TEXT: ". . . come unto me and I will give you the good of the land . . . and ye shall eat the fat of the land." (Gen. 45:18)
What a wonderful promise. Sounds like something God would have been said to Abraham or David or some other mighty man of God, doesn't it? If we look a little closer, we'll find this promise was made to Jacob and his 11 sons by the ruler of Egypt. Did they deserve the Pharoah's favor? We would say, "no way."
These were the guys who, out of jealousy, sold their brother Joseph to some slave traders. The oldest one went to bed with his father's concubine. To avenge their sister's honor, they murdered the population of an entire city.
I guess we can't completely blame them. Genetics were definitely against them. We all know the story. It began way back in Isaac's day at the birth of his twin sons, Esau and Jacob. They were as different as two men could be.. Esau was a hairy fellow and loved the outdoors. Jacob was smooth skinned and stayed around the camp. Jacob also knew what was valuable in the long term while Esau pretty much lived for the moment. That's why Esau was willing to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew. And so the deceit began, aided by their mother, Rebecca, who definitely favored Jacob.
When Isaac thought he was nearing death, he called Esau, his oldest, to him. "Go kill some game and cook it for me and I will give you my blessing," said Isaac. The blessing he referred to was the special blessing normally conferred on the eldest. So Esau went hunting. Rebecca overheard the conversation and called Jacob. "Go kill a goat and I will fix it and you will take it to your father and he will give you the blessing," she said. But Jacob knew he and Esau were nothing alike physically so how would he fool Isaac? Rebecca already had a plan. "Your father is almost blind," she said. "We'll just put some goat skin on your hands and arms and he will never know the difference."
The plan worked, even though Isaac at first wondered about the voice, but the goat's hair convinced him. And so he blessed Jacob with the oldest son's blessing. When Esau showed up with his food and the truth came out, needless to say, he was very angry. So angry, he planned to kill Jacob just as soon as Isaac died. Once again Rebecca intervened. And with Isaac's blessing she sent Jacob back to her family to find a wife. She reasoned that in time, Esau would cool down and Jacob could return home.
While we could argue Esau didn't deserve the blessing anyway, that is not our choice to make. Neither was it Jacob's or Rebecca's. God knew the hearts of the two men and He would have seen the right one received the blessing. Anytime we decide to help God out, trouble's coming.
Rebecca paid a high price for her deceit. While everyone expected Isaac to die anytime, he didn't.
Instead, Rebecca herself died without ever seeing her beloved Jacob again.
In the meanwhile, Jacob ran into a little problem of his own in the form of his Uncle Laban, who was pretty good at deceit himself. Himself a deceiver, Jacob had been deceived. When he had worked seven years to marry the beautiful Rachel, his father-in-law instead gave him her older sister, the not-so-beautiful Leah. To marry Rachel cost him another seven years. Jealousy ran rampant between the two sisters and obviously among their children.
The issue of children is how Jacob wound up with the two concubines. The two sisters each gave him their maid so there would be more children they could claim. And his father-in-law continued his deceitful ways, changing his wages whenever it suited him.
After 20 years, Jacob finally pulled up stakes and left for Canaan. Fortunately Esau had cooled down and welcomed his brother.
But the sons Jacob fathered not only had genetics against them but the strife in their household
also took its toll. It's little wonder the sons of Leah were jealous of Rachel's son, Joseph, whom
Jacob openly favored.
And so it was, they plotted his death but settled for selling him to some slave traders.
Yet in all of this, God had a plan. Despite all their ungodly actions, God would keep his promise to their great-grandfather Abraham to multiply his seed as the sand of the earth.
To facilitate that plan, God chose Joseph, the next to youngest and one of only two sons of Jacob's beloved Rachel. But perhaps the only brother who truly had a heart for God.
But Joseph, who was guilty only of being a little spoiled and maybe a little prideful, had some growing up to do before God could use him and so God sent him through the fire of testing. He was sold to an Egyptian. God blessed him and his master turned his whole household over to him. But don't think Satan will just stand on the sidelines when God's blessings are falling. The Egyptian's wife took a liking to Joseph and tried to seduce him. Joseph had far too much integrity to be caught up in anything like that. Finally they were alone and when he again refused her advances, she pulled his cloak from him and accused him of attacking her. Innocent though he was, he still wound up in prison for the next two years. But he never gave up on God. And God not only delivered him from prison but made him the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Once again what Satan intended for evil, God turned for good.
After seven years of great crops, the world was in famine. But because God showed Pharaoh in a dream what would happen and because of Joseph's interpretation of that dream and his wisdom, Egypt was prepared. Grain had been stored up all during the seven years of plenty and Egypt was ready. Jacob and his sons were not and so it was Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain.
But in all this, God was at work. You see, for all Jacob's deceitfulness, he still had a heart tender toward God. We see it the first time when he is running from Esau and stops to rest for the night. God sends a dream and Jacob responds with a vow to serve God. (Gen. 28) A similar visitation takes place when he is on his way back to Canaan.
Jacob must pay, however for his own deceitfulness as his sons deceive him in portraying Joseph as dead. What a terrible thing for a father to live with, not to mention the guilt that tormented the 10 older brothers. Little wonder they expected the worst from Pharoah's chief steward.
But God had not forgotten his promise to Abraham, to Isaac and also to Jacob. The Israelites flourished in Egypt and indeed ate the good of the land until the time came God "unfeathered" their nest so they would be ready for the journey to Canaan. God had a plan for His people and He carried it out to the smallest detail, despite the failings of men.
God also has plan for His Church, collectively and individually. All He looks for is the willing heart. He'll do the rest.
What a wonderful promise. Sounds like something God would have been said to Abraham or David or some other mighty man of God, doesn't it? If we look a little closer, we'll find this promise was made to Jacob and his 11 sons by the ruler of Egypt. Did they deserve the Pharoah's favor? We would say, "no way."
These were the guys who, out of jealousy, sold their brother Joseph to some slave traders. The oldest one went to bed with his father's concubine. To avenge their sister's honor, they murdered the population of an entire city.
I guess we can't completely blame them. Genetics were definitely against them. We all know the story. It began way back in Isaac's day at the birth of his twin sons, Esau and Jacob. They were as different as two men could be.. Esau was a hairy fellow and loved the outdoors. Jacob was smooth skinned and stayed around the camp. Jacob also knew what was valuable in the long term while Esau pretty much lived for the moment. That's why Esau was willing to trade his birthright for a bowl of stew. And so the deceit began, aided by their mother, Rebecca, who definitely favored Jacob.
When Isaac thought he was nearing death, he called Esau, his oldest, to him. "Go kill some game and cook it for me and I will give you my blessing," said Isaac. The blessing he referred to was the special blessing normally conferred on the eldest. So Esau went hunting. Rebecca overheard the conversation and called Jacob. "Go kill a goat and I will fix it and you will take it to your father and he will give you the blessing," she said. But Jacob knew he and Esau were nothing alike physically so how would he fool Isaac? Rebecca already had a plan. "Your father is almost blind," she said. "We'll just put some goat skin on your hands and arms and he will never know the difference."
The plan worked, even though Isaac at first wondered about the voice, but the goat's hair convinced him. And so he blessed Jacob with the oldest son's blessing. When Esau showed up with his food and the truth came out, needless to say, he was very angry. So angry, he planned to kill Jacob just as soon as Isaac died. Once again Rebecca intervened. And with Isaac's blessing she sent Jacob back to her family to find a wife. She reasoned that in time, Esau would cool down and Jacob could return home.
While we could argue Esau didn't deserve the blessing anyway, that is not our choice to make. Neither was it Jacob's or Rebecca's. God knew the hearts of the two men and He would have seen the right one received the blessing. Anytime we decide to help God out, trouble's coming.
Rebecca paid a high price for her deceit. While everyone expected Isaac to die anytime, he didn't.
Instead, Rebecca herself died without ever seeing her beloved Jacob again.
In the meanwhile, Jacob ran into a little problem of his own in the form of his Uncle Laban, who was pretty good at deceit himself. Himself a deceiver, Jacob had been deceived. When he had worked seven years to marry the beautiful Rachel, his father-in-law instead gave him her older sister, the not-so-beautiful Leah. To marry Rachel cost him another seven years. Jealousy ran rampant between the two sisters and obviously among their children.
The issue of children is how Jacob wound up with the two concubines. The two sisters each gave him their maid so there would be more children they could claim. And his father-in-law continued his deceitful ways, changing his wages whenever it suited him.
After 20 years, Jacob finally pulled up stakes and left for Canaan. Fortunately Esau had cooled down and welcomed his brother.
But the sons Jacob fathered not only had genetics against them but the strife in their household
also took its toll. It's little wonder the sons of Leah were jealous of Rachel's son, Joseph, whom
Jacob openly favored.
And so it was, they plotted his death but settled for selling him to some slave traders.
Yet in all of this, God had a plan. Despite all their ungodly actions, God would keep his promise to their great-grandfather Abraham to multiply his seed as the sand of the earth.
To facilitate that plan, God chose Joseph, the next to youngest and one of only two sons of Jacob's beloved Rachel. But perhaps the only brother who truly had a heart for God.
But Joseph, who was guilty only of being a little spoiled and maybe a little prideful, had some growing up to do before God could use him and so God sent him through the fire of testing. He was sold to an Egyptian. God blessed him and his master turned his whole household over to him. But don't think Satan will just stand on the sidelines when God's blessings are falling. The Egyptian's wife took a liking to Joseph and tried to seduce him. Joseph had far too much integrity to be caught up in anything like that. Finally they were alone and when he again refused her advances, she pulled his cloak from him and accused him of attacking her. Innocent though he was, he still wound up in prison for the next two years. But he never gave up on God. And God not only delivered him from prison but made him the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. Once again what Satan intended for evil, God turned for good.
After seven years of great crops, the world was in famine. But because God showed Pharaoh in a dream what would happen and because of Joseph's interpretation of that dream and his wisdom, Egypt was prepared. Grain had been stored up all during the seven years of plenty and Egypt was ready. Jacob and his sons were not and so it was Joseph's brothers came to Egypt to buy grain.
But in all this, God was at work. You see, for all Jacob's deceitfulness, he still had a heart tender toward God. We see it the first time when he is running from Esau and stops to rest for the night. God sends a dream and Jacob responds with a vow to serve God. (Gen. 28) A similar visitation takes place when he is on his way back to Canaan.
Jacob must pay, however for his own deceitfulness as his sons deceive him in portraying Joseph as dead. What a terrible thing for a father to live with, not to mention the guilt that tormented the 10 older brothers. Little wonder they expected the worst from Pharoah's chief steward.
But God had not forgotten his promise to Abraham, to Isaac and also to Jacob. The Israelites flourished in Egypt and indeed ate the good of the land until the time came God "unfeathered" their nest so they would be ready for the journey to Canaan. God had a plan for His people and He carried it out to the smallest detail, despite the failings of men.
God also has plan for His Church, collectively and individually. All He looks for is the willing heart. He'll do the rest.
