Genesis 45:16-20
And the fame thereof was heard in Pharaoh’s house, saying, Joseph’s brethren are come: and it pleased Pharaoh well, and his servants. And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, Say unto thy brethren, This do ye; lade your beasts, and go, get you unto the land of Canaan; And take your father and your households, and come unto me: and I will give you the good of the land of Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. Now thou art commanded, this do ye; take you wagons out of the land of Egypt for your little ones, and for your wives, and bring your father, and come. Also regard not your stuff; for the good of all the land of Egypt is yours.
What a scene this is. Joseph’s brothers come in, and the news reaches Pharaoh’s house. And instead of jealousy, irritation, or suspicion, Pharaoh is pleased. He says, in essence, “Go get your father. Bring your families. Bring the little ones. Come live here, and I will give you the best of the land.”
That is remarkable.
Joseph’s position had become so great, so honored, so trusted, that the blessing on Joseph started spilling over onto everybody connected to him. His brothers were being welcomed, not because of who they were, but because of who Joseph was.
Because that is exactly how it is with us in Christ. The blessings that come to us are not earned by our worthiness. They come because of our relationship to the Son. We are received on His account. We are welcomed because He is welcomed. We are blessed because the Father delights in Him.
I like the wording here. “I will give you the good of the land of Egypt.” Not the leftovers. Not the scraps. Not some forgotten corner out on the edge somewhere. The good of the land.
That is just like the Lord.
When He brings His people in, He does not do it halfway. He does not merely rescue them from famine and leave them to scrape by. He brings them into abundance. He brings them into a place of provision. He brings them into a place where there is fullness and rest.
And then Pharaoh says something else that catches my attention. “Regard not your stuff.” In other words, “Do not stand there clinging to what you have in Canaan as though that is your treasure. Do not be overly concerned about dragging every last possession with you. What I am bringing you into is so much better than what you are leaving behind.”
There is a word in that for us.
Sometimes we hold too tightly to the old life. Old securities. Old identities. Old ways of thinking. Old little piles of things we think we cannot live without. But the Lord says, “Come on. Leave that behind. What I have for you is better than what you are trying to preserve.”
That is not always easy for us to believe.
We think, If I let go of this, what will I have left
The answer is, the good of the land.
The brothers had wagons now. Provision had already been arranged. The invitation had already been given. The place had already been prepared. All they needed to do was come.
The Lord not only pardons us. He not only brings us near. He not only reveals His glory. He also says, “Come unto me.” Come out of the famine. Come out of the emptiness. Come out of the fear. Come into what I have prepared for you.
And notice too, this offer includes the little ones, the wives, the whole household. Joseph’s blessing was reaching farther than just the brothers. It was reaching into family life. It was touching future generations. It was creating a place where entire households could be sustained.
That is often how the Lord works. He gets hold of one life, and the mercy poured on that one life starts reaching sons, daughters, grandchildren, people all around them. The goodness of God has a way of spilling over.
Beloved, the world says hold on to your stuff. The Lord says come and receive what is better.
The world says preserve what little you have. The Lord says I have already prepared abundance for you.
The world says stay where you are familiar. The Lord says come into the good of the land.
And all of it comes because of Joseph.
Even more, all of it comes because of Jesus.