"Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died,
but the Israelites were fruitful
and multiplied greatly
and became exceedingly numerous,
so that the land was filled with them."
Exodus 1:6-7 (NIV)
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One thought that struck me as I typed these verses was how the work of God went on even after the deaths of Joseph and his brothers. God's plan had continued to unfold during the lives of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Joseph, and now it keeps on progressing as God allows the Israelites to increase numerically. True to His word, God was watching over the Israelites and making them into a great nation.
I think that we can learn several things from these simple verses. The first thing is that although each person is unique and important to God, He is the only one who is God. Sometimes we can get too self-centered and think that we (or our plans and causes) are the center of the universe.
Secondly, He will keep His Word. There may be apparent setbacks and obstacles. There may be those who mock Him or evildoers who seem to be temporarily 'winning' in this epic battle between good and evil. God's plan goes on, quietly, forcefully, thoroughly. He will keep His Word, and in the end we will marvel at the way He uses even the rebellious efforts of evildoers to advance His own purposes. As Joseph confidently said to his brothers, "You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives." (Genesis 50:20 NIV)
Also, regarding God keeping His Word, we really should become familiar with what is in it. After all, if it always comes true, we need to know what is in there, and what He wants us to do. Many people seem to look at the Bible/Torah as merely the sacred writings of a particular set of beliefs, not much different from every other group's sacred texts -- important to those who believe that way, but not really relevant to everybody else. The Bible is different...entirely Other. We will explore that in other posts or pages on this blog eventually, and parts of this should become evident even as we go along and examine each passage. Read His Word for yourself, and learn about Him. Better yet, come to know Him as He reveals Himself through the Bible/Torah.
"You will seek me and find me
when you seek me with all your heart."
(Jeremiah 29:13 NIV)
...and remember, He always keeps His Word.
