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Hebrews 11:24-26 By faith Moses, … considered the reproach of Messiah greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. One of the concerns with the Children of Israel appointing a king over themselves was that he may cause the people to return to Egypt (Deuteronomy 17:16). Because Egypt's agriculture did not depend on rain falls but on the yearly over flowing of the Nile, the country was rich and comfortable. That is why every conqueror wanted Egypt, including, Rome whose economy heavily relied on Egyptian goods. From the Exodus, Egypt had been a snare for the Children of Israel. The journey from Goshen to the Promised Land by way of the Mediterranean Sea is actually very short, but God took them in a way they could not return to Egypt even if they wanted to (Exodus 13:17-18). Time and again when the children of Israel grew dissatisfied, they wanted toreturn to Egypt. When they hungered they thought about the food of Egypt (Numbers 11:5); when they were scared to conquer the giants in the Land of Canaan, they wanted a leader to take them back (Numbers 14:4). But from the beginning The Mighty El-Shaddai forbade it. Some interpret this command as a forbiddance to make the journey from Israel to Egypt, but God Himself sent Yeshua and His family there to find protection from Herod. The idea of returning to 'Egypt' was much deeper than that. Several times when faced with wars and conquest, to God's great displeasure, Israel looked to Egypt instead of Him for strength and protection, trusting horses and chariots that they could see instead of the God they couldn't see; Israel may be facing the same lesson today (Isaiah 31:1-3; Jeremiah 42:15-16). Returning to Egypt has to do with trusting the world for survival instead of God. It also has to do with being dissatisfied, greedy, and desiring more than what the Father has wisely given us. It has to do with despising the prospects of the Promised Land for temporal personal comforts. 'Egypt' provided for the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. It was the 'world', so it has to do with 'love of the world' which is not of the Father (1 John 2:15-16). In the movie 'The Matrix', a man quits the mission on the Nebuchadnezzar and returns to the Matrix just because of food, even though he knows it is not even real; that is returning to Egypt. So when God says that Israel should not return to Egypt, he says, "just because you presently feel a little bit uncomfortable and you want to 'stuff your face' with better food, don’t return to the ways of the world". May we take sample from Moses who considered the reproach of Messiah greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking to the reward. May we not look on a world with failing morals and economies for support and strength, neither compromise in order to benefit from their strong armies who can't protect us if God has not decreed it. It is our God who owns the cattle on a thousand hills who will fight for us (Psalms 50:10; Nehemiah 4:20)! Patrick Gabriel Lumbroso www.thelumbrosos.com www.yedideiadonai.weebly.com
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