When You Rise Up...

As I began my journey into the book of Exodus, I was immediately reminded of the importance of repeating the stories of God's faithfulness to my children - from the Bible, from my own life, and from the lives of those around us.  By the time Jacob (Israel) died, all of his direct descendants had settled in the land of Egypt, approximately 75 in all. As Joseph, and the rest of his generation died, their descendants multiplied quickly and filled the land. 


When the Pharoah, whom Joseph had worked under, passed away, the writer of Exodus tells us that "a new king came to the throne of Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. He told his people, "These Israelites are becoming a threat to us because there are so many of them.  We must find a way to put an end to this. If we don't and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us.  Then they will escape from the country." (Exodus 1:8-10) I read an interesting fact this morning:  Joseph's family "started with five people back in Haran: Jacob, Rachel, Leah, Zilphah, and Bilhah. It grew into a clan of about 100 people in 50 years (the 100 includes the seventy of Genesis 46:27 and Exodus 1:5 plus a few wives of the sons not mentioned and grandchildren). This represents a growth rate of just over 6% per year. At that rate there would be several million descendants by the time of Exodus, 430 years later." If the new Pharaoh was not aware of Joseph's story, it's really no wonder that he was worried about this mass of "aliens" living in his land.


I'm reminded of a quote I heard once, "Christianity is one generation away from extinction."  God inspired the writer of Deuteronomy  with this idea as well.  In chapter 6:4-9, we read: “Listen, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord alone. And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates."


Today, may I live out the mantra of our home and our home school:  "When you rise up..."  May today be a day filled with reflection on God's epic story...a story that continues in, through, and around us.  May we bring glory to His name as we're on the lookout for the ways He's at work...and may we join Him there!