January 26-30, 2009

"...choose any place in the entire land of Egypt for them to live.
Give them the best land of Egypt.
Let them live in the region of Goshen.
And if any of them have special skills,
put them in charge of my livestock, too.”
Gen. 47:6

The story of Joseph and his interaction with his brothers when they came to Egypt will never grow old. Each time I meet up with him, I am enlightened by his wisdom, love and forgiveness. The unfolding of the facts presents quite a drama; but the hidden message veiled in these pieces of information contain a greater message. For me, it is like looking at one of those pictures that you've got to look past the obvious patters and color, and when you do, a three-dimensional image is revealed. I've been with people who have been unable to see the hidden picture. In an effort to help them see the concealed object, I have instructed them to look through the picture and direct their focus BEYOND the picture. It is almost like you have to trick your mind to look at something that is behind the picture you are holding.

Let's see if we can't capture the hidden picture together. Let me give you the facts and see if you don't see the hidden image! For the first couple of points, I will give you the verses that will guide your focus. See if you can find the Scriptures for the others.

1. Joseph is the resurrected son -
Genesis 45:28 "It must be true! My son Joseph is alive!" To Jacob, Joseph had been dead all these years. The news of his son alive in Egypt was like a message informing him that Joseph had risen from the dead!

2. Joseph is the source of salvation -
The Egyptians: Genesis 47:25 "You have saved our lives!" they exclaimed.
The Family of Jacob: Genesis 50:20(b) "He (God) brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people."

3. He was the source of provision -

4. He was despised by the world -
key: Egypt is a type of the world

5. He was rejected by his own -

6. He took on the form of the world to bring his brothers new life -

7. He was exalted above his brothers -

8. He was one breath and life with his father -

9. He was crowned with glory and honor -

10. At his name, every knee bowed -

Are you able to see the hidden face in the blur of the facts? And whose face do you see? There are plenty of other pieces that are a part of the hidden picture. Can you find any others?

Once again, we come to the end of Genesis. Oh how I love this part of the journey. With a special love in my heart, I say farewell to the patriarchs. But I know that we will catch a glimpse of them now and then in the lives of their descendants as we continue our journey.

WELCOME TO UZ
I'd like you to meet an amazing man who has gone through more than any of us could ever imagine. He's the wealthiest man in the land of Uz. He knows what it is to have had it all, lose it all, and gain it all back once again.

The Man Called Job
His name is Job. His name certainly is significant when you consider all that he went through and the meaning of his name. Literally, his name means "to be hostile" or "to be an enemy." But whose enemy was Job? He certainly wasn't God's enemy! But God allowed His enemy, the satan, to take his best shot at God's most trusted friend, Job. It is important to remember when looking at Job's life that, although God permitted Job to be tried, it was not God who attacked Job. His pain and suffering came at the hands of God's arch enemy. But at the time Job was walking through it all, he certainly felt like God viewed him with contempt and had turned hostile toward him!

The Man of The Hour
Although we know much about Job's experience with trials, we know very little about his exact place in chronology history. The best time frame the researchers can come up with is that he lived some time between Abraham and the time of the Jews exodus from Egypt.

The Man From Uz
So where was Uz? Interesting that you would ask. Scholars have been asking that question for centuries. After reading several different opinions, I find myself siding with the Jewish historians. In my opinion the evidence would indicate that Uz was located in Edom. Here are some of the road markers that lead me to this conclusion.

Road mark #1 -

Rejoice and be glad, O daughter of Edom, Who dwells in the land of Uz;
Lam. 4:21

The Bible clearly says that Uz is in the land of Edom. That's quite important since Edom is another name for Esau. Remember what we read just last week:

So Esau (also known as Edom) settled in the hill country of Seir. Genesis 36:8

Road mark #2 -

When three of Job's friends heard of the tragedy he had suffered, they got together and traveled from their homes to comfort and console him. Their names were Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite.

The second road mark is Job's three friends.

Eliphaz was a Temanite, ie. he was from Teman. When you look at the map below, you will quickly see that Teman is in the land of Edom. It would make logical sense that Job's closest friends, and the ones who stayed in touch with the goings on in his life, would live relatively near.

Bildad was a Shuhite, or a descendant of Shuah. Shuah was a son of Abraham by his wife Keturah. (See Genesis 36:11) These sons would certainly have had more to do with Esau and his descendants, than they would with Isaac and his line.

Zophar the Naamathite is a little more obscure. Some believe that it is not too far fetched to link him with Esau's grandson Zepho. Zepho was Teman's brother.

The fact that each of these link us back to the same area, seems pretty convincing.

But what makes this so amazing to me, is that all evidence seems to link Job with Esau, rather than Jacob. Even the Jewish scholars believe this. Obviously Job embraced Abraham's God. His friends (who would also have been distant relatives) also knew Jehovah God and clearly worshiped Him. We have a tendency to think that if someone didn't come through the line of Isaac and Jacob, they have little worth or consequence. This amazing man teaches us lessons to the contrary. He was blameless in God's sight. Oh that God might be able to say the same of us. Let's be careful to listen to this man, as he teaches us from the experiences of his life.