Joseph and His Father
F. E. Clark. Genesis 47:7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. I. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER JACOB BY SHOWING HIM THE UTMOST RESPECT (Genesis 46:29). II. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY SHOWING HIS LOVE FOR HIM. One of our martyr-Presidents never stood higher in the nation's eyes than when he turned around, after his inauguration, and, before all the assembled thousands, greeted his mother with a filial kiss. III. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY HIS PURE AND NOBLE LIFE. Words of respect are comparatively worthless unless they have a life behind them. IV. JOSEPH HONOURED HIS FATHER BY PRESENTING HIM SO PROMPTLY TO PHARAOH. He shows not a particle of shame of his rusticity, Jacob's homespun must have contrasted strangely with Pharaoh's purple; Jacob's uncouth phrases of country-life with the king's polished diction. Joseph knew well enough how such people were ordinarily despised at the court, and yet how he omits no chance to show to Pharaoh how much he loved and honoured his father. The story is told of the Dean of Canterbury, afterwards Archbishop Tillotson, that one day after he had attained his churchly honours, an old man from the country, with uncouth manners, called at his door and inquired for John Tillotson. The foot. man was about to dismiss him with scorn for presuming to ask in that familiar way for his master, when the Archbishop caught sight of his visitor and flew down the stairs to embrace the old man before all the servants, exclaiming with tones of genuine delight, "It is my beloved father!" We all admire such exhibitions of filial love, which overcomes the fear of the cool conventionalities of the world, and we find from our lesson that Pharaoh was touched by his prime minister's loyalty to his poor relations, for he gave him this royal token of his pleasure: "The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and thy brethren to dwell;" &c. (F. E. Clark.) Parallel Verses KJV: And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. WEB: Joseph brought in Jacob, his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.