Shema – Why Egypt?

For the past couple of weeks we have been wrestling with the question of why God allowed His children to go to Egypt in the first place.  Once before Isaac wanted to go to Egypt because of a famine in Genesis 26 and God clearly instructed Isaac not to go but to dwell in the land that He had given him. 

However in the life of Jacob He encouraged him to go to Egypt with a promise of blessing them and multiplying them.  

Genesis 46 – I am God, the God of your father, do not fear to go down to Egypt for I will make you a great nation there.  I will go with you to Egypt and I will surely bring you up again. 

Years later however they became enslaved by this very nation that He allowed them to go to. None of it made sense to us. Honestly if He knew that they were going to become slaves why not just leave them in the land that He had given them. 

We still do not have the answer to this question but listening to Gerrit explain the Torah portion Shemot we did gain a new perspective on something. 

God called Moses to go back to Egypt after he had finally left it behind.He called him back to go and deliver a whole nation from the grasp of slavery and captivity. To show His people that He is their God and to bring them out of bondage. 

God has a bigger plan He has a Devine purpose in which each one of us has a unique roll to play. Obedience and willingness are keys to walking in this path that He had created us for. Not one of our lives is an accident or mistake, we are  called to be a member of His team to bring to fulfilment His works. 

Last night while reading to the children we read out of James 1 where he discusses the whole concept of undergoing trials.  Trials that produces faith and patience.  But he also mentions that when undergoing trials we should ask for wisdom and it will be given to us, but when we do ask we should do so in faith without doubting for he who doubts is like a wave at sea driven and tossed by the wind and will not receive anything from the Lord.  He says that a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways.

We might not understand the why or the what of our everyday struggles but what we do understand is that we have to trust in the Who that created us. 

So we guess that while we do not fully understand the recount of Egypt we realise that there is always something bigger at play than what we can understand.  God does however invite us to ask for wisdom in such times so that He can reveal to us what He is doing.

We trust that God will bring each one to a place of peace in the midst of their Egypt. 

Much love 

Jacques and Chanelle Nel Israel