The Immigrants

 Exodus 1: 8-14

“8 Now a new king arose over Egypt who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians subjected the Israelites to hard servitude 14 and made their lives bitter with hard servitude in mortar and bricks and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them.”

Thousands of Jews, fleeing the famine in the land of Canaan, followed Jacob and his family into Egypt.  They prospered and multiplied there and remained in Egypt even after the death of Joseph.  

With the passage of time, like so many things throughout human history, the wisdom and good deeds of Joseph were laid aside and forgotten.  The number and prosperity of the Jews began to be seen as a threat to the rulers of Egypt.  False rumors began to spread that they intended to align themselves with the enemies of Egypt and rebel against its government.

Over the years the Jews were oppressed and gradually became the slaves of the Egyptians.  And the Egyptians were ruthless taskmasters.  

Exodus 12:40 states that the total length of time the Jews lived in Egypt was 430 years, and in the passage above we are told that much of that time was spent in terrible bondage.

The Jews, fleeing the famine and death in the land of Canaan, thought they were fleeing to a land of abundance and life.  They found those things for only a short while, and then they were given something much worse, something that made them cry out in anguish to God.

And God heard their cry.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love: Part 8

Genesis 50: 15-21

“15 Realizing that their father was dead, Joseph’s brothers said, “What if Joseph still bears a grudge against us and pays us back in full for all the wrong that we did to him?” 16 So they approached Joseph, saying, “Your father gave this instruction before he died, 17 ‘Say to Joseph: I beg you, forgive the crime of your brothers and the wrong they did in harming you.’ Now therefore please forgive the crime of the servants of the God of your father.” Joseph wept when they spoke to him. 18 Then his brothers also wept, fell down before him, and said, “We are here as your slaves.” 19 But Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? 20 Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. 21 So have no fear; I myself will provide for you and your little ones.” In this way he reassured them, speaking kindly to them.”

Joseph’s brothers traveled to Egypt to buy grain and Joseph recognized them even though they did not recognize him.  He eventually revealed to them that he was the brother that they had sold into slavery.  Jacob, their father, was able to reunite with Joseph before his death.

After Jacob’s death, Joseph’s brothers feared for their lives, thinking that Joseph had been holding back his revenge until their father was no longer around.

But Jacob told his brothers that even though what they had done to them was an evil act motivated by hate, God had used their evil to accomplish something good.

Through our limited vision, we cannot see beyond the evil and the hatred.  But rest assured, God is always present, always working, and can and will use these things to His good purpose.

“Many are the plans in the mind of a man, but it is the purpose of the Lord that will stand.”  (Proverbs 19:21)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love: Part 7

Genesis 41: 53-57

“53 The seven years of plenty that prevailed in the land of Egypt came to an end, 54 and the seven years of famine began to come, just as Joseph had said. There was famine in every country, but throughout the land of Egypt there was bread. 55 When all the land of Egypt was famished, the people cried to Pharaoh for bread. Pharaoh said to all the Egyptians, “Go to Joseph; what he says to you, do.” 56 And since the famine had spread over all the land, Joseph opened all the storehouses and sold to the Egyptians, for the famine was severe in the land of Egypt. 57 Moreover, all the world came to Joseph in Egypt to buy grain, because the famine became severe throughout the world.”

Joseph had become one of the most powerful men in Egypt and he used this power not to enrich himself (It was Pharaoh who became wealthy) but to save the people of Egypt.  

Joseph recognized that it was because of God’s presence in his life that he was saved from slavery and prison.  Without God in his life, he would have died in a dark, dank cell without hope.

It is important to note that the story of Joseph is not about Joseph’s material prosperity or his worldly success.  It is the story of God’s love for His people and for Joseph.  

God led Joseph to be elevated to a position of power so that he would be in a position to help the people of Egypt and the Jews when they migrated there.

God had plans for His people and he used Joseph for His purposes.  

He used Joseph because Joseph recognized His voice, listened to His words, and then he acted upon His words.

“And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”  (John 1:6)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love: Part 6

Genesis: 41: 37-45

“37 The proposal pleased Pharaoh and all his servants. 38 Pharaoh said to his servants, “Can we find anyone else like this, one in whom is the spirit of God?” 39 So Pharaoh said to Joseph, “Since God has shown you all this, there is no one so discerning and wise as you. 40 You shall be over my house, and all my people shall order themselves as you command; only with regard to the throne will I be greater than you.” 41 And Pharaoh said to Joseph, “See, I have set you over all the land of Egypt.” 42 Removing his signet ring from his hand, Pharaoh put it on Joseph’s hand; he arrayed him in garments of fine linen and put a gold chain around his neck. 43 He had him ride in the chariot of his second-in-command, and they cried out in front of him, “Bow the knee!” Thus he set him over all the land of Egypt. 44 Moreover, Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I am Pharaoh, and without your consent no one shall lift up hand or foot in all the land of Egypt.” 45 Pharaoh gave Joseph the name Zaphenath-paneah, and he gave him Asenath daughter of Potiphera, priest of On, as his wife. Thus Joseph gained authority over the land of Egypt.”

One of Joseph’s spiritual gifts from God was the ability to understand and interpret accurately the dreams of other people.  He did this while he was in prison and word of his gift spread to the ears of the Pharaoh.  

Joseph interpreted a dream that the Pharaoh had that confused and perplexed everyone except Joseph, who had God’s help.

As a reward, Joseph was given the task of implementing the details of the dream, which predicted seven years plenty and seven years of famine.  

Joseph suggested that the dream was given to the Pharaoh so that Egypt could store up food in preparation for the famine.

I am sure that Pharaoh’s staff were given the task of watching as events unfolded in case Joseph had misinterpreted the dream.

But God had plans for Egypt that overlapped with the plans he had for His people. 

 And God was guiding Joseph.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love: Part 5

 

Genesis 39: 6-23

“Now Joseph was handsome and good-looking. 7 And after a time his master’s wife cast her eyes on Joseph and said, “Lie with me.” 8 But he refused and said to his master’s wife, “Look, with me here, my master has no concern about anything in the house, and he has put everything that he has in my hand. 9 He is not greater in this house than I am, nor has he kept back anything from me except yourself, because you are his wife. How then could I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” 10 And although she spoke to Joseph day after day, he would not consent to lie beside her or to be with her. 11 One day, however, when he went into the house to do his work, and while no one else was in the house, 12 she caught hold of his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and ran outside. 13 When she saw that he had left his garment in her hand and had fled outside, 14 she called out to the members of her household and said to them, “See, my husband has brought among us a Hebrew to insult us! He came in to me to lie with me, and I cried out with a loud voice, 15 and when he heard me raise my voice and cry out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 16 Then she kept his garment by her until his master came home, 17 and she told him the same story, saying, “The Hebrew servant, whom you have brought among us, came in to me to insult me, 18 but as soon as I raised my voice and cried out, he left his garment beside me and fled outside.” 19 When his master heard the words that his wife spoke to him, saying, “This is the way your servant treated me,” he became enraged. 20 And Joseph’s master took him and put him into the prison, the place where the king’s prisoners were confined; he remained there in prison. 21 But the Lord was with Joseph and showed him steadfast love; he gave him favor in the sight of the chief jailer. 22 The chief jailer committed to Joseph’s care all the prisoners who were in the prison, and whatever was done there, he was the one who did it. 23 The chief jailer paid no heed to anything that was in Joseph’s care because the Lord was with him, and whatever he did, the Lord made it prosper.”

Again Joseph finds himself treated unjustly and punished for a crime that he did not commit.  He was loyal to his master, Potiphar, and would not give in to the seductions of Potiphar’s wife, and this was his undoing.  

Potiphar’s wife lied, and testified that that Joseph had attempted to rape her.  Potiphar had Joseph thrown into prison. 

And since Joseph was a slave with no connections and no power, he had no trial, no hope of release and no hope of redemption…

except, the Lord was with him.  

And was with him even in the darkest of days.

“Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free.  With the Lord on my side I do not fear. What can mortals do to me?” (Psalm 118: 5-6)

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love: Part 4

Genesis 39: 1-6

“1 Now Joseph was taken down to Egypt, and Potiphar, an officer of Pharaoh, the captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him from the Ishmaelites who had brought him down there. 2 The Lord was with Joseph, and he became a successful man; he was in the house of his Egyptian master. 3 His master saw that the Lord was with him and that the Lord caused all that he did to prosper in his hands. 4 So Joseph found favor in his sight and attended him; he made him overseer of his house and put him in charge of all that he had. 5 From the time that he made him overseer in his house and over all that he had, the Lord blessed the Egyptian’s house for Joseph’s sake; the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had, in house and field. 6 So he left all that he had in Joseph’s charge, and with him there he had no concern for anything but the food that he ate.”

This scripture tells us that the Lord was with Joseph, even though Joseph had been sold by his brothers into slavery to the Midianites and by the Midianites to Potiphar.  By human standards we would not believe that God was with a person who suffered such inhuman treatment.  In fact, we would say that Joseph had been cursed or deserted by God.

We often ascribe the things that humans do, such as wars, or conquests to be the work of God or the will of God, when in reality it is the work of human hands and human will.  

It was not God’s will that Joseph be mistreated by his brothers, become a slave and suffer in the way that he did.  But God certainly never deserted Joseph during this time and God used his misfortune to His Glory and to His will.

As Christians, we are not promised an easy life in this world.  In fact, Jesus told his followers that they would suffer.  

What is promised is that God’s presence and love will never be removed from us… 

no matter what our circumstances.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)

God’s Love, Part 3

 Genesis 37:29-36

“29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes. 30 He returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where can I turn?” 31 Then they took Joseph’s robe, slaughtered a goat, and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 They had the ornamented robe taken to their father, and they said, “This we have found; see now whether it is your son’s robe or not.” 33 He recognized it and said, “It is my son’s robe! A wild animal has devoured him; Joseph has surely been torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters sought to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father bewailed him. 36 Meanwhile the Midianites had sold him in Egypt to Potiphar, one of Pharaoh’s officials, the captain of the guard.”

Josephs’ brothers had to lie to their father about Joseph’s fate.  They could never admit to him what they had done. He would disown them, and cast them out.

So, they presented him with the blood soaked robe that Jacob had given to Joseph to suggest that Joseph had been killed by a wild animal.  In a way, the old Joseph that they knew had, indeed, been killed.  The new Joseph that walked with God was in Egypt.

Jacob’s grief for his favorite son could not be consoled and seemed limitless. 

But only God’s love is limitless. 

And Joseph, his brothers, and his father were going to discover this.

May the love of Christ be with you,

Rev. Eric Lanier (Retired)