Thoughts on Genesis #5

Stories about Jacob and Joseph finish out the book of Genesis. This daily devotional looks at how the family was reunited and honored.

Credit Where Credit Is Due

“Now therefore let Pharaoh select a discerning and wise man, and set him over the land of Egypt. Let Pharaoh proceed to appoint overseers over the land and take one-fifth of the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven plentiful years. And let them gather all the food of these good years that are coming and store up grain under the authority of Pharaoh for food in the cities, and let them keep it” (Gen. 41:33-35 ESV)

Joseph told the Pharaoh that it wouldn’t be him interpreting the dreams. It would be God.

Then it was also God who immediately presented the plan to address the famine.

No, it wasn’t just for the Egyptians salvation. It was for the Israelites.

God will sometimes tell us what He has planned for us. He will also give us the solution.

We just have to listen and follow God’s directions.

Father God. Thank You for watching over us and providing. May we always be focused on You so that we hear and understand. Thank You for giving us people to help us understand. Amen.

When Mourning Lingers

“May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved” (Gen. 43:14 ESV)

After all this time, Jacob was still mourning for Joseph. Yes, he had seen the bloodied coat. He accepted Joseph was gone.

Jacob just didn’t accept that Joseph wouldn’t come back. “… may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. …” (Gen. 43:14 ESV).

We don’t know Jacob’s thought process. Maybe he just trusted in God to believe that was how it would turn out.

There was no way Jacob would know that Joseph was in Egypt — where they were wanting to take Benjamin. Unless the brothers had talked about it over the years, and Jacob overheard them. Who knows.

What can we learn? We have to believe all things are possible for God (Mt. 19: 26). But we can’t lop off the in-Your-Will part.

Father God. You are all powerful. You can do anything — even more than we can imagine. But You know what You will do in our lives. Help us to accept Your Will. Amen.

Substitution

“Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers” (Gen. 44:33 ESV)

The boys has come a long way — especially Judah. No, Judah wasn’t sinless. Remember the fiasco with his daughter-in-law (Gen. 38).

But they were thinking through their actions now. They were considering the impact on Jacob.

Judah even went far enough to offer himself as a substitute. That is real change!

Judah’s descendant did the same thing. Jesus offered Himself as a substitute for us. We no longer bear the consequences of our sin when we ask Him to be our Lord and Savior.

We just have to ask. This isn’t an automatic substitution.

We have to accept God’s free gift of salvation. Then we have demonstrate our acceptance by changing to be like Him.

Father God. Thank You for showing us we can change. Thank You for showing us You will accept a Substitution. But there is only One Substitute You will accept — Jesus. Amen.

Speechless

“… But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed at his presence” (Gen. 45:3 ESV)

Oh, I bet the brothers were speechless! If they saw Joseph in their mind’s eye, he was probably still the 17 year old tattletale.

They had a little different opinion of the dreams, now. But they would never have connected that dreamer with the powerhouse that stood before them.

Isn’t that so us? We see things based on our experience. We don’t let people grow and change.

Oh, we say we do. But our perception of others is always colored by the past. “Oh, he is mean because he threw a chair at me 20 years ago when he was 5.”

The boys knew they had sold Joseph into slavery. But I wonder if they had somewhat begun to believe Joseph had been killed by an animal — just of the two-legged variety.

We have to let go of the past when the present is staring us in the face. Yes, hard. But necessary.

Father God. Help us to forgive those who have wronged us. Let us see how they have grown. Grow us. Amen.

Good to Bad

“Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours” (Gen. 45: 20 ESV)

Oh, how things change! Yes, this is what the Pharaoh said to Joseph. Bring your family down here.

Of course, the Pharaoh did. Joseph had been their savior.

There was no way Pharaoh, Joseph, Jacob, or anyone else could have envisioned the slavery.

There is a saying that hindsight is 20-20. It is.

But, sometimes, God wants us to back up our belonging and become slaves. The bad brings the good along with it.

When Jacob went down to Egypt, he was one of 66 people. When the Israelites came out, they were a 2.4 million strong nation.

That was the good part. They needed to be a nation to rule the Promised Land.

Okay, they had to become the Wilderness Wanderers to really be ready. But God was with them in that, too.

We can’t expect smooth sailing when we submit our lives to God. That isn’t guaranteed and is, rather, an unrealistic expectation.

God grows us through the rough spots. It is then that we depend solely on Him.

Father God. Help us to put our faith in You, especially during the trials that come our way. Grow us to be like You. Amen.

Finally, Leah Gets Her Husband

“Then he commanded them and said to them, “I am to be gathered to my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the field of Ephron the Hittite … There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife. There they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife, and there I buried Leah” (Gen. 49: 29-31 ESV)

Okay, so Rachel was the love of Jacob’s life. He worked seven years to earn her hand in marriage.

But Laban pulled a switch and gave Jacob Leah instead. So, started the sisterly rivalry.

Four wives later, Rachel was still the love of Jacob’s life. She was until she died and was buried in Bethlehem.

Now, in death, Leah finally gets Jacob. Jacob was buried by Leah, not Rachel.

Sometimes, we have to wait for God to work in our lives. Then we may get what we want — we may not.

We have to be patient as God works on His timetable to do His Will.

Father God. You know what is best for us. Help us to patiently wait for You to work it out. Amen.

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What do you think?

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