob’s life were probably some of his best. He had all his children with him. His family prospered in Egypt. They enjoyed favor with Pharaoh. It might have been easy for Jacob to think, “Egypt isn’t such a bad place. We’ve had a good life here. God has taken care of us. We could just settle here permanently.” But instead, as he came near to death, he called Joseph and made him swear that he would bury him in Canaan, not in Egypt. He wanted his posterity to remember that God had promised them the land of Canaan, not Egypt. Jacob knew that this was only part of the journey, part of the pilgrimage. He was not home yet.
The writer of Hebrews says about these Patriarchs:
13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off were assured of them, embraced them and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For those who say such things declare plainly that they seek a homeland. 15 And truly if they had called to mind that country from which they had come out, they would have had opportunity to return. 16 But now they desire a better, that is, a heavenly country. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for He has prepared a city for them. (Hebrews 11:13-16).
We must have this same attitude about our homeland. Jesus has gone to prepare a place for us (John 14:1-2). Our citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3:20). So, “Set your mind on things above, not on things on the earth.” (Col. 3:2). Jacob had known much adversity. He said, “few and evil have been the days of the years of my life” (Gen. 47:8). Jacob also knew prosperity. Both of them drove him to long for his ultimate home.
If you’re suffering right now, I don’t have to tell you to long for heaven, That is a natural response. But if you are prospering, let me remind you what Jacob knew: don’t get too attached to this place. This is not the end—it’s a pilgrimage. We are aliens and strangers on this earth. All that God has done, is doing, and will do, Is NOT about the betterment of this life, It is about fulfilling His plan for eternity.
This is the principle of priorities. The call is whether things are bad here or good here, remember that either way, we will not stay here. Jacob never lost sight of the promise. We must remember that our purpose for being here is not to accumulate the things Egypt has to offer. We’re here to further God’s purpose, to proclaim the good news of the kingdom of Jesus Christ. The plan of God is to prepare you for eternity. The plan of God is to take you to heaven, the land of promise. Regardless of how good it gets in Egypt, determine not to settle for it over what God has in store.
Jesus said,
19 “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; 20 “but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. (Matt. 6:19-21)
If Jesus is your true treasure, heaven is your home. If you’ve never received Christ as your Savior, you may be very successful by this world’s standards, but you’ve missed the prosperity that really counts. Someday soon you will die and then who will own all that you have worked to accumulate? Jesus advises us to be rich toward God. That process begins when by faith you receive God’s offer to forgive your sins and give you eternal life as His free gift.
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[1] Paul Apple, https://www.bibleoutlines.com/blog/genesis-471-31-providential-prosperity-in-the-midst-of-surrounding-poverty (I found Apple’s summary helpful in writing my summary of Genesis).
[2] Steven Cole, The Prosperity That Counts (Genesis 46:31-47:31), https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-78-prosperity-counts-genesis-4631-4731
[3] Robert Deffinbagh, Life Begins at 130 (Genesis 46:1-47:12), https://bible.org/seriespage/46-life-begins-130-genesis-461-4712
[4] Cole. Ibid.
[5] Cole. Ibid.
[6] Cole. Ibid.
