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Peace with God

Words of Faith Final

Peace with God
Words of Faith 8-10-2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy © 2022
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
Faith Fellowship Church - Melbourne, FL
www.faithfellowshipweb.com
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Genesis 46
[8] These are the names of the sons of Israel (Jacob and his descendants) who went to Egypt: Reuben the firstborn of Jacob. [9] The sons of Reuben:
Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron and Carmi.
[10] The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jakin, Zohar, and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman.
[11] The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari.
[12] The sons of Judah: Er, Onan, Shelah, Perez, and Zerah (but Er and Onan had died in the land of Canaan).
The sons of Perez: Hezron and Hamul.
[13] The sons of Issachar: Tola, Puah, Jashub and Shimron.
[14] The sons of Zebulun: Sered, Elon and Jahleel.
[15] These were the sons Leah bore to Jacob in Paddan Aram, besides his daughter Dinah. These sons and daughters of his were thirty-three in all.
[16] The sons of Gad: Zephon, Haggi, Shuni, Ezbon, Eri, Arodi and Areli.
[17] The sons of Asher: Imnah, Ishvah, Ishvi, and Beriah. Their sister was Serah.
The sons of Beriah: Heber and Malkiel.
[18] These were the children born to Jacob by Zilpah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Leah--sixteen in all.
[19] The sons of Jacob's wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. [20] In Egypt, Manasseh and Ephraim were born to Joseph by Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On.
[21] The sons of Benjamin: Bela, Beker, Ashbel, Gera, Naaman, Ehi, Rosh, Muppim, Huppim and Ard.
[22] These were the sons of Rachel who were born to Jacob--fourteen in all.
[23] The son of Dan: Hushim.
[24] The sons of Naphtali: Jahziel, Guni, Jezer and Shillem.
[25] These were the sons born to Jacob by Bilhah, whom Laban had given to his daughter Rachel--seven in all.
[26] All those who went to Egypt with Jacob--those who were his direct descendants, not counting his sons' wives--numbered sixty-six persons. [27] With the two sons who had been born to Joseph in Egypt, the members of Jacob's family, which went to Egypt, were seventy in all.
[28] Now Jacob sent Judah ahead of him to Joseph to get directions to Goshen. When they arrived in the region of Goshen, [29] Joseph had his chariot made ready and went to Goshen to meet his father Israel. As soon as Joseph appeared before him, he threw his arms around his father and wept for a long time.
[30] Israel said to Joseph, "Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive."

How do you find peace?
Jacob had been tortured with grief for years and years. He was now drawn to a foreign land by some unbelievable good news: Joseph was still alive! But he still was not at peace.
Seventy "sons of Abraham" finally entered into Egypt. 70 is the number of completion and the number of the "nations ."This number did not include sisters or the wives, which would put the total family closer to 150 to 200. This was still a relatively small beginning for a nation that would one day frighten a future Pharaoh because of its numbers.
It is interesting that the family was saved through Joseph, but it was Judah who led them into the land. We begin to see the more prominent role of Judah as a leader who had come into his time. It would be from Judah that the Jewish people would emerge. It would be from Judah that the house of King David would rise and, eventually, the Messiah of God.
Years of agonizing grief ended when Jacob finally saw for himself that Joseph was really alive. One of the curious details of this story is that the brothers never really 'fessed up to Jacob and told him of the crime they committed against Joseph. They will carry this burden for a few more chapters. Somehow those were not the most essential questions in the face of the wonderful news that Joseph was alive.
The reunion between Joseph and Jacob was a powerful and moving one. Surely, in the "best of all worlds," a father should not bury a son. Jacob now had final confirmation of the promise God had given him: "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."
But most important was that Jacob was finally at peace. After years of sorrow and regret, we read an extraordinary statement. "Israel said to Joseph, 'Now I am ready to die, since I have seen for myself that you are still alive.'" Notice that the name used here changes from Jacob to Israel. The new man, Israel, who was transformed when he "wrestled with God, " is ready to die. The new man who had seen Joseph alive was at peace.
The truth is that our "old man" will never be at peace with God. It is only the new man that finds peace with God. We find that peace in the Resurrected Christ. When we see that Jesus is alive- crucified for our sake, and now alive by God's resurrection, we find peace and are prepared to die.
Are you at peace? You will never reconcile the old man to be at peace. There is too much pain and regret. The new man, the new creation, finds peace with God. As Paul put it: Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17).

Father God, I trust today in the resurrected Christ. My soul is restless until I find my rest in You. Make me into the new man. As I am in the resurrected Christ, so may I be the New Creation. In Jesus' name.

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© Jeffrey D. Hoy 2022
Dr. Jeffrey D. Hoy - Faith Fellowship Church (EFCA)
2820 Business Center Blvd.
Melbourne, Florida 32940 (321)-259-7200
Jeff.Hoy@faithfellowshipweb.com
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The Words of Faith devotion is published five days a week by E-mail, excluding Federal holidays. Please feel free to forward this devotion to a friend who might be blessed by this devotion. Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture is quoted from the New International Version (R) of The Holy Bible. Copyright (c) 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved. Words of Faith (c) 1997, 2022 Jeffrey D. Hoy. All rights reserved. Permission is granted to forward this copyrighted material or use portions of it with appropriate notation of the source for non-profit purposes.