Don’t Get Comfortable Here… This World Is Not Your Home

Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath - Ken Addison, Teaching Pastor.

What do you hold on to when life feels uncertain, painful, or temporary? In Genesis 47, famine covers the land, people are desperate for survival, and Jacob nears the end of his life. Yet through hardship, God is still fulfilling His promises. This message reminds us that God provides for His people, calls us to faithful living, and points our hearts toward a greater home that is still to come.

Sermon Summary

Genesis 47 shows the severity of the famine in Egypt and Canaan as people desperately seek food in order to survive. Joseph wisely administers the resources of Egypt during the famine, gathering money, livestock, land, and eventually the service of the people in exchange for grain. Yet the passage does not portray Joseph as harsh or exploitative. Instead, he acts with wisdom, justice, and generosity. Even while serving Pharaoh’s interests, Joseph maintains righteous character and faithfully represents the character of God before the world.

The sermon emphasizes humanity’s dependence upon God for daily provision. Just as the people of Egypt depended upon grain to live, we depend completely upon God for every good thing. The message continually points listeners back to gratitude, faithful worship, and lives that match the gospel we proclaim. Joseph becomes an example of someone who blessed the world while maintaining integrity and faithfulness to God.

The focus then shifts to Jacob and the growing nation of Israel in Egypt. Though God’s promises seemed delayed, God was still at work multiplying His people in unexpected ways. Jacob’s desire to be buried in Canaan revealed his faith that Egypt was not his true home and that God would fulfill His covenant promises. Even at the end of his life, Jacob worshiped in faith and looked ahead to the promises of God.

Ultimately, the sermon points to Jesus Christ as the greater Savior. Joseph saved people from physical starvation, but Jesus saves sinners from spiritual death. Through Christ’s death and resurrection, believers receive peace with God and the promise of an eternal inheritance in the true promised land—the new heavens and new earth. Christians are called to live as faithful sojourners whose hope is not in this world, but in the eternal kingdom of Christ.

Key Takeaways

• God is the ultimate provider of every daily need and blessing.
• Joseph demonstrated wisdom, integrity, justice, and generosity during a national crisis.
• Christians are called to bless the world while reflecting the character of God.
• God’s promises may seem delayed, but He is always faithful to fulfill them.
• Jacob’s desire to be buried in Canaan showed his faith that Egypt was not his true home.
• Believers are citizens of a greater kingdom and should live with eternal priorities.
• Jesus Christ saves sinners from spiritual death and gives eternal peace with God.

Scripture References

• Genesis 47
• Psalm 65:9–13
• Genesis 12:1–3
• Genesis 24
• Genesis 46:4
• Genesis 50:24–26
• Hebrews 11:21
• 1 Peter 1:3–5
• Romans 5:1
• Revelation 21

Discussion & Reflection Questions

1. How does the famine in Genesis 47 remind us of our dependence upon God for daily provision?
   
   
2. What stands out to you about Joseph’s character and leadership during a difficult season?
   
   
3. In what ways can Christians bless the world while still remaining faithful to God’s truth?
   
   
4. Why was Jacob so determined to be buried in Canaan instead of Egypt?
   
   
5. What does it look like to live as a “sojourner” whose true citizenship is in heaven?

Gospel Connection

Joseph saved people from physical starvation during the famine, but this passage ultimately points us to Jesus Christ, the greater Savior. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus provides salvation from sin and eternal death. Because Christ took the wrath sinners deserved, all who repent and trust in Him are forgiven, declared righteous, and given an eternal inheritance with God forever. Like Jacob, believers live looking toward a better country and a greater promised land that Christ has secured for His people.

SERMON TRANSCRIPT - Genesis 47:13-31 | Joseph's Administration and Oath

Joseph has brought his whole family into Egypt. Joseph and Jacob are finally reunited after 20 years, 22 years or more even of being apart. Jacob thinking Joseph was dead, but now he’s alive. And now they have reunited. They’ve come together and Pharaoh has given his family the land of Goshen, a very fertile land probably eastern Nile Delta region to settle in.

Jacob comes before Pharaoh. He blesses him and then Joseph settles his brothers. In verse 11, it says, “Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt in the best of the land, and Joseph provided for his family there.”

So, what we’re going to get to today is Joseph’s administration during the famine. His family has settled in Goshen, and now we’re going to see just how Joseph dealt with the starving people who were suffering in the famine. And it’s going to give us some good truth, some good teaching today.

So, if you’ll stand with me, we’re going to start in verse 13. We’ll read the word of God together. Chapter 47, verse 13 to the end of the chapter.

“Now, there was no food in all the land, for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished by reason of the famine. And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan in exchange for the grain that they bought. And Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house.

And when the money was all spent in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, ‘Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? For our money is gone.’

And Joseph answered, ‘Give your livestock, and I will give you food in exchange for your livestock if your money is gone.’

So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them food in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the herds, and the donkeys. He supplied them with food in exchange for all their livestock that year.

And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, ‘We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent. The herds of livestock are my lord’s. There’s nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land. Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh. And give us seed that we may live and not die and that the land may not be desolate.’

So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh. For all the Egyptians sold their fields because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other. Only the land of the priests he did not buy. For the priests had a fixed allowance from Pharaoh and lived on the allowance that Pharaoh gave them. Therefore, they did not sell their land.

Then Joseph said to the people, ‘Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you and you shall sow the land. And at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh and four fifths shall be your own as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households and as food for your little ones.’

And they said, ‘You have saved our lives. May it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.’

So Joseph made it a statute concerning the land of Egypt, and it stands to this day that Pharaoh should have the fifth. The land of the priests alone did not become Pharaoh’s.

Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years. So the days of Jacob, the years of his life, were 147 years.

And when the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, ‘If now I have found favor in your sight, put your hand under my thigh and promise to deal kindly and truly with me. Do not bury me in Egypt, but let me lie with my fathers. Carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burying place.’

He answered, ‘I will do as you have said.’

And he said, ‘Swear to me.’

And he swore to him.

Then Israel bowed himself upon the head of his bed.”

This is God’s word, man. It’s good. You can have a seat.

The famine was severe in Egypt and Canaan. There was no food in the land. People were languishing, wasting away. You can imagine no food.

This reminds us of our great dependence upon God for our daily provision. I think sometimes in our country, we don’t really come face to face with just how dependent we are upon God for our daily provision, even to eat.

Because if He withheld rain, the domino effect for us, we’d be in a great lack of food, a great lack of resources. It would just all fall apart.

Psalm chapter 65 verses 9 through 13 says:

“You visit the earth and water it; you greatly enrich it; the river of God is full of water; you provide their grain, for so you have prepared it. You water its furrows abundantly, settling its ridges, softening it with showers and blessing its growth. You crown the year with your bounty; your wagon tracks overflow with abundance. The pastures of the wilderness overflow, the hills gird themselves with joy, the meadows clothe themselves with flocks, the valleys deck themselves with grain, they shout and sing together for joy.”

Especially in that day, the awareness of dependence upon God for rain to live, for flocks to have grass to graze in, for crops to grow, they were very aware of that. And it is not different today. We need God’s provision from the heavens for our daily provision.

Jesus’s prayer, “Give us this day our daily bread,” is just as applicable today as it was then. We need God, and we should constantly thank God for our daily provision and not just be thankful that we’ve got a McDonald’s on the corner. We’re thankful to God because it all comes from Him.

Joseph gathered up all the money in Egypt from the people in exchange for grain. The Hebrew word for gathered up is the same used for gleaning crops, the last bit of corn and wheat left in the fields, just gathering up what’s left.

The people gathered up all their money. I think about lifting up the couch cushions and just gathering up all that’s left or looking on the floorboard of the car or the cup holder of the car or the ashtray in the car if you still have one of those. Just gathering up every coin that’s left and giving it to Joseph in exchange for food.

There was no money left in Egypt. It was all gone. But righteous and honest Joseph didn’t keep any of this money for himself. He brought it, the Scriptures say, into Pharaoh’s house.

But the famine persisted. There was no more money in the land. The people were desperate. The Egyptians didn’t want to die, so they asked Joseph to give them food. Joseph proposed they give their livestock as payment for food, and they did.

One commentator asked whether the livestock were lean and emaciated like Pharaoh’s dream, with nothing to graze on and therefore becoming useless to the people, making it easier for them to give them up. But they did give them up, and Joseph gave them grain.

The grain from the sale of the livestock sustained them another year. But the famine continued, and they needed more food. With no money and no livestock left with which to purchase food, they offered all they had left to Pharaoh — their land and themselves to be his servants.

They also asked for seed so they could plant and keep the land productive. Without livestock and crops, the land was useless to them and likely easier to part with. Likewise, being an alive servant is better than being dead.

From Pharaoh’s perspective, without seeding the land and having servants to work it, the land would also be useless to him. So this proposal worked out for everyone, and Joseph agreed to it.

In exchange for food to sustain them, Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh and made servants of the Egyptians. But he didn’t buy the priests’ land because they already had provision from Pharaoh.

Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh. Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land. And at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own.”

The land and the people were now the property of Pharaoh, but Joseph showed incredible wisdom to provide for the people justly. Pharaoh received twenty percent of the harvest, but eighty percent went back to the people to provide seed for planting and food for their families.

Kenneth Matthews says, “The arrangement is close to tenant farming, meaning that the farmer has access to the land and its produce and makes an agreed return to the owner. Moreover, the one-fifth tax leaving four-fifths to the workers is generous compared to what is known elsewhere in the ancient Near East.”

We would love a twenty-percent flat tax, would we not?

The people were incredibly grateful, telling Joseph that he had saved their lives.

In our country and our context, what Joseph did might cause us some uneasiness, thinking Joseph may have exploited the people in a time of great need and gained governmental control. But we’ve got to remember a few things.

First, the people themselves asked to sell their land and themselves to be servants. This was common in ancient times for destitute people trying to survive.

Second, Joseph only imposed a twenty-percent tax. Someone trying to exploit others would likely impose much more. The people still had more than enough to survive and provide for their families.

Third, the people were grateful because Joseph had saved their lives. They didn’t see him as a harsh taskmaster but as a savior who preserved them from starvation.

The sermon emphasized that this passage is not promoting slavery, nor does the Bible promote slavery. The Bible often addresses sinful systems by changing hearts and relationships rather than overthrowing governments politically. Paul, for example, taught masters and slaves to view one another differently in Christ, planting seeds that would eventually destroy the institution from within.

Nor is this passage advocating for giving government absolute power. Power often corrupts. Joseph was unique in his righteousness and wisdom.

Joseph served Pharaoh’s interests and the interests of the people. Once again, Abraham’s family blessed the world. This was a partial fulfillment of God’s covenant promises to Abraham that his family would bless the nations.

And while Joseph blessed the world, he maintained righteous character. He honestly brought all the money into Pharaoh’s house. He didn’t embezzle anything for himself. He represented the character of God as he served others.

Christians are to be a blessing to the world in many ways — helping the poor, shining the light, advocating for righteousness, and ultimately proclaiming the gospel of Jesus Christ. The question is whether our lives display the character of God as we seek to bless the world.

Does your life match what you believe, what you proclaim, and what you say you believe? Do you proclaim Christ while gossiping, complaining, stealing, or living contrary to the message you preach? Joseph’s life matched his testimony.

Then the passage shifts to the final section.

“Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.”

A nation was forming. Israel as a nation in seed form. Jacob’s family was multiplying according to God’s promise.

God’s command to be fruitful and multiply was not only a creation ordinance but part of His covenant promises to Abraham’s descendants. God was growing His people.

Sometimes God’s promises seem delayed, but their fulfillment is coming. God often works in unexpected ways. Who would have expected God to multiply His people in a pagan land while they were slaves?

Could it be that during hardship God is doing His best work in and through our lives?

Jacob lived seventeen years in Goshen before dying at the age of 147. Interestingly, Joseph had been seventeen years old when he was sold into slavery. For seventeen years Jacob cared for Joseph, and for the last seventeen years of Jacob’s life Joseph cared for his father.

As Jacob neared death, he asked Joseph to bury him in Canaan and not in Egypt. Joseph promised to do so.

The act of putting the hand under the thigh had appeared earlier in Genesis when Abraham made his servant swear not to take a Canaanite wife for Isaac. It may have simply been a customary sign of taking an oath, a sign of submission, or perhaps a reminder of God’s covenant promises connected to circumcision and posterity.

Maybe Jacob was reminding Joseph that God had promised their descendants the land of Canaan and that Egypt was not their permanent home.

God had promised to bring His people back into Canaan. Though Jacob himself would die in Egypt, he believed that his descendants would inherit the promised land.

Egypt was not his home.

By requesting burial in Canaan, Jacob was displaying great faith in God’s covenant promises at the end of his life.

Hebrews 11:21 sheds light on this moment:

“By faith Jacob, when dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph, bowing in worship over the head of his staff.”

Very likely Jacob was bowing in thankful worship to God for all His covenant faithfulness.

What a beautiful picture — a man with such turmoil and spiritual failure throughout life ending life in faith and worship.

May that be true of us as well. As we grow older and life fades, may our worship and faith rise louder and clearer.

Ligon Duncan says Jacob wanted the symbolism of his burial in Canaan to stand as a testimony to his descendants that their hope was not in Egypt but in the promises of God.

Warren Wiersbe says Jacob’s desire was that his funeral would be a clear witness that he was not an idol-worshiping Egyptian but a believer in the true and living God.

What kind of witness will our lives leave behind?

What we value, pursue, spend our energy on, and treasure will testify about what we believed and how worthy we believed God to be.

Jacob found comfort knowing that though he would die, he would rest among God’s people in the promised land.

Likewise, believers today find comfort knowing that when we die we will be in the true promised land, forever with God in the new heavens and new earth because of what Christ has done.

First Peter chapter 1 verses 3 through 5 says:

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. According to His great mercy He has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you.”

All of us are born sinners deserving wrath and judgment. But God sent His Son Jesus, who was perfectly righteous, to bear the punishment for sin on the cross. Christ was buried, and on the third day He rose from the dead, a full and sufficient Savior for all who turn from their sin and trust in Him.

Those who trust in Christ are forgiven, declared righteous, and given an eternal inheritance with God forever.

Joseph saved people from physical starvation, but Jesus saves us from spiritual starvation and sin. He is the bread of life.

Like the grateful Egyptians who were thankful to Joseph for saving them, believers are grateful to Christ who has nourished not only our bodies but our souls.

As distinct sojourners on this temporary earth, we fix our attention upon the glory of our heavenly home.

There is a contrast in the passage between the Egyptians languishing in famine and God’s people flourishing in Goshen. Likewise, there will be an eternal distinction between those who belong to Christ and those who do not.

Joseph could preserve Jacob from starvation, but he could not stop Jacob from dying. We all will die.

Are you ready to die? Are you at peace with God?

Romans 5:1 says, “Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ.”

Through repentance and faith in Christ we can die in peace, hope, and joy knowing we are reconciled to God.

Believers should spend their lives pouring the gospel into the lives of others so they too can be at peace with God forever.

No matter how good the last seventeen years of Jacob’s life were in Egypt, Egypt was never his home. Nothing in this world compares to what is to come for believers.

May we not be enamored with the treasures of this temporary world. May we live as citizens of heaven, distinct sojourners on our way to our eternal home.

May we live for the values and purposes of heaven and faithfully serve our eternal King until the day we see Him face to face.

Glory to His name. Amen.