I find it interesting that in Genesis 46:3-4, God reassures Israel about going to Egypt, saying:
"I am God, the God of your father," he said. "Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for I will make you into a great nation there. I will go down to Egypt with you, and I will surely bring you back again. And Joseph's own hand will close your eyes."
God never mentions anything about how the entire nation will be put into slavery and forced to do manual labor. It seems to me that this is an important detail. But God’s ways are higher than our ways and His thoughts are higher than our thoughts. God certainly knew about the troubles that were to come for His nation. But He must have known that this was the way to turn them into a great nation, His nation.
In the same what that God worked with the nation of Israel, he works with us as individuals. He will let us go though hardship in order that we might be drawn closer to Him.
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We have the benefit of the full revelation of God in Christ. God would use the hardship in Egypt to craft a great nation out of a simple (though large) family. And through that nation bring forth a redeemer for all His people both Jew and Gentile throughout all ages. This is not a plan that could be conceived by men.
ReplyDeleteI sometimes think it must have been much more difficult to be a believer before Christ than after. We look back on what has been revealed but the Old Testament saints had to look forward to the promised redemption.
How blessed are we to live in the age that we do? I do not think we will ever truly understand.