Garry continued his series on Joseph this morning, speaking from Gen 46:1-7. This tells us of Jacob’s journey from Israel to Egpyt, leaving the land of promise. Rationally speaking, this journey made sense since there was famine in Israel and food in Egypt, but Jacob still needed to hear what God was saying. This applies to us too: we need to know what God is saying to us and need to pass on our faith to the next generation (see Deut 4:9).
Just as we have to train our children towards independence, so God does not make every decision for us. We have to grow up spiritually (see 1 Pet 2:1-2, 1 Cor 14:20), making decisions in partnership with God. We live and work in two realms, the material world and the spiritual world and need wisdom in both realms. God may well speak to us personally (as we pray and read the Word) or in corporate times, through spiritual gifts and through other Christians. We must beware the small decisions as well as the big (see Joshua 9:3-15, when Joshua ended up in trouble because he did not consult the Lord about the Gibeonites.)The best way is to seek God over our decisions (see 1 Kings 22:1-7); the early apostles demonstrated wisdom when they said, ‘it seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements…’ (Acts 15:28)
Jacob showed maturity by using information from both the material and spiritual realms, drawing near to God through sacrifices, through which God spoke to him. We always need to seek God and heed what He says, for if we go against God, we will end up in trouble. Jacob still hesitated, because to leave the Promised Land must have felt like leaving God’s promises behind. He wanted confirmation from God that this way was the right path for him, and God graciously gave him that confirmation. We need to grow and develop in God, depending on Him and doing whatever He says. If we follow God and do things His way, then we will enjoy fruitful fulfilment in our lives. When we seek Him, we will find Him if we seek with all our hearts; God will give us the encouragement and confirmation to follow the right path to Him.
