Sun.’s Devo - God’s Provision in Egypt

Read: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19 Jacob went to Beersheba where Abraham and Isaac both made covenants with Abimelech and with God. There, God spoke to Jacob and told him not to be afraid to go to Egypt and live because God was orchestrating this move. They would become a great nation and God would be with them and one day bring them back to Canaan. Next we have a list of all the 66 of Jacob’s descendants that came out of Canaan to go to Egypt. One of the things that stood out to me as I read the list of names was the fact that Dan only had one son - Hushim. Hushim means “haster”. Dan was the last son to receive his allotment in the Promised Land. His tribe became so idolatrous that they were called the degenerate tribe. They were like Judas of the 12 disciples of Jesus. Dan was not mentioned in the list of tribes in Revelation as if they didn’t make the cut in the end. Dan means “a judge”. When they got to Egypt they added Joseph, his wife and two sons making it 70 of Jacob’s family in Egypt. Jacob settled his family in Goshen. He had a happy reunion with his father. Jacob said he could now die in peace after seeing Joseph’s face. Joseph presented his father and five of his brothers to the Pharaoh. He had instructed them to tell the Pharaoh that they were farmers so they would be isolated in Goshen and not have to be corrupted by Egypt and its idolatry. It worked perfectly and they were given Goshen, the best land to be fruitful and multiply in. Jacob lived 17 years in Goshen but made Joseph promise that when they returned to Canaan, they were to take his bones with them and bury them in the land of his ancestors. He would be buried in the field with Abraham and Isaac. God provided the best for them in Egypt. Our Egypt is this world and even in this evil world, God provides for our every need and wants us to have the best of the land. That is our inheritance. In Matthew, Jesus rebuked the Pharisees who were trying to trick him by asking why Jesus’ disciples didn’t wash their hands before eating. This was a man-made law of the Pharisees and had nothing to do with Moses’ law. Jesus answered them with a question. He asked them why they caused their people to neglect God’s law of honoring their parents to give their money to them instead. The Pharisees had made it legal for the people to give to the temple the money they should have spent taking care of their elderly parents. They taught that it was more honorable to give great amounts of money to the treasury at the temple than to care for their parents. Jesus said that these people honored him with their lips but they hearts were far from him. Their worship was a farce for they taught man-made ideas as if they were God’s commands. Then Jesus addressed their issue about eating with unwashed hands. He said that it wasn’t the food from unwashed hands that went into their bodies that would defile them but it was the words that came out of their mouths that would defile them. Our words come from our hearts. When we speak words it either blesses us or curses us. A Gentile woman came to Jesus and wanted him to have mercy on her and deliver her daughter from the demons that tormented her. Jesus ignored her and the disciples wanted to tell her to leave Jesus alone. When she returned and begged again, Jesus spoke to her. He was sent to the house of Israel first. She replied that even dogs were allowed to earth the scraps from the master’s table. Jesus told her that her faith had gotten her request answered. Her daughter was healed at that moment. Lord, may our faith get your attention and your favor. May we walk in the light of your word and your countenance.