Imagine you were taken to the White House for a private meeting with the President.

However, ten years ago you were wrongly convicted of raping the wife of a high-ranking government official and still serving time in prison.

Before that, your own brothers tossed you into a deep cistern until Ishmaelite slave traders came and pulled you out, then sold you to an Egyptian.

How can you--so scarred by rejection and mistreatment stand before the most powerful man in the known world, and he is asking you for counsel?

We are about to learn how in this episode.

Spoiler alert; it would be impossible if not for the blessing that God gave to Abraham and his descendants through Jacob, which has now made its way to Joseph.

One of the rules of learning is to build upon our understanding of history. This holds true across all fields of education. We can’t change history, but we should take advantage of learning from it. Otherwise, we will repeat the mistakes by ignoring the built-in lessons that accompany the experiences of others. The Hebrew Bible is filled with opportunities to learn from the lives of the descendants of Jacob.

We can also gain insight of the nature of God as He responds to their successes and failures.

Caution, though, God rarely responds immediately as you have likely experienced in your own walk.

Seeking is a major concept in the Bible. It is where the natural and the supernatural intersect. When we seek we will find, but what we find reflects on how we seek. If it’s for personal gratification we will be disappointed. If it is from the heart we will find the Kingdom of God and the King who provides and protects, comforts and encourages, so that we can do likewise for others. That is His blessing.

“You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.”

Jeremiah‬ ‭29‬:‭13‬

Whom are You Seeking?

Most searches begin by seeking a “what?” and not a “whom?”

“What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Almost every child in America knows that question, and subconsciously, it leads to a quest. As we grow up, we recognize that what we want is to be happy, and money seems to be the way to achieve it. If all roads lead to happiness, money is the bus to jump on. However, if we stop there without seeking the “Whom,” we will one day realize that we are on a dead-end street.

Jesus asked both questions. He asked the “What” only once, at the beginning of His ministry, but shifted to “Whom” three times at the end. He is our example, and we should do the same for those we know who are seeking.

We will also see how incredibly God tied the story of Joseph to our own story thousands of years later.

Our goal is to bless you on your journey. If we have done that, our podcasts have served their purpose. Check out our website comfortmypeople.com

Ask God if He wants you to support our goal of bringing the love of Yeshua to the people of Israel, who have never heard His message.

Into the Nations~or not

Prophetically, the blessing that God gave to Abraham would go into the nations through the descendants of Jacob. Many centuries have passed since the promise was given and the nations are still waiting. Even if they are completely unaware of what they are waiting for, the blessing will arrive, and it will come through the descendants of Jacob, because God cannot lie.

For certain, the promise of the blessing has been partially fulfilled and unpacked. The knowledge of the one true God, His nature, and requirements for all mankind have spread throughout the Gentile world. Just pick up a Bible and you hold the evidence.

There is more to come, though. Brotherly love remains in the queue waiting for the sons of Jacob to embrace and deliver, while the nations must be willing and eager to receive them and the message that they carry.

It seems every Bible teacher in the world is either teaching or wondering if these really are the last days and Jesus will soon return.

However, there is one “birth pang” not on the prophetic calendar as it should have been all along, that is Brotherly Love. I fear it has been missing for so long in so many places that we will be shocked and embarrassed by our spiritual nakedness.

This is not an indictment but a cry from God’s heart. He misses the family affair atmosphere that fueled the lives of early believers. In their Hebrew Bible, they read stories such as Ruth and Naomi, and David and Jonathan who were willing to lay down their lives for each other. That is the kind of love that awakened the church and drew in the Gentiles to want the same.

When we say brothers and sisters, God sees His sons and daughters. Can you imagine, or maybe have already experienced, the pain of a father when his children are estranged?

Brotherly love is not a suggestion. It is central theme. We should not be surprised if Jesus does not appear on our timetable. He will return, that is certain, but He has skipped many generations until now.

The ball is now in our court to hasten His appearance, or He will wait for the next generation and the next, in tears.

If you agree, then renew your commitment and start your journey from disbelief to loving obedience.

Sound the alarm by sharing this episode.

Brotherly Love is like a passport. It comes with citizen rights and responsibilities. As citizens of the Kingdom, God expects us to utilize it. He can rightfully do so because Jesus paid the price for love to function as it should in His kingdom.

In the Hebrew Bible, brotherly love is often difficult to locate. Instead of judging the sons of Jacob for their lack of brotherly love, in this episode, we will move forward to the New Testament and see how things turned out since then.

Brotherly Love is not a Suggestion

As followers of Yeshua, we keep our focus upon Him for instruction and direction. We study, we sing songs and we pray. We say “It’s all about You, Jesus,” but is that an accurate description of what it means to be His disciple?

On His last night on Earth following the Passover Meal, His Last Supper, in an intimate moment with His disciples, Yeshua shared these words with His closest friends;

“By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:35

Forgive me for stepping on toes, but He did not say to “love on one another.” Love is not a task, it is the representation of the invisible God at work in people who represent Him. His disciples were appointed to the most important position in the affairs of mankind. When Jesus died, He made love possible and accessible for those who believe. We who believe are responsible to see this through in our generation. God help us if we do not take this to heart in our daily lives.

To avoid future confusion, Yeshua added this;

“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”

As we continue our journey from Jacob, the absence of brotherly love becomes increasingly evident. The need for divine assistance to reflect God’s image grows greater with each generation and the longing for His help begins to yearn in the hearts and lives of the broken.

Has this generation been exposed to the Brotherly Love that Jesus purchased? If Jesus commanded us, we can do it!

It is our duty and honor, not a suggestion.