BIAY Day 18 - Final Reassurance
Genesis 47-50, Psalm 16
Welcome to the Bible in a Year for 2025. Intro to this series and resource links available here, plus here’s how I’m approaching this year.
Scriptures for Today:
Reflection:
As Joseph and Jacob’s stories conclude, so does Genesis. It is one of my favorite books of the Bible and of literature overall—dense in mystery, mayhem, and wisdom.
Here’s what I’m drawn to this time around:
Life as pilgrimage - As Joseph moves his family to Egypt in order to provide best for them and for his aging father, he brings them to meet Pharaoh. Genesis 47:9 has captured my imagination for years. Asked his age by the Pharaoh, “…Jacob said to Pharaoh, ‘The years of my pilgrimage are a hundred and thirty. My years have been few and difficult, and they do not equal the years of the pilgrimage of my fathers.’” (emphasis mine) Well, we’ve seen how difficult Jacob’s years have been—how much difficulty belonged to circumstances and how much he brought upon himself. But I’m drawn to the notion of life as a pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a significant feature of many religions, Christianity included. Pilgrimage focuses on the destination by providing a goal and not only a conclusion. Pilgrimage focuses on the journey by recognizing the role of time and the importance of intentionality. In this way, pilgrimage is a dynamic integration of destination and journey, infusing each day with purposeful pursuit. For Christians, that purposeful pursuit is Jesus and life in Him.
Grief relieved - Again, I’m drawn to a single verse. Genesis 48:11 records Jacob’s response to meeting Joseph’s sons: “'Israel said to Joseph, “I never expected to see your face again, and now God has allowed me to see your children too.’” What a wonderful experience for Jacob/Israel despite a hard life. Once again, grace surprises us when a hoped for joy appeared lost.
Reassurance - In Genesis 50, we find another powerful passage as Joseph’s brothers, upon the death of their father Jacob, come to him with a made-up instruction from their father about forgiving them (vv 15-18). Sometimes when we’ve screwed up, that guilt and worry hangs around for a long time. They had been forgiven nearly two decades previously, but their father’s death dug up fears of retribution. Here is Joseph’s incredible response:
But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.” (Genesis 50:19-20, emphasis mine)
We looked at Joseph’s story and the role of Divine Providence yesterday. Verse 20 is the follow up to that conversation: “You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good.” Amazing. I’ll let my reflections from yesterday stand while we set this verse alongside Genesis 45:5-8. What I notice today is Joseph’s question, “Am I in the place of God?” Joseph will hold onto the good God has done through it all and leave the wrongs done to him by the brothers to God, come what may. No usurping God’s role.
Questions:
How does viewing life as a pilgrimage impact the way you approach your days?
When have you experienced an unexpected joy you thought wouldn’t happen?
What else might the Holy Spirit be speaking with you about in the text today?
Prayer: Lord, you make known to me the path of life and fill me with joy in your presence. Keep my eyes always on you. Amen.
“But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.” (Matthew 13:23)
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