Bible Studies

SHARING EXCERPTS OF MY NOTES AS I READ THROUGH THE BIBLE IN 90 DAYS

by Chi Onwuchekwa
01/28/21
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Sharing an excerpt of my notes on today’s reading as posted on the FB group RUNNERS: BIBLE IN 90 DAYS as a means of inviting you to please join us in our quest to read (or listen on Audio Bible) through the Bible in 90 days. It’s amazing what great insights and prayers are shared daily on the group platforms! My notes:

 DAY 4 READING (2): GENESIS 44:1 – GENESIS 47:31

Gen. 44:1-34: Joseph continues the process of reuniting with his brothers. They have met: he knows who they are but they are yet to realise that the man who sold them food in Egypt is their brother Joseph. One of the greatest joy in life is when God finally lifts us up after that we have humbly endured the difficult seasons to destiny fulfilment; for what God does for us at the end is usually so glorious that it leaves our adversaries and those who wish us evil reeling with shame!

But this is only possible when we let God have his way; when we don’t short circuit the process or attempt to ‘work’ it out perhaps with a number of comprises on the way. When we tamper with God’s process, we usually end up not as sensitive, not as spiritually or morally mature, not as wise and not as pure as we ought to be. God’s processes are often designed to lead us to more than just material wealth and except we handle all challenges in the will of God, we might get the ‘money’ but not the purity or strength that ought to be the ways of a man who has been weaned of the things of this world. May we let God have His way in our lives!

Gen. 44:1-13: It is obvious that Joseph who was sensitive not to ‘sin’ against God on his journey to the throne suddenly, is torn on how to truly re-unite with his family. In his bid to keep Benjamin with him in Egypt, he puts a scheme in place to wrongly accuse Benjamin of stealing.

Does the end justify the means? Is it alright if we do the wrong things to achieve a good purpose? Like shared earlier, it is always better to ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to find a way to do what needs to be done in the will of God.

Gen. 45:1-28: Judah’s passionate plea for Benjamin thaws Joseph’s heart and he finally reveals to his brothers that he was the brother they sold into Egypt. And then he begins to make a series of statements, a reflection of his personal perception of the events that led him to the throne:

a. ‘Now therefore be not grieved, nor angry with yourselves, that ye sold me…’ (v. 5) – in order words don’t blame yourselves for the roles you played in my journey of destiny. Easier to say because he had come to destiny fulfilment, but we also must walk with this understanding while yet on our way lest we be angry and bitter with those who hurt us on our way but whose acts ultimately pushes us to do what we need must do and be where we need must be for our destinies to be fulfilled.

b. ‘For God did send me before you to preserve life…’ (v.5) – in order words there was always a bigger reason and a greater purpose, a divine agenda behind all that happened. Surely we also must know by now that God does nothing without a reason and a righteous one at that. Knowing this, daily we must pray ‘In the midst of all I am passing through Father, please let Your will be done, let Your purposes be accomplished and let Your name alone be glorified.’

‘c. And God sent me before you to preserve you a posterity in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance’ (7) – in order words God allowed me to pass through all that I did so that you and your generations might be blessed. We must realize that God’s purposes go beyond blessing us to making us a blessing and thus when destiny is fulfilled, we must stay generous even to those who hurt us on our way to destiny.

d. ‘So now it was not you that sent me hither, but God:’ verse 8 - in order words God was the sole decider of all that I went through in the journey of destiny. It might look like you were making the decisions but God permitted it so that His greater good and purposes might be fulfilled. Stop blaming anyone for the events leading to your fulfilment of destiny. No matter what happens, say to the Lord, ‘Father I thank you for You are my Good Shepherd and daily you are guiding me to the fulfilment of Your purpose for my life. I thank You that all things, all things will surely work together for my good, even the things that the enemy intends for evil.’  

Otherwise, you may be deceived into believing that Satan is so powerful that he can be lawless around God so much that he tampers with God’s property (you) as and when he wants. Wrong! Wrong! Wrong! You are God’s property, purchased with the most valuable price ever paid in the history of mankind – the precious blood of Jesus!

Great joy returns to Jacob – his spirit is revived and even Pharaoh puts the good of all of Egypt at their disposal. What a mighty God we serve!

Gen. 46:1: On his way to Egypt, Jacob makes a detour to Beersheba to offer sacrifices to God. And God responds with a divine visitation. Giving God a permanent place of honor in our hearts is essential for the Christian pilgrim! It defines all that we do in our walk with Him. Good news came, food is now in abundance, the pressure on finding provision in the midst of famine is gone – it is so easy to go straight up to eat, laugh, be full and just enjoy the provision. But not for Jacob! Having God as the uppermost in his heart, he seeks Him first to say ‘thank you’ and to mention the journey he is about to go on to Him.

It’s easy to maintain intimacy with God in the wilderness, in the times of deep sorrow when we can barely breathe without Him. We must give attention to sustaining that intimacy post-breakthrough and not fall into the snare of treating God casually now that all is seemingly well with us. Shouldn’t our victory give us a greater capacity to spend more time with Him and spend more in matters pertaining to Him – Kingdom building?

Gen. 46: 28-34: Finally, Jacob re-unites with Joseph!

I wept all through as I read chapters 45 and 46! What an awesome God we serve!

Gen. 47:1-5: With the favor and support of Pharaoh, Joseph begins the process of re-settling his father and the entire family in Goshen, Egypt.

Gen. 47:7: Jacob meets Pharaoh and as is the way of those who carry the grace of God the first thing Jacob does is to bless Pharaoh. 

Gen. 47:8-10: Responding to Pharaoh’s question on how old he was, Jacob defines his years on earth as ‘the days of the years of my pilgrimage…’ Now, that is a man with eternity in his view! He knows that he is but a pilgrim on earth and that this world is not his eternal home. A view that I have found is essential if we must handle this world in a manner that secures our place in eternity with God!

And then he blesses Pharaoh again! He blessed him at the beginning of their meeting; he blessed him when their meeting is ended! Hebrews 7:7 states that without doubt, the lesser is blessed by the greater. Jacob is greater than Pharaoh! Why? because of the covenant and the God of the covenant. As Christian believers, we must not cower before the financially wealthy – we are the greater because of Jesus!

Gen. 47:15: ‘And when money failed in the land of Egypt…’ all of Egypt relied on him upon whom is the wisdom and the hand of God to sustain them. Those days might yet show up again. Would the world be able to depend on us? Will we shine as the light that decimates darkness and the salt that preserves?

Gen. 47:19(c): ‘… give us seed, that we may live, and not die, that the land be not desolate.’ – 2 Corinthians 9:10 teaches that everything that comes to us is either a seed to be sown or bread to be eaten. It would be tragic if a man were to sow his ‘bread’ and eat his ‘seed’. The Egyptians, crippled by famine cry for seed as a solution to living and avoiding desolation.

So often, we ask God for ‘bread’ in our famine but it is seed that will ensure we live beyond the few days of strength that bread can give. Seed will germinate and bring in a bumper harvest, seed will multiply as it always returns in a quantity larger than that which is sown – Matthew 13:8.

Are you experiencing famine? Ask for bread to keep your strength but more importantly ask for seed to sow; and remember to sow the seed!

Gen.47:23-25: ‘And it shall come to pass in the increase, that ye shall give the fifth part unto Pharaoh, and four parts shall be your own… and Joseph made it a law over the land of Egypt...’

The Egyptians tithe 20% to Pharaoh. Why are we arguing and greatly stay unfaithful even with the 10% of our increase to God? Why? Even if it wasn’t in the scriptures, should our love and honor towards God not compel us to release an honorable percentage of God’s blessings back to him as our gratitude? Why are we struggling to release 10% to someone who has not struggled with giving us the 100%?

Gen. 47:27:31: Jacob prepares himself for the imminent end to the days of his pilgrimage. All men should, especially on the matter of which side of eternity we end up in.