Jacob, Pharaoh & J.D. Drew

Josh, Ethan & J.D. Drew

Genesis 47:7-10
When Jacob met Pharaoh he reversed things a little bit. Pharaoh was used to being the one giving out the blessings. He was after all considered a god. But Jacob didn't see it that way. Because he knew the real and living God he was able to be a blessing to this worldwide celebrity. Not once… but twice.

This goes against the grain in a couple of different ways. One how often do we walk away from celebrity knowing that we have been a blessing to them? Yea, I know it is kind of a rush for us. When we meet some famous person face to face even briefly it gets the adrenaline flowing.

When my son Josh was a small child we would go to every Florida State Baseball game we possibly could. This was back in the days of J.D. Drew. Josh was a not old enough to understand a whole lot about baseball or just how good J.D. really was but he understood one thing...when the announcer said 'now batting J. D. Drew' people reacted to him in a way that was unlike the reaction to any other player. No matter if anyone was on base or not, if the game was close or a blowout, or if the team was playing Miami or the Virginia Military institute everyone in the stadium stood to their feet and cheered wildly...because it was J. D. Drew.

At the time Josh was old enough to be a fan but not old enough go with the 'big boys' down to the field and get an autograph. During the final home game of J.D.'s final year it was now or never if we were going to get some J.D. Drew memorabilia... so off we went. The game was over so we trekked down with all the groupies to wait outside the dressing room and get our J.D Drew autographed baseball. We waited and waited and waited. No J.D. What happened? How did he do that? Is there a secret escape hatch? To this day I don't know how we missed him. But the results were the same. No record. No memory. No reminder whatsoever of the three great years we had to sit and watch the greatest baseball player to ever play at Dick Howser Stadium. So after three years J. D. moved out of town and we had no memorabilia from the Drew days.

But then came our second chance. As we were walking out the stadium (we were usually among the last to leave because Josh would always want to look around for free baseballs and stuff) we heard someone yell across the field, "We’re meeting J.D. at the Roadhouse if you want to come". He wasn't talking to us but we took it as our invitation. We rushed to the house. Grabbed our baseballs and cards and headed to the Roadhouse. We arrived, walked inside looked around. No J.D. We asked the hostess. She said, "he's out on the porch” Got him. There's no escaping this time. So we walked outside. There he was. J.D. Drew. We introduced ourselves and asked for the 'graphs'. He graciously obliged.

We did not bless J.D. Drew that day. He blessed us. He gave us a simple gesture but one that made our day and still sits proudly in our house. That's the usual way with celebrity.

Not so with Jacob and Pharaoh. When Jacob met Pharaoh (one of it not the most powerful men in the world) he did not come looking for a blessing. He came to give one. Genesis 47:7 records the moment for us. This shepherd (shepherds despised in Egypt by the way) was not star struck. He was so God struck with the real and living God that he became the blessing. He did not come to pharaoh only to receive but he came to give. And he did. Not once. But twice. Genesis 47:10
records the second one.


I'll let you know the second reason it strikes me a little different that Jacob blessed Pharaoh...or feel free to take your guesses.