Shepherds

Gen 46:31 And Joseph said unto his brethren, and unto his father's house, I will go up, and shew Pharaoh, and say unto him, My brethren, and my father's house, which were in the land of Canaan, are come unto me;
Gen 46:32 And the men are shepherds, for their trade hath been to feed cattle; and they have brought their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have.
Gen 46:33 And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?
Gen 46:34 That ye shall say, Thy servants' trade hath been about cattle from our youth even until now, both we, and also our fathers: that ye may dwell in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.

Gen 47:1 Then Joseph came and told Pharaoh, and said, My father and my brethren, and their flocks, and their herds, and all that they have, are come out of the land of Canaan; and, behold, they are in the land of Goshen.
Gen 47:2 And he took some of his brethren, even five men, and presented them unto Pharaoh.
Gen 47:3 And Pharaoh said unto his brethren, What is your occupation? And they said unto Pharaoh, Thy servants are shepherds, both we, and also our fathers.
Gen 47:4 They said moreover unto Pharaoh, For to sojourn in the land are we come; for thy servants have no pasture for their flocks; for the famine is sore in the land of Canaan: now therefore, we pray thee, let thy servants dwell in the land of Goshen.

Joseph warned his brothers to not tell Pharaoh that they were shepherds, because shepherds were despised in Egypt. However, they did tell Pharaoh that they were shepherds, not lying to him. They could have worded this better, just as John Baptist could have spoken in smoother ways to Herod's wife; but he chose to just speak the truth.

Let us apply this to ourselves in today's culture. When asked in public the source of your blessings, do we say we are religious? Or do way say that our blessings come by faith in Jesus Christ? When asked to pray in public do we end a prayer saying amen, or in Jesus name? Are we ashamed of who we are are in Christ Jesus? We are to speak the truth even if the people in the nation call us religious fanatics, or Jesus freaks or even if they bring persecution to us. How they hear us may not be true, but some may hear and believe, so we speak the truth; God will take it from there. The brother's of Joseph spoke the truth which may have offended the Egyptians, but because of the testimony of Joseph, a living type of Christ, the family was greatly blessed. Our words and our life should show Jesus. If we speak truth or lie, our life will show if we are in Christ Jesus, so speak the truth. Do not hide who you are.

Gen 47:5 And Pharaoh spake unto Joseph, saying, Thy father and thy brethren are come unto thee:
Gen 47:6 The land of Egypt is before thee; in the best of the land make thy father and brethren to dwell; in the land of Goshen let them dwell: and if thou knowest any men of activity among them, then make them rulers over my cattle.

They were given the best land and the family of Israel grew in Egypt from seventy to over two million people, because of Joseph who suffered and was faithful so that many would be blessed. Will you be faithful through the problems of life trusting Jesus Christ? God will bless you and others who believe, bringing you through life's problems to His promises. We enter into heavenly places with Christ Jesus.

Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,
Eph 2:5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)
Eph 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Eph 2:7 That in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus.