Genesis 47:1 - Meaning and Application

Joseph, as a subject, showed respect to his king. Even though he was Pharaoh’s favorite, the chief minister, and had special orders to bring his father down to Egypt, he still would not let Jacob settle until he had informed Pharaoh (Genesis 47:1). Christ, our Joseph, also places his followers in his kingdom as his Father has prepared it, saying, “It is not mine to give” (Matthew 20:23).

Joseph also showed respect to his brothers, even though they had once treated him so badly. Though he was a great man and they were small and unimportant by comparison, especially in Egypt, he still acknowledged them. People who are rich and important in the world should learn not to ignore or look down on poor relatives. Every branch of a tree is not a top branch, but a lower branch is still part of the tree. In the same way, our Lord Jesus, like Joseph here, is not ashamed to call us brothers.

Because they were foreigners and had no standing at court, Joseph introduced some of them to Pharaoh so they could, as we would say, pay their respects and be honored among the Egyptians. In this way, Christ presents his brothers in the court of heaven and uses his influence for them, even though they are unworthy in themselves and are despised by the world. When Pharaoh received them, following Joseph’s instructions, they told him what their work was. They were shepherds (Genesis 47:3). Pharaoh asked what their occupation was, and Joseph knew that would likely be one of his first questions (Genesis 46:33). Pharaoh assumed they had honest work to do, since Egypt was no place for lazy wanderers. If they would not work, they should not eat his bread during a time of shortage.

This gives us a useful lesson. Everyone who has a place in the world should have some work suited to their ability, whether mental or physical. Even those who do not need to work for their bread should still have something useful to do, so they are not idle. Magistrates should also ask about the work of their people, since they are responsible for the public good. Idle people are like drones in a hive, useless burdens on society.

They also explained why they had come to Egypt: to stay there for a while, not to settle permanently (Genesis 47:4). The famine was so severe in Canaan, which was higher and drier land, that it was not fit for shepherds. The grass had been burned up far more there than in Egypt, which was lower and had better pasture, though its grain supply had failed.

Joseph secured for them a place to live in the land of Goshen (Genesis 47:5, Genesis 47:6). This showed Pharaoh’s gratitude to Joseph. Since Joseph had been such a blessing to Pharaoh and his kingdom, Pharaoh wanted to be kind to Joseph’s relatives for his sake. He offered them work over his livestock, if they were capable men, because the person who is diligent in business will stand before kings. Whatever our work is, we should aim to do it well and show skill and hard work in it.

Joseph also showed respect as a son. He presented his father to Pharaoh (Genesis 47:7). Pharaoh asked Jacob a common question, “How old are you?” (Genesis 47:8). That is the kind of question people naturally ask of old men, because age is something we should honor, not despise (Leviticus 19:32). Jacob’s face likely showed how old he was, since he had lived a life of hard work and sorrow. People in Egypt did not live as long as those in Canaan, so Pharaoh looked at Jacob with wonder, almost as a sight in his court. When we think about ourselves, we should also ask, “How old am I?”

Jacob gave Pharaoh an unusual answer (Genesis 47:9). He spoke with the seriousness that fits a patriarch, that is, a father and leader of God’s people, and he did it to instruct Pharaoh. Even if our speech is not always about grace, it should always be gracious in manner. He called his life a pilgrimage, showing that he saw himself as a stranger in this world and a traveler toward another world. This earth was his inn, not his home. The writer of Hebrews points to this when he says they confessed they were strangers and pilgrims (Hebrews 11:13). Jacob did not just think of himself as a pilgrim now that he was in Egypt, a country he had never been in before. He believed his whole life, even in his own land, had been a pilgrimage.

He also counted his life by days, because life is quickly summed up that way, and we cannot count on having even one whole day more. We may be taken out of this tent of a body with very little warning. So we should number our days (Psalm 90:12) and measure them carefully (Psalm 39:4). Jacob described those days as few, even though he was 130 years old, because they seemed small beside the days of eternity. In the presence of the eternal God and the eternal state, even a thousand years, longer than any human life, are like one day.

He also said his days were evil. This is true of humanity in general, for people have few days and many troubles (Job 14:1). Since our days are troubled, it is a mercy that they are short. Jacob’s own life had especially been made up of hard days, and his best days were still ahead of him. He also said his days were shorter than those of his fathers, meaning he had not lived as long or as pleasantly as they had. Old age had come upon him earlier than it had on some of his ancestors. Just as a young man should not boast in his strength or beauty, an older man should not be proud of his age or gray hair, though others should rightly honor it. Those who are called very old still do not reach the ages of the patriarchs. Gray hair is a crown of glory only when it is found in a righteous life.

Jacob both addressed Pharaoh and took leave of him with a blessing (Genesis 47:7). He blessed Pharaoh again in Genesis 47:10. This was more than a polite gesture. He showed respect and returned thanks for Pharaoh’s kindness, but he also prayed for him as a prophet and patriarch. In worldly wealth Pharaoh was greater, but in favor with God Jacob was greater. He was God’s chosen servant (Psalm 105:15). A patriarch’s blessing was not something to be dismissed, even by a powerful king. Darius valued the prayers of the church for himself and his sons (Ezra 6:10). Pharaoh kindly received Jacob, and whether he knew it or not, he received a prophet’s reward, which more than repaid him for his kindness to Jacob and his family.

Joseph also cared well for Jacob and his household. He placed him in Goshen (Genesis 47:11), and he provided food for him and all his family, giving them what they needed (Genesis 47:12).

This shows, first, that Joseph was a good man, since he took such tender care of his poor relatives. It also shows that God is good, because he raised Joseph up for this very purpose and gave him the power to do it. In the same way, Esther came to the kingdom for such a time as this.

What God did here for Jacob, he has, in effect, promised to do for all who belong to him, serve him, and trust him. “In the days of famine they shall be satisfied” (Psalm 37:19).