“²⁵Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. ²⁶And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. ²⁷But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. ²⁸Then Israel said, “It is enough. Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.”

– Genesis 45:25-28 (NKJV)

“Then they went up out of Egypt, and came to the land of Canaan to Jacob their father. (From a journaling priority / significance point of view i.e. what the Inspired Writer of the Scriptures thought to omit, we can deduce that, albeit lengthy, the journey to Canaan was relatively uneventful in terms of eternal consequence or in principle for posterity’s sake.) And they told him, saying, “Joseph is still alive, and he is governor over all the land of Egypt.” (Truly, truly the two most significant pieces of information that Jacob ought to hear; either of which, in their own right, would render him completely mindblown, for lack of a better word. For not only has he just discovered that essentially the totality of his grief these past many years had all been in vain: his beloved Joseph lives [!!], but also that, not only has the Lord carefully preserved Joseph’s life throughout this time, but He has promoted him to the very top of what is currently, famously the most prosperous region in all of the earth!) And Jacob’s heart stood still, because he did not believe them. (I chuckle because when I wrote “mindblown” I was toying with words and phrases such as “dumbstruck”, but considered it somewhat sacrilegious in view of the fact that it describes, quite literally, what the Lord caused to come upon Zachariah: striking him dumb for his lack of Faith, only to discover in the very next phrase that I was not too far off and that the term I was looking for was indeed “Jacob’s heart stood still” 😁. Here we then also find confirmation concerning the reason for Joseph’s insistence upon relaying this message with detailed conviction; attesting to his own carefully curated words and a description of his countenance and sincere tone, lest Jacob should entertain doubt in his heart: a wise admonition indeed in light of the fact that Jacob was then not convinced by the mere relation of these two pieces of information, however impressive they may be in and of themselves; we will however soon see in the next verse how highly effective the finer nuances of the wise words of Joseph himself then proves to be.) But when they told him all the words which Joseph had said to them, and when he saw the carts which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived. (When one pays close attention here it soon becomes evident that the anointed words of Joseph effectively proved the former asseveration, namely that it is indeed his beloved son that lives, and the extravagance of the carts and the goods contained therein during this severe global famine, effectively proved the latter, namely that Joseph has become a man of great power, influence and ability. The phrase “the spirit of Jacob their father revived“ furthermore indicates that Jacob allowed himself to be consoled by- and opened himself up to-, The Truth: a very vulnerable and childlike heart posture for a man who has been disappointed and disheartened by perpetually grieving circumstances beyond what I think we can even imagine – for it might be easy once all is revealed to say in hindsight he ought only to have Trusted and Believed, but the forming of such a Faith – not unlike in the life story of Abraham – is a treasure forged under tremendous strain, unimaginable opposition and circumstances that for all intents and purposes appear, even to the spiritual eye, to be utterly hopeless, even horrifying. There were undoubtedly also a few very subtle phrases throughout the narrative that seemed to indicate that Jacob held out Hope that Joseph might yet be alive; now, to keep oneself open to even greater potential degrees of disappointment and heartache in the name of Hope displays great hardiness of spirit – the type of hardiness only truly produced as a Work of God in His Children’s spirits as He matures and develops it through the fire. For let us also not forget that “Hope deferred makes the heart sick“ [Proverbs 13:12], is it any wonder then that Jacob’s heart quite literally “stood still“ when he was first encouraged to believe that his “dream [could be] fulfilled [unto] a tree of life” [Proverbs 13:12]??) Then Israel said, “It is enough. (Dear reader, I beg of you to pause and consider with great reverence and awe, the significance of this moment. Not unlike our Beloved Lord’s “It Is Finished”, these three pivotal words indicate the moment where man’s will and God’s Will is perfectly aligned, where The Child is in Perfect Harmony with The Father, when The Child has resolved and determined to Believe and consequently act in Faith upon that belief henceforth – spirit, mind, heart, soul and body – without turning back, aside or wavering upon the matter from this moment onwards.) Joseph my son is still alive. I will go and see him before I die.” ” (Notice the conviction inherent in “is” and “will” – words set alight with the dynamic anointed energy of the very Truth of God, the literal “substance of things not seen”, more concrete when spoken with such Faith in such perfect alignment with God’s Will than if it were seen with the natural eye in the infinitely poorer natural realm.)