Sonshine's Journal

The last plague finally made Pharaoh change his mind, yet as he called Moses to himself to release the Israelites, he had one request. It is the one we most often hear from unbelievers when they realize they are without hope: “bless me also” or in our case it is “pray for me.” Rather than relinquishing their will, they know our prayers are effectual and so they request prayer or blessing. It is sad to read that no matter what God has sent their way, Pharaoh and our unbelieving friends or relatives request prayer. They will not bend the knee to God yet they desire prayer from us. They recognize our belief in Jesus but still reject His salvation. Does that seem odd to you? 

So if you are in a situation such as this how do you pray? It is my hope that you continue to pray for their hearts to be softened and they accept Christ. Yet, down through the centuries, the episode here is repeated over and over. Do they think our prayers of blessing will take them from earth to heaven? Only one thing answers that question: submit to God and seek His salvation. So today as you listen and pray, ask God to heal their hearts so they can believe. Keep praying beloved friend. Keep loving. Keep the channel open for their hearts to be changed. 

Men want God to be their genie and work at their demands but our God works on His timetable,not ours. When God seeks to test the heart, He often uses trials to reveal the true heart of man. Pharaoh is a perfect example and men today follow his example in many ways. Just like King Agrippa when Paul spoke to him about his sin, he answered, “you almost make me a Christian.” Moses asked Pharaoh when the plague should be removed and he replied: tomorrow. Delay is a compromise that God does not honor. 

If God is calling you to salvation, do not delay for you do not know if there will be a tomorrow. Today is the day of salvation, not tomorrow or the next day or the next day. 

Moses is being tested by God just as we are.James tells us that we are to see trials as opportunities to rejoice, but here Moses is not only not rejoicing but he is complaining. Then we see Pharaoh as the unbelieving man  whose heart is hardened more and more. Paul told the Corinthians that the evil one hardens their heart so they cannot see the beautiful Savior, so do not be surprised when they say as he: Who is the Lord that I should obey Him? This should encourage us to speak more and more, pray more and more because we have Pharaoh’s in our lives. As you pray, remind yourself that they cannot see the beautiful Savior because they are blind. 

Is your heart hard for those who are unbelieving or are you just excusing your not speaking for Jesus? Moses was being stubborn when God told him to do thus and so when God had prepared him for this task. He knew that Pharaoh was increasingly stubborn but it was because he was blind to the Master. 

Pray that God remove the stubbornness out of the unbelieving. Pray for yourself that you are not stubborn in speaking for Him. 

If we were to look at a newspaper front page that told about this chapter, it might read: 

• “New Pharaoh, New Fear: Israelites Multiply, Egypt Enslaves!”

Thus begins the story of the nation of Israel from few to many and with it comes the fear of their multiplication from the new Pharaoh. Men fear many things, but one is certain, without God as the center of your world, what you see is multiplied in your eyes as fear. The new Pharaoh’s fear was his guiding factor. Kill the baby boys was his answer. 

Yet, what God has planned is not directed by humanity. What God says, He will do. Into this we find one newborn that will lead the nation back to God and to a land that God had set aside for them, but first this child must grow and the Israelites must learn to trust.   Thus we begin the journey of the Israelites through the life of Moses who was spared the death knell. Watch, read and see the hand of God as He orchestrates life and the movement of His people from Egypt to Canaan. 

Where has God directed you from eternity past to where you are today? 

One thing is known about this world and especially America. We are a moving nation. We rarely remain where we were born.There are exceptions of course, like my mother-in-law whose refrain was “I was born in NY and I am going to die in NY,” and she did just that. But, there is one point that we do not want to miss in these chapters: Jacob prepared his family before God as they readied to go to Egypt. He stopped in Beersheba to offer sacrifices and there God promised him that he and his family would return to Canaan. 

When you are readying your family to journey, do you stop and pray over it and over your family as Jacob did? Jacob had learned one thing: put God first and He will direct your steps. Pro 16:9 A person plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps, is as true now as it was in the life of Jacob. 

We often think of a famine as a climate change issue but in these chapters, God uses a famine to fulfill His impending plan. Joseph’s brothers are reaping what they sowed. They sowed hatred, but God took that hatred to reveal not only their hearts but also His plan of redemption for Jacob and his other sons. The drama unfolds in order to show us sometimes our wrong decisions often lead us back to God so He may be magnified and we are brought back to Him. In all of this, we see a character quality in the man Joseph that God blesses. Joseph is not only obedient in all circumstances, but he is also giving God honor in a time of uncertainty and He uses three dreams to point to Himself as Creator and Sustainer. 

When have you been placed in a place of stress and uncertainty about today and tomorrow and beyond? This was Joseph’s lot and we see how he faced this as a lesson for us. Remain obedient, give honor to God and He will bring His plan to fruition all so we can reap the blessings God has for us. 

We often read this chapter with the focus on the dreams that Joseph with our wonderment at their meaning.  In hindsight, God was preparing the brothers for their future but they are blinded by hatred so they cannot see. One thought turned to multiple thoughts of how they can rid themselves of Joseph, but God had a bigger plan than they could see. 

There is a principle here that we need to take time to explore. Hatred doesn’t just happen,it is birthed in our hearts which Jeremiah reminds us is deceitful and desperately wicked. It is here front and center. The sons of Jacob hated Joseph and so devised a plan to rid themselves of him, including murder. Only one brother did not agree but that is beside the point. Hatred is a sin that lies in the heart of man but God’s purposes will prevail. Joseph will endure many years of toil and trouble but in the end, he will succeed beyond the brother’s wildest imaginations. 

Do you hate others because of their success? Do you ponder murder as a point of revenge? Take a lesson from these chapters that hatred is a sin issue and it starts in the heart. Cleanse your heart so God can bless you. 

It seems that Jacob never learns and so once again we see the work of the evil one through deceit. Jacob fears for his life but not of the life of his only daughter and the work of deceit has carried over into his sons, Simeon and Levi. The tragedy of these two chapters is almost beyond my ability to comprehend. Diana is raped and her two brothers take the offending man and kill him…all because Jacob did not take care of the initial problem. In the heat of the moment these two brothers claim it was their right to kill, but none of this would have happened if Jacob had been the father who cares and protects.

There is a lesson here for us today: fathers not just care for your children but also protect them, especially daughters. Because of Jacob’s ongoing problem with deceit, his own sons followed in his footsteps. As he has done in the past, so he continues on. One sin led to the next and so on.

 Choose today to be the father that leads with integrity and honesty. Be an example of Christ to them. 

One trait we have seen in the life of Jacob is fear. In fact, he is the epitome of this verse from Proverbs: “the fear of man is a snare.” [Prov 29:25] What does that fear look and behave like? Jacob deceived his father Isaac and again when Laban tricked him. Yet, Laban’s trickery was greater than Jacob’s Jacob asked for his wages only to be given a test that Laban hoped he would fail, but God had a greater plan. In his fear, he left with his family to return to Canaan.

Jacob even announced that truth to Laban; “I left secretly because I was afraid!” Twenty years have passed. We have seen the fruit of Jacob’s deceit with Isaac but God placed Laban in his presence to show him that deceit never is blessed by God, yet Jacob has not learned that principle so far. He again sought to deceive others and paid the price as his own children adopted that same way of life. 

So it is with us more often than not. Deceit is like a revolving door. Once it is opened, it continues to turn again and again. Beloved, we must terminate that behavior and speak truth not lies. 

One of the tools our arch enemy uses is deception and he does it when we willingly offer ourselves as part of his plan. Jacob had deceived Esau into giving him the birthright. Now years later, Jacob followed his mother’s advice to deceive his father Isaac. 

What is deception and how can we avoid doing this to those we love most?

Simple meaning, deception is intentionally making someone believe something that isn’t true, like lying, tricking, or misleading them with false information or by hiding the truth, often for personal gain. It’s the act of causing someone to accept a falsehood as valid.

Although Jacob originally rejected his mother’s advice, he eventually followed her words. Jacob fooled Isaac but the end result was separation. Rebekah encouraged Jacob and will be forever held accountable, yet it was Jacob who did not stand strong when he knew this was wrong. How about us when others seek to convince us a plan is ok? Will we stand strong in the face of deception or will we cave? In the end, Isaac realized he would always lose when he tried to resist God’s will, even when he didn’t like the Lord’s will and we do the same when we refuse to follow God’s prescribed plan.