R.I.P Jacob

Nov. 27

Read: Gen. 47:1-12, 27-30

Jacob’s Final Days

(I hope everyone had a pleasant Thanksgiving. Today is our last devo looking at the life of Jacob.)

“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.” - Jacob, Genesis 47:29,30

Jacob’s story ends in Egypt. As we have been reading through Jacob’s life up until this point , we abruptly hit a point where the spotlight shifts from Jacob to his son Joseph. (Gen. 36-46) Jacob is mentioned here and there in those chapters, but he is not truly the focus. The next time he shows up in a substantial way is in Egypt when he comes with his family to settle there because of a famine in the land of Canaan. Jacob would spend the remainder of his days on earth (17 years) in a foreign land, a place in Egypt known as Goshen. (v.27)

What a profound picture the scriptures paint for us of this man whom God has called his “heritage”. (cf. Deut. 32:8,9) Jacob’s final days are “bitter-sweet” I would imagine. I am sure he had so many questions.

First off, how is it that Canaan - God’s “promised land” to Abraham, Isaac, and now Jacob - could be a place of FAMINE. Think about how Jacob moved his family back to Canaan under the direction of the Lord. On their journey there his beloved wife Rachel dies giving birth. Once he gets there, favoritism within his family tears them apart. His sons turn on Jospeh and their actions lead to him being sold into slavery in a foreign land. Then the final straw is that a famine comes and threatens to starve them all. How can this be the “promised land” of God? I am sure Jacob wondered if God had potentially “left him” or taken his hand off of him.

This is one of the first crucial lessons from this final chapter of Jacob’s life: there are limits to the goodness we can receive from the earthly “promised land” of God. Jacob was indeed blessed in so many ways in Canaan (his flocks and family grew) … and he also suffered greatly there. This did not mean he was “in the wrong place”. He was right where God wanted him to be… but even in the earthly “promised land” of God there is death, loss, conflict, and sometimes even famine. There are simply limits to how much goodness the Lord can and will dispense while here on this earth - there is always more to look forward to on the new heaven and new earth where there are NO LIMITS to God’s goodness and blessing.

The second thing to note is that Jacob’s family flourishes even though they are in a foreign land. This would not always be the case for the people of Israel while in Egypt, but for Jacob’s lifetime it was the truth. The Pharaoh gave to Jacob prime land. His riches increased and his family and flocks increased. Despite them not being in Canaan… they were still under God’s care and favor. You see, God’s favor travels with them. In this way we see that God’s blessing… or his “promised land”… may actually be more about a relationship with HIM and his presence than it is an actual “piece of dirt”. In short, God’s people can flourish even when they are “sojourners” in a foreign land. This is crucial for us to understand because THIS WORLD IS NOT OUR HOME. Jesus tells us as much in John:

“I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but that you keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world.” - Jesus (John 14:14-16)

Jacob looked forward to something even greater than Canaan or Egypt. He understood that there was something else awaiting him. He did not want to be buried in Egypt… he wanted to be “gathered to his people”… “buried with his Fathers”. (v.30, 49:28-33) Jacob was trusting that Egypt would not be his last stop. He didn’t want his remains to be there because he was trusting GOD’S PROMISES… he knew that Egypt was a temporary stop on a greater journey. As God’s people today we are in much the same position. This world is a place where God can and does bless us. It is a place where we experience great joy, but also a place where we experience intense sorrow. This earth is but an “Egypt” that we labor in while trusting that one day we will walk in the greatest of “promised lands”. The new heavens and new earth are OUR promised lands… that is the “Canaan" of the Church… of those who are in Jesus Christ. The new heavens and new earth are the truer and better Canaan, and they do not suffer from the shortcomings of an earthly piece of dirt! (cf. Rev. 21,22)

I think Jacob had a sense of this glorious future home. Even while in Egypt, Jacob would declare that God “has been my shepherd all my life long to this day, (and) the angel who has redeemed me from all evil…” (Gen. 48:15,16) Jacob was trusting God to lead him as a shepherd… even when it meant traveling to Egypt!

As children of God, Jesus is our great Shepherd. (cf. John 10:10, etc.) He is leading us. He is redeeming us from evil each and every day. Our final resting place will not be in proverbial “Egypt”, but we will be gathered to “our people”… all those who are in Christ Jesus! There are always “better days ahead” for the people of God. In that sense, Jacob’s final stop is not actually Egypt at all… and this world is not our final stop either! This is our great hope in Christ. Remember this when there is “famine” or “loss” in the earthly “promised land”… this world is not our home! Love you guys. - JDP