“Glory to the Precious name of our Lord Jesus Christ”

Proverbs 16: 20 He who heeds the word wisely will find good, And whoever trusts in the Lord, happy is he.

May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

Hallelujah

God is the one who does good

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, in the portion of the Bible that we meditated on yesterday Joseph sent his brothers to Canaan to bring his brother Benjamin. But Jacob refused to send Benjamin. But Jacob did not realize that it was God's will. In the same way in many things we do not know God's will. God wants us to be a holy nation, kings and priests so through his only Son, the generation of Christ in order to call us unto eternal glory God has shown Jacob as a pattern, and took Joseph the son of Jacob to Egypt and  we are able to read that through Joseph God is showing us many things.

But after Jacob refused to send Benjamin to Egypt the famine was severe in the land. 

And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, “Go back, buy us a little food.” But Judah spoke to him, saying, “The man solemnly warned us, saying, ‘You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you.’If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; Judah told his father Jacob.

But Jacob is telling all the sad things in his life and so they said in Genesis 43: 10 For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

Genesis 43: 11 - 15 And their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: Take some of the best fruits of the land in your vessels and carry down a present for the man—a little balm and a little honey, spices and myrrh, pistachio nuts and almonds. 

Take double money in your hand, and take back in your hand the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks; perhaps it was an oversight. 

Take your brother also, and arise, go back to the man. 

And may God Almighty give you mercy before the man, that he may release your other brother and Benjamin. If I am bereaved, I am bereaved!”

So the men took that present and Benjamin, and they took double money in their hand, and arose and went down to Egypt; and they stood before Joseph. 

When we see this, eventhough God had done so much good in the life of Jacob in this difficult time he forgets the good that God had done for him. In the same way we also inspite of God doing so much of good for us, we forget about it and we are ungrateful. We must never forget the good that God has done for us. We must think of it everyday and praise God. We must receive such a redemption today from God.

Because God is testing us everyday. This is because in Romans 8: 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 

When God does certain things we think of it as some evil. But it is not like that. Behind that there will be some goodness. This is why Joseph did not reveal himself initially to his brothers and does certain things. Later on only he reveals himself to his brothers. They think of each and every injustice that they did and feel the pain. Joseph understood them, for he spoke to them through an interpreter. He keeps them in prison for three days and Simeon is bound and kept in prison. When he did all these things to his brothers they did not murmur or speak anything against Joseph. God is showing this as a pattern to us regarding the way how we should walk in our lives.

Genesis 43: 16, 17  When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, he said to the steward of his house, “Take these men to my home, and slaughter an animal and make ready; for these men will dine with me at noon.” 

Then the man did as Joseph ordered, and the man brought the men into Joseph’s house.

When Jacob sent his children to Egypt, with many tribulations he sends them to get mercy from the lord of the land. All those things, in order to glorify God to get mercy from God he is showing this as a pattern.

Romans 9: 15, 16 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whomever I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whomever I will have compassion.” 

So then it is not of him who wills, nor of him who runs, but of God who shows mercy.

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, if we have to get mercy from God in our lives then we must glorify God together with our family and our church. In our lives when we know God, even if we have some difficulties, God knows everything. There is no change that though our beginning was small, Yet our latter end would increase abundantly. God is showing us all through a pattern that we must all never despise small beginnings. Because in Job 8: 7 it is said Though your beginning was small, Yet your latter end would increase abundantly. That is why God will definitely make us stand eternally till the end. We will fill us with eternal blessings and make us see the greatness of the eternal kingdom. 

May the Lord bless you all. Let us pray. 

-To be continued