Genesis 47-48. “I have lived 130 long hard years, and I am not nearly as old as many of my ancestors.” (TLB). The NASB says it this way, “The years of my sojourning are 130; few and unpleasant have been the years of my life, nor have they attained the years that my fathers lived during the days of their sojourning.” His father that Jacob referred to were his Grandfather Abraham who died at the age of 180 years and his father Isaac died at 175years, and at this time Jacob was 130 years old. It is said that Jacob lived 17 years in Egypt, with the land where Joseph was sold to; so this would make Jacob 147 when he died. He must have been comparing his own life with his father and Grandfather. And I wonder how much he knew of some of the downside of his ancestors was passed on to him: like both his Grandpa and his Father lying to the King who their wife was, or how they dealt with the wife not being able to have children. I do believe that it was passed on to Jacob knew about the promises God made to them. As he looked back over the years, he had quite a few grief stories to remember, but in tomorrows reading, we will see how in the end, he staid trusting God through thick and thin years of life. How would I describe my life that I lived all these 86 years? My father was (0 years old when he died and Grandpa Bender (Enoch) was 57 or near that age when he died when Papa was 17 years of age, the age of Joseph when he was rudely taken from his home and sold to the Ishmaelites and landed in Egypt for 17 years till Jacob providentially came to Egypt and saw his son, Joseph. In all of the time that he was able to be with his favorite son was 34 years. Papa would get awake and hear his father’s voice praying out loud to God via the stove pipe in the kitchen. And how Papa’s heart sank when he overheard someone say that Enock probably will be buried next in this cemetery. If I remember correctly this took place in the Maple Glen cemetery at the burial of Joel J. Miller. (Should check with my husband whether the name is right.) Before Papa’s father Enoch passed away, he gave advice, “Buy a team of horses and plow peoples’s gardens and truck patches. Papa did this and staid living with his Mom in the house where he was born. My oldest Brother Raymond was also in this house. Papas took care of Grandma in this house after they were married. Our house burned to the ground when I was 2 ½ years old and they were very poor through the depression days. It seemed that when March the 12th came around, Papa would mention how good God was to us that all lives were saved. Mama and the little ones were caring for Grandma Bender while her regular care-givers went to the wedding of Asa and Wilma Maust. So there was no one in the house when the fire began. They became deep in debt through those years, but later in life when I went back to visit my parents, Papa would share his finance’ status and say, God has been so good to us. Now he was not worried about how to make money. He was seeking where to put the money before they die. He faithfully wanted to please God until God takes him home. What did Papa say about his life span on earth? He like Jacob would give expression to being hard but God always coming through to them and this kind of faith was passed on to me, even as a very young child, so that I don’t remember that I ever wanted to stray from pleasing God, even though there were hard times in my life. When they took me back to see the house still smoldering, I cried when I saw my Black handled scissors laying on the cement walk partly charred. At that moment I was carried in, I think in the arms of Papa. He shared my pain and I didn’t get stuck in the painful memory. God’s people keep on making faith-building stories. Let us be one of them!. Love, Erma
Posted on: Sat, 24 Jan 2015 11:58:56 +0000
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