Genesis 46:26 – 34

²⁶ All the souls coming from Jacob who came into Egypt, who came from his own body, not counting Jacob’s sons’ wives, were sixty-six persons in all.

²⁷ And the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt, were two. All the souls of the house of Jacob who came into Egypt were seventy.

²⁸ He had sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen, and they came into the land of Goshen.

²⁹ Then Joseph prepared his chariot and went up to meet Israel his father in Goshen. He presented himself to him and fell on his neck and wept on his neck again.

³⁰ Israel said to Joseph, “Now let me die, since I have seen your face and know that you are still alive.”

³¹ Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s family, “I will go up and tell Pharaoh and will say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Canaan, have come to me.

³² And the men are shepherds, for they have been keepers of livestock, and they have brought their flocks and their herds and all that their possessions.’

³³ When Pharaoh calls you and says, ‘What is your occupation?’

³⁴ you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ in order that you may live in the land of Goshen, because every shepherd is an repugnance to the Egyptians.”

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demonstrating his faithfulness

Joseph’s integrity was such that – in spite of the fact that Egyptians despised shepherds – Pharaoh gave Jacob and his family the best of the land. Also, Pharaoh ordered that Joseph appoint someone in his family to oversee his own livestock. All of this favor was the result of God’s grace and Joseph’s demonstration of personal integrity. In the church today we need to be humbled by a constant awareness of how unworthy we are of the blessings we receive. At the same time, we need to strive to live worthy of the name we profess. Joseph did that.

LORD, we surrender to your grace and seek to demonstrate your faithfulness.