May the mumbling commence!
What a powerful God we have! Our Lord can transform the spiteful and mean things we do to people into something good. Look at Genesis 45. After Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he draws them close. He basically tells them, “Don’t beat yourselves up for the things that you did to me. It was the plan of God to send me here ahead of you. Because it was God’s will that Joseph would be in Egypt, many lives were spared in the extended famine.”
Notice also Pharaoh’s reaction to Joseph’s reunion with his brothers. Pharaoh was pleased. The man who is blessed of the Lord has eleven brothers! I can almost see Pharaoh rejoice at the potential expanding of his bottom line. Pharaoh says, “Never mind your possessions. Leave them behind, for the best of Egypt will be yours.”
So, Joseph sends them away to return with their father and their families. And Joseph does something interesting and potentially division causing. Though he gives all his older brothers a new set of clothes, Joseph gives his younger brother, Benjamin five sets of new clothes and 300 shekels of silver. Maybe Joseph was fully convinced that his older brothers had learned their lesson, but Joseph’s last words to them are, “Don’t quarrel on the way.” Sometimes it seems that life and our loved ones never cease testing us…
Then, in chapter 46, Jacob does something that is heroic – after the fashion of his grandfather Abraham. A beloved son, who he thought was dead, suddenly comes back into the land of the living – though Jacob himself has not seen him. Once upon a time Abraham was ready to give up his beloved and only son of the promise, Isaac; and God provided. Isaac was raised to life again. So, too, was Joseph raised.
On the word of his sons, whom Jacob must now know have deceived him, and the proof of the provisions for the journey decides to leave for Egypt. And Jacob takes everyone and everything to Egypt. On the way, the Lord speaks to him at Beersheba. God’s promise to Jacob does not become null and void as Jacob travels to Egypt. God promised to bring him back to the Promised Land again.
In leaving with everyone and everything that he had at such an advanced age, Jacob showed the deep faith of his grandfather, Abraham. And this is good news! It is not only our flaws that get passed down to our offspring; we also pass down the strengths of our faith to our offspring. Our offspring hear the stories of our faith told over and over again, and they also see our faith in action when we are around them.
I give thanks for my mother and for my Grandpa and Grandma Wilson. Each of them in their own way both told me stories of faith in their past and showed me their faith in action. I also give thanks this day for those who are not of my biological family who have done the same thing for me. I give thanks for Minnie, my parent’s next door neighbor, who regularly lifted me up in prayer when I was a young boy growing up next to her. She always found the time to spend with me whether it was playing games or spinning a yarn. She also trusted me and gave me responsibility for chores around her home. Indeed, she made me feel special. And Minnie rejoiced when I came into a living faith with Jesus.
It makes me wonder. Who in my neighborhood do I have the opportunity to pray for, spend time with, and make feel special? I know I have many opportunities with my son, Micah, but there are others outside my home that God can influence through me. May I live my faith, show my faith, and speak my faith outside of the four walls of God’s church building on Sunday mornings…
Enough mumbling for now…
Peace Out
No comments:
Post a Comment