11th January Morning
Genesis 41-45
Chapter 41-42 are chapters about the breakthrough and graduation points of Joseph. A guy who has suffered all through his life is about to break out of prison to the palace. Many people start in the palace and end up in prison. Joseph began in prison and climaxed in the palace. This is quite good. Joseph, the former worker to Potiphar, and a prisoner, slave, has now become the prime minister of Egypt. He has not become superior to the Egyptians alone, but his dream of superiority over his family members has also been fulfilled.
I was talking to a motorcycle guy who was riding me back home about God, and this guy declared to me that he was a witch. When I asked him why he was a witch and yet God was more powerful than his gods, the man replied that while God is more powerful, he delays in delivering. And then I was quick to admit that yes, God delays according to our timing but what he delivers is not the same quality as that of those gods. I re-learnt that our world is so tied to fast results in everything. We are for fast success, fast foods, fast marriages, fast divorces, etc. Everything is in a rush. We tend to make shortcuts about every journey. We hate the highway and we have formed our own routes to the same ends.
To high and powerful offices, we skip the process and get our hands to the product we cannot manage and maintain. The life of Joseph is a life of real and long-lasting success. Another important thing that Joseph teaches us is that we must be clear on the source and reason of our success. When Pharaoh said, “I hear you can interpret dreams,”, it would have been easy for Joseph to say, “Don’t mention, it’s nothing really. Just a little expertise I’ve developed over the years.” But instead, Joseph boldly says to this pagan king, “It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favorable answer” (41:16). Joseph was clear on the source of his success. He didn’t let the splendor of Pharaoh and his palace make him forget, “Without God, I’m nothing. He is the source of any ability I have to interpret dreams.”
If you sense that the other person is attributing something to you where God alone deserves the credit, then you need to be bold to honor God as Joseph does. As Paul said to the Corinthians, “What do you have that you did not receive? But if you did receive it, why do you boast as if you had not received it?” (1 Cor. 4:7). Remembering that God is the source of our success will keep us from pride.
In earlier chapters, I intimated that because Jacob had failed to cultivate what was his, he is going to move from what is his and leave it in the hands of strangers. We see Jacob and all his entire family deserting their land into for Egypt. He is a family that leaves the village uncultivated and runs into town where one of the family members is. They all packed their stuff and left all the wealth behind just to go where food was. It is very unfortunate to see people gathering in towns, selling off their country pieces of land and all the wealth in their quest to join the crowds in town. This was exactly what Jacob did. No wonder Jacob was not a hard-working person. He had literally earned very little and stolen most of what he had. This is not being hard on Jacob but we all can see it implied in these verses.
Finally, another thing we learn from the life of Joseph is a proper use of power. When his brothers had power over him, they threw him in the pit then later sold him off to slave traders. But when it was the turn of Joseph and he had power over his elder brothers, he fed them, took care of them and treated them like brothers. When they were powerful, they saw in him as an object to abuse and exploit. But Joseph saw in them potential and he aimed at improving their lives rather than pushing them beneath the ground they were already.
How do you use power? What would you do to that enemy of yours if you had all the power over them? You prove to the world how weak you are regardless of your title by the way you treat those who are weaker than you. Power from God is not for you to serve your interests but to help the weak. The weak can be the guilty people who have hurt you in the past and now they are in your power to do as you wish. The test of real power lies in what you do.
11th January Evening
Genesis 46-47
The first seven verses reveal a man with all the resources enough for his survival where he is but who decides to leave and then he has the audacity to tell us that it was God who authenticated his departure. We live in a world where every Christian choice is tagged by “I was shown by God”, “I heard his voice”, “God recommended” etc. But one wonders why the God who led Abraham to Canaan and gave it to him would have his descendants enter Egypt, knowing what Egypt was about to become.
Many of us have led ourselves to Egyptian marriages, business deals, associates; relationships, countries etc. and we have claimed to have been led into those places and situations upon the word of God. But as we have seen, it was never God in the first place. It was the lifestyle of Jacob. He was never a settler but a pilgrim. He was never a worker but a thief and all thieves love soft lives and finished products. While Abraham led the Israel in him to Canaan and Isaac settled with the Israel in him in Canaan, Jacob led Israel out of Canaan to Egypt.
It happens in real life sometimes. We lead ourselves from inconvenient solutions to convenient problems. They led themselves into a people who were not like them and entered a country that did not even entertain their ways of living. They were literally not accepted and appreciated. Look at what verse 34 says: “that you shall say, ‘Your servants’ occupation has been with livestock from our youth even till now, both we and also our fathers,’ that you may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”
Their major identifying occupation was an abomination to the people they joined. Have you ever forced yourself into a place or situation and you decided to live permanently where you do not belong? A special district was designated for these foreigner relatives by the prime minister. Sometimes it makes sense to be odd but have a significant representative in the high offices.
The Israelites in Egypt where Joseph was the prime minister were like sinners who are saved by the blood of Jesus Christ. They are too odd, absolutely off, but they are relatives of the prime minister. That is what salvation by grace through faith is about. Yes, we are sinners, and as guilty as charged but as long as we are in Christ, there is no condemnation on us. We might be an abomination to the rightful citizens of this world, but we are the saved of Jesus Christ by his blood.
Look what the preceding verses say: So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly. And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob’s life was one hundred and forty-seven years. When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, “Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt, “but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place.” And he said, “I will do as you have said.” Then he said, “Swear to me.” And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed. (Genesis 47:27-31 NKJ).
Seventeen years down the road and the problem that brought them into Egypt has been solved. Why aren’t they going back? They just got familiar and so attached to Egypt that they were not willing to leave even when they had to. I personally do not understand the logic, why would someone opt to stay in a place he wouldn’t want his dead body buried? I mean, what is so special about your corpse that is not about the living you? Jacob did not want to live in life the place where he did not want to be buried. Life !!!!
There are people in this world who are in relationships with people they have pledged in their lives they cannot officially marry or commit to stay with forever. They sleep with them, but they have sworn not to ever have kids with them. Sinners are an interesting lot. Why isn’t this man leaving in life and instead opts to leave in a casket? There are Egypts in life that life always gives us opportunities to leave while we can still walk out by ourselves and we fail to leave until six men in black suits carry us out in a box. Jacob and all the Israelites knew they never belonged there but they never left. What Egypt are staying in but you don’t want to be buried in? Why don’t you walk out instead of being carried out?
God bless you. I invoke TRUTH, KNOWLEDGE, and FAITH.
Am Pr. I.T.White. THE GOSPEL HAWKER
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