Gen. 47:7-227And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage. 10And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh. 11And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father's household, with bread, according to their families. 13And 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. 14And 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. 15And 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. 16And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail. 17And 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. 18When 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: 19Wherefore 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. 20And 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. 21And as for the people, he removed them to cities from one end of the borders of Egypt even to the other end thereof. 22Only 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. (Genesis 47:7‑22)
“And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh.” Pharaoh, because of Joseph’s association with his people, accepted those who would otherwise have had no claim upon him. So God fully accepts all who come to Him through the Person and work of His beloved Son.
“And Jacob blessed Pharaoh.” When Pharaoh asked Jacob his age, he replied: “The days of the years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been.” How wondrous the grace of God toward Jacob! Although compelled to acknowledge that he had not measured up to the life of his fathers, yet, he blessed Pharaoh when he went in and again before he came out. It would seem strange, perhaps, for one in Jacob’s position to take the place of blessing the greatest man in all the earth. Yet he did so with all the assurance and dignity of one who was the possessor of God’s promises, which embraced a far more elevated position than the monarch before him.
Not a favor did he ask though we may be sure he might have had anything. Yet there was in this neither vanity nor pride, but a soul that had come to know divine goodness. His portion was a better thing than the world can confer. There was treasure enough in God for Pharaoh; so his heart overflowed on the king’s behalf. “And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better.” Heb. 7: 7.
So it is now: the feeblest child of God has a higher and far superior place than the wealthiest or most powerful man of this world, for are we not told: “The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ”? Rom. 8: 16,17. Can any earthly position’ compare with this?
“And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ram. eses, as Pharaoh had commanded. And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.” vv. 11,12. This brings before us a happy and touching scene. Joseph and his father must have had many a cherished hour together. It is particularly interesting to learn that Joseph nourished his own with food throughout the rest of the famine and none had lack, from the oldest to the youngest. Joseph’s eye was upon them throughout those trying years, reminding us of the One who has an even greater concern for His own and has promised, “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee.” Heb. 13:55Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Hebrews 13:5).
As for the Egyptians, “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.” v. 13. Now the God-given wisdom of Joseph in preparing for the famine was fully tested and proved. As the people pressed upon him for food he opened the granaries and storehouses. At first they paid for their supplies with money, but as this was consumed, they traded their cattle in exchange for food. As the famine persisted they next gave their land over to Pharaoh. Finally their very lives were offered as servants, and they were accordingly removed into cities from one end of Egypt to the other.
ML 12/17/1967