Jim Gallagher

Genesis 46:3
“So He said, ‘I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there.'”

Egypt has already played an interesting role in the narrative of Genesis. It was to Egypt that Abraham fled when famine arose, and it was to Egypt, Isaac looked when famine struck in his day. I find it interesting that the same God who warned Isaac not to go to Egypt, sends Jacob there. We might say, Jacob was given a great commission to go to Egypt, and to further his kingdom. Later in this chapter, we read that seventy people left for Egypt, however, when Exodus begins, that number is probably well over two million.

Egypt, while a real place, is also used in Scripture to illustrate the world. Here we see an interesting contrast. The people of God…

Genesis 45:7
“And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance.”

Everyone of us has had the experience of being mistreated. For most, it has been the little things, like our character being questioned or our feelings hurt. Others, like Joseph, have experienced their entire life being altered by the deeds of another. The story of Joseph is significant in so many respects, not the least of which is, he used his newfound position of power, not to retaliate, but to rescue. It is nothing short of a miracle that this man was not bitter, angry and vengeful. I wonder if we can uncover the secret behind his success.

As the mask comes off, and Joseph reveals himself to his brothers, he reflects upon the years of his life. Instead of dwelling upon the time…

Matthew 22:20 ”
“And He said to them, ‘Whose image and inscription is this?’”

As the cross approaches, so does the opposition to Jesus. The religious leaders are desperately trying to turn the people against Jesus. In this case, they sent the young Pharisees and the Herodians, a political sect that favored the Jews being ruled by Rome. When they arrived, they must have thought they had come up with the perfect question. No matter how Jesus answered, He would end up polarizing himself. “Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar?” If Jesus says “yes”, he will find himself at odds with the people. They will think of Him and all He has done and said, as simply a political movement in support of Rome. If He says “no” He will find himself the enemy of Rome and be a wanted man. I can almost feel the excitement of…

Genesis 44:16
“Then Judah said, ‘What shall we say to my lord? What shall we speak? Or how shall we clear ourselves? God has found out the iniquity of your servants; here we are, my lord’s slaves, both we and he also with whom the cup was found.’”

Guilt is a powerful emotion, and very effective motivator. We can all think of times when we have been “guilted” into doing something we did not want to do. But perhaps the greatest impact guilt has on us, is not what it gets us to do, but what it keeps us from doing. I can only imagine how the guilt must have haunted Joseph’s brothers all those years. I imagine, every time something went wrong, they must have, at least, considered it to be the hand of God coming against them for their sin. Sadly, these guys are not alone. Many Christians…

Genesis 43:10

“For if we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.”

We have no way of knowing how long Simeon remained incarcerated in Egypt, while his brothers attempted to convince Jacob to send them back. The assumption is, quite some time passed, since it would have been foolish to make the lengthy and dangerous journey to Egypt and not purchase enough food to last a long time. However long it may have been, time ran out when the food ran out. Jacob’s hand was forced as they looked at the reality of facing another season without rain and without food. The words of Judah to his father are quite revealing, “If we had not lingered, surely by now we would have returned this second time.” Had the difficult decision been made earlier, the trip would have been a memory, and the family would…

Matthew 21:42
“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

Jesus told a story that the original audience understood to be speaking of how they were rejecting the Son of God. In response to the story Jesus refers to builders who had rejected the “chief cornerstone.” In many ancient buildings, the foundation was supported by a cornerstone, without it, the foundation would not be able to support that which was built upon it. Jewish lore tells the story of the building of Solomon’s Temple, a project that took many years. The massive stones for the Temple were quarried some distance away from the Temple site and delivered to the builders. As they were laying the foundation, a very oddly shaped stone,that did not seem to fit, arrived. The contractor, thinking the quarry had made a…

Genesis 42:36
“And Jacob their father said to them, ‘You have bereaved me: Joseph is no more, Simeon is no more, and you want to take Benjamin. All these things are against me.’”

Sometimes perspective is reality. How we see things will determine how we act. Jacob had experienced a series of very difficult trials. He lost his sons, Joseph and Simeon, and now he was in danger of losing his youngest son, Benjamin. As these things built up around him, he cried out in despair, “All these things are against me.” What Jacob failed to realize, is the things that seemed to be working against him, were the very things God was using to work out the salvation of his family. All he could see was loss, but God was at work, behind the scenes, preparing a much greater reward than he could ever imagine.

Life is like that…

Matthew 20:16
“For many are called, but few chosen.”

This verse is the conclusion of a parable Jesus spoke regarding God’s reward system. All those who responded to the offer of the vineyard owner received the same wage, whether they worked for a few hours or for the entire day. What a beautiful picture of God’s grace. Heaven is the great reward of all who respond to the call of God. Young Timothy and the thief hanging next to Jesus were both recipients of God’s manifold grace, both will forever live under the banner of King Jesus, walk the streets of gold, and experience the glories of living in glory.

That being said, I am struck by the condition of those who responded to the vineyard owners call. We read, they were “standing idle.” The word idle means to be free from work. We use the word to speak of a…