Gen. 50:24 a promise to remember.

It is very profitable to study the bible concerning promises that God made and fulfilled.  That will help your faith when you claim his promises. People lie to us all the time but God cannot lie. Liars  reap what they sow.
Joseph is telling his brethren that God has promised that they will go into the promised land.  This is a future promise which was fulfilled when Joshua led them in.  Joshua was really following the captain of the Lord's hosts.
It was God who brought them in.  When we pray in faith, we can expect that all God's promises to us shall be fulfilled.  Remember that the devil promised Jesus the kingdoms of the world in Matt. 4:.  he will bless in order to trick us thinking things are from the Lord.  The bible says every good and perfect gift comes from the father.  So be careful about rich people who say God made them rich.  Those who are blessed by God live a fruitful and good life.  The magicians through down  magic serpents but Moses was not a illusion and it devoured theirs. So things can appear the same but you have to discern them.  When Israel saw the serpent in the wilderness they were remembering that Moses rod was a sign that God could do miracles.  Both God and the devil make promises.  God's give life the devil's leads to destruction and makes happy for a short while.

Gen. 49: old ages final testimony.

As you read this chapter, Jacob speaks about God to the very last moment.  He blesses his sons. He desires to be buried with the great people of God. 
Under my observance,  being in many nursing homes and around the elderly, it is far from the same.  You hear murmering and complaining.  The things they say, sometimes hateful are expressions of their hypocracy.  They speak religiously but have a ungodly talk and life to follow.  They no longer have the strength to pretend they are christians.  What is in the heart manifests.  We keep them in our prayers and love them anyway.  May we all get the thing in our hearts and live it so we will be a testimony to our children of what we believe and really are.  We can still be fruitful in old age and Jesus joy will overcome all self pity.  He promises our leaves will never wither Psalm 1:  2Tim. 1:7  promises we shall have a sound mind always.  We can have faith if we don't doubt God's word.

Gen. 48: a blind man and a seeing God.

We all are blind to God's choices.  My mother in law is blind in one eye, and with alzheimers she sees things that are not there constantly.  She is a example of one who cannot trust herself to see clearly. She goes about thinking she is okay though.  God continues to humble me all the time when he shows me I'm not seeing things clearly.  Am thankful for that it helps alot when he does.  We have a tendency to judge people on our own.  Blind Jacob depends here on God . Joseph doesn't understand why he chooses to bless Ephraim.    It was like that when Samuel would choose a man from Jesse's family.  God's choice was David.  That real bad person we know now may be a wonderful pwrson in the future.  God gives people lessons to turn them around.   King Nebuchadnezzar was a real proud king . He reminds of the story of beauty and the beast.  Dan. 4: shows he repented of his hard hearted pride.  God can do that to anyone.  God can save our loved ones.  I have seen some miserable people, joy of the Lord is the ownly answer.  We desire the Lord to give us 20/20 vision----that in a spiritual sense would be God see things clearly through our eyes so we can see them like you do.  Prayer Lord help us to forgive all our enemies and live in peace. Also may all people reach their full potential in God.  May we see how valuable the things of God really are and be thankful for them.  Praise be unto our father in Jesus name.

Gen. 47: God's leadership plan.

1. Joseph knows that Shepherds are a abomination to the Egyptians.  His family were Shepherds. He doesn't tell them to lie to Pharaoh, but say they are cattle herders.  That was in the end of chapter 46:. 
2.  Over time all that the Egyptians have must purchase food for them to live.  Joseph's loyalty to Pharaoh is tremendous. All the people and cattle and land become Pharoah's. 
Joseph shows loyalty and wisdom to his leader. 
We wonder how we can honor leaders we don't approve of. It tells us to pray for our leaders. Rom. 13:1-3  shows us to obey authorities.  It is not possible to pray for those we do not like.  Joseph was thrown in prison two years by Pharaoh before time came for him to be leader.  Here in ch. 47 he is profit to Pharoah and continual blessing his nation. 
3.  He cares for his family who also did him wrong. 
4.  Joseph is a servant to Egypt and Egypt was in a way given to him to be a good steward of.
A friend of mine named Gene, is a man who has been very helpful to many who would stop his progress.  Instead he didn't give up but kept on pushing what he knew to be a good thing.  When he was successful getting the things to pass, many peoples lives were blessed.  His dream is one day to be in congress to help do other things for good people--amazing he has already started helping people.
He even helps others like myself to keep believing God to fulfill your dreams.
Godly men  are very good at doing good things, they look to God. They may not be everything people would like, but you can't please everybody.

Gen. 46:34 a Shepherd is a abomination.

Egypt was a pagan idol worship nation.  Joseph had favor with them just because of the God he believed in who could give him a gift of telling dreams and their meaning.  That's amazing.  It reminds of when Jesus said you follow me because of the bread I give you.  The world thinks the same today. If a Shepherd (pastor)  preaches things which say separate from the world and live a holy life,  They will be a abomination.  Jesus was considered that also. He said you know the world hated me, it will hate you also. Jn. 15:18 .
     A good friend of mine said to me, the good that I was doing they tried to stop it and crucified me.  After he diligently stood against the odds, the thing he did blessed thousands of people.  It is written ,the good Shepherd lays down his life for the sheep.  I love Peter, he was a example about how God turns things around to work for the good.  He denied the Lord out of fear and that teaches us what we may face. We will not deny our Lord--even if forced to take the mark of 666.  If you get to study what John. said about one of Peter's denials, it appears that Malchus was one of them.  He was the one Peter cut off his ear and Jesus reattached it.   What about that.  He was also kin to the leadership of the the hypocritical Israel priest.
     If Peter told him he had cut off his ear and Jesus put it back it could be bad.
By  experience I have known a few who were persecuted for their faith.  If you are worldly as a Shepherd they may accept you, maybe down the road they will demand that you renounce Jesus.  I have known of those who pray in school and are thrown out. That is if they pray to Jesus. All others are allowed.
     We are not to fear, just be aware true Shepherds are not  the standard accepted.

Gen. 45:26-27 hold fast and overcome doubt.

What a great example here of how that what we are believing God for is just about to manifest.  Jacob is wrestling with doubt and doesn't believe the words his sons speak.  All of a sudden there is a comfirmation. Joseph sent evidence for the father to see that their words were true.   it is a strong picture here that if he had doubt, it would soon be removed.   Peter stepped out on the water but doubted  when he saw the waves coming.  If he waited a little longer he would have had the victory. His focus was on the waves not Jesus.  Jacob didn't have his focus on God who promised that he would have the blessing. 
        The wonderful thing is the holding fast to a promise. We tend to look at situations negatively. We are learning to trust and know God cannot let us down. He is the one who promised.  It will take the same faith to believe that we will be caught away in the rapture. Those who wait in the grave already have believed that they will go up.  The people we see in the N.T. who were healed Jesus told them let it be to you according to your faith. Peter wouldn't have sunk in water if he had faith.  When he cried Jesus help me that was faith that he would save him.

Gen. 44:10-12 cup of a servant

There is a difference in cups, when it comes to servants.  This is a cup of divination. Some have had the understanding that Pharaoh is a type of Satan and Egypt of the world.  Joseph has been planted there to overcome evil with good.  in 1Cor. 10:21  you cannot drink the cup of  the Lord and also of devils.  The Lord told his disciples that when people take the cup they must discern the Lord's body.  The cup is to remind of the Lord's blood to forgive sins.  That would be another cup if people want to live in sin after drinking to remember his forgiveness.  To belong to a religious cult and drink their cup would be a union with their wickedness.
When we drink of Jesus cup we are surrendering ourselves to be his servant .In Rom.8:6  to be carnal minded or spiritual minded  all the time.  Many people are spiritual minded on Sunday.  What a blessing to serve  God full time.

Gen. 43:11 there must be a payment.

This is not the first time that Jacob sends a present to make a peace with them who he feels would harm him.
He did the same with Esau thinking he would harm him for taking the blessing of inheritance   We notice that it is the blessings he obtained that he would use for protection.
     Think of it, we have done God wrong by sinning. We have done many things as a non-Christian that were perhaps horrible. Then as a Christian we sometimes transgress.  There is a difference.  We can now bring a offering to the father, who will then assure we are protected and forgiven. The offering made once for all.  Jesus the sweet smelling offering--the Lamb of God.  There is no other gift we can bring.  The payment must be without good works and only by the finished work of Calvary.his work finished  Now we have to endure and keep the salvation that he died to give us.   read Matt. 24:48-51  carefully. the servant in these verses calls him Lord and he is the Lord of that servant.  He lives the wrong way and will find himself like the ones who don't believe and live it.  We can repent if we are on wrong track. We can bring the gift to God of his son.

Gen. 42:28 blaming God.

There are a lot of people that blame God for what has happened to them.  Job was one. He didn't know it was the devil. Job ch.1: shows the devil requested to go down and do wrong to Job.  He blamed God for it.
It is seemingly a easy thing to blame somebody even if we don't know who to really blame.
We see through the bible that God is always delivering after he may have allowed something.  It was really for their good, they must bring their brother to Joseph. Joseph blessed them and gave a dream from God. They treated him wrongly.  42:9 shows Joseph remembered the dreams.  42:6  shows that he is seeing the dream fulfilled for they are bowing and making reverence to him.  
That is a wonderful day that really looks bad to them at the time.  Perhaps instead of blaming God we should ask is this for my betterment or even blessing.  God is working secretly and has our best interests in heart and even has plans to make it all work for our good.