#DailyDevotion The Church Is For Blessing The People Of The Earth
Lent day 27 Friday
Read Gen 47:1–31
Gen 47:3-7 Pharaoh said to his brothers, “What is your occupation?” And they said to Pharaoh, “Your servants are shepherds, as our fathers were.” (4) They said to Pharaoh, “We have come to sojourn in the land, for there is no pasture for your servants’ flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. And now, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.” (5) Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Your father and your brothers have come to you. (6) The land of Egypt is before you. Settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land. Let them settle in the land of Goshen, and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my livestock.” (7) Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father and stood him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.
The Lord had blessed Jacob in his family through the disaster of the relationships between his sons. He had taken the murderous and hateful thoughts of Joseph’s brothers and turned into life for them and their families. The Lord had bless Joseph that he would find favor in Pharaoh’s eyes and become head of Egypt and to provide a plan for saving both Israel and Egypt. Now we see the culmination of that blessing. Pharaoh would give to Joseph and his family the good fertile land of Goshen. It was in the Nile delta which received the rich silt of the Nile and fertilized the land. There was good pasture there.
We then should not be surprised at what Jacob does. Jacob blesses Pharaoh. That is a function of the Church on earth. The Church is to be a blessing to the kings of the earth it lives under even if and maybe particularly when the kings of the earth persecute it.
Peter reminds us we are to blessing people, 1Pe 3:9 “Do not repay evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary, bless, for to this you were called, that you may obtain a blessing.” And James in chapter 3 also reminds us of this vocation. Of course Jesus tells us this, Luk 6:28 “bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.” And so does St. Paul, Rom 12:14 “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them.”
Specifically St. Paul reminds us to pray for those in authority, 1Ti 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, (2) for kings and all who are in high positions, that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. (3) This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, (4) who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” St. Paul gives two good reasons for this. One is for the Church that it might live in peace and two that they might come to a saving knowledge of the truth.
Lord, God heavenly Father, you have ordained powers and authorities in the world. We pray you would bless them with wisdom so they may lead their people with justice, mercy, truth and equity. We pray for their conversion to faith in Christ Jesus that they too may understand, believe and confess Jesus as their Lord now freely rather than when He returns and are forced to their condemnation. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.