A wrong model will always be follow

Genesis 49:16-18

I have a hard time seeing this story played out in my family or my friend’s family, but it seems to be a practice passed on from Sarai to Rachel.  Rachel, like her mother-in-law Sarai, was having a hard time conceiving and she brings in a substitute, her servant Bilhah, to be Jacob’s wife, so that he would have children by her.  We do not know how long it took for her to conceive, but she did and her first son was named Dan.

He is now standing before his father receiving the blessing and this is what Jacob/Israel has to say; “Dan shall judge his people as one of the tribes of Israel.” (Genesis 49:16)

Dan is referred to in Exodus 1:4 in the names of the sons of Israel, who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household.  It is important to remember that all that came with Jacob to Egypt, including Joseph and his two sons, number only seventy people.

It is now 400 years later and Moses is leading tribes of Jacob/Israel out of Egypt and God gives this instruction to Moses; “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers’ houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head.  From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company.” (Numbers 1:2-3)  And this is what happened to the tribe of Dan over those 400 years, many of the years were in slavery and hard labor, and yet God was faithful and increased the tribe of Dan to 62,700 people.  That was the number that was counted in the wilderness of Sinai, in the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt.

Jacob/Israel also had this to say in regards to Dan; “Dan shall be a serpent in the way, a viper by the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that the rider falls backward.”  (Genesis 49:17)  This could mean many things, but it could be referring to the fact that the Danites introduced idolatry into the land of Israel.  God told Moses to make a covenant with the people in Deuteronomy 29:16-18, and that is only a small part of that covenant.  God knows what they will see as they leave Egypt and travel through the many nations; detestable things, idols of wood and stone, of silver and gold, and it is most important to remember that God calls these things detestable.  God knows our hearts and he keeps warning us to not let our heart be turned away from him, but the tribe of Dan did, and it is recorded in Judges 19:30.  We are exposed to so much today and yet God is faithful and He knows our flesh, He knows our hearts are easily turned from him, but God has not changed, and things that were detestable then, are still detestable to God.  A wise person would want to study to make sure their hearts are centered on the things of God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Waiting for a Blessing

 

Genesis 49:13-15

If I was the next in line to Judah, I would be somewhat upbeat, because as bad as it had been for Reuben, Simeon, and Levi, it had been that good for Judah.  I’m sure that Zebulun is thinking it’s all up hill, dad got the bad stuff out of the way and for the rest of us, it’s going to be good.  This is the blessing to Zebulun; “Zebulun shall dwell at the shore of the sea; he shall become a haven for ships, and his brother shall be at Sidon.”

Only three times does Scripture address the life of Zebulun in the book of Genesis.  The first time we hear of him is his birth as the sixth son of Leah in Genesis 30:20, next is Genesis 35:23 and that is a listing of the sons of Jacob, and last in Genesis 49:13, where he is being blessed.  It is clear that much could have been written about what took place between birth and death, but God has not chosen to reveal that to us, but in Joshua 19:10-16, we have this account of the land his clans inherited. 

Zebuluns brother Issachar seems to have been standing next to him and Jacob/Israel goes to him almost without taking a breath. “Issachar is a strong donkey, crouching between the sheepfolds.  He saw that a resting place was good, and that the land was pleasant, so he bowed his shoulder to bear, and became a servant at forced labor.”  Henry Morris implies that Issachar may have been lazy and that the land that he moved to was very fertile and that often others raided it.  Issachar is also a son of Leah and Jacob, found in Genesis 30:18, and the next time his name shows up is in the list of sons of Jacob in Genesis 35:23.  Then we have the account of his blessing listed in verses 14-15, and once more in the inheritance for Issachar and his people, according to their clans, in Joshua 19:17-23.

Jeremiah 29:11 is a great promise that my dear friend Joyce Ray sent me at a big crossroad in my life, and it’s just a reminder that God has a plan for you, He knows the plan when we do not have a clue, He can be trusted to desire wholeness and not evil, a future and a hope.  That was His desire for these two brothers and He has not forgotten you, you are in His plans.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

If took 640 years

 

Genesis 49:8-12

If I was Judah, and I’m standing there with my brothers, it is clear that the first three brothers have struck out, the blessing they had hoped for has turned into a curse.  I might have said dad, I have a headache, and I’ll see you later, much later.  Each brother had looked forward to his dad’s blessing, and up to this point, it has not gone well.   But this is the way Jacob begins with Judah, “Judah, your brothers shall praise you; your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies; your father’s sons shall bow down before you.  Judah is a lion’s cub; from the prey, my son you have gone up.  He stooped down; he crouched as a lioness; who dares rouse him?”  (Genesis 49:8-9)

As Judah stands with his brothers, it becomes clear that Judah has been given the leadership among the tribes and his brothers would look to him as the protector of his people.  Joseph got the double inheritance of the first-born but Judah was given the responsibility of the first-born.  Judah has been chosen by God and revealed to Jacob/Israel, as the one from whom the seed or offspring the promised one would come.  Verse 10, “The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the ruler’s staff from between his feet, until he comes to whom it belongs and the obedience of the nations is his.”

Once more, if I was Judah, I’m telling the wife and kids about this great honor.  I’m also a little amazed when I come out of the house and my brothers are not bowing down to me, but it is 640 years before the “scepter” of leadership comes to the tribe of Judah in the person of King David.  From that time on Judah was the dominant tribe and in those 640 years you have leader like Moses from Levi, Joshua from Ephraim, Gideon from Manasseh, and the list goes on all the way to Saul from Benjamin.  The promises of God to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob that through their “Seed – Offspring” would come the promised Messiah, the one who would fulfill this promise; “shall all families of the earth be blessed.”  Hebrews 1:8, gives us a clear understanding; “But about the Son he says, “Your throne, O God, will last for ever and ever, and righteousness will be the scepter of your kingdom.”   

His scepter or staff will be righteousness, and it would be correct to state that anyone who comes to Him will be blessed.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Recall of the Father

Genesis 49:5-7

I have never been part of the reading of a will; to be part of that even would mean that someone in your family had something material to leave you.  I do wonder if this thought goes through the minds of family members as they witness the reading of the will; I hope he/she does not recall what I did or said about them.  As we look at these three verses, it becomes painfully clear that Jacob/Israel had a great recall of his sons.

These are Jacob’s words to his next two sons:  “Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords.  Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory be not joined to their company.  For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen.  Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel!  I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel.”   What was that all about?  You may recall that a Shechemite raped their sister Dinah and these two brothers came up with a plan to kill all the Shechemites, putting his family in great danger from the other tribes of people whose land they were passing through.

So at the time of blessing, Simeon and Levi, the two brothers who were closest companions among all the brothers, were to be divided.  If we look at Joshua 19:1 we see that Simeon’s inheritance was in the midst of the inheritance of the people of Judah, and the Levi tribe never had an inheritance but were given cities scattered throughout all the other tribes.  They later became the priestly tribe among the Israelites.

A word to the wise; your sins will find you out.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

No Blessing for the 1st Born

 

Genesis 49:1-4

Yesterday, I discussed how and where “the Blessing” came from and it’s importance to the one being blessed, and today we see Jacob/Israel blessing on his sons.  “Then Jacob called his sons and said, “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you what shall happen to you in days to come.” (Genesis 49:1)  Henry M. Morris makes this statement on page 651 of the “Genesis Record” “The discourse that follows is no ordinary conversation.  It is in poetic form, and thus abounds in imagery.  Its very tone manifests that, though Jacob is speaking, he is speaking “in the Spirit.”  He is in full possession of his faculties, even though at the point of death, noting many events which had been carried in his memory for many years, and yet speaking in a manner very different from his normal mode of speech, in poetry and symbol and prophecy.  The twelve brothers could hardly fail to be soberly and indelibly impressed with the memory and importance of their father’s words.”

This is what Israel had to say about his firstborn, the one who should be the pride of his father.  “Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the first fruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power.”  I bet Ruben is feeling Ok about himself at this point, and he is hoping that dad has forgot his act of adultery and incest with Bilhah.  Picking up the story in verse 4, “Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father’s bed; then you defiled it – he went up to my couch!”

If you follow the tribe of Reuben, they never furnished a leader for the nation as a whole.  And it is the tribe of Reuben that asks to settle and not cross over the Jordan.  Reuben was weak and unstable, and did not control his lust, and his actions excluded him from the blessing of the firstborn.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Blessing

Genesis 48:14-22

The Scripture above is the bestowing of Jacob’s blessings on Ephraim and Manasseh, the sons of Joseph.  The blessing was a rite of passage, the milestone marker between childhood and being a man.  When Jan and I were in Israel at the Wailing Wall or Western Wall, we observed this blessing being passed on to several young boys who had come of age.  This thought came into my mind, how important is a fathers blessing, and who came up with the ideal of passing on a blessing from father to son?

If we go to Genesis 1:27-28, first we see the creation of man in the image of God and then we observe the blessing; “And God blessed them, And God said to them, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.”  We also see God doing this to Noah and his sons (Genesis 9:1) and to Abraham (Genesis 12:2 and Isaac in Genesis 25:11).  In fact, God is still this very day passing on His blessing, in Ephesians 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.  In love he predestined us for adoption through Jesus Christ according to the purpose of his will.”

So that is where we arrived at the blessing, the Hebrew father understood how important it was to bless his sons and give them the rite of passage.  The first sons always got the blessing, unless in God’s Devine scheme He chose the younger son, as He did in this case.   When Joseph saw his father’s right hand on the younger he tried to move it but Jacob said, I know what I’m doing.  Verse 19, “But his father refused and said, “I know, my son, I know.  He also shall become a people, and he also shall be great.  Nevertheless, his younger brother shall be greater than he, and his offspring shall become a multitude of nations.”

PS:  Gray Smalley & John Trent, Ph.D. wrote “The Blessing,” a great read.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Special People in our Life

Genesis 48:10-13

All of us have special people in the Old Testament whose character and their actions have meaning to our lives; Joseph is one of those men in my life.  I am blown-away by his faith in God, but as a young man he seemed to be full of self.  He once told his mother, father, and his brothers that he had a dream, and in that dream they would all bow-down to him.  Nowhere in Scripture do we find that Joseph’s mother or father bow-down to him, but we do see that his brothers did so often, at a much later date.

What is wrong with Joseph’s dream?  It goes against the heart of God, it violates the Scriptures of honoring your father and mother found in Exodus 20:12 and Matthew 15:4, and it maybe that as Joseph was sharing his dream he got exuberant and added things that God never revealed to him.   This is a given, he was his fathers favorite, he was spoiled, in that he did not have to care for the flocks, but hung out with dad while his brothers did the heavy lifting.  It is my belief that Jacob carries some of the blame for Joseph being so full of self at this young age, it is clear that he often tattled on his brothers. 

Scripture does not give light to how often Jacob disciplined Joseph, but it looks as if he was given a pass in this area, and if so, Jacob, not Joseph, is responsible for his actions as a young boy.  But it is clear, that Jacob spent time with young Joseph talking about the God of Abraham and Isaac, and how Joseph was part of a promise. Yes, Jacob was faithful to teach about how God had lead him to Canaan, a God who is a covenant God.

The God who is unseen has been faithful in everyway to Joseph.  Joseph has no dissolutions on who has placed him in the position of the second most powerful man in all of Egypt, and it is that man who has learned to honor his father, verse twelve tells us the story; “Then Joseph removed them from his knees, and he bowed himself with his face to the earth.”  What a lesson Joseph taught to his sons that day, it maybe one of the greatest lessons a father can teach his sons, to respect and honor their father.  He did not do it with words, but with his actions; those are the lessons that have great meaning.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Expressed Emotions or often missed

Genesis 48:1-9

The written word can often be the most misunderstood means of communication, it take great skill to write in a way that the reader understands the emotions expressed in the writing.  Often in business emails can cause the lost of a customer, and even the company to be sued or a battle to formed between departments.  Often when reading the Scriptures, I miss the emotions that are taking place, Genesis 48 is full of feelings and emotions, and if we read past them we will miss some of the story.

Joseph is told that his father is ill, he not sick with a cold, he is about to die.  How Jacob has been in Egypt for sixteen plus years at this time but Joseph has been running the country and has not spent the quality time or even the amount of time a son would want with his father.  When Joseph arrives at his fathers bedside he is very weak and yet Jacob/Israel has much to tell his son.  “Jacob said to Joseph, “God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, ‘Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a company of peoples and will give this land to your offspring after you for an everlasting possession.”

Jacob maybe dying, but just telling his favorite son about hanging out with Creator God is a very emotional moment, and can’t you just see his eyes flashing, and his voice getting stronger as he shares this encounter he has had with God.  He also wants Joseph to fully understand that the two sons he had while in Egypt before Jacob arrived are as much his sons as Reuben and Simeon are in fact he was adopting them so they would be part of his inheritance.  Then he shares about Joseph mother the love of his life, Rachel and how he buried her in Bethlehem. 

Earlier I made the statement that Joseph had not spent the time he had hope for with his dad, for many reason, distance of travel, but the main one was his busy schedule.  Joseph sons must be in age between 18-20 years of age and look what Jacob/Israel ask; “When Israel saw Joseph’s sons, he said, “Who are these?”  Joseph said to his father, “They are my sons, whom God has given me here.”  It is also true that Israel eyesight was very poor and that could contribute to his statement.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Hunger is a Motivator

Genesis 47:27-31

Hunger is an amazing motivator; many people will leave the area their families have lived in for generations because of a famine.  History is our witness, the Great Depression of the 1930’s left many families displaced all over this country.  It would not be a far reach to say that most of the families never planned on staying long term in their new surroundings, but we know that many never returned to the place they called home.

Jacob and his family had their roots in Canaan, Egypt was not home, but Canaan was not prepared for a famine and Egypt was, so they left Canaan temporarily to stay out of the famine in Egypt.  It is seventeen years later, and they are still in Egypt, but Egypt has been good to them; they have gained possessions and have become fruitful and multiplied greatly.  What was temporary, is now home and it seems as if no one remembers a promise made to Abram, whose name was later changed to Abraham.

This is what God promised Abram, “Then the Lord said to Abram, “Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years.”  When was this promise made to Abram?  It was before he had any children!  Joseph was still in charge, he was still the man of the hour and all seemed good, but never forget God keeps his promises.

How would God’s chosen people being afflicted and turned into slaves, bring glory to God?  What happens to a people when their freedom is taken and they are no longer allowed to go, or do, what they want?  Looking to Jesus for the answer: “I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.”  (John 16:33)  Often Christians are taken captive in Egypt, the Scripture often refers to Egypt, as a place void of the Spirit, and a place where the flesh feels comfortable.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Looking back

Genesis 47:23-26

Have you ever entered into a relationship in a business or even a partnership and later, looking back, you understand it could have been a great deal worse?  If you were an Egyptian in the time of Joseph, and sold your land and yourself for food, it is the darkest days of your life.  Having always known freedom, it may be difficult to grasp the full effect of what these people have agreed to; they are Pharaoh’s and they must go where he tells them, and do what he tells them to do. 

But as they looked back on the deal they made, it was die or make a deal with the only thing they had left of value, themselves and their land.  And this was the deal; “Then Joseph said to the people, “Behold, I have this day bought you and your land for Pharaoh.  Now here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.  And at the harvest you shall give a fifth to Pharaoh, and four fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and as food for yourselves and your households, and as food for your little ones.”  And they said, “You have saved our lives; may it please my lord, we will be servants to Pharaoh.”

It was not that bad a deal, compared to what you and I pay in taxes, for the Egyptian’s were only paying 20% of what they made in a tax to Pharaoh.  But unlike you and I they gave up the freedom to go and do whatever their heart led them to do. 

Who owns you?  Who is your master?  Have you entered into any binding agreements?  I did at the age of twenty-seven, and so did you if you are in Christ!  Each of us who enter into Christ and all who enter into His covenant have given up our right to do as we please.

The apostle John states in John 8:31, “So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed in him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”  You and I may be as foolish as the Jews that Jesus is talking to, because they said in so many words, you are crazy, we have always been free; did you have the same thoughts?  What did Jesus set you free from?  It is sin that separates you from God, from sin that wants to place you in bondage and steal your hope and joy, and from fellowship with God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, just to mention a few.

From The Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A foundation built on Freedom

Genesis 47:13-22

I’ve been blessed to live my entire life in the United States of America, it is a Nation like none other, it’s founders knew that if it was to last it must have a foundation built on freedom and on the belief in God and His written word. When these men wrote our Declaration of Independence from England, it began in this manner; “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”  These brave men, had much to lose, but this is what they pledged; “And for the support of this declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor.”  That was the price of our liberty, these men were willing to give everything so that you and I, Citizens of this United States could for these many years enjoy freedom, as few in history have known

But once more that freedom is being challenged, not from foreign shores, but from within and it is still not a deterrent, if we the people will be willing to do what our forefathers did.  Many who have read this Scripture have gone away with the impression that Joseph was a power-hungry dictator, but I do not believe that is what these verses are telling us.  It is important to understand who engaged whom, and verse fifteen tells us the people or a group that represented them came to Joseph and they said our money is gone and we cannot feed our livestock.  So Joseph said, “Give me your livestock and I will give food in exchange for your livestock if your money is gone.”  That lasted for about one year and now they had no money or livestock and it was back to Joseph.  It should be reported that no one complained about the food for livestock, so we can assume that Joseph was treating the people fair.

Picking up the story in verse 18, “And when that year was ended, they came to him the following year and said to him, “We will not hide from my lord that our money is all spent.  The herds of livestock are my lord’s.  There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our land.  Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land?  Buy us and our land for food, and we with our land will be servants to Pharaoh.  And give us seed that we may live and not die, and that the land may not be desolate.” These Egyptians worshiped foreign gods, gods that could not speak or hear, so when they failed, the people turned to government to supply their needs.

In this case the people were willing to exchange freedom for food, but we the Citizens of this great nation are not hungry, but many are willing to be slaves to a government that will promise to take care of them, and I must ask, at what cost?

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Faith is the Victory

 

Genesis 47:1-10

If I only believed, how different my life would be!  I have no doubt it happened, I believe in the God who made it happen, but when the rubber hits the road, I seem to rely on my thoughts, feelings, and actions, and not on the promises of God.  And you might say; surely you believe the promises of God, have you not taught them, have you not seen the effect of them in your own life and the lives of others.  Truthfully I must answer, yes, I have both taught them and have seen the fulfillment of God’s promises.  But how does one like me refrain from relying on my thoughts, feelings, and let the Holy Spirit of God control my actions?

Both Joseph and his father believed the promises of God, the promises that He had given to Abraham; Paul, the apostle gives this insight in the book of Romans 4:21-22, “fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised.  That is why his faith was “counted to him as righteousness.” and Isaac also had the same belief, and now God has promised Jacob/Israel, that he would go with him into Egypt.  It is very clear to all, that what is seen in these first ten verses is the hand of God on His promised people. 

It is because I believe what I have read in these ten verses that I can see clearly I have a belief problem, for there are many promises to us who are called by the name of Christ.  Both you and I have experienced the gift of grace through faith, we call that promise “Salvation,” and it is found in many places in the Scriptures; one of my favorites is in John 1:12, “Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”

Pastor Bill Johnson writes: “Jesus could not heal the sick.  Neither could He deliver the tormented from demons or raise the dead.  To believe otherwise is to ignore what Jesus said about Himself, and more importantly, to miss the purpose of His self-imposed restriction to live as a man.”  Jesus said of Himself: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19-20).”

The following promise is from our Lord Jesus, in John 14:12-13, it confronts my faith.  Jesus tells you and I the following, “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing.  He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.”  In my mind, this promise is very clear, I must rely on the Father, I must let the Holy Spirit do it all for me, and through me, and that is my crisis of faith! 

So this is my question: “How can a person become dependent and obey and abide in Christ and the Holy Spirit so as to experience this power our Lord has promised?  Could the answer be, do as Jesus did, stop looking to man or self, and look to the Father and obey.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Why teach Character?

Genesis 46:28-34

Why do you teach your children about character?  Why do you tell them not to indulge in a certain activity or behavior and you tell them to stay away from people who participate in those activities and behaviors.  Could it be that you know that the environment your child is surrounded by, will shape their character?  Do you remember when your mother or dad gave you advice like this; “Do not be misled: “Bad company corrupts good character.” (1 Corinthians 15:33)  Or have you said something like this to your child; “He who walks with the wise grows wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.” (Proverbs 13:20)   It is amazing how much the Bible has carried over into our training, and that is a good thing; God’s handbook on living life on earth, is to guide us to righteousness and away from sin.  That is why you and I have tried to influence our children, to develop and shape their behavior and character.

That is the same goal that God has for his promised people, they are entering into Egypt, and often in Scripture, when we see the word Egypt, it is referring to evil, to the flesh; a place that will steal your heart from God.  But God has promised to go with them into Egypt, and He is setting the stage to isolate them from the people of Egypt.  How can you live among a nation of people and not be changed by their customs and beliefs? 

First, Joseph, being led by God, tells them to go to Goshen and meet him.  Goshen is very good pastureland, it may be the very best in all of Egypt, and that is what they will need to flourish while in Egypt.  Joseph is going to tell Pharaoh that his brothers and father have arrived, and are in Goshen, because they are shepherds and have a large flocks and also livestock.  Goshen is a very suitable location, it is quite fertile and has few Egyptians living there and it is next to Canaan.

This is what Joseph told his brother to do: “When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may dwell in the land of Goshen, for every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.”  (Genesis 46:33,34)

God’s plan was to bless them in Egypt, but to keep them from turning to the gods of Egypt.  And God has told Christians to do the same thing;  “Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers.  For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness?  Or what fellowship has light with darkness.” (2 Corinthians 6:14)  We were called to be His ambassadors, and ambassadors always proclaim the message of the one who sent them.

Form the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Seventy went in and over a Million came out

 

Genesis 46:5-27

The Bible puts a lot of ink on the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, nineteen verses in all.  These verses list the names of seventy people who are part of the promise God made to Abraham, and that includes Joseph and his two sons.  It has been a long time since God made this promise to Abraham; “No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations.  I will make you exceedingly fruitful, and I will make you into nations and kings shall come from you.  And I will establish my covenant between me and you and your offspring after you throughout their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and to your offspring after you. (Genesis 17:5-7)

We live in a time of instant gratification; we do not want to wait weeks for the fulfillment of a promise, much less generations.  It has been over 100 years since God made this promise to Abraham about Sarah; “God said, No, but Sarah your wife shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac.  I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his offspring after him.”  (Genesis 17:19) 

Only seventy descendants of the promise are going into Egypt, but they are going in faith, believing that God is with them and trusting him to keep his promises.  We, who are in Christ, by faith through grace, are part of that promise made to Abraham.  Paul the apostle states in the book of Romans 9:6-8, “It is not as though God’s word had failed.  For not all who are descended from Israel are Israel.  Nor because they are his descendants are they all Abraham’s children.  On the contrary, “It is through Isaac that your offspring well be reckoned.”  “In other words, it is not the natural children, but it is the children of the promise who are regarded as Abraham’s offspring.” 

Once more Paul writes the following in Galatians 3:29, “If you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.”  When we enter into Christ, we enter into His time line, He has no past, (He always was) and He has no future, as you and I look at the word future, because, He is, and He is the Creator of what you and I call time. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Moving to a new area

Genesis 46:1-4

Moving your family to a new area is not uncomplicated and it comes with many challenges!  It has many disadvantages, like moving away from family and friends, and moving from what is normal, and in our case Corpus Christi was home our entire life.  Jan and I lived in Odem, Texas, about 30 miles from Corpus Christi, on what we called the Oleo Ranch, it was a little over five acres, and The Oleo Ranch meant “Cheap Spread.”  I had worked for 3M BPSI for 16 years and was informed that 3M Company was getting out of the office equipment business.  I would need to look at other divisions of the company and that would require moving.  At first, we were not open to a move, but after giving thought to being homeless and hungry, it became the only thing to do.  I was offered a job by the Electrical Markets Division, in Houston or West Texas; I told my soon to be boss, that I would not go to Houston, but would take the West Texas job.  But God’s plans for our family were in Houston, and that is were we lived for 23 good years.

Israel/Jacob and his family have little option but moving to Egypt, where Joseph can provide for his family.  But Israel/Jacob is a man of prayer and he and his family go to Beersheba and offers sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac.  “And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.”  And he said, “Here am I.”  Then he said I am God, the God of your father.  Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation.  I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph’s hand shall close your eyes.”

What great promises, first, God tells him I will make you into a great nation and I will go down to Egypt with you.  But we also have promises of forgiveness, in 1John 1:9, the promise of guidance by the Holy Spirit in John 16:13, and blessing in Matthew 6:33, and many, many more.  Often, I forget those promises and I forget that God has a plan for me, so I now ware a ring with Jeremiah 29:11 inscribed on it.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A lie often told, is often believed

Genesis 45:21-28

Have you ever believed something for so long, that when the truth is told you are not willing to accept it?  That is what Jacob/Israel is encountering; “So they went up out of Egypt and came to the land of Canaan to their father Jacob.  And they told him, “Joseph is still alive, and he is ruler over all the land of Egypt.”  And his heart became numb, for he did not believe them.”  (Genesis 45:25-26)  Jacob has buried Joseph in his mind so many times, he has wept and mourned for many months, and he is not going to let his emotions go there again.  So the sons have a plan “B”; look dad, just look at what Joseph has sent to you.  Picking up the story in verse 27, “But when they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said to them, and when he saw the wagons that Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of their father Jacob revived.  And Israel said, “It is enough; Joseph my son is still alive, I will go and see him before I die.”

Is this not the heart of a father, not only is his son alive, he’s the CEO of Egypt and yet his fathers chief desire is to be in the presence of his son, to renew the sweet fellowship they have experienced.  Jesus tells a story of another young man who was totally the opposite of Joseph.  Joseph honored his father and desired to be with him and to obey his wishes; this young man only wanted to take from his father and leave, for bigger and better.

It a story we call the Prodigal son, and it is found in the gospel of Luke 15:11-32, “And he said, “There was a man who had two sons.  And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’  And he divided his property between them.”  It was not long before he left for the Los Vegas of the middle East and the good life and he had many new friends who helped spend his wealth, and the bankers were willing to extend his credit line up to around fifty percent of the value of his property.  And then one day the banker called in the notes and he was broke, and his so-called friends were gone, and he was a street person.  He lived like a bum and was eating from the dumpster when this thought came to his mind; “I will arise and go to my father; and I will say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you.  I am no longer worthy to be called your son.  Treat me as one of your hired servants.  And he arose and came to his father.  But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him.”

All the time, the son was living independently from the father, but the father was getting calls from the banker saying, will you cover the note?  The father would say no, he must lose all, so he can gain what he cannot lose.  Your heavenly Father is compassionate and will embrace anyone who comes as this Prodigal son did.  I took a few liberties telling the story, but the bottom line is; God loves you, it matters not if you are a Joseph or a prodigal.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

How to keep the top talent

Genesis 45:16-20

It never happened to me or to anyone I knew, but I have read reports of people who are very gifted; they were geniuses, or had special skills or talents.  And it is reported, because of their skill set, some large banker or Wall Street type told their people to offer whatever it takes, to get that person to stay.  Is that what Pharaoh is doing in these verses?  It is only the second year of the famine and the last thing Pharaoh needs, is to have his general manager get home sick and return home.  So Pharaoh puts this plan into action; I will sweeten the pot and give Joseph’s family one of the best pieces of land, I will pay for the moving vans, I will put them up in the nice five star hotel in Egypt until their new home is built, and to top it off, I will tell them not to worry about their stuff, we have better stuff in Egypt and I will cover all the expense of the move.  It was a good offer, they had this choice, stay home and eat dust or come to Egypt and be taken care of.

Verse 16 begins the story; “When the report was heard in Pharaoh’s house, “Joseph’s brothers have come,” it pleased Pharaoh and his servants.  And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Say to your brothers, ‘Do this: load your beasts and go back to the land of Canaan, and take your father and your households, and come to me, and I will give you the best of the land of Egypt, and you shall eat the fat of the land.’  And you, Joseph, are commanded to say, ‘Do this: take wagons from the land of Egypt for your little ones and for your wives, and bring your father, and come.  Have no concern for your goods, for the best of all the land of Egypt is yours.”

The Scripture does not tell us the motive of Pharaoh’s heart, but it makes sense that Pharaoh wanted his super star general manager to be happy, and having his family in Egypt was good for Egypt.  I bet it crossed Pharaoh’s mind that some of the other brothers might have skills and talents that would help his kingdom.  What is of the most importance is this fact, God was pulling the strings, and He had told Abraham about this move many years before.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

An Emotional Meeting

Genesis 45:14-15

How often we see accounts of the son or daughter returning from Iraq or Afghanistan and we see the hugs, the tears, and the expression of joy on the faces, but we are not part of the intimate conversation.  What is being said after the few moments of TV coverage?  Is the wife or husband telling about the loss of friends on the battlefield, the condition of the people they were trying to protect?  About some child or family that they had gotten to know and love.  What about the ones who stay home, how many stories do they have to tell?  What about the baby girl who is seeing her daddy for the first time and is not sure she wants anything to do with him, or the son who has had no one to play ball with or wrestle with on the living room floor.  It is catch-up time, and it is going to take time to rebuild relationships. 

We may wonder what is being said or not being said, after those brief moments of TV coverage, but it is not our family, and we don’t know what is going on in real life.  As we look at the two verses above, my mind tries to imagine what they were talking about?  “Then he fell upon his brother Benjamin’s neck and wept, and Benjamin wept upon his neck.  And he kissed all his brothers and wept upon them.  After that his brothers talked with him.”  I wonder which brother broke the silence, and what do you say to a brother you sold into slavery?  Did it go like this; “Little brother, do you remember that dream, you know the one that made us so mad?  Well guess what, you were right!  Where did those nice Midianite traders take you?”  I’m sure that Joseph would have told about being sold to Potiphar and that the wife of Potiphar tried to get him into her bed, and how he ended up in prison, but God was protecting him and he won the favor of the keeper of the prison, who saw the hand of God on him and put him over the other prisoners.   One day he was instructed to take special care of two new prisoners; the chief cupbearer and the chief baker, and how God used a dream they both had to rescue him.  I am sure that Joseph had many questions about their families and what had taken place back home, about his father and his health.

These two verses leave much to wonder about as the return of those soldiers on TV and the families we see gathered around them.  However, Joseph is not the lost sheep in this story, no the brothers had been living a lie for many years, a lie that Benjamin was excluded from, and now the healing process can begin.  Joseph never played the guilt or blame game with his brother’s; do you remember what he told them in verses 4-5? “So Joseph said to his brothers, “Come near to me, please.”  And they came near.  And he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Dad is part of God's design

 

Genesis 45:13

My dad was not the kind of man who talked with his children that often, he worked shift-work before the days of air-conditioning, and his and mother’s bedroom was right behind the front porch and the windows were always open to let the hot summer air into his room.   At best, the fan in that room kept out some of the racket of my brother, sister and I, but it was no match for the milkman, the cleaners, the door-to-door salesman, and the many kids that played in the circle in front of our home.

Often it seemed that the only time dad spoke to me was to correct me, or when mother told him to whip me for some small offense, like trying to build a fire under the house.  But that did not keep me from wanting his approval, it’s the way we are designed, each of us wanted dad’s approval.  Joseph was his dad’s favorite, he and his father often spent time together, and for fourteen plus years, the actions of his brothers had taken that pleasure from him.  I’m sure Joseph missed his home in Canaan, but what he missed the most was hanging out with dad.

After informing the brothers, that he was Joseph, their brother, his next act was to instruct them to go home and tell father, all you have seen and heard about me, “You must tell my father of all my honor in Egypt, and bring my father down here.” (Genesis 45:13) 

In the past weeks Haiti has gone through a 7.1 earthquake and so far it has been reported that over 200,000 are dead and that a million people are without shelter or food.  This thought came to my mind while writing this; thousands of children will never be able to seek the approval of their dads, and many will be orphans, many will be widows, but God has provided, yes, God has already met that void!  Psalms 68:5, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.” 

My dad is long gone and there were many times I’ve wanted him to be part of what was going on in our family, and I am reminded that my Father in heaven has not missed one thing, and what an encourager He is to me.   Dear Father, You’re the very best; You are the giver of life, thank You for loving me!

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Blame Game

Genesis 45:

From the beginning, man has performed very proficiently in the blame game.  Eve blamed the serpent and Adam blamed Eve and at the writing of this paper, it is rare to find anyone who is willing to take responsibility for his or her actions.  That is why the first eight verses of this chapter are so refreshing, if only you and I would stop and reflect on our lives, we might come to the same conclusion as Joseph.

I cannot fully comprehend all the pain and suffering that Joseph experienced from his brothers actions, it would be easy to hate them, it would be simple to do to them as they have done to you, this could be pay back time.  And in a strange way it was!  Joseph cleared the room, with the exception of his brother and told them; I am Joseph, but he was weeping so loud that even Pharaoh’s household heard what he was saying to his brothers.

Now the brothers were blown away and I’m sure, fearful but Joseph told them to, “Come near to me, please.”  No longer is he the ruler, he is now the lost brother, and he said, “I am your brother, Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt.  And now do not be distressed or angry with yourselves because you sold me here, for God sent me before you to preserve life.”  What is Joseph saying?  My dear fleshly brothers, you were just tools in the hand of God, and God’s plan was to rescue his people and many others through Joseph.  What is not being said; God did not put jealousy and hate into the brothers hearts, but God who has total control of time, who has numbered your days before one of them has happened, that God was in control.

Picking up the story in verse seven, “And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God.  He has made me a father to Pharaoh, and lord of all his house and ruler over all the land of Egypt.” 

Why are we so quick to blame others?  Could it be that we do not believe God’s promises?  “For I know the plans I have for you, declare the Lord, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and hope.”  (Jeremiah 29:11)  Could it be that we have moved away from a dependent heart and moved to living an independent life, living as if we are in control?  Everywhere we turn the message is, “do it your way,” how is that working for you?  We are told to trust government, but history tells us that government cannot be trusted.  Many are saying put your trust in gold, or real estate, or in the tea party, but the bottom line is; we cannot trust our flesh!  In Galatians 5:16, we are told; “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.”  When we walk by the Spirit we are trusting in and on God, we are trusting in His promises, we are living like Joseph, dependent on God.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Trust is a wonderful thing

Genesis 44:14-34

Trust is a wonderful thing, it builds families, marriages, business relationships and very close friendships; and the lack of trust is derived from a person or persons whose actions have broken the bond of faith, or confidence.  We see it all around us, neighbor with neighbor, and it may be as simple as breaking the promise to return an item borrowed.  But when it is in a family, it often takes on a pattern, the dad does not keep his promises, it may be to come home after work and play ball with a child, or it could be to keep the marriage vows he has made before God and witnesses; promises and vows that are broken bring about wounds and distrust.

Often, we can miss the pain and distrust when we read the Bible, Joseph has emotional scars from his ten older brothers who detested him, and if it were not for God putting into Reuben’s heart the fear of the Lord, they would have killed him, instead they sold him for twenty pieces of silver.  Joseph has them at his mercy, they can only believe what their eyes have seen, the silver cup was found in Benjamin’s sack; Benjamin is guilty, and they are in one big mess.

Do you recall what set the brothers off in the first place?  It was Joseph’s dream that they would bow down to him, and once more the brothers are bowing down at the feet of Joseph.  It seems as if Judah has become the spokesman for the group and this is his reply to Joseph’s question of, “What deed is this that you have done.”  Picking up the story in verse 16, “And Judah said, “What shall we say to my lord?  What shall we speak?  Or how can we clear ourselves?  God has found out the guilt of your servants; behold, we are my lord’s servants, both he and we also in whose hand the cup has been found.  But he said, “Far be it from me that I should do so!  Only the man in whose hand the cup was found shall be my servant.  But as for you, go in peace to your father.”

It is at this point, Judah ask Joseph to allow him to speak and he reviews how his father had loved the older brother of Benjamin and that when Joseph was believed by the father to have been killed, he almost died of grief and how their father was not willing to let Benjamin go with them, but they convinced him it was the only way they would get food, and they had promised to bring Benjamin back to their father.  Picking up the story in verse 33, “Now therefore, please let your servant remain instead of the boy as a servant to my lord, and let the boy go back with his brothers.  For how can I go back to my father if the boy is not with me?  I fear to see the evil that would find my father.”

Jesus said, Greater love has no one than this, that someone lays down his life for his friend.” (John 15:13)  That was what Judah was willing to do for Benjamin, and that act of love removed the distrust, the pain, and filled Joseph’s heart with love for his brothers.

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The great Set-up

 

Genesis 44:4-10

The brothers of Joseph had traveled a short distance from the city when Joseph’s steward caught-up with them and these words of condemnation came from his mouth: “Why have you repaid evil for good?  Is it not from this that my lord drinks, and by this that he practices divination?  You have done evil in doing this.”  (Genesis 44:4,5)  These were not the steward’s thoughts, they were the words that Joseph had instructed him to say, and the steward by Joseph’s instruction had put the silver cup into Benjamin’s sack.  It was a low, dirty scam, it was a set-up, but it was the only way Joseph could know what his brother would do.

Why do people repay evil for good?  It happens often, someone reaches out a helping hand only to find the person is planning to steal or harm him in some manner.  It happens in families, where the son or daughter takes the life of the parent in order to gain an inheritance.  Many are the stories of one partner stealing from the other in business, and often employees stealing from their company.   We also see it happening with neighbors, one person admires another husband/wife and puts together a plan to steal them or use them for their own pleasure.

What if your intentions and actions are pure and someone accuses you of wrong?  What if that person is someone with full authority and power to bring great harm to you, and you know the deck is stacked against you in every area?  That has got to be a total emotional low; you have no way to support your claims, you have been judged and found guilty, this is where Joseph’s brothers find themselves.  It is the worst day of their lives!

The brothers are going home with a good report, they got Simeon back, all of their sacks are filled with grain, and the man in charge invited them to dinner and told them to come back when they need more supplies, life is good.  I’m sure they wondered what the servant was doing chasing after them, until the words of accusation came from his mouth, and this is what one of the brothers said; “Why does my lord speak such words as these?  Far be it from your servants to do such a thing! Behold, the money that we found in the mouths of our sacks we brought back to you from the land of Canaan.  How then could we steal silver or gold from your lord’s house?  Whichever of your servants is found with it shall die, and we also will be my lord’s servants.”  He said, “Let it be as you say: he who is found with it shall be my servant, and the rest of you shall be innocent.” (Genesis 44:7-10)

Have you found yourself in a scheme where you were sure that the facts would come out and you did what the brothers did; formulate a statement that you never expected to live up to?  The cup was in Benjamin’s sack and all seems hopeless. 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Test have no regards for age

 

Genesis 44:1,2

The final test came at the end of the semester or the end of the school year, and it was something that I never looked forward to.  I looked forward to being out of school; no more tests, and I’m free to enjoy life and all it brings my way!  The only problem with that thinking is one fact; it is totally wrong.  As I’ve spent more time on planet earth, it has become clear, that each day I’m preparing for some kind of test; it may be about how I treat the poor, or how I behave toward my neighbors, or how I act around my friends, or how I love my wife, or how I consider my God.

In the case of the eleven brothers of Joseph, ten of them were in for a final test from the brother they believed to be dead.  Joseph had to know if they had changed?  Would they repeat the action of fourteen plus years earlier, on his brother Benjamin; would they exchange him for grain and freedom?   It becomes clear that the most difficult tests are the ones that we have not planned for, and that is were we find the brothers of Joseph, they are on their way home, all is good and then disaster.

Often, my teacher knew that I was not going to pass the test, and the longer I stayed in one school my reputation would cloud the opinion of my new teacher.  That was Joseph’s problem, he had a history with his brothers, and he was betting that given the right circumstance they would act in the same fashion.

So this was the test; “Then he commanded the steward of his house, “Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack, and put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, with his money for the grain.”  And he did as Joseph told him.” (Genesis 44:1-2)  What the Bible does not tell us, is what took place while the brothers were at Joseph’s house for lunch, did the brother admire the silver cub, did Benjamin tell Joseph, that it reminded him of one back home in his father’s house?  We do not know, but it is clear that Joseph picked that cup for a reason.  It could be that the brothers sold him for silver, and in Joseph’s mind, I’m sure he believed that they would do just about anything for money.

As I’ve got older, the tests are not easier, they are still focused on my character, my integrity; they still come when I least expect them, and they always expose my heart.  They were never designed to harm me, but they were intended as a tool to measure, to determine, to expose my actions and thoughts, so that I can see what my God requires of me and that is; “to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God? (Micah 6:8)

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice