Devotional Thoughts for Today
Finding Family
Genesis 43:11-4
Then their father Israel said to them, “If it must be so, then do this: take some of the choice fruits of the land in your bags, and carry a present down to the man, a little balm and a little honey, gum, myrrh, pistachio nuts, and almonds. 12 Take double the money with you. Carry back with you the money that was returned in the mouth of your sacks. Perhaps it was an oversight. 13 Take also your brother, and arise, go again to the man. 14 May God Almighty grant you mercy before the man, and may he send back your other brother and Benjamin. And as for me, if I am bereaved of my children, I am bereaved.”
Many of us likely know the story of the prodigal son, a parable told by Jesus in Luke 15. A son, who was the younger of two brothers, asked his father for his share of the inheritance and, having received it from his father, left and went to live in a far country where he wasted all the money. But upon realizing his utter bankruptcy, the son thinks to himself, “Perhaps I should return home.” However, because of his worry that the father won’t accept him unless he returns as a servant, he plans a speech accordingly: “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants” (Luke 15:18-9).
There is a similar feeling expressed by Jacob and his sons in our passage for today. They believe they have wronged Joseph and feel like they need to appease him when they return, hence all the gifts they plan to bring with them. There certainly was fear over how Joseph would treat the brothers when they returned to Egypt. Jacob even wonders if he will lose his children. Yet (spoiler alert), when the brothers return to Egypt, they do not encounter a man desiring to punish them like servants, but they encounter a brother wishing to be reconciled to them as family. This is similar to the prodigal son story: the son expected to return as a servant but was rather greeted as a son, as family.
Many of us operate out of fear in our relationship with God. We have the mindset of Jacob and his son, or of the prodigal son, assuming the worst, assuming only condemnation and punishment. Yet, that’s not who our God is! Romans 8:15 says, “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, ‘Abba! Father!’”
Are you operating out of fear in your relationship with God or out of grace? Remember today that our God delights to call us sons and daughters, not slaves. Through Jesus, we do not find condemnation in God, rather we find family. May we return to Him and receive grace upon grace; may we return to Him and receive the heart of the Father.
Prayer: Jesus, thank You for opening a way for me to be called a child of God. Thank You that I am now part of Your family. May I not live in fear, assuming condemnation and punishment. Help me to live in joy, because You have given me grace upon grace. I praise You for this great love You have shown me. May I return to You today. Amen.
Bible Reading for Today: Numbers 28
Lunch Break Study
Read Luke 15:20-24: And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. 21 And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 23 And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate.
Questions to Consider
- How does the father react to seeing his son coming home?
- What does the father do in response to his son’s rehearsed speech?
- What does this reveal about the father’s heart for us?
Notes
- First off, the fact that the father saw his son means the father was looking for him. He did not move on – he still held onto hope that his lost son would come home. So, when he sees his son on the horizon, his reaction was compassion. He could probably sense the brokenness inside the son. Out of this compassion, the father ran to his son, despite the shame of running, despite the shame his son brought on him. The father ran to his son and embraced him.
- The father cuts him off! The son doesn’t even get to finish his prepared statement. The father basically says, “Stop talking! You are home! You are welcome here and you are still part of this family!” The father clothes his son, thus accepting him back as his son, not slave, and then the father throws a party for him. The father is joyous!
- This is a picture of our Heavenly Father. Despite the distance we may feel between us and Him, despite the brokenness and unworthiness we may feel inside ourselves, the Father always welcomes us back. He runs to us and embraces us and calls us sons and daughters. Our Father is joyous when we come to Him!
Evening Reflection
This evening, go to the Father. Feel His embrace, feel His ever-present love. Feel the joy that He has for you. Let this consuming love give you peace. May you rest tonight in the love of the Father.
When I read this passage, what comes to mind is Aragorn from the Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Aragorn promised to protect Frodo no matter the cost. He would stand by his side and ensure that no danger would come upon him. Similarly, in the Two Towers, Aragorn made it his mission to find Merry and Pippen, and to ensure that no harm came upon them by the hands of the Uruk-hai. Parents often do something similar: they tell their children to trust them, that they will guarantee their safety, as they ride a bike for the first time, or do something else that could be scary for the child.
As we know from the story of Joseph, there was certainly reason for him to be upset with his brothers. Because of them, he ended up as a slave in Egypt! Yet, as Joseph’s brothers came for grain during the famine, you can sense there was an eagerness for Joseph to be reconciled to them; however, before doing that he wanted them to bring Benjamin. In some way, this was how Joseph believed they would demonstrate their repentance for what they had done. But until then, his brothers wouldn’t see his face again.
The AMI QT Devotionals for February 5-11 are provided by Doug Tritton. Doug, a graduate of University of Pennsylvania, is currently serving as a staff at Symphony Church (Boston), while pursuing a M.Div. at Gordon Conwell Seminary. He is married to Cindy and they are proud parents of Audrey.
In our narrative in Genesis, however, we read that “the famine was severe in the land”—meaning that the scenario for Jacob and his sons is life or death, and they need bread, right away. They were in the throes of lasting, heavy hunger. So, imagine yourself in the shoes of Jacob’s sons. You are terribly afraid of Egypt after your first visit there, but you know you need to go back in order to get food. You know that you need to bring Benjamin with you, yet Jacob will likely not allow that. Between the competing demands and the severe hunger, you can probably imagine that this situation would be quite paralyzing for Jacob’s sons.
One of the most interesting lessons I had in elementary school was about metamorphosis. Every single classroom in my grade level adopted a house of caterpillars. We would watch the caterpillars wriggle about, eat plants, and even begin to create cocoons. What was incredible was that, one day, butterflies emerged. It was hard to believe that once they had been fat caterpillars!
In 1967, Joni Eareckson Tada suffered an accident that left her as a paraplegic. She was only seventeen years old at the time. Her condition left her depressed and angry; however, she came to believe that God could use her disability for His glory. In the last fifty years, she has spoken, written books, and created international ministries. Taking stock of how God’s grace has allowed her to taste grace and minister to others, she can say, “It’s why I thank God every day for my wheelchair.”
As a culture, we are much enamored with the concept of “reaping what you sow.” It is all over our newspapers and our entertainment – we love when the hardworking underdog ends up winning against the odds, or when criminals finally get caught and must pay for their crimes. We tell workers that they have to “put in their time” to earn respect and credibility, and students will surely remember from the last semester whether their diligence (or lack of) paid off. What we are saying is this: what you put in, is what you get out.
There is a Christian colleague I catch up with from time to time. A while back, I had confessed to her that I had felt disengaged, unmotivated to work furiously towards the success of our company. She had been feeling the opposite: she felt blessed to work hard. Over the last couple of years, her team had been very successful, and each person had received generous bonuses. To her surprise, she was able to pay off her student loans years ahead of schedule. After she saw how God had used a seemingly worldly thing to miraculously provide in her life, she believed that working hard was a way to honor Him. Upon hearing this, I was chastened and encouraged to work hard as an act of worship.
Whether new to Christian faith or seasoned, we all desire to “know God’s will,” or find direction in various aspects of our lives—careers, relationships, locations. It is good to seek alignment, because we believe that God knows what is best for His people. We also believe that it is possible for us to hear Him speak through various means—His Word, in time of prayer, through others, and circumstances around us. But as important as it is to hear God, it is just as important to meet His revelation with obedience on our end!
When you have a question, where do you go? All of us have go-to sources: a knowledgeable friend, Google, Reddit, even Yahoo Answers! Last year, I experienced a situation in which a colleague had told leaders of my team something untruthful about what I had done (others brought it to my attention). I was shocked and upset. Unsure of what to do, I consulted several places: I went to my manager, I read dozens of Harvard Business Review articles on dealing with conflicts—in short, I tried to get all sorts of opinions.