From Eden to Egypt- Day 53

7 So Joseph went up to bury his father. With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, 8 as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household. Only their children, their flocks, and their herds were left in the land of Goshen. 9 And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen. It was a very great company.

- Genesis 50:7-9 (ESV)

Joseph went to bury his father Jacob in Canaan, but he did not go alone.  He did not only have his own household with him.  With him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his household, and all the elders of the land of Egypt,as well as all the household of Joseph, his brothers, and his father's household, according to verse 7 and 8 in the English Standard Version.  He certainly was not alone in his grieving and mourning.  Multiple translations of the Bible call it: "a very great company" (ESV), "a very great gathering" (NKJV) and " a very large company" (NIV). 

Joseph went to bury Jacob in the land of Canaan as he had sworn to his father, but he was accompanied by a great number of people connected to his father and those connected directly and indirectly to him.  There were those who were connected to Jacob by blood and "household." There were those who were connected to Joseph directly like his kinsmen, brothers and his own household most probably did not outnumber those who were connected to Joseph through Pharaoh.

They went on their way to bury one of the patriarchs of Judaism.  They went to bury an old man who had lived to see his "dead" son alive again.  They went on their way to Canaan to fulfill the promise of a son to his dying father.  They went on the journey to the land of Canaan to help Joseph bury his father. 

The other brothers might have lived in Goshen and herded sheep, but Pharaoh's people knew Joseph.  They may not have ever heard of Jacob or any of his sons, but they surely knew of Joseph.  Their paths may have never crossed any other Hebrew during those days, but they surely had some direct or indirect encounter on some level with Joseph.  The Egyptians went to Canaan with Joseph for the sake of Joseph, not Jacob or anyone else.

Going Astray

All we like sheep have gone astray... - Isaiah 53:6 (ESV)

It is true.  We have strayed.  We have wandered away from the Good Shepherd.  Our own thinking has led us to a desolate and forsaken place, leaving us helpless and in harm's way.

The key question is not why.  We know how we can be as mere human beings.  We understand our own inklings and behavior can get us into trouble.  Yet, we must why we go astray.  Why do we leave the protection of God provided by the Him for His flock? We must ask why and not dwell on the answer but develop a reminder for ourselves of how badly we need a shepherd to help lead us to green pastures and beside still waters.

As the sheep of His pasture, we wander and whine.  We do so as individuals (Psalm 119:176).  We do so as a collective body as Isaiah said in Isaiah 53:6. Since we know this, let us stay under the care of the Good Shepherd.  Let us never leave His protective and provisional care.  We may wander, but we have a loving and kind Shepherd who will seek us and save us, welcoming us back into the fold and accepting us with great joy.

Our Kingdom Worth

In the same way, there is more joy in heaven over one lost sinner who repents and returns to God than over ninety-nine others who are righteous and haven't strayed away!

- Luke 15:7 (NLT)

In the Kingdom of God, the lost that our found have a great worth. Jesus tries to dispense the idea of the sinner's unworthiness with the "lost" parables in Luke 15. Usually, when a person loses something of value, the person is willing to exhaust all resources and means to find that which was lost. Whether it is a lost sheep or coin, even a wayward son, what was lost is of value. It has worth.

The obnoxious and obstinate onlookers- the Pharisees and teachers of the law- saw no value in the people Jesus was keeping company with in Luke 15 (Lk. 15:2). In fact, they found it offensive that Jesus could claim to be holy while eating and having fellowship with the unclean. They saw the sinners and tax collectors as unclean and unworthy of fellowship with the holy and righteous people of God.

What Jesus shares is that such a pious and prideful worldview does not reflect God's willingness to make the worthless worthy. He shared in another version that He was not called to save the righteous but sinners (Mk. 2:17). Isaiah painted an even clearer picture when he said: But he was wounded for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with his stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5, ESV).

In the Kingdom, we have worth. We are valued by the King. As believers, let us make it known to all others that He is able to justify the unjust and clean up the unclean. He is able.