Genesis Bible Study (God’s Grace To Overcome) God in the Midst of Suffering

Genesis 47-49, God Will Provide

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Joseph has revealed himself to his brothers in Egypt. The brothers have changed over the years and now are willing to lay down their lives for the sake of their brother, Benjamin. Joseph has invited his family to move to Egypt where Joseph promises that he can care for them during the famine. Joseph told them that there were five more years of the severe famine to come (Genesis 45:11). So they need to leave everything behind and move to Egypt. So Jacob and his family move to Egypt where there are now 70 people in all.

Joseph Provides For His Family (Genesis 47:1-12)

Genesis 47-49 draws our attention to the provisions and blessings of God. Pharaoh gives Jacob and his family the best of the land of Egypt (47:6). But then Joseph brings his father Jacob into Pharaoh’s presence. They have a really interesting discussion for us to pay attention to. Pharaoh asks Jacob about the length of his life. He asks him how old he is (47:8). Listen to how Jacob answers in verse 9. Jacob tells Pharaoh that he is 130 years old. Then he says, “My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” (Genesis 47:9 NIV)

Jacob is very blunt. His life has been hard. Jacob has lived a difficult life. We recently did a series on Jacob’s life and we have seen the difficult road he lived because of his life choices. Jacob clearly notes that he is coming to the end of his life and it will not be as long as his father Isaac or his grandfather Abraham. God had to take Jacob down a winding, difficult life road to bring to a place of faith and spiritual leadership. But then we read a surprising action. Jacob blesses Pharaoh. In fact, this is the second time Jacob does this. In verse 7 Jacob blessed Pharaoh and then Jacob blesses Pharaoh again in verse 10. Remember that the one who gives the blessing is designated as the superior. This is a point that is made when Melchizedek blesses Abraham (cf. Hebrews 7:7). I want us to see this. Even though Jacob is moving into Egypt, Jacob is the superior as the great patriarch and head of God’s promises. Then Joseph provides for his family. He settles his family in the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:11) and provides for his father, his brothers, and his father’s whole household (Genesis 47:12). Joseph has been placed by God in this position to care and provide for his family.

Joseph Provides For Egypt (Genesis 47:13-27)

But that his not all that Joseph does. Joseph is also the provider for Egypt. In verse 13 we read that the famine was so severe that Egypt and Canaan are all languishing because of the famine. But Joseph will continue his authoritative, ruling care. Joseph collects the money in the land in exchange for grain. If you had any money, Joseph sold you grain. But the next problem arises in verse 15. As the famine continues, the money is now gone. So all the Egyptians come to Joseph asking for food but noting that their money is gone. Notice that Joseph now exchanges the people’s livestock for more grain and food since their money is gone. So Joseph fed them for a year in this way. But the famine still rages when we come to verse 18. Now the people have no money and no animals. They have nothing to give. So the people come back to Joseph in verses 18-19 proclaiming that they have nothing but their bodies and their lands. Notice in verse 19 that the people beg for Joseph to buy them and their lands for food so that they do not die. They offer themselves as slaves so that they do not have to die. So Joseph buys the people’s lands because of the severity of the famine (Genesis 47:20) and the people become servants across the country. Joseph gives the people seed to sow the land and they will work as slaves to Pharaoh. When the people harvest the land, they are to give a fifth to Pharaoh and the rest they can keep for themselves (Genesis 47:24).

Now I want you to listen to the people. Do they complain about this? Are they upset at this new situation? Look at verse 25. They say, “You have saved our lives!” “We will be servants to Pharaoh!” “We have found favor with our lord!” The people are grateful. They are overflowing with praise. They recognize that their lives have been saved from death. The people are willingly giving their lives in servitude and giving 20% because your grace has saved us.

I do not want to wait to the end of the lesson to make this point. We need to see the point now and see Jesus now. This is a foreshadowing of our situation in the world. We are doomed to death by the famine of sin. But Jesus is the provider for his people and for the whole world. Jesus says to give your life to him and he will save you and provide for you. Do you know the only people who would complain about the offer of giving your life? The only people who complain are those who do not realize they are dead otherwise. No one would complain at this offer when we see that we are dead without the provision of Jesus. We will respond in joy because Jesus has saved our lives. We will give our bodies to him and give our possessions to him because he has rescued us from death. We were doomed if Jesus had not stepped in a provided for us. Friends, this is the nature of God. God’s great history for the world is to provide for his people. Joseph’s great-grandfather understood this. When God withheld Abraham’s hand, Abraham proclaimed the place of Isaac’s deliverance, “The Lord will provide” (Genesis 22:14). God has shown us favor and that is why we are saved. God has shown us grace and that is why we will give our lives and lands to the Lord.

Dispensing The Blessings (Genesis 47:28-49:33)

Now it is time for the dispensing of the blessings. Jacob is nearing the end of his life (Genesis 47:29). Jacob has been reunited with his lost son, Joseph. Jacob makes Joseph take an oath that he will not bury his body in Egypt but in the promised land with his father (47:29-30). Joseph takes an oath to bury his father in the promised land. Jacob understands the promises of God and he believes that his children will be back on that land. His faith is in God’s proclaimed word.

Then Joseph brings his two sons in for a blessing (48:1). Jacob tells Joseph how the Lord appeared to him and proclaimed his promises to him (48:3-4). Now notice what Jacob does in verse 5. Jacob tells Joseph that even though his two sons were born in Egypt, they will belong to Jacob as equally as Reuben and Simeon. Remember that Joseph’s first two sons are Ephraim and Manasseh. From now on, you will not read about a tribe of Joseph. Instead, you will read about the tribes of Manasseh and Ephraim and this is the reason why. Joseph’s two sons will be counted like Reuben and Simeon, even though they were born in Egypt. Here is a subtle foreshadowing of God’s cosmic plan to bring outsiders into his family and count them as equals in God’s house.

Now Joseph brings his sons before Jacob. Jacob’s eyesight is poor because of his old age (Genesis 48:10). Joseph puts Ephraim on Jacob’s left and Manasseh on his right hand because Ephraim was the younger of the two sons. However, when Jacob stretched out his hands, he crossed them as he placed his hands on the sons (Genesis 48:14). Jacob then blesses Joseph, proclaiming who the Lord has been his shepherd his whole life and proclaims that his name will carry on through his sons and become a multitude. But then Joseph tries to correct his father’s hands (Genesis 48:18). Joseph thinks that his poor seeing father has made a mistake. But Jacob says in verse 19 that he knows what he has done. Look at verse 19. Jacob proclaims that the younger will be greater. Yet again God is showing that God is a God of reversal and a God who defies human wisdom. Just as it was not Ishmael but Isaac, and just as it was not Esau but Jacob, so it will be Ephraim not Manasseh who will be greater. This is why the nation of Israel will also be called by another name: Ephraim. When you get to the prophets you will read a lot about Ephraim. You might wonder who is this Ephraim. Ephraim will be strong and will represent Israel.

Jacob further declares that God will be with Joseph and bring him back to the promised land (Genesis 48:21-22). Now it is time to dispense the blessings to the rest of the children. We may want to skip this section of blessings. But there is an important message here that ties these three chapters together. Reuben’s blessing comes first. But Reuben is disqualified from the firstborn blessing because he lacked self-control and defiled his father’s bed (Genesis 49:4). The next two sons are Simeon and Levi. However, they are also disqualified because they lashed out in anger and killed people unjustly (Genesis 49:5-6; Genesis 34). So this brings us to the fourth son, Judah. This is why Judah will have the preeminence and why the Christ will come through Judah. The first three sons were disqualified. So the promises will come through Judah instead. The king line will be through Judah (49:10). He will trample down his enemies and be victorious (49:11-12).

The rest of the sons also receive blessings. But I want to end our focus of the blessings on Joseph. Look at Genesis 49:22-27. Think about the imagery Jacob uses about Joseph. When Joseph was bitterly attacked and harassed, his bow remained unmoved. Through his brothers attacked him, his faith remained firm. Why were his hands firm and he remained unmoved? Jacob says it was by the hands of the Mighty One, the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel. It was by the God of your father who helped you and by the Almighty who blessed you with the blessings of heaven, earth, and below the earth (49:24-25).

God Will Provide

The big message of these chapters is that God will provide. God provided for Jacob who carried him through all of his life difficulties and brought him into his rest. God provided for Jacob’s family and gave them land and food during the famine. God provided for Egypt and the people joyfully gave their lives to receive the salvation and care that God offered through Joseph. God provided for Joseph, carrying him through his difficulties and making him ruler of Egypt. Joseph was able to be reconciled to his family and see his father again, receiving the blessings of God.

Joseph was able to stay steady in his life by the hands of the Mighty One (Genesis 49:24). Even when he was attacked and harassed, Joseph was able to remain unmoved because his God helped him, blessed him, and provided for him. But I want us to refine this point a little further. God will provide but he will push you to the edge to test your faith. God provided for Jacob every step of the way but he was pushed to the edge in each life difficulty. God provided for Joseph every step of the way but he was pushed to the edge to test his faith. God provided for Jacob’s family and for Egypt but they were pushed to the edge to test their faith. God does not just provide. Rather, God allows us to be pushed to the edge to see if we will trust him to provide. God did this with Abraham, pushing him to the edge with his son. But then God provided. God did this with the Israelites who were pushed to the edge of the Red Sea to see if they would trust him. But then God provided. Joseph was pushed to the edge repeatedly. But then God provided. Friends, God is going to push us to the edge and we are going to look over the edge of the abyss. Often it is in those moments that we give up on God, afraid that he will not help. So we think we need to help ourselves and abandon God. But God will provide. But he will push us to the edge to see if we will trust his timing and his provision, rather than our own. Listen to how the apostle Paul taught this truth in Romans 4 regarding Abraham.

God told Abraham that he would be the father of many nations even though he was too old to have children. But that did not happen the next day or the next year. Abraham was pushed to the edge. Abraham was 100 years old and Sarah was 90 years and were still waiting.

He did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body, which was as good as dead (since he was about a hundred years old), or when he considered the barrenness of Sarah’s womb. No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. (Romans 4:19-21 ESV)

Abraham did not weaken in faith when he was pushed to the edge. He did not waver with unbelief but grew strong in his faith when he was pushed to the edge. How? Because he was fully convinced that God was able to do what he promised. Now listen to what Paul says next:

That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” (Romans 4:22 ESV)

Faith is counted as righteousness when we are pushed to the edge and still trust God to provide. Faith is counted as righteousness when we do not waver in our faith but believe God’s promise to help us in our time of need. Jacob was pushed to edge and did not waver. Joseph was pushed to edge and did not waver. Abraham was pushed to the edge and did not waver. You will be pushed to the edge. Do not waver but believe that God will provide when you are staring over the edge of life. God will provide. Stay steady when attacked. God steadies, God helps, and God blesses.

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