Today's reading describes the settlement of Jacob and his family in the land of Goshen, and the blessing that he and his son Joseph were to Egypt (Gen. 47-48). One detail I had not thought about before was the note in 47:28 that Jacob lived in Egypt seventeen years. Jacob and Joseph were able to enjoy many years together after all that time apart. What a blessing it must have been!
Joseph is a great example of the virtue described in today's reading from the psalms - waiting on the Lord. Psalm 25:5 says:
Lead me in your truth and teach me,Joseph waited many long days and nights, but even though his fellow prisoners forgot about him (Gen. 40:23), God never did. Joseph waited, God acted, and he was blessed.
for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all the day long.
Most of us will never go through anything approaching the trials of Joseph, or those of David (who wrote Psalm 25). But all of us go through challenges that require steadfastness, the determination to wait on God and trust His way rather than to rashly pursue our own goals by our own methods. David and Joseph could wait because they trusted God - "You ARE the God of my salvation." And our patience in waiting will always correspond to the depth of our trusting.
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