Jacob was 130 years old when he arrived in Egypt and he will not live long enough to see the land of Canaan again. He may not have known it on the day he stepped across Egypt's border, but he knows now that he will die in a foreign land. Today he calls Joseph to him to secure a promise from him. But first Moses finishes telling us about the way the people of Egypt have exchanged their livestock, their land, and even their personal freedom in exchange for food during the famine.
"Joseph said to the people, 'Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant in the ground. But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children.' 'You have saved our lives,' they said. May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh.' So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt---still in force today---that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's." (Genesis 47:23-26) Though Pharaoh owns his citizens and their land now, he is no slavemaster to his people. He is no wicked despot. The people will be able to continue living on their land and working their land. All he expects is a 20% crop tax, just like (upon Joseph's suggestion) the 20% crop tax he charged during the seven years of plenty prior to the famine. This will be an ongoing tax now and it was still a tax in Moses' day, but the people will be well able to care for their families on the four-firths of the crops that they are allowed to keep. They will be able to continue living in their own homes and eating at their own tables. They can maintain a sense of normalcy in their lives now.
We are experiencing a time in our world where we're having difficulty maintaining a sense of normalcy. We're seeing shortages in our stores and we should be able to relate very much to how the people of Joseph's day felt. My husband and I made our usual bi-monthly trip to the grocery store on Sunday and at that time some shelves were running low on stock but we were able to get our usual two week's worth of groceries. I did forget one item on my list and had thought of a couple of other things that should have been on my list, so last night I made a quick trip back to the store to pick those things up. I was stunned to see the extent of the panic hoarding that's been going on just since Sunday. (By the way, I realize that not all of the hoarding is a result of selfishness, though some have hoarded in hopes of making a profit from selling their hoards at inflated prices. A great deal of the hoarding is due to fear and a need to feel in control when the world seems to be out of control. But we must resist these urges because at their core they are the result of a lack of faith in our mighty God to supply our needs.) Anyway, at my store there was no bread, no meat, very few canned goods, no dried beans, almost no rice or noodles, no toilet paper products, no baby wipes, no hand sanitizer, no liquid hand soap, and very few things like dried or canned milk or nutritional beverages like Ensure. I didn't need any of the missing items for myself due to our regular shopping trip on Sunday, but I was so shaken up by the thought of how many people won't be able to get the things they need right now that I cried in my car after leaving the store. Many of you live in areas where you've seen empty store shelves long before I have, and the only reason it's just now hitting my area is because Tennessee wasn't one of the states affected in the first wave of the virus. I'd seen photos on social media and on the news of empty shelves but seeing it in person hit me hard. There are some things you have to see for yourselves to fully feel their impact and I'm still near tears this morning just thinking about it.
What is God going to do? Well, we don't yet know His plans for bringing us through these perilous times but we know what He's not going to do: He's not going to abandon us. He saved the lives of the ancient Egyptians during the famine even though they didn't acknowledge or worship Him. He had a plan to bring them through their crisis and He has a plan to bring the world through its current crisis, and out of His deep love and mercy He's going to help believers and unbelievers alike. I'm heartbroken right now over empty shelves in the stores and the empty cupboards some people must have at home. I'm heartbroken that my church and so many others have had to close their doors temporarily for the safety of those in our congregations who are elderly or have medical conditions. Our religious leaders know that if the facilities are open we will all try to band together for comfort, but that won't be in the best interests of those who are most susceptible to the virus. We are living in scary times and if we are not careful we are going to take our eyes off the powerful God who spoke everything into existence and who holds everything in the universe in place. We are going to focus on our problems so much that they'll start to seem bigger than our God. But we will never face a giant who is bigger than our God! David knew this and that is why he had the courage to face and defeat Goliath. He said to the giant, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the Lord Almighty." (1 Samuel 17:45) Our enemy is not as much the coronavirus as it is Satan and the fears and doubts he instills in our minds---and the fears and doubts we instill in our own minds. We have to remember, at all times, that we are fighting a spiritual warfare and that we come against all enemies in the name of the Lord Almighty. We aren't in the battle alone. The Most High God, the King of kings and Lord of lords, is with us.
"Now the Israelites settled in Egypt in the region of Goshen. They acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number." (Genesis 47:27) None of Joseph's family had to sell themselves into slavery. We were told in yesterday's passage that Joseph himself provided food for his family, at least at first until their own crops started coming in, and it would seem that the Lord divinely provided for them by making the land of Goshen produce enough for their flocks and herds. They experience no deprivation in Goshen and instead their family continues to grow and their animals continue to multiply.
When Joseph's family entered the land he told them that five years of famine remained. But the family stayed in Egypt long after the famine was over. I think this may have been due, in part, to the feebleness of Jacob. He was quite elderly when they entered the land and now, seventeen years later, they are still in the land perhaps because he is not physically capable of making the journey home to Canaan. Or perhaps, because the family prospers so much in Egypt, they are reluctant to return to Canaan. The day is coming in which they will not be allowed to go home, for another dynasty will arise in Egypt which will fear them and enslave them. I don't know whether Jacob is aware of all that will eventually befall his family in this foreign land, but he knows he will die there. He elicits a promise from Joseph concerning his remains. "Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years, and the years of his life were a hundred and forty-seven. When the time drew near for Israel to die, he called for his son Joseph and said to him, 'If I have found favor in your eyes, put your hand under my thigh and promise that you will show me kindness and faithfulness. Do not bury me in Egypt, but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.'" (Genesis 47:28-30a)
We saw this particular type of oath previously in Genesis 24 when Abraham had his top servant place his hand under his thigh while vowing to keep a promise. Jacob doesn't want to be buried in Egypt. He wants to be buried in his family tomb. We all have thoughts, sooner or later, about what we want done with our bodies after death. We make decisions about whether we want to be cremated or interred. We make our funeral wishes known to a trusted loved one. Jacob doesn't want his physical body buried in a foreign land. He wants to be laid to rest beside his parents and grandparents. Joseph understands his wishes and promises to fulfill them. "'I will do as you say,' he said. 'Swear to me,' he said. Then Joseph swore to him, and Israel worshiped as he leaned on the top of his staff." (Genesis 47:30b-31)
In what way does Jacob worship the Lord while he leans on his staff? The Bible doesn't tell us. Maybe it's a very private moment among Jacob, his son Joseph, and the Lord. But verse 31 illustrates a very important point that we don't want to miss, especially in these troubled times when so many churches are temporarily closed in obedience to social distancing guidelines and out of concern for our people. We can worship God anywhere! I don't know where Jacob is standing while he leans on his staff. He might be standing in his own living room. He may be in his front yard. It could be he's out in the fields feeling thankful for the crops the Lord is causing to grow out of the ground. Today, perhaps as never before, we need to be aware that God doesn't live in our churches and synagogues. He's not limited by space and time like we are. God can be at home with us, or at work with us, or in the car with us. He can be with each of us all at the same time. God is so much bigger than anything our human minds can imagine and we can enjoy sweet fellowship with Him no matter where we are. So let's not neglect spending time with Him in prayer and in Bible study and in listening to and singing along with worship songs. God is still God, no matter what we're facing today. He's so big He could hold our world and the universe and everything in it as easily as a person holding a small snow globe in their hand. Any time we feel like things are out of control, let's make a conscious and deliberate decision to redirect our thoughts to Him. Let's repeat to ourselves the words of David who penned this declaration of faith to the Lord during desperate times, "When I am afraid, I put my trust in You." (Psalm 56:3)
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