Genesis 47:13

Concerning the land of Egypt and the surrounding countries, the Bible says in Genesis 47:13-19, ‘’And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason 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 corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house. And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.”

The wisdom of Joseph is what stands out in this passage of scripture. Joseph had the practical wisdom to know that it is important to save in times of plenty, because it helps you to survive and even to thrive in times of scarcity. Of course, Joseph also had just the right wisdom to know how to organize, administer, and to implement this plan of storing up throughout the land of Egypt. We know that his wisdom came from God. It says in James 1:5, “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him.” This wisdom is more than just wisdom about spiritual things. It is also practical wisdom: how to do and when to do things in just the right way.

God’s blessings were on the land of Egypt because of Joseph, and because of the rest of the Israelites. This truth should remind us of the fact that God promised to bless those who bless the people of Israel, and to curse those who do not. How wrong the world is to not care for Israel, God’s chosen people. Many countries have persecuted Jews and Christians, and in so doing have brought about their own loss and even their own destruction. Once again, in the following passage, Joseph’s wisdom is demonstrated. It says in Genesis 47:20-26, “And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh's. And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. Only the land of the priests bought he not; for the priests had a portion assigned them of Pharaoh, and did eat their portion which Pharaoh gave them: wherefore they sold not their lands. Then Joseph said unto the people, Behold, I have bought you this day and your land for Pharaoh: lo, here is seed for you, and ye shall sow the land. And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own, for seed of the field, and for your food, and for them of your households, and for food for your little ones. And they said, Thou hast saved our lives: let us find grace in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants. And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt unto this day, that Pharaoh should have the fifth part; except the land of the priests only, which became not Pharaoh's.”

In Genesis 47:27-31 the Bible says, “And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions therein, and grew, and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years: so the whole age of Jacob was an hundred forty and seven years. And the time drew nigh that Israel must die: and he called his son Joseph, and said unto him, If now I have found grace in thy sight, put, I pray thee, thy hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me; bury me not, I pray thee, in Egypt: But I will lie with my fathers, and thou shalt carry me out of Egypt, and bury me in their buryingplace. And he said, I will do as thou hast said. And he said, Swear unto me. And he sware unto him. And Israel bowed himself upon the bed's head.” Jacob did not want to be buried in the land of Egypt. He wanted to be buried in the promised land, the land of Canaan. This is the land that God had promised to Abraham’s descendents through Isaac, and the land where Abraham and Isaac had been buried. This request about his burial shows that even in his preparation for death, Jacob was focused on the promises of God, and that Jacob wanted his death and burial to be a witness to his belief in God’s promises.

The Bible says in Genesis 48:1-7, “And it came to pass after these things, that one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick: and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And one told Jacob, and said, Behold, thy son Joseph cometh unto thee: and Israel strengthened himself, and sat upon the bed. And Jacob said unto Joseph, God Almighty appeared unto me at Luz in the land of Canaan, and blessed me, And said unto me, Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession. And now thy two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, which were born unto thee in the land of Egypt before I came unto thee into Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. And thy issue, which thou begettest after them, shall be thine, and shall be called after the name of their brethren in their inheritance. And as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died by me in the land of Canaan in the way, when yet there was but a little way to come unto Ephrath: and I buried her there in the way of Ephrath; the same is Bethlehem.” Jacob made it very clear as to why he is speaking to his sons about the land of Canaan. Jacob was reminding his sons of God’s promises and what God had revealed to him. Obviously, Jacob was living by faith. To live by faith, we must allow what God says in His Word to take precedence over everything else. For example, the Lord says to the human race: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.” Certain aspects of the world will fight against this commandment to be faithful in marriage. Parts of the entertainment industry definitely try to teach people to reject this teaching. The truth is that to reject this teaching results in unwanted pregnancies, venereal disease, abortions, ruined marriages, and many other terrible consequences. God has given us His Word for a reason: to give us the truth and to guide us. Therefore, it is extremely important that a believer searches the Word, and keeps the Word of God in his heart so that what God says will be a guide for him. It says in Psalms 119:105, “Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.” It also says in Psalms 119:11, “Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.”

God said to Jacob in Genesis 48:4, “Behold, I will make thee fruitful, and multiply thee, and I will make of thee a multitude of people; and will give this land to thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession.” These promises had a great deal to do with the land of Canaan and the children of Israel. In other words these promises from God are very specific concerning an exact geographical location and a special group of people. The geographical location is Canaan, which today is an area that includes Israel, but which is much larger than the current nation of Israel. It is also important in understanding prophesies that are given later in the Bible that this great promise from God calls the land of Canaan “an everlasting possession.” This is not a promise that only endured for a limited time in the history of the people of Israel. This is a promise that stretches all the way into eternity. This is also a promise that was made to a specific group of people, the Jewish people: those who are the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. The Jewish people have an eternal inheritance in the land of Canaan.

But notice carefully that Genesis 48:4 speaks of Jacob’s “seed” after him. This word is singular, and refers very clearly to one individual, and that individual is Jesus Christ. The Bible says in Galatians 3:16, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” Therefore, though we see that this promise is made to the descendants of Jacob, it also clearly focuses on Jesus Christ. Through Jesus this great promise is made not only to the descendents of Abraham, but to everyone in the world who believes in Jesus, both Jew and Gentile. Remember that in the promise made to Abraham, God said in Genesis 12:3 “And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” That is why Galatians 3:29 tells Christians that they will also inherit the blessings made to Abraham. It says to believers in Jesus, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”

Continuing with some of Jacob’s final words to his sons, the Bible says in Genesis 48:8-14, “And Israel beheld Joseph's sons, and said, Who are these? And Joseph said unto his father, They are my sons, whom God hath given me in this place. And he said, Bring them, I pray thee, unto me, and I will bless them. Now the eyes of Israel were dim for age, so that he could not see. And he brought them near unto him; and he kissed them, and embraced them. And Israel said unto Joseph, I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed. And Joseph brought them out from between his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth. And Joseph took them both, Ephraim in his right hand toward Israel's left hand, and Manasseh in his left hand toward Israel's right hand, and brought them near unto him. And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the younger, and his left hand upon Manasseh's head, guiding his hands wittingly; for Manasseh was the firstborn.”

One of the key verses in this passage is Genesis 48:11, where Jacob said to Joseph, “I had not thought to see thy face: and, lo, God hath shewed me also thy seed.” God is able to turn things around in our lives. God’s intervention is always the hope of those who believe in Him. However, for the glory of God, some believers may endure years in a difficult situation. We must not forget that God knows what is best and that everyone has a cross to bear. But a believer with constant faith never gives up hope. God can turn things around. Perhaps today He will change things, perhaps tomorrow, or perhaps it is His will for you to endure to the end. But He can change things. He can change anything. He will also help you endure anything. The Bible says in Mark 10:27, “And Jesus looking upon them saith, With men it is impossible, but not with God: for with God all things are possible.” There is a Christian song that has the line, “It is no secret what God can do. What He has done for others, He will do for you.” Jesus said in John 16:33, “In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.”

There once was an elderly Christian lady named Mary McCormack who exemplified keeping this faith that God can do anything. For many years her husband suffered from Alzheimer’s disease until he died. And then she contracted a severe spinal condition that rendered her bed-ridden for the last several years of her life. Not once did she complain about these difficulties or in any way express self-pity. Instead of that, she constantly expressed the desire to walk again, and constantly expressed her belief that God could do this for her because He can do anything. Day after day and year after year she expressed this belief; that any day she would be walking again, because God can do anything. Jesus made the lame to walk and the deaf to hear; did He not? Mrs. McCormack never regained the ability to walk in this life, but she is walking now on the golden streets of heaven. God will change everything eventually, and He will especially fix everything for each believer when we are welcomed into His open arms of eternal love through our Savior Jesus Christ. We may not all see everything changed in this life in the way that we would like to, but we will see it changed eventually. The Bible says in First Corinthians 15:51-58, “In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.”

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