Text: Gen. 47:7-10
This interview takes
place after Jacob’s arrival in Egypt to dwell in Goshen. Because it’s so brief
and surrounded by other text, it’s easy to read over. I’ve read it numerous
times, and what usually stood out to me was Jacob’s age. In more recent readings,
however, I’ve noticed some doctrinal and practical truths that I decided to
gather and present to you. My outline is fairly simple and will span our three
meetings today:
·
Define
and survey “pilgrimage” in scripture and provide some examples from history
·
Introduce the
three characters present at this interview
·
Consider
practical truth we can glean from this interview as members of the body of
Christ
PILGRIMAGE IN SCRIPTURE AND HISTORY
In the first part of
my message, I’d like to define pilgrimage, which Jacob mentions twice in his
brief response to Pharaoh, and survey it in scripture and history. I see it as
one of the two main points he makes to Pharaoh, besides the brevity of life,
which I’ll deal with this afternoon in the practical applications of this
passage.
Definition
First, let’s
consider the six occurrences of the word “pilgrims” (2) and “pilgrimage” (4) to
note their context and define them.
Occurrences
·
Gen. 47:8—my
pilgrimage…my life…my fathers…their pilgrimage
·
Ex. 6:4—the land
of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers
·
Ps. 119:54—Thy
statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
·
Heb.
11:13—confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth
·
1 Pt.
2:11—strangers and pilgrims
Definition
·
Strangers and
foreigners: someone from a certain country dwelling in another
o
Many cases of
that in scripture: e.g. Moses (Ex. 2:21-22)
·
Pilgrim is
something different—someone seeking
another country (Heb. 11:14-16)
o
Strangers—from somewhere else
o
Pilgrims—headed somewhere else
Application to Israel
·
Patriarchs
o
From Ur and Haran,
so strangers in Canaan (Ex. 6:4)
o
Seeking what?
Another country (Heb. 11:14)
o
It wasn’t just
Canaan—that was theirs forever, as well as the earth (Gen. 17:8; Deut. 4:40)
·
What were they
seeking?
o
Something heavenly…a
city (Heb. 11:14-15)
o
Heb. 12:22
provides the identity of this city: the heavenly Jerusalem, referred to as new
Jerusalem in Rev. 3, 21-22
o
At some point, God
told them about this city; we get the details later, as is often the case in
scripture
o
Since it’s a
matter of prophecy, though, I looked for it in the old testament, and I think
that It was Ps. 48 may describe it in part, along with the earthly Jerusalem
o
Ps. 48:1-2, “in
the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness…mount Zion on the sides of
the north, the city of the great king.” A key phrase, I think, to tie this to
the heavenly Jerusalem, is “the sides of the north.” The “north” is mentioned
in a heavenly context in Job 26:7 and Is. 14:13, and I’m confident that David
knew about it, if the patriarchs did. It’s something that the Hebrews looked
for since the patriarchs, the first Hebrews.
o
Jacob had come to
Canaan and then to Egypt (until death), but he still considered himself on
pilgrimage. There was something yet to come, out beyond this Satanic world
system headed by Pharaoh, the heavenly Jerusalem.
Paul’s Silence
·
Paul does not use
this term, and it’s no coincidence. It pertains to the Jews and their kingdom,
not the church, as the verses we’ve looked at attest.
·
It’s true that
we’re on our way to heaven physically,
but we’re already in heavenly positionally,
so it wouldn’t be correct to call us pilgrims, since we’re already home.
·
Paul does tell us
to “Seek those things which are above,
where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God” and “Set your affection on things above, and not on things above” (Col.
3:1-2), but that’s to align our practice with our position. “For ye are dead, and your life is hid with
Christ in God” (v. 3). You’re already there. “For our conversation [where we live] is in heaven” (Phil. 3:20),
where we “sit together in heavenly
places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 2:6).
·
So we may
consider ourselves pilgrims in a practical sense, but we mustn’t forget that
we’re already home and live accordingly. That’s why Paul’s authority and doctrine
is so critical in this age; if you ignore it, which most have, you’ll end up
with false concepts of your position before God.
·
Pilgrimage is a
part of heathen religions, Judaism, Catholicism, and even Protestantism. Muslims,
for example are required to travel to Mecca once in their lifetime, many
Catholics travel to Rome, Anglicans used to go to Canterbury (Canterbury Tales), and one of the most
popular books after the Bible is Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s
Progress. But none of these groups, including the early Protestants, really
understood their heavenly position as revealed to Paul in his epistles. That
understanding came later through Darby, Bullinger, and others.
·
Do you see the
issue here? If you don’t get your position straight by following Paul, it will
affect your life. You’ll make pilgrimages to “holy places” needlessly, since
your own body, if you’re saved, is the temple of the Holy Ghost (1 Cor. 6:19),
and you’ll see yourself as on your way to heaven and not there already. Again,
you’re on your way to heaven physically, but spiritually you’re already there,
so act like it!
·
We’ll talk more
about that after lunch, when we look closely at practical applications of this
passage.
THREE CHARACTERS IN THE INTERVIEW
At face value, this
interview may not seem that significant. An extremely aged Hebrew shepherd
hobbles in to meet the king of the country he’s come to sojourn in. The
interview is arranged by his beloved son, Joseph, who has become the deputy of
the king in spite of his captivity. But there’s much more than meets the eye
here, and that’s what I’d like to explore and prove that this seemingly
unimportant meeting was a meeting of the three most powerful men in the entire
world and changed the course of human history. You’ll see what I mean as we
move forward.
1. Pharaoh
·
A title, like
Caesar (and maybe Abimelech):
o
Four are named in
scripture: Shishak (1 Kings 15:26); So (2 Kings 17:4), Necho (2 Kings 23:29),
and Hophra (Jer. 44:30)
·
Easily
interpreted as the king of Egypt (Ex. 1:18-19)
·
Most powerful
kingdom in the world: when famine hits, the world comes to Egypt, not Babylon
or Canaan (Gen. 41:53-57)
·
Based on Noah’s
prophecy (Gen. 9:25-27), that dominion was temporary, just as Nimrod’s was
(Nimrod’s power broken by Babel, Egypt’s by plagues)
·
But until Exodus,
Egypt is on top, but never thereafter (Israel, Assyria, Babylon, Medo-Persia,
Greece, then Rome)
·
What a fabulous
empire it was: (1) enslaved an entire nation; (2) built treasure cities; (3)
laded all the Jews with treasure; and (4) still fielded a large army after
their population was literally decimated by the 10 plagues
·
At the head of
this empire was Pharaoh, king of the world in one sense
·
Character of
Pharaohs, just like character of U.S. presidents, varied widely
o
Pharaoh in
Joseph’s day acknowledged God and his Spirit and was cordial to the Hebrews,
despite their abominable profession (shepherding)
o
Pharaoh reigning
when Moses returned from Midian was an impenitent reprobate
o
Shishak loots the
temple (1 Kings 15:26)
o
Necho tells
Josiah not to meddle with God (2 Chron. 34)
·
Broad
cross-section of character, but all appointed by Satan (Luke 4:5-6); so
whatever his personal spiritual inclinations be, he is the secular head of
Egypt and the nations, with Satan’s approval. Ultimately instated by God (Dan.
2:21), but screened by Satan, in a sense.
2. Joseph
·
At this right
hand is a clean-shaven Hebrew man in the garb of an Egyptian prince (Gen.
41:14, 42).
·
Originally the
steward of Potiphar, the captain of Pharaoh’s guard, he became Pharaoh’s deputy
after interpreting the dreams of two of Pharaoh’s servants in prison and then
the dreams of Pharaoh himself.
·
Pharaoh refers to
him as Zaphnath-Paaneah (41:45), the man to whom secrets are revealed, and he
is second to Pharaoh “only in the throne” (41:40), just like his antitype,
Jesus Christ.
·
He’s been quite
busy for a few years gathering grain in preparation for the global famine that
God revealed to Pharaoh as imminent.
·
A local famine in
Canaan constrained his brothers to seek grain in Egypt, bringing them into
contact with him and reuniting them upon Joseph’s self-revelation to them.
·
Joseph, with
Pharaoh’s permission, encourages his entire family to relocate to Egypt to
weather the coming famine, and Jacob agrees, leading to this meeting.
3. Jacob
·
The third man,
though, is the most significant and, I would assert, the most powerful
·
In hobbles a
137-year-old Hebrew shepherd with flowing white hair and beard, leaning on a
staff from age and a thigh out of joint for several decades
·
Ladies and
gentlemen, Jacob, king of the world!
·
Now, I doubt
that’s how Joseph introduced him, but that’s who he was, as humble as he may
have looked
·
Something about
his great, abnormal age and his presence commanded Pharaoh’s respect, since he
allows Jacob to bless him twice, and Heb. 7:7 says that “the less is blessed of the better”
·
Rom. 4:13 shows
us that when God called Abram out of Ur, he was making him the king of the
world. Abram, Isaac, Jacob were not only prophets, but also kings.
o
Gen. 12:1-3;
whoever they blessed was blessed, and whoever they cursed was cursed; doesn’t
that put them at the top of the nations?
o
Prophets: Gen.
20:7; 27:27-29, 39-40; 48:15-49:33
o
Num. 23:9; Israel
dwells alone, separate from the other nations, since they are the head of them
o
Ps. 106:8-15; God
reproved secular kings since Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were superior to them
§ “Touch not mine anointed” elsewhere refers to what? A
king, right (1 Sam. 24:6; 26:9-11)
§ So I think that it’s more than their prophetic office
that made them anointed, but also their political status, though they were
kings without thrones, you might say
o
Mt. 1:1: the
right to the crown not just connected with David but also Judah (1:2) and
Abraham
·
So here stands
God’s anointed king of the world before Satan’s imposter, if you will
o
A new testament
glimpse of this is Joseph and Herod: Herod sits on the throne, but God speaks
to Joseph, the son of David, and preserves his life, not Herod’s (Mt. 1-2)
o
Although this
interview is brief, there’s an exchange here that affects the course of human
history: Jacob blesses Pharaoh, and this is highly significant, for what
follows this interview is a terrible famine that Egypt survives, I think
because of Jacob’s blessing (remember Gen. 12:1-3)
o
If Egypt had gone
under, the whole world would have, at least the near eastern world
PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS OF THE INTERVIEW
Our study wouldn’t
be complete without considering the practical applications of the interview for
members of the body of Christ. Paul reminds us in Rom. 15:4 that “whatsoever things were written
aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort
of the scriptures might have hope.” So there are some things here for us to
learn and draw comfort from, praise the Lord.
Easiest way to do
this is go through the interview piece by piece and note the themes.
1. Honouring
authority
·
Pharaoh had
already met five of Joseph’s brothers (47:1-5), but Joseph wanted Jacob to meet
Pharaoh. I think that it was a mutual honour.
·
Joseph honoured
his father by letting him meet his host, Pharaoh, through the connection Joseph
had with Pharaoh. Joseph also honoured Pharaoh by letting him meet the leader
of the people coming to dwell in his dominion.
·
So it was proper
and true to form for Joseph, who always respected authority, just like his
antitype Jesus Christ. Joseph obeys his father in Canaan, Potiphar in slavery,
the keeper of the prison, and Pharaoh himself.
·
Not that it was
always easy. Ps. 106:17-19 informs us what a struggle it was for Joseph to
submit to God’s ordering in his life. It was a trial for him (v. 19), not
effortless. Remind you of someone else? When Christ was in the garden, it was
such an intense struggle that Luke called it “agony” (Luke 22:44). That’s the only use of that word in
scripture, and it’s associated with intercession. Now you see why there’s so
few intercessors—true intercession can lead to agony, if you allow it (Rom.
9:1-3; Col. 4:12-13).
·
So Joseph honours
all God-ordained authority in his life; even when he disagrees with Jacob about
putting Ephraim before Manasseh (48:18-22), he assents and is blessed for it
(v. 22).
2. Saints have
a higher position than earthly sovereigns, but still owe them obedience
·
I mentioned
Jacob’s superiority to Pharaoh earlier, but here I’d like to emphasize that all
saints have a higher position than earthly sovereigns…spiritually.
·
Eph. 1:19-23
shows that we now sit in heavenly places “Far
above all…power…not only in this world, but also in that which is to come”
(v. 20). That would include political power and spiritual power, like that
described in Eph. 6:12, “spiritual
wickedness in high places.”
·
Does that mean we
can do as we please politically? By no means. Remember when the publicans asked
Peter whether Jesus paid tribute or not (Mt. 17:24-27)? He explained to Peter
that even though the Jews were the true rulers of the world, they still had to
pay tribute for conscience sake, just like Paul told us in Rom. 13:5-7. “Render therefore to all their dues:
tribute to whom tribute, custom to whom custom…”
·
We have a higher
position than our earthly sovereigns in one sense, but they have a higher
position than us in another, requiring our obedience by God’s command. Jacob
was certainly higher than Pharaoh in his spiritual standing before God, but his
physical superiority would come later, since God had ordained other powers in
the present world system until it’s replaced in the world to come. Same is true
for us, as we saw in Eph. 1:19-23.
3. Honour of
old age
Pharaoh is
immediately impressed with Jacob’s great age. He may have been older himself,
but he knew at first sight that there was something special about his guest.
You can sense the amazement in his abrupt question. This is no ordinary old
man. The fact that Pharaoh let Jacob bless him twice shows that Pharaoh
respected Jacob’s seniority, which is really natural. It is unnatural to disrespect the aged.
·
Lev. 18:32, Thou shalt rise up before the hoary head,
and honour the face of the old man, and fear thy God: I am the LORD your God. I
picture Pharaoh rising from his throne as Joseph brought Jacob into his
presence, out of respect for this ancient man, even if he was a shepherd.
·
Is. 3:5, …the child shall behave himself proudly
against the ancient, and the base against the honourable. The aged deserve
honour, especially if they’re saints.
o
Prov. 20:29, The glory of young men is their strength:
and the beauty of old men is the grey head.
o
Prov. 16:31, The hoary head is a crown of glory, if it
be found in the way of righteousness.
·
Paul upholds
proper respect for the aged under grace, making it something trans-dispensational;
1 Tim. 5:1-3, Rebuke not an elder, but intreat
him as a father…Honour widows that are widows indeed [at least sixty years
old; cf. vv. 9-10]
·
We owe the aged
our respect in any age, whether they’re saved or lost, but especially if they’re
saved and living godly. And it’s very wise if you actively minister to the
aged, since you may be there yourself one day (Phile. 9).
4. Brevity of
life, even where exceptionally long
Methuselah made it
969 years, just shy of one day in God’s time (Ps. 90:4; 2 Pt. 3:8). Jacob, at
137, had lived over 49,320 days and eaten around 147,960 meals (48:15). All
that said…
·
The older you
get, the shorter you realize life is. Jacob said, “few…have the days of the years of my life been…”
·
Aging is also
humbling: “…and have not attained unto
the days of the years of the life of my fathers.” You’ve outlived so many, by
God’s grace, and so many outlive you
·
Be thankful for
the time God has given you and, if he pleases, will give.
·
Upon hearing of
Lady Macbeth’s untimely death, Macbeth says this: “Out, out brief candle!/Life’s
but a walking shadow, a poor player/That struts and frets his hour
upon the stage,/And then is heard no more.”
·
Our outlook: “Redeeming the time, because the days are
evil” (Eph. 5:16) and “Walk in
wisdom toward them that are without, redeeming the time” (Col. 4:5). Fill
up the brief time you’ve got with good works for Christ. Someone said: Do all
the good you can, by all the means you can, in all the ways you can, in all the
places you can, at all the times you can, to all the people you can, as long as
ever you can.”
5. Life is a
journey (
To the next. Jacob
says “my pilgrimage” and “their pilgrimage.” Paul said the
following:
·
Our life in this
world is “but for a moment” (2 Cor.
4:17), so we should “look not at the
things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen” (v. 18).
·
We should
exercise ourselves unto godliness, since it has “promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come” (1
Tim. 4:8).
·
We should “lay hold on eternal life” (6:12,
19)—understand it and live accordingly: ministry and giving.
o
Ministry is
fleeing, following, and fighting—these things help us lay hold on eternal life
o
What else?
Giving! 6:17-19 aimed at rich saints, who can lay hold on eternal life as well
as ministers. It’s something all saints should do and can do…by giving.
Ministers and flocks have the same basic Christian duties, and this is one of
them—experiencing eternal life now by godly living and giving.
o
Michael Card
wrote a good song called “Joy in the Journey.”
§ There is a joy in the journey/There’s a light we can
love on the way/There is a wonder and wildness to life/And freedom for all who
obey.
Life is indeed a journey for us, but we can have joy
all the way home, praise the Lord.
6. Life is a battle
Jacob said, “…few and evil have the days of the years of my life been,” and if
you’re familiar with his troubled life, you know that he spoke the truth.
·
From
Esau’s threats to Laban’s deceit to Dinah’s fall to Joseph’s disappearance, Jacob
saw much evil in life, much of it self-inflicted, but not all.
·
Everyone,
including saints, has to deal with evil in life
o
We
live in an evil world (Gal. 1:4) and evil days (Eph. 5:16), so life is indeed a
battle.
·
Leland
Ryken, an English professor at Wheaton College, wrote about the classics from a
Christian perspective, and he said that the Iliad
and the Odyssey teach us two great
truths: life is a battle and life is a journey.
·
We
see both of those truths in Jacob: his life was a journey and a battle, but God
carried him through, and he’ll carry you through too. “the God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which
redeemed me from all evil” (48:15-16) is the same God who will take care of
you in the age of grace. Paul said, “And
the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work and will preserve me unto his
heavenly kingdom, to whom be glory for ever and ever” (2 Tim. 4:18), and
that’s a promise that all of us can claim, hallelujah.
7. The world
has no approbation for negative truth
·
Jacob’s
admittedly negative testimony was not likely what Pharaoh was used to.
·
Remember the
Persian kings? No one could be sad in their presence, like Nehemiah or Mordecai
(Neh. 2:1-3; Esth. 4:1-2)
·
No doubt it’s
what Pharaoh needed to hear: that life is short, the world is evil, and another
life is coming. Isn’t that part of our gospel? Man is fallen and doomed to die;
yet he will live again, in heaven or hell.
·
So Jacob’s brief,
negative speech packed a punch for lofty Pharaoh.
·
And what is
Pharaoh’s reaction? Seems like he just blinked at Jacob, for no response is
recorded.
·
I wonder if he
was and speechless like the wedding guest who had no garment, or if the
negative truth just rolled over him, since he didn’t have a heart to hear it.
God knows, but he certainly didn’t slap Jacob on the back and say, “Thanks for
that word of testimony, buddy.”
·
I think that he
felt the difference between him and this saint here, and realized that they
were not on the same ground, so he says nothing.
8. Light hath
no communion with darkness
·
This response, or
lack thereof, leads me to my final point: the interview goes nowhere.
·
Why? Paul answers
for us, in 2 Cor. 6:14, “…for what
fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath
light with darkness?”
·
These two men
represent two different worlds, and just like Kipling said about east and west,
“never the twain shall meet.”
·
Jacob goes out,
respectfully, but neither man has changed. A mentor of mine told me years ago,
“Daniel didn’t change Babylon, but Babylon didn’t change Daniel.” It was a
stalemate there, and it’s a stalemate here, so Jacob leaves and goes where he
can be helpful.
·
We’re called to
testify to everyone, but just as “interpretations
belong to God” (Gen. 40:8), so do conversions, and Pharaoh is not
interested in the truth, any more than Pilate was, I think.
·
It’s hard to
accept this truth sometimes, especially when it’s your loved ones who are the
darkness. But make no mistake: they will corrupt you, if you try to unite with
them (2 Cor. 6:17), so don’t do it.
·
Give them the
truth, including the negative, and leave them with God, like Jacob did.
That concludes my
thoughts on this interview. I hope it’s evident how significant it was, and how
loaded a simple conversation in the word
of God can be, especially one between the two most powerful men in the
world. God help us remember the doctrinal and practical truths from this
encounter and keep the right view of this life and the next.
