Genesis 47 Devotional

Pilgrims Who Bless

““My travels have lasted 130 years,” Jacob replied. “My years have been few and hard, and they have not matched the years of the travels of my fathers.””Genesis 47:9 (BSB)

Joseph brings his aged father before Pharaoh, and something unexpected happens: Jacob blesses Pharaoh, when he enters and again when he leaves (47:7, 47:10). The shepherd from Canaan blesses the king of Egypt. When Pharaoh asks his age, Jacob describes his life as a journey of 130 years, few and hard (47:9). He speaks as a traveler, not as someone who has arrived.

The rest of the chapter shows Joseph managing the famine, keeping Egypt alive as people trade money, livestock and land for grain. Through Abraham's descendants, other nations are being blessed, just as God had promised (12:3). At the chapter's end Jacob makes Joseph swear to bury him in Canaan (47:29-30), because his hope is still fixed on God's promise, not on Egypt's comfort. Christians are called foreigners and exiles too (1 Peter 2:11). You can honestly name your hard years and still be a blessing to others, because you are headed home.

To think about: How might you be a blessing to someone today while remembering that this world is not your final home?