Devotion for Friday, November 13th
Kevin Peterson
Devotional Text: Genesis 42 (To read and even listen to this text for free, click here.)
Verse in Focus: When Jacob learned that there was grain for sale in Egypt, he said to his sons, "Why do you look at one another?" And he said, "Behold, I have heard that there is grain for sale in Egypt. Go down and buy grain for us there, that we may live and not die." So ten of Joseph's brothers went down to buy grain in Egypt. But Jacob did not send Benjamin, Joseph's brother, with his brothers, for he feared that harm might happen to him. Thus the sons of Israel came to buy among the others who came, for the famine was in the land of Canaan (Genesis 42:1-5).
Related Verse: The LORD is merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. He will not always chide, nor will he keep his anger forever. He does not deal with us according to our sins, nor repay us according to our iniquities (Psalms 103:8-10).
Devotional Thought:
Famines, of course, are no respecter of persons or nations. They extend over borders and do not discriminate as to who they devastate. The one in our text is no exception. At the tail end of the last chapter, we were informed that the famine was “severe over the whole earth” (41:57). Which means that the land of Palestine, due north and east of Egypt, was also getting hammered. Now, scholars note that both Palestine and Egypt enduring famine at the same time was a rather rare event. Usually it was either one or the other. This time it was both and probably then some.
For Egypt to be hit this hard, meant that Upper Egypt and the Sudan (which, for the geographically challenged, is south), where the headwaters of the Nile are located—was getting no rain. No rain there, meant no spring floods, which meant no crops in the Nile River valley and delta ... well, you get the picture. Now, drought in Palestine, typically would mean similar conditions on the islands of Crete and Cyprus, extending likely up to and including what is now Turkey, Lebanon and Syria.
The net of this famine was indeed cast far and wide, and so who do we find getting caught up in it but Joseph’s whole family back in Canaan. Life is not going well for them. Why do I say that? Well, it’s not just because Jacob sends his sons—well, at least 10 of them—down to Egypt to buy grain. Did you notice his rather berating question? His sons were not working. Instead, they were hanging around the camp with nothing to do. Jacob, a man whom we last encountered as a wealthy man with numerous herds of sheep and goats, watched over by his boys—has sons now standing around idle.
Most of the livestock is likely gone, either dead from the drought or butchered in the face of it. They most likely are doing what they can to keep a handful of the best livestock alive until the famine passes, but such a small herd does not take that much care and oversight. No, things are bad. So Jacob sends his boys south to Egypt, excepting—interestingly enough—Joseph’s younger brother, Benjamin. Jacob had loved Rachel and, from his limited perspective, Benjamin was all he had left of her. But little did he know that the God of his fathers—by way of the sin of the 10 brothers—had sent Rachel’s oldest boy to Egypt ahead of them. The most definitely did not deserve this kindness, but God did it anyway. It’s so cool that He is like that. Blessings on your day!
Vaya con Dios!
Pastor Peterson
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