Day 98 – Genesis 47:11-12
Joseph Nourished His Father
Scripture Reading – Genesis 47:11-12
And Joseph placed his father and his brethren, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Rameses, as Pharaoh had commanded.
Genesis 47:11 KJV
And Joseph nourished his father, and his brethren, and all his father’s household, with bread, according to their families.
Genesis 47:12 KJV
Scripture Review
Joseph places his father and brethren in the best of the land and gives them a possession in Rameses as Pharaoh commanded. Then Scripture says Joseph nourished his father, his brethren, and all his father’s household with bread according to their families. The ruler’s public responsibility and the son’s family responsibility meet without canceling each other.
Joseph does not use his office as a reason to neglect the people closest to him. He provides according to the size and need of each household. Nourishment is specific. A family with small children does not receive care just because a policy exists; someone must know what is needed and make sure the bread reaches the table.
Pharaoh meant to honor his command by granting good land, and Joseph meant to distribute bread carefully according to each family’s need.
God meant to use the son once sold away as the provider who would nourish the very household from which he had been removed.
What this asks of me
Public usefulness does not excuse private neglect. I need to consider whether the people closest to me receive my attention, provision, and care. Stewardship is not impressive language about helping many while my own responsibility goes hungry. God may enlarge my reach, but He does not erase the names at my table.
Consider
- Has public responsibility become an excuse for neglecting people God placed closest to me?
- Who needs care fitted to an actual family need rather than a general promise?