A lot of axioms, allegories and analogies have been birthed out of sermon illustrations on Egypt being a place of slavery. One of the most common of these is that “it is easier to take people out of the Egypt than it is to take Egypt out of people”.
Now, while Egypt holds rich contextual meaning in helping people understand God’s Word for their lives, we need to be mindful that Egypt is not all about being a land of slavery.
In fact, it was God who called Israel into Egypt. Egypt was a mere holding place for a season and Israel was never meant to stay on in Egypt in perpetuity. The nation birthed out of Jacob’s descendants was merely meant to sojourn there because there was a famine in that part of the Middle East.
As time passed and the Pharaoh who appointed Joseph as Prime Minister of Egypt passed on, the subsequent rulers of the land became increasingly oppressive of the people until they cried out to God for deliverance. When Egypt turned from a holding land into an oppressive land, God moved in to deliver them by preparing Moses for that moment.
The Word that came true for Israel in Egypt is the same Word that holds true for you and I.
The places that we are placed in by God are mere holding places en route to His promises. Our responsibility is to recognise when we are meant to enter into a holding place prepared for us (Jacob and his family in Egypt), or when we are being promoted in our holding place (like Joseph), or when holding places begin to enslave us (like the Pharaoh who did not know Joseph).
What is your Egypt like? Take the time to reflect on it today. Whether it is a temporary shelter, a place of promotion, or one of enslavement, each season has to be seen through His lenses. Our part is to be where He is leading us to and while we are in that moment, to seek Him for where He is leading us. We are sojourners in our Egypts!
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