Return to Egypt, Joseph reveals himself-Genesis 43-45
Recently I over-heard my wife almost shouting at someone we've both known for some time now. She was saying,
"..nimeona hauna bidii ya maisha wala ya Mungu!" (I have observed that you do not try to better yourself in life; neither do you put much effort in seeking God!).
I cringed but then she expertly turned the conversation into a discussion about the 'Four Spiritual Laws' and I relaxed. Later I learnt that the person had cynically questioned how a close relative we stay with could spend all her Easter holidays in a remote prayer-retreat center.
Sometimes, God allows circumstances to come down on us really hard in a bid to catch our attention. His concern for our spiritual welfare drives him to allow things in our lives he'd rather not permit if he had other options. It is almost as if he gets exasperated like my wife and has to shout back at our faithless musings.
For Jacob and his sons it was the unrelenting famine that eventually forced them to consider going back to Egypt and to Joseph. A reluctant Jacob allowed his remaining sons to take his last-born son along as had been demanded by the seemingly tyrannical ruler of Egypt-Joseph. When they got there Joseph looked at his youngest brother and determined that it was time to bring the whole charade to a close. This had to be the end-game.
So what does God do? What Joseph did. Because the soul of man is 'uber'-precious' God, for lack of a better expression, feverishly sets about shouting to the spiritually deaf, cajoling the strong-willed, tripping up the comfortable, reasoning with the obstinate and dazzling the impressionable; whatever it takes. In other words, he ups the ante!
From Joseph’s perspective, the desire to use his great power to shelter his long lost family from the ravaging famine was real. However, even this life-saving gesture paled in comparison to an infinitely greater desire- to have his relationship with his father and brothers fixed.
And God?
His greatest desire is for you to have a proper relationship with Him.
Like Joseph, his love for you,
He is unable to hold back.
Like Joseph his last move,
One of revelation.
Its his last card,
He reveals..
Himself.
He hopes.
God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people. His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior. He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to desire to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14
Recently I over-heard my wife almost shouting at someone we've both known for some time now. She was saying,
"..nimeona hauna bidii ya maisha wala ya Mungu!" (I have observed that you do not try to better yourself in life; neither do you put much effort in seeking God!).
I cringed but then she expertly turned the conversation into a discussion about the 'Four Spiritual Laws' and I relaxed. Later I learnt that the person had cynically questioned how a close relative we stay with could spend all her Easter holidays in a remote prayer-retreat center.
For Jacob and his sons it was the unrelenting famine that eventually forced them to consider going back to Egypt and to Joseph. A reluctant Jacob allowed his remaining sons to take his last-born son along as had been demanded by the seemingly tyrannical ruler of Egypt-Joseph. When they got there Joseph looked at his youngest brother and determined that it was time to bring the whole charade to a close. This had to be the end-game.
So what does God do? What Joseph did. Because the soul of man is 'uber'-precious' God, for lack of a better expression, feverishly sets about shouting to the spiritually deaf, cajoling the strong-willed, tripping up the comfortable, reasoning with the obstinate and dazzling the impressionable; whatever it takes. In other words, he ups the ante!
For the poor fellow the roiling environment becomes a crisis of sorts and as one surprising event ends, the possibility of another confounding one is never far away. Soon he finds that he needs to go back to God in desperate prayer.
Like Joseph’s concern for his ageing father, God is always aware that as time goes by the risks of losing you forever increase.
For Joseph it was the recognition that death was lurking at his father’s door. Jacob was now an old man burdened with the possibility of losing two of his youngest sons after the disappearance of Joseph.
Joseph was also not sure that his brothers could stay unified beyond their father's death. And that could dramatically complicate matters.
For him the stakes had always been high but now the scent of a major crisis was unmistakable.
So it is with God; he worries that your lifestyle could surely kill you before he accomplishes his plan. Worse you have Satan, a vicious and unseen infernal enemy who will go to any lengths to ensure that you never get to be part of God's eternal family.
Often uncertainty within, a questioning of all that you have grown up believing is God's way of bringing you to the proper point of faith in him. At this stage many, like Joseph’s brothers in Egypt, bow down again before their Creator. They cry to him but still, they neither know him nor want him. As they pray, God feels an even deeper need. Joseph shows us how. For Joseph it was the recognition that death was lurking at his father’s door. Jacob was now an old man burdened with the possibility of losing two of his youngest sons after the disappearance of Joseph.
Joseph was also not sure that his brothers could stay unified beyond their father's death. And that could dramatically complicate matters.
For him the stakes had always been high but now the scent of a major crisis was unmistakable.
So it is with God; he worries that your lifestyle could surely kill you before he accomplishes his plan. Worse you have Satan, a vicious and unseen infernal enemy who will go to any lengths to ensure that you never get to be part of God's eternal family.
From Joseph’s perspective, the desire to use his great power to shelter his long lost family from the ravaging famine was real. However, even this life-saving gesture paled in comparison to an infinitely greater desire- to have his relationship with his father and brothers fixed. And God?
His greatest desire is for you to have a proper relationship with Him.
Like Joseph, his love for you,
He is unable to hold back.
Like Joseph his last move,
One of revelation.
Its his last card,
He reveals..
Himself.
He hopes.
God’s grace has now appeared. By his grace, God offers to save all people. His grace teaches us to say no to godless ways and sinful desires. We must control ourselves. We must do what is right. We must lead godly lives in today’s world. That’s how we should live as we wait for the blessed hope God has given us. We are waiting for Jesus Christ to appear in his glory. He is our great God and Savior. He gave himself for us. By doing that, he set us free from all evil. He wanted to make us pure. He wanted us to be his very own people. He wanted us to desire to do what is good. Titus 2:11-14
Will you turn to Him?
kaka henry
kaka henry
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