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
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