Genesis 42

Sometimes when it looks dark, God is just starting to work wonders!

God had blessed Jacob with many herds. With the famine in the land, the family was running out of food and so were all of those cattle and sheep. Jacob had heard that there was food in Egypt, so he gathered his sons and cautiously sent them down after food. He was leery, because he had lost his favored wife and his eldest son from that marriage and he didn't want to loose anyone else. 

He sent the men with gifts and money to pay for everything they might purchase. They were in hard times, but God had provided mightily for them. Here shows an example for our lives when we are in fear of the unknown or of perceived troubles. God had already prepared a way for all of them before hand they just weren't aware of it. So it is in our lives, when we are in fear of change, many times God has already worked it out ahead of time for us. Sometimes, when we sin things down work out right, but the wages or sin our death, so we can expect sin to foul things up. Joseph sees his brothers and decides to try them out and test their intentions. Genesis doesn't record this, but it is almost as if he is see if their hard hearts have softened over the years. He calls them spies and wants proof they are who they say they are. He tells them not to come back unless they bring their youngest brother with them. 

Joseph has witness that his brother's hearts have changed, and he sells them food and returns their money. He keeps Simeon and knows all of their plan because he understood everything that they said but spoke to them through and interpreter. After they return to Jacob, they tell him all that has happened and he is greatly distressed and says he'll never let Benjamin go to Egypt. Little do they all know that God is going to not only deliver them, but have a great reunion as well. 

Genesis 41

Pharaoh's Dream and God's interpretation!

If we wait and remain faith, God will use us again and again for his purpose. Pharaoh was troubled by dreams and no one could interpret the dreams for him and no one could calm him down. The butler finally remembers that he forgot all about Joseph, the one who told him his dream and what it would mean. He confesses to Pharaoh, and Joseph is sent for. 

As always Joseph makes it clear that he will not interpret the dream, but the God of Heaven will reveal all that is hidden. So it will be with us on the day of judgment, nothing will be hid. Joseph reveals that the seven goodly kine and the seven ill kine stand for seven years to come, some of feast and seven more of famine. Joseph by the hand and revealing power of God is able to reveal what all the magicians and soothsayers could not. It will again be the same for us, by God's hand we can accomplish much for the spread of the Gospel, but the accomplishments of this world will all fade. 

Pharaoh now sees the wisdom and power in Joseph by the hand of God and makes him the ruler over all of Egypt and puts him in charge of the seven years of gathering for the seven years of famine. Joseph becomes what he was for his father, for Potipher and also for the jailer. Joseph becomes the man in charge by the hand of God. God not only blesses Joseph, but blesses Egypt because of Joseph. Joseph marries and has Manasseh and Ephraim while living as a ruler in Egypt. God is about to make his hand known to all of his brethren, and to the entire world. 

1st Week of October Ruth Chapter 1

Ruth chapter 1

As we move from Judges to Ruth, the time frame is still the same. This all happens in the time of the judges in Israel. Within Ruth there are several promises about the coming king; not only David, but Jesus as well. Added to this, we have the hope of the Gentiles in these stories as well, because Boaz is the descendant of Rahab, and Ruth is a great-great grand mother to David. How gracious God is to include the gentiles into his grace plan.

We start off with a famine in Bethlehem-Judah. We don't know if the famine is in all of Israel, but it is where Elimelech lives. Elimelech takes his wife Naomi and his two sons Malhon and Chilion with him into Moab. Now that God has given his people a promised land, I doubt Elimelech is doing this with the blessings of the most high. If he is, why wouldn't God approve of all his people leaving and going to another land. This is not like Abraham and Issac who were only temporarily in the promised land.

Down to Moab they go, and their young sons take wives of the daughters of Moab which is definitely against their law. When you are around people for long enough, you start to become like those people, and that is exactly what happened here. Either by God's judgment or to show his great hand, Elimelech and not long after Elimelech's sons die. Now Naomi is left in a strange land with no means to support herself and two daughter-in-laws with mouths to feed. Knowing that she has a long hard road in front of her, and an uncertain future, she tries to discourage her daughters from going with her back to Bethlehem. Both the daughters out of fresh feelings and love say they want to continue with her. Naomi wants to make sure that they mean what they say. This is exactly how God may treat us in our lives. We may say that we want to serve him, and want what is best from him in our lives, but when pushed, sometimes we falter. To commit not only to Salvation, but to a life for Christ is not the easiest of roads. It is a road full of joy and fulfilled promises, but it is not always an easy road.

After further prodding, we discover that Orpah is more inclined to go back to her own people. Ruth though, in the 16th verse, says what every Christian should say in their hearts and openly. That they will serve God and follow his path no matter what may come. Ruth saw a glimpse of something in her mother-in-laws religion, and was not going to give it up for nothing.

Matthew Henry says something about this occasion that I really like. "It is an evidence of a discontented, distrustful  unstable spirit, to be weary of the place in which God hath set us, and to be for leaving it immediately whenever we meet with any uneasiness or inconvenience in it. It is folly to think of escaping that cross which, being laid in our way, we ought to take it up. It is our wisdom to make the best of that which is, for it is seldom that changing our place is mending it."

When Naomi comes to Bethlehem, she is recognized immediately. She now wants to be known for sorrow and not pleasantness. Her life is now a shame to her, and she no longer lives in her former families' glory. Oh, but we find out what is to come to her and Ruth. God has riches untold for those that wait on him.