# 440 Passing the Pro-Life Message Along

The Book of Genesis

Day 440

Ge 48:5 "And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine.  6 "Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.  7 "But as for me, when I came from Padan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way, when there was but a little distance to go to Ephrath; and I buried her there on the way to Ephrath (that is, Bethlehem)."  8 Then Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, "Who are these?"  9 And Joseph said to his father, "They are my sons, whom God has given me in this place." And he said, "Please bring them to me, and I will bless them."

Have you ever heard of the tribe of Joseph? Me either. In an unusual deathbed move Jacob adopts Joseph’s two children as if they were his own, thereby in effect giving Joseph a double portion of the inheritance. No reason is given for this. Perhaps it has something to do with Rachel passing before she could have more children, and this doubling of the inheritance would help make up for the difference. At any rate, I think there is yet another lesson for us here, and in light of our culture today, we ought to spend some time on it.

Notice how Joseph responds to Jacob’s question about the boys. He says, “These are my sons whom God has given me.” And once again we see a pro-life declaration from Scripture. Joseph rightly proclaims where the gift of life comes from. This must’ve warmed Jacob’s heart, and who knows, just may have triggered some memories of a time when his brother Esau asked him the same question, and he had replied, “These are the children whom God has graciously given your servant.”

Joseph has learned the pro-life message well. Are your children learning the pro-life message from you? Are you teaching this vital biblical truth in your family devotions? How about In your Sunday School programs at church? Are you observing an annual “pro-life” Sunday in your church? Is the pro-life message being proclaimed from the pulpit?

Pass this truth along! Live this truth! Children are a gift from God! Once that truth is grasped, it changes everything. Our whole outlook on the size and care of our families changes and we begin to trust God for all our gifts and appreciate them, especially the gift of children! “Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb is His reward. Happy is the man who has his quiver full of them!” (Ps 127:3,5)

# 439 The “Talk”

The Book of Genesis

Day 439

Ge 48:1 Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, "Indeed your father is sick"; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim.  2 And Jacob was told, "Look, your son Joseph is coming to you"; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed.  3 Then Jacob said to Joseph: "God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me,  4 "and said to me, 'Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession.'

The time of Jacob’s death is near, so Joseph hurries to his side. He takes his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim with him. Three generations of a family gathered together to hear Jacob recount the covenant of God. Once again the family is reminded of the heritage they have from the Almighty. I’m sure Jacob had told them the story before, but he didn’t assume they would necessarily remember it. So he told them again: My descendants (that’s you boys) will be a great people and Canaan has been given to my descendants as an everlasting possession.”

When’s the last time you talked with your family about the heritage promised to you? When’s the last time you talked to your children and grandchildren about the time God met you and spoke His promise to your believing heart? What was that promise that God spoke to you? What do your children and grandchildren have to do in order to receive the same heritage?

I remember in my own life, watching a Jimmy Swaggart telecast, and as he started to preach the Scriptures, the Word of God did it’s thing, and I was convicted of the sin in my life, and I saw my deep need for a Savior, and so I turned to the only One who could save me from my sins….Jesus Christ.  God assured me that from the moment I received Jesus, my sins were completely forgiven. He set me free and gave me a peace that passed all human understanding.

But this promise is not just for me! When Peter preached to the throng on the day of Pentecost, and they were convinced of their sins, they cried out, “What shall we do?” and Peter replied, "Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.  39 "For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:38,39)

Never weary of telling your children and grandchildren your story of salvation, and never weary of telling them what God requires of them to receive His forgiveness and the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is the same for them and for their children and for their children’s children. It is a promise similar to Jacob’s in that it is everlasting,

“Repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus”. Never assume they know, for it’s not about “assumptions,” Rather it is about declaring what God has done for your soul!  Put Ps 66:16 into practice in your family! “Come and hear, all you who fear God, And I will declare what He has done for my soul.”

# 438 Be Graceful To Loved Ones Last Wishes

The Book of Genesis

Day 438

Ge 47:28 And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years. So the length of Jacob's life was one hundred and forty-seven years.  29 When the time drew near that Israel must die, he called his son Joseph and said to him, "Now if I have found favor in your sight, please put your hand under my thigh, and deal kindly and truly with me. Please do not bury me in Egypt,  30 "but let me lie with my fathers; you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place." And he said, "I will do as you have said."  31 Then he said, "Swear to me." And he swore to him. So Israel bowed himself on the head of the bed.

By our culture’s standards, this method of oath taking would be called “awkward” at best. But we have seen this kind of oath taking before in the book of Genesis. (24:2-9) When you think about it, this kind of oath taking makes perfect sense since children are called the fruit of the loins or thighs, a hand placed on that part of the body was a charge to posterity to carry out the terms of the oath. Jacob was getting a guarantee from Joseph that he would be buried in the land of his fathers, and that oath was carried out years later by Jacob’s posterity.

I am always amazed at the apparent fascination of people with burying places. Throughout history, we read of elaborate burials. Archaeologists still dig up old burial sites for clues of ancient civilizations. Even today, we insist on being buried in family plots, side by side with loved ones, or we may even look for cemeteries with scenic views and locations.  Many churches have cemeteries located on their land, perhaps serving as a reminder that believers are all in one family.

On one hand, this preoccupation with burial  seems kind of silly to me. What difference does it make where you are buried? You’re dead! The real question is, were you alive in Christ before you went under the sod?

1Th 4:16 ,17 tells us what will happen when the Lord returns:  “For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first.  17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And thus we shall always be with the Lord.”

Burial locations weren’t exactly high on the list of Jesus’ priorities either! When responding to a man who wanted to delay following Him while he buried his father, He said to the man, “Follow Me, and let the dead bury their own dead." (Mt 8:22)

Having said that, remember to not make it an issue. Burial is very important to some people. That burial plot is a tangible connection to someone important in their life. Honor that! A little grace can go a long way when the matter of burial comes up. Joseph honored his father’s request and gave him comfort while he was still alive and able to receive it. Should we not do the same for our loved ones?

# 437 This Kind of Government has Always Been A Bad Idea

The Book of Genesis

Day 437

Ge 47:13 Now there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very severe, so that the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan languished because of the famine.  14 And Joseph gathered up all the money that was found in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, for the grain which they bought; and Joseph brought the money into Pharaoh's house.  15 So when the money failed in the land of Egypt and in the land of Canaan, all the Egyptians came to Joseph and said, "Give us bread, for why should we die in your presence? For the money has failed."  16 Then Joseph said, "Give your livestock, and I will give you bread for your livestock, if the money is gone."  17 So they brought their livestock to Joseph, and Joseph gave them bread in exchange for the horses, the flocks, the cattle of the herds, and for the donkeys. Thus he fed them with bread in exchange for all their livestock that year.  18 When that year had ended, they came to him the next year and said to him, "We will not hide from my lord that our money is gone; my lord also has our herds of livestock. There is nothing left in the sight of my lord but our bodies and our lands.  19 "Why should we die before your eyes, both we and our land? Buy us and our land for bread, and we and our land will be servants of Pharaoh; give us seed, that we may live and not die, that the land may not be desolate."  20 Then Joseph bought all the land of Egypt for Pharaoh; for every man of the Egyptians sold his field, because the famine was severe upon them. So the land became Pharaoh's.  21 And as for the people, he moved them into the cities, from one end of the borders of Egypt to the other end.  22 Only the land of the priests he did not buy; for the priests had rations allotted to them by Pharaoh, and they ate their rations which Pharaoh gave them; therefore they did not sell their lands.  23 Then Joseph said to the people, "Indeed I have bought you and your land this day for Pharaoh. Look, here is seed for you, and you shall sow the land.  24 "And it shall come to pass in the harvest that you shall give one-fifth to Pharaoh. Four-fifths shall be your own, as seed for the field and for your food, for those of your households and as food for your little ones."  25 So they said, "You have saved our lives; let us find favor in the sight of my lord, and we will be Pharaoh's servants."  26 And Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt to this day, that Pharaoh should have one-fifth, except for the land of the priests only, which did not become Pharaoh's.  27 So Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt, in the country of Goshen; and they had possessions there and grew and multiplied exceedingly.

Here we see the natural flow of famine. First the money goes, then the livestock and goods, then the land, and finally personal freedom. Desperate measures for desperate times. Egypt, eventually winds up owning everything. The country is reduced to a feudal state where the citizens are moved to cities where they work the government owned land and turn over 20% of the profits to the king. That’s not bad by feudal standards, but you can see how it lays the groundwork for abuses. Since the government owns the land, they can up the ante at anytime to fund any kind of programs or any type of lifestyle for those in charge.

It’s interesting to note that the only ones not affected by the famine were the priests of Pharaoh, and the family of Joseph. The priests were given rations by the government and did not have to sell their land, and as we read in v12, Joseph provided for his family and they had great possessions and grew and multiplied exceedingly!

We have two contrasts of religion here. The religion of the world which is state run and state controlled. (The world likes to keep it’s priests around to help control the masses) But these priests better toe the line. Don’t rock the boat! Continue to sanction and bless the activities of the government. This religion merely exists, it doesn’t prosper and grow and therefore must be funded by the government.

This religion is not blessed as the chosen followers of God are. While the priests of the state church live on rations, the chosen and true followers of God prosper exceedingly.  Rations are legal allotments, but exceedingly growing and prospering possessions are representative of God’s grace and mercy. 

The two are laid out side by side here in Genesis. Which will you choose? Dead religion that doesn’t rock the boat, or a personal relationship with God through Christ. The one that says, “We ought to obey God rather than men. (Acts 5:29)

# 436 Take Care Of Your Family

The Book of Genesis

Day 436

Ge 47:11 And Joseph situated 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 Then Joseph provided his father, his brothers, and all his father's household with bread, according to the number in their families.

Let’s talk about familial responsibility! I wonder how many of us would be as gracious and caring as Joseph was for his family? He provided for them over and above for their basic needs.  He did this in spite of their past ill treatment of him.

We would do well to emulate him because “Honor thy father and mother is not a conditional command. It’s not, “I will honor my father and mother if they perform according to my standards!” Jesus was emphatic about this command and He wanted it carried out in spirit and in deed. . He challenged the religious practice of His day that allowed children to neglect the care of their parents by claiming their parental support money was going to the church. (See Mark 7:9-13) He said we “make the Word of God of no effect through such tradition.” And I might add through such justification.

I remind you again that honoring father and mother is a command not a suggestion! Oswald Chambers has said this about the commands of Jesus, “If Jesus ever commanded us to do something, that He was unable to equip us to accomplish, He would be a liar.”  Think about that, can you or I say such things as  “I can’t help provide for my family, or, “I can’t afford to tithe?"

1Ti 5:8 reminds us, “But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

Whoa! Worse than an unbeliever? Forget neglecting your family due to any past indiscretions on their part, rather look to Jesus for the means necessary to fulfill His commands.

# 435 For Those Who Have Had A Hard Life

The Book of Genesis

Day 435

Ge 47:8 Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How old are you?"  9 And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my pilgrimage are one hundred and thirty 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 pilgrimage."  10 So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from before Pharaoh.

Pharaoh asks Jacob how old he is, and Jacob gives one of those answers that just jumps off the page and grabs you. He has lived to be 130 years old and describes his time on earth, his years) as few and evil! Few, in relation to the number of years that his father and grandfather had attained, and evil, in the sense that his time on earth has been unpleasant, producing pain, and causing unhappiness.

When you think about it, Jacob did indeed have a hard life. (Much of it, self-inflicted) The rivalry with his brother Esau must’ve been a constant source of pain and apprehension. The fear and guilt he carried with him after stealing his brother’s birthright for a bowl of porridge. Then there was the deception he pulled off involving his father and stealing the blessing from Esau. The hard years of slavery under Laban in order to win the hand of Rachel. The constant bickering between Rachel and Leah must’ve been a struggle as well. The hip thrown out of joint in the all-night wrestling match at Bethel. The early death of Rachel. The years that he lived with the thought that his son Joseph had been mauled to death by a wild animal. Even his hovering over Benjamin to protect him from being lost must’ve been a strain.

In the midst of that hard life though, were the times he met God as few men do. Indeed, his dream at Bethel known as Jacob’s ladder, showing the connection between heaven and earth, God and man, would come through his seed! His response to that dream is well worth repeating!

“How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!” (Gen 28:17)

This was all the assurance Jacob needed to help him through his troubled life. This is how he could assert to Pharaoh that he was just a pilgrim here on earth, passing through. One day, this hard life on earth would be over and he would then spend eternity with God and the angels in heaven….an awesome place!

Lord, help us all to remember that we are indeed on a pilgrimage. Our life on earth just a beginning. It is eternity that we ought to be living for! There is a ladder to heaven, and that Ladder is Jesus Christ! Those who trust in Him alone as Lord and Savior will ascend that ladder, but those who deny him will be cast into the ladder less pit, with no way out for eternity.

# 434 Walk With the King Today and Be A Blessing

The Book of Genesis

Day 434

Ge 47:7 Then Joseph brought in his father Jacob and set him before Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.

We aren’t told if this was an audible blessing, or if Jacob proved to be a blessing to Pharaoh just by his presence. Let’s go with the latter The idea of blessing anyone is to “exert a beneficial influence on one’s environment.”

This is what all of God’s children are called to do. We are indeed, “blessed to be a blessing.” Why not take a little time right now to do a little self-examination and see how you are doing in this regard. Start out by taking inventory of your environment. Where has God placed you?

Perhaps you are a child. Your environment includes your family, your playmates, your school, your team. Be a blessing!

Perhaps you are an adult. Your environment Your environment would include your family, your occupation, your neighborhood, your church, and so on. Be a blessing!

Wherever your environment may be, ask yourself these questions: “Am I blessing people? Am I exerting a beneficial influence on my various environments?”

Jesus said that His followers are the light of the world, and the salt of the earth. These are not options. He didn’t say we could be, He say we ARE these things! We are to bless our world. The best way to be a blessing is to live your life surrendered to and filled with the Holy Spirit. In essence, that means looking to Jesus for everything. 

The late Bob Cook said it best as he encouraged his radio listeners by signing off his program with this challenge: “Walk with the King to day, and be a blessing.! That’s not a command….it’s a spiritual truth!