Genesis 47.27-31-Joseph Swears to Bury Jacob in Canaan
Wednesday April 4, 2007
Genesis: Genesis 47:27-31-Joseph Swears to Bury Jacob in Canaan
Lesson # 308
Please turn in your Bibles to Genesis 47:27.
This evening we will complete our study of Genesis 47.
By way of review, we have noted the following thus far in the chapter:
In Genesis 47:1-6, we saw Joseph’s brothers meeting Pharaoh and in Genesis 47:7-10, we read where Jacob met Pharaoh.
Then we studied Genesis 47:11-12 and read where Joseph settled his family in Goshen and on Thursday we noted Genesis 47:13-26 and saw Joseph enslaving the Egyptians to Pharaoh.
This evening we will study Genesis 47:27-31, and in this passage we will note Joseph swearing to his father that he will bury him in Canaan.
Genesis 47:27, “Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous.”
Genesis 47:27 contrasts the prosperity of the Israelites with that of the poverty of the Egyptians, which is noted in Genesis 47:13-26.
Of course, the Israelites prospered at Egypt’s expense in the sense that they acquired land at a cheap price from Egyptian farmers who knew they would lose their land anyway due to the famine.
The Israelites would have purchased cattle from Egyptian farmers, which would have died from starvation.
However, this prosperity that Israel experienced led eventually to the Egyptians resenting them and persecuting them.
There is nothing evil about being wealthy and prosperous since money in and of itself is not evil but rather the “love” of money is what is evil.
1 Timothy 6:10-11, “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. But flee from these things, you man of God, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
The Lord did say that you can’t serve both God and money.
Matthew 6:24, “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.”
Spiritual and material prosperity originate from the Lord.
Psalm 50:10, “For every beast of the forest is Mine, the cattle on a thousand hills.”
The attainment of the wisdom of the Lord is superior to the acquiring of temporal wealth (See Proverbs 3:13-18).
Proverbs 3:13-15, “How blessed is the man who finds wisdom and the man who gains understanding. For her profit is better than the profit of silver and her gain better than fine gold. She is more precious than jewels; And nothing you desire compares with her.”
God is most concerned with our “spiritual” prosperity rather than our “temporal” prosperity since our spiritual growth into greater Christ-likeness is His objective for our lives from eternity past according to Romans 8:29.
This “spiritual” prosperity is experienced through fellowship with God and involves a more intimate fellowship with the Lord Jesus Christ, and greater Christ-likeness and rewards.
The Lord Jesus Christ commanded believers to give generously and share their material prosperity with other believers (Matt. 5:42; 10:8; Luke 6:30, 38).
Luke 6:38, “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure pressed down, shaken together and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.”
The apostle Paul taught that the church age believer is to contribute to the needs of the royal family of God (Rom. 12:13).
Romans 12:13, “contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality.”
The apostle Paul reminded pastor-teacher’s at Pastor’s conference to help members of the royal family of God in need and then reminds them of our Lord’s doctrinal teaching on the subject of giving (Acts 20:35).
Acts 20:35, “In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you must help the weak and remember the words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than to receive.’”
Genesis 47:27, “Now Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen, and they acquired property in it and were fruitful and became very numerous.”
The noun “Israel” and the verb yashav, “lived” are in the singular whereas the verbs `achaz, “they acquired property” and parah, “were fruitful” and ravah, “became numerous” are all in the plural demonstrating the unity as a corporate unit between the patriarch and the nation that descended from him.
Therefore, the name “Israel” emphasizes that the patriarch has become a nation, which is a fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to make out of his descendants, a nation, which is recorded in Genesis 35:11.
Genesis 35:11, “God also said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.”
In Genesis 35:11, the promise “a nation…shall come from you” in a “near” sense refers to the nation of Israel (saved and unsaved) throughout history and in a “far” sense it refers to saved Israel during the millennial reign of Christ.
The name “Israel” emphasizes that the patriarch has become a nation, which is a fulfillment of the Lord’s promise to make out of Israel’s descendants a “great nation,” which is recorded in Genesis 46:3.
Genesis 46:3, “He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.’”
The word “great” refers both to numbers and to significance or impact the nation of Israel would have on both human and angelic history.
Prophetically, the promise “a great nation” in a “near” sense refers to the nation of Israel (saved and unsaved) throughout history and in a “far” sense it refers to saved Israel during the millennial reign of Christ.
“Lived” is the verb yashav (bv^y*) (yaw-shav), which means, “to live in a place for a period of time” and does “not” mean to live in a place permanently.
Therefore, this verb indicates that Israel lived in the land of Egypt, in Goshen for an unspecified period of time, which according to the prophecy given to Abraham in Genesis 15:12-16 was four hundred years.
Although this would be a long term migration from the human perspective, from the divine perspective it would not be permanent.
“Goshen” was also called the “land of Rameses” and was located in the eastern part of the Nile Delta, northeast of the Egyptian capital, Memphis and approximately 900 hundred square miles, well suited for grazing and for certain types of agriculture and sparsely occupied allowing room for Hebrew expansion.
The statement “they were fruitful…and became very numerous” means that Israel’s descendants were prolific in that they produced a multitude of children and is also a fulfillment of his father Isaac’s Spirit inspired desire in Genesis 28:3 that the Lord make him “fruitful” and to “multiply” his descendants.
Genesis 28:3, “May God Almighty bless you and make you fruitful and multiply you, that you may become a company of peoples.”
The statement “they were fruitful…and became very numerous” is also a fulfillment of the will of the Lord that Israel would “Be fruitful and multiply” which is recorded in Genesis 35:11.
Genesis 35:11, “God also said to him, ‘I am God Almighty; Be fruitful and multiply; A nation and a company of nations shall come from you, and kings shall come forth from you.”
Lastly, the statement “they were fruitful…and became very numerous” anticipates the statement that appears in Exodus 1:7.
Exodus 1:7, “But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.”
The statement in Exodus 1:7 is a reference to the nation of Israel four hundred years after Israel’s family arrived in Egypt.
Genesis 47:28, “Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years; so the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years.”
The name “Jacob” means, “heel catcher” (yah-ak-ove) (bq{u&y^) implying someone who is a “deceiver” and a “supplanter,” which is a person who takes the place of another by force, scheming or strategy.
Therefore, the name “Jacob” often is used in Scripture to signify that the patriarch is living in his old Adamic sin nature.
However, the name at times such as in Genesis 46:2-8, is also used to signify the patriarch’s weakness in his advance age and his lack of confidence in his own strength.
The use of the name “Jacob” in Genesis 47:28 implies that the patriarch was living according to the spiritual principle taught by the apostle Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9.
2 Corinthians 12:9, “And He has said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.’ Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.”
The name “Jacob” in Genesis 47:28 signifies that the patriarch has acknowledged his own human weakness or impotence so as to experience the power of God in life and his right to appropriate that power by prayer and claiming the divine promises given to him.
It is interesting that Jacob spent the last seventeen years of his life under the care of his son Joseph whereas Joseph spent the first seventeen years of his life under the care of his father Jacob.
This reflects the providence of God in the lives of both men in the sense that their lives were not ruled by chance or fate but by God.
It is also interesting that only four verses were devoted to the death of Abraham (See Genesis 25:7-10) and two were devoted to the death of Isaac (See Genesis 35:28).
However, the death of Jacob is recorded in great detail since the account of his death is recorded in Genesis 47:28-50:14.
The reason for this is due to the special circumstances surrounding Jacob’s death in that of all the patriarchs, he was the only one who did “not” die in the Promised Land.
Therefore, Jacob’s demand to be buried in Canaan and the arrangements for his burial there are recorded in great detail.
Nahum Sarna gives a fascinating quote regarding the age of Jacob, he writes, “The lifespans of the three patriarchs lend themselves to factorization according to the following pattern: Abraham 175=5 X 5 X 7; Isaac 180=6 X 6 X 5; Jacob 147=7 X 7 X 3. In this series, the squared number increases by one each time while the coefficient decreases by two. Furthermore, in each case the sum of the factors is 17. Through their factorial patterns, the patriarchal chronologies constitute a rhetorical device expressing the profound biblical conviction that Israel’s formative age was not a concatenation of haphazard incidents but a series of events ordered according to God’s grand design” (JPS Torah Commentary, page 324, Jewish Publication Society).
Genesis 47:29-30, “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. Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.’ And he said, ‘I will do as you have said.’”
The name “Israel” means, “one who fights (both God and men) and overcomes with the power of God.”
The name memorializes the historical event of Jacob wrestling the preincarnate Christ, and which wrestling match symbolized Jacob’s struggles in life with men, which in reality were with God.
The name “Israel” reflects strength and character produced by appropriating the power of the Word of God by claiming the promises of God in prayer.
Therefore, the use of this name signifies that Jacob is not walking in his flesh at this point in the narrative but is walking by faith (See 1 Corinthians 5:7).
By requesting that his son Joseph bury him in the land that the Lord promised him, Israel was demonstrating his faith in the Lord’s promise to give to him and his descendants the land of Canaan.
The expression “Please, if I have found favor in your sight” is deferential language, which is normally used by an inferior when speaking to a superior.
It is used by Israel since Joseph possesses power and authority as the prime minister of Egypt and it expresses Israel’s dependence upon Joseph.
The command “place your hand under my thigh” is a euphemism for genitalia (Compare Genesis 24:2-3; Exodus 1:5; Judges 8:30) and was a symbolical gesture for securing one’s last will by an oath at the source of life.
Therefore, by putting his hands under Joseph’s thigh and touching his genitals, Joseph was giving an oath that was special and solemn.
Israel’s request “deal with me in kindness and faithfulness” means that Israel who is dying is dependent upon Joseph who is in the prime of life.
It also means that Israel is requesting that Joseph guarantee that he will bury him according to the covenant promises regarding the land of Canaan.
The statement “when I lie down with my fathers” is a reference to Israel’s physical death.
“My fathers” is a reference to Abraham and Isaac as indicated by the phrase “their burial place,” which is a reference to the cave of Machpelah where Abraham and Isaac were buried.
Genesis 23 records that for four hundred shekels of silver, Abraham purchased from Ephron the Hittite “the cave of Machpelah” as a burial plot for Sarah, himself and his descendants.
“Machpelah” is located west of modern Hebron on the outskirts and the city is situated on the eastern slope of a narrow valley, which runs north and south and is surrounded by rocky hills.
The cave itself was located at the end of a field and Josephus mentioned a “monument of the patriarchs,” which stood in Hebron in the days of Jesus.
Abraham bought this gravesite in the land of Canaan in the confident expectation of God fulfilling His promise to give the land of Canaan to himself and his descendants as a permanent possession.
Not only was Sarah buried at this site but so also were Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah were buried there as well (See Genesis 25:9; 35:27, 29, 49:31; 50:13).
All of these demonstrated their faith in God’s promises to give them the land of Canaan by being buried with Sarah.
The presence of the grave site among their descendants in later years would be mute but eloquent testimony to them all that the patriarchs were sure that God would fulfill His promises to give them the land of Canaan.
Israel’s request “Please do not bury me in Egypt, but when I lie down with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place” is a reference to the Lord’s promise to him, which is recorded in Genesis 35:12.
Genesis 35:12, “The land which I gave to Abraham and Isaac, I will give it to you, and I will give the land to your descendants after you.”
Genesis 35:12 is a reference to the “Palestinian” covenant, which was a confirmation and enlargement of the original “Abrahamic” covenant and amplified the land features of the “Abrahamic” covenant (Gen. 13:14-15; 15:18).
The “Palestinian” covenant was confirmed to Isaac (Gen. 26:3-4) and Jacob (Gen. 35:12), reiterated to Moses (Ex. 6:2-8) who described the geographical boundaries of the land in Numbers 34:1-12 and who prophesied the fulfillment of this covenant during the millennium in Deuteronomy 30:1-9.
The “Palestinian” Covenant stipulated that the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who exercise faith alone in Christ alone would not only come into permanent possession of the land of Canaan but also most of the land in Turkey, East Africa, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Oman and Red Sea, Syria, Iraq, Jordan.
The boundaries of this land grant are on the Mediterranean, Aegean Sea, Euphrates River and the Nile River (See Genesis 15:18).
The Lord promises that this land would be given to Abraham and Jacob’s descendants and this promise was fulfilled to a certain extent by Israel under Joshua (Josh. 21:43-45; cf. 13:1-7) and David and Solomon (1 Kgs. 4:20-25; Neh. 9:8).
The “Palestinian” covenant will have its literal and ultimate fulfillment during the millennial reign of Christ (Isa. 11:11-12; Jer. 31-37; Ezek. 34:11-16; Hos. 1:10-11; Joel 3:17-21; Amos 9:11-15; Micah 4:6-7; Zeph. 3:14-20; Zech. 8:4-8).
Joseph agrees to his father’s request and fulfilled it as recorded in Genesis 50.
Genesis 47:31, “He said, ‘Swear to me.’ So he swore to him. Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed.”
Bruce K. Waltke makes the following comment regarding Israel’s request recorded in Genesis 47:31, he writes, “Jacob demands an oath to make it official (cf. 25:29-33) and to make Joseph directly accountable to God. Also, Jacob needs assurance because he knows the difficulty of the assignment in light of Pharaoh’s power. Pharaoh refers to the oath in granting permission (cf. 50:6).” (Genesis, page 592, Zondervan).
When Joseph agrees to his father’s request, Israel leaned on top of his staff in an inaudible prayer of thanksgiving and praise to the Lord that his final request will be fulfilled.
The statement “Then Israel bowed in worship at the head of the bed” is incorrectly translated and should be translated “then Israel in worship leaned on top of his staff.”
Now, the original Hebrew text does “not” contain vowels since a certain group of Jewish scholars who lived from A.D. 500- 950 and were called the “Massoretes” added vowels to the Hebrew text for pronunciation purposes.
Therefore, in Genesis 47:31, “bed” is the noun mtth but this word became mittah (hF*m!) (mit-taw) when the Massoretes added vowels to the text.
However, the writer of Hebrews took the letters to stand for matteh (hF#m^) (mat-the), “staff” rather than the noun mittah, “bed.”
Therefore, Israel did not bow in worship at the head of his bed but rather he leaned on top of his staff and this interpretation is confirmed by Hebrews 11:21, which states, “By faith Jacob, as he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, and worshiped, leaning on the top of his staff.”
The leaning on the top of his staff by Israel was a symbolic gesture of prostration since he was too old and feeble to bow to the ground.