READ: Gen. 47:1-12: Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, … Please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen. … Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with bread, according to the number of their families.
Joseph worked hard to secure a good place for his family in Egypt and to ensure their survival. He directed them to the region of Goshen, the best part of Egypt, with fertile land suitable for both livestock farming and agriculture. He then presented five of his brothers to Pharaoh and requested permission for them to settle in Goshen.
Pharaoh responded kindly, granting them this permission generously. Jacob also had a conversation with Pharaoh. This simple, elderly man spoke with the ruler of a great nation.
Jacob’s response to Pharaoh’s question about his age was profound (v.9): 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.
Jacob highlighted that, like his ancestors Abraham and Isaac, his life had been one of pilgrimage. Even now, as he arrived in Egypt, he remained a sojourner. What is significant about this status of being a stranger? Jacob bore the divine promises. He belonged to another homeland, not only looking toward the promised land on earth but even to the city with foundations, as is said of Abraham (Heb. 11:10).
That heavenly Canaan was prefigured by the earthly one. Here stood an heir of God’s Kingdom before a worldly ruler. Although Jacob’s lifespan was 130 years, what was that compared to eternal life?
Jacob also acknowledged that he had not earned this sojourning status. He had committed many sins. Yet he could cling to the promises of God. In this, he was wealthy—wealthier than Pharaoh. This is why Jacob blessed Pharaoh rather than the other way around.
Does Jacob reflect something of our position in this world?
Sing: Ps. 105:9