King James Bible Study – [And when he had called the people unto him with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. – Mark 8:34]
Date: Sunday, January 28, 2024
Chapters: Genesis Chapters 46-47
Message: Peace With God Through Pain
Hello My Brother/Sister/Friend,
As I was writing this, the power went out just for a second only to erase half of what I had written. So, I am back to square one and with that God is just telling me that He has something else in mind to show us through these chapters for today. My family is in the process of moving again, in the nine years that I have been in Orlando, I have moved three times. Every time I think that we have found our permanent residence we find ourselves moving again. And there is a reason why God and His people often dwelt in tents, in fact, God, through the Holy Spirit still dwells in tents today, and His tent is every saved, born again Christian.
[2 Corinthians 5:1,4-6 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 4 For we that are in this tabernacle do groan, being burdened: not for that we would be unclothed, but clothed upon, that mortality might be swallowed up of life. 5 Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. 6 Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord:]
One day, we are going to have a permanent residence in the Kingdom of God, but right now we are in our temporary dwelling on earth as the Holy Spirit watches over us until we get there. As we continue in the reading of Genesis, with it only being the second year of a seven year famine that would hit Egypt and all the surrounding areas hard, Joseph wanted his family to come to Egypt to wait it out. With the knowledge that Joseph was alive and in Egypt, Jacob, eagerly packed up his entire family headed to Egypt. While in Beersheba, Jacob, stopped by the altar that was built there and offered sacrifices to God.
[Genesis 46:1-6 And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices unto the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, Jacob, Jacob. And he said, Here am I. 3 And he said, I am God, the God of thy father: fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation: 4 I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again: and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes. 5 And Jacob rose up from Beersheba: and the sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, and their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons which Pharaoh had sent to carry him. 6 And they took their cattle, and their goods, which they had gotten in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob, and all his seed with him:]
[I am God, the God of thy father:] Why did God Himself say that He was the God of Jacob’s (Israel) father and not his God as well? Perhaps Jacob was a little upset with God thinking that Joseph had been dead for twenty years. Perhaps, he thought that God was no longer with him, and that the blessing that He gave to him ended with the seventy children that he had between his sons. Well, Jacob, first mentions his father because he was the promised seed of Abraham and from him Jacob received the blessing. This was God confirming to Jacob that He is the God of his father and so able to perform whatever he should promise him, and his father’s God, who would now show him favor, as he had to him. Jesus, said it this way, [Luke 20:37-38 Now that the dead are raised, even Moses shewed at the bush, when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. 38 For he is not a God of the dead, but of the living: for all live unto him.]
God, will take care of His people, but we need to be willing to go where He leads us. So many of us struggle and I mean the money is already spent on bills even before getting paid. Most people will tell you that the reason they struggle is because they are robbing God in tithes and offerings, but that is not always the case. Most of the time they struggle because they are trying to figure out how to provide for their families with the worlds provisions rather than give it all to God. God, knows what is ahead for us and will take care of us, and usually that means taking us out of our comfort zones and to unknown places. This us what He was doing with the Israelites, and when Jacob arrived to see his son for the first time it was a very touching reunion.
[Genesis 46:26-30 All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, which came out of his loins, besides Jacob’s sons’ wives, all the souls were threescore and six; 27 And the sons of Joseph, which were born him in Egypt, were two souls: all the souls of the house of Jacob, which came into Egypt, were threescore and ten. 28 And he sent Judah before him unto Joseph, to direct his face unto Goshen; and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 And Joseph made ready his chariot, and went up to meet Israel his father, to Goshen, and presented himself unto him; and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while. 30 And Israel said unto Joseph, Now let me die, since I have seen thy face, because thou art yet alive.]
[and he fell on his neck, and wept on his neck a good while.] I remember those long embraces with loved ones that you have not seen in a while and they are priceless. Jacob, was now at peace not only with himself, but God as well. I can picture us doing this with Jesus when we meet Him face to face, I know that every knee will bow before Him, but I believe that a giant embrace will be the first thing that every believer will receive from Him, [John 15:9-10 As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. 10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.]
This was to be a temporary home, not permanent, God, promised that He would be with them, and take care of Jacob’s entire family while they were in Egypt, and that He would bring them back to their own land. In the meantime it was necessary for them to live while they were there, but since they were shepherd this may have caused a problem for them. Joseph, came up with a plan to keep the peace among the Hebrews and Egyptians.
[Genesis 46:31-34 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father’s house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father’s house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me; 32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have. 33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation? 34 That ye shall say, Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.]
[Thy servants’ trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now,] Remember when Abraham went down to Egypt and told Pharaoh that Sarah was his sister because he feared for his life and God had sent a plague upon them until they returned her to him? This is why the Egyptians despised shepherds, they were looked upon them with contempt. By them saying that they were cattle traders until now enabled them to be comfortable of telling the Pharaoh that they were shepherds.
[Genesis 47:2-3,5-9 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh. 3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers. 5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee: 6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle. 7 And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. 8 And Pharaoh said unto Jacob, How old art thou? 9 And Jacob said unto Pharaoh, The days of the years of my pilgrimage are an hundred and thirty years: few and evil have the days of the years of my life been, and have not attained unto the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their pilgrimage.]
[Thy servants are shepherds,] Notice that they were not ashamed to call themselves shepherds, and Pharaoh had respect for them, he even entrusted them with their cattle. This is a reminder that when we trust God, we can even be at peace with our enemies, [Proverbs 16:7 When a man’s ways please the LORD, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him.]
[few and evil have the days of the years of my life been,] Even though Jacob was a hundred and thirty years old he compares himself as a baby in regards to how long his father and grandfather lived. This prompted Jacob to recall his life and how bittersweet it was, how he ran from the fear of his brother Esau, and how he was deceived by Laban, his father-in-law. Then he run in fear again when his only daughter got herself involved with a man in Shechem, only to have her brothers kill all the men there. To top it off, he lost his beloved Rachel after giving birth to Benjamin and spent the last twenty-two years mourning what he thought was the death of Joseph. When God promised us salvation by grace He never promised that life would not be bittersweet, but He did promise to always be with us and that even through sorrow we can be at peace, [Philippians 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.]
God, goes with His people wherever they go, and if He needs to relocate us for a while, then that is what He will do, but it is also important that we remain separated from the world, which is why the Israelites stayed in Goshen. Do you think that God wants His people begging for food, or sleeping on streets? He does not. We are capable of a lot more than we think, that is if we have faith in God, and trust in His guidance. Yet how often do we end up selling ourselves short when the famines prolong? And there is so much talk about slavery lately, that it drives me crazy to even turn on the news. Well, this is how it all starts, putting your trust in the man and the money and not in God. Now, with the famine several years in, the Egyptians were actually freaking out about it.
[Genesis 47:13-16 And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine. 14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, for the corn which they bought: and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh’s house. 15 And when money failed in the land of Egypt, and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came unto Joseph, and said, Give us bread: for why should we die in thy presence? for the money faileth. 16 And Joseph said, Give your cattle; and I will give you for your cattle, if money fail.]
[And when money failed in the land of Egypt,] Another thing that drives me crazy is how the wealthy are encouraging each other to put their money into silver and gold bars. Really? Just exactly what will gold bars do when there is nothing to buy? This is a reminder that riches do nothing for not only your salvation, but you wellbeing as well, [Proverbs 23:1-5 When thou sittest to eat with a ruler, consider diligently what is before thee: 2 And put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite. 3 Be not desirous of his dainties: for they are deceitful meat. 4 Labour not to be rich: cease from thine own wisdom. 5 Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is not? for riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven.]
Notice that these were not Israelite’s, they were in Goshen, prepared for all this and waiting it out. Now, with no money, they sold their cattle to the government in exchange for food, and within one year, it was gone. That was when they did the unthinkable, sold themselves.
[Genesis 47:17-20 And they brought their cattle unto Joseph: and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for horses, and for the flocks, and for the cattle of the herds, and for the asses: and he fed them with bread for all their cattle for that year. 18 When that year was ended, they came unto him the second year, and said unto him, We will not hide it from my lord, how that our money is spent; my lord also hath our herds of cattle; there is not ought left in the sight of my lord, but our bodies, and our lands: 19 Wherefore shall we die before thine eyes, both we and our land? buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants unto Pharaoh: and give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate. 20 And Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for the Egyptians sold every man his field, because the famine prevailed over them: so the land became Pharaoh’s.]
[buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants] This is socialism in a nutshell. If we put our trust in man, or the government to provide for us we will become enslaved to them. And this is not just about the world selling themselves out, many Christians are quick to sell themselves out too. I have been through eight jobs since I gave up my home business, some of them because I grabbed the first thing I could to make money from. Now, do not get me wrong, I worked to be able to eat, but it was not until I let go of these desolate jobs for God to bless me with what He has called me to do. Charles Spurgeon said this,
[Do you not feel in your own soul that perfection is not in you? Does not every day teach you that? Every tear which trickles from your eye, weeps “imperfection”; every harsh word which proceeds from your lip, mutters “imperfection.” You have too frequently had a view of your own heart to dream for a moment of any perfection in yourself. But amidst this sad consciousness of imperfection, here is comfort for you-you are “perfect in Christ Jesus.” In God’s sight, you are “complete in him;” even now you are “accepted in the Beloved.”]
Just think about that, we as Christians beat ourselves up over the bittersweet events in our lives, but we are much too hard on ourselves. We need to let go of the past, move forward, trusting that God is right there with us, [Colossians 1:26-28 Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints: 27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: 28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:]
Jesus Christ Revealed/Magnified: [Genesis 47:12 And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.]
Today’s Prayer: God, You are God, the only living and Almighty God, You have placed us on a journey of faith, one where we learn to trust You for all that we have need of, for the present and the future. Whether it is in our relationships, health, provisions, or our spiritual needs, without You we are slaves to this world. I am so glad that I learned to trust You with my life, now, help me learn to trust You in every area of my life, through all the pandemics I face, even when things look hopeless, I know that You are with me and will always take care of me. Lord, all that I have is Yours, lead me and guide me, give me Your mercy, grace, let me not live in fear, only trust that You will supply my every desire when I come to You in full faith. I ask these things in Your name, Jesus, Amen.
God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina
Are You 100% Sure You Are Going To Heaven?: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/ready-to-follow-jesus/
Receive The KJB Daily Devotions In Your Email: http://eepurl.com/2WMzT
Read Previous Devotions: https://imfollowingjesus.com/Biblestudy/
Read The Bible: http://kingjamesbible.imfollowingjesus.com/
Visit I’m Following Jesus: http://imfollowingjesus.com/index.html
Like I’m Following Jesus On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/byhisstrength
Copyright © 2024 I’m Following Jesus, All rights reserved.