Day 43 – Joseph & Caring for Family

• The story of Joseph continues today as we see life after the big revelation moment of we saw in yesterday’s passage. As Genesis 46 opens, Jacob is preparing to set off to meeet his long lost son, and Joseph is making plans to give his family a new place to live.
• Chapter 46 spends quite some time talking about how the family had grown over the years. How many grandchildren did Jacob have at this point? Which of God’s covenental promises is slowly being worked out in this regard?
• Imagine being Joseph. What emotions would you have had as you rode your chariot out to Goshen to see your father, 20 years after you last saw him? What would you talk about?
• What about Jacob? Can you imagine speaking with someone that you thought was dead for ten years? What does this “new life” give to Jacob?
• As they arrived in Egypt, in Genesis 47, Joseph starts planning to have his family looked after. What sort of things did Joseph do to treat his family well?
• Aside from his family, many other people came to Joseph to buy food during the continued famine. Did he treat all the Egyptians well too? How, in Genesis 47:13 onwards, does Joseph work shrewdly to make the Pharaoh very, very rich?
• Jacob’s family decide to settle in Goshen. Do a Google search to find maps of where this was.
• How do you think Joseph was able to forgive his brothers? Do you think it would have been hard for him to do so?
• Romans 8:28 is one of those verses that you might want to mark down in the front of your journal. Read it a few times and think carefully about the wonderful truth it says.

Today is one of those days where it seems like it’s mostly just story, and not so much in terms of deep theology or doctrine! In a way, that’s true, and it’s OK, I think, to just enjoy the readings today.

However, do think about why we read Romans 8:28 today. It reminds us that whatever is happening, God is in control and is working out all good plans for those who follow Him. That doesn’t mean everything will always go right for us all the time – just ask Joseph! But God is in control, and we can take great comfort from that.

Check out the link below to a Google search on the word “re-purpose” (or “upcycle”). God can make good come from any situation. He “re-purposes” suffering for His good. There are plenty of creative examples of old items being given a new purpose on this image search, aren’t there? I used one of the images for today’s focus picture above. Why not find your favourite, print it out, and stick it on your wall or in your journal as a reminder that God can take what seems like a broken or useless situation and turn it into something wonderful.

LINK: Google image search for “re-purpose”.

LINK: Google image search for “upcycle”