Good morning, everyone!
Today I started reading the book of Exodus, chapters 1-3.
These are the beginning of Moses' story.
But first, something interesting happens. The Egyptians forget their history. Some time has passed since Joseph and his brothers were in Egypt, and their descendants have multiplied.
Genesis 1:8-11 - Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of the sons of Israel are more and mightier than we. Come, let us deal wisely with them, lest they multiply and in the event of war, they also join themselves to those who hate us, and fight against us, and depart from the land." So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor. And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.
It's dangerous to forget history. Forgotten history can lead to the repeat of history. If we don't remember what happened, we can't know if our history was good or bad. If we don't know the good, we can't follow its example. And if we don't know the bad, we are doomed to repeat it.
If this Pharaoh had known of Joseph, had known that part of Egypt's history, it is possible that he would have remembered why the Israelites were in Egypt, would have remembered all that Joseph had done for Egypt, and would have dealt more kindly with them.
Something else happens too.
Genesis 1:12 - But the more they afflicted them, the more they multiplied and the more they spread out, so that they were in dread of the sons of Israel.
The more the Israelites were persecuted, the more they multiplied.
Next begins Moses' story.
At this time, Pharaoh wanted all the Hebrew boys killed. But Moses' mother was wise, and sent him down the Nile in a basket, where Pharaoh's daughter found him and raised him.
So Moses grew up right under Pharaoh's nose.
And one day came where Moses was so enraged over the injustice being done to a Hebrew slave that he killed the Egyptian, and was forced to flee Pharaoh.
He ends up in the land of Midian, where he meets a Midianite priest who gives Moses one of his daughters, Zipporah, to marry, and they have a son.
Now, it came about that the Pharaoh whom Moses had known died, and a new Pharaoh took his place.
Next, God appears to Moses in a burning bush, and charges him to go to this new Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of slavery.
God says so many good things while He is talking with Moses here, but I only want to talk about one specifically.
He says that He will go with Moses.
God may send us somewhere we don't want to go. He may give us an assignment we don't want to do. He may ask us to do something we don't feel equipped to do.
He does not promise that it will always be easy. He does promise to always go with us.
Always.
No matter what we are going through, or what God has asked of us, we can do it knowing that He is always with us.
Joshua 1:9 - "Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go."
Please join me tomorrow as I read Genesis 4-6.
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