We are moving into chapter 36 of Genesis with our word for today. מְגֽוּרֵי from the root word מָגוֹר temporary abode, land of domicile, sojournings, dwelling place. It is used 10 times in the Old Testament. God promises Abram that his descendants will possess the land where he was been camping out in. Genesis 17:8 And I will give to you and to your offspring after you the land of your מְגֻרֶ֗יךָ sojournings, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession, and I will be their God. Later Isaac blesses his son Jacob with his father’s promise that God had made him of a more permanent ownership of the land instead of just wandering around in it. Genesis 28:4 May he give the blessing of Abraham to you and to your offspring with you, that you may take possession of the land of your מְגֻרֶ֔יךָ sojournings that God gave to Abraham! When God sets Moses out to free his people from slavery he points back to the promises he made of the land where they started just living in a temporary way. Exodus 6:2-4 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as מְגֻרֵיהֶ֖םsojourners.
This idea of a temporary residence is how our word is used in our chapter today. Genesis 36:7 For their possessions were too great for them to dwell together. The land of their מְגֽוּרֵי sojournings could not support them because of their livestock. Jacob and Esau needed more space in the land they were journeying on.
Much later Jacob describes his life as a journey instead of a permanent situation. Genesis 47:7-10 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, Pharaoh asked him, “How old are you?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my מְגוּרַ֔יpilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the מְגוּרֵיהֶֽםpilgrimage of my fathers.” Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence. Life on this earth is a temporary journey instead of a permanent one. We see this concept of life on this earth as not our permanent one or if you will not our eternal one, a lot in the New Testament.
God through Paul calls this having dual citizenship. Philippians 3:20 But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 2:6 And God raised us up with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus. We live in this fallen messed up world I like to call the corrupted place. But if we are in Christ we also live with Christ in the heavenly realms. We live in two places at once. So we can experience the next life the without corruption life starting now but it gets better when we can go to our eternal home that is permanent instead of camping out down here on our journey. Jesus says it really well. John 14:1-3 Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. going to prepare a place for you. I really like how the Holy Spirit ties this all together in the book of Hebrews which is what we will close with for today. Hebrews 11:8-10 By faith Abraham, when called to go to a place he would later receive as his inheritance, obeyed and went, even though he did not know where he was going. By faith he made his home in the promised land like a stranger in a foreign country; he lived in tents, as did Isaac and Jacob, who were heirs with him of the same promise. For he was looking forward to the city with foundations, whose architect and builder is God.
