No Ordinary Joe: Jacob’s
Genesis 46-47
Pastor Jefferson M. Williams
Chenoa Baptist Church
01-30-2022
Family Reunion
I’ve always been jealous of people that made the time and put in the effort to have family reunions.
When I was cleaning out my dad’s house, I found a picture from our last family reunion on my dad’s side. I’m in the front row. I’m four and Mark was two. That’s how long ago it was.
At the funeral, which is basically like a family reunion, only two cousins were there, out of twenty (?), and I had only met them once or twice.
How many of you have family reunions? I know that Gene Wiles attends family reunions.
I’ve always loved the pictures of families that had shirts made up for the event.
This morning, we are going to see a family reunion of epic proportions. This has be building for many chapters. Today, Joseph’s entire family will be back together again after 22 years.
Review from last week
Last week, we saw Joseph putting his brothers to the last, most intense, test.
When the cup was found in Benjamin’s sack, the brothers tore their clothes and loaded up their donkeys to head back to the city.
They could have left Ben there and made up another lie to their dad but something was different about the brothers. Their hearts had been changed.
We know this because Judah, in an act of selflessness, offers to take Ben’s place as a slave.
This was too much for Joseph. He bark something in Egyptian and the servants scatter. He then begins to weep loudly. The brothers were confused.
But nothing could have prepared them for what happened next.
In perfect Hebrew, the prime minister of Egypt says, “I am Joseph!”
They were stunned, scared, and speechless. But Joseph put them at ease and made it clear that he had forgiven them and that God had used their sinful decisions to save their lives.
We talked about how hard forgiveness is and if you are struggling with forgiveness today I would encourage you to go back and listen to the sermon.
After watching the sermon, a friend of mine from Michigan, went to church and his pastor also preached on forgiveness. He took the hint and sat down and wrote a letter to his brother forgiving him for the bullying that took place when they were kids.
Aslan is on the move!
Maybe you need to write a letter or call or send a text to someone making it clear that you have forgiven them or asking for their forgiveness.
Remember, unforgiveness is like drinking poison and waiting on the other person to die.
The next two weeks, we are going to zoom out a little and take the focus off of Joseph and zoom in on his aged father Jacob.
Turn with me to Genesis 45.
Prayer
Joseph Sends them back to get their dad
“Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, “Don’t quarrel on the way!”
After Joseph revealed himself to the brothers, he told the Pharaoh that his family had come and Pharaoh commanded Joseph to give the ample provisions for their trip.
They rode into Egypt in worn out, dusty clothes. They rode out of Egypt, in shiny new royal robes. Especially Ben, who has given five sets of clothes. (Did he change every five minutes?)
Isn’t it interesting that they were given these royal clothes? Wasn’t a robe much like this the reason why they hated him in the first place?
But all that animosity was gone.
They rode in style in Egyptian carts, turning three month journey into a week.
And behind the carts were twenty donkeys loaded with grain and bread and provisions.
Can you imagine this group riding past all the starving people along the way?
Joseph knew his brothers well and didn’t want them to rehash everything that had happened and try to blame each other.
He says, “And don’t fight on the way.” They didn’t dare disobey but I’m sure they talked through everything that had happened. And they decided that they would have to be honest with their dad about what really happened to Joseph all those years ago.
Jacob is stunned
“So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. They told him, “Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt.” Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. And Israel said, “I’m convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”
The brothers arrived in this huge caravan of carts and donkeys. Jacob must have have done a little dance when he saw them on the horizon.
We had waited and waited, not knowing if any of his children would ever return. And now, they all come back together loaded down with treasure from Egypt.
What did this mean? The brothers tell him the news - Joseph is alive. Not only that, he is the prime minister of all Egypt!
The text says he was “stunned.” This word actually means that his heart melted. It’s even possible he had a small heart attack.
He didn’t believe them. Twenty two years ago, they had returned with Joseph’s torn coat and let him think that he had been attacked and killed by a wild animal.
The brothers lowered their heads. About that dad, we have something to confess. And through tears they told him everything.
He was having trouble believing this wild story but as he looked at the carts, they were Egyptian carts, and all the provisions and treasure, he “revived” and believed the unbelievable , that Joseph was indeed alive.
Jacob agreed to go back with them to finally see his son. If that could happen, he could die in peace instead in sorrow.
Jacob Meets with God
So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.
And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, “Jacob! Jacob!”
“Here I am,” he replied.
“I am God, the God of your father,” he said. “Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph’s own hand will close your eyes.”
“Then Jacob left Beersheba…”
Jacob went all in. He left nothing behind in Canaan.
For twenty years he had lived in Padam Aram and now he begins the trip to Egypt with his entire clan in tow.
When he reached Beershaba, the southern most point in Israel (from Dan to Beershaba), he stops to worship God. This place held much history for his family.
Beersheba is where his grandfather Abraham had bought a well for seven ewe lambs from Abimlech and planted an evergreen tree.
Beersheba is where his dad Isaac had built an altar and worship God.
Beersheba is where Jacob had cheated his brother Esau out of his birthright.
It is a holy place where God had revealed Himself to his father and grandfather.
And now Jacob, 130 years old, stops and makes offerings to God for the sins of his family, to thank God for Joseph being alive and Benjamin coming back in one piece, and to seek the will of God concerning this trip.
He desperately wanted to see his son Joseph again but he didn’t want to disobey God. Hadn’t God given the land of Canaan to his family?
Is it really God’s will that he move to Egypt or is it is emotions leading him? He had to know.
God is faithful and answered Jacob’s prayers.
First, He called him by name - Jacob, Jacob. We’ve seen this before in Scripture.
Abraham, Abraham, do not lay a hand on the boy.
And we will see it again.
Samuel, Samuel - speak Lord for your servant is listening
Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?
Second, He says that He is the God of his father. This is covenant language. The covenant that God confirmed to Abraham and Issac is still in effect for Jacob.
Third, God tells him not to be afraid to go down to Egypt. Why would Jacob be afraid?
His grandfather went to Egypt and lied about his wife being his sister. His dad had considered going to Egypt to escape famine but God told him to stay put.
He was an old man and, as we get older, change gets harder for us.
Egypt was a pagan metropolis that could easily entrap his boys.
And Jacob knew the promise that God made to his grandfather Abraham that included this prophecy:
“Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there. But I will punish the nation they serve as slaves, and afterward they will come out with great possessions.” (Gen 15:12-14)
Would his move to Egypt start the four hundred years of slavery? Was he making a mistake?
God says no and for him not to be afraid. God reconfirms the covenant promises to him that he will make him a great nation and promises to go down to Egypt with him.
Many years later, Moses will tell God that if He doesn’t go with them, then there is no use going.
Not only will he go down to Egypt with him, but God promised to bring you back up again. After the four hundreds is over, God will rescue them from slavery and bring them to the land of promise.
And then God makes Jacob a beautiful promise. None other than Joseph will be with him when he dies and will have the honor of closing his eyes.
Many people who watch people die in the movies think they close their eyes but, most of the time, people die with their eyes open.
I remember being in the ER with Kimmy when she went to heaven. She had huge eyes. We actually said that they looked like cow eyes. I had the brutal honor of closing her eyes.
It was the first born’s duty to close their father’s eyes but God promises Jacob that it would be his long lost son that would do it for him.
That was confirmation enough for Jacob. There was a time to ask and then a time to move. And Jacob had received his answer and now it was time to move out.
The Family of Jacob
Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel’s sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. So Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt, taking with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan. Jacob brought with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters—all his offspring…
…All those who went to Egypt with Jacob—those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons’ wives—numbered sixty-six persons. With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob’s family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.”
In one of my classes that I teach at Moody, the students have to do a genogram back three generations. You would be surprised at how many young people do not know even their grandparents names.
Not so in the Hebrew culture. They knew their ancestors going back multiple generations. These names were important to them.
Each of these names are important because they represent the leaders of the children of Israel. Israel was becoming a nation but it would take time.
It took 215 years to go from two people Abraham and Sarah, to seventy people.
But in the 400 years they were in Egypt, they grew from 70 to over 2 million!
Just one more quick note. Some people point out that in Acts 7 Stephen says that 75 people went with Jacob to Egypt.
“See? The Bible can’t be trusted.” There is no contradiction here.
Stephen was quoting from the Greek translation of the Old Testament and his number probably included Joseph’s grandchildren.
Jacob Sees Joseph Again
“Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
Israel said to Joseph, “Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.”
Judah was sent ahead to get the GPS directions to the land of Goshen.
When Joe hears that his family has arrived, he ordered that his chariot be made ready and he set out to Goshen to see his dad.
What a sight that must have been?! Joseph, in royal splendor, riding in a Rolls Royce chariot, surrounded by an entourage of soldiers and servants appeared on the horizon, kicking up a dust storm.
Joe could see the camp but couldn’t make out individuals until he came closer. There was his dad, out in front, waiting with eyes filled with tears.
It isn’t hard to imagine Joe hiking up his robes and running to his father.
This is one of the most epic hugs in all the Bible! They hold each other and weep for a very long time.
He then says the same thing that Simeon says in the Temple when he first sees Jesus, the Messiah - I can now die in peace.
I’ve seen you with my own eyes!
The whole family was back together. What a family reunion that must have been!
I love reunions! [Clip]
Applications
Israel or Jacob?
When God changed Abram’s name to Abraham, he is called Abraham from that time forward. When God changed Saul’s name to Paul, Scripture refers to him as Paul.
But have you noticed that sometimes Jacob is called Jacob and other times he is called Israel?
In Genesis 32, we find Jacob wrestling with a man, really God, all night long. Jacob makes it clear that the fight wouldn’t end until the man blessed him.
“Then the man asked, “What is your name?”
“Jacob,” he answered.
The man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob. You have wrestled with God and with men, and you have won. That’s why your name will be Israel.” (Genesis 32:27-28)
The name Israel means “one who wrestles with God.” Israel was the covenant name given to Jacob. His children would be known as the children of Israel. The nation that came from him would be known, to this day, as Israel.
There were times that Jacob was Israel, confident in his position as a patriarch of the Jewish nation, full of faith and trusting in El Shaddai.
There were other times that Jacob was, well, Jacob, the deceiver, the schemer, the spiritual Eeyore. He knew how God had taken care of him, even when he didn’t deserve it. He knew the stories of God’s faithfulness. But he asked the brothers why they didn’t life to the man in Egypt, played favorites with his kids to the end, and was very good at throwing pity parties.
I don’t know about you, but I can relate to Jacob! There are some days I’m spiritually strong and there are other days I would rather just stay in bed. Anyone else feel that way?
When we are saved, we are declared not guilty before God and we receive the righteousness of Christ. This is called justification. This is a one time event.
But that event begins the process of sanctification, a life long journey in which God makes us more and more like Jesus.
Our sin nature remains until we go to heaven, so there’s a battle between our old nature and our new.
That’s why you can sometimes feel spiritually schizophrenic. If the Apostle Paul felt this way, we know that we are in good company.
I love the way Eugene Peterson paraphrases Paul’s struggle in Romans 7:
“But I need something more! For if I know the law but still can’t keep it, and if the power of sin within me keeps sabotaging my best intentions, I obviously need help! I realize that I don’t have what it takes. I can will it, but I can’t do it. I decide to do good, but I don’t really do it; I decide not to do bad, but then I do it anyway. My decisions, such as they are, don’t result in actions. Something has gone wrong deep within me and gets the better of me every time.
It happens so regularly that it’s predictable. The moment I decide to do good, sin is there to trip me up. I truly delight in God’s commands, but it’s pretty obvious that not all of me joins in that delight. Parts of me covertly rebel, and just when I least expect it, they take charge.
I’ve tried everything and nothing helps. I’m at the end of my rope. Is there no one who can do anything for me? Isn’t that the real question?
The answer, thank God, is that Jesus Christ can and does. He acted to set things right in this life of contradictions where I want to serve God with all my heart and mind, but am pulled by the influence of sin to do something totally different.” (Romans 7:14-25)
Yes, we are to put to death the deeds of the old nature but we can’t do that in our own power.
When you feel frustrated with your three steps forward, two steps back spiritual progress, say Paul’s words loud:
“What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body that is subject to death? Thanks be to God, who delivers me through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7:24-25)
Death Awaits Us All
When Jacob is presented to Pharaoh in the next chapter, he is asked how old he is. He answers:
“The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.” (Genesis 47:9)
He is 130 years old at this point! How can he say that his “years have been few?”
His grandfather, Abraham died at 175 years old and his dad Isaac died at 180 years old.
Jacob would live another 17 years and die at only 147 years old.
This past week, the oldest person in the world, died in Spain this week at the age of 113.
This is pushing the the upper limits of age according to Genesis 6:
“So the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days shall be 120 years."
In Psalm 90, Moses sets a more realistic limit:
“Our days may come to seventy years, or eighty, if our strength endures; yet the best of them are but trouble and sorrow, for they quickly pass, and we fly away.” (Psalm 90:10)
But this isn’t a promise. We are not promised 80 years. Some get much less, some live much longer. But we all die.
Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment, so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:27-28)
The death rate is still at 100%. One hundred years ago, the culture would talk openly about death but wouldn’t talk about sex. Now our culture is obsessed with sex but doesn’t want to talk about death.
Part of my job as your pastor is to make sure that you are ready to die. That when you stand before God you know to say that Jesus paid your way in.
For the Christian, death isn’t something afraid of or ignored.
My friend Willard Baker, was diagnosed with terminal cancer in his 70s. He asked that all his grandchildren be brought to the hospital and they stood around his bed as he explained that he was going to die and go to heaven. He then explained Gospel and challenged each of his grandchildren to commit their lives to Christ so he would see them again. That’s what I call dying well.
Are you ready to die? If you died tonight, would you be 100% sure that you would go to heaven?
An Ultimate Reunion
When we were out of the parsonage for those seven weeks, our two doggies were being boarded at Paw Zone in Fairbury. They encouraged us not to visit because that would confuse them when we left again. So, other than pictures that they sent to us every night, we didn’t see Luna or Bucky for almost two months.
When I went to pick them up, I sat in the floor with my camera on because I wanted to try to film their reaction. It didn’t work because Luna tackled me and Bucky joined in and they were slobbering all over me.
The lady behind the desk actually said, “What a beautiful reunion!”
Chuck Swindoll reminds us that the Bible is full of reunions. There are personal reunions like the prodigal son retuning home to the father in Luke 15. The son asked the dad for his share of the inheritance, basically saying that he wished he was dead. He then went to another country and wasted in all on wild living.
He was broke and was tending pigs when the Scripture said he came to his senses and headed home to ask his dad if he could be a hired hand.
But the father would have none of that talk:
“Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let’s have a feast and celebrate. For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.’ So they began to celebrate.” (Luke 15:22-25)
A couple of years ago, when I was in Memphis, we ate dinner with four of my friends from junior high. I hadn’t seen them in at least 25 years. It was a wonderful night of reunion, remembering and laughter.
24 years ago, a baby was abducted from a couple in China. The dad spent the last 24 years riding a motorbike more than 31,000 miles trying to find his son. A film was even made about the search and he’s helped seven other families reunite with their stolen children. But this past July, after a DNA test, his son was discovered and reunited with his mom and dad.
There are also national reunions in the Bible. After seventy years in exile in Babylon, the Jewish people returned to the land of Canaan. When they heard the Word of God read aloud they wept and worshiped with thanksgiving in their hearts for bringing them back to the land.
And then every child of God is promised an ultimate, eternal family reunion. Paul wrote:
“Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.
According to the Lord’s word, we tell you that we who are still alive, who are left until the coming of the Lord, will certainly not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord himself will come down from heaven, with a loud command, with the voice of the archangel and with the trumpet call of God, and the dead in Christ will rise first. After that, we who are still alive and are left will be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air.
And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage one another with these words.” (I Thes 4:13-18)
To people who say heaven will be boring I say that they just must not have as many people they love living there yet.
About ten days before my dad died, he looked at me and said, “It’s about time to get going.” I replied, “Where are you going dad?” “It’s time to go to heaven.” And not long after that, he did.
James Milton Black was a music teacher, song leader, Sunday school leader, and youth group director. He had a heart for teenagers and did everything he could to help them understand the Gospel.
One day, as he passed through an alley, he met a ragged fourteen-year-old girl. She was the daughter of an alcoholic. He invited her to his Sunday school and youth group and she began to attend.
However, one day when he took roll, the girl did not respond. Each child had to say a Scripture verse when his or her name was called. James saw a lesson in her silence. "I spoke of what a sad thing it would be when our names are called from the Lamb's Book of Life, if one of us should be absent."
After Sunday school, he went to his pupil's home to find out why she had not showed up for class. He found her dangerously ill and sent for his own doctor--they still made house calls then. The doctor said that she had pneumonia. Since that was before the days of antibiotics, death was highly likely.
James returned home. He sat down at the piano and wrote these words:
When the trumpet of the Lord shall sound, and time shall be no more,
And the morning breaks, eternal, bright and fair;
When the saved of earth shall gather over on the other shore,
And the roll is called up yonder, I'll be there.
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll, is called up yonder,
When the roll is called up yonder I'll be there.
He had the sad honor of singing that song at her funeral a few days later.
