Who Is Greater Than Who?

 

And Joseph brought in Jacob his father, and set him before Pharaoh: and Jacob blessed Pharaoh. (Genesis 47:7)

A weather-beaten, hundred and thirty-year-old pilgrim limps into a mysterious palatial paradise. Pharaoh the great king of the most powerful nation on earth receives him after much pomp. The typical guest would feel overwhelmed with the great sights, smells, and procession of the pagan court and would be overcome with the feeling of his own smallness. Yet, something strange happens in the presence of this king: Jacob blesses Pharaoh.

Let’s stop and take a poll of the Egyptian population: “Who is greater–Pharaoh with his mighty kingdom or Jacob with his meager tribe of seventy souls?” I’m sure you can agree with me that the vote would probably be 99.99% toward Pharaoh with an error margin of .01%. Let’s take a popularity poll today. “Who is greater Bill Gates, the President, your choice of rich and powerful person, or “you the Christian?” We already know what the poll results would be.

And without all contradiction the less is blessed of the better. (Hebrews 7:7)

Hebrews says that Melchisedec blessed Abraham, because that King and High Priest was greater than Abraham. Jacob blessed Pharaoh because Jacob was greater. Jacob was not greater in health, wealth, popularity, or power, but greater in his relationship to God.

Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world. (I John 4:4)

Let’s pray for the confidence of the great Patriarch, Jacob. His confidence was not derived from himself but was in the greatness of his God. He knew that he could bless the king in a way that the king could never bless him. He prayed for the king to the God who hears prayer and pointed Pharaoh to the God who gives eternal life. Again, Jacob was not demonstrating a spirit of pride and arrogance but a spirit of confidence in His God.

Last spring when hundreds of pastors and Christian laymen went from office to office in our capital saying, “We are not here to ask you for anything, we want you to know that we honor your position of authority, we love you in the Lord, and we are praying for you.” “Can we have a word of prayer with you before we go? Mr. Congressman, Senator…” The answer was almost always “Yes.” and “Thank you!”  We discovered we could do for Washington DC something Washington could never do for us. We could bless them!

Three Reasons Why We Can Bless The World

1.)   We are Children of the King. We sometimes are ashamed of ourselves, but we should never be ashamed of who our Heavenly Father is.

2.)   We are ambassadors. We are strangers and pilgrims on this earth.   We might not have worldly possessions. However, we are from a heavenly kingdom where no one ever gets sick or hurt nor has to say goodbye.

3.)  We will rule and reign with Christ some day.  God is not just preparing us for a home in heaven but for a future reign on earth. We will one day be rulers in a perfect world, with a perfect King of Kings.

Bless all the Pharaohs in your life!! Pray for them and with them. Tell them about Jesus. Be a godly example.