THE NEW EWE

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he loses one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost!'"

Luke 15:4-6

October 25, 2023

LIFE IN THE FOLD

Have you ever really wanted something that someone else had, so tried to figure out a way to get it? Throughout history there have been those, especially in leadership or the extremely wealthy, who have taken what they wanted, regardless who it hurt or whether or not it was theirs to take. If they wanted it, then they felt that it was their right to take it.

For the past several weeks I have been teaching on Joseph at Bible study at our church. After Jacob and his sons all arrive in Egypt to settle, due to the famine, there is something that Joseph does. Genesis 47:2 says, "Joseph took five of his brothers with him and presented them to Pharaoh."

I wondered what the significance was of taking only five; after all, he had eleven brothers. So I did some research. Some believe that the number five was significant in Egypt, which is why he chose that specific number of brothers to go with him.

But then I read something interesting. The original Hebrew word used in this text means, "the extremity, or end, or tail of them." Many scholars believe this means that Joseph took the meanest of them, relating to their persons and appearance. Had he presented the best or goodliest of the brothers, Pharaoh would have required them to either attend to him in the palace or fight in his army.

I'm not sure how accurate this is, but to me, it makes sense. Pharaoh had the power to order anyone to do whatever he wanted and serve in whichever position he deemed necessary. So in order to protect his brothers and allow them to continue doing the type of work that they were used to, Joseph may have presented those whom he knew Pharaoh would not have chosen to serve him.

Joseph had coached his brothers on what to say when they appeared before Pharaoh. When he asked the brothers what their occupation was, they were to reply, "We are shepherds, just like our ancestors. We have come here to live in Egypt for a while, for there is no pasture for our flocks in Canaan. The famine is so severe there. So please, we request permission to live in the region of Goshen."

A prior scripture says that the Egyptians despised shepherds. Living in Goshen, which is believed to have been on the northeastern border of Egypt was a good, fertile land for flocks and herds; yet, would have kept the Israelites from living in the same area as most of the Egyptians. It would have kept them safe, more isolated as a family/clan, and allowed them to continue doing what they had done for generations -- be shepherds.

Joseph loved his family and wanted them to have the best that Egypt had to offer them, without compromising them and forcing them to serve Pharaoh or live amongst the Egyptian people. So I believe he carefully chose those whom he took with him to present to Pharaoh, and knew exactly what needed to be said in order for that to happen.

Although Joseph's father and brothers and their families were safe during their lifetimes, there did come a time when the new Pharaoh no longer knew who Joseph was, therefore, had no respect for his memory or reputable as a wise leader in Egypt. The Israelites grew in number to be so numerous, that the Egyptians feared them. To try and conquer that fear, they forced the Israelites into slavery. They used slavery as a method to try and control the Hebrew people and get them to build or do whatever they wanted.

We see many examples throughout the Bible of people using or abusing others, in order to fulfill their lust or buy what they wanted.

In Amos 2:6 the Lord is speaking through Amos, regarding the people of Israel, and said, "They sell honorable people for silver and poor people for a pair of sandals." He reemphasized that point in chapter 8, verse 6: "You enslave poor people for one piece of silver or a pair of sandals."

The people of Israel had become so full of sin and evil that they did whatever they wanted to others, very uncaring, in order to get what they wanted. They would sell honorable people or enslave poor people for silver.... to get money and become more rich. They would sell or enslave the poor for a pair of sandals. A pair of shoes was more important to them than a human life.

We think, "I would never do something like that!" That's true, we wouldn't; or at least, I would hope not! But do we sometimes have disregard for the feelings or welfare of someone in order to get what we want? We want that promotion at work so try and push our way to the bosses attention, regardless of who we step on. We want that front row parking at the supermarket so cut someone off in order to get it, even though they may have a carful of little ones that they have to try and get in and out of the store. We see that last pair of shoes that are on sale and someone is walking towards them to pick them up, so we hurry and grab the box before they can get to it. There are many different little ways that we can place ourselves and our wants ahead of others. Sometimes we can become a little selfish.

I want to remind myself, as well as you, to love like Jesus and place others above ourself. That doesn't mean that we are to neglect ourself or see ourself as being insignificant. But we don't run over people or cause them hurt in our effort to get what we want. We live and walk in love, show kindness, lend a helping hand, speak words of encouragement, and have a heart of compassion.

JON'S PERSPECTIVE:

If you have a hard time considering other peoples' feelings, try to remember: God has a plan for you. But He also has a plan for them. God loves you. He also loves them.

And if that doesn't help, remember that you will probably meet them again in heaven. We will be there for all eternity, so even if we spend a year with each person we have ever met, we will still have eternity left. Awkward.

ON THE MENEWE:

Souped-Up Minestrone Soup

Brown ground beef and drain; or cook chicken breasts and shred.

Mix all ingredients together and simmer until well-heated.

Serve with Fritos and serve with shredded cheese over the top.

THIS, THAT AND THE OTHER:

I was babysitting my nephew's kids a while back. The two 5-year olds have rest time in the afternoons, when they are home. I had sent them to their room for rest time, during which they are allowed to watch their tablets or play; but they have to stay in their rooms and be quiet(ish). The little girl opened her door and told me that she had some things that I needed to do. First of all, I needed to wash the dishes. I had already emptied the dishwasher and put the dirty dishes in, so that was done. A little later she opened her door back up to see if I was finished and said, "Okay, now you need to wash all the windows." Uh no... but I played along and said okay. After a while she asked if I was done and said I needed to clean the walls. After 10-15 minutes I heard the door open back up and my next duty was to clean the floors, and I better do a good job! My last chore was to clean the stairs and upstairs hallway -- and she was watching me on a camera to make sure I was working. I'm guessing I was part of a pretend game she was playing! The only thing out of her list of chores that I actually did was the dishes!! The last time she opened her door to tell me to do something, her daddy had just walked in from work and was standing in the entryway and saw her. Needless to say, she hurried and closed her door when she saw him standing there!

THOUGHT TO PONDER:

Integrity is doing the right thing even when no one is watching. - C.S. Lewis

OUR HEARTFELT THANKS TO YOU:

We love you!

Loretta & Jon

http://www.graysheep.org