Joseph’s Inheritance

My Grandma Pennington was really the best of all of us Penningtons. She walked for miles every day, read through the Bible more times than she could count, prayed for each of us by name every morning, only ever ate three peanut M&Ms at a time, always smelled like Chanel N°5, and she always made her husband chuckle. Her chief desire was that we know Jesus. And she made each of us feel like we were her very favorite person in the world. I miss her very much. 

She had some jewelry, and everyone received a piece as part of an inheritance. I got a necklace that is black, gold, and perfect. It may seem like a small thing, but the detail of a fitting piece of jewelry is a reminder of what deeply personal love looks like. My grandmother reflected one way in which God’s goodness is personal: the details matter to Him. He is close to and cares for His children. He created us with love, and He cares about our relationships and our beautiful, marvelous grandmothers.

I just love this passage about Israel’s happy ending—their long-awaited, personal inheritance. I understand that reading about the division of land might seem dry. But lists and rosters are often where we can really find the good stuff. It is precisely in these particulars that we see the practical outworking of the favor of God. His promises are not far off and cold, because even in the mundane, jewelry-wearing aspects of our lives, all of His promises are “Yes” and “Amen” (2 Corinthians 1:20). 

What a relief and joy to realize God is not indifferent to or dismissive of our circumstances. He considers our estate, and provides an inheritance for all His people. And boy, does He love people! The abundance of children and grandchildren as His generous blessing is a constant theme in Scripture. The blessing of fruitfulness, the continuation of families, and the generational promises of God’s covenant are signs of His favor. “We have many people, because the LORD has been blessing us greatly” (Joshua 17:14). And this family isn’t limited to biology. In Christ, God’s family extends beyond literal descendants to bless us with a far-reaching family through faith. Every person gains a heap of brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, parents, and children they are called to care for like flesh and blood in the body of Christ.

And when He blesses us with more people, He provides according to our needs. Yes, even the very land beneath our feet is His generous gift. We ought not fear or worry about the sufficiency of His provision. He knows us by name and knits us together before we are even born. The life of the Christian is an adventure story where we know the ending. He makes dear provisions for us along the way. He knows our names. He provides for us an inheritance perfectly tailored to us and out of His abundant generosity.