Genesis 47: 27-31
We saw yesterday how the Egyptians were so thankful to Joseph for saving their lives by making them all slaves of Pharaoh, owning them and their land, and the new economic system he instituted that prevailed for a long time.
But Joseph cared for his family, so they didn't have to sell their land and themselves for food, like the Egyptians did.
(27) Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous.
Joseph's father Jacob and his brothers and their families were able to own their properties and fields in Goshen, because they didn't belong to Pharaoh, like the rest of the land of Egypt. And they prospered and grew in numbers, just as God planned.
(28) Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob's live was one hundred and forty-seven years.
When Jacob came into Egypt, he told Pharaoh that he was one hundred thirty years old. Now this is seventeen years later.
(29) When the time for Israel to die drew near, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Please, if I have found favor in your sight, place now your hand under my thigh and deal with me in kindness and faithfulness.
The practice of placing the hand "under the thigh" was a ceremony that was observed when requesting a promise. So Jacob wanted Joseph to promise to do something for him, without fail.
Please do not bury me in Egypt, (30) but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place."
Jacob did not want his body to remain in this foreign country, he was asking Joseph to carry it back to Canaan to the burial place Abraham had purchased to bury Sarah, the cave and field of Machpelah, which Abraham had purchased from Ephron the Hittite (Genesis 23: 1-20). This was the graveyard for the Hebrews ever since.
And Jacob was asking Joseph to carry his body there for burial, in the Promised Land.
And he said, "I will do as you have said." (31) He said, "Swear to me." So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.
Jacob wanted to make sure that Joseph understood, and would do this for him when he died. He knew that the Israelites would be going back there, and he wanted his body to rest with his father Isaac and grandfather Abraham, and all the other family members who would also be buried there.
God had promised Jacob that his family would grow to a mighty nation in the greenhouse of Goshen in Egypt, away from the gross immorality of the Canaans; and that God would bring them back to Canaan out of Egypt, which He did after 400 years.
And when Joseph assured him that he would carry his bones back to Canaan, Jacob bowed in worship to the Lord God who had spoken to him.
O my Father, You are so good to us all. Even those who don't know You, and even refuse to seek You, You bless every day with light and life and sustenance. And Your care for and compassion on Your children is beyond comprehension.
My Father, You have planned out every step of our lives, and even when we can't see Your hand, we can still trust Your heart. We can trust that You know what lies ahead that we can't see.
So I put myself and my life into Your hand, Daddy. I want to curl up in Your lap, with Your strong and gentle arms around me, as I traipse the path I find my feet upon, not knowing what I will encounter along the way. I trust that You will never allow me to face anything that You won't help me through. Just keep my hand in Yours, and I know that You'll never let me go.
O Father, please use me and my words, and send out all of Your children to go out into all the world's nations and peoples to tell every living person everywhere how much You have loved us all, and want everyone to come to repentance, realizing where they stand before You, and that Your Son has solved all of our sin problems. Let every one of Your babies come to the birth, and grow us all up to maturity, to grow into the full stature of the Son of God.
And every eye shall see, every knee will bow, every tongue will proclaim that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer, the Lord God Almighty, sovereign King of the World and all Creation; to the everlasting glory of Almighty God the Father, forever and ever. Amen.
Even so, come swiftly, Lord Jesus!
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