Life is a Pilgrimage

IIT UBF - University Bible Fellowship at IIT

Life is a Pilgrimage

Date: Jul. 14, 2015

Passage

Genesis 47:1-12 (ESV)

1 So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” 2 And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” 4 They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” 5 Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. 6 The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

7 Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father’s household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

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Daily Bread

Key Verse: 47:9

And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.”

First, keep your humble jobs (1-6). Joseph did not misuse power and wealth to put his brothers on government payroll (nepotism) or give them easy palace jobs. Rather, he had them keep working as humble shepherds, their lifelong occupation. Shepherds were despised by Egyptians. So they lived in Goshen, a good pasture land, but separate from the Egyptian people, where they would increase greatly.

Second, Jacob's pilgrimage (7-12). Joseph introduced his father to Pharaoh. Jacob blessed (or greeted) Pharaoh. Pharaoh was curious how old Jacob was. He was 130, but he called his years "few and difficult," and not equal to his fathers. He also called his life a pilgrimage. Indeed, life is a journey. This world is not our permanent home, but a temporary dwelling place; we're just passing through. Abraham knew this and looked forward to heaven (Heb 11:9,16). Peter called his body a "tent" (2Pe 1:13).

Prayer: Lord, you are the strength and guide of my life journey. Help me live humbly, not grabbing the world, but seeking your kingdom and glory.

One Word: I am on a pilgrimage to God

Joseph Before Pharaoh

Genesis 41:1-36

Key Verse: 41:28

It is as I told Pharaoh; God has shown to Pharaoh what he is about to do.

Today's Question

How did God create man?

See answer and references