A few months ago I made the
decision to read through the Bible with my children. I remember as a child
attending Sunday and Vacation Bible School. It was during these encounters that
I was able to learn scripture even if I didn’t understand the meaning behind
them. With Sunday school classes on the decline and in some instances Vacation
Bible School as well I realized that “I” needed to do more to expose my
children to God’s Word. Isn’t that the job of a parent anyway? I wanted to make
it simple so I just started with the beginning. What has been so beautiful
about this experience is the revelation I’ve been receiving! I have read these
books multiple times and at varying stages in my Christian walk but this
experience has been quite different. After completing Genesis and soon to begin
Exodus I gave my son a brief description of what the book entails. It was in
this synopsis that something key was revealed.
Toward the end of Genesis we learn
that Jacob, now known as Israel, his sons and all their household must relocate
to Egypt due to a drought (Genesis 45-46) Twenty years earlier, Israel’s son
Joseph had been sold into slavery by his brothers due to their jealousy. During
Joseph’s time in Egypt he suffered much hardship but was ultimately promoted to
Governor in Egypt second only to Pharaoh (Genesis 41:38). It was because of who
Joseph was that his family was able to move to Egypt and be spared from the
effects of the drought. Israel, his sons and their families were able to live
in Egypt peacefully and abundantly for many years. However, after the deaths of
Israel, Joseph and his brothers the descendants of Israel became mighty in the
land of Egypt. Upon recognition of this the Egyptians reasoned with themselves
that if they did not enslave them then those descendants might align with their
enemies and war against them (Exodus 1)
The failure of the Israelites
during this time is that they became too comfortable in Egypt. When God brought
them out of the land of Canaan in order to save them from the drought He never
intended for them to prolong their stay in Egypt. However, in order to get a
complete picture we must go back to Jacob/Israel’s grandfather Abraham. God
told Abraham to leave his father’s household and go to a place that He would
show him (Genesis 12); this land was Canaan. It is interesting to note that
after Abraham and Sarah arrived in Canaan there was a famine which caused them
to have to go to Egypt. However, their stay there was short lived but when they
departed they left with sheep, oxen, donkeys, camels and female and male
servants (Genesis 12:16) Abraham, Sarah,
Isaac and their descendants were already living in what would become the
promised land (Canaan) for the Israelites. With the exception of the 20 years
Jacob/Israel spent living and working for his uncle Laban he, himself was reared
in the land of Canaan.
Isn’t that the case with God’s
children of today? We become comfortable in situations and places that God
never intended for us to remain in. We have two choices, leave when we are
instructed or remain and face the consequences of staying in a place when we
aren’t supposed to. Of course, hundreds of years later God would deliver the
Israelites and once again instruct them to go to Canaan (the Promised Land) but
their presence in the land had been absent for many years and other nations
inhabited the land. The Israelites had to fight to regain what was theirs to
begin with! I believe they were supposed to leave when Joseph died and/or when
the famine had ended. The famine lasted only 7 years but they sojourned there
for many more years after that.
It is important to seek God on
where you are to be and to be sensitive to His voice. God can call you to a
place filled with peacefulness and abundant living however, you must recognize
if and when He calls you to leave. Don’t become too comfortable that you miss
His voice and when calamity befalls you question where He is.
