GENESIS CHAPTER 47 ------------------ Verses 1-2, Joseph went up to meet Pharaoh with 5 of his brethren and informed Pharaoh that his brethren were in the land of Goshen with all that they possessed. Verse 3, Pharaoh asks of their occupation just as Joseph said that he would. And they replied that they were shepherds as Joseph had told them to say. Verse 4, They requested to dwell in the land of Goshen, as Joseph wanted, it being the spot that Joseph had chosen for them. Just as Joseph had chosen their dwelling place, the Lord choses ours. Verses 5-6, Pharaoh agrees to let them dwell in the land of Goshen, which is the best of the land. And if their are any skilled men, as determined by Joseph, whom Pharaoh trusted totally, then make them rulers of the cattle that are Pharaoh's. Verse 7, Joseph presented his father, Jacob, to Pharaoh. Jacob then blessed Pharaoh. blessed = to salute and praise him for his being gracious to them. But also prayed for him to his God, whom Pharaoh did not know but knew of, for his well being, as he was a prophet of the living God, and in a spiritual sense was above Pharaoh. Verses 8-9, Pharaoh asks Jacob his age. Jacob was 130 years old, and he had not lived as long as his fathers. He declared that all of his days here were but a pilgrimage. That his days were few and evil. Few when compared with the patriarches that went before him and VERY few when compared to eternity. Isaac lived to be 180 years old, Abraham lived to be 175 years old. The patriarches on the other side of the flood lived much longer. Adam lived to be 930 years, etc. James said: "For what [is] your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away." James 4:14 Example: Vapour out of a pot of boiling water only exists for a moment over the pot and then is gone. "Vanisheth away" was translated "corrupt" two other times in the new testament. Evil, because of the afflictions that he had met along they way, especially to the spiritual man. Evil does not always mean sinful. Example: Ge 37:33 And he knew it, and said, [It is] my son's coat; an EVIL beast hath devoured him; Joseph is without doubt rent in pieces. 2Ch 34:24 Thus saith the LORD, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, [even] all the curses that are written in the book which they have read before the king of Judah: 25 Because they have forsaken me, and have burned incense unto other gods, that they might provoke me to anger with all the works of their hands; therefore my wrath shall be poured out upon this place, and shall not be quenched. Many times it does mean sinful: Example: Ge 6:5 And GOD saw that the wickedness of man [was] great in the earth, and [that] every imagination of the thoughts of his heart [was] only evil continually. {every...: or, the whole imagination: the Hebrew word signifieth not only the imagination, but also the purposes and desires} {continually: Heb. every day} Every child of God is on a pilgrimage: pilgrimage: to dwell in a strange land, as a stranger in a foreign land. To sojourn. This world is not our home, the song says, and if it is, then we are not his. It may feel like home sometimes, but it should not be so. Our days but are few and evil!!!!! Few, so short when we look back on the past years. And evil when we look at the attacks by the world and Satan on the new man, and the struggle we have with the flesh and it's desire for the world, and the world's desire for the flesh. Paul spoke of the WEAPONS of our WARFARE in 2Co 10:4. Peter said: 1Pe 2:11 Dearly beloved, I beseech [you] as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul; Paul said again: Ro 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man: 23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? {the body...: or, this body of death} After a while of warring, we are ready for a rest. But we MUST fight the fight while we are here. Paul considered his body a body of death and longed for corruption to put on incorruption at the resurrection. Paul told Timothy: 2Ti 4:5 But watch thou in all things, ENDURE AFFLICTIONS, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry. 6 For I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. 7 I have FOUGHT a good FIGHT, I have finished [my] course, I have kept the faith: 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that LOVE HIS APPEARING. Every child of God should long for the coming of his Saviour and being in glory with Him. This life is but a PILGRIMAGE. Paul, speaking of Abraham in the book of Hebrews said: Heb 11:9 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as [in] a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker [is] God. Verse 10, Jacob blessed Pharaoh again Verse 11, Joseph put his brethren in the BEST of the land, as Pharaoh had commanded. Raamses or Rameses = "child of the sun" 1) a city in lower Egypt built by Hebrew slaves; probably in Goshen Verse 12, Joseph nourished his father and his brethren there with BREAD. Joseph being a type of the Lord Jesus Christ, nourished them with bread. The Lord Jesus is THAT bread which cometh down from heaven and gives life to the world. Families = taph {taf} AV - little ones 29, children 12, families 1; 42 1) children, little children, little ones The marginal notes reads: {according...: or, as a little child is nourished: Heb. according to the little ones} Gill says that he nourished them like infants. No wonder Christ said: Mt 23:37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, [thou] that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under [her] wings, and ye would not! But the day is coming when Christ will FEED them as Joseph fed his brethren: Zech 13:7 speaks of the "little ones" Eze 34:23 And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall FEED THEM, [even] my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. Eze 37:24 And David my servant [shall be] king over them; and they all shall have one shepherd: they shall also walk in my judgments, and observe my statutes, and do them. Micah 5:1 Now gather thyself in troops, O daughter of troops: he hath laid siege against us: they shall smite the judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheek. 2 But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, [though] thou be little among the thousands of Judah, [yet] out of thee shall he come forth unto me [that is] to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth [have been] from of old, from everlasting. {everlasting: Heb. the days of eternity} 3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time [that] she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel. 4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the LORD, in the majesty of the name of the LORD his God; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth. Jer 23:5 Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. 6 In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this [is] his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. Verse 13, There was no bread in all the land. Joseph ONLY had the bread. Even the land of Egypt fainted because of the famine. Jesus is that true bread, and the ONLY bread. Verse 14, The people of the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan gave all of their money to buy bread or corn. So all of the money that was in the land of Canaan and the land of Egypt was brought into Pharaoh's house or treasury, as Gill points out. Verses 15-16, When the money failed in Canaan and Egypt, which had been spent in the 3rd, 4th, and 5th year of the 7 year famine, the Egyptians went to Joseph and said that their money was gone. There is no mention of the Canaanites, and it could NOT be assumed that they came and said this, because they would not have died in Joseph's presence as the Egyptians had said. Joseph being a compassionate man and not one to let men perish before his eyes, suggested that they bring their cattle in exchange for the bread. Verses 17-18, The Egyptians brought all of their cattle, horses, flocks, etc. in exchange for bread; and after the sixth year of the famine (the second year that their money had run out) they had given all they had, except for their land, in exchange for bread. Verses 19-20, The Egyptians then sold all of their land for bread, and at the end of the famine all of the land of Egypt belonged to Pharaoh. Verse 21, Since the people did not own their land any more they were removed to cities throughout the land of Egypt. Verse 22, Only the land of the priests remained theirs. They had received their provisions of food from Pharaoh. These were the pagan priests of the land of Egypt. Verse 23, Joseph tells the people that THEY and their LAND have been bought for Pharaoh and that they should now sow seed in the land. Joseph gave them the seed to sow in the land that was no longer theirs but belonged to Pharaoh. We have been bought with a price and we are not our own. Christ has given us seed to sow in the field, which in the parable is the world. Verse 24, They are to give Pharaoh 1/5 of the increase to Pharaoh. The other four parts are for sowing the fields again, and food for their households. Verse 25, They agreed to be Pharaoh's servants. Verse 26, It was made law that 1/5 of the increase went to Pharaoh, except for the land of the priests, which they owned. Verse 27, Israel, that is the tribes, grew exceedingly in number. This happened while Jacob was still alive. Verse 28, Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. Gill says that this was the same amount of time that he had lived with Joseph in Syria and Canaan, before Joseph disappeared. He was 130 years old when he stood before Pharaoh and now he had lived in Egypt for 17 years and was 147 years old. Verses 29-31, Jacob knows that his death is near and he makes Joseph promise with an oath, which is what is meant by putting his hand under Jacob's thigh, to bury him where his fathers, Abraham and Isaac, are buried. He did not want to be buried with the idolators of the land, but with those of like precious faith. And ISRAEL bowed himself upon his bed's head. Gill says, giving thanks to God and taking rest upon his pillow on his bed's head. The fact that he is called Israel, leads me to believe that this request was not a thing of the flesh. Joseph requested that his bones be brought out of Egypt when they left (Gen 50:25). Heb 11:22 By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel; and gave commandment concerning his bones. The fact that this very same body, and not another will be raised incorruptible: 1Co 15:53 For this corruptible must PUT ON incorruption, and this mortal [must] put on immortality. Php 3:21 Who shall CHANGE OUR VILE BODY, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. Change = metaschematizo {met-askh-ay-mat-id'-zo} 1) to change the figure of, to transform