When the sons of Jacob returned home from Egypt they found a bonus in their sacks of grain. The money they had spent had been returned. Genesis 42 reveals this was part of the manipulations of their brother Joseph – now a powerful Egyptian official – to motivate them to return to Egypt. But they didn’t understand this, and they could have easily just put the cash back in their pockets. Continue reading
Joseph
Families Count
We crave family this time of year. Many drive long distances to be with them. Turkey dinners are carefully laid out for relatives. Even broken families wish for better times and may attempt reconciliation. Loneliness can be profound when one has little family left. Some people have so much family to visit, they become exhausted.
Scripture applauds good families. In Joseph and Mary’s family we see a glimpse of togetherness during a special time. Luke 2:41-52 tells us how their extended family traveled together to Jerusalem for Passover. This would have been a happy time for each of them. When the 12-year old Jesus went missing, they assumed he was somewhere nearby with relatives. We can safely let down our guard around family. Continue reading