Too Much of a Good Thing

“And Joseph said unto his brethren, I die: and God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land unto the land which he sware to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.” (Ge 50:24 AV)

One wonders what motivated Israel to stay in Egypt after Joseph’s death.  The status they had with Egypt ended with Joseph.  Surely, they must have had that thought.  Or did they?  We have to remember this situation.  Israel was guarded under the care of the government because Joseph saved the nation from starvation.  For that, the nation of Egypt was thankful.  They were also tasked as being the herdsman for the entire nation of Egypt because the Egyptians saw caring for cattle as an abomination.  In short, Israel had a good thing going.  Maybe they thought it would continue as such.  A symbiotic relationship of mutual benefit.  Israel would provide oversight of cattle and financial prowess while Egypt supplied protection and trade.  The thing is, two cannot walk together unless they agree who will lead and who will follow.

Sometimes, a “good thing” isn’t as good as it may seem.  In the short term, it may be expedient.  But in the long term, it could become enslaving.  Over time, Israel lost who they were.  They were surrounded by pagan gods, some of whom they were tempted to follow.  They gave up their sovereignty for the ease of life.  They could not even see that enslavement was worse than the lees, the fish, the cucumbers, onions and garlic which they ate freely while in Egypt.  They gave a little bit of themselves more and more for the captivating care of the Egyptians.  It may have been a good thing in the beginning.  But in the end, they lost their purpose and definition of life.

There is more to life than the externals.  There is liberty to serve the LORD.  There is more to life than the comforts of life.  There is self-definition.  There is having the freedom to listen to the voice of God and the ability to follow it.  There is the right of conscience that cannot be taken away.  This right of conscience often costs to attain and keep.  But it is a far better prize than the things of this life.  I have met many a many of God who has given up that right of conscience for a profitable pulpit.  They are encumbered with the things of this life to the point they have lost their way. We have abandoned fundamentals of the faith because we are too scared to face life without certain assurances.  In short, we have lost who we are because we have too much of a good thing.  The end of this is bondage.  Liberty or bondage:  the choice is ours.