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Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Tuesday, 24 December 2024:
Genesis 47:7 — Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
“Pharaoh acknowledged Jacob was a man of God by accepting his blessing. In the Egyptian religion, Pharaoh himself was thought to be a god. They considered Pharaoh the human embodiment of Ra, the sun god. This means that it was remarkable that he allowed Israel to bestow a blessing on him.” (David Guzik)
Genesis 47:20-21 — So Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh, for all the Egyptians sold their fields, because the famine was severe on them. The land became Pharaoh’s. As for the people, he made servants of them from one end of Egypt to the other.
As children of God, we must be very careful to give to others the same mercy and grace God has given to us, in so doing both proclaiming His goodness but also loving others by caring for their real needs and setting a standard of love, mercy, and grace for society. Unfortunately, Joseph uses the miraculous blessings he received from God to take advantage of others, putting in motion a cycle of pain and hatred which would last for hundreds of years.
Remember back in Genesis 41, God enabled Joseph to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams concerning the impending famine, and Pharaoh appointed Joseph as governor to collect from the people one-fifth of the produce of the land during the seven plentiful years so there would be a storehouse of food during the famine. God had blessed Joseph with revelation and wisdom to graciously save the Egyptians, the Jews, and other nations during a time of terrible famine. The food preemptively collected was to be provided back to the people during the lean years to prevent national crisis. However, Joseph does not just give that food back to the people, which came from them in the first place by order of the government; he makes them surrender everything they own for that food. First, Joseph forced the Egyptians to sell their livestock (Genesis 47:17); then, their land; and, finally, themselves (Genesis 47:23) to Pharaoh to have food to eat (the food they had produced during the seven plentiful years and surrendered to the government). “Only the land of the priests he did not buy” because they were essentially government employees. Meanwhile, Joseph arranged to have his family settle in the best land of Egypt, put them in charge of Pharaoh’s livestock, and also provided them with food — “Thus Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen. And they gained possessions in it, and were fruitful and multiplied greatly.” (Genesis 47:27)
So, how do you think Joseph’s business practices made the Egyptians feel about him, his people, and his God? God had miraculously rescued Joseph from bondage and had uniquely gifted him that he would serve as an instrument of God’s mercy and grace to both the Egyptians and the Israelites, but Joseph used his gifts from God to enslave the Egyptians while his own family (foreigners to the land) prospered. What message was Joseph communicating to the Egyptians about his God and the people of God? We can only imagine the animosity that must have grown amongst the Egyptians about the Israelites. Of course, we will read about the consequences in Exodus – “Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph….”
Joseph was brought to Egypt as a slave, and now Joseph has used his shrewdness to enslave the Egyptians, perpetuation a vicious cycle of abuse that comes back to haunt God’s people severely and results in God’s judgment against Egypt for their subsequent misconduct (all foretold to Abraham in Genesis 15:14). The Bible doesn’t directly address these issues in Genesis, but we will soon read in Leviticus and Deuteronomy how, following the Exodus, God establishes specific laws for his people to defend property rights, to prevent usury, and to limit servitude, protecting the dignity of all people (see Leviticus 25:23 and Deuteronomy 15:1 as examples). Furthermore, Jesus gives us the Golden Rule – “So whatever you wish that others would do to you, do also to them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 7:12) And the Bible teaches, “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” (1 Peter 3:9) When victims become victimizers (though they never see themselves that way), there can be no reconciliation (our mission). See Matthew 5:38-41.
So, what are we doing with the gifts, talents, abilities, and resources that God has given us? Do we use them primarily for our own prosperity, or do we use them primarily to serve as instruments of God’s common grace (God’s gracious provision to all) and to glorify Him? And do we intentionally show grace and mercy to those who previously wronged us, or do we return the favor and continue the cycle of abuse? What message are we communicating to the world about our God through how we deal with resources and with others? And as ambassadors for Christ, how might we be showing favoritism or bias? Are there some people you are more likely to share the Gospel with than others?
Having received God’s grace through His Son, Jesus, do you now forgive others unconditionally, with no strings attached, and do you give freely and abundantly as an outpouring of the unmeasurable riches you have received in Christ? Or, do you make people “earn” forgiveness? Do you offer forgiveness with conditions? As Jesus paid the penalty on the cross, do you carry your own cross and bear the burden of hurt in relationships with others in order to end the cycle of pain and to promote total reconciliation? Or, do you forgive and give with conditions or partially? Do you have deep-seated resentment you have been covering up for years that needs to be surrendered to God? Do you say, “I forgive you,” and then make people jump through hoops for you? Remember, God has given us the mission of reconciliation — “All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation.” (2 Corinthians 5:18, 19) “You received without paying; give without pay.” (Matthew 10:8)
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 24 December 2024: Pray that God will give you a heart for all people and that you will give and forgive in a way that reveals the love, mercy, and grace of God in a powerful way to all.
Meditate on how you forgive: Is there someone you haven’t really forgiven? Have you said the words but still harbor resentment? Do you feel the urge to keep bringing it up? Are you holding back just a bit of love from that person as an unspoken, unacknowledged punishment? Are you harboring some sort of resentment and expectation for the other person to make it up to you? Or, have you truly ‘cancelled the debt’ of the person who has taken something (usually emotionally) from you? Are you willing to pay the price for their sin as Jesus did for you? Seek to settle your forgiveness issues today. Don’t hesitate to pick up the phone or see someone today if you need to in order to settle a matter. Don’t hesitate to apologize to someone who offended you if you did not forgive the way Jesus expects you to, unconditionally. (Gen 47:20, 21; Matthew 18:23-35)
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 