February 11, 2022 - Exodus 1-3

Have you ever felt like something you worked extremely hard to make, ended as a failure? The anticipation of a job well done is replaced with the reality of disappointment. That was true once when I was trying to do a ceramic piece and I placed it in the kiln to bake and when it came out it was not what I had envisioned. Instead of a centerpiece it was more like a paper weight!

Israel had served the Pharaoh of Egypt well for many years. The people of Israel were fruitful, grew prosperous and mighty while serving Pharaoh to the point that they had become a liability to residents of Egypt. A new king came to power who did not know or remember the ways Joseph had assisted and provided for the throne. All he knew was that the people of Israel posed a threat to him because of their numbers and strength.

While the king of Egypt had one plan and agenda, God had another which would bring the people of Israel out of Egypt to become their own nation once again. The process was slow, and the people groaned under the struggle of serving a tyrannical master and a seemingly silent God. While Pharaoh attempted to beat down the Israelites, God was toughening and increasing their stamina for the journey and eventual conquest of the promised land. The apparent wrongs were exactly God's plans!

God's ways are often difficult to discern and understand. We can be told by God that a certain event or work is to be done and we cannot comprehend how it will be brought to fulfillment. In the present, we cannot see the future in the midst of a catastrophic event. Instead, God's kiln is actually preparing us for the future.

Some examples of this are Noah and the ark, the Israeli exile to Babylon, the persecution of the early church and even the refugees fleeing Europe to come to America to begin anew. God uses unique people and circumstances that initially appear difficult, laborious, and extreme to position His people for His next work!

We are not always privy to God's next step, but we are never to doubt that He is at work for His people! The darkest day on earth was when Christ suffered and hung upon the cross. The perception was God had failed and Satan was victorious. The story was not complete and ours is not either. Like Joshua, "Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go" (Joshua 1:9).