47:13-19 The ongoing famine. The famine continues, and this leads to a dire situation in Egypt: the people no longer have money to buy grain, and so they end up trading their livestock. But the famine isn’t over yet! Eventually, they end up trading their labor and their land in return for food.
47:20-28 Rescuing the people. Joseph does all he can as Pharoah’s administrator to care for the people of Egypt. While we might be tempted to see this as exploitive, the reality is that the Egyptians view it as a wonderful grace that both rescues them and allows them plenty to live on.
47:29-31 Preserving the promise. Ultimately, the Lord is caring for His people, and He does this is big ways (caring for all of Egypt so that the Hebrews would be saved) and small ones: upholding His promise to Jacob’s ancestor Abraham that His people shall have a land to dwell in and be cared for.
Context: The move to Egypt has been part of helping Jacob’s family survive the famine, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have hardships to endure in the meantime.
Argument: Jacob and his family needed to not only trust Joseph, but ultimately to trust that the Lord was in control even as He brought them through – not around – the famine.
Gospel: Often, this is what we learn from Jesus: the way to grow in Him, the way to build trust, is not to avoid hardship, but to depend upon the Lord as He leads you through it.
Applications: Look to the Lord, call on Him to increase your faith. Trust that all He is doing is good, right, and best.
Here is how I will apply these truths: ___________________
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