The Seed of Life

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

THE SEED OF LIFE

Gen 47:11-26

11 So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed. 12 Joseph also provided his father and his brothers and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their children. 13 There was no food, however, in the whole region because the famine was severe; both Egypt and Canaan wasted away because of the famine. 14 Joseph collected all the money that was to be found in Egypt and Canaan in payment for the grain they were buying, and he brought it to Pharaoh's palace. 15 When the money of the people of Egypt and Canaan was gone, all Egypt came to Joseph and said, "Give us food. Why should we die before your eyes? Our money is used up." 16 "Then bring your livestock," said Joseph. "I will sell you food in exchange for your livestock, since your money is gone." 17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and he gave them food in exchange for their horses, their sheep and goats, their cattle and donkeys. And he brought them through that year with food in exchange for all their livestock. 18 When that year was over, they came to him the following year and said, "We cannot hide from our lord the fact that since our money is gone and our livestock belongs to you, there is nothing left for our lord except our bodies and our land. 19 Why should we perish before your eyes — we and our land as well? Buy us and our land in exchange for food, and we with our land will be in bondage to Pharaoh. Give us seed so that we may live and not die, and that the land may not become desolate." 20 So Joseph bought all the land in Egypt for Pharaoh. The Egyptians, one and all, sold their fields, because the famine was too severe for them. The land became Pharaoh's, 21 and Joseph reduced the people to servitude, from one end of Egypt to the other. 22 However, he did not buy the land of the priests, because they received a regular allotment from Pharaoh and had food enough from the allotment Pharaoh gave them. That is why they did not sell their land. 23 Joseph said to the people, "Now that I have bought you and your land today for Pharaoh, here is seed for you so you can plant the ground. 24 But when the crop comes in, give a fifth of it to Pharaoh. The other four-fifths you may keep as seed for the fields and as food for yourselves and your households and your children." 25 "You have saved our lives," they said. "May we find favor in the eyes of our lord; we will be in bondage to Pharaoh." 26 So Joseph established it as a law concerning land in Egypt — still in force today — that a fifth of the produce belongs to Pharaoh. It was only the land of the priests that did not become Pharaoh's.

NIV

All this happened as it was to be an example of the grace of God at work through Joseph so that Pharaoh's wealth became greater each year until he owned all of Egypt, all the livestock in Egypt, and all the people of Egypt, except the priest. Although not stated, his ownership did not include the Israelites, for Joesph always provided food for them throughout the famine. How does all this fit into our story? Could we use this to show how we all belong to the Lord our God? After all, we were created in their image for the express reason of God’s pleasure, and fellowship. When have we ever been our own? When can we say that we just came into existence on our own, or that we ever created life? Of course, sin is our attempt to be our own boss, the caption of our own ship, or the ruler of our own lives. However, God took care of that as well by sending Jesus to pay the price for our sins, to redeem us, and to buy us back so that once again He is our Lord and Master, not simply the caption, but the Supreme authority of our lives. The Egyptians looked to Pharoah through Joseph for what they needed to survive the famine in the land. This is our story as well. We look to God through Jesus to survive the famine of this land. Of course, there is not a physical famine as there was in those days in Egypt, but we live in a land of spiritual famine. The people who do not look to God through Jesus are starving to death in this land. Jesus is referred to as the seed of Abraham through all nations will be blessed. If we are in Christ then we have the seed of life, the needed seed to plant in our hearts to give us life. The Egyptians received seed from Joseph to plant in the land, but we have planted the seed in ourselves, the seed that produces a good crop, the seed that is the bread of life. What a beautiful picture this narrative gives us our how we live because of the grace of God, Jesus, the seed of life, and that all we have is His, all we are is His, and our very lives are His. 

A Blessing

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

A BLESSING

Gen 47:1-10

47:1 Joseph went and told Pharaoh, "My father and brothers, with their flocks and herds and everything they own, have come from the land of Canaan and are now in Goshen." 2 He chose five of his brothers and presented them before Pharaoh. 3 Pharaoh asked the brothers, "What is your occupation?" "Your servants are shepherds," they replied to Pharaoh, "just as our fathers were." 4 They also said to him, "We have come to live here awhile, because the famine is severe in Canaan and your servants' flocks have no pasture. So now, please let your servants settle in Goshen." 5 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you, 6 and the land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best part of the land. Let them live in Goshen. And if you know of any among them with special ability, put them in charge of my own livestock." 7 Then Joseph brought his father Jacob in and presented him before Pharaoh. After Jacob blessed Pharaoh, 8 Pharaoh asked him, "How old are you?" 9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers." 10 Then Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from his presence.

NIV

This conversation between Joseph and Pharoah is as Joseph told his father what would happen regarding Pharoah asking them about their occupation.  Although all went as planned and the brothers told Pharoah they were shepherds, Pharoah did not ask Jacob what his occupation was. He asked Jacob how old he was. We wonder if the Egyptians lived as long as the Hebrews did since they served God Almighty, while the Egyptians served many false gods. The response of Jacob is a bit surprising, but when we review his life it does not seem that strange or surprising. Jacob beguiled his brother Esau out of his birthright, then deceived his father, spent seven plus seven more, then four more years of service to Laban, for two wives, and flocks of his own. He had his favorite son taken from him through the deceit of his other sons. Buried his first love after she gave birth to his last son, Benjamin. He did not live as long as his father Isaac or his grandfather Abraham, but he had a difficult and short life. Nevertheless, our story unfolds for us when Jacob bows before Pharaoh and blesses him. Even though Pharoah was not a god to Jacob, he was the king of Egypt who allowed him and his family to come and live in the best land there. However, our story is about blessing others, even if they are not in a position of authority. Of course, we would not bow down before anyone other than God, but we do pay a certain reverence to those who govern our land. If we were to be introduced to the President of the United States we would give him honor, perhaps a bow of our head, but would we have the nerve to speak a blessing on him. Nevertheless, it would behoove us to always be about blessing others, regardless of their position in life or the church. Even a simple, “Lord bless you” would be great, but perhaps we could go further with our blessings. Too often we hear, “Have a great week”, or “Have a great day”. Let us always be about blessing them. 

A New Home

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

A NEW HOME

Gen 46:26-34

26 All those who went to Egypt with Jacob — those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives — numbered sixty-six persons. 27 With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all. 28 Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, 29 Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time. 30 Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive." 31 Then Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, "I will go up and speak to Pharaoh and will say to him, 'My brothers and my father's household, who were living in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds; they tend livestock, and they have brought along their flocks and herds and everything they own.' 33 When Pharaoh calls you in and asks, 'What is your occupation?' 34 you should answer, 'Your servants have tended livestock from our boyhood on, just as our fathers did.' Then you will be allowed to settle in the region of Goshen, for all shepherds are detestable to the Egyptians."

NIV

We confess we skipped the genealogy of all the sons of each wife and the sons of all the sons. We might have learned from all those names that it is good to keep track of our genealogy, knowing the names of our ancestors. However, our story is now from Egypt. First, we see this wonderful moment when Joseph throws his arms around his father, and how Jacob is so overcome, his response is that he was ready to die seeing Joseph was alive. We know that when we see our Heavenly Father we may not be able to throw our arms around him, and He will never die, but that does not diminish the wonderful moment when we see Jesus and look full in His wonderful face, the things of earth would have be dimmed already for we would be standing, no, bowing before our Lord God Almighty, our Heavenly Father, with so much love and gratitude in our hearts for our salvation would be complete. It is almost too much to imagine what that moment would be when we see our Lord face to face and He gives us a place to settle, whatever that looks like. We know the song about a mansion just over the hilltop, but Jesus only promised that in His Father's house, there are many rooms or residences or abodes, and He was preparing a place for us. Whatever the place is, when we bow before our God we will not have to tell him our occupation, for He will know that we are His children, his descendants, as co-heirs with Jesus, and He will know and call each of us by name. Jacob was told to call himself a servant of Pharoh, but we are not servants of God, for Jesus calls us friends, and the Father calls us his children. We think it would be best as we walk the rest of our days here, we live with love and gratitude in our hearts and minds to our Heavenly Father because of his great love for us sending Jesus to bring us home. Shepherds were detestable to Egyptians, but we will never be detestable to our Heavenly Father for He sees us in Jesus, holy and blameless, His children. Jacob was given the best, the land of Goshen. We will be given a land far superior to anything on the earth when Jesus comes to take us home. Although we have our earthly homes, when Jesus comes for us we will have a new home. This world is not our home, we are just a-passing through, our treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue, the angels beckon us from heaven's open door, and we can’t feel at home anymore, for we are moving to a new home. 

"Here I am"

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

"HERE I AM"

Gen 46:1-7

46:1 So Israel set out with all that was his, and when he reached Beersheba, he offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in a vision at night and said, "Jacob! Jacob! “Here I am," he replied. 3 "I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. 4 I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes." 5 Then Jacob left Beersheba, and Israel's sons took their father Jacob and their children and their wives in the carts that Pharaoh had sent to transport him. 6 They also took with them their livestock and the possessions they had acquired in Canaan, and Jacob and all his offspring went to Egypt. 7 He took with him to Egypt his sons and grandsons and his daughters and granddaughters — all his offspring.

NIV

Off they went to the land of Egypt with all Jacob’s offspring and possessions. It would be a great and wonderful thing if we could take all our offspring with us to the land of God, the kingdom of heaven, but that is not to be, for our culture has no resemblance to how they lived as one family or tribe all in the same basic area. Nevertheless, they were under the divine protection and direction of God Almighty. God even spoke to Jacob, calling him by name to ensure he did the right thing. Here’s the truth we need to glean from this narrative; we are under divine protection and direction and God even speaks to us. The first and foremost that we are protected from is death. Sure, this body is going to eventually succumb to its death, but we are not our bodies, it is simply a vessel we inhabit for a short time. We are a spirit, as Jesus made sure Nicodemus understood. What is born of water is water, our natural human birth, but what is born of the Spirit is spirit, and it was our spirit who was already dead, because of sin, and needed to be reborn from above. If a person is not born again, they are still just walking dead. Being reborn is our protection from death, just as Jesus said that even though we die, that is our bodies die, we, our spirit, will live. We are also under divine protection from the second death, whatever that may be. However, we are also under divine protection from the attacks of Satan. He cannot harm us, for God’s armor shields us from those flaming arrows. Of course, we do need to get dressed in His armor, as we are told to put on the full armor of God. We are also under the divine direction of God. He lights the path; He directs our footsteps. However, we do need to walk within that path and follow that light. That is up to us as we can try to go our own way, even though we know it is the wrong way. Still, God is guiding us along the way to the land of promise, the kingdom of heaven. Yet, he also directs our lives in the here and now, showing us either visions or on occasion, when we need it, speaks into our hearts and sometimes into our ears. When Jacob heard the voice of God, his response was, “Here I am”. This should always be our response to all the protection and direction of our Lord God, “Here I am”. 

Provision for the Journey

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

PROVISION FOR THE JOURNEY

Gen 45:16-28

16 When the news reached Pharaoh's palace that Joseph's brothers had come, Pharaoh and all his officials were pleased. 17 Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Tell your brothers, 'Do this: Load your animals and return to the land of Canaan, 18 and bring your father and your families back to me. I will give you the best of the land of Egypt and you can enjoy the fat of the land.' 19 "You are also directed to tell them, 'Do this: Take some carts from Egypt for your children and your wives, and get your father and come. 20 Never mind about your belongings, because the best of all Egypt will be yours.'" 21 So the sons of Israel did this. Joseph gave them carts, as Pharaoh had commanded, and he also gave them provisions for their journey. 22 To each of them he gave new clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred shekels of silver and five sets of clothes. 23 And this is what he sent to his father: ten donkeys loaded with the best things of Egypt, and ten female donkeys loaded with grain and bread and other provisions for his journey. 24 Then he sent his brothers away, and as they were leaving he said to them, "Don't quarrel on the way!" 25 So they went up out of Egypt and came to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. 26 They told him, "Joseph is still alive! In fact, he is ruler of all Egypt." Jacob was stunned; he did not believe them. 27 But when they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts Joseph had sent to carry him back, the spirit of their father Jacob revived. 28 And Israel said, "I'm convinced! My son Joseph is still alive. I will go and see him before I die."

NIV

Although this is a story about the natural events surrounding Joseph making provisions through the blessings of Pharoah to bring his father and all the family into the best of Egypt, there is a story of a higher purpose. Pharoah was pleased that Joseph's family was well, and he wanted them to come to Egypt and he would give them the best of the land so they could enjoy the fat of the land. Pharoah represents the Father and Joseph shows us the part of the Son. The Father tells the Son to make provisions to bring the family to the best part of the kingdom of God, so they can enjoy the fat of the land. This is our story. We were once living in a land full of famine, starving, and without food, we would die. The Father sent Jesus to feed us, himself, the very bread of life. He came to make provisions for us to go to the land of plenty, the Kingdom of God. Just as the brothers told Jacob, “Joseph is still alive”, we can say, “He is alive, Death is defeated, Sin has retreaded, From the power of the Son and He is alive. The enemy is faded, The battle still rages, But the war has be won, Jesus is alive, Jesus is alive”. He has been sent to bring us back to the kingdom of heaven and give us the fat of the land. We have all we need for the journey because we have Jesus. Although Pharoah told Joseph to send carts and donkeys loaded with earthy goods for their journey to Egypt, we will not need anything of this world for our journey to our heavenly home. All we need is Jesus. Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, there’s just something about that name. Master, Savior, Jesus, like the fragrance after the rain; Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, let all heaven and earth proclaim kings and kingdoms will all pass away, but there’s something about that name. We have all the provision we need for the journey home. 

But God Made Me

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

BUT GOD MADE ME

Gen 45:8-15

8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt. 9 Now hurry back to my father and say to him, 'This is what your son Joseph says: God has made me lord of all Egypt. Come down to me; don't delay. 10 You shall live in the region of Goshen and be near me — you, your children and grandchildren, your flocks and herds, and all you have. 11 I will provide for you there, because five years of famine are still to come. Otherwise you and your household and all who belong to you will become destitute.' 12 "You can see for yourselves, and so can my brother Benjamin, that it is really I who am speaking to you. 13 Tell my father about all the honor accorded me in Egypt and about everything you have seen. And bring my father down here quickly." 14 Then he threw his arms around his brother Benjamin and wept, and Benjamin embraced him, weeping. 15 And he kissed all his brothers and wept over them. Afterward his brothers talked with him.

NIV

The reunion of all reunions as Joseph reveals the truth to his brothers and wants them to bring the whole family down to Egypt so they can live. We consider Joseph to be a foreshadow of Jesus, being the deliverer. But we did not spend time pondering on this one statement of Joseph regarding the fact his brothers were not responsible for him being in Egypt but it was God. This brings us right into our story. Have we been one to determine where we are or has it been God? Truth be known, it has always been God. From the first day of our conversion, we have placed our lives in the hands of God. He is the one who has directed our path, showing us where to live, giving us the means to live, opening the doors to certain jobs, closing those doors, and moving us along the path to specific churches, to learn and grow. He has moved us several times keeping us within his purpose for our lives. Living by faith has been exciting, due to lacking a better word. He is the one who began all this work in our lives, and he is the one who is going to finish it. We have simply followed his leadership. Man has had nothing to do with where we are and what we do unless God used them for his benefit in our lives. Just as the brothers physically sold Joseph, they were being moved by the hand of God, so that Joseph would be their deliverer, He has used some people to cause us to be where we are today. Some may think they are in charge of their own lives, that they have the rudder to their ship in their own hands, but it is God who oversees the weather causing that ship, that life, to blow in a specific direction. He also brings that storm, that swamping of the ship, so they cry out for deliverance from him. Father continue to lead us, guide each step in our lives, so that we are always just where you want us and doing exactly what you want us to be doing. We know it is God who made us who we are. 

To Save Lives

 DEVOTION

GENESIS

TO SAVE LIVES

Gen 45:1-8

45:1 Then Joseph could no longer control himself before all his attendants, and he cried out, "Have everyone leave my presence!" So there was no one with Joseph when he made himself known to his brothers. 2 And he wept so loudly that the Egyptians heard him, and Pharaoh's household heard about it. 3 Joseph said to his brothers, "I am Joseph! Is my father still living?" But his brothers were not able to answer him, because they were terrified at his presence. 4 Then Joseph said to his brothers, "Come close to me." When they had done so, he said, "I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! 5 And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. 6 For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will not be plowing and reaping. 7 But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. 8 "So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.

NIV

The story is now unfolded by Joseph to his brothers. At first, they were terrified, and why not, they believed they had done a terrible thing to him and now he would exact revenge. But that is not the case as we can clearly see that Joseph tells them it was not them who caused all this but it was God who sent him ahead of them to save their lives by a great deliverance. This is a new thought we have not considered before. Joseph is another foreshadowing of Jesus. We have always considered Moses as an example or foreshadowing of Christ, being the deliverer, but Joseph is the one sent ahead by God to save their lives by a great deliverance. Jesus was sent by God to save our lives by a far greater deliverance. Joseph was sent ahead of them so they would not starve to death because the famine was so great and it was going to last another five years. Jesus was sent ahead of us to save our lives from a greater famine, one of being far from God, that without Jesus, would last for an eternity. Before we knew Jesus and accepted his deliverance, we were starving to death. Jesus saved our lives, first by coming to earth, then dying, shedding his blood for the forgiveness of our sins, then he was the first to be resurrected and went ahead of us into heaven to sit at the right hand of the Father. Jesus has told us He is the bread of life. whoever, that is us, comes to Him will never go hungry, and because we believe in Him we will never be thirsty. Jesus is the one and true deliverer sent by God to save our lives, and to preserve a place in heaven for us.