In our study of Genesis chapter forty seven, we see a comparison between simply surviving and living with purpose.
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Then Yosef went in and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers have come from the land of Kena'an with their flocks, livestock and all their possessions; right now they are in the land of Goshen." He took five of his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, "What is your occupation?" They answered Pharaoh, "Your servants are shepherds, both we and our ancestors," and added, "We have come to live in the land, because in the land of Kena'an there is no place to pasture your servant's flocks, the famine is so severe there. Therefore, please, let your servants live in the land of Goshen."
In Hebrew, Goshen comes from the root word that means "to approach" and that is where Isra'el is now asking for permission to live. This speaks of the fact that they need to learn how to properly approach God. We see that Yosef took his five youngest brothers in to Pharaoh and they explained that they were only there because of the famine and the fact that they needed pasture for their animals. In all of this, we see that they are acting in a humble way which is the key to approaching God. Today, there are many that see God as some sort of genie to give them what they want and they have no concern for the will of God. That is the same sin that Ya'akov and his sons had committed when they rejected the dreams that Yosef told them about and it is the reason that they are now in exile in Egypt.
Pharaoh said to Yosef, "Your father and brothers have come to you, and the land of Egypt lies before you. Have your father and brothers live on the best property in the country - let them live in the land of Goshen. Moreover, if you know that some of them are particularly competent, put them in charge of my livestock." Yosef then brought in Ya'akov his father and presented him to Pharaoh, and Ya'akov blessed Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Ya'akov,"How old are you?" and Ya'akov replied, "The time of my stay on earth has been 130 years; they have been few and difficult, fewer than the years my ancestors lived." Then Ya'akov blessed Pharaoh and left his presence.
In this passage, we see that Pharaoh agrees with Yosef which is in agreement with God's plan. We are reminded that accepting and acting on God's revelation puts man in a position where he is ready to receive blessing from God. We see that Pharaoh asks Yosef if there is anyone among his family with great integrity to be over his livestock. In this, we see that Pharaoh recognized that there was a lack of integrity among the Egyptians and Yosef immediately responded by putting forth his father. We see that Ya'akov blessed Pharaoh and was asked about his age. The way that he was asked is significant as, in Hebrew, the phrase actually means "how many days of years are your life". That is a Hebrew idiom that speaks of the fact that each day in a man's life is significant and, in the answer of Ya'akov, we see a humble understanding of the situation that has brought the people of Isra'el to Egypt. Ya'akov answered by saying that his time on the earth has been insignificant and evil compared to that of his ancestors. He is speaking of the fact that he recognized that he has been living his life outside the will of God which is evil. Then we see that Ya'akov blessed Pharaoh again and this speaks of the fact that the will of God is for Israel to be a blessing to the nations and Ya'akov has accepted that fact.
Yosef found a place for his father and brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best region of the country, in the land of Ra'amses, as Pharaoh had ordered. Yosef provided food for his father, his brothers and all his father's household, taking full care of even the youngest.
We see that Yosef settled his family in the best of the land where he sustained them through this famine. The word that is translated here as "food" is actually bread which speaks of not only the physical food but also spiritual things and we see that it was given to the youngest or next generation. This speaks of the fact that Yosef trained the young people in the spiritual matters of God.
There was no food anywhere, for the famine was very severe, so that both Egypt and Kena'an grew weak from hunger. Yosef collected all the money there was in Egypt and Kena'an in exchange for the grain they bought, and put the money in Pharaoh's treasury. When all the money in Egypt had been spent, and likewise in Kena'an, all the Egyptians approached Yosef and said, "Give us something to eat, even though we have no money; why should we die before your eyes?" Yosef replied, "Give me your livestock. If you don't have money, I will give you food in exchange for your livestock." So they brought Yosef their livestock; and Yosef gave them food in exchange for the horses, flocks, cattle and donkeys - all that year he provided them with food in exchange for all their livestock.
The Hebrew word that is translated here as "collected" actually is the word for gleaning and it speaks of a blessing. In this passage, we see that, because of his obedience to God, Yosef is in a position where he can be blessed by God as he receives all of the money and livestock from the land in exchange for food. In the fact that the money is put into Pharaoh's treasury, we see that Yosef is fulfilling the purpose of Israel in being a blessing. This is what I like to call "collateral blessing" which is where those that are not in Christ receive blessing from Christians that are around them as God blesses His people.
When that year was over, they approached Yosef again and said to him, "We won't hide from my lord that all our money is spent, and the herds of livestock belong to my lord. We have nothing left, as my lord can see, but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we and our land will be enslaved to Pharaoh. But also give us seed to plant, so that we can stay alive and not die, and so that the land won't become barren." So Yosef acquired all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh, as one by one the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine weighed on them so severely. Thus the land became the property of Pharaoh. As for the people, he reduced them to serfdom city by city, from one end of Egypt's territory to the other. Only the priests' land did he not acquire, because the priests were entitled to provisions from Pharaoh, and they ate from what Pharaoh provided them; therefore they did not sell their land.
Here, we see that the famine is fading but the people are still suffering and have no seed to plant a crop. Therefore, they all sold themselves to be slaves and sold their land for food except for the Egyptian religious leaders who receied food from Pharaoh by law. We see that the people were put into cities and given seed to plant the land for Pharaoh.
Then Yosef said to the people, "As of today I have acquired you and your land for Pharaoh. Here is seed for you to sow the land. When harvest time comes, you are to give twenty percent to Pharaoh; eighty percent will be yours to keep for seed to plant in the fields, as well as for your food and for that of your households and your little ones." They replied, "You have saved our lives! So if it pleases my lord, we will be Pharaoh's slaves." Yosef made it a law for the country of Egypt, valid to this day, that Pharaoh should have twenty percent. Only the property belonging to the priests did not become Pharaoh's.
The law was that everyone except for the priests was required to give Pharaoh one fifth of the crop each year.
Isra'el lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. They acquired possessions in it and were productive, and their numbers multiplied greatly. Ya'akov lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; thus Ya'akov lived to be 147 years old. The time came when Isra'el was approaching death; so he called for his son Yosef and said to him, "If you truly love me, please put your hand under my thigh and pledge that, out of consideration for me, you will not bury me in Egypt. Rather, when I sleep with my fathers, you are to carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried." He replied, "I will do as you have said." He said, "Swear it to me," and he swore to him. Then Isra'el bowed down at the head of his bed.
Here, we see that God made a distinction between where His people lived and the rest of the land. While the rest of the land was selling everything to survive, His people were growing and thriving. We see that Isra'el lived there for seventeen years and those years were being a blessing to the nations as it was God's will. As he was reday to die, he asked Yosef to swear to him that he would be taken back and buried at the tomb in Hevron. When Yosef agreed, Ya'akov worshipped God as he still had faith in the promises that God had made to Avraham.