Leaders work for God during a time and a season.  (Psalm 75:6-7)  Jacob had lived a full life and he knew his time to depart was near! (Genesis 48:21)  Jacob did not fear death, but had some things he wanted to leave with his children and grandchildren before he left this life.  Great leaders always leave a legacy for their families!  They know how to bless their children and pass on the blessing that they received by faith from the Lord.  We can learn from them how to live successfully and also how to leave successfully!

“Then Israel said to Joseph, “I am about to die, but God will be with you and take you back to the land of your fathers.  And to you, as one who is over your brothers, I give the ridge of land I took from the Amorites with my sword and my bow.”” (Genesis 48:21-22)

Israel left Joseph a word of prophesy and a piece of land.  God would be with him!  God would take him back to the land of his fathers.  Although Egypt had been a place of refuge from the famine, it would not be his home.  He had property that was given to him in the land of Canaan!  What Joseph did not necessarily see was the nearly four hundred years that his family would dwell in Egypt.  This word was given to him as a leader over his brothers, to inspire faith-filled and God directed leadership.  God’s Word brings vision and is a light for our path! (Psalm 119:105)

Jacob called for his sons to gather around him so that he could tell them what would happen in the days to come.  (Genesis 49:1)  Jacob’s words to each of his sons brought either rebuke, correction, encouragement or a vision of what was to come.  One son, Judah, was told that he was a “Lion’s cub”.  He would have from his offspring One who ruled and all nations would obey Him!  He would wash his garments in wine, and his robes in the blood of grapes.  (Genesis 49:10-12)  From the perspective we have, this “ruler” is none other that Jesus Christ!  He is known in heaven as the “Lion of the tribe of Judah”!  (Revelation 5:5)  His robe is dipped in blood and His Name is the Word of God!  (Revelation 19:13)  Surely these are visions of things to come!

Greetings on another day of rest in Jesus Christ!  What a blessing to know that He has delivered us from sin, slavery and death and given us righteousness, freedom, and life everlasting!   All of this is due to His grace and the obedience of  Jesus Christ to follow His Father’s plan to save lives!   We are included in these plans by His grace and by the drawing of the Holy Spirit.

In our reading this past week we saw God’s people being invited to stay in Egypt.  They were forced by a famine to seek out food there because God Himself had sent Joseph there with the express purpose of saving lives.  God used the world system of Pharaoh’s Egypt to store up grain to feed a multitude during the famine.  God controls the governments of the world and uses the leaders to fulfill His purposes!

Egypt is a type of the world without a true knowledge of God.  It is a system of humanistic government, business and religious idolatry.  It is a system based on power, wealth, and man’s inner need to worship. Without God, humanity values what can only satisfy the flesh.  Idols come in as a means to satisfy the inner need to worship.  Idols are a form of god crafted by man to try to fill this desire to worship.  By making an idol, man can design a convenient god that allows him to do whatever he wants and at the same time controls others or even shuts them out.  In the end, this system of Egypt is pure slavery, results in what God calls “sin”, and ends in death.

All men must be born again to escape the power of this system.  God must deliver them and help them to choose to worship Him alone!  People must be willing to escape this system and enter the freedom of knowing the one True God!  God places His people in this system to show a way of escape to those who are trapped by the system!  The blessing of God on our lives should be so evident that the lost ask us for help!

May your life be marked by willing submission to our loving King, Jesus Christ!  May His provision make you smile with joy every day!  May every trace of Egypt be removed from your soul!

In His Love, Pastor John

“I am your brother Joseph, the  one you sold into Egypt!  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.” (Genesis 45:5)

Joseph had taken his brothers through an elaborate test to soften their hearts and bring repentance.   God was behind all of this and Joseph was in on God’s plans through interpretation of the dreams and the directions that God had given him.  God is always at work to redeem and save His people.  He is more compassionate than we are and also shows mercy to the just and the unjust at the same time.  (Matthew 5:43-45)

In this case, God was sending Joseph to Egypt to prepare to save many people from the famine that was coming.  The primary care was for Joseph’s family, however.  If you remember, Abraham was told by God that his family would live in another land for four hundred years while God dealt with the Amorites, giving them time to repent. (Genesis 15:13-16)  This famine was God’s method for moving Abraham’s family out of Canaan for this period of time and then prospering them and growing them in the world of Egypt.   God’s use of Joseph, one of His “chosen people”, to bring the wisdom needed to save the whole world was also providential and a picture of the promised “seed” through whom all nations of the earth would one day be blessed! (Genesis 12:3)

God would later call His people to come out of Egypt to worship Him alone. (Exodus 3:10) He would also send His only Son (the “Seed”), Jesus Christ, to Egypt for a period of time to save Him from death!  (Matthew 3:13)  He would call His Son back to the land of promise to preach and heal and proclaim the Kingdom of Heaven!  (Matthew 3:19-20) Everything in God’s plan is based on His desire for saving lives and helping people escape slavery to sin.  (Luke 19:10)

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost.” (Luke 19:10)

Take time today to thank the Lord for His mercy to you and for His plan to reach all nations with the message of the Gospel!  Think of one person who needs the Gospel and pray for that person!  They will be eternally grateful!

We serve a God who knows everything and who works out everything for the good of those who love and serve Him.  Words to describe God that fit here are ‘omnipotent’ (all powerful) and ‘omniscient’ (all knowing).  Because of these divine attributes, God knows everything that is, was, and will be.  He also has the power to get this information to the right people in order to demonstrate His mercy and love and warn of coming judgment.  He also has the power to do what He says and the integrity to do it as He has decreed!

Joseph had learned to walk by faith and God had gifted him with the ability to interpret dreams.  God had given Pharaoh two dreams in one night that troubled him.   These were very vivid dreams of seven fat cows that were eaten by seven gaunt cows and a second dream of seven fat heads of grain that were swallowed by seven that were thin and scorched by the sun. (Genesis 41:2-7)  He called all the wise men, and none could tell him what these dreams meant.  Then, by God’s providence, the cupbearer remembered Joseph!  He knew a man who could interpret dreams! (Genesis 41:9-13)   What “luck”!

Joseph quickly stated that he could not give an interpretation, but God would give Pharaoh the answer he needed. (Genesis 41:16)  Pharaoh repeated the two dreams to Joseph and Joseph answered!  The dreams were the same and revealed God’s plan to send a famine on the land.  There would be seven good years followed by seven years of severe famine affecting the whole region.  There were two dreams repeating the matter because God had decreed that this would happen and happen soon! (Genesis 41:28-32)

These stories from 3500 years ago reveal a God who is omniscient!  He knows what is going to happen in the future.  God is also compassionate and warns this world ruler, who was an idolater, about the plans.  He is also omnipotent because He did bring to pass the dreams that he sent to Pharaoh.  The seven good years came to pass and the seven years of famine also happened.  (Genesis 41:47, 53-54)  He also places in authority those He pleases.  He raised up Joseph from prison to be second in command over Egypt! (Genesis 41:41-43)  He is over all authority and uses it as He pleases to accomplish His will!  We can trust and obey a loving God like that!

Have you ever tried to get even with someone and found that your revenge came back on you in another form?  This is what happened to Joseph’s older brothers.  They were jealous of Joseph, their younger brother, because he was his father’s favorite.  (Genesis 37:3)  His father made him a special coat of many colors.  His father sent him on errands and gave him responsibility to check on the work of the older brothers.  On top of that, Joseph had dreams in which he was the ruler over his brothers and father, and he  unwisely shared these dreams with them.  These circumstances brought about jealousy, envy, and anger that nearly led to Joseph’s murder!  (Genesis 37:18)

The brothers ended up selling Joseph into slavery in Egypt, taking his robe, and dipping it in blood to fake his death.  They thought that they had solved their problem of a brother who was a pompous dreamer!  They could now get on with life with no more aggravation. Note that their jealousy did not hinder, but rather promoted, God’s plan of salvation!

When God is involved in a family and speaks to individuals, He knows how everything will work out.  He is not shocked by our boastful behavior or our brothers’ angry reactions.  God goes about working out His plan and the dream that He had given Joseph.  Joseph got a free ride to Egypt when he would have never gone on his own.  While there, the word of the Lord tested his faith during slavery, temptation by a married woman, (Genesis 39:10) and extended time in prison.  (Psalm 105:17-19)  All of this God used to prepare Joseph for his mission of saving his brothers and the known world from a disastrous 7 year famine.

God even used Joseph in interpreting dreams and he gained a reputation as someone with knowledge and insight.  (Genesis 40:8)  While in jail, Joseph interpreted two dreams that came true to the letter.   The chief cup bearer was supposed to remember Joseph to Pharaoh when he was restored according to Joseph’s word, but promptly forgot him. (Genesis 40:  12-14, 23)  Even bad memories work out for good in God’s economy!

Take time today and invite God to work in your mess!  Read His word and trust His promises.  Wait patiently in the midst of your messy trial for God is working out something for good for you! (Romans 8:28)

Can you imagine working for seven years for the girl you loved, only to wake up on your wedding morning with her sister?  (Genesis 30:25)  Can you imagine working another 7 years for the girl and your father-in-law, who changes your wages all the time?  Can you imagine rivalry for a husband’s affection in a home with two wives and four concubines?   Jacob turned to building altars to meet with God.  Prayer was the only way to make it through the trouble!

One day after nearly 20 years in Paddan Aram, God spoke to Jacob about returning to his homeland.  (Genesis 31:3)  Jacob gathered up his family and set out with his flocks.  Laban came after him and confronted him, but God dealt with Laban to let him go.  God is so thorough with His plans that when He speaks, we can be certain that they will come to pass.  After wrestling with God, Jacob successfully returned to his homeland and Esau made peace with him.  In Canaan, he bought a plot of ground near Shechem and set up an altar and called it “Mighty is the God of Israel“.  (Genesis 33:20)  Jacob tried to honor the Lord who had so blessed and helped him.

During this stay at Shechem one of Jacob’s daughters, Dinah, was raped by one of the men of Shechem.  This infuriated her brothers and two of them secretly plotted to get even.  Revenge may seem sweet momentarily, but only God can repay!  The murder of the townsmen by Levi and Simeon brought trouble on Jacob’s family and he became fearful.  He evidently sought the Lord and God spoke to him, “Go up to Bethel and settle there and build an altar there to God, who appeared to you when you were fleeing from your brother Esau.” (Genesis 35:1)  God again met Jacob and changed his name to Israel!  “Israel” means “conquered by God”!

We note again the ongoing conversation and direction from the Lord that Jacob had.  He was in covenant relationship with God and God was caring for him through all his troubles.  Bethel became an early center of worship in Israel.  Jacob learned how important it was to follow God and worship regularly.  The altar was established as a place to meet with God through sacrifice.

“Jacob left Beersheba and sat out for Haran.  When he reached a certain place, he stopped for the night because the sun had set.  Taking one of the stones there, he put it under his head and lay down to sleep.  He had a dream in which he saw a stairway resting on the earth, with its top reaching to heaven, and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it.” (Genesis 28:10-12)

Jacob was the younger twin son of Isaac who had obtained the birthright from his brother Esau by shrewd trading and then connived with his mother to get his father’s blessing. Faith sees what is valuable in God’s economy and takes hold of it.  Jacob was sent away from his home for two reasons:  Esau was mad enough to kill him after the blessing incident, and Isaac and Rebbecca were distraught at Esau’s Hittite wives.  They knew that for God’s blessing to come to pass, Jacob must marry someone of faith from their own family.  It is not good to be unequally yoked!  (2nd Corinthians 6:14-15) (Genesis 28:2-4)

As Jacob left to find his future wife,  he stopped the first night to sleep.  He had nothing but a stone for a pillow.  God visited him in a dream and showed him a stairway to heaven.  God spoke to Jacob from the top of the stairs, ” I am the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.  I will give you and your descendants the land on which you are lying. . . .All peoples on earth will be blessed through you and your offspring.  . . .I will watch over you wherever you go. . . I will not leave you until I have done what I promised you.” (Genesis 28:13-15)  God was in that place!   What words of assurance  the Lord gave during a time of transition!

Bethel (House of God) was the name Jacob gave that place.  Jacob made a vow to follow God, and set up a stone pillar as a memorial of his encounter.  He vowed to tithe off of all that God gave him.  When a man promises money, you know that his heart is in it!  God is indeed with each of us.  We have an open heaven and promised blessing through the descendant of Jacob, Jesus Christ who is our stairway to heaven!  (John 14:6) Follow Him today up the stairway!

Water is essential for human survival.  Water is not always easy to find, especially in a desert location.  But men are very resourceful and have developed techniques for locating water and then for making it available to use for life.  Abraham and Isaac were both well-diggers.  They found water in dry places and dug wells that became famous social gathering places in the dry desert of southern Israel.  One of those places was Beersheba, which means ‘well of the oath’.  (Genesis 22:30-33).

Isaac and Ishmael had buried Abraham, who died at 175 years of age after having lived a full life of faith.  (Genesis 25:7-10)  Scripture states that after Abraham’s passing, God blessed Isaac.  Isaac was married to Rebekah, but they had no children.  Isaac then prayed to the Lord for his wife and God answered the prayer with twins in her womb.  The babies jostled in her womb and she went to inquire of the Lord about what was happening.  “The Lord said to her, “Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples from within you will be separated; one people will be stronger than the other; the older will serve the younger.” (Genesis 25:23) We note a pattern of prayer in the lives of these who followed Abraham. As they asked the Lord, He responded to them and let them in on His plans.  Prayer is a communication in our relationship with God, who is Spirit.

Isaac encountered a famine in the desert land and went to Abimelech, king of the Philistines.  God appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live.  Stay in this land where I tell you to live.  . . . and I will be with you and will bless you.” (Genesis 26:2-3)  Isaac obeyed and planted crops in that land and reaped a hundredfold because of the Lord’s blessing.  When he became wealthy,  the Philistines were threatened by him so they stopped up the wells that Abraham had dug, hoping to discourage him.

Isaac dug new wells, but the quarrels continued.  He went back to Beersheba, the well of the oath.  There God appeared to him again and reaffirmed the covenant.  Digging wells brings refreshing water and a place of relationship.  Prayer with the Lord brings life-giving water and relationship that guides us successfully to our eternal home!

Greetings on this day of rest!  We are so blessed to have assurance of our salvation.  God has promised us salvation for faith in Jesus Christ!  (Romans 10:9-10)  We don’ t have to work to earn our salvation!  We are blessed by God with the grace of Christ’s gift to us.  This is a big contrast to the group of people who have come from the first son of Abram, Ishmael!

Ishmael was well taken care of by God.  God heard his cry as a teenage boy and promised to bless him, too.  Ishmael was not a person of faith, however.  He did not share in the inheritance that comes by faith through grace.  From his descendants comes Mohamed, the founder of Islam.  He was a violent man who had twelve wives and numerous children.  Mohamed promoted a religion of rules and regulations and told of an angry God, Allah, who demanded obedience to his rules or punishment would come.  Those who refused to submit were to be killed.  The only way to assure that a follower of Allah would make it to paradise was for him to die for the cause of Allah by conducting “Jihad”.  Women were treated as property and  a strict set of rules and mandatory prayers mark the lives of those who submit.

By contrast, followers of Christ do so because of love and faith.  Their God sent His Son Jesus to die for them and they can live eternally as a free gift.  (John 3:16-17)  They obey because of love and trust, not out of fear of punishment.  Their God lives with them and delights in them.  He is always for them and prays for their faith and success.  (Romans 8:31, 34)  Every person is given the opportunity of salvation, whether male or female.  God shows no partiality but wants all to be saved.  (1st Timothy 2:4-5)  Followers of God willingly give their money, time and talent, even their lives,  to serve their God out of gratitude for His mercy.

As you rest today, thank Him again for the freedom we have in Christ!  (Galatians 5:1)  Pray for the 1.2 billion descendants of Ishmael who are lost and need true freedom!  God wants them free, too!

In His Love, Pastor John

Isaac was a miracle child, born by the word of God to two people who were humanly beyond child-bearing.  Isaac grew in grace and favor, except with Hagar and Ishmael.  When Sarah caught Ishmael mocking Isaac, she went to Abraham and told him to get rid of both Ishmael and his mother. (Genesis 21:9-10) Abraham was greatly distressed because Ishmael was his son, but when he prayed to God, God told him to listen to his wife Sarah.  His inheritance would be through Isaac, not Ishmael, and God assured him that He would also take care of Ishmael and Hagar.

Isaac grew to be a young man and one day God tested Abraham.  He spoke directly to him about taking Isaac and offering him as a sacrifice on a mountain that God would show him.  Abraham got up early the next morning and obeyed.  They traveled for three days with enough wood, fire making materials, and a knife to kill the sacrifice.  When Abraham saw the place, he left the servants and donkeys and he and Isaac went up the mountain.  Isaac was carrying the wood and asked his father where the lamb for the sacrifice was.  All Abraham could answer was “God Himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” (Genesis 22:8)

They built the altar and arranged the wood and then Abraham bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar.  He took the knife and was about to sacrifice his son when an angel of the Lord stopped him.  Abraham looked and a ram was caught in the thicket.  He went over and took the ram and offered it instead.  He called the place, “Jehovah Jireh”  which means “the Lord will provide“.  (Genesis 22:14) Abraham’s faith was rewarded with another covenant affirmation.

Jesus Christ was the special Son of Joseph and Mary, born by supernatural intervention.  He was tested by being asked by his Father in Heaven to offer Himself as a sacrifice.  He carried the wood for the altar and gave Himself for the Lamb that God provided.  God raised Him from the dead and He now lives forever making possible an everlasting covenant for all who trust in Him!  The place he offered Himself is in the region where Abraham took Isaac to sacrifice.  What an amazing God we have!  He knows how to provide the Lamb!  (John 1:29)

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