February 28, 2023

God's plan prevails.

Genesis 46 - 47:12

Jordie Stutzman
Tuesday's Devo

February 28, 2023

Tuesday's Devo

February 28, 2023

Big Idea

We can trust God when we don't know how things will turn out.

Key Verse | Genesis 46:3-4

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."

Genesis 46 - 47:12

Joseph Brings His Family to Egypt

So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered 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 I am.” 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.”

Then Jacob set out from Beersheba. The sons of Israel carried Jacob their father, their little ones, and their wives, in the wagons that Pharaoh had sent to carry him. They also took their livestock and their goods, which they had gained in the land of Canaan, and came into Egypt, Jacob and all his offspring with him, his sons, and his sons' sons with him, his daughters, and his sons' daughters. All his offspring he brought with him into Egypt.

Now these are the names of the descendants of Israel, who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons. Reuben, Jacob's firstborn, and the sons of Reuben: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan); and the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puvah, Yob, and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon, and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, together with his daughter Dinah; altogether his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three.

16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi, and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, Beriah, with Serah their sister. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to Leah his daughter; and these she bore to Jacob—sixteen persons.

19 The sons of Rachel, Jacob's wife: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 And to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera the priest of On, bore to him. 21 And the sons of Benjamin: Bela, Becher, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim, and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob—fourteen persons in all.

23 The son 1 46:23 Hebrew sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel, Guni, Jezer, and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to Rachel his daughter, and these she bore to Jacob—seven persons in all.

26 All the persons belonging to Jacob who came into Egypt, who were his own descendants, not including Jacob's sons' wives, were sixty-six persons in all. 27 And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the persons of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

Jacob and Joseph Reunited

28 He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to show the way before him in Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen. 29 Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck a good while. 30 Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.” 31 Joseph said to his brothers and to his father's household, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father's household, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me. 32 And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that they have.’ 33 When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 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.”

Jacob's Family Settles in Goshen

So Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, “My father and my brothers, with their flocks and herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan. They are now in the land of Goshen.” And from among his brothers he took five men and presented them to Pharaoh. Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants' flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.”

Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many are the days of the years of your life?” And Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The days of the years of my sojourning are 130 years. Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning.” 10 And Jacob blessed Pharaoh and went out from the presence of Pharaoh. 11 Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded. 12 And Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with food, according to the number of their dependents.

Footnotes

[1] 46:23 Hebrew sons

S2:042 Genesis 46 - 47:12

Listen Now

Dive Deeper | Genesis 46 - 47:12

Being from Oklahoma and having gone to the University of Oklahoma (Boomer!), I never thought that I would move to Texas. The people I knew from Texas, specifically Dallas, were over-the-top with their love for Texas. However, God had different plans.

During my senior year of college, my mom had suddenly and unexpectedly passed away. A major piece of my foundation and what I thought my future and family would look like began to crumble. I had imagined the next few years to look like finding a career and future husband in Oklahoma, but her passing changed everything.

While God didn't come to me in a dream to move to Dallas like He did for Jacob, I did feel at peace to make the move. Moving to Dallas meant starting over in a new place that I was unfamiliar with and letting go of the future I thought I could control. Like Jacob, I had to trust that God's plans were greater than my own understanding.

I learned a lot during the first few years of moving to Dallas. I learned what it was like to have biblical community, to flee from sin, and practical ways to read my Bible daily. The most important things I learned, though, were about God's character. I learned that God is the God of clarity, that we don't have to be afraid because He is with us, that He keeps His promises, and that we get to trust in Him to do so (Genesis 46:3-4).  

God has continued to engrain these truths into me—through marriage, multiple miscarriages, motherhood, and trying to be a faithful family member. Through hard season after hard season, I have peace because I trust that His plan is greater than mine. Like Jacob, I can trust that God will remain faithful; and my response is to follow in obedience.

This month's memory verse

Whoever walks in integrity walks securely,
    but he who makes his ways crooked will be found out.

– Proverbs 10:9

Discussion Questions

1. Do you believe God is the God of clarity? If so, why? If not, why not? Where in the Bible do you see how He provides clarity to His people?

2. How have you seen God's faithfulness in your own life?

3. Do you trust that God will do what He says He will?

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Hugh Stephenson

GM Jordie! What an awesome devo and great questions. Thank you for your faithfulness and your transparency. So many trials!! Q1. I love this question. Part of my struggle for most of my adult life is that I did not have clarity. In 2015 JTJ read the Bible cover-to-cover. That was the moon shot for me. Very quickly I saw how many times God presented an absolute. Often this came in the form of a dichotomy. There are hundreds at least. Probably thousands. Probably the best is when Jesus says, “Follow me”. Each disciple knew what that meant. That’s exactly what caused many to walk away; the “cost” of discipleship. He calls me to decide, do I want the gift? or the Giver? The healing? Or the Healer? Q2. I’m sure others tested His patience more than I did but I also know I’m an overachiever, (2 Peter 3:9).
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Hugh Stephenson

Q3. If trusting God is good enough to go on our currency, then it’s good enough for me. PS-this doesn’t mean I trust the Fed. :O ------- In Genesis 1 God conveys His full and total engagement. In Genesis 1:26-28 He calls me to the same. I see this call conveyed in the ESV SB Intro to Genesis “The Sinai (or Mosaic) covenant, which the first audience for these chapters receives, will provide the setting in which Israel is to put these patriarchal promises into practice. Throughout these chapters the readers will see how God has preserved the members of his chosen family, whose calling it is to walk with him, to be the headwaters of a special people and to be the channel by which blessing comes to the entire world.” Its right there in Genesis 12:1-3, “…in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.”
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Hugh Stephenson

There is certainly “clarity” that Joseph is a “channel-of-blessing” to others, particularly to his family and the future nation of Israel. Even, ironically, to Pharoah and to Egypt. What is clear to me is that God has given me innumerable blessings. The model is Joseph- Don’t hoard the blessings. They aren’t mine to hoard. Constable notes- “Believers should respond to divine providence, by making their decisions in response to the initiative of His wise leaders. They should do so with confidence in His promises, dependent on His continuing guidance and provision. Providence is God's guidance and care that He exercises through circumstances.” And what’s up with the number 70? https://www.biblestudy.org/bibleref/meaning-of-numbers-in-bible/70.html
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Michael Sisson

Re: Gen 46:3 Gen 46:3 (NASB) He said, “I am God, the God of your father; >>>do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you a great nation there.<<< Jacob had to be feeling considerable angst about the fulfillment of G-d’s prophecy to Abraham in Gen 15:13; he did not have even the comfort of Rom 8:28. However, mercifully G-d gives Jacob a preview of how He would use the experience to bless him (and his descendants). Re: Gen 46:4 Gen 46:4 (NASB) >>>“I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again;<<< and >>>Joseph will close your eyes.”<<< G-d comforts Jacob with assurances of going with him into exile and of bringing him (and his descendants) out again. For Jacob, it also had to be of considerable comfort to know Joseph would outlive him, and he would not have to endure the loss of Joseph a second time. Re: Gen 46:34 Gen 46:34 (NASB) you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may live in the land of Goshen; >>>for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.”<<< The Egyptians’ hatred of shepherds is yet another link in a chain of examples throughout scripture of the far off, approaching Messiah (Num 24:17a), His progenitors, and His people being mistreated, shunned, and despised. >>>However, in this example, being despised seems to be the very instrument G-d employed to keep Jacob’s "seed" set apart.<<< Israel, foremost, was made in G-d’s image, (Gen 37:2; “pasturing flocks”) and G-d Himself is identified as a shepherd. (See Gen 48:15; Ps 23:1; and Jn 10:11; see also my comment re: Gen 12:3 “The Mirror Effect” https://www.jointhejourney.com/4903-honesty-can-evidence-our-trust-in-god) Re: Gen 47:4 “Sojourning” reflects an understanding Egypt was not their home, and they intended to return to the Promised Land as soon as G-d made that possible. Re: Gen 47:6 Gen 47:6 (NASB) “The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and >>>if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.”<<< See Jn 10:16. Re: Gen 47:7,10 Jacob blessed Pharaoh twice.
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Sue Bohlin

Thanks so much, Jordie. There is so much truth in God's word . . . Today I was touched by God's promise to Jacob, "I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again..." Jacob/Israel would be returned to the promised land as a corpse, but God chose the words, "I will bring YOU up again." We *are* our bodies, not just spirits in a carbon-based casing that doesn't matter. We are body and soul, a unified whole. Our bodies are important and valuable because they are handcrafted by God Himself. This matters because of where we are in a culture that bifurcates the person and the body, spouting such nonsense as being one gender on the outside and the other gender on the inside. So today I am thanking the Lord for having His word show His respect for His own creation, and instructing us on how to think correctly about our bodies (and those of all other people).
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Michael Sisson

To @Saegan Cockerham’s initial point (3m2s) about the sacrifices Jacob offers in Gen 46:1, some of Judaism’s preeminent rabbinic commentators echo exactly the same sentiments regarding “he fell on his neck and wept” in Gen 46:29. “Joseph wept greatly and continuously. Jacob, however, did not fall upon Joseph's neck, nor did he kiss him, for, as the Sages say, Jacob was reciting the Shema [1] at that moment (Rashi). Gur Aryeh explains why Jacob chose just this moment to recite the Shema. Supremely righteous people utilize every opportunity and resource to serve God, so that when Jacob felt a surge of joy and love at the sight of his beloved son after a long and painful separation, he submerged his personal feelings and offered all his love to God. The recitation of the Shema represents acceptance of God's sovereignty; that is what Jacob did at this moment of supreme emotion.” — The Stone Edition Chumash, ArtScroll, p 263 [1] the Shema https://bibleproject.com/blog/what-is-the-shema/
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Michael Scaman

There is a time to be discerning and cautious how you present things. Joseph only took 5 brothers not 11. He showed his father who was impressively old and Pharaoh likely interested in longevity. Pharaoh also interested in Joseph's interests as he was Pharaoh's right hand guy. The Egyptians not liking shepherds probably helped keep the people of Israel separate and not absorbed in Egyptian society. There has been some research by a journalist in who made a video called Patterns of Evidense into a possible location of the Jews in Egypt. They may have been in a section of Egypt named Avaris A seal possibly representing the 12 tribes described here. https://www.patternsofevidence.com/2018/09/14/12-tribes-of-israel-on-a-seal-from-egypt/ A special semitic like tomb of a high official now empty (as Joseph's would be) and 11 other lesser people (his brothers?) described here https://evidencetobelieve.com/patterns-of-evidence-supporting-the-exodus/ When they were slaves they may be be mentioned in the Brooklyn Papyri (named after the museum it is housed in ) Has many very Hebrew sounding names of slaves https://opentheword.org/2022/05/18/does-the-brooklyn-papyrus-help-confirm-the-exodus-story/ They are mostly girls as one would expect if the boys mostly were thrown in the nile as Pharaoh commanded.
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Connor Rose

I love how Joseph had the wisdom to know how his brothers should communicate with Pharoah so they could live in good land.
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Amy Lowther

1. Yes, because his words are solid and relevant to daily life. I see in James 1:16-18 that God provides clarity to His people. 2. I have seen God’s faithfulness while driving on the ice in the ice storm this year and while driving on the ice in the ice storm last year. 3. Yes.