S) "8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, 'How many years have you lived?' 9 So Jacob said to Pharaoh, 'The years of my sojourning are one hundred and thirty; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.'"
Genesis 47:8-9 (NASB)
O) Despite the melodramatic tone of Jacob's response, there is a subtle piece of wisdom found in it. Instead of simply saying that he had lived 130 years (even if he still wanted to be a Debbie Downer about it), Jacob used very particular wording. He said, "The years of my sojourning..." which is also sometimes translated as "pilgrimage." While he was, in fact, sojourning in Egypt at that exact time, he was clearly not there for 130 years. It is also evident that he was making a reference to something else, when he used the same wording about his fathers. A pilgrim is someone on a journey, with a final destination. While Abraham and Isaac were both promised a land of their own, in the land of Canaan, it is easy to see their entire lives as a sojourning, but Jacob actually lived in Canaan. While he was forced out because of the famine, before ever attaining a national presence, it's more difficult to define him as a life-long pilgrim. The root of his purpose, for using the wording he did, is actually found in John 18:36, when Jesus tells Pilate that the kingdom of God is not of this world, not of this realm. Despite the lack of ancient Jewish text describing an afterlife, there was still and understanding that life on earth was still in-between, temporal, or impermanent. They might not have known the details of their destination, but they knew life on earth was a journey to somewhere else.
A) We know the destination! Jesus came to complete the picture, to fill in the gaps - indeed to stand in the gap! When Jesus came to be the intermediary, reconciling man to God, He made it very clear that there was life after death. It is important to remember, that there is life after death for everyone, not just followers of Jesus. The difference, is whether that eternal existence would be spent with our Father God or in eternal suffering (see Matthew 25:31-46). So, whether my days are sorrowful, as Jacob seemed to think his were, or my days are full of happiness and pleasure, as they mostly are, I will rest in peace and joy at the end of my days. During my life, good times or bad, I will remind myself that life on earth is indeed a sojourning, as I make my way to my final home, His kingdom.
P) Father, eternal promises are difficult for me to perceive. You have made it clear, and thankfully so, what Your eternal promises are. I am so grateful for Your Word, and for the promises I have. But, it can be difficult for me to remember them during the chaos and distractions of daily life. There is still a tendency for my flesh, this perishing, temporary body, to get wrapped up in the temporal, dying world. So help me stay focused, Father God, on the eternal nature of Your kingdom, on the eternal nature of my life. Help me to prioritize my attention, efforts, and time on the things that will go on beyond this world. Primarily, remind me to invest myself in You and my loved ones. Open my eyes to see that, and my ears to hear Your rebuke, whenever I am distracted by things that don't matter. Remind me that I am on my way to a final home, and let every step I take be taking me in the right direction. Lead me by the Holy Spirit, to keep in step with You. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
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