Genesis 46:8-27 The minority who possesses the truth will eventually become the mighty

Genesis 46:8-27 The minority who possesses the truth will eventually become the mighty

8 Now these are the names of the sons of Israel, Jacob and his sons, who went to Egypt: Reuben, Jacob’s firstborn. 9 The sons of Reuben: Hanoch and Pallu and Hezron and Carmi. 10 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel and Jamin and Ohad and Jachin and Zohar and Shaul the son of a Canaanite woman. 11 The sons of Levi: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari. 12 The sons of Judah: Er and Onan and Shelah and Perez and Zerah (but Er and Onan died in the land of Canaan). And the sons of Perez were Hezron and Hamul. 13 The sons of Issachar: Tola and Puvvah and Iob and Shimron. 14 The sons of Zebulun: Sered and Elon and Jahleel. 15 These are the sons of Leah, whom she bore to Jacob in Paddan-aram, with his daughter Dinah; all his sons and his daughters numbered thirty-three. 16 The sons of Gad: Ziphion and Haggi, Shuni and Ezbon, Eri and Arodi and Areli. 17 The sons of Asher: Imnah and Ishvah and Ishvi and Beriah and their sister Serah. And the sons of Beriah: Heber and Malchiel. 18 These are the sons of Zilpah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Leah; and she bore to Jacob these sixteen persons. 19 The sons of Jacob’s wife Rachel: Joseph and Benjamin. 20 Now to Joseph in the land of Egypt were born Manasseh and Ephraim, whom Asenath, the daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, bore to him. 21 The sons of Benjamin: Bela and Becher and Ashbel, Gera and Naaman, Ehi and Rosh, Muppim and Huppim and Ard. 22 These are the sons of Rachel, who were born to Jacob; there were fourteen persons in all. 23 The sons of Dan: Hushim. 24 The sons of Naphtali: Jahzeel and Guni and Jezer and Shillem. 25 These are the sons of Bilhah, whom Laban gave to his daughter Rachel, and she bore these to Jacob; there were seven persons in all. 26 All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all, 27 and the sons of Joseph, who were born to him in Egypt were two; all the persons of the house of Jacob, who came to Egypt, were seventy.

Background

The sons of Jacob is now formally addressed as the sons of Israel, a nation in miniature. By divine providence, the famine has led to the conception of a nation in the womb of a foreign nation. However, Israel, numbered seventy, a mere minority, who possesses the divine truth will in 400 years become a mighty nation. Today’s devotion teaches us not to despise small beginnings, but to nurture them in the truth. In due time, what was then a minority will become mighty in the land of foreigners.

Observation

Now these are the names of the sons of Israel.

At this point, the sons of Israel is used in preference for sons of Jacob. The connotation is that they are now a nation albeit in its embryonic stage. The nation of Israel is now conceived in the womb of a foreign nation. They will hatch in approximately 400 years as a great nation and return to the land of Canaan.

All the persons belonging to Jacob, who came to Egypt, his direct descendants, not including the wives of Jacob’s sons, were sixty-six persons in all.

The list includes the twelves sons of Jacob, fifty two grandsons, four great grandsons, and two daughters making up a total of seventy. Taking into account Er and Onan, who died in Canaan, and Manasseh and Ephraim, who were born in Egypt, that reduce seventy to sixty six children of Jacob.

The number seventy often represents a complete number of a large family or nation; Genesis 10 records seventy nations that descended from Noah. Thus, the seventy sons of Israel represent humanity in microcosm.

Truth

The minority who possesses the truth will eventually become the mighty

The nation of Israel is conceived in a strange and foreign land. They are a minority of Semitic descent, in culture, and in religious beliefs. They were insignificant, an odd ball, cast aside by humanity at large. It is ironic that the great founders of the nation; Jacob and his twelve sons, all died estranged from the Promised Land. Approximately 400 years later, this nation of humble beginnings grew to become a mighty nation that threatened even the establishment.

Indeed, what is true and eternal may not always bode well at the onset with popular culture. When you find it hard to “fit in” or appeal to the masses, it does not necessary mean that your beliefs are wrong or unworkable… you may just be ahead of your time. Or when a certain truth or proposition does not appeal to you, do not write it off just because it is not applicable to your current situation. But rather keep it in your heart allowing it grow. The fact is: The truth (that leads to unprecedented success) will always rest initially with the minority. Thus, do not change the core substance (of your beliefs and convictions) to appeal to the whims of the masses although the packaging could see some refining. History tells us that what is accepted today as the norm was not always welcomed at the time of its inception. Jesus said to the people,

“Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
This became the chief corner stone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’? Matthew 21:42

Your thought processes and work philosophy may be perceived as unworkable by many. But the key is to:

• Keep seeking the divine truth with a pure heart,
• Test its authenticity among a community of believers and be accountable to men in authority,
• Make it relevant and applicable to your work.

By virtue of the newness of any great idea, it will initially appeal to early adopters before it enters the mainstream. Jesus was rejected by 5000, and His disciples deserted Him when He was arrested by the Romans. But Christianity has since become the fastest growing religion in the world. Even so, in the light of Jesus’s infinite wisdom, the understanding of the word has continued to evolve. The word is inerrant and perfect, but man’s understanding and application of the word is progressive. Thus, God is continually birthing fresh understanding of the word for the sanctification of mankind and in keeping abreast with the times. God is looking for those who hunger for the truth, who are willing to conceive divine revelations with a pure heart, and who will hold themselves accountable to the church while bringing them forth.

The seventy sons of Israel were despised by the Egyptians who were the majority, the supreme race of their time. But the minority who possessed the truth eventually became mighty and threatened even the host who was superior in every way. Likewise, many though a minority, are ahead of their time and, they will leave a legacy if they do not give up.

Application

Are you in a situation where your faith in God’s word is under threat? And what you believed seemed irrelevant and counter intuitive? During such times, immerse yourself in the Bible by studying whole passages and books. Do not be perturbed, but seek to understand the mind of God and persevere in doing what is written. In due time, you will become a trail blazer if you do not give up. Job 8:7 says, “Though your beginning was small, yet your latter end would increase abundantly.”

Seek to actively apply the divine truth that you have acquired into your work. Embed it into your work processes and be intentional in living it out in all that you say and do. When you encounter discouraging hindrances at the onset, do not give up but persevere in working out your vision. This you do while taking divine authority over spiritual adversaries by the angelic armies of Jesus Christ.

Do not blindly rest in the beliefs of religious institutions, but know what you believe by studying the word for yourself. Modern church history saw the progressive movement of Christendom beginning with: the Catholic Church, the Roman Catholic Church, the Protestant Reformation, and in recent decades the Spirit-led Charismatic Movement. Today, God is continually revealing to Christendom His infinite wisdom through the perfect word. The church serves to equip believers to understand the word and to empower them to receive understanding from God with a pure heart. In the process, the word continues to come alive to each individual making rich the poor, strengthening the weak, and making them mighty.

Dear Jesus, give me a pure heart and the hunger to understand the word. Imbue within me the Spirit of truth so that I may become more like Jesus Christ. I declare in due time, I will prosper and my family and church will become mighty. In Jesus’s name. Amen.