3/17 Through the Bible in Devotions

Genesis 47 God’s Best

“The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell;” (v. 6)

Goshen was “the best of the land of Egypt.” Not only did God meet the needs of His people, but He gave them the best of all the land, while the Egyptians got what was left. The Bible says “And the wealth of the sinner is laid up for the just” in Prov. 13:22b, and we see the truth of that verse here. Long before all this took place, God knew that He would allow a famine in the land, and that His people would have to flee to Egypt. God prepared a place for them there, a sort of “promised land” if you wish to call it that. God prepared the best, as He always does, for each of us. Many are blessed by God, whether they acknowledge Him or not, because He is merciful and full of grace, but the “best” is reserved for His own. God continues to give His best, as He did on Calvary, for all mankind. God gave us His best, and He deserves our best too.

Notice too, that Pharaoh did not go with them, but God did! God went into Goshen with them, and blessed them there. God glorifies us as we glorify Him, and as we uplift Him, He also lifts us up with Him. He did it with Israel, and He does it with us too. What a Blessed and wonderful God we have! Let’s give Him our best as we face each day, and learn to expect Him to give us His best every day. Seek after the Lord, and not the land; Goshen was a fruitful place, the “best of the land” of Egypt, but it did not compare even an iota to the wonderful blessing that the Lord had in store for His children. To serve Him, and to walk close with the Lord is the greatest of blessing unto man, and well worth the effort. In Him dwells the “fullness of the godhead” and all the unimaginable joys that go with Heaven are ours for the taking, all because of Christ. God would later deliver Israel out of Egypt, but for the time being, He had a plan for them, and a purpose in their lives, and until that was accomplished, they would stay where they were. What about us? Do we move at a whim, or will we stay where the Lord has put us until His work is done? That, my friends, is up to each of us to decide.