“So Joseph settled his father and his brothers in Egypt and gave them property in the best part of the land, the district of Rameses, as Pharaoh directed.” Genesis 47:11
“Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt.” Exodus 1:8
“They made their lives bitter… the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.” Exodus 1:14
For everything there is a season. That is pretty apparent in the ending chapters of Genesis and the beginning chapter of Exodus. Humanity yearns for the idea of permanent. We long for the permanence of the garden and heaven as this world is only a shadow of things to come. No matter the safeguards we take or the plans we make, nothing physical or emotional remains permanent. The spirit, however, is the only eternal component. For everything else, we can say it began as permanent, yet it fell apart, wore out, broke down, degraded, decayed, spoiled, and so on.
Let’s briefly look at Joseph’s family struggle in the wake of a new ruler. Remember, after a long, long journey, Joesph arrived in his place of prominence. He became second-in- command in a foreign nation, subservient only to Pharoah himself. Joseph was valuable, successful, and beloved by the Pharoah. As a result, Joseph’s family was placed in the best land, Goshen, as directed by Pharoah.
After Joseph and his brothers died, a new leader took over, and the Egyptians collectively decided to treat the Israelites ruthlessly and embitter them. What was a wonderful place to live, work, and raise a family became a toxic place, a dangerous and smothering place, a place that needed to be exited. Thus a sovereign exodus ensued. It was inspired by God, orchestrated by God, and prospered by God’s hand and divine guidance. What began as a horrendous situation was the catalyst for finding God in a whole new and personal way. It was for the good is Israel. They needed the exodus to step into the promised land- Canaan.
I keep thinking about the devotional God gave me a week or so back. It was about a pearl. In short, a pearl is formed from an irritant. The irritant is covered layer after layer in the confines of the oyster shell, and in time, six months up to two years later a beautiful pearl is the result of what began as a piece of sand or glass or bacteria.
The thing revealed this week relating to the pearl analogy is from Matthew 7:6 ““….do not throw your pearls to pigs. If you do, they may trample them under their feet, and turn and tear you to pieces.”
We are all on a journey. We are all works in progress. We are all accountable and responsible for how we behave and speak and think. We know this, and sometimes when we are in close quarters with other believers seemingly working toward the same goal, we find ourselves dropping the precious pearls we patiently waited for God to form in us, or we find ourselves voluntarily laying them down to simply get walked on.
God is not stagnant. He doesn’t change, but He allows change for a creature that needs change- humans need it. He is creative. He loves to create beauty especially from things we think are messy.
I love to sit near a stream and watch the water trickle or flow or rush past. There are so many layers and organisms in the stream to appreciate. The stream is always moving and changing and growing or shrinking. No matter how many times I visit the same stream in a year something always changes.
To be honest, I feel that “culture” (the devil) has deceived me and others to think that change, movement, re-orienting, and a pulling-in or a spreading-out isn’t a good thing. We are programmed to think in terms of “permanence”. Roads are permanent, yet how often are they under construction? Skyscrapers are permanent, yet they are demolished when lots are sold off. Coal-powered power plants are permanent, yet they are dismantled and demolished when nuclear or other “green” sources are sought. Walls are permanent, yet they are torn down when a home is renovated. Teeth are permanent, yet they fall out with age. Nothing “permanent” is truly timeless, save for the things we learn of God.
Perhaps we are slow to grasp that change is actually growth, and we need an Egypt-like experience to push us into a time of adjustment and resettlement.
When the place we find ourselves doesn’t encourage us to display the pearls but rather embitters us, it’s time move on. God allows us the awesome privilege of learning of our true home, and He desires for us to share what we have learned. Rarely, dare I say if ever, will we be able to do that from staying in any one place too long.
The revelations He gives us about Himself and the home we long for are precious. They are the pearls forged in the days, months, and years of life. We should protect our pearls. We are called to display the lessons- pearls- with kindness and grace and mercy, and when we can’t effectively do that, it is the work of sovereign exodus. Will we be courageous to follow?
