A Portrait of God's People

A PORTRAIT OF GOD’S PEOPLE

An Exposition of Genesis 46:1-47:10

By Pastor Brian Wilbur

Date: August 4, 2024

Series: The Book of Genesis

Note: Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard   Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

THE SCRIPTURAL TEXT

Holy Scripture says:

46 ¹ So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. ² And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” ³ Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. ⁴ I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”

⁵ Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. ⁶ They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, ⁷ his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

⁸ Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, ⁹ and the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. ¹⁰ The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman.¹¹ The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. ¹² The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. ¹³ The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Yob, and Shimron. ¹⁴ The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. ¹⁵ These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.

¹⁶ The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. ¹⁷ The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, with Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. ¹⁸ These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons.

¹⁹ The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin.²⁰ And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, bore to him. ²¹ And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. ²² These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all.

²³ The son of Dan: Hushim. ²⁴ The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. ²⁵ These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all.

²⁶ All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. ²⁷ And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

²⁸ He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. ²⁹ Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while.³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” ³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. ³² And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ ³³ When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’³⁴ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”

47 ¹ So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” ² And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. ³ Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” ⁴ They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.”⁵ Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. ⁶ The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

⁷ Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. ⁸ And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” ⁹ And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” ¹⁰ And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. (Genesis 46:1-47:10)

INTRODUCTION

When we celebrate the Lord’s Supper, we remember that we are God’s ‘called out’ people: God has called us out of the world, and into His kingdom of grace. God has cleansed us through the blood of His beloved Son, and He transforms us by the power of His Holy Spirit. We are God’s house, being built up as a holy temple. And we are guests at the Lord’s Table, where He invites us to come and remember His sacrifice and be fortified by His unfailing love. We are one body, gathered around the same communion meal, under one Lord, our Master Jesus Christ.

When we have our annual Block Party followed by Vacation Bible School, we remember in a tangible way that we are God’s ‘on mission’ people. Although we are not of the world, God has sent us into the world as His chosen representatives, to reveal His character, proclaim His gospel, reflect His light, and make new and better disciples. We are called to transmit the faith to the next generation of young people. We are called to take the gospel to unbelievers. We are called to put our arms around bedraggled sheep who have wandered astray, and to gently lead them back home. We are called to have a salty presence in the world – wherever we go, with whomever we interact.

So, we are God’s ‘called out’ and ‘on mission’ people. Jesus brought these ideas together in His prayer for His disciples in John 17. Speaking to the Father, Jesus prayed:

“I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into the world. And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.” (John 17:15-19)

“[Having] fastened on the belt of truth… and having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace” (Ephesians 6:14, 15) and “[taking] up the shield of faith, with which [we] can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one” (Ephesians 6:16), we must “stand firm” (Ephesians 6:13) as God’s ‘sanctified in truth’ and ‘sent on mission’ people.

Today’s passage – Genesis 46:1-47:10 – serves as a helpful window into these realities. Thus I have titled this message: “A Portrait of God’s People”. First let me provide a brief overview of our passage, then I’ll show you a few gems that show us the beauty of our holy calling.

AN OVERVIEW OF THE PASSAGE

The passage unfolds in three parts.

The Lord is with Jacob as Jacob goes to Egypt (Gen. 46:1-4)

First, the Lord is with Jacob as Jacob goes to Egypt (Gen. 46:1-4). The Lord assures Jacob that His gracious presence will accompany Jacob down to Egypt. In Chapter 45, Jacob’s sons discovered the stunning news that their brother Joseph was not only alive but also had become the prime minister of Egypt. Thereafter Joseph and Pharaoh directed Jacob’s sons to move their entire family to Egypt. So, at the end of Chapter 45, Jacob’s sons tell this gloriously good news to their father Jacob, and Jacob is resolved to make the trip down to Egypt in order to see him. Chapter 45 concludes with Jacob saying, “I will go and see him before I die.” (Genesis 45:28b) Now Chapter 46 begins, “So Israel [=Jacob] took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba” (v. 1). The Beersheba location is significant: Beersheba is located in the south of the promised land of Canaan. As Jacob makes his way from Canaan to Egypt, Beersheba is the last big stop in Canaan, before Jacob bids farewell to his homeland as he continues his journey toward Egypt. Beersheba is also the place where Abraham had once “planted a tamarisk tree” and where he had “called… on the name of the LORD, the everlasting God” (Genesis 21:33). Further, the Lord appeared to Isaac in Beersheba, and there Isaac had “built an altar… and called upon the name of the LORD” (Genesis 26:25). Beersheba is also the place where Jacob and his parents and his brother Esau lived when Jacob stole Esau’s blessing. In other words, Beersheba was the place where the younger Jacob had called home. Fifty-three years ago, “Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran.” (Genesis 28:10) Fifty-three hard years later, Jacob finds himself in Beersheba again, with his sights on another journey away from home – not to Haran where his Uncle Laban was, but to Egypt where his son Joseph was. And so, it is fitting that Jacob would pause in this familiar, significant, and holy place within the holy land of promise, and there “[offer] sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac” (v. 1). And there, in the context of worship, in that holy place within the holy land, God spoke to Jacob “in visions of the night” (v. 2).

Not long after Jacob left Beersheba fifty-three years earlier on his way to Haran, the Lord had powerfully met Jacob in a dream. Then thirty-three years earlier, when it was time for Jacob to leave Haran and return to Canaan, the Lord again spoke to Jacob in a dream. And so, it is fitting that as Jacob is on the front end of yet another significant journey, the Lord once again meets Jacob in a night vision. The Lord speaks encouragement and promise to his servant Jacob in verses 3-4: 

• “Do not be afraid”;
• “I will make you into a great nation”;
• “I myself will go down with you”;
• “I will also bring you up again” – whether this promise is meant for Jacob personally, to be fulfilled in the resurrection, or is meant for Jacob in terms of his descendants, to be fulfilled in the exodus out of Egypt and subsequent settlement in Canaan, I am not sure, but God is with His people until the very end;
• “and Joseph’s hands shall close your eyes” – Jacob will have the comfort of the presence and care of his beloved son when he departs this life.

I will return to some of these encouragements in the application section. For now it is enough to observe that Jacob goes to Egypt with God’s blessing, with God’s presence, and in keeping with God’s plan.

Jacob brings his entire family to Egypt (Gen. 46:5-27)

Second, Jacob brings his entire family to Egypt (Gen. 46:5-27). Verses 5-7 summarize the important facts: Jacob, his children, and his grandchildren, along with “their livestock and their goods” (v. 6), went into Egypt. Old Jacob, the young children, and the women got VIP treatment, being carried “in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent” (v. 5).

After the general summary, Jacob’s children and grandchildren are named and counted (v. 8-25). These children and grandchildren are subdivided according to the mother. Jacob had two wives, Leah and Rachel, and two concubines, Zilpah and Bilhah – and he had children with all four women.

The thirty-three numbered in verses 8-15 are connected to Jacob’s first wife Leah. Reuben and his four sons (5); Simeon and his six sons (7); Levi and his three sons (4); Judah and his five sons, minus the two – Er and Onan – who had died, plus two grandsons – Hezron and Hamul – who almost certainly hadn’t been born yet (6); Issachar and his four sons (5); Zebulun and his three sons (4); and Dinah (1) – all this adds to thirty-two persons. However, we are told the sum is thirty-three persons, and one simple solution is that this is where Jacob himself is slipped in to the count.

The sixteen numbered in verses 16-18 are connected to Jacob’s concubine Zilpah, who was the servant of Leah. Gad and his seven sons (8); and Asher and his four sons and one daughter, plus two grandsons Heber and Malchiel (8) – all this adds to sixteen persons.

The fourteen numbered in verses 19-22 are connected to Jacob’s wife Rachel. Joseph and his two sons (3); and Benjamin and his ten sons (11) – all this adds to fourteen persons.

The seven numbered in verses 23-25 are connected to Jacob’s concubine Bilhah, who was the servant of Rachel. Dan and his one son (2); and Naphtali and his four sons (5) – all this adds to seven persons.

You will notice that thirty-three (v. 15) plus sixteen (v. 18) plus fourteen (v. 22) plus seven (v. 25) equals seventy. Now there is a back and forth between sixty-six persons and seventy persons in verses 26-27. Honestly, there are probably a few different legitimate ways of configuring all the numbers, and I suspect that the number seventy is far more important than the simple raw tally. In other words, I think there is an important symbolic element, which I’ll touch on a bit later. But in terms of the sixty-six persons referenced in verse 26 and the seventy persons referenced in verse 27, the difference may simply be this: the total number of seventy includes Jacob, as well as Joseph and Joseph’s two sons who were already in Egypt. Take away those four, and you have sixty-six descendants of Jacob reckoned as making the pilgrimage from Canaan to Egypt. There are other ways of sorting out and configuring the numbers, but we needn’t get into those other possible configurations this morning. We’ll return to the significance of this seventy-person family soon! For now, the bottom line is that Jacob’s entire family moved to Egypt! No one was left behind!

There are many meetings in Egypt (Gen. 46:28-47:10)

Third, there are many meetings in Egypt. Jacob “had sent Judah” on ahead in order to “show the way” (v. 28), and after that five meetings are recorded.

Joseph and Jacob

The first meeting is the sweet reuniting of the beloved Joseph and his father Jacob (v. 29-30). After twenty-two long painful years, they got to enjoy the sweetness of reunion and lingered there in each other's presence for a time.

Joseph and his brothers

The second meeting is Joseph interacting with his brothers and extended family (v. 31-34). Here Joseph prepares them to interact with Pharaoh in an informed and tactful way. And I have to be honest with you, for a long time I had not understood and misunderstood verses 31-34. And then I was reading some commentaries about it, and I learned that it’s not that complicated. I was overcomplicating it, but it’s really simple. Joseph wants his brothers to emphasize the fact that they are shepherds, that they are keepers of livestock, because shepherds are an abomination to the Egyptians, and this will help Joseph's extended family get this wonderful pasture land called the land of Goshen. The Egyptians are disinclined to like these Hebrew shepherds, so they will be happy to have them go over there, some distance from the majority of the Egyptians. And it would be really good for Jacob's family to be set up in this sweet pastureland area. So Joseph is being tactful, emphasizing this particular feature, as it will help pave the way for his family to get settled in Goshen.

Joseph and Pharaoh

The third meeting is between Joseph and Pharaoh (ch. 47, v. 1). Joseph’s meeting with Pharaoh paves the way for the fourth meeting.

Joseph’s brothers and Pharaoh

And so, the fourth meeting is between Pharaoh and five of Joseph’s brothers – the five brothers aren’t specified and named (v. 2-6). These five brothers have a little interaction with Pharaoh, and they reveal the fact that they are indeed shepherds. Pharaoh is very generous, offers the best of the land of Egypt to these men and their families, and of course this paves the way for them to settle in the land of Goshen with Pharaoh's blessing.

Jacob and Pharaoh

Finally, and perhaps most significantly, there is the fifth meeting, the meeting between Pharaoh and Jacob (v. 7-10). Since Joseph himself had become like a father to Pharaoh, I am assuming that Pharaoh was a young man. So you have Pharaoh, the young monarch over the land of Egypt, and this remarkable Hebrew named Joseph had become like a father to him, and now Joseph’s father shows up. For Pharaoh, meeting Jacob was like meeting a grandfather figure. The fact that the great patriarch and grandfather figure “Jacob blessed Pharaoh” is emphasized by stating it twice – first at the end of verse 7, and again at the beginning of verse 10.

Sandwiched in between the blessing, Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is: “How many are the days of the years of your life?” (v. 8) Jacob tells Pharaoh that he is 130 years old. But Jacob also makes it clear that he is not impressed with the span and quality of his life. Regarding the span of his life: “Few… have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” His grandfather Abraham lived 175 years, and his father Isaac lived 180 years. Jacob has only been at it 130 years so far. Regarding the quality of his life: “evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” As we have seen, Jacob was especially acquainted with hardship, heartache, and loss. Although Jacob knew of God’s grace and care for him, he had also tasted the bitter fruits of this fallen and sinful world. He didn’t hide this from Pharaoh. He didn’t attempt to put on an ‘everything is awesome’ plastic smile. Beware the man who says he has never had a bad day in his life. Beware the man who says that every day is always better than the previous one. More trustworthy is the man who has some humble self-awareness of the difficulties and trials of this life, and has been stretched and seasoned by them. And so it is that old Jacob, the grandfather figure, unimpressed with himself and feeling the aches and bruises of this life, blesses the young Pharaoh. This, too, is full of significance in terms of application, to which we now turn.

A PORTRAIT OF GOD’S PEOPLE

Through all of these things that are taking place in Genesis 46:1-47:10, we get a portrait of God’s people in this present world. Let me summarize the portrait, and then refer to different parts of the passage to explain it:

We, as God’s covenant people, walk as pilgrims and sojourners in this present Egypt-like world, and in this present Egypt-like God is with us to build us up as a great and graced nation among all the lost nations of the world, in order that we might be a source of blessing to all the peoples on earth.

This is a rich portrait that you can catch glimpses of throughout the Bible – and this portrait shines brightly in today’s passage. God’s way of dealing with His people in the Old Testament often gives us physical and tangible pictures that show us how God deals with us at a deeper spiritual level. And so, Jacob and his family in Genesis 46:1-47:10 can function as a window into the church’s pilgrimage through this present age.

God’s people are pilgrims and sojourners

Let's begin with the fact that we as God's covenant people are sojourners and pilgrims. Did you notice what Jacob said in chapter 47, verse 9? He referred to “[the] days of the years of my sojourning”, and then at the end of the verse he referred to “the days of their sojourning” – referring to his fathers, his father Isaac and his grandfather Abraham. And then did you notice what Jacob's sons said to Pharaoh in verse 4? They said, “We have come to sojourn in the land”. That is four generations of sojourners: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob's sons. And the New Testament picks up on this idea in Hebrews 11, where it says, referring to some of the early patriarchs:

“These all died in faith, not having received the things promised, but having seen them and greeted them from afar, and having acknowledged that they were strangers and exiles on the earth. For people who speak thus make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. If they had been thinking of that land from which they had gone out, they would have had opportunity to return. But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared for them a city.” (Hebrews 11:13-16)

Then the author of Hebrews applies that patriarchal experience to all believers, saying in Hebrews 13:

“For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come.” (Hebrews 13:14)

The apostle Peter refers to believers as “sojourners and exiles” (1 Peter 2:11). And all this goes right along with what Jesus taught us in John 17, that we have been taken out of the world spiritually, but we are still in the world physically. And so spiritually we are not of the world, but we are present in the world – and specifically we are present in the world missionally, sent by God with a purpose, and God is at work in and through our lives.

God’s promise to His pilgrim people

Now go to the beginning of our passage in Chapter 46. This is God's promise and assurance to Jacob the sojourner, and by application this is God’s promise and assurance to Jacob’s family and Jacob’s descendants and to all of His pilgrim people:

“Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”” (Gen. 46:3-4)

Think about those words. We ourselves are pilgrims and sojourners in this Egypt-like world. And in this Egypt-like world, where so many people around us are still in darkness, God is building us up as His covenant people. Right here in the context of this Egypt-like world, God is calling sinners out of the domain of darkness, bringing them into the kingdom of his beloved Son and fitting them into the spiritual temple, and together building us up and giving us strength.

And here in this Egypt-like world, we have nothing to fear because God is with us and He is working out His purpose. We have a whole world that is bent on getting you off kilter and fearful because of all the crazy stuff, whatever crazy stuff you want to talk about – politics, economics, culture. Sometimes we have a mentality where we're way too focused on this idea that this world should be our spiritual home and everything should go our way. But the truth of the matter is that often things don't go our way. Sometimes the world does show us favor, as Pharaoh showed favor to Joseph and to Joseph's entire family on account of Joseph. Sometimes that happens. But what's going to happen in the Book of Exodus? There arose another Pharaoh who knew not Joseph, and that kingdom, which had once been kind to Joseph's family, will now enslave and oppress Joseph's descendants. And so don't get too much of a ‘this present world is my home’ mentality. Don't expect the world to act and think Christianly. Don't expect Christians to rule this present world. What does the New Testament teach us? This is the time of sojourning, a time of suffering, a time of participating in the sufferings of Christ, and we look forward to the time of glory and the time of resurrection and the time of triumph.

God’s graced nation among the lost nations of the world

Now, continuing with the same theme, where God is building us up here in this world as a great and graced nation sent on mission, I want to give you the idea here from the text that we are a special nation among all the nations of the world. It says in Genesis 46:27, “All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.” As I said earlier, this number isn't just about a raw tally, keeping in mind that varying methods can be used to tally the numbers anyway. But there is something symbolically significant about the number seventy. You know that 7 is a number of completeness, the length of one week, as we see unfold at the beginning of creation (Genesis 1:1-2:3). The sense of completeness is ramped up when you multiply 7 by a factor of 10 (7 x 10 = 70).

You will see the number 70 show up multiple times throughout Scripture. Take, for example, the well known interaction between Peter and Jesus. Peter says, “Lord, how often will my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” (Matthew 18:21) Jesus replied, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy-seven times.” (Matthew 18:22) Other translations render this latter number seventy times seven (490). Either way, the base number of 7 is being ramped up in some way by a factor of 10, to either 77 (7 x 10 + 7) or 490 (7 x 10 x 7).

With that brief background about numbers in mind, here’s the thing I want you to see. Back in Genesis 10 we encountered the Table of Nations. Specifically, we were told about a certain number of people groups that stemmed from Noah’s three sons? Do you know how many people groups stemmed from Noah's three sons? Seventy! You can count it up for yourself right there in Genesis 10. Shortly thereafter, at the beginning of Genesis 12, God reveals His plan to make a great nation out of all the nations of the world. This great nation was promised through Abraham, and Genesis 12:1-3 in conjunction with other passages reveal that God’s plan is for this great nation to become a means of blessing to the entire world.

And so, I don't think it's by accident that in Chapter 46, what is emphasized is that this great nation in young plant or seedling form is a 70-person nation. See the 70-person nation in Chapter 46 in light of the 70 people groups of Genesis 10: Jacob’s family is the 70-person people group among the 70 people groups; Jacob’s family is a graced nation among the lost nations of the world, both coming out of the world and yet also sent into the world with the message of the gospel.

It is right to apply this same concept to the church, for that is what the New Testament does. The church is God’s holy nation among the nations. The apostle Peter picks up on some of the Old Testament terminology and uses it to describe the church:

“But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.” (1 Peter 2:9-10)

What is the church? The church is a holy and graced nation among all the nations of the world. And in keeping with God’s design, we are sent on mission to the nations in order to make disciples of the nations.

God’s people are a means of blessing to the world

So, let me return in just a moment to Jacob’s act of blessing Pharaoh. First let me read the portrait again:

We, as God’s covenant people, walk as pilgrims and sojourners in this present Egypt-like world, and in this present Egypt-like God is with us to build us up as a great and graced nation among all the lost nations of the world, in order that we might be a source of blessing to all the peoples on earth.

God intends His pilgrim people to be a conduit of blessing to the world.

Think about Joseph for a minute. Joseph goes to Egypt, and he is a means of blessing to Potiphar's house, a means of blessing to the royal prison, a means of blessing the house of Pharaoh, and a means of blessing all the land of Egypt and the whole region during the days of famine.

And think about Jacob. Earlier in Jacob's life, he went to Haran. And though Laban was a wicked man, the Lord blessed Laban through Jacob; the Lord blessed Laban on Jacob's account. And now, near the tail end of Jacob's life, Jacob stands before the great Pharaoh, the great sovereign over the kingdom of Egypt, and Jacob pronounces a blessing or prays a blessing upon Pharaoh. And all of this is rooted in Genesis 12:3, when God called Abraham and assured Abraham that in Abraham and in his seed, all the families of the earth would be blessed. And so, these instances of Joseph and Jacob being a means of blessing to the world are little echoes of that reality.

And all of this is instructive for us, the church, as we live in this world as God’s sanctified and sojourning people. Jesus calls us to live in this world as salt and light – to be a blessing. And of course, there is the ultimate blessing, which I'm going to talk about in just a moment. But don't miss the fact that a lot of the blessings that Jacob and Joseph were conduits of were very practical and tangible blessings. We are called to love our neighbors. Don't get so focused on conveying spiritual blessing that you don't give a rip about physical or tangible blessing. If people have the sense that you don't care about practical, tangible and useful help, they're probably not going to want to listen to you talk about the wonders of eternal blessings, which of course are far more important. But there is something necessarily practical about loving your neighbor, and having a salty presence and in words and deeds, and being a conduit of God's light into this world.

But of course, we must press on to the ultimate blessing because all the nations of the world without Christ are bound in darkness. They're bound up in lies and they are ignorant of the one true and living God and the blessing of God, the blessing of eternal life, the blessing of the Holy Spirit, the blessing of God coming into this painful and difficult and fallen and sinful world and bringing his blessing and establishing the work of your hands and prospering you in every way.

That blessing comes only through Christ, Christ crucified and Christ risen. And so, it's our privilege as the church, that graced and holy nation, that is positioned among the lost nations of the world. Not being surprised at their lostness, but rather sizing up the mission field.

We go bearing the message of salvation, proclaiming the gospel, praying for God to open the eyes of the blind and draw more and more people into his forever family. That's what we, as God's covenant people, as God's pilgrim people, as God's graced people, are called to be and do in this world. Let's embrace it.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. The Book of Genesis (Ariel’s Bible Commentary). Fourth Edition. San Antonio: Ariel Ministries, 2020.

Steinmann, Andrew E. Genesis (Tyndale Old Testament Commentaries). Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 2019.