[Lent 2020 Devotion] Mar. 18th, 2020 & Prayer Video

Scripture: Genesis 45:16-28 (CEB)

¹⁶ When Pharaoh’s household heard the message “Joseph’s brothers have arrived,” both Pharaoh and his servants were pleased. ¹⁷ Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Give your brothers these instructions: Load your pack animals and go back to the land of Canaan. ¹⁸ Get your father and your households and come back to me. Let me provide you with good things from the land of Egypt so that you may eat the land’s best food. ¹⁹ Give them these instructions too: Take wagons from the land of Egypt for your children and wives, and pick up your father and come back. ²⁰ Don’t worry about your possessions because you will have good things from the entire land of Egypt.”

²¹ So Israel’s sons did that. Joseph gave them wagons as Pharaoh instructed, and he gave them provisions for the road. ²² To all of them he gave a change of clothing, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of clothing. ²³ To his father he sent ten male donkeys carrying goods from Egypt, ten female donkeys carrying grain and bread, and rations for his father for the road. ²⁴ He sent his brothers off; and as they were leaving, he told them, “Don’t be worried about the trip.”^[a]

²⁵ So they left Egypt and returned to their father Jacob in the land of Canaan. ²⁶ They announced to him, “Joseph’s still alive! He’s actually ruler of all the land of Egypt!” Jacob’s heart nearly failed, and he didn’t believe them.

²⁷ When they told him everything Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the wagons Joseph had sent to carry him, Jacob recovered. ²⁸ Then Israel said, “This is too much! My son Joseph is still alive! Let me go and see him before I die.”

What does this passage mean to me/us?

Contributed by Eric Anderson

Reacting to Good News

In today’s scripture Joseph sends his brothers home to Canaan from Egypt to bring back his father. Pharaoh tells Joseph to give them all the wagons and supplies they will need for the journey home and back. When they arrive and tell Jacob that Joseph lives, he is so overcome he faints and certainly doesn’t believe them. They tell him everything Joseph told them, Israel recovers and immediately wants to go and see Joseph. It’s this part of the scripture that I would like to focus. (vs. 26-28)

Upon hearing the good news that his son is still alive Jacob cannot believe it. Only after his other sons share the rest of the story does Jacob believe and then he wants to leave for Egypt right away, that he may see him one more time before he dies. The good news of the gospel is received this way too. The forgiveness, grace and eternal life Jesus offers sounds too good to be true, so it’s taken with skepticism and doubt. Yet as the full story of God’s love is laid out we realize that it is true and is more than we can imagine. We are called to be like Jacob, to immediately want to change and experience life in this new way.

Lord, we yearn to live a life that meets your approval.  Strengthen me today in the love, mercy and grace of Jesus to grab and claim that life and never look back!  In the name of Jesus Christ I pray, AMEN

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