GROWTH AND PROSPERITY THE ISRAELITES WERE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLIED GREATLY AND BECAME EXCEEDINGLY NUMEROUS, SO THAT THE LAND WAS FILLED WITH THEM. EX 1:7 NIV It is often said that mighty oaks from tiny acorns grow. In the Great Depression of the nineteen-thirties a South African family hocked their property, raised a loan and started as shop. Today it is one of the great retail empires. The migration of the Israelites led to the same kind of prosperity and grown in Goshen, a fertile area of Egypt in the Nile delta region. Long after Joseph and his brother had died (the average life expectancy in biblical times was 28years), their descendants fulfilled the command of God in Genesis 1:28 (NIV) Be fruitful and increase in number. Although we know very little about four centuries-long sojourn in Egypt it is clear that they made great progress in developing from a wandering family into a whole nation. No doubt their God was guiding them all the time and slowly working towords the great event that was going to be foundational in their history and faith - the exodus. Sometimes God works mightily in times of growth and prosperity, but at other times he enables spiritual insight to happen through disaster and defeat. Sometimes prosperity can cause spiritual and national pride to blot out any meaningful awareness of Christ. Faith becomes God loves us (the nation not the church) and is rewarding us with strength and prosperity. Such an attitude is evidence of national arrogance and usually carries the seeds of disaster. The people of God must always keep Christ the servant in view as their model and example. Lord, help me to focus always on Christ as the example to follow.
Posted on: Tue, 04 Mar 2014 06:17:37 +0000
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