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Friday October 17 - God’s counterintuitive kingdom Now the Israelites settled in Egypt... They acquired property there and
were fruitful and increased greatly in number. Genesis 47:27
When our children were growing up, one of the things we loved doing before they went to sleep was to speak the Aaronic blessing over them – the blessing that God instructed Moses’ brother Aaron to speak over the Israelites (Numbers 6:22-27). The words are beautiful sentiments in themselves, but they also carry the intentions of God for those who belong to him. Blessings are a common theme throughout the Bible and those who spoke them generally understood the power of their words.
In the case of Jacob and his family, whilst we read earlier in Genesis 47 that the Egyptians had to surrender almost everything they owned to Pharaoh in order to receive life-saving provision, today’s verse tells us a completely different outcome for the Israelites. We are told that they acquired property and enjoyed increase in Egypt. This sounds counterintuitive, but that’s the power of God’s blessing.
When we come into relationship with God, through Jesus, we gain access to the supernatural realm of God’s kingdom, which isn’t limited by the physical restraints of the world. The reason God wants to bless those who belong to him is because he is a father who wants good things for his children. I’m convinced that if the Egyptians had forsaken their false gods to worship the one true God, they would have enjoyed the same blessings as the Israelites.
Heavenly Father, thank you that, as I give you the lordship over my life, you delight to bless me. Amen.
Saturday October 18 - The land of promise
“...but when I rest with my fathers, carry me out of Egypt and bury me where they are buried.” Genesis 47:30
When I was just eight months old, we moved from my birthplace of East Ham, London to Essex. I often say that it was a difficult time for me, having to leave all my friends! Joking aside, whilst where I’ve lived has been important to me it doesn’t carry the weight of significance that it did for Jacob, as we read in the above Bible passage. Many of us have a strong sense of allegiance to the town we grew up in or the nation in which we were born, but there is something of a different order when it comes to the Jewish people. No other nation can claim to have been gifted their land by God.
Jacob understood that the land God had covenanted to his grandfather, Abraham, was more than a physical location – it was a spiritual one, a place where God’s promised purposes for all humanity would be outworked. What eventually became known as the Land of Israel was a vital part in God’s plan to bring salvation to everyone, not just the Jews. It would be in Israel that the Saviour of the world was born, so without the land or the people we would all be without hope! In a world where so many are set against the Jewish people let’s remind ourselves of our indebtedness to them and be part of changing the narrative.
Heavenly Father, thank you for the Jewish people, through whom you brought salvation to all. Amen.
PRAYER FOR TODAY
PRAYER FOR TODAY
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