“Then Joseph went in and told Pharaoh, and said, “My father and my brothers and their flocks and their herds and all that they have, have come out of the land of Canaan; and behold, they are in the land of Goshen.” And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” So they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, both we and our fathers.” They also said to Pharaoh, “We have come to reside in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now, therefore, please let your servants live in the land of Goshen.” Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is at your disposal; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land, let them live in the land of Goshen; and if you know any capable men among them, then put them in charge of my livestock.” Then Joseph brought his father Jacob and [d]presented him to Pharaoh; and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. And Pharaoh said to Jacob, “How many years have you lived?” So Jacob said to Pharaoh, “The years of my living abroad are 130; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their living abroad.” So Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from his presence. Now Joseph settled his father and his brothers and gave them property in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had ordered.” (Genesis 47:1-11 NASB)
After reading the passage above, meditate on it throughout the day. After doing so, your will arrive at some notable conclusions. I first concluded that sometimes our blessings come from unexpected sources, such as Joseph’s family was blessed by both the Joseph himself, who could have sought payback towards his siblings, band Pharoah who could have said know out of pride, or the protection of his people, or a preconceived conclusion that their problem was just that, their problem, and they needed to figure it out. But Pharoah blessed them by permitting giving them property in the best land of Egypt. And don’t overlook that Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
As mentioned, my first conclusion was that sometimes are blessings come from unexpected sources. But as I continued to meditate on the passage, I flipped the script as they say, and I put the shoe on the other foot. That’s when I came to my second conclusion that surfaced to teach me, and you, some significant lessons: Sometimes we have to be the unexpected source of blessings for others. We have to look to bless and not always be on the receiving end of the blessing. We have to look beyond our plight and provide blessings to people who seemingly may even be better off than we are. I hope you see the profitability of the scriptures above and the applicability of them to you and me in our lives. Be blessed!”
“The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped. Curses on those who drive a hard bargain! Blessings on all who play fair and square!” (Proverbs 11:25-26 MSG)
Still committed to the climb,
Mark L. King