17 Mar 2018, Gen 46-47 创46-47章, The Last Trip of the Pilgrim 旅居者最后之旅

Posted on Feb 2, 2018 in Devotions, Genesis |

Scripture Reading        : Gen 46-47

Theme                            : The Last Trip of the Pilgrim

 

It would not be easy for Jacob, now 130 years old, to leave the land God gave him and go to Egypt. Moving to a new home is usually a difficult experience, and the older we are, the more difficult it is. Furthermore, Abraham got into trouble in Egypt (12:10ff.), and God had stopped Isaac from going there (26:2ff.).

But Jacob was able to go with confidence and peace because he was sure of God’s promise and presence (46:1–4). Furthermore, Jacob knew that God had gone before him and that Joseph was there making everything ready for him. The future is your friend when Jesus is your Lord and you follow Him.

Jacob was a blessing in Egypt. He blessed Pharaoh (47:7, 10), Joseph and Joseph’s sons (48:15, 20), and all twelve of the sons of Israel (49:1ff.). God blesses us that we might be a blessing. Circumstances change, but God never changes.

Egypt was a haven for Jacob and his family, and there God protected them and built of them a great people. But Jacob knew that Egypt was not his home, Canaan was; and he wanted to be buried there with the others who had made the same pilgrimage of faith. He was a testimony in life, and he wanted to be a testimony in death. Despite his mistakes and failures in life, Jacob ended well. 


 

Praying the Scripture

  1. Change is something most people, perhaps especially the elderly, fear and resist. Moreover, Egypt was a pagan land. Perhaps Jacob was fearful because his grandfather Abraham had gotten into serious trouble by going to Egypt (12:10ff). His father Isaac was also stopped by the Lord when he was going to Egypt (26:1–2). Egypt could be a dangerous place for God’s pilgrims. But the Lord came to Jacob at night and assured him that it was safe for him and his family to relocate. Why did God want Jacob’s family to live in Egypt? Because God plans to use the hands of Egyptians to mold them into a mighty nation (12:2). In a spiritual sense, we all are in “Egypt” now because we are living in this pagan world. Let’s humble ourselves and completely rely on God for every step we take here on earth.
  1. When Abraham was nearing death, his desire was to find a wife for Isaac and transfer to him the blessings of the covenant (chap. 24). When Isaac was on his dying bed, he wanted to eat his favorite meal and then bless his favorite son, who was not chosen by God. (chap. 27) For Jacob, his concern was to bless Joseph, whom he had made his firstborn (49:3–4; 1 Chron. 5:2), and then adopt Joseph’s two sons as his own to replace his second son, Simeon, and third son, Levi (Gen. 49:5–7). Levi and Simeon were punished for their sins at Shechem (Gen. 34). Lord, help us to finish to race well as Paul has said. (2Ti 4:7)
  1. There’s also a revelation of the Messiah, who had been promised to Jacob’s people. In these words of Jacob, you meet Shiloh (v. 10), Salvation (Yeshua, v. 18), the Mighty One, the Shepherd, and the Stone (v. 24), and the Almighty (v. 25), all of which point to our Savior, Jesus Christ. Dear Lord help us to see you in Scripture especially Old Testament.
 
[1] Warren W. Wiersbe, With the Word Bible Commentary (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1991), Ge 46:1.
 

 

经文：创46-47章

主题：旅居者最后之旅

 

130岁的雅各要离开神所赐给他的这块土地到埃及去，确实是件不容易的事。搬迁到一个新家通常是一件难事，而年纪越大越困难。此外，亚伯拉罕就是在埃及闯祸陷入困境（12:10）而神也曾经阻止以撒去埃及（26:2）。

但雅各能以信心和平静的心情前往埃及是因为他确信神的应许（46:1-4）。此外，雅各也知道神已经行在他面前，而约瑟也在埃及为他做好一切的准备。当耶稣是你的主而你又是跟着耶稣时，未来就成为你的朋友了。

雅各在埃及成为每个人的祝福。他祝福法老（47:7，10）、约瑟和他的兄弟（49:1 ff），还有约瑟的儿子（48:15，20）。神祝福我们也使我们能成为别人的祝福。生活可以不断改变，但神永远不会改变。

埃及对雅各和他的家人来说是一个暂时的避风港，在那里有神的保护并复兴伟大的人民。但雅各知道，埃及不是他的家。他想与其他有着同样信心的旅居者同葬。他活着时有见证，现在也想在死后也成为一个见证。尽管他过往在生命中有许多错误和失败，但雅各的生命以美好的句号结束了。


用经文祷告

  1. 改变是大多数人所恐惧和抗拒的，特别是年老人。更何况埃及是一个异教徒的地方。雅各或许感到害怕，因为他的祖父亚伯拉罕在埃及惹上大麻烦（12:10 ff）。神也阻止他的父亲以撒到埃及去（26:1-2）。埃及对神的旅居者来说或许是个危险的地方。但夜间主在异象中对雅各说他可以放心的把家人迁往埃及。为什么神要雅各的家人住在埃及呢？因为神计划通过埃及人的手把他们塑造成一个强大的国家（12:2）。在属灵意义上，我们现在就居住在“埃及”里，因为我们生活在这个异教的世界。让我们谦卑，在这世上所行的每一步都完全依靠神。
  1. 当亚伯拉罕快要去世时，他的愿望是为以撒找到一位妻子并把立约的祝福赐给以撒（第24章）。当以撒垂死在床上时，他想着的是自己最爱吃的食物、并想要祝福没有被神拣选，但是自己最喜爱的儿子。 （第27章）而雅各所关注的是祝福他所立的长子约瑟（49:3-4；代上5:2），然后领养约瑟的儿子以取代自己的两个儿子西缅和利未（创49:5-7）。利未和西缅在示剑（创34）因自己的罪孽受惩罚。主啊，帮助我们像雅各和保罗一样完成人生美好的结局。 （提后4:7）