The Lord is awe-inspiring, fearsome, fascinating, intriguing, majestic, and full of splendor: breathtaking! Here is what I saw of him and what came to my heart and mind in Psalm 105:23-25,
"Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham. The Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes [the Egyptians], whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants."
"Then Israel entered Egypt; Jacob resided as a foreigner in the land of Ham. The Lord made his people very fruitful; he made them too numerous for their foes [the Egyptians], whose hearts he turned to hate his people, to conspire against his servants."
Here is a history lesson in the book of Psalms.
Jacob moved his family down to Egypt to escape a famine. His son, Joseph, had established himself in Pharaoh's court and became a prominent man in Egypt so the way was prepared for Jacob's move.
During the four centuries Israel lived in Egypt, they became a massive nation within Egypt. We read in the above passage that it was the Lord that turned the Egyptians against the Jews who enslaved them, making their lives miserable.
Why would the Lord do that? It is my thought that the Lord engineered Jacob's move to Egypt through the circumstance of a famine to provide Jacob and his family a cocoon of protection within the major world power of Egypt so that Israel would grow to be a fruitful and prosperous people. God had his designs for Israel as his chosen people to provide a vehicle for his plan of redeeming all mankind.
When Israel had grown sufficiently for the Lord's purposes, he prepared his people, as well as the Egyptians, for his people to now return to the land promised Abraham. A part of that preparation was to make them so unhappy in Egypt that they would be willing to leave it. They needed to leave the cocoon.
We read in Exodus 16:3 of the Jews grumbling about having left Egypt and a desire to return, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." This illustrates the need the Lord had to provide motivation, both positive and negative to get his people en route to the land the Lord intended them to possess as he prepared them for the eventual coming Messiah.
Jacob moved his family down to Egypt to escape a famine. His son, Joseph, had established himself in Pharaoh's court and became a prominent man in Egypt so the way was prepared for Jacob's move.
During the four centuries Israel lived in Egypt, they became a massive nation within Egypt. We read in the above passage that it was the Lord that turned the Egyptians against the Jews who enslaved them, making their lives miserable.
Why would the Lord do that? It is my thought that the Lord engineered Jacob's move to Egypt through the circumstance of a famine to provide Jacob and his family a cocoon of protection within the major world power of Egypt so that Israel would grow to be a fruitful and prosperous people. God had his designs for Israel as his chosen people to provide a vehicle for his plan of redeeming all mankind.
When Israel had grown sufficiently for the Lord's purposes, he prepared his people, as well as the Egyptians, for his people to now return to the land promised Abraham. A part of that preparation was to make them so unhappy in Egypt that they would be willing to leave it. They needed to leave the cocoon.
We read in Exodus 16:3 of the Jews grumbling about having left Egypt and a desire to return, "If only we had died by the Lord's hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death." This illustrates the need the Lord had to provide motivation, both positive and negative to get his people en route to the land the Lord intended them to possess as he prepared them for the eventual coming Messiah.
I find the workings of the Lord to be just fascinating!
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
Anything of the Lord capture your heart from Scripture today? Share what moved you about him from your Bible reading today. I'd love to hear from you!
If you have someone you would like to receive these ruminations, send me their email address. I'm happy to add them to the list. If you are receiving this and would like to be removed from the list, just reply and let me know.
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