Genesis 46:33 “And it shall come to pass, when Pharaoh shall call you, and shall say, What is your occupation?”

Genesis 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.”

In Genesis 46, Joseph is now reconciled with his brothers because their lives and actions have shown genuine repentance over what they did to him, and true forgiveness has been extended and received.

And the story continues. Because at this time, there is a great famine happening, Joseph is the only one who’s seen it coming and prepared for it… but there’s still five more years to go of it!

But Joseph has got it covered! He tells his brothers to bring all their families and everything they have, and their father also, to dwell in the land of Egypt where he can protect, sustain and nourish them.

And here, at the end of chapter 46, Joseph is carefully instructing his brothers what to say to Pharaoh (king of Egypt) to ensure that Pharaoh separates them from the Egyptians, so that although living in Egypt, they are still sanctified to God and not assimilated into Egyptian gods, belief and culture… and he does this by telling them to tell Pharaoh that they are shepherds.

Telling Pharaoh that they are shepherds is a red flag to Pharaoh and the Egyptians, because they HATE shepherds. Funny little detail though isn’t it! Shepherds weren’t just disliked, they were an “abomination” to the Egyptians!

This story is the first mention of “shepherd” in the Bible. And the word “shepherd” should make every child of God sit up and pay attention to what is being taught here in scripture. And it opens up quite a lot of vital doctrine in the Bible in picture form.

One of our Saviour’s many descriptions is that he is the “Shepherd of Israel, “good shepherd”, “great shepherd” and “chief Shepherd”. Hopefully, if you are saved, you can truly say he is “my shepherd”!!! Psalm 23!

… What’s a shepherd? The word “shepherd” means “A man employed in tending, feeding and guarding sheep in the pasture.”

And if you are saved in Christ, this is you! But firstly, the concept of “shepherds” deals primarily with men. Never has there been a greater assault on “manhood”, the average church is now run by women either directly or indirectly. God is not against women, but “the Egyptians” are against men of God who will shepherd the flock God gave them.

What’s your flock? God has surely given you and entrusted you with someone or something no doubt!

Maybe your flock is your wife and children. Maybe your flock is the church congregation. If you are a Christian man, you are called to “shepherd” who and what God has entrusted you with, while looking unto, obeying and relying entirely upon him to do so.

Paul singled out a guy in his letter to the Colossian church and said this “And say to Archippus, Take heed to the ministry which thou hast received in the Lord, that thou fulfil it.”

Don’t fail this duty! In the Old Testament, God came down hard on their many fraudulent shepherds who failed, fouled and forsook his flock. And when Jesus arrived on the scene he saw the multitudes still “as sheep having no shepherd.”

Note: being a shepherd isn’t “I’m the leader rah rah rah”, it’s servanthood and sacrifice, it’s HIS flock bought with HIS blood, you are under Christ, you lead by following Christ’s example and command. Jesus gave his life for the sheep in John 10, and he knew, cared, saw, and went to rescue that one sheep lost in the wilderness in Luke 15…. David as a shepherd boy in 1 Samuel 17 rescued his lamb even out of the jaws of a lion and a bear!

Could this be us!? Being a “shepherd” is a privilege and high calling from God… but if you’re going to do it God’s way, if you’re truly going to shepherd the Bible way… you can expect to be abominable to many other people all along the way! Because even still… “every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians”.

Blog Bible Christian Church Egypt Family Flock Genesis God Jesus Joseph Lead Leader Sheep Shepherd