Let us come before him with thanksgiving and extol him with music and song. For the Lord is the great God, the great King above all gods. – Psalm 95:2-3
God has given us so much to be thankful for, most especially salvation through Jesus Christ. I pray that the Lord blesses you on this Thanksgiving Day.
God bless!
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us, so that we may live and not die.” Then ten of Joseph’s brothers went down to buy grain from Egypt….
Now Joseph was the governor of the land, the person who sold grain to all its people. So when Joseph’s brothers arrived, they bowed down to him with their faces to the ground. As soon as Joseph saw his brothers, he recognized them, but he pretended to be a stranger and spoke harshly to them. – Genesis 42:1-3, 6-7
Sometimes brothers don’t get along. Sometimes the older brothers sell the younger one into slavery. Well, at least that’s what happened to Joseph. He had every reason to be angry at his brothers. He had every reason to exact revenge.
A great famine was upon the land and Jacob and his sons were running out of food. So, they went to the only place they could to get food, Egypt. There is where Joseph now was and he was in charge of the food distribution.
Joseph could have had his brothers arrested and thrown in jail, like he had been. He could have sent them away without food and let them starve. He doesn’t do either of these, though.
First, Joseph tests them.
Joseph hides his identity and accuses them of being spies and then forces them to bring Benjamin, the youngest brother (also Jacob’s new favorite). Once they bring Benjamin, Joseph treats them well and invites them to dinner. Then, however, he sends them home with grain and has one of his servant place Joseph’s silver cup in Benjamin’s bag. He then sends his steward to catch up to them and search their bags for the “stolen” cup. It is found, of course, so they are brought back and Joseph threatens Benjamin’s life as the one who “stole” the cup.
Will the brothers treat Benjamin as they did Joseph so long ago or have they changed? One of the brothers, Judah, offers himself in exchange for Benjamin. Joseph then knows that his brothers have changed.
Joseph then reveals who he is.
Joseph brings all the brothers in and tells them he is Joseph and is still alive. Were the brothers excited? Happy? Nope. Try scared out of their minds. They figure Joseph is now going to kill them all. But Joseph says,
And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. – Genesis 45:5-8
Joseph not only forgives his brothers but shows that he understands that everything that happened was according to God’s will. God was saving lives and preserving his people. He was keeping His covenant. Even though it had been tough on Joseph, he realized that sometimes God takes people through hards times to serve His purposes.
Heavenly Father,
We do not always understand Your ways. Help us to trust that You are with us and are at work in our lives both when things are going the way we like and when they are not. Also, help us to forgive those who harm us just as Joseph forgave his brothers and as Jesus has forgiven us.
Amen.
You can read the full account of Joseph dealing with his brothers in Egypt in Genesis 42-45. Click here to read it.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
“For this reason, because I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, I do not cease to give thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers,”
“Do I have to go to church?”
If you have kids and attend church, you have probably heard this before. If you grew up in family that attended church, you probably have said this. While some may, at time, lament “going to” church, church is a good thing.
First, we should clarify that when we talk about “going to” church, we are really referring to attending a worship service, which is a blessing in itself. When the Bible talks about church, though, it almost always uses the term in relation to the believers.
God is a God of relationships. He created marriage and families, He formed Israel into a nation, and He sent His Son to die for us that our relationship with Jesus could be restored and made right. Even in His very nature (Trinity) God exists in perfect ministry. God also gave us the church.
As the church, we have a group of fellow believers to gather with, confide in, and build up by the grace of God.
I am thankful for the church because it is place where I can hear the Word of God. I can also be built up, admonished, and strengthened.
I don’t have to walk this faith-lilfe alone and neither do you. We have the church Praise the Lord!
The Lord’s Prayer:
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name,
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread;
And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
For Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever and ever.
Amen
“So Pharaoh said to Joseph, ‘I hereby put you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.’ Then Pharaoh took his signet ring from his finger and put it on Joseph’s finger. He dressed him in robes of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. He had him ride in a chariot as his second-in-command, and people shouted before him, ‘Make way!’ Thus he put him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” – Genesis 41:41-43
If the passage above were the beginning of Joseph’s story, it would be pretty awesome. However, it’s not. It’s more like the middle and what leads up to this point isn’t nearly so great sounding.
Sold into Slavery
If you remember my blog post from last week (link), Joseph was hated by his brothers. They plotted to kill him, but in a last minute moment of mercy, his oldest brother convinced the others to just sell him into slavery and convince their father Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.
Falsely Accused
As a slave, Joseph worked for an Egyptian named Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials. Despite his circumstance, Joseph put forth his best effort as though he were working for the Lord. He did well so Potiphar liked him and put him in charge of his whole household…until Potiphar’s wife accused Joseph of attempted rape (she was really the one who tried to seduce him). So Potiphar has Joseph sent to prison.
Sent to Prison
Joseph spent years in prison. Joseph, again, despite his circumstances, decided to serve God however he could in prison. Eventually, he was put in charge of all the prisoners…but he was still in prison.
Left in Prison for Years
Then Pharaoh’s baker and cupbearer offended Pharaoh and got tossed in prison. They each had dreams one night and, by the grace of God, Joseph was able to interpret the dreams. They would both be released from prison, the cupbearer to be restored to Pharaoh’s palace and the baker to be killed.
Joseph asked the cupbearer to remember Joseph when he was restored and ask Pharaoh to release him. However, once the cupbearer was restored he forgot all about Joseph and Joseph spent another two years in prison.
Made Second Most Powerful Person in Egypt
Then Pharaoh had a dream that no one could interpret. The cupbearer finally remembered Joseph and told Pharaoh about him. Pharaoh sent for Joseph who was able to interpret the dream, a warning that there were to be seven years of plenty and then seven years of famine.
Joseph recommended the Pharaoh that the Egyptians be made to save a portion of the crops from the good years so they were have food for the famine years. That’s when we finally get to our passage. Pharaoh liked Joseph’s plan and decided to put him in charge of it and made him the number 2 person in all of Egypt.
A Difficult Path
Joseph had a difficult path. If we knew Joseph at the time, we probably would have understood if he got mad and threw in the towel. Yet, Joseph, after each disappointing development, chose to trust that God would work through the situation. So, he served God wherever he was.
I’ve told this story with an emphasis on the negative parts, but the Bible is clear that God was with Joseph through this whole journey. He blessed him at home. He blessed him at Potiphar’s. He blessed him in prison. Finally, He blessed him with Pharaoh.
What will your path look like?
For Joseph, God wasn’t just working to bless Joseph, He provides for Joseph’s family (the start of the people of Israel) during the famine through Joseph’s position. He also provides a place for them to move in Egypt where they will prosper. In the bigger picture, God was moving forward His plan of redemption for all mankind.
What has happened in your life? Has it been one success after another or have there been some setbacks along the way, maybe even unfair setbacks. I’m not saying that you’ll end up second in command of a nation, but I wonder if, at the end of your journey, you’ll look back and see some amazing things of how God was working through all of it?
Heavenly Father,
You bless us when things are going well and when they appear to be going badly. You even take the results of our sin and the sins of others and work good for Your people. Help me, like Joseph, to trust that You are working whether things are going how I want or not. Help me to chose to serve You no matter what my circumstance.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. – Philippians 4:6-7
The Bible talks about many different kind of prayers. There are prayers of thanksgiving, praise, intercession, confession, requests, and even sighs and moans. The Bible encourages and even commands us to pray at varying times of the day, morning, noon, evening, before bed, when you rise, in worship, and even continually.
Yet, with so many times and ways of praying, sometimes it can become something we take for granted. We forget that what is really happening is that we are talking to the God of the Universe!!
Some people will wait in line for hours to get a chance to meet their favorite musician or actor. They will pay lots of money to get to talk to a political candidate. These are mere people. Prayer is talking with God.
I think it’s absolutely incredible that the God who created all things and holds them together wants me to talk with Him. He wants me to share with Him both the highs and lows of my life. He wants me to ask Him things. He wants me to ask Him for things for others. He even wants me to confess my sins.
That’s right, not only does the perfect and almighty God want to talk to a human, He wants to talk to sinners deserving His wrath. He’s already sacrificed His only Son for us and made us His children and now the King wants us to approach His throne boldly and pray.
Awesome!
Heavenly Father,
I only deserve Your wrath, yet you love me and care for me. I don’t deserve to talk with You at all. Yet, you bid me to come. Thank you for providing a way to come to You and talk with You in prayer. Help me to not to take that blessing for granted.
Amen.
Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate robe for him. When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. – Genesis 37:3-4
Jacob was not perfect. He lied, he cheated, and he risked other people’s lives for his own sake. He also had a problem with picking favorites. In Genesis 29, he was tricked into marrying both Leah and Rachel and we are told he loved Rachel more. This led to strife in the family. Now, in Genesis 37 we are told that he’s playing favorites with his kids, too.
Jacob loved Joseph more than his other children and he had no problem showing it. He gave Joseph a special robe and, similar to Rachel and Leah, it caused strife in the family. In fact, Joseph’s brothers hated him. Playing favorites always leads to heartache and resentment and can even lead to hatred.
Now, Joseph didn’t make things any easier on himself. He had some dreams. One was some sheaves of grain his brothers and he were binding where his sheave rose up and his brothers’ sheaves all bowed down to his. His brothers didn’t care for his sharing that dream. Then he had a second dream where the sun and moon and eleven stars bowed down to him (he had eleven brothers). This time even his father took issue with the telling of the dream.
Between the robe and the dreams, Joseph’s brothers decided to kill him. His oldest brother, however, managed to spare his life and just sell him into slavery to some Egyptians who were passing by. I guess that better?
Working Good from Bad
The amazing thing in this story is that despite Jacob’s favoritism, Joseph’s pride, and his brother’s hatred, God worked through this. He caused Joseph to eventually become the 2nd most powerful person in Egypt who saved his family and all of Egypt from a severe famine and then moved his family into a lush area of Egypt where God blessed his family with great prosperity.
And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose. – Romans 8:28
God has a knack for taking our broken, sinful situations and working good through them. Joseph’s eventual rise to power and the saving of the people from the famine doesn’t excuse the sin the preceded it. Rather, this is just a testimony to God’s great love and mercy.
God continues to do this today and it’s a good thing. After all, we sin a lot. If God couldn’t work in the lives of sinners or in the situations caused by our sin, we would hopeless. However, God’s love and mercy are greater than our sin. He not only works good in sin-caused situations, but works holiness and righteousness in the lives of the people who commit those sins.
Heavenly Father,
Were You to count our sins against us we could not stand. Were You to only bless our own righteous works, we would be utterly hopeless. Thank you for Your mercy forgiving our sins. Thank you for Your grace blessing our lives.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
You can read the entire account a Joseph’s dreams and being sold as a slave in Genesis 37. Click here to read it.
Freedom isn’t free. At Faith, we regularly thank Jesus for price He paid to give us freedom from sin, death, and hell. Yet, Christ isn’t the only one who has sacrificed for our freedom.
So, today, we offer a special thank you to the men and women of the armed forces. You have helped to provide and ensure the safety and freedoms we enjoy here in the United States and have done so at great risk to yourself. Thank you for your service. Thank you for your sacrifice. We also thank your families who have also sacrificed much.
We pray that the Lord would bless you. May He protect you from all harm, heal any and all wounds, and strengthen your families.
God bless.
Faith Lutheran Church
“From them will proceed thanksgiving
And the voice of those who celebrate;
And I will multiply them and they will not be diminished;
I will also honor them and they will not be insignificant.” – Jeremiah 30:19
I remember the first time I heard the Lion King soundtrack (the original, not the “live action”). I hadn’t seen the movie yet. So, I hadn’t seen the images that went along with the music. I didn’t know the story line. So, I didn’t know what was happening. Yet, when I listened to track 7, it was like I was there. (You can listen to it here.)
I had images of a chase and a cliff running through my mind and could feel the tension and panic. It was only later that I watched the movie. I was amazed how close the images in my mind had been to what was actually in the movie without anyone describing it to me.
Music is special. It’s different. It’s this crazy thing that is both math and art. It can touch the soul. Without words, it can still communicate ideas and emotions. With words, those words come alive in a unique way.
It’s no wonder music has been a part of people’s lives for so long. It is as early as Genesis 4 that we hear of someone playing music,
“His brother’s name was Jubal; he was the father of all those who play the lyre and pipe.” – Genesis 4:21
Music has played a large role in worship for both Israel and the church. When Jesus is born, the angels sing! There’s even music in Heaven.
So, I am thankful for music. It adds a richness to our lives and helps us express ourselves to our God.
Dear Jesus,
Thank you for music. Thank you for giving us art and expression. May You bring forth a song of praise and joy in hearts this day and every day.
Amen
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
Now Laban had two daughters; the name of the older was Leah, and the name of the younger was Rachel. Leah had weak eyes, but Rachel had a lovely figure and was beautiful. Jacob was in love with Rachel and said, “I’ll work for you seven years in return for your younger daughter Rachel. Laban said, “It’s better that I give her to you than to some other man. Stay here with me.” So Jacob served seven years to get Rachel, but they seemed like only a few days to him because of his love for her.” – Genesis 29:16-20
After tricking his father into giving him his brother’s blessing, Jacob went to find a wife. Isaac (Jacob’s Father) had told him not to marry a Canaanite woman and sent him back to his mother’s (Rebekah) home town, also Abraham’s home town. This was common practice in these days. So, he went to his mother’s brother, Laban.
When Jacob arrived, he saw Rachel, Laban’s younger daughter, and fell madly in love with her. In order to marry her, he agreed to work for Laban for 7 years. Laban agreed and Jacob spent the next 7 years working to receive the hand of Rachel. So great was his love for her that the Bible says those seven years felt like days.
When the seven years were finally up, a marriage celebration was held. However, Laban tricked Jacob. Instead of bringing Rachel to Jacob, Laban brings Leah, Rachel’s older sister. Jacob doesn’t realize the deception until after it’s too late. Considering Jacob’s history of deception, it seems dishonesty runs in the family.
Once Jacob realizes the deception, Laban offers him Rachel…if he works for another 7 years. So, in all, Jacob worked 14 years for the hand of the woman he loved.
A Labor of Love
One of the things that stuck out for me in this passage is how the years of labor flew by for Jacob because of his love for Rachel.
We all have things we have to do, but the reason we do them affects our attitude and how we perceive the work. This is true in marriage, families, our jobs, and even our church.
If we do something out of love for another or, especially, for God, we are going to have an attitude of joy and work won’t seem too bad. However, if we do something out of coercion, obligation, or for a reward of some sort (money, recognition, promotion, etc.) that work can quickly become a burden and lead to resentment.
If you start to feel resentful about the things you are doing, rather than looking to complain about the situation, start by looking at your own reasons for doing these things. You may just need to reorient why you are doing them to get rid of the resentment and start feeling contentment and joy again.
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters,” Colossians 3:23
Dear Jesus,
You showed us the greatest example of a labor of love. You loved us so much that you gave your life for us. Keep us from resentment and help us to labor in love.
Amen
You can read the whole story of Jacob and Rachel in Genesis 29. Click here to read it.
Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!”
Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”
“Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”
But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.
Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.
So Esau despised his birthright.
When Isaac was old and his eyes were so weak that he could no longer see, he called for Esau his older son and said to him, “My son…Prepare me the kind of tasty food I like and bring it to me to eat, so that I may give you my blessing before I die.”
Rebekah said to her son Jacob, “Look, I overheard your father say to your brother Esau, ‘Bring me some game and prepare me some tasty food to eat, so that I may give you my blessing in the presence of the Lord before I die.’ Now, my son, listen carefully and do what I tell you: Go out to the flock and bring me two choice young goats, so I can prepare some tasty food for your father, just the way he likes it. Then take it to your father to eat, so that he may give you his blessing before he dies.”
Jacob brought it to him and he ate; and he brought some wine and he drank.
After Isaac finished blessing him, and Jacob had scarcely left his father’s presence, his brother Esau came in from hunting…Esau held a grudge against Jacob because of the blessing his father had given him. He said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are near; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
-Sections of Genesis 25 and 27
Passages like this can be hard and confusing to read. After all, this is Jacob. As in, I am the Lord, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. He is a “hero” of the Bible, yet we see here that he cajoled and cheated his brother out of both his birthright and his blessing.
To be sure, Esau isn’t blameless here either. He sells his birthright for meal and the Bible says “Esau despised his birthright.” Yet, it’s Jacob’s behavior that is most concerning. Jacob isn’t done here, either. He will continue a pattern of bad behavior for quite a while, but he will also grow and God will work on him over time.
There’s another pattern that we’ll see in the Bible. God will continue to work through people who have moral failings as He works out His plan of redemption. Sure, Jacob isn’t perfect, but God still works through Him, continues to fulfill His covenant with Abraham, and continues to bring about the salvation of the world. Of course, if God didn’t work through sinful people, He would have no one to work through. We all sin.
The pattern is one of God’s faithfulness in the midst of our unfaithfulness. I find it reassuring as I read through stories like Jacob and Esau. If God is willing to work with Jacob, then He can work with me. Even in Genesis we see what kind of God we have, a God who loves sinners.
Dear Jesus,
You ate with sinners. You love and died for sinners. Your Father also loves sinners. Thank you for loving me, a sinner, and dying for me. I pray that You would work in my life that through me others would come to know Your salvation.
Amen.
In Christ’s Service,
Pastor Kurt
You can read the full story of Jacob and Esau in Genesis Chapters 25, 27-32. Click here to read it.
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