Genesis 47
Pastor David Groendyk

As in the rest of Joseph’s life, the book of Genesis, the whole of Scripture, and all of history, Genesis 47 is filled with the testimony of God’s powerful providence. At the risk of forcing too poetic of an outline on this chapter, I think we see God’s powerful providence on display in three ways: the past, the present, and the future.

First, verses 1–12 show God’s providence in the sense of bring past promises to fruition. We’ve touched on this in past chapters, but Jacob’s family moving to Egypt is the fulfillment of what God had told Abraham in Genesis 15:13 must happen—Abraham’s offspring would be sojourners and oppressed in a foreign land for 400 years before inheriting the Promised Land of Canaan. Now, with the approval from Pharaoh, that move is complete. Moreover, in verse 10, Jacob blesses Pharaoh. Isn’t this exactly what God intended for his people to be and do for foreign nations? God assured Abraham that through his offspring all the nations of the earth would be blessed. Surely this is a small-scale fulfillment of said promise.

Second, verses 13–26 show God’s providence in the present establishment of Pharaoh’s wealth and power. Egypt’s lasting legacy from Scripture is that they are an enemy of God’s people who are constantly needing to be fought against and driven back. But don’t miss this fact: God is the one who makes Egypt a global superpower. The laws, policies, and decisions put into effect by Joseph and the Egyptian government were done so because God willed it to be and planned every word of it. One of the commentaries I’ve been reading for my 2 Kings sermons makes the point that God’s word doesn’t merely control history; it actually drives it. The Lord doesn’t stand at a distance and simply corral a herd of sheep to make sure they stay within the bounds of his plan. No, he is actively moving every chess piece on the board to bring about his desired result of revealing to us his glory so that we would worship him.

Finally, verses 27–31 show God’s providence in the hints of a grand future plan for God’s people. Israel grows and multiplies greatly while living in Egypt and gains great wealth. The Lord is setting them up to become their own nation through this time in Egypt. More than that, Jacob refuses to let Joseph bury his body in Egypt. Jacob knows that Egypt is not the final or appropriate home for his family. It’s quite similar to the end of Joseph’s life when Joseph makes his family promise that they’ll take his bones to Canaan after they leave Egypt. Jacob, knowing the promises that were made to his grandfather Abraham, hints at the exodus in the future. He even seems to hint at the idea of resurrection and being reunited with his ancestors in verse 30. It’s not that physically putting their bones closer together would reunite them, but burying them in the same place symbolizes that they are reunited in spirit. These patriarchs in Genesis had deep faith and rich theology, and it is amazing to see God’s glorious plan being worked out through them.