We, Christians, very often experience contempt, alienation and even hatred of the surrounding world. Some people are confused of such treatment; they don’t understand that it is certain goodness in it. We’ll talk about it in this sermon.
“And Joseph said to his brothers and to his father’s entire family, “I will go to Pharaoh and tell him, ‘My brothers and my father’s entire family have come to me from the land of Canaan. These men are shepherds, and they raise livestock. They have brought with them their flocks and herds and everything they own’”. Then he said, “When Pharaoh calls for you and asks you about your occupation, you must tell him, ‘We, your servants, have raised livestock all our lives, as our ancestors have always done.’ When you tell him this, he will let you live here in the region of Goshen, for the Egyptians despise shepherds.” (Genesis 46:31-34).
Giving such advice to father and brothers, Joseph consciously tried to raise feeling of abomination, i.e. disgust to the nation of Israel.
What was the purpose that Joseph from the beginning of life of Israelites in Egypt makes just strict edge between Egyptians and Israel?
It gave the possibility for Israel to settle in the fertile land of Goshen that for Jews as herdsmen it was very convenient. Besides to it, it was another bigger purpose. The Land of Goshen was situated in the lower flow of the River Nile (in eastern Delta) and had been skirted by many confluences (junctions of two rivers). This land was like separated from the other part of Egypt. It gave a chance for Israelites to live together and do not scatter through all the territory of Egypt. Feeling of abomination and disgust that had Egyptians to all shepherds of sheep, including to Jewish preserved this separation that created the thorough obstacle for connection and merge of Egyptians and Israelites not just for that time, but also in the future.
E.G. White writes in the chapter 21 of the book “Patriarchs and Prophets” that Joseph was afraid that Pharaoh would not bring his brothers closer to him, that he would not make them Ministers and Courtiers. Being in the court of Pagan’s Ruler gives a lot of temptations and results of these temptations. Joseph tried to save his brothers from all of this with that advise. It was created a separation border; a margin of exclusion between Egyptians and Israelites that in the future brought abundant blessings for Israelites.
Before giving own advise to father and brother, had Joseph experienced similar blessings? Yes, Joseph’s faithfulness to God and abundant blessings from God depended from his separation of Egyptians.
Egyptians knew that Joseph is Jewish. (Genesis 39:17). And he had not been hiding his origin: “ I was kidnapped from the land of Hebrews”, said Joseph (Genesis 40:15).
Despite all his merits that he had in Egypt, and even the fact that he was responsible for ruling the land of Egypt, Egyptians had been separated. When after the talk with brothers Joseph ordered to bring the food, “so they served him by himself, and them by themselves, and the Egyptians who ate with him by themselves, because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians” (Genesis 43:32).
For Egyptians God’s nation was disgusting not just as raising livestock, but also for the worshiping of God. This is seen from Moses answer to Pharaoh: “Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.” But Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we will sacrifice to the Lord our God what is an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice what is an abomination to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not then stone us?” (Exodus 8:25-26).
Similar separation of Joseph and the whole Israel nation from Egyptians didn’t allow having a chance to merge and integrate into one big nation. Israel continued to exist as a separate God’s nation. For this reason it could enjoy abundant God’s blessings in the land of Goshen.
What results did this edge of separation give?
“Israel settled in the land of Egypt, in the land of Goshen, and they owned land there. They were fruitful and increased rapidly in number” (Genesis 47:27). “The Israelites, however, were fruitful, increased greatly, multiplied, and became extremely strong, so that the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7). And even when Egyptians started to oppress Israel nation, “but the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and spread. As a result the Egyptians loathed the Israelites” (Exodus 1:12). “The Lord made his people very fruitful, and made them more numerous than their enemies (Psalms 104:24).
It would never happen, if God’s nation didn’t live separately in the land of Goshen. After the Israel’s exit from Egypt the conditions of continuing blessings were related to its separation from the surrounding nations. (Leviticus 20:22-24.26). It’s not related to other nation, but to its sins (uncleanness) (Ezra 6:21, part 2).
What is Egypt in our times? Egypt is the symbol of our world, symbol of uncleanness and miscellaneous iniquities; it’s a symbol of shamelessness and dishonesty.
God’s nation should be separated from this world. Between the God’s nation and the world should be a certain edge of separation. It’s necessary for saving God’s nation in purity and in God’s blessings.
Such separation was in the time of Daniel (Daniel 1:8).
It was required from the first Christians (2 Corinthians 6:14-18. 7:1).
The same is required from us.
What does separate us from the world?
1) Believe in God.
2) God’s commandments and especially the Sabbath.
3) Restraining from food and drink.
4) Modesty in clothing.
5) Our speech.
6) All our life style.
What reactions does this world show? They show the same reactions as Egyptians – disgust, contempt and hate. World says to a person, “Think the same way as we are thinking, eat and drink in the same manner as we are doing, dress up in the same way as we are doing, otherwise you’ll be under a curse”. And world surrounds people who do not agree with boycott and make them object of ridicules. We should take courage. We should see that it’s also a certain blessing. Because that this treatment makes an edge of separation that doesn’t allow to merge for God’s Nation with this world.
What is happening when this edge starts to disappear, when we have a will and a wish to be like this world? When we start to merge with a world, we become like a world, and then we are not God’s nation. We become the world and start loosing God’s blessings.
About the retreated Israel God through the prophet Ezekiel said, “Son of man, say to her, you are a land that is not cleansed … Her priests have done violence to My law and have profaned My holy things. They have made no distinction between the sacred and the secular, neither have they taught people the difference between the unclean and the clean” (Ezekiel 22:31).
It always happens during withdrawal from church. Lord in such situation invites remnant to leave those who had withdrawn.
God doesn’t invite us to separate from this world, but our life, character should be distinguished. We should be separated from the evil that in our world is. When Jesus had been praying for his disciples he told: “I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one” (John 17:14-15). And Peter said, “Be diligent to be found by Him in peace, spotless and blameless (2 Peter 3:14).
Set apart from the deeds (behaviour) of the world, and continuing to live in this world it’s like to live in the land of Goshen that was being situated in the land of Egypt. God’s nation should always preserve its religious independence. Because that it helps to protect God’s nation and it will get abundant God’s blessings, and at the end of times it will be rescued from plagues before Christ’s becoming. The same situation was when Egyptian plagues weren’t poured on those who lived in the land of Goshen. And all the rest territory of Egypt had been touched by plagues.
“And I will set apart in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell,.. And I will put a division between your people and mine” (Exodus 8:22-23). “Only in the land of Goshen, where the sons of Israel were, there was no hail” (Exodus 9:26). “Thick darkness descended on the land of Egypt for three days… Except for the Israelites: they had light where they were living” (Exodus 10:22-23).
The world despises Christians, it takes to courts and prosecutes them but we can find blessings in it. What disgusting is in the eyes of this world, it’s pleasant for God.
We will not be looking for the ways now to merge with this world. It will not give good results. Edge of division it’s the necessary condition for saving truth and spiritual life. Joseph understood it, we should understand as well.
Balaam saw Israel from the hills and said, “Behold, the people shall dwell alone and shall not be reckoned and esteemed among the nations” (Numbers 23:9, part 2). Blessing Israel before the death Moses said, “Israel then shall dwell in safety alone…” (Deuteronomy 33:28). Safety of the Israel was in its separation.
And our safety, our growth and strengthening in truth could be reached only in separation from the world. God’s nation was separated in the land of Goshen, it could live there and growth.
We also should enrich ourselves with abundant blessings of the land of Goshen. We should not be depressed and embarrassed, when the world despises and hates us because we find certain blessings in it.
“Whoso is wise [if there be any truly wise] will observe and heed these things; and they will diligently consider the mercy and loving-kindness of the Lord” (Psalms 107:43).
Let our Lord help us to see in this His good intentions for us.
Amen
By Vladimir Shelkov
Download in PDF [94 KB], Blessings of the land of Goshen
Be First to Comment