Sojourning in Egypt

my life has not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.

So the brothers are sojourning in Egypt. Jacob says he's been sojourning his whole life. And he says Abraham and Isaac were sojourners too. As Don read to us from Hebrews, it says,

by faith Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived in tents as in a foreign land and confessed that they were strangers and exiles on the earth.

They embraced a life of sojourning because they lived a life of faith. As Hebrews also goes on to say,

had they been thinking of the land from which they had come out, they would have had every opportunity to return.

They could have gone back to Haran or Uz, but instead they lived in tents as men who desired a better country, that is, a heavenly one. And therefore, a question we must ask ourselves today is, do you desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one? Not just in the sense of, do you want to go to heaven when you die? I mean, who doesn't want that? But in the sense of, Do you yearn for the presence of God and his eternal dwelling in such a way that you can't settle here? You won't settle here. You refuse to call this world home. You're a sojourner, leaving everything else behind so that you can follow Christ and seek the promised land. And as you do so, I mean, do you find yourself a stranger in this world? having a whole different culture, a different way of life, different priorities, different customs, different objectives, because you belong to a kingdom not of this world. The main message for us today is simple, live as a sojourner. Because if we're Christians, that's what we are. It's how we must live. And as we study this passage from Genesis 46 and 47, we're going to learn some important lessons for how to do that. That's what we see Jacob and his family doing in Egypt, and it shows us how we can live as sojourners ourselves. So we're going to draw these lessons as we walk through the three major sections in the text. There's Joseph's plan, there's Pharaoh's response, and there's Jacob's blessing. So let's look first at Joseph's plan. This is verses 31 through 34, Joseph's plan. Now, as we saw last week, Joseph's family has just arrived in the land of Goshen. They had left the promised land, the land of Canaan, and made the journey to Egypt, where Joseph had promised to provide for them during the famine. Now, Goshen was probably located in the eastern delta of the Nile, so it's right there on the side of Egypt closest to Canaan, and it was a good and a fertile land, a perfect place for shepherds. especially in a time of drought and famine. And this is also the land that Joseph had already picked out for them. When Joseph first revealed himself to his brothers back in chapter 45, he had already said,

you shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and I will provide for you there.

So this has been his plan all along. In fact, even before revealing himself to his brothers, he was already looking forward to his family coming to Egypt. He was already scanning the land of Egypt, thinking about where should I settle them? And he had selected Goshen as the perfect spot. But now that they've arrived, we find that there's another step. It seems that Joseph needs to formally inform Pharaoh that they've come, and he needs to secure official permission for them to settle in Goshen. And at first you might assume, well, that should be easy because Pharaoh is very favorable to them. He's already said you can have the best of the land. What's the issue? Well, Joseph seems to anticipate a possible complication. And notice the rather confusing logic of verse 34. All right, so Joseph has told his brothers, I'm gonna tell Pharaoh that you've come and that you're shepherds. Then Pharaoh's gonna ask you, what is your occupation? And you shall say,

your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers. in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.

" So in other words, Pharaoh hates shepherds. So tell him that you're shepherds so that he'll give you the best land. Now, what's going on there? What is the logic at work? What sort of plan is Joseph hatching? Well, let's start with the question, why are shepherds an abomination or detestable to Egyptians. And scholars aren't exactly sure why, but it's not because they hated sheep. Egyptians had sheep. Apparently they called them little cattle. And also the word shepherd isn't even specific to sheep. It just means a keeper of livestock in general. It doesn't seem like shepherds were abominable to Egyptians because of sheep specifically, nor does it seem they were that way for some moral or religious reason. Because notice that even Pharaoh himself has flocks and herds that he needs shepherds for. When you get to the next chapter in verse 6, he invites Joseph to put his brothers in charge of his own livestock. So the Egyptians themselves had shepherds and used them. But most likely, their aversion was a social or practical thing. It seems that shepherding was just looked down on as lowly, demeaning, and probably a downright gross thing to do. Interestingly, one of the things we know about Egyptian culture is that hygiene was highly valued. One encyclopedia says,

in ancient Egypt, personal hygiene was an important cultural value. The Egyptians bathed daily, shaved their heads to prevent lice or other problems, and regularly used cosmetics, perfumes, and breath mints.

So apparently they liked to be clean and smell nice. Now contrast that for a minute with the life of a shepherd. I mean, someone who's out working with livestock every day, sweaty, dirty, grimy. I mean, as I've heard said,

a good shepherd smells like his sheep.

And all it takes is one step inside a barn to be reminded of just how thick and strong that smell is. And this would have been all the more true thousands of years ago. These shepherds are not bathing regularly. They're not even changing their clothes. They got like one pair. And they're out there in like thick wool garments. If our modern day moisture wicking, odor reducing fabrics can still smell as bad as they sometimes do, I mean just think about what it's like living in a wool garment that's just absorbing. All the stench. I mean, this is what they're wrestling and shearing sheep in. They're helping animals give birth. They're nursing sick animals. They're burying dead ones. They're getting blood, guts, sweat, manure, all kinds of stuff on their clothes. And it's just being absorbed in. I mean, these are hairy, grisly, rugged men that you could probably smell from a mile away. And when you think about it that way, it actually makes a lot of sense why the Egyptians refused to eat with them. Remember back in chapter 43 when Joseph has them to his house? Well, Joseph eats by himself probably because he's the exalted ruler, but the Egyptians would not eat with the Hebrews. And frankly, eating with people who smell like livestock would probably be hard for most of us as well. So if that's the reason why shepherds were an abomination to Egyptians, why then does Joseph want his brothers to emphasize this fact to Pharaoh? And why would this help secure for them the land of Goshen? Well, I think the key is because Joseph realizes that Pharaoh's eagerness to bless his family could also prove to be their undoing. You see, Pharaoh's idea of the best of the land and Joseph's idea of the best of the land aren't necessarily the same. Pharaoh probably has in mind giving them land much closer to the Egyptian capital, much better in the eyes of Egyptians. He may want to give them high positions, blessing them in ways that an Egyptian would. But Joseph knows that that would mean integration into Egyptian society. It could easily scatter his family, undermine their commitment and loyalty to one another. It would increase his descendants' temptation to go after Egyptian gods. and to grow to love the treasures of Egypt more than the promised land. It would mean losing their identity as shepherds, an occupation they will one day need when they return to Canaan. You see, Joseph wants his family to remain separate and distinct. And once again, as Joseph has demonstrated throughout, he is a brilliant planner. He knows how to think things through carefully and use his position to work things out just right. And so he tells his brothers, emphasize the fact that you're shepherds because then Pharaoh will not want you to live close to him. And he will know the other Egyptians will not want you living close to them. And yet Pharaoh at the same time, because of his generosity and his desire to bless us, he will gladly give us the very best land for shepherds, which is the land of Goshen, a well-watered land, a less populated land. A land that will be for us like a little oasis and sanctuary where Israel's descendants can live and grow and multiply away from the primary spheres of Egyptian influence. So that's Joseph's plan. And I think this teaches us two important lessons about living as sojourners ourselves. The first would be, be shrewd. Be shrewd. Now shrewd means to show practical cleverness, to be astute, to deal in ways that take full advantage of the opportunities presented to you. And I point this out because this is not something that we as Christians often think about. I think we tend to want to focus on simplicity, honesty, integrity, as we should. And being shrewd can almost strike us as a worldly thing, unspiritual. You know, not a godly virtue to seek. And it's certainly true that shrewdness can be exemplified just as much by a villain as by a hero. I mean, shrewdness is not good in and of itself. But when it's coupled with virtue, shrewdness actually very much is something we should seek. I mean, Jesus himself says,

be wise as serpents and gentle as doves.

In other words, pursue shrewdness with a dove-like touch. In fact, it seems that Jesus himself was at times disappointed by his own disciples' lack of shrewdness. For example, he tells a parable in Luke 16 about this dishonest manager. And the manager has been doing a bad job, so he knows he's about to get fired. And so this manager quickly goes around to all of his master's debtors and cuts them really good deals. And he does this to ingratiate himself to them because it no longer matters to him how much money his master gets. All that matters to him is that when he gets fired, he has a place to go. And so he leverages his position to do a favor to these debtors so that then these debtors might do a favor to him. And then Jesus says, when his master found out what he'd done, the master commended him for his shrewdness. In other words, the man had very cleverly used his position to benefit his own selfish ends. And then Jesus says,

for the sons of this world are more shrewd in their dealing with their own generation than the sons of light.

And I take that as a lament. I think Jesus is lamenting the fact that worldly people are often more shrewd in pursuing their worldly ends than his people are in pursuing the ends of the kingdom of heaven. You see, the point is how sad it is when businessmen or politicians or military generals are more determined to secure their victories and the advancement of their cause than we are to secure the advancement of the kingdom. I mean, how sad it is when they are more strategic, more thoughtful, more calculating, more determined to figure out a way to capitalize on their positions and their resources than we are when it comes to our own spiritual growth and the spread of the gospel. See, Jesus actually wants us to be shrewd. And that's actually absolutely necessary for us when we're living as sojourners in a world where we have radically different aims and agendas than the world around us. I mean, it's not like Joseph could have just gone to Pharaoh and said, well, you know, we're God's holy people, so we can't mix with you all, so that's why we need the land of Goshen. He had to be shrewd to use his position well, and what an example Joseph is to us. I mean, he must have spent many nights just laying in bed thinking, planning, wondering, how can I utilize this amazing position God has given me for my family's good? I mean, what thoughtfulness, what effort went into this? Matthew Henry comments,

there was a time when Joseph's brothers were contriving to get rid of him. Now Joseph is contriving to settle them to their satisfaction and advantage.

He's contriving, he's working, he's plotting for their good. And he's like that shrewd manager from the parable, but in a beautiful, godly sort of way. His shrewdness is motivated by love, and it's guided by integrity. You notice that Joseph doesn't do anything underhanded or deceptive. It's like he tricks Pharaoh, and yet he so wisely orchestrates things to guide the situation for his family's good. And this got me thinking, what might this look like in our lives? I mean, what if we were up late, laying on our beds, thinking of ways to get the gospel to people who haven't heard it. You're thinking about how could we better use our time, our money, our gifts, our resources to advance the cause that God has given us. I'm certainly not the best example of this, but I remember at one time trying to figure out how do we start a ministry in Southwood? And I was like, well, people often get the wrong idea if you just go door to door. So how do I meet people? And so I just started going on jogs through the neighborhood and just met people. And even to this day, some of the friends we have there were people I just happened to meet. They're like, wow, you look thirsty. Do you need a drink of water? And we struck up a conversation. I invited him to play soccer. It's how it started. I mean, sometimes we have to be creative in initiating things. What if, like Joseph, we spent more time thinking years ahead? preparing and planning for what's not even here yet. I mean, praise God for the Fry Spring Baptist Mission back in 1960 that formed the church, bought this land, and built this building. I mean, if they hadn't done that then when this was just a country lane, there's no way we would ever be able to afford this now. I mean, these days, every church plan I know gets forced outside city limits. And yet, praise God that because of what they did 60 years ago, we have this wonderful area, this plot of land that we can steward and from which we can proclaim the gospel. I hope in some ways that would encourage us as we think about building renovations in our own day. What if we were more intentional in our discipleship? You know, realizing that no matter how busy we are, no matter how insignificant our efforts may seem, I mean, if you only disciple one person, but then they disciple someone, and another, and another, what an extraordinary impact we could have if we were all faithful, if we were all working together. So, brothers and sisters, let us learn from Joseph here to be strategic, thoughtful, and shrewd. as we strive to fulfill the mission Christ has given us. And then a second thing we learn here about living as sojourners is that we're called to be holy. I mean, Joseph knew that his family needed to remain separate and distinct. And you see, the moment a sojourner ceases to be holy, he ceases to really be a sojourner at all. I mean, if you assimilate, you're making this your home. And it's just a matter of time before you act like the world, talk like the world, think like the world, and love the world. Listen to what 2 Corinthians 6 says.

Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness? What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever? What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said, I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. Therefore, go out from their midst and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing. Then I will welcome you, and I will be a father to you, and you shall be my sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.

" Well, friends, God is inviting us to be his holy people. But we cannot belong to him and to the world at the same time. We have to be holy. We have to be separate. We may live in the world, but we must not be of the world. And it should be just as obvious that we are Christian as it would have been to the Egyptians that Jacob's family wasn't Egyptian. They were Hebrew, they were distinct, they were holy. To put this another way, the aroma of holiness should follow us just as closely as the stench of shepherding followed them. Paul says in 2 Corinthians 2,

for we are the aroma of Christ to God among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. To one a fragrance from death to death, to the other a fragrance from life. to life.

You see, your holiness will be just as offensive to some as the Hebrews' shepherding was to the Egyptians. But we're sojourners. We belong to a different world. We cannot live for the applause of the world around us. As John Calvin said of these Hebrew shepherds,

so the Lord often permits us to be despised or rejected by the world that being liberated and cleansed from its pollution, we may cultivate holiness.

And friends, sometimes the rejection of the world is the very best thing for our own spiritual growth. And so as as sojourners, may holiness characterize the way we talk, the way we act, the things we prioritize, the way we relate to one another. so that in all things we may display the holiness of Christ. So be shrewd, be holy. Those are two things we learned from Joseph's plan. Let's turn now to the second section of the story, which is Pharaoh's response. So number two, Pharaoh's response. This is chapter 47, verses one through six. And here we find that Joseph goes and speaks to Pharaoh just as he said. He informs him that his family has come with their flocks and herds, and then he presents five of his brothers to Pharaoh. And all sorts of reasons are speculated why he picked five and which five these would have been, but all that really matters is to understand that Joseph is doing what he knows is wise and what he knows would be appropriate for the Egyptian court. Well then, just as Joseph predicts, Pharaoh asks his brothers, what is your occupation? That's interesting because Joseph has just told him, well, they brought their flocks and herds, you know, hint, they're shepherds. And yet this is probably to figure out, number one, where should they live? And number two, how committed are they to staying with that occupation? Might they be open to changing it? And then just as Joseph instructs, his brothers respond,

your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were. 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.

" So notice a few things about this response. First, notice how respectful they are. Three times they refer to themselves as your servants. So they're acknowledging Pharaoh's authority. They're humbling, volunteering their service to him. Second, notice how boldly they identify as shepherds. In spite of knowing the Egyptians find shepherds detestable, they say, we're shepherds. We've always been shepherds. Our fathers were shepherds. We intend to go on shepherding. It's almost like they're wearing as a badge of honor on their chest something that would have been shameful in the eyes of the Egyptians. Third, notice that they describe themselves as sojourners. They're making clear we are not nomads looking for a permanent home here in Egypt. We're sojourners, planning to stay here only for a time. And then fourth, notice that they asked to live in Goshen specifically. And this makes sense because Joseph has already brought them to see Goshen. So it doesn't seem to Pharaoh like this is all Joseph's idea. No, they have seen Goshen. They're saying this would be the perfect place for us. So they make a direct request. And Pharaoh responds to this quite kindly and favorably. He says to Joseph,

your father and your brothers have come to you. 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 of course, internally, Pharaoh's probably thinking, this is perfect. You know, it got awkward when they talked about having shepherds, but they asked for Goshen. That's great. It's a good safe distance from us. And then the Pharaoh adds, if any of them are able men or if they're good shepherds, put them over my livestock. So again, he's eager to show kindness to them, offering them a very good job. He's also probably thinking, you know, if they can shepherd as well as Joseph has run the nation, I mean, I'm going to be greatly blessed by this. And so once again, God is giving Jacob and Joseph and their family favor in Pharaoh's sight. Everything works out according to Joseph's plan, and now God has officially secured for them the perfect place to grow and multiply in the land of Goshen. Now, before we move on, what does this teach us about living as sojourners? What should we take from this? Well, I think there's two things again. Number one, honor governing authorities. I noted how respectful Joseph and his brothers are to Pharaoh, three times saying, we are your servants. And I think it's important for us to realize that being a sojourner doesn't absolve us from civic duty or the obligation to submit to governing authorities. We're called to be holy and distinct, but we're not above the law or able to be civically disengaged. I mean, you see, we're sojourners belonging to the kingdom of heaven, and yet we should still strive to be the very best citizens here on earth, the most respectful subjects, and the most humble servants for the public good. Listen, for example, to 1 Peter 2, a letter written to elect exiles. He says,

be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.

In other words, it seems that because we're sojourners, It's actually all the more important that we obey governing authorities. We're already different in many ways. We already stand out. We already don't fit in. So we will be viewed with suspicion. Our loyalties will be questioned. And Peter says, be subject so that by doing good, you may put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. who would seek to malign you, who would seek to discredit you, who would seek to paint you as revolutionaries, as villainous people undermining the public good. In other words, God is glorified and the kingdom of heaven is advanced when we obey and honor our earthly authorities. Now, of course, that's not to say there's never a time to resist, never a time to stand up and defend our rights. Or to protest? I mean, there certainly is. But I think we need to take to heart the fact that Joseph's brothers say to a man who was blasphemously worshipped as a god, they tell Pharaoh, we are your servants. I mean, could you say a thing like that? You know, do we resist authority when we resist authority? Do we do it for the honor of Christ? Or is it because we're just chafing under authority itself? Do we have this perspective, you know, I'm a sojourner, I belong to the kingdom of heaven, so I just want the government and our communities to just stay out of our business, out of our way, leave us alone. Or do we have a perspective that, no, God has us here and part of our calling is to actually offer ourselves humbly as servants for the public good? To love our nation, to love our community is one of the ways we can best glorify God while living as sojourners in this world. Now, second, I think this section shows us that we live as sojourners by owning our identity. Own your identity, right? Because paradoxically, as humbly as Joseph's brothers offer themselves as Pharaoh's servants, they just as boldly identified themselves as shepherds. They own an identity that was abominable on the side of the world, but one that was esteemed by God. I mean, think about it. The patriarchs were shepherds. Moses was a shepherd. King David was a shepherd. It was shepherds that God first called to come and see Jesus at his birth. Jesus himself identifies himself as our good shepherd. And you see this same sort of dynamic of things that are scorned by the world being valued before God will often be true of us today. I mean, homeschooling mom may not be a vocation that the world around us sees as noble or valuable or worthy of respect, but what a high calling in the sight of God. Construction worker may not win you esteem at dinner parties, But a man who does honest work with his own hands is infinitely greater in God's sight than a Wall Street banker who relies on unethical practices and, you know, slippery schemes. Church member, pastor, which means shepherd, deacon. I mean, these aren't titles that mean anything to the world. But what an honor it is for us to get to serve Christ Church. And so do we own our identity and the vocation to which God has called us? Or do we try to identify ourself in terms that would impress the world? Either by shying away from sharing who you really are, what you really do, or else by pursuing, feeling this pressure to pursue a career or a lifestyle that's aimed to impress. And most of all, do we own our identity as Christians? And of course, many in the world would despise the name Christian just as much as the Egyptians despised shepherds. But like Joseph's family, I mean, we should wear that as a badge of honor on our chest. What an honor to represent Christ in this world. I mean, like Moses, we should count the reproach of Christ of greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt by looking to the reward. Like the apostles, we should rejoice if we are counted worthy to suffer shame for the name. Because for us, bearing the name of Christ is where our true glory lies. See, we are sojourners with a totally different identity than the world around us. So let us own that identity, even as we strive to be the citizens and public servants in this world for good. So let us sojourners by being holy, being shrewd, honoring authorities, and owning your identity in Christ. And we've seen that as we've looked at Joseph's plan and then Pharaoh's response. Let's turn now to the third and final section of this morning's passage, which is Jacob's blessing. So number three, Jacob's blessing. This is verses seven through 10. And here we read that after Joseph presented his five brothers to Pharaoh, and he receives the official invitation for them to settle in Goshen, he brings in his father, Jacob. And it says, he stood him before Pharaoh. And on one hand, this shows Jacob's weakness. Apparently, he needed help even to stand. On the other, it shows Jacob's gravitas, because even Pharaoh shows him respect. Notice that he doesn't come before Pharaoh to bow. He doesn't come before Pharaoh to beg or to ask for anything. He comes before Pharaoh to bless. And he blesses him on the way in, and then he blesses him again in verse 10 on the way out. And evidently, Pharaoh received this blessing. And we're not told what exactly the blessing included, but it undoubtedly included some sort of proclamation of favor in the name of the one true God, the name of the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And of course, it shows extraordinary boldness to speak of this God in Pharaoh's court But perhaps even more so, it shows extraordinary boldness for Jacob to assert himself as the blesser of Pharaoh. You know, Hebrews 7, 7 says,

it is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior.

Jacob is asserting himself as the spiritually superior man. And Pharaoh may be the ruler of an empire, but Jacob is greater. in the eyes of God. And as a patriarch and as a prophet, Jacob is here mediating the fulfillment of the covenant promises of God. Remember, God had told Abraham,

I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you and him who dishonors you, I will curse. and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

" And you see, Jacob is now pronouncing that blessing on Pharaoh, right? Pharaoh had just blessed Abraham's family by giving them the land of Goshen. Now Jacob declares that God will bless him in response. And that doesn't mean that Pharaoh is saved. But it at least means his reign will be blessed. I mean, as you keep reading in the chapter, we find out that Pharaoh winds up with all the money, all the land, all the livestock, all the people as slaves, and the people are still singing his praises for it. I mean, he truly is blessed. And then Pharaoh asked Jacob a question. And he says, how old are you? And I think this reflects, on one hand, just the natural curiosity we all feel when we meet someone who's obviously very, very old. I think it also reflects the kind of respect we feel for the wisdom of someone who has lived so long, seen so much. And yet Jacob humbly deflects. He says,

I've lived 130 years, but few and evil have been the days of the years of my life.

" And they haven't even attained to the days of the years of my father's. You know, Abraham had lived to be 175, Isaac to 180. So Jacob's life was shorter than theirs. And though perhaps all three of them had lived much longer than any of the Egyptians were accustomed to living, yet Jacob says his days have been few and evil. It's just to say, ironically, if there's anything Jacob's long life has taught him, it's how short life really is. See, Jacob was a man who knew knew by experience all flesh is grass. And all its beauty, like the flower of the field. It's here today, it's gone tomorrow. In 130 years is just just like a mere moment in time. And how evil. those days had been. Think back to Jacob's life. I mean, his childhood was marked with struggling with his brother Esau, both of them vying for the favor of their parents. Then he had run away from home because Esau was plotting to kill him. He was intrigued and mistreated by Laban. He married the wrong woman. And then he spent countless nights, you know, grueling nights out there guarding Laban's flocks while being swindled of his wages. He had marital problems, all kinds of family strife. He'd had to flee from Laban and was confronted by him. Then he had to face Esau and all the dread accompanied with that. Even God had met him in the night and attacked him, put his hip out of joint. He'd limped the rest of his life. His beloved wife, Rachel, died in childbirth. He had to bury her on the way. His sons had done despicable things. His daughter was raped. He lived in fear of Canaanite revenge. Then he'd lost Joseph. 20 years of grieving the loss of his beloved son. And then a famine had come. And there was the prospect of losing Benjamin as well. No wonder he says his days were evil. I mean, probably the coming 17 years that he lives in Egypt were the most peaceful days he ever knew. And yet this is the life of a sojourner. This is the life of one for whom this world isn't home. And note that Jacob describes all of this, not just his coming to Egypt, but his whole 130 year life as his sojourning. In other words, for 130 years, he has never truly had a home. Like his fathers, he has always lived in a tent. Always been prepared to pack up and move at a moment's notice. He has never owned the ground on which he stayed. He's never been surrounded by people who wears out. I mean, Jacob understood that at the very core of who he was, he was a sojourner. He was a man living by faith in what God had promised faith in things he could not see, but looking forward to a homeland and a city that God would provide as his future reward. No, brothers and sisters, that's what we are as well. We are sojourners looking forward to the hope of heaven, sojourners like Abraham, Isaac and Jacob living in a land that we cannot yet call home. And, you know, part of the irony is that for at least much of his life, Jacob did live in the promised land. He actually lived in the land where his descendants would be able to say this is our home. It just wasn't his home yet. And, you know, the same is true of us. I mean, our hope is not ultimately that that we die and just go off and live forever in heaven. Our ultimate hope is for a new heavens and a new earth that will be established right here for the day when Jesus makes all things new, the day when the very earth on which we now stand will be transformed into our eternal home.

The meek shall inherit the earth.

But as it was for Jacob, this is not our home yet. Now we are sojourners, now we're strangers, now we are just waiting for the day when God will provide us with our eternal home. Now we follow a savior who said,

foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the son of man has nowhere to lay his head.

We live as pilgrims on a journey, citizens of a kingdom that is not of this world. And Jacob's words here give us three final applications for how we can live as sojourners faithfully. We've already seen that we must be shrewd, holy, that we must honor authorities and own our identity. But Jacob reminds us that we must also live as if our time is short. Live as if your time is short, because if 130 years is but a few days, how much less is 20 or 40 or even 80? You see, as sojourners in this world, God has given us a purpose. It's not just to settle down and call this world home. It's not just to twiddle our thumbs. It's to serve him, to follow him, to fulfill a mission. And what a tragedy it would be to live out your days thinking, I'll come to Christ later. I'll join a church later. I'll serve in that ministry later. I'll be a missionary later. I'll prioritize discipleship later. only to realize that later never comes. I mean, how quickly our time evaporates, how few our days really are, how easily we find that when we delay spiritual pursuits, we never actually get to them at all. May we pray from Psalm 90,

teach me, O God, to number my days so that I might gain a heart of wisdom.

Count every day knowing that they are few. so that you can use them well. Let us live out Ephesians chapter five.

Look carefully then how you walk, not as unwise, but as wise, making the best use of the time because the days are evil.

In other words, redeeming the time takes effort. These days are evil. They will work against you. If you do not seize the day, it will be seized from you. Friends, we must walk with purpose and wisdom. because the time is short. Secondly, Jacob reminds us to expect difficulty.

Few and evil have been the days of the years of my sojourning

, he says. I mean, the life of a sojourner is a hard one. To expect life to be sweet and easy is to treat the world as if it were home sweet home. That's like trying to build a home in a graveyard or a cursed place. The world is fallen. It is under the curse of sin and death. This is why Job says,

Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble.

This actually inspired the words I read customarily at graveside funerals.

Man that is born of a woman has but a short time to live and is full of misery. He comes up. and is cut down like a flower. He flees as if a shadow and never continues. In the midst of life, we are in death. Of whom may we seek for succor, but of you, O Lord, who for our sins are justly displeased.

Sure, this is why Ecclesiastes tells us

it is better to go into the house of mourning than into the house of mirth. For this is the end of all mankind, and the living will lay it to heart.

Few and evil have been the days of my life, Jacob says. What clarity he sees with as his 130 year life reaches its end. Friends, we must resist the allure of a world that constantly invites us to settle by remembering that this is a place of our sojourning. This is a battlefield. This is a place that will often be marked by sin, pain, and death. And our days here will be few and evil. So live for the world to come. And that brings us to a third and a final thing Jacob shows us. The seventh way in all for how we can live as sojourners is that we should bring blessing. Bring blessing. Like Jacob who blessed Pharaoh both on entering and leaving, we are called to bless the world as well. But how? Well, you and I may not be patriarchs. We may not be prophets. but we too are called to be mediators of the Abrahamic blessing. Listen to Paul's words in Galatians 3 verses 13 and 14.

Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree so that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles so that we might receive the promised spirit through faith.

In other words, through Christ, the Abrahamic blessing comes to the Gentiles and it's received by faith. And we are the ones who are supposed to go forth and proclaim this good news to the world. Just as Jacob blessed Pharaoh in fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant, we get to bring the greater and fuller blessing of the Abrahamic covenant to the world. by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ. You see, we are sojourners on a journey. We're missionaries, so to speak, who are sent by God into the world, though we don't belong to the world, in order to testify to the world of the love of God in Christ. We get to tell people that Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. That though we all deserve death for our sins, Though we are all under the curse of the law and sin, which is death, Jesus bore our curse. He died on the cross under the wrath of God in our place so that we might be forgiven and the blessing which God promised through Abraham might now be received by faith as a gift of his grace. In fact, if you're here right now, And everything I've been saying today about being a sojourner is kind of strange to you because you're not a Christian. And for you, maybe this world does feel like home. And you don't have any great hope or assurance of a coming world to look forward to. But maybe something in you is stirred today. You've been moved to consider the brevity of life, the hardship of life, your own alienation from God and standing before him. And you're asking the question, what's the solution? What's the way out? Well, friend, the answer is look to Christ. Trust in Christ, believe in Christ. He is our savior. He is our king. He's the one that we as Christians are waiting for. And he's the one who promises to receive you if you will only come to him in faith. So I invite you, turn to Christ, believe in him today. And I encourage all of us who are believers, live as sojourners. Live like Jacob and his family in Egypt. Follow the Savior who came to earth, who had nowhere to lay his head, and has gone before us into heaven. And do so by being shrewd, being holy, honoring governing authorities, owning our identity in Christ, living as though the time is short, expecting difficulty, and striving to bring the blessing of God through Abraham to the world. May we be bold for the gospel of Christ. May God give us grace to do so. Amen. Let's pray. Heavenly Fathers, we are about to sing The Sands of Time Are Sinking. Few and evil are the days that you have given us here in this world, and yet what a high and holy calling you've given us, what a great hope we have before us. How we pray that you would strengthen us and help us to live as sojourners, to live by faith, confident of all that you have in store for us, all that you will do, that you may be glorified, that we may find true joy in Christ. We pray these things in Jesus' name, amen.