Peacemakers

Genesis 47:5-11 -  Then Pharaoh said to Joseph, "Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you; settle your father and your brothers in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen; and if you know any able men among them, put them in charge of my cattle."  Then Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh, and Jacob blessed Pharaoh.  And Pharaoh said to Jacob, "How many are the days of the years of your life?"  And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojourning are a hundred and thirty years; few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, and they have not attained to the days of the years of the life of my fathers in the days of their sojourning."  And Jacob blessed Pharaoh, and went out from the presence of Pharaoh.  Then Joseph settled his father and his brothers, and gave them a possession in the land of Egypt, in the best of the land, in the land of Ram'eses, as Pharaoh had commanded.

What a beautiful picture of hospitality between the two very different cultures. Jacob blessed Pharaoh as he came in to his presence and as he left.  He showed this powerful leader respect...maybe he was thankful because Pharaoh had seen the leadership qualities in his son and raised his son Joseph to such a high office…maybe he was a bit fearful because he remembered how his Grandfather was thrown out years before for lying about Sarai…or maybe he had just learned to respect others and their beliefs with the many years God had blessed him with life.

Pharaoh…in turn…treated Joseph’s entire family with honor and respect. Maybe Pharaoh was just being nice because he loved Joseph so much…maybe he saw the political value of such an alliance…maybe he feared the God they worshiped because he saw the power and blessings that he allowed Joseph throughout the last 9 years. Pharaoh showed Jacob respect….and allowed his entire family to take up residence in the best land available.  A land near water…lush with grass and places to graze and fatten livestock….the perfect place for God to begin to multiply them and bless them.

It was a very unpredictable moment…for in actuality…Egyptians hated shepherds….and the bible does not record why. Maybe it was because of a cleanliness issue.  Egyptians kept themselves very clean…bathed and used wonderful smelling lotions….painted their faces and wore wigs to improve their looks.  A shepherd went weeks without a bath…probably smelled just like his sheep.  Maybe it was a political issue…so many invasions back and forth that they were afraid of them. And maybe it was totally a God thing…God controlling every word from Jacob’s and Pharaoh’s mouth as they spoke.

We should all be so kind to the people we dislike….especially the ones we hate the most. We should allow God to place us in places where we can be his models of peace and hospitality to others. We should love others as God loves us…unconditionally…with his mercy and grace. We should love others like God did when he sent his son to Earth as a baby.  We should love others like Jesus did on the cross…when he died for every man’s sin.  We should love like God calls us all to love him….with all our heart…and all our soul…and all our mind.

Father…help me this morning to be your peacemaker.  To love all people…with no boundaries of race…or cleanliness..or politics…or economics. Give me a love in my heart for everyone…no matter how they present to me on the outside…no matter what hate they may harbor on the inside. Forgive me for not grasping this command form you earlier in my life…and wash me of any remnants of fear that might hold me back from loving unconditionally today.  Give me the ability to bless those that I see each day…with the love and blessings you shower on me continually. Amen.