“Hurry and go up to my father, and say to him, ‘Thus says your son Joseph: “God has made me lord of all Egypt; come down to me, do not tarry. 10 You shall dwell in the land of Goshen, and you shall be near to me, you and your children, your children’s children, your flocks and your herds, and all that you have. 11 There I will provide for you, lest you and your household, and all that you have, come to poverty; for there are still five years of famine.”’
How our Heavenly Father cares for us! He goes ahead, into our future and prepares the way for us to preserve, protect and provide. That's what God did for Jacob and his family. He sent Joseph on ahead in order to preserve them in the midst of the severe famine that was coming.
In the passage just prior to the one above, Joseph has at last revealed himself to his brothers and been tearfully, joyfully reunited with them. He had a plan to take care of their every need. They would lack for nothing.
(Joseph's life story is another whole topic all its own. For more on that topic, please follow this link: https://emmausroadministries.wordpress.com/2016/09/22/zaphnath-paaneah-zaf-nat-pa-an-nay-ya/)
Secrets In The Hebrew Language.
There are clues and nuggets of truth hidden in the meanings of Hebrew names, places and people throughout the Bible. This story is no exception.
"Goshen," in Hebrew means "drawing near." When Joseph told his brothers to draw near to him and then told them they would dwell in the land of Goshen, what they heard in Hebrew was, "You shall dwell in 'drawing near (Go-shen) and draw near to me. It's a play on words!
That is so like our Heavenly Father, isn't it? Just as you and I dearly love our children and want to be near them, so, too, Our Abba desires above all else to be near to His children......US!
God didn't save us so that we would serve Him, although we do. He didn't save us because He needed worshipers to worship Him, although we love to do that, too. He has legions of angels to serve and worship Him.
God saved us, first and foremost, so that we could be with Him and have full and free fellowship with Him forever! We are the object of His love, the "pearls of great price" and the apple of His eye whom He redeemed at an incalculable cost: The life of His darling Son.
1 Thessalonians 4:15-18 15 "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord will by no means precede those who are asleep. 16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. 17 Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. AND THUS WE SHALL ALWAYS BE WITH THE LORD. 18 Therefore comfort one another with these words."
Because of Jesus, we can draw near to Our Father and dwell forever in the land of "Goshen."
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