Genesis 47 — A Hint of Better Things

by | Oct 8, 2020

READ Genesis 47

When the time approached for him to die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.” (Genesis 47:29)

When we think about the story of Joseph we often think of the climax of his story being his ascension to prominence in Egypt. By Genesis 47 we’ve seen Joseph move from a boy sold into slavery by his brothers, being thrown into prison, but rising out of the prison to become second only to Pharaoh. Eventually we see that Joseph was in the position that he was in so that his family would be kept safe during a horrible famine. Then, in Genesis 47 we see Joseph exercising his power and authority in Egypt and we could think that he has arrived. But his father Jacob says something interesting before he dies.

He goes up to Joseph and says to him, “If I have found favor with you, put your hand under my thigh and promise me that you will deal with me in kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt.” Why would his father ask him that? Isn’t Egypt the place where their family “acquired property in it and became fruitful and very numerous?” (Gen. 47:27). They were undoubtedly successful in Egypt but God had better plans, and Jacob knew this. Remember in Genesis 46:3 God tells Jacob to go into Egypt but promises that He “will go down with you to Egypt, and [He] will also bring [Israel] back.” So what is the reason for this? 

What Jacob was demonstrating was the fact that his hope, security, and salvation was based not on riches or status. His desire to be buried with his people was a sign that his hope was in the promises of God. Despite the success of his family in Egypt there was something greater. Jacob knew that God’s ultimate plan for Israel was not in Egypt, but in the land of Canaan. It was a reminder, maybe even one directed at Joseph, that the treasures of this world are not worth comparing to all that God has to offer. 

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