Jacob and His Sons

God Allows You to Seek a Way Out Through This Good News

The book of Genesis retells the time of Jacob and his sons. On their journey to Canaan, there was a great famine in which there was no rain. The drought dried up the land, the animals died, and there was no harvest. 

Meanwhile, in Egypt, there was food. In Egypt, Joseph, Jacob’s son, had become governor. Due to his direction and discernment, he made Egypt the only place where it was possible to store food for the seven years of skinny cows.

That’s a beautiful story. Yet a very curious situation occurred in Genesis chapter 42. It says, 

“When Jacob learned that there was grain in Egypt, he said to his sons, “Why do you just keep looking at each other?” He continued, “I have heard that there is grain in Egypt. Go down there and buy some for us so that we may live and not die.” (Genesis 42:1-2)

Jacob, who was already elderly, had 11 adult children. He saw them looking at each other, waiting for something to happen. Afterward, he brought it to their attention. It’s as if Jacob said: “Are you going to stand there and do nothing until we die? Do something! Take the money, go to Egypt, negotiate, and bring food.”

That attitude of just standing, looking to your sides, and waiting for someone else to do something to change the situation is a common behavior in human beings. Many wait for someone to come and save them. Unfortunately, time passes, and they end up “dying of hunger.” 

Have you been behaving like Jacob’s 11 children? In other words, you hear there is a solution to your problem, but you are waiting, not doing anything about it. 

You have heard there is a solution to your problem, but you are like the children of Jacob. You are looking at others, or at your cell phone screen, at the horizon, at the window, waiting for someone to come in and save you. However, understand that the problem that you are facing will not wait for someone to arrive and solve it for you.

God allows you to seek a way out through this good news. So go and search for it. You must move and do what only you can do for yourself. 

Stop waiting for a superhero to come in and save the day. Sometimes, you’re waiting for Wonder Woman, Superman, Thor, Batman, Iron Man, etc., to come, and that won’t happen. So, wake up and use your two hands, feet, and head, along with the faith God has given you, to escape this situation.