They will not believe me

Exodus 4: 1-9: “And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee. And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand: That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the LORD said furthermore unto him, Put now thine hand into thy bosom. And he put his hand into his bosom: and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous as snow. And he said, Put thine hand into thy bosom again. And he put his hand into his bosom again; and plucked it out of his bosom, and, behold, it was turned again as his other flesh. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe thee, neither hearken to the voice of the first sign, that they will believe the voice of the latter sign. And it shall come to pass, if they will not believe also these two signs, neither hearken unto thy voice, that thou shalt take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.”

There are two kinds of people, those who will try anything, often without thinking about what they are doing and those who take care before they do anything and often don’t do it because they are over cautious. Alexander Pope wrote “Fools rush in where Angels fear to tread.” (An essay on criticism 1709) and this gives a solemn warning to everyone. However, Moses was called by the Lord to do something and we know that “whom the Lord calls He equips” (we know this from Heb 13: 20, 21, “Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, 21 Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is wellpleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”) At that stage Moses was overwhelmed by the size of the task in front of him but the Lord already knew what was needed and prepared a series of miracles for him to perform to show exactly who the Egyptians were dealing with. However, the Lord was also dealing with Egypt in grace and giving them a chance to see just how great He really is so that they could submit to His authority and enjoy all the benefits of His goodness.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Go and gather the elders

Exodus 3: 16-22: “Go, and gather the elders of Israel together, and say unto them, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared unto me, saying, I have surely visited you, and seen that which is done to you in Egypt: And I have said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt unto the land of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites, unto a land flowing with milk and honey. And they shall hearken to thy voice: and thou shalt come, thou and the elders of Israel, unto the king of Egypt, and ye shall say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath met with us: and now let us go, we beseech thee, three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God. And I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not by a mighty hand. And I will stretch out my hand, and smite Egypt with all my wonders which I will do in the midst thereof: and after that he will let you go. And I will give this people favour in the sight of the Egyptians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty: But every woman shall borrow of her neighbour, and of her that sojourneth in her house, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and ye shall put them upon your sons, and upon your daughters; and ye shall spoil the Egyptians.”

Moses wouldn’t have been able to anything to deliver Israel from slavery without the support of their leaders. Even though they were slaves, they still retained some structures in their society and knew who would represent them to Pharaoh or his administrators if they needed to work any problems out. These people would still have their ethnic identity and their ethnic memory so they would remember the stories about the ancestors, especially Joseph who was still a hero in Egypt. After all, it was only four generation since Joseph and the time his family went down into Egypt (see Gen 15: 13-16, “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) 

They would also remember the promise that God made to Abraham and would have been secretly hoping for this time of deliverance. Moses reminded them of these things and they were willing to accept his word because it was the same as the things they knew from their parents and grandparents. They had been slaves and worked for no pay for a long time so the Lord told them to borrow silver, gold, jewels and whatever else they could so that they would be paid for the years of slavery.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Who am I

Exodus 3: 11-15: “And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? And he said, Certainly I will be with thee; and this shall be a token unto thee, that I have sent thee: When thou hast brought forth the people out of Egypt, ye shall serve God upon this mountain. And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you. And God said moreover unto Moses, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, The LORD God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you: this is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations.”

It was all very well for the Lord to tell Moses to go and set His people free but Moses really wanted to know what he was going to tell the Israelis and the Egyptians. The Egyptians had many gods and they would surely ask Moses which god was asking them to let the slaves go. Moses began by asking the obvious question first, “Who am I?” Who would just accept someone who had just come in from the desert and give them what they wanted, especially when it was something that could well alter the entire economy of the country? The Lord told Moses that He would be with His servant and that was all that Moses needed to know. The Lord said, when you have succeeded in this venture then you will come back to this mountain and serve Me here. This really did happen for the Law was given to Moses at that very place. God is the only Person Who can confidently predict the future. He says what is going to happen and then He makes it happen. Moses other question about the Lord’s identity was also very important. What would Israel say when this man, who they had previously rejected, (see Acts 7: 35, “This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush.”) suddenly came out of the bush and said “Trust me guys”? The Lord told Moses that He was the God of their fathers and He told Moses to tell Pharaoh that He is the God Who is always there. This is where Israel was introduced to the personal covenantal God, that is, the LORD. He had been with them since the beginning of the nation and He would be with them forever.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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I have surely seen

Exodus 3: 7-10: “And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.”

Notice that the Lord knew what was happening to His people. This reminds us of the words of the Lord Jesus Christ, “Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows. Whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven.” (Matt: 10: 29-32) The Lord always knows what is going on in the life of every person and He is working for good in the end (“And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. (Rom 8: 28)) While the Lord was delaying in grace, as far as the Amorites were concerned, He was also delaying in grace to allow the Israelis to establish themselves as a viable nation, fit and ready to take up their Promised Land. This Land was big enough for all their needs and very fertile as well. The Lord had made sure that everything was in place and everything was prepared before He began His work of deliverance. No one could say that the Lord wasn’t prepared and hadn’t thought about every issue before the whole process began.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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And the angel of the Lord appeared

Exodus 3: 1-6: “Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, I will now turn aside, and see this great sight, why the bush is not burnt. And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.”

In spite of what many people say today, the desert is a good place to get to know God. When Moses had to spend time out in the desert with the flocks looking for water and feed, he had plenty of time to see the greatness and majesty of the Lord as he looked into the sky. The Egyptians didn’t like shepherds who kept flocks and herds (see Gen 46: 34, “for every shepherd is an abomination unto the Egyptians.”) so they didn’t have the same experience of spending time under the stars in the night. Their view of God was much smaller and restricted because they kept away from the wide open spaces and stayed close to the river. They worshipped gods that were related to the river and the yearly flood season bringing the life they depended on. On the other hand, Moses had forty years to expand his understanding of the Lord and know that the Lord is far greater than any of the gods of Egypt. Moses was in Midian and came to a mountain called Horeb, there he saw a bush that was burning but wasn’t destroyed in the fire. He went over to bush to see what was happening. The Lord called out to Moses from the bush, for He was there, causing the bush to burn. The Lord told Moses to take his shoes off because he was standing on holy ground and told Moses that He was the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Even though Moses had been trained in the best schools of Egypt, he understood what the Lord was talking about because his mother trained him first and taught him all about the Lord. Moses understood the situation and was afraid to look at the Lord. The time had come and Moses was prepared to do the job the Lord had prepared for him even though he needed some persuading.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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God remembered

Exodus 2: 23-25: “And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage. And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them.”

The king of Egypt, who could well have been Hatshepsut, Pharaoh’s daughter who adopted Moses, died but nothing else changed for Israel. It is possible that Moses was free to return now that the Pharaoh was dead. God heard Israel’s groaning; who wouldn’t groan under the yoke of slavery? When God hears he acts. This is not to suggest that there is any moment in time when the Lord is not in full contact with every part of His creation. It is just that He delays, from time to time, in grace so that other people have chances to take advantage of His grace. He was still giving the Amorites a chance to repent (see Gen 15: 16 “But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) However, now that the time was ready God made preparations to fulfil the promise that he had made to Abraham all those years before. It is good to know that when God remembers He acts. This is not to suggest, again, that God has forgotten. However, we can all take comfort in these words, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” (1 Cor 10: 13) The most important thing for us to remember is that God does hear and God does remember.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Moses was content to dwell with the man

Exodus 2: 16-22: “Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the troughs to water their father’s flock. And the shepherds came and drove them away: but Moses stood up and helped them, and watered their flock. And when they came to Reuel their father, he said, How is it that ye are come so soon to day? And they said, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the shepherds, and also drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he said unto his daughters, And where is he? why is it that ye have left the man? call him, that he may eat bread. And Moses was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Moses Zipporah his daughter. And she bare him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land.”

Moses ran away in a hurry without making any arrangements before he left. He fled in fear of his life because he was concerned that Pharaoh might take his life after the murder that he committed. Moses, at that time, was a possible pretender to the Egyptian throne and, surely, the reigning Pharaoh would have been happy to find a good reason to eliminate him and ensure the succession along the lines that he wanted. There was already some tension with Hatshepsut and her unwillingness to give the throne to her half brother who was the legitimate heir to the throne. However, God know the end from the beginning (Is 46: 10, “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:”) and He was prepared for this eventuality. Moses, alone and, no doubt, afraid, met some women who were shepherds who were prevented from watering their flocks by other shepherds. Moses, at that stage of his life he was fairly impetuous, defended them and helped them water their flock. They arrived home early and their father wanted to know why they had got home so early. They told their father that an Egyptian had helped them. Moses would have been mistaken for an Egyptian at that stage as he was dressed like an Egyptian and had grown up immersed in the Egyptian culture. The Lord knew that Moses would need some kind of support system during his years of exile and had prepared the ideal situation for Moses. In fact, Moses was able to live with that family and marry one of their daughters. Soon Moses had a son and he called the son Gershom because he was a stranger in a strange land.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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When Moses was grown

Exodus 2: 11-15: “And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand. And when he went out the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews strove together: and he said to him that did the wrong, Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow? And he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian? And Moses feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.”

Moses was well trained and knew that he was an Israeli but he didn’t know the Lord. He decided that he would act in his own way in his own time instead of trusting God to work in His way at His perfect time. He also needed to learn something about dealing with average people rather than the sycophants he would have met in the court. The Lord was ready to move Moses on to the next stage of his life but Moses had to make the choice to identify with his own people rather than with the people who had adopted him. When this happened the Lord took Moses out of Egypt and into the desert so that he could get to know the Lord as the God of all the earth.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Shall I go and call a nurse?

Exodus 2: 7-10: “Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that she may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, Go. And the maid went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will give thee thy wages. And the woman took the child, and nursed it. And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. And she called his name Moses: and she said, Because I drew him out of the water.”

Miriam, Moses sister (see Ex 15: 20, “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron”), was left to wait and see what happened. As soon as she saw Pharaoh’s daughter pick the baby up she ran to ask the princess if she needed someone to feed the baby. Things like baby formula were not readily available in those days and some people would pay wet nurse to give her milk to their child. In this case Jochebed , Moses’ mother, already had milk and she was paid to care for her own baby. The Lord had overruled so that the baby Moses was saved from death and put in the most secure place possible. Moses’ mother was with him all the time and was able to teach him about his heritage so that he would know that he belonged to the Israeli nation. On top of this, as the adopted grandson of Pharaoh, Moses was trained to rule in Egypt. Later Moses was well prepared to lead Israel due to his unique circumstances.

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The daughter of Pharaoh

Exodus 2: 5-6: “And the daughter of Pharaoh came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river’s side; and when she saw the ark among the flags, she sent her maid to fetch it. And when she had opened it, she saw the child: and, behold, the babe wept. And she had compassion on him, and said, This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”

The Egyptians were very concerned about being clean and they washed every day if they could. This was also part of their daily religious rituals. It is interesting that the Lord used someone who was worshipping another god to His will. The most important woman in the Egyptian history of that period was Hatshepsut. She began as Pharaoh’s daughter but was the only woman to be Pharaoh of Egypt. In order to preserve Moses, the Lord used the most powerful woman of that period in history. She saw the baby and felt pity even though he belonged to the Hebrews and her father had commanded that all the Hebrew boys had to die. The Lord said, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.” (Is 55: 8, 9) Who but the Lord would have thought of such a wonderful and miraculous way to save the man who would, one day, lead Egypt out of slavery in Egypt.

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She hid him three months

Exodus 2: 1-4: “And there went a man of the house of Levi, and took to wife a daughter of Levi. And the woman conceived, and bare a son: and when she saw him that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months. And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes, and daubed it with slime and with pitch, and put the child therein; and she laid it in the flags by the river’s brink. And his sister stood afar off, to wit what would be done to him.”

Even though the nation of Israel was enslaved they still continued their lives. They didn’t give up and succumb to self pity but were determined to continue the nation as though they were free. It was the perseverance that took Israel through their years of slavery in Egypt and, much later, through their years of exile in Babylon. In fact, this perseverance has kept Israel going to this very day even though they had no homeland from AD 135 until AD 1948. What is the use of families having children if they are just meant to kill any boys that are born? In this case Moses’ mother kept her son for as long as she could, which was three months and then she trusted the child to the Lord’s care and put him in a waterproof box in the river Nile. She still longed for her child so she sent her older daughter to watch the baby and see what happened. Christians live in a world where there is often persecution and trial but we are called to persevere (see Hebrews 12: 3-5, “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, striving against sin. And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him:”) It is good for us to trust our children to the Lord and He will take care of them.

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He made them houses

Exodus 1: 18-22: “And the king of Egypt called for the midwives, and said unto them, Why have ye done this thing, and have saved the men children alive? And the midwives said unto Pharaoh, Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are lively, and are delivered ere the midwives come in unto them. Therefore God dealt well with the midwives: and the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty. And it came to pass, because the midwives feared God, that he made them houses. And Pharaoh charged all his people, saying, Every son that is born ye shall cast into the river, and every daughter ye shall save alive.”

While it is true that God can work miraculously to do His will on earth, He also uses ordinary people. In fact, Christianity is simply a matter of small people doing small things in a small way in conjunction with Almighty God doing Almighty things in His Almighty way. These women were in exactly the same boat as we, who deny ourselves, take up our crosses daily and follow the Lord Jesus Christ today. When this passage says that the God made the women houses it doesn’t mean that he gave them buildings. The first time that the word “house” occurs in the Bible is in Gen 7: 1 (“And the LORD said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark; for thee have I seen righteous before me in this generation.”) This tells us that Noah has an everlasting heritage before the Lord and, in fact, his descendants are still alive today and populating the whole of the earth. The families of these women didn’t die out and their descendants are still alive today. The greatest miracle that comes from Almighty God doing Almighty things in His Almighty way is everlasting life. If you fear God today and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ then you will have an everlasting house and a mansion in heaven (“Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.” John 14: 1-3) Does you have your name on a mansion in heaven, do you have a house?

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The midwives feared God

Exodus 1: 15-17: “And the king of Egypt spake to the Hebrew midwives, of which the name of the one was Shiphrah, and the name of the other Puah: And he said, When ye do the office of a midwife to the Hebrew women, and see them upon the stools; if it be a son, then ye shall kill him: but if it be a daughter, then she shall live. But the midwives feared God, and did not as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the men children alive.”

This section gives us the names of two of Israel’s greatest heroes. Shiphrah and Puah may have been midwives but they were slaves as well. They risked their own lives to save the Israeli boys who were born during that period. We know much more about the great warriors, generals and kings of the Old Testament, including women like Deborah but who remembers the names of these women? They saved the boys, including Moses. After Israel left Egypt they had 603,550 fighting men (Num 1: 46) plus the Levites and all the boys who were under age. I wonder how many of these men were saved by the Hebrew midwives? It is possible for anyone to do great things for the Lord even though they don’t have a high profile or powerful job. The only requirement is that we fear the Lord.

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Let us deal wisely with them

Exodus 1: 8-14: “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph. And he said unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we: Come on, let us deal wisely with them; lest they multiply, and it come to pass, that, when there falleth out any war, they join also unto our enemies, and fight against us, and so get them up out of the land. Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens. And they built for Pharaoh treasure cities, Pithom and Raamses. But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and grew. And they were grieved because of the children of Israel. And the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour: And they made their lives bitter with hard bondage, in morter, and in brick, and in all manner of service in the field: all their service, wherein they made them serve, was with rigour.”

Egypt had previously been invaded by the Hyksos but they had driven them out after about a century. The new king of Egypt was probably afraid that the Israelis would try to take over and control Egypt as well. However, Joseph, one of the children of Israel had saved Egypt from complete starvation and had proved to be a good friend of the Egyptians. This Pharaoh was ungrateful for the fact that Joseph, the Israelite, had saved Egypt and decided to enslave them so that they wouldn’t develop into an organised unit and take the kingdom from him. They forced them to work long hard hours to keep them exhausted but the Lord blessed them by allowing them to multiply. The first time that we discover multiplying in the Bible is in Gen 1: 22 (“And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”) and it is also the first time that we discover God blessing something. Even though Pharaoh decided that he would enslave Israel, the Lord blessed them. Nothing on the earth can stop the Lord from blessing whoever He chooses to bless.

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These are the names

Exodus 1: 1-7: “Now these are the names of the children of Israel, which came into Egypt; every man and his household came with Jacob. Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan, and Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. And all the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy souls: for Joseph was in Egypt already. And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation. And the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them.”

While Genesis gives us the long term context for the formation of the nation of Israel Exodus gives us the immediate context for the formation of that nation. How did a nation of slaves become God’s agents in punishing the Amorites for their sin and then take possession of the Promised Land? Why did they have any right to possess the Land at all? (These questions are specifically answered in Genesis 15). However, this book begins with a nation of slaves . Never the less, God still remembered each one of these slaves and their names were graven upon the palms of His hands (Is 49: 16). We may be in the most difficult of circumstances and we may feel that escape is impossible but the Lord still remembers who and where we are. The first time that we read about “fruitful and multiply” is on the fifth day of creation (Gen 1: 22, “And God blessed them, saying, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.”) Even though these people were slaves God was still blessing them because being fruitful and multiplying is a consequence of being blessed God. The whole story of Israel began when God promised that He would bless Abram and God still blessed Abram even though his descendants were slaves in a strange land God was defining Israel’s sons as a distinct and exceptional nation.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joseph dwelt in Egypt

Genesis 50: 22-26: “And Joseph dwelt in Egypt, he, and his father’s house: and Joseph lived an hundred and ten years. And Joseph saw Ephraim’s children of the third generation: the children also of Machir the son of Manasseh were brought up upon Joseph’s knees. And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. And Joseph took an oath of the children of Israel, saying, God will surely visit you, and ye shall carry up my bones from hence. So Joseph died, being an hundred and ten years old: and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”

This section should be read in conjunction with the Lord’s promise to Abraham (see Gen 15: 13-16, “And he said unto Abram, Know of a surety that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four hundred years; And also that nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge: and afterward shall they come out with great substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.”) Genesis sets the context for the rest of the books of the Law and the books of the Law set the context for the rest of the Bible. However, behind everything we see that God is determined to bless all the families of the earth, which is another way of saying “whosoever believeth in Him shall have everlasting life.”). In many ways everlasting life is equivalent to eternal life but it is different in the fact that it is accessible today. Joseph experienced the beginning of his everlasting life before he died, while he was still living in Egypt. Have you begun experiencing your everlasting life today?

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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God meant it unto good

Genesis 50: 15-21: “And when Joseph’s brethren saw that their father was dead, they said, Joseph will peradventure hate us, and will certainly requite us all the evil which we did unto him. And they sent a messenger unto Joseph, saying, Thy father did command before he died, saying, So shall ye say unto Joseph, Forgive, I pray thee now, the trespass of thy brethren, and their sin; for they did unto thee evil: and now, we pray thee, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of thy father. And Joseph wept when they spake unto him. And his brethren also went and fell down before his face; and they said, Behold, we be thy servants. And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive. Now therefore fear ye not: I will nourish you, and your little ones. And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”

Joseph’s brothers were guilty because they knew that they had behaved very badly towards their own brother. They also judged him by their own standards and expected him to seek revenge as, no doubt, they would have done. They manufactured lie by telling Joseph that their father had specifically commanded him not to take revenge. However, Joseph was made of different stuff and he knew God personally. He understood why he had been through all those years of trials and tribulations. First, he understood that vengeance belongs to the Lord and not to any man (Deut 32: 35, “To me belongeth vengeance, and recompence;” and compare Heb 10: 30, “For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth unto me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again, The Lord shall judge his people.”).Joseph had no business seeking vengeance because he knew the Lord would take care of any vengeance that was needed. He also understood the truth that Paul wrote about as well (Rom 8: 28, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.”) No matter how people deal with us, if we trust our lives to the Lord then He will work for good. Joseph also predicted the words of the Psalmist (Psalm 119: 65-80, “Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O LORD, according unto thy word. Teach me good judgment and knowledge: for I have believed thy commandments. Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word. Thou art good, and doest good; teach me thy statutes. The proud have forged a lie against me: but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart. Their heart is as fat as grease; but I delight in thy law. It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn thy statutes. The law of thy mouth is better unto me than thousands of gold and silver. Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me understanding, that I may learn thy commandments. They that fear thee will be glad when they see me; because I have hoped in thy word. I know, O LORD, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me. Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant. Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that I may live: for thy law is my delight. Let the proud be ashamed; for they dealt perversely with me without a cause: but I will meditate in thy precepts. Let those that fear thee turn unto me, and those that have known thy testimonies. Let my heart be sound in thy statutes; that I be not ashamed.”)

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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Joseph returned in Egypt

Genesis 50; 14 “And Joseph returned into Egypt, he, and his brethren, and all that went up with him to bury his father, after he had buried his father.”

When we face a crisis in our lives we often want the world to stop to allow us time to recover. If we have suffered a severe bereavement or set back then it is very hard to look around and see other people continuing their lives without a care in the world. How hard is it to attend the funeral of a dearly loved person and see other people laughing and, seemingly, enjoying their lives without a care in the world.? Joseph had to go back to Egypt after his father had died and continue to serve grain to everyone else so that they could survive as well. If we trust in God we can face these issues with security because we know that we have a secure future. We will be with the Lord Jesus Christ forever when all the trials and griefs of this world are over.

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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A grievous mourning to the Egyptians

Genesis 50: 7-13: “And Joseph went up to bury his father: and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the elders of his house, and all the elders of the land of Egypt, And all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house: only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen: and it was a very great company. And they came to the threshingfloor of Atad, which is beyond Jordan, and there they mourned with a great and very sore lamentation: and he made a mourning for his father seven days. And when the inhabitants of the land, the Canaanites, saw the mourning in the floor of Atad, they said, This is a grievous mourning to the Egyptians: wherefore the name of it was called Abelmizraim, which is beyond Jordan. And his sons did unto him according as he commanded them: For his sons carried him into the land of Canaan, and buried him in the cave of the field of Machpelah, which Abraham bought with the field for a possession of a buryingplace of Ephron the Hittite, before Mamre.”

Even though Jacob sons were born in strife and lived in strife, they agreed with each other when it came time to bury their father. Some of them hated him, as we can see by the fact that his eldest son slept with his concubine, but they all realised that there was something beyond this life to look forward to. While the Egyptians were weeping the children of Israel were ensuring their place in eternity. We too face the same issue; are we going to weep about the things we have lost in our presents lives or are we going to rejoice in the secure future that God has stored up for us, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ?

(The view expressed in this blog are my own and should not be taken as inspired in any way.)

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