Mon.’s Devo - The Blessings of Pharaoh

Read Gen 47:1-11 Joseph moved his family to Goshen then took 5 of the men to meet Pharaoh. (I would love to know which 5.) Joseph had already schooled them in how to answer the Pharaoh when he asked their occupation. Shepards were an abomination to Egyptians so they were to explain to him that it was a family business that had been going on for generations. Somehow that knowledge should explain to him why they were living in Goshen and not in Egypt. In Egypt, it would have been harder to keep their Jewish traditions and laws without causing the contempt of the Egyptians. Also, their children would be bombarded with false teaching, idolatry, and perversion. This answer pleased the Pharaoh so much that he gave them the potential job of watching his own sheep. Joseph brought Jacob before Pharaoh and he blessed the Pharaoh. (I would have loved to have the words of that blessing.) When Pharaoh asked Jacob about himself, Jacob told the Pharaoh that he had been living in this life for 130 years and he boiled his whole life down to two words: few and evil. What a terrible description of a life! He felt he hadn’t done nearly what his forefathers had done and his life wasn’t near as long. He was right about that. Abraham died at 175 and Isaac at 180. Jacob must have felt he was near and he was only 130. When he left, Jacob blessed the Pharaoh again. Pharaoh gave him the best land in Egypt, in the land of Rameses. “Rameses” means “thunder”. When Jacob left he blessed Pharaoh again. Two things stood out to me as I read this: 1. Jacob blessed an unrighteous king in an unholy land (twice). 2. Pharaoh gave them the best he had. This same thing happened to Joseph. When we are in an ungodly situation and we are wondering whether to stay, this might be your answer. Sometimes we are to flee and sometimes we are to stay. If we are called to stay then we should bless the unrighteous leader and watch what happens. He might give you the best that he has. God wants a people that he can exalt in these last days, who will stay humble and just, so he can pour the riches of the unrighteous on them. Proverbs says that the wealth of the wicked is stored up for the righteous. (Prov. 13:22) Lord, I pray that we will not sum our lives up in the words of “few and evil”. May our epitaph read “a destiny fulfilled in righteousness”. And may we learn to bless our authority.