Tag Archive | Joseph

Genesis 45

Nov14

Good morning y’all. Thank God it’s Friday :). Today we are in chapter 45 of Genesis. In this chapter Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers. He invites them to move to Egypt with their father so he can take care of them. Brothers return home and tell their father about Joseph and how God has helped him in Egypt.

Be blessed 🙂

Joseph finally reveals his identity to his brothers. He cried so much that the Egyptians outside heard him and went to tell the king. His brothers on the other hand were speechless. I’m sure the look on their faces was priceless…lol.

I am going to focus today’s blog on verses 5-8.

Don’t worry or blame yourselves for what you did. God is the one who sent me ahead of you to save lives.  There has already been a famine for two years, and for five more years no one will plow fields or harvest grain. But God sent me on ahead of you to keep your families alive and to save you in this wonderful way. After all, you weren’t really the ones who sent me here—it was God. He made me the highest official in the king’s court and placed me over all Egypt. (Genesis 45:5-8 CEVUS06)

1) Joseph was concerned about his brothers  feelings and he quickly reassured them and told them not to feel bad!(like seriously! concerned about the ones that hurt you!!!). I am amazed at his level of compassion because I know what I would have done if I was in Josephs situation. My concern would not be for the offending party’s feelings. I would want to make them feel bad as much as I can so they understand the gravity of the pain they’ve put me through. But I thank God for brother Joseph because he didn’t yield to his flesh rather we see him react in a godly manner.

He was patient, compassionate, kind and gentle with his brothers. He wanted them to understand that it was God all along orchestrating everything so that he could save them.

I pray when we are faced with situations like this, we don’t yield to our flesh but rather to the spirit.

2) Joseph had the right perspective regards the whole situation. He was able to view the whole situation through the eyes of God. He understood that all that happened, had been God divinely orchestrating his life. Even though his brothers thought it was them, truly it was God all along steering him in the path He wanted for his life.

I believe this could have only come as a result of his relationship and knowledge of God. He knew that God who gave him the dreams was able to bring them to pass and was not going to leave him alone.

Having the right perspective must have also helped him maintain a good attitude during the whole journey from slavery to prison to palace. Without the right perspective he would have been bitter and angry and as a result, he probably would have never made it to the palace!

I pray whatever situation we find ourselves we are able to see it through the eyes of God.

3) Joseph maintained a good attitude. He wasn’t bitter rather he was pleasant, compassionate and gentle. He wasn’t angry rather he was kind, loving and friendly. He wasn’t proud rather he was humble. Even when presented with the opportunity for revenge, he didn’t take it, instead he showed kindness and compassion. He continued to do the right thing and we see how God came through for him. He eventually became the 2nd in command to the king himself.

I pray God gives us the grace to maintain the right attitude as we go through life.

Friends, when we choose to see the good in the midst of our trials; when see the sovereignty of God in our lives and realise that HE alone has the power to do and undo; when we realise that the enemy can only try but can’t succeed unless the Lord permits them because he has a purpose  for it, then I believe it will be easier for us to forgive those who hurt us, show compassion, have a right perspective and maintain a good attitude.

I will conclude with James 1: 2-4 and Romans 5: 3-5

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing.( James 1:2-4 NKJV)

And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.( Romans 5:3-5 NKJV)

Prayer:
Dear God we thank you for today and for your word. We ask for the grace to show compassion to those who have offended us. Help us have the right perspective and see the situation through your eyes. Help us maintain the right attitude as we go through life; that we would not yield to our flesh but rather to the leading of the Holy Spirit.  Thank you Lord for we ask in faith and believe we have received In Jesus Name. Amen.

Thanks for joining today and I know you have been blessed 🙂

I am blogging through the bible with Good morning girls. Check us out at http://www.goodmorninggirls.org

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Note there will be no chapter blog tomorrow. The next chapter blog will be on Monday for Genesis 46. But God helping me, I will post a blog tomorrow summarising what I’ve learnt so far in the book of Genesis 🙂

Have a blessed day and remember God is sovereign 🙂

***With God all things are possible***

Genesis 43

Nov12

Good morning y’all. Today we in chapter 43 of Genesis. In this chapter Josephs brothers return to Egypt with Benjamin. Joseph receives them with gladness and invites them to a feast in his house. He still doesn’t reveal his identity to them.

Be blessed 🙂

Jacob in this chapter didn’t demonstrate good leadership skills at all. He had been told in the previous chapter that the only way they could go back to Egypt to get more grain was to go with Benjamin. Yet he prolonged and delayed acting on the matter until they had reached crisis point.

In v1 and 2 we are told the famine became really severe and they had eaten all the grain they brought back from Egypt the 1st time they went. Now, Jacob asks them to go back to Egypt and buy little more grain.
I ask myself why he would say such when he clearly knew what needed to be done if they wanted more grain. Perhaps he was hoping that his sons would go back to Egypt and somehow talk the governor out of the request to see Benjamin and he would allow them buy small grain and not a whole lot. Jacob was downplaying the situation at hand. He just wasn’t ready to face the issue head on.

Judah refused to give in to his father’s cowardly way of dealing with issues. He stood up to him and reminded him of what the governor requested. See verse 3-5
But Judah said, “The man was serious when he warned us, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’ If you send Benjamin with us, we will go down and buy more food. But if you don’t let Benjamin go, we won’t go either. Remember, the man said, ‘You won’t see my face again unless your brother is with you.’” (Genesis 43:3-5 NLT)

Even after the reminder from Judah, we see Jacob going back to his old manipulative ways. He tried to blame his sons for putting him in the predicament he was in. Jacob the father, the one who should be making decisions and leading the family was not doing that. In fact his concern was only for himself. He was being selfish. See verse 6-7
“Why were you so cruel to me?” Jacob moaned. “Why did you tell him you had another brother?” “The man kept asking us questions about our family,” they replied. “He asked, ‘Is your father still alive? Do you have another brother?’ So we answered his questions. How could we know he would say, ‘Bring your brother down here’?”(Genesis 43:6-7 NLT)

I ask myself was Jacob expecting the sons to lie when Joseph questioned them about their family as I couldn’t understand how the brothers telling the truth was an issue. I’m assuming he expected them to do as he probably would have done, which would have been to lie.
I noticed that this lying thing in the face of a threat or predicament seems to be hereditory in the family…lol. Grandpa Abraham did it when he went down to Egypt with Sarai. He lied she was his sister. Daddy Isaac also did it when he moved to Gerar and he lied Rebecca was his sister. Now, Jacob the son, is suggesting here that he would have lied or deceived if he was the one being questioned by the governor! Seems this men struggle with trusting God to help them in the face of adversity.

Judah insisted they would not go unless Benjamin went with them. He offered himself in return for Benjamin. He was thinking about the family as opposed to Jacob who was only thinking about himself. I particularly liked his response in verse 10.
If we hadn’t wasted all this time, we could have gone and returned twice by now.” (Genesis 43:10 NLT)

He was indirectly telling his father off for delaying what could gave been a successful mission, probably done twice. They would not be starving now if Jacob had assumed his responsibility as the head and dealt with the matter as opposed to putting it off.

Judahs response finally jolted Jacob from his passive state. He reluctantly agreed for the sons to go back to Egypt with Benjamin. He asked them to take along the bestest of gifts in the land. I am assuming Jacob asked his sons to do this with the hope that they would find favour in the sight of Joseph and he will release Simeon and also not harm Benjamin. This reminds me of what he did with Esau as well. He sent along gifts in advance hoping to sweeten Esau. Was he right in doing this? could this be termed as bribery? Was this done as an act of faith? I’m not too sure but I think it was an action done in flesh as opposed to reliance on God to help with the situation at hand.

The brothers went back to Egypt along with Benjamin. They were well received by Joseph and even dined with him. Joseph was overwhelmed when he saw his brother. He couldn’t control his emotion, he had to leave their presence to cry. The brothers were afraid, while all along what Joseph wanted was a chance to see his brother again and also reconcile with the rest of his family.

Friend how often do we act like Jacob; where we know what needs to be done in  order for us to get out of our predicament but we choose not to do it. We become comfortable in the situation. We think we can manage it and procastinate until the issue becomes a major crisis. Today hear the words of Judah to his father…..stop wasting time.

Don’t prolong your waiting period when you know the right thing to do. Lets ask for grace to get up and do what needs to be done.

Prayer:
Dear Lord we thank you for today. We ask for the  grace to trust you more and to rely on you for help rather than our own strength. We ask for grace to do the right thing at the right time. Thank you Lord. In Jesus Name.

Thanks for joining and pls feel free to leave your thoughts on the chapter.

Have a blessed day 🙂

***With God all things are possible***