Genesis Chapte 48 - Hold On

Mark Lowry, in his video "Mouth In Action", talks about his favorite Bible verse: "And it came to pass......" He said no matter what we are going through, it will pass. That should be words of encouragement to us today. I suppose when Jacob’s sons came home one day from the fields with a shredded and blood-soaked coat that belonged to Joseph, Jacob thought life might as well be over for him. His favorite son was dead. There seemed to be no reason to live. Then the day came when Jacob learned that Joseph was alive. Not only alive, but he was also a very powerful ruler in the land of Egypt. In fact, through Joseph’s wisdom there was food available for them that would save the rest of Jacob’s family from starving to death during the time of famine.

Just knowing Joseph was still alive had to be joy unspeakable. When he heard that Joseph was a rich ruler, such news was full of glory. And then to hear that his very own son was inviting him to come live with him in Egypt, and Jacob and all of his family would be provided for…well, the half was yet to be told! I can just heard Jacob singing, "I have found His grace in all complete; He supplieth ev’ry need......" And continuing on:

"I have found the joy no tongue can tell. How its waves of glory roll!
It is like a great o’er-flowing well, Springing up within my soul.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory, full of glory, full of glory.
It is joy unspeakable and full of glory. Oh, the half has never yet been told!"
(B.E. Warren)

Jacob was getting near death now, and he called Joseph to him. He promised him that Joseph’s two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, would inherit land as though they were Jacob’s own sons. It was as if God had not only given him Joseph back, but two more sons besides. Jacob blessed the two boys, purposefully giving the younger son (Ephraim) the greater blessing. He had learned that God works in mysterious ways, ways that were unpredictable and unexpected. But now at the end of his life, he could look back across the years and see that God was always there, had always provided, had fulfilled every promise.

Whenever Jacob was distressed over his present circumstances, they came to pass. When he did not see how any good could come from tragedy, things turned out better than he could have ever imagined. Yes, Jacob’s life was full of trials and perseverance, but in the end God allowed him the opportunity to see how His Holy Presence had been there all along. Jacob, the young conniving lad, had become Israel, the father of God’s chosen people.

Probably most of us can recall a time in our lives when we felt a sense of despair. We could not see how anything could happen to erase the present sorrow from our lives. We have been hurt and disillusioned. Life has dealt us some ugly blows. Sometimes we just did not feel like it was worth it to get up and go on. But we did. Time passed. Things that did not make sense seemed to lose their importance.

Or maybe a time has come when God has revealed some of life’s mysteries to us. Regardless, we know we can trust God. We can look at the life of Jacob and know that God has a plan for each of our lives, and He will see that plan through to its completion. He’s going to be there for us. For whatever we are going through, this too shall pass. "Hold on my child!"

"If you’ve knelt beside the rubble of an aching, broken heart,
When the things you gave your life to fell apart;
You’re not the first to be acquainted with sorrow, grief or pain,
But the Master promised sunshine after rain.
Hold on my child, Joy comes in the morning,
Weeping only lasts for the night;
Hold on my child, Joy comes in the morning,
The darkest hour means dawn is just in sight."
("Joy Comes In The Morning", William J. and Gloria Gaither, Copyright 1974)

Genesis Chapter 46 - Faith is a Journey into the Unknown

The fear of the unknown. Maybe it was a new job. Perhaps the first day of school at a new school. A blind date. A transfer to a new community. Waiting for the test results from the lab. Have you been there? You didn’t know for sure what was in store, yet you knew you had to face it…the unknown. I am sure that is how Jacob (Israel) felt when he set out for Egypt. He knew he could not stay in Canaan, or his whole family would starve to death. He also knew that Joseph was waiting for him in Egypt, which should have been a big enticement for Jacob to make this move. However, it still required him to pull up all of the stakes, gather all of his clan together, and head out from a place he could call his own, and head for a place that was new and foreign to him.

Making those kind of changes when a person is young and adventuresome is not as difficult as when a person has aged and grown very comfortable in his surroundings. Remember the day Jacob was sent away from his home by mom and dad for having deceived his brother? They were trying to protect his life, and even though he was afraid of what was ahead, he trusted them to know what was best for him. Here he is now in his last days, at the end of his life, and God Himself is sending Israel (Jacob) away from home. Again, it is to protect not only his life, but the lives of all of those in his family. They would be sheltered from the famine if they moved down to Egypt where Joseph could take care of them. Israel trusted God and set out on this journey in faith, taking a total of 66 descendants and their wives with him.

The first night on his journey Israel offered a sacrifice to God, a praise offering for what God had done in his life and was going to do. Father God knew that Jacob was scared. He came to him in a vision telling him he did not have to be afraid, for God would be with him and would make him into a great nation. God would give him Joseph to comfort him in his old age and be there for him when he died. God also promised Jacob that one day his family would return to Canaan. What comfort there must have been in that vision to a man who felt tremendous responsibility for his whole family. Just as Jacob’s family respected his leadership, and trusted him, Jacob looked to God to assure him that this was the right move for all of them.

When we face the unknown, not sure what the future holds for us, we can have the same peace and assurance that God gave to Jacob. He has promised over and over again in His Word that He would never leave us, nor forsake us (Deuteronomy 31:6, 8; Hebrews 13:5). God knows that we are human, and it is only natural for us to be afraid at times. Jacob did not yet have God’s Word in a written form, so God appeared to him in a vision. This same God comes to us when we pick up the Bible and begin to read His comforting promises. He speaks peace to us in John 14:27: Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. That peace comes from knowing that you have given control of your life over to God, and no matter what circumstances you face, you know God will be there for you. Psalm 23 is another good passage to bring a sense of calm in a time of anxiety.

What a time of rejoicing must have occurred when Joseph and Jacob were finally reunited. It was almost like Jacob had not allowed himself to die until he could see his son again (see Genesis 46:30). Pharaoh had already promised to give Joseph’s father and brothers the best land in Egypt, the land of Goshen. Since Egyptians detested shepherds, it was good that Israel and his family were located in a separate area where their flocks could graze, and they could live the lifestyle they were used to living, not having to measure up to the Egyptians. God provided them a place where He could continue to increase their number and keep His people separate from the other cultures around them. God thinks of everything, doesn’t He! What a mighty God we serve!

Genesis Chapter 15 - Faith In God's Blueprint

"Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness." (vs. 6) This is one of the most important verses in the whole Bible. When someone tries to explain what faith is, it is this very verse that best explains it. Abram believed God, trusted Him, and took Him at His word. Because of that faith Abraham was made righteous, right in the eyes of God. He was forgiven and made an heir to God’s kingdom simply for believing God, even when things seemed impossible. For example, God promised him a son from Abram’s own aging body, and descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky.

Also, through a vision God revealed to Abram the future captivity of Israel and what the final outcome would be. Abram was told he would not be part of the captivity, but that he would rest in peace. God was assuring Abram that the future of his family, the multitude of descendants he would have, was completely under God’s control.

It is hard to imagine having descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky when you are aging and do not have even one child. Abram thought perhaps God would bless him through his faithful servant, Eliezar, but that was not God’s plan. God’s plan is always more creative and expansive than we can even fathom. Remember, this is the same God who had created the whole universe and everything that exists. Is anything too hard for Him?

Am I willing to surrender my own agenda for the magnificent blueprint that God has for my life? My plans are so small, so insignificant compared to His. Oh, Lord, I pray that I may have patience to wait on your revelation of the pattern you are weaving in my life. May it be a tapestry of beauty that you are creating one stitch at a time!

"Something beautiful, something good;
All my confusion He understood.
All I had to offer Him was brokenness and strife,
But He made something beautiful out of my life."
(Gloria and William Gaither, Copyright 1971)

Even though Abram was faithful in his service, God did not consider him righteous because of his hard work. Abram was made right in his relationship to God because of his simple belief in God, that He was ruler of all, and that He could and would do all that He promised. By the same token, all of our good works, or faithful attendance to church, or service to our community will not make us right with God. It is only when we put our absolute trust in God that we are accepted by Him.

In the study notes of The Wesley Bible (Thomas Nelson Publishers, Copyright 1990) we find these comments: God is righteous, which means He is always right in His actions, attitudes, and character. He is always consistent and fair. When we are made righteous, we are given God’s Spirit of holiness to help us to be right…to have integrity of character and to treat others right. When we surrender our wills to God, He guides us in the process of becoming more and more like Him. Above and beyond having a right relationship with God, I desire to be like Him. This journey through Genesis is teaching me so much about God, and about me. Thank you, Father, for leading us down this path so that we may know you better. Amen.