I feel like I am standing in awe of the road that stretches out before us like a ribbon across the plains. A new journey awaits us and our traveling companion is a man named Moses. His life will have moments that will make us shout in victory as well as moments that will leave us shaking our head, but he is altogether real. A real man with real victories as well as failures. Who, by choice of the Father, changed the world. His beginnings were humble- in fact, he was not meant to live much beyond his first breath. Yet, God had a much different plan for him.
First, let us look to the beginning of Moses' lineage, as his parents were of the tribe of Levi. Levi was one of Jacob's sons to whom the twelve tribes of Israel derived. Jacob had loved all of his sons, but Joseph held his heart chords. Joseph was the son of his most beloved wife, Rachel, and as a result, he became the most highly favored. This, of course, created a stir among the brothers as they battled jealousy. The seeds of favoritism buried deep within grew into voracious bitter weeds that entangled all the brothers. It overtook them and they began to plot Joseph's death. They decided, instead, to "sell" him into slavery and tell their father that he had been killed by a wild animal. Family dysfunction is not a new theme. Families from the beginning of time have struggled, but deceit and bitterness are always at the core.
Joseph was taken to Egypt where, by a series of God-ordained circumstances, he found himself at the service of the Pharaoh. He gained such trust that the Pharaoh placed Joseph in a position of power and leadership that was second only to himself. Later, as a famine struck Canaan, Jacob and his sons had to come to Egypt in desperate need of assistance. There, the hidden deeds of the past came into the light of truth as Joseph revealed his true identity to his father and brothers. Joseph could have been bitter. He could have been vengeful, but instead he spoke these words, "God has sent me here to keep you and your families alive so that you will become a great nation. Yes, it was God who sent me here, not you! And he has made me a counselor to Pharaoh- manager of his entire household and ruler over all Egypt." (Genesis 46:7-8 NLT) Instead of revenge, he offered the hand of forgiveness, healing and love. Oh, that we could grasp that - revenge will never do for us what forgiveness can!
As a result, the Israelites stayed in Egypt as honored guests of the Pharaoh and lived in prosperity for a time.....but, soon the tides of favor moved. That Pharaoh passed and the heroics of Joseph were long forgotten as the Israelites slipped from the place of honor to that of slave. Perhaps you can relate to that somewhat. Have you ever felt that you had once held a place of honor in some one's life only to be set aside later? There is little that hurts more than that kind of rejection. This, however was not an individual, but a nation.... a nation, that had been blessed and honored by so many that found itself thrust into slavery. Why? What was the cause of their downfall?
Let us look to Exodus chapter one.... " Then a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He told his people, "These Israelites are becoming a threat to us because there are so many of them. We must find a way to put an end to this, If we don't and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country." So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves and put brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down under heavy burdens.... But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more quickly the Israelites multiplied! The Egyptians soon became alarmed and decided to make their slavery more bitter still....Then Pharaoh, the king of Egypt, gave this order to the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah,, "When you help the Hebrew women give birth, kill all the boys as soon as they are born. Allow only the baby girls to live." But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king and allowed the boys to live too." Exodus 1:8-11,12-13,15-17 NLT
Whew! The heart of all this turmoil was fear. Fear. Fear that these Hebrews might grow too strong and take over what the Pharaoh desperately wanted to keep in hand... control. My friend, we will never keep what we obtain by oppression. If fear is what is motivating you to act in a certain manner regarding a situation, then I desperately plead for you to give it to the Father because responses seeded in fear rarely turn out well. Another factor was that the Pharaoh did not remember Joseph and all that he had done for Egypt in the past. Remembering our past and all that God has done is critical for us as well as it builds our trust and security in the unknowns we walk through currently. Being able to look back at the faithfulness of our Savior and our Father gives us strength, faith, courage and hope.
Then, the Pharaoh became so desperate that he delivered a death sentence to the next generation of Hebrews. Thankfully, these two midwives feared God more than they feared the king and realized it was best to obey the King of the Universe rather than the King of Egypt. God blessed them for their obedience to Him and gave them families of their own, but still the Pharaoh would not relent..... "Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Throw all the newborn Israelite boys into the Nile River. But you may spare the baby girls."" Exodus 1:22 NLT Do not think for one moment that our Lord God did not hear the desperate cries of his children and of their parents. He was moved by their grief and heartache and the fate of Egypt was sealed at that point. They would be dealt with harshly for their actions against His innocent children, but the messenger would arrive at the Pharaoh's doorstep in a woven basket. A baby boy, whose life was never to have been lived, grows to manhood in the king's own palace, but he will deliver the Hebrew people.
Will you join me tomorrow as we learn of Moses' unusual birth and deliverance? I am already hooked! How about you?
Blessings!
No comments:
Post a Comment