Forgotten

DEVOTION

EXODUS

FORGOTTEN

Ex 1:1-10

1:1 These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: 2 Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; 3 Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; 4 Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. 5 The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt. 6 Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt. 9 "Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."

NIV

It seems right to continue with the children of Israel in our devotion time. We cannot leave them now as there are many lessons ahead as we travel the road to the Promised Land with them. But for now they are certainly still in the land of Egypt and Joseph and his whole generation have died and as God had promised Abraham, Isaac and Jacob their descendants were becoming extremely numerous. We know from looking ahead their numbers exceeded over a two million people. What we do not know is the population number of the Egyptians. What we know is the new pharaoh did not know the story about Joseph and how he saved the country from starvation as well as made the pharaoh such a wealthy and powerful ruler actually owning all the land as well as the people. This is an amazing fact in itself. We would think a man as great as Joseph, with the great deeds he did for the benefit of the pharaoh would have been remembered by all men for all times. His name should have been embossed in the walls of history. But that is not the case, he and all he did in the land of Egypt has been forgotten because the new pharaoh, like most people, was totally self-absorbed with his own situation, his own power base, his own success. He had no basis for the fear he had of the people of Israel. He could have merely had a meeting with them and asked if they were happy in his land, or did they ever what to return to their own land from which they came. We are not told he ever actually talked with them, or found out anything about them other than he was afraid because of their numbers and that they might turn against him. So what is our lesson? Is it in the fear of the pharaoh? We are going to see his response to his fear next. Could our lesson be in the forgetting of Joseph? Certainly today those who do great things for the society in which they live have been immortalized in either books, or now on the internet, with thousands of records regarding their lives and deeds whether good or bad, righteous or evil. With the advent of Ancestry.com we have the ability to research many of our ancestors thus remembering their lives, their loves, their children and perhaps none of their deeds, unless they were famous. So it seems difficult to think that we would ever be forgotten as Joseph was in the land of Egypt. Yet there may be situations in our lives when we or our deeds are forgotten. How many people of our past lives remember us? The job we held forty years ago, the position we had thirty years ago may have been forgotten by those who hold those jobs or employ those people today. We want to think that we make some mark in this world, that we accomplish something of significance so our name will be remembered. Some of us take pride in the fact some people remember us and what we did for them many years ago. But will we be to some extent like Joseph was in the land of Egypt? Sure he was remembered by his people, but not by the world he lived in, Egypt. We will be remembered by some of our people, our fellow believers, but two to three generations from now the world in general will have forgotten us. A few people may have made such a mark in the cultural theirs names will remain, but we will not be among that group. Yet God, who knew us before we were formed in the womb, will never forget one shred of our lives, except of course our sin. Well he may never actually forget it, but he will never bring it up to us, ever. Yet he will always know everything about us, he not only knows our name, he knows our heart, our every thought. The amazing thing is, he will always still love us and he immortalizes us in Christ. We will forever be remembered for all generations, for all of eternity. Although the world may forget us some day, with God, we will never be forgotten.