Genesis: Lesson 17

Overview

God's Faithful Promise: Concluding the Story of Genesis

As Jacob prepares to leave Canaan for Egypt, God appears to him in a night vision at Beersheba with a threefold promise: "I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you back" Genesis 46:1-4. These words echo the covenant given to Abraham in Genesis 12:1-3 and to Isaac in Genesis 26:24. The lifeline to the Messiah will endure—and indeed, when Jacob blesses his sons in Genesis 49, Judah is singled out as the bearer of that line, from which David and ultimately Christ will come.

A Pilgrim People

Standing before Pharaoh, Jacob describes his 130 years as a "troubled pilgrimage" Genesis 47:9—words that fit every believer. Hebrews 11:13-16 reminds us that the patriarchs confessed they were "strangers and foreigners on the earth," seeking a heavenly homeland. This world is not home. Promises of "your best life now" miss the reality that life is mingled with suffering, sin, and longing for what is to come. Our task as God's pilgrim people is to serve Him faithfully here until He calls us home with the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

That call is sharpened in 1 Peter 2:9-17: as a chosen race and royal priesthood living among the nations, we are to honor God, avoid pagan influence, and set an example through honorable conduct. The world watches. Increasingly, people walk away from the church not because of Christ but because those who name His name speak and act no differently than the surrounding culture. Ask of every word and action: Does this bring glory to God?

Forgiveness and the Bigger Picture

After Jacob's death, Joseph's brothers fear that their brother held back his vengeance only out of respect for their father. They project disaster, fabricate a deathbed message, and fall before Joseph in dread Genesis 50:15-17. Joseph weeps and answers with one of Scripture's great declarations: "Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people" Genesis 50:20.

Joseph not only reassures them—he lifts their eyes to the bigger picture. When fear traps us in "what if" loops, God repeatedly draws us back to His sovereign purposes. Ephesians 1 does precisely this, pulling us back before the foundation of the world to God's electing love. Whatever the future holds, God is sovereign, we belong to Him, and our heavenly home is secured. From that vantage point we can face every uncertainty.

Clinging to the Promise

Joseph dies at 110, charging his brothers, "God will surely come to you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob… you shall carry up my bones from here" Genesis 50:24-26. Four hundred years later, Moses keeps that oath Exodus 13:19, and Joseph's bones are finally laid to rest at Shechem Joshua 24:32. His embalmed body became an object lesson preached across centuries: Joseph believed God's promise.

Genesis measures time generation by generation—Adam, Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph. We belong to a generation living after the Messiah has come and looking forward to His return. Like the saints before us, we are called to cling to the promises and view every detail of life through the lens of the bigger picture. May the Lord come quickly; and if He tarries, may we be found faithful.

Transcript

Well, good morning, and welcome to, welcome to Holy Week, what a fantastic time this is 2s

in the life of the community, in the life of the church, isn't it? 9s

And what a wonderful time to study God's Word. 12s

Let's pray together. 15s

Gracious Heavenly Father, we give you thanks for your goodness, for your grace. 17s

We thank you for your Word, inerrant and infallible. 20s

We thank you for the solid bedrock of your Word upon which we can stand. 26s

And so, Father, as we come now to the concluding verses of Genesis, we not only praise you for this 32s

great book, but we praise you for the God that you are in Jesus' name. 39s

Amen. 45s

We studied last week one of the most beautiful chapters I think of of all of scripture. 46s

And that was chapter 40, 45. 51s

Remember, Joseph had the authority to make his brothers pay. 53s

Make his brothers pay for what they had done, but instead of making them pay, he forgives 59s

them. 64s

We studied that Word of forgive. 65s

It means to send away. 67s

We talked about what forgiveness is not. 69s

It is not condoning someone's words or actions. 72s

It is not reconciliation. 79s

That's a different thing. 81s

It is not forgetting for the only one that can truly forget is God. 83s

We talked about how forgiveness is a lifelong process, and it is only in the power of God 90s

that we are able to forgive. 97s

We took a look also at how God does not will evil. 100s

He does not desire it, but when he does permit it, he always causes it to serve his purpose. 104s

So today we turn now to chapters 46 to 50, as we conclude the study in Genesis. 113s

But let's pick up in Genesis 45, because that helps remind us of the stage that's being 121s

set. 127s

So Genesis 45 will pick up in verse 25. 128s

So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan, and 136s

they told him, Joseph is still alive. 141s

He is even ruler over all the land of Egypt. 145s

He was stunned. 149s

He could not believe them. 150s

But when they told him all the words of Joseph that he had said to them, and when he 152s

saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 157s

Israel said, enough, my son Joseph is still alive. 164s

I must go and see him before I die. 169s

That sets up now, 46. 176s

Verse 1. 179s

When Israel set out on his journey with all that he had and came to Bershiva, he offered 181s

sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 187s

God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, Jacob, Jacob. 191s

And he said, here I am. 196s

Then he said, I am God, the God of your father, do not be afraid to go down to Egypt. 199s

For I will make of you a great nation there. 205s

I myself will go down with you to Egypt. 208s

And I will also bring you up again. 212s

And Joseph's own hand shall close your eyes. 215s

God appears here to Jacob just as he appeared to Abraham and also to Isaac. 220s

And there's a threefold promise here, isn't there? 228s

That he would be with him, that he would make him a great nation, and that he would bring him back to Canaan. 232s

This harps back and it parallels here the message that was given to Abraham. 241s

Remember, way back when, when we were in Genesis chapter 12, let's go there, please. 247s

Genesis 12 verses 1 to 3, and here the echoes of what God has just told to Jacob. 252s

Back in Genesis 12, picking up in verse 1. 260s

Now the Lord said to Abraham, go from your country and your kindred and your father's house 264s

to the land that I'll show you. 269s

I'll make of you a great nation. 270s

I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. 272s

I will bless those who bless you and the one who curses you, I will curse. 277s

And in you, all the families of the earth shall be blessed. 282s

Also parallels the message given to Isaac in Genesis 26. 288s

Let's go to 26 verse 24, please. 294s

Genesis 26 verse 24. 298s

And that very night the Lord appeared to him and said, 306s

I am the God of your father, Abraham, do not be afraid for I'm with you and will bless you 311s

and make your offspring numerous for my servant, Abraham's sake. 317s

So he built an altar there, called on the name of the Lord, pitched his tent there and 324s

their Isaac's servant, Doug, A. Well. 328s

So this threefold promise that comes to Jacob, you hear echoes of it, don't you? 333s

You hear echoes going back to Abraham. 338s

You hear echoes going back to Isaac. 340s

And we see in this promise the family is going to endure the lifeline to the Messiah 344s

is going to endure and the Messiah, the seed of Abraham, will be born. 352s

Okay? 362s

Let's go to 47 now, verse 8, 47 verse 8. 363s

Pharaoh said to Jacob, how many are the years of your life? 374s

Jacob said to Pharaoh, the years of my earthly soldier in our 130, few and hard have been the years of my life. 380s

They do not compare with the years of the life of my ancestors during their long soldier. 391s

Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 398s

Abraham lived to be 175, Isaac lived to be 180, Jacob winds up living to be 147. 405s

And he describes his life here as a troubled pilgrimage, a troubled pilgrimage. 415s

That can be said of every believer. 423s

That can be said of every believer. 426s

Let's go to Hebrews the 11th chapter. 430s

Hebrews chapter 11. 433s

Hebrews chapter 11, verse 13. 450s

All of these died in faith without having received the promises. 458s

But from a distance they saw and greeted them. 463s

They confessed that they were strangers and foreigners on the earth. 467s

For people who speak in this way make it clear that they are seeking a homeland. 474s

If they had been thinking of the land that they had left behind, they would have had opportunity to return. 479s

But as it is, they desire a better country, that is a heavenly one. 485s

Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God indeed. 491s

He has prepared a city for them. 495s

You see the understanding of when we walk this side of heaven, we're foreigners, we're aliens, we're strangers. 500s

This is not home. 509s

It's not home. 513s

One author I won't mention his name as I don't want you to read his book. 518s

Talks about how to have your best life now. 524s

I'm really glad you reacted that way. 530s

I really am because you immediately hear what's the matter with that. 532s

If we're going to have our best life now, we don't have eyes on heaven. 538s

We don't understand the sinfulness of our condition and the sinfulness of the world. 545s

Is there joy in life? Of course there is. 552s

But is life full of suffering and hardship and difficulty? 556s

Do we see sin constantly in all of our lives? Absolutely. 561s

Is this home? No, it's not. It's no, it's not. 566s

We are here to serve God. We're here to serve one another and in so doing we serve God. 571s

And then when the allotted time that God has apportioned for us has concluded, 577s

the Lord takes us then by His grace, home. 583s

That's the promise for the believer. 587s

When we're done with the work that He's given us to do, then He takes us home. 590s

And what beautiful word to hear, then well done, good and faithful servant. 596s

That's all we want to hear. That's all we want to hear. 603s

And that characterizes our life. 606s

We're aliens and we're strangers on this earth. 609s

Our eyes are lifted to the trouble-free eternity with God in our heavenly mansion. 613s

Let's go to Genesis now, 47, verse 27. 621s

Genesis 47, 27. 626s

This is real. Remember that's Jacob's new name. 639s

Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt in the region of Goshen. 642s

And they gained possessions in it and were fruitful and multiplied exceedingly. 647s

Jacob lived in the land of Egypt 17 years, so the days of Jacob, 654s

the years of his life were 147 years. 658s

So here now that people are residing in Egypt. 666s

And I think of 1 Peter, chapter 2. 670s

Let's go there. Please go to find 1 Peter in the New Testament. 673s

Is to go to Revelation, then start working left. 676s

And you're going to bump into 1 Peter. 681s

1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 9. 683s

And I think these would be appropriate words for an admonition to give to Jacob's family, 693s

as they now are residing in Egypt. 700s

1 Peter, chapter 2, verse 9. 705s

But you're a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, 707s

God's own people. In order that, you may proclaim the mighty acts of him who called you out of darkness 712s

into his marvelous light. 719s

Once you were not a people, but now you are God's people, once you had not received mercy, 722s

but now you have received mercy. 727s

Beloved, I urge you as aliens and exiles to abstain from the desires of the flesh 730s

that wage war against the soul. 737s

Conduct yourselves honorably among the Gentiles so that, though they malign you as evil doers, 741s

they may see your honorable deeds and glorify God when he comes to judge. 748s

For the Lord's sake, accept the authority of every human institution, 754s

whether the emperor as supreme or of governors as sent by him to punish those who do wrong 758s

and to praise those who do right. 763s

For it is God's will that by doing right, you should silence the ignorance of the foolish 767s

as servants of God live as free people, yet do not use your freedom as a pretext for evil. 772s

Honor everyone. Love the family of believers. Fear God. Honor the emperor. 781s

I think that would be an appropriate admonition. 788s

If you could give that to Jacob and his family. 791s

Honor God, avoid pagan influence. Set an example. 796s

So here the people of God are residing in Egypt and it is an opportunity then for them to show themselves as God's people. 803s

We have that same call, don't we? Have the same call. 811s

As we are strangers, as we are aliens, or we are away from our home which is heaven itself. 818s

We have the same call to honor God, avoid pagan influence and set an example. 825s

I read some articles not too long ago about what are called the nuns, not NUNS, but N-O-N-E-S. 833s

Of those in our society that are increasingly identifying themselves with no affiliation to Christianity. 848s

It is so interesting listening to people also. 861s

You are hearing more and more that people are being turned off by the actions of those supposedly that name the name of Christ. 866s

They are being turned off by their words, they are being turned off by their actions. 881s

If that is a Christian, I don't want anything to do with them. 890s

What are they seeing? 896s

They are seeing in many quarters those who are on one hand holding to the proclamation that Jesus is Savior and Lord. 898s

And at the same time, speaking the same type of language in tone and sometimes in actual words that is no different than the secular society. 910s

Of acting not as the humble servant Jesus who glorifies the Father but with a bravado that has separated their faith from their walk with the Lord. 926s

And people are looking at that and saying, if that is what a Christian is, I don't want anything to do with it. 944s

Because the world watches us every single day, doesn't it? 958s

It watches what we say and what we do. 962s

Are we going to be perfect? Absolutely not. Are we going to fall short? 966s

Yes, every day. 970s

But the world sees an ark in our life and sees who it is that we claim to follow and how important it is as we live in Egypt. 973s

As we are away from our homeland, that we be the witness in word indeed that will glorify in the end Christ. 992s

The question I think that constantly ask ourselves is, do those words bring glory to you, God? 1005s

Do those words, do those actions bring glory to you? 1013s

Because we witness constantly by what we say and by what we don't say, by what we do and by what we don't do. 1022s

And we are seeing because of words and actions of those that proclaim to be followers of Christ, people being turned away from the church and say, I don't want to be like that. 1032s

And I don't see any difference. 1051s

Let's go on. 1055s

Chapter 48, verse 21. 1058s

Genesis 48, 21. 1063s

Then Israel said to Joseph, I'm about to die, but God will be with you and will bring you again to the land of your ancestors. 1072s

I now give to you one portion more than to your brothers, the portion that I took from the hand of the Amorites with my sword and with my bow. 1080s

In 49, you see that Jacob calls his sons around and he tells them what will happen in the days ahead. 1090s

The most significant blessing is the one that is given to Judah. 1099s

Judah is singled out as the bearer of the lifeline. 1104s

It's through this line that the Messiah is going to come forth. 1109s

Judah's line gives rise to David. 1113s

David's line then gives rise to Christ. 1118s

Okay, let's go to chapter 50 now. 1123s

Then Joseph threw himself on his father's face and wept over him and kissed him. 1130s

Joseph commanded the physicians in his service to embomb his father. 1138s

So the physicians embombed Israel. 1143s

They spent 40 days in doing this for that is the time required for embaming. 1146s

And the Egyptians wept for him, 70 days. 1153s

When the days of weeping for him were passed, Joseph addressed the household of Pharaoh. 1159s

If now I have found favor with you, please speak to Pharaoh as follows. 1164s

My father made me swear an oath. 1169s

He said, I'm about to die in the tomb that I hud out. 1171s

I'm about to die in the tomb that I hud out for myself in the land of Kena. 1175s

There you shall bury me. 1179s

Now therefore, let me go up so that I may bury my father then I will return. 1181s

Pharaoh answered, go up and bury your father as he made you swear to do. 1187s

Egypt had very sophisticated procedures for embombing of the dead. 1195s

And Pharaoh recognizes here the final wish of Jacob. 1201s

When you get into verses 7 to 13, you see there's a reference to chariots and horses. 1208s

That is really a military escort that Pharaoh has sent here. 1216s

This is really an official farewell from the state here that is being given to him. 1222s

Jump down though into verse 15. 1231s

Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph's brothers said, 1235s

what if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him? 1241s

So now there's this development here of another theory here, right? 1256s

Has Joseph given them any indication? That's the case? 1260s

Absolutely not. 1265s

But they start to project here and say, 1267s

father is dead. 1271s

What if father here was the buffer here? 1273s

Maybe he was being nice to us only because of our father. 1279s

He's gone now and will our lives be in danger? 1285s

And fear comes about. 1290s

Will Joseph exact a punishment now that the father has died? 1293s

Remember, or reminded of a man by the name of Kevin Tennell, 1301s

he was convicted of manslaughter for drunk driving. 1305s

He was 17, the girl that he struck by the car and died was 18. 1309s

And the family sued him for $1.5 million, but they settled for $936 to be paid $1 at a time. 1316s

Every Friday for 18 years has a reminder to him of what he had done. 1333s

The family had to take him to court four times for failure to pay. 1343s

And the man was just absolutely tormented by the reminders here of the girls' death. 1351s

He offered the family two boxes of checks to make the payment, to cover the payment and they refused. 1359s

The family wanted him to be reminded every single Friday for 18 years. 1369s

Now, we can get into a whole subject about using that example about forgiveness. 1381s

We won't go that way. 1386s

I raised that because what's in the mind here of the brothers? 1388s

Is Joseph going to turn here now? 1394s

And is he going to exact punishment? 1397s

So, the brothers put in to place their plan, verse 16. 1403s

So they approached Joseph saying, 1407s

Your father gave this instruction before he died. 1409s

Say to Joseph, I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you. 1412s

Now, therefore, please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father. 1419s

Now, are they lying here? 1427s

Or is this true? 1430s

We don't know because it's not referenced in Scripture. 1431s

Whether or not what they're saying is true or they're simply making this up. 1435s

Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 1442s

Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him and said, 1445s

We are here as your slaves. 1448s

But Joseph said to them, 1452s

Do not be afraid. 1454s

Am I in the place of God? 1456s

Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good in order to preserve a numerous people as he is doing today. 1459s

So have no fear. 1469s

I myself will provide for you and your little ones. 1471s

In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them. 1475s

Isn't it fascinating how the brothers here after the death of Jacob wonder whether or not Joseph is going to turn on them. 1483s

Have you ever had fear born of the what if projections in your mind? 1495s

You know, the ability to look ahead and to anticipate that can be that can be bane or blessing can't it, right? 1503s

It can be a wonderful thing to be able to look ahead and to say, 1510s

You know, this needs to be addressed or this question needs to be addressed or this is a possible reaction that can occur here. 1514s

What needs to be done on that? 1521s

Well, that can be a blessing. 1524s

It can be a bane if one looks ahead and then starts to live in fear and starts to wonder, 1526s

Well, what happens if this happens and then this might happen and then, oh my goodness, this is going to happen. 1535s

And then all of a sudden you're living in the what ifs instead of the promises that God has given us to fear not? 1541s

Just as the brothers projected ahead so also can we. 1552s

But what did Joseph do to his brothers? 1558s

Joseph not only reassured his brothers, but also he lifted their eyes. 1560s

He lifted their eyes and called them to see the bigger picture, 20 again. 1568s

Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good in order to preserve a numerous people as he is doing today. 1575s

He lifts them to the bigger picture. 1586s

God constantly lifts us to the bigger picture. 1590s

One of my favorite portions of scripture is the first chapter of Ephesians. 1596s

And if you've been in the hospital, I may very well have shared this with you. 1602s

Because I think it's important to constantly lift us to the bigger picture. 1608s

Because when we're lifted to the bigger picture, we then look back on the circumstances of what's going on in our lives with surety and by God's grace. 1615s

Ephesians 1 pulls you back to the very before the very foundations of the world when God elected his own. 1624s

Well, since God has elected you his own here, whatever we go through then this side of heaven is seen in light of his election and his grace upon us. 1632s

That's what Joseph's doing here. 1645s

He's pulling him back to the big picture. 1646s

Of God who is at work with his covenant promises. 1649s

God who is at work building a nation. 1653s

God who is at work preparing a people for the promised land. 1655s

God who is at work that will bring forth the Messiah. 1659s

And God continually pulls us back to the bigger picture. 1664s

When we get caught in those times when we are projecting forward and we're starting to live in fear and we're getting lost in the fear loop. 1668s

Because this door opens up to this door. 1678s

Read Ephesians 1 and that pulls us back to his promises. 1682s

And we know that whatever the future holds, God is still sovereign and in control and we belong to Him. 1688s

In our heavenly home is secured for us that we've been claimed in the waters of baptism. 1697s

He pulls us back to the bigger picture and then we can enter into all of the uncertainty that we live in each and every day. 1704s

Like his great grandfather Abraham, Joseph believed the promises and he was content to wait on God. 1715s

He clung to the big picture. 1725s

Okay, verse 22. 1731s

So Joseph remained in Egypt. 1734s

He and his father's household. 1736s

And Joseph lived 110 years. 1739s

Joseph saw Ephraim's children of the third generation. 1743s

The children of Makir, son of Manasseh, were also born on Joseph's knees. 1746s

Then Joseph said to his brothers, I'm about to die. 1752s

The God will surely come to you and bring you up out of this land to the land that he swore to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. 1755s

So Joseph made the Israelites swear saying, when God comes to you, you shall carry up my bones from here. 1764s

And Joseph died being 110 years old. 1773s

He was embombed and placed in a coffin in Egypt. 1776s

Okay. 1782s

400 years later, let's go to Exodus chapter 13. 1785s

Exodus chapter 13, Genesis in the Exodus, Exodus 13 verse 19. 1791s

And Moses took with him the bones of Joseph who had required a solemn oath of the Israelites saying, God will surely take notice of you. 1805s

And then you must carry my bones with you from here. 1819s

Let's go to Joshua 24, Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers, then Joshua. 1824s

Genesis Exodus Leviticus numbers, the Deuteronomy Joshua, Joshua 24 verse 32. 1836s

And here's how the end book of Joshua ends. 1845s

The bones of Joseph, which the Israelites had brought up from Egypt, were buried at Shechem in the portion of ground that Jacob had bought from the children of Hemorrh, the father of Shechem, for 100 pieces of money, became an inheritance of the descendants of Joseph. 1850s

Joseph's embombed body, then, was an ongoing object lesson for the people across the centuries. 1871s

That Joseph believed God in his promises that his body was going to be buried in Kena. 1884s

And that object lesson from that embombed Joseph here, it preached for all of those centuries. 1893s

Joseph lived the promise and he believed the promise, and that is our call to, isn't it? 1907s

The first 25 chapters of Genesis, God's patiently protecting the people for the lifetime to come. 1919s

We studied the story of Jacob and Esau. Jacob was just a rascal, wasn't he? 1926s

We don't deserve God's love, it's all his choice and his mercy. 1935s

We talked about the relationship of Jacob and his uncle, Laban, Jacob marrying Leah and Rachel, and amidst all this sinful dysfunction, God yet is still at work. 1940s

We've seen how there's no hint of softening harsh realities in Genesis, and that God did not abandon the violent world. 1954s

We talked about the jealousy of Jacob's boys to his brothers. 1963s

We talked about how God, by his grace, makes Joseph the second most powerful person in the world. 1969s

And Joseph forgives. 1979s

We've seen Adam's generation, Noah's generation, Isaac's generation, Jacob's generation. 1983s

And we've seen that Genesis measures time, one generation to another. 1992s

And so here we are, this generation, we live in the days after the Messiah prophesied long ago, has come. 2001s

We live in the days, anticipating and looking forward to his return. 2014s

And like the people of old, let us cling to the promises, cling to the promises. 2022s

May the Lord come today, if He terries, let us be found faithful to Him, faithful to Him, and cling to the promise, the big picture, 2030s

and see all of the details of our lives through the lens of the big picture. 2048s

Well, two weeks from today, Pastor Maloneck is going to begin a class on the book of Revelation, 2056s

what an incredibly interesting book, a book that is quite misunderstood. 2062s

And so she's going to examine that two weeks from today, beginning a study of Revelation. God bless. 2069s

Thank you. 2083s