Take this is fair warning that the wrangling with Biblical truth is not over!
>>I Mr. BBBB am teaching next week and in listening to the account of Joseph and his being sold and all that. I just got to thinking did Jacob "Israel" really need to go to Eygpt to save him and his family or did this demonstrate a lack of faith that God would take care of him in the land that God had promised him. JUst something I am thinking about.<<
So, jump in, weigh in and tune in!
Duly warned,
Pastor Mike
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
8 comments:
I vote "NO"...Jacob (aka Israel) was was not showing a lack of faith in sending "the boys " to Eqypt for food. Rather he was showing initiative.
Ge 42:1 When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?”
I think that verse is great!
I believe that at times God waits for us to take action so that we demonstrate how important our need or needs are. We are not to just sit around waiting for everything to just fall into our laps.....sometimes it shows faith when we step out and do something.
p.s. Wasn't it through God's intervention that Joseph was given the "inside scoop" on the coming famine and therefore was able to plan ahead thus Egypt had the surplus????:-)
Bethany
Bethany,
So God helps those who helps themselves?
So we ought to have the I'll go until God stops me mentality? Rather than the I'll go when God opens the door?
Joe is in the will of God. But we only know this in hindsight (we have to go to the end of the story to hear him "put it all together")
I believe that Jacob is as Bethany puts it, being opportunistic: I need food, there is none here, there is some there, I'll send the boys out for Chinese... er um... Egyptian food. And God uses that choice to bring about a restoration of the family.
God has in the past supplied food via some crazy means during famines. (ravens feeding prophets by the brook, a widow's cruse of oil not running out, etc)
Just weighing in,
PM
You crack me up PM! And I agree with you completely, Bethany.
According to James 2:17-23, that, faith without works is dead. You can't have one without the other. Jacob saw that his family had a need, and saw to it that it was taken care of. You can have all the 'faith' you want in believing that God will save you, but if you dont act upon that faith, then it does you no good.
This discussion reminds me of the story of the person trapped in a hurricane flood, and he asked God to save him. The water kept rising and he climbed onto a roof. Then a boat came by and said, "Do you want to climb aboard?" He said "No, God will save me."
Then another boat came by and said "Wanna climb aboard?" He said, "No, God will save me." Then the water rose so high that he drowned. When he got to Heaven he asked God, "Why didn't you save me?" He said, "I sent you two boats you big dummy!".......
Maybe not an exact analogy, but you get my point.
Hope to see you all on Wednesday.
Emily
Mr. BBBBB saya that we have a history here of Jacob,"Isarel". having had face to face conversations with God or at least with a representative or onewho was very close to God. Comes to this time and we don't have any record of Jacob ever asking God for any direction. My thought is why not when weknow that Jacob at other times of his life has done just that thing and I don't think that he is suffering from dymentia but maybe from selective forgetfullnes and I will tell you why I think this later on.
Mr. BBBBBBBBB
Mr. B,
Jake had alzheimer's? I don't know about that, but he definitely isn't RECORDED as praying for God's will over the grocery run. Why didn't you comment about the fact that in his dispatch of the 10hooligans his concern for Benji is that something will befall him (Jake is probably thinking that the brothers will befall ON him -- sell him on ebay for a hamburger or something -- etc.)
Jake is very hesitant to send Benji off even when the man asks for him as evidence of the true story. I think that Jake is trying to control the way that the story is played out -- he is attempting to provide for his family on his own terms. He is still dealing with favorite wife issues. Lots of baggage, lots of blindness, lots of troubles.
PM
i might me a lil late for this, but...isnt his one wife dead? but anyway, "Jake" might be remembering that last time he sent out his youngest with the older bros...he kinda didnt come back. kinda like you said.
rvthw
----Andrew
ANdroo--
I'm sorry. What point were you making about a wife and death?
Is this it?
35:18-20 Rachel (Jake's favorite wife) dies in bearing Benji and is buried
35:24 Benji is the last remaining boy birthed by Rachel (or so Jake thinks at this point)
He is not about to lose the last connection to the wife that he loved so dearly.
I am going to have to decipher you in the next post! :)
PM
Bethany,
Just read a very familiar, but very pointed passage that I think should be piled into this pot of steaming discussion: Matthew 6:25-34. I think that it would explain how to go to Egypt without sinning and how to go to Egypt sinning. One way is pagan, one way is holy. Do we have enough data to make a dogmatic conclusion?
PM
Post a Comment