In this daily Bible reading is the account of Joseph bringing his father, Jacob, and brothers and their families to Egypt to live. When Joseph told Pharaoh about Joseph’s family, Pharaoh told Joseph to bring them to Egypt. He settled them in Goshen. Goshen was in the Nile Delta, the best agricultural land in Egypt. Pharaoh sent wagons to bring them from their home in Beersheba.
During the trip to Egypt God appeared to Jacob in a vision telling Jacob not to be afraid to go down to Egypt. God told Jacob that God would make Jacob into a great nation in Egypt.
When Jacob arrived in Egypt, Joseph introduced him to Pharaoh. Pharaoh asked Jacob how old he was. Jacob told him he was 130 years old. Jacob also added: “Few and unpleasant have been the years of my life.” I find it interesting that Jacob considered his life to be unpleasant. God had richly blessed Jacob with wives, children, and possessions. Yet, Jacob had not been content or happy. I believe the reason was that Jacob did not consider God to be his God for most of Jacob’s life. Jacob always referred to God as the God of his father, Isaac.
When we believe in God and in Jesus Christ, we are given the fruits of the Holy Spirit. The fruits of the Holy Spirit include joy and peace. True believers are joyful, and they are content with their lives.
