“All I can see is blue skies! I see NOTHING that can go wrong! Promises of future blessings are all I see!” Times will come when I am confident the future will bless me, and I have all solutions in my hands. “Everything will be all right. Nothing will go wrong. I am certain all troubles are behind me!”
He was on top of the world! Zaphenath-paneah (Joseph) was second in command in one of the most powerful nations of the western world. With God’s insight, he saved Egypt from starvation. In that process, he saved his relatives from the same disaster. He moved his elderly father to Egypt via a method of transportation available only to the best positions in Egypt. His relatives lived in a choice district of Egypt. All they knew was peace and prosperity.
No one questioned his authority! Everyone but Pharaoh bowed before him! He saved that nation, and (in time) all Egyptians served Pharaoh. How could it get any better? Surely all his troubles and all those of his extended family were in the rear view mirror of life! The Hebrew slave became the second in Egyptian command, and the nomads who owned only a promise were settled in a choice region.
A straight road that stretches into the horizon does not reveal the dangerous curves that lie beyond the horizon. The dangerous curves were announced with a simple statement: “Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). Suddenly, forgetfulness made the dead Joseph and all he did for Egypt in the past an unimportant asterisk in an unread scroll.
What lay before Israel was a harsh reality that endured for generations. There was mistrust and fear, generations of slavery, a delivery filled with moments of terror and numerous mistakes, a harsh wilderness experience, the death of an entire generation, and war upon war—battles followed by other battles. Though the Joseph who ruled saw a separation that would bless his descendants, he anticipated none of those harsh experiences—those curves were not in his anticipation.
Never place your trust in the good of today—human forgetfulness can bring agony to our tomorrow.
Link to other Writings of David Chadwell