God’s story in god’s people

From age forty to eighty, Moses lived in Midian and tended his father-in-law’s sheep.[1] We can assume that questions about his purpose occupied his mind during those years away from his homeland. The passionate deliverer was now an octogenarian shepherd, caring for someone else’s flock. Surely God had forgotten him! There is an important lesson here: Regardless of your age, God is not finished with you. 

When God chooses us, he also prepares us… in his way and in his timing. God chose Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. However, it took eighty years of preparation before God knew Moses was ready for the task and that the timing was right.

In our study of Genesis, we learned that God is El Shaddai—the all-sufficient, all-powerful, sovereign God. He accomplishes his work in his own time. We have observed this in Scripture and know it to be true in our lives today. 

When Joseph’s extended family moved to Egypt, the clan numbered seventy-four, including Joseph and his family. Pharaoh offered the best land for Jacob and his family to settle in, recognizing Joseph’s notable standing and the invaluable leadership he demonstrated in preparing the country to survive the severe famine. Jacob chose the land of Goshen in northern Egypt. Today, Goshen is about a hundred miles north of Cairo and is bordered on the east by the Suez Canal.

Pharaoh named Joseph his second-in-command, tasked with preparing Egypt for the coming famine. Joseph proved to be an able leader, doing his job well. When the famine hit, “all the earth came to Egypt to Joseph to buy grain” (Gen. 41:57). When the famine affected Jacob and his family, he sent ten of his sons to Egypt to secure food. Jacob did not send the youngest brother, Benjamin.

In our Living Grounded discipleship curriculum, we begin with a study of Joseph’s life. God’s story in Joseph drives home the point that God never wastes our time.

Jacob should have known better. He grew up experiencing the repercussions of his parents’ overt favoritism, yet it seems he couldn’t help himself.

There are many so-called “Christian leaders” who teach that life with Jesus is all smooth sailing. Follow Jesus, and you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. Any challenge is treated as a demonic attack and should be “rebuked in the name of Jesus.”  

This is not what we learn when we study the lives of God’s people. Let’s wrap up our look at Jacob’s life with a few observations.

Jacob’s life was filled with tension. Do you ever feel that way? As if every direction you turn brings another daunting challenge?