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“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” (Exodus 1:8, KJV)
These 13 words describe how easily life can be transformed from mountaintop to valley; from “can do no wrong” to “can do nothing right”; from the big house to the dog house.
We do well to remain mindful of how quickly the externals of our life can change; and to grasp lightly our health, wealth, and personal relationships. Egypt — although gracious and hospitable for a time — was not God’s destination for the Children of Israel; a much better land awaited them. The “new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph” was the catalyst for the beginning of the next phase of God’s plan for the Israelites.
Changes await all of us, and some changes may not be welcome changes. Fear not. A change in circumstance provides the “elbow room” in our lives for the growth that is to come.
God did not desert the Children of Israel, even in their distress; and God will not desert the disciples of Jesus. As we are reminded in Romans 8: Nothing shall separate us from the love of God! – Luther
“‘Here comes that dreamer!’, they said to each other. ‘Come now, let’s kill him and throw him into one of these cisterns and say that a ferocious animal devoured him. Then we’ll see what comes of his dreams.’” (Genesis 37:19-20, NIV)
The maltreatment of Joseph began with the evil plans of his brothers.
Joseph’s brothers resented Joseph on many levels: He was their father’s favorite son (and Joseph made no secret that he knew that his father’s favor rested on him); and Joseph made much of his dreams, in which he seemed always to be the hero. The good news here is that God works on many levels, too. Joseph’s circumstances were used by God to fit Joseph for God’s work; he used the brothers’ guilt to provoke confession and true repentance; and throughout, God was glorified for His love and His mercy.
Like Joseph, we do not know where life will take us; but we should never doubt that God is at work in our circumstances — however hopeless from our perspective — to transform us into the image of Christ; to bless others; and to glorify God. If we are convinced of this, though we may fall down, we shall not stay down! – Luther
Daily Encouragement 