Good Monday to you my ‘Walking with Jesus’ friends,
As the world continues to watch the horrific events in Israel and the Middle East, over the past several days I’ve been attempting to trace for us the Covenant God made with Abraham and his descendants regarding both the LAND God gave them and the NATION, the people who would be God’s Covenant people. We’ve traced the journey thus far from Genesis 12, when God first called Abraham to leave his homeland and come to a new land God would give him and his descendants, all the way to Joseph becoming the second in command over all Egypt during a time of famine. (Genesis 41) We’ve seen how God has repeated His Covenant of Land & People to Abraham and then his son Isaac and then his son Jacob.
I left you yesterday standing in one of the Egyptian storehouse cities where food was being distributed to many people who had come in the time of great famine, seeking food to survive. Among them are sons of Jacob who have come from the Covenant Land area where they lived, (modern day Israel) for the famine affected a very wide region, not only Egypt. Unknown to these brothers, the Egyptian official overlooking the food distribution on that day is none other than their younger brother Joseph, whom they sold as a slave to a traveling caravan, more than 20 years before!
Joseph had been purchased by an Egyptian official and served faithfully for several years, then framed by the deception of the wife of his boss Potiphar. Joseph was then imprisoned. The Pharaoh had two dreams which none of his advisors could interpret, but Joseph did, and Pharaoh promoted him immediately to oversee the food management during the 7 years of bounty followed by the 7 years of famine.
Pharaoh’s explanation for that radical decision was: “Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the spirit of God? Since God has made all this known to you, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. You shall be in charge of my palace and all my people are to submit to your orders. Only with respect to the throne of Egypt will I be greater than you, Joseph!” (Gen. 41:38,39)
Chapters 42,43,44 of Genesis are the remarkable story of Jacob sending his sons not once but twice to purchase food in Egypt during the severe famine. Both times Joseph happened to be there when they came, and he interacted with them. They had no idea who he was. Joseph was dressed, of course, in his Egyptian royalty attire and spoke to them through an interpreter seeking to discern if his father Jacob was still alive and if these men had developed into men of greater character than the scoundrels, they had been 20 years before when they sold Joseph as a slave!
Finally, Joseph made himself known to them and they were of course shocked, not only that Joseph was still alive, but that God had elevated him to such a position of prominence in the Egyptian government, and it was by his wisdom and generosity that they were given the food they needed to survive. Furthermore Joseph, knowing the famine would continue yet several more years, urged his brothers to return to their homeland and bring all their families and their father Jacob to live temporarily in Egypt where there was ample food for them and grazing land along the Nile River for their herds and flocks.
Genesis 46 is the historical record of Jacob and all his descendants traveling FROM their ancestral, God given, Covenant homeland in Canaan down to Egypt to escape the famine. Their intention was they would stay only as long as the famine persisted and then return home. The Pharaoh, who was very grateful to Joseph for his excellent leadership over the famine situation, urged Joseph to offer his family the ‘best of the land of Egypt’ for their few years stay. The words of the most powerful man in the world are significant as Pharaoh instructed Joseph how to receive his family in Egypt.
Remember, Joseph had lived by then, nearly 30 years in Egypt and had been a trusted leader in Pharaoh’s senior administration for nearly 10 years!! The Pharaoh said to Prince Joseph: “Your father and your brothers have come to you and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your family in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock.“ (Gen. 47:5,6)
My friends, do you see the power of Pharaoh’s attractive offer? As far as I know Pharaoh knew nothing about God’s Covenant promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. But make ‘the best of the land’ their family home and give Joseph’s brothers the best jobs for their vocation in Egypt was almost beyond belief for Jacob’s sons! This is a strategic, significant moment in the history of the nation of Israel.
Watch this carefully my friends: About 5 years of famine remained by the time Jacob and his family arrived in Egypt, yet very quickly they grew to love the ‘best of the land of Egypt’. So much so that when the famine ended, Jacob and his family had no thought nor desire to leave such wonderful living and return to the Covenant Land God had given to them and their ancestors! How do I know? Look at this statement from the record: “Now the Israelites (Jacob’s family) settled in Egypt and they acquired property there and were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Jacob lived in Egypt 17 years, and the years of his life were 147.” (Gen. 47:27,28)
Do you see it, my friends? The famine lasted only 5 more years after Jacob and his family moved to Egypt. But Jacob, the patriarch of this family, remained in Egypt 17 years before his death! There is no indication that at any time during those 17 years did Jacob gather his sons around him and request or demand that they pack up, leave Egypt, and return to their God given homeland back in Canaan.
On the contrary, it appears not only Jacob in his old age, but all his sons and their wives and children loved living in Egypt. They purchased land, had lots of babies, grew their flocks and herds and made Egypt their home. They quickly learned the Egyptian language and culture and in their important roles of managing the Pharaoh’s livestock, I presume they were highly regarded especially as people came to know Prince Joseph was part of their extended family. You see the important lesson for us to learn here, don’t you?
The comfortable life, the fame and fortune which evidently came to them in Egypt compelled them to put down deep roots and make Egypt not their temporary escape from famine, but their home, both for these adults who came with Jacob from Canaan, and also their children, and then those who were born in Egypt.
Their example challenges us to ask an important question: do we fall prey to the very same issue? Does comfort or affluence or ease of life squelch our reliance upon God, our appetite for a close relationship with God, a desire to be alert to God’s guidance of us in participating with God in His Purposes in our world?
Let’s pause right here and ponder if we have fallen prey to the same tactic of the dark kingdom and have we found such satisfaction in the attractive things of the world that we have little interest in the things of God? Here’s a song to help us ponder this very significant challenge my friends:
Today’s Scriptures are Genesis 46, 47.
Choose below to read or listen.
Genesis 46
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Genesis 47
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Bible images provided with attribution to www.LumoProject.com.
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Pastor Doug Anderson
“Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, with our eyes fixed on Jesus…” (Heb. 12:1,2)
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