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TITLE: The Great Trek | Previous Challenge Entry
By Robert Rutaagi
01/20/22
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THE GREAT TREK

The Lord said to Abram, ‘’Leave your country, your people and your father’s house-hold and go to the country I will show you.’’ And Abram obediently left Haran, went and settled in the Canaanite regions of Shechem, Bethel and Negev. Ge 12-13 [NIV].

Then later, the Lord appeared to Abram [in a dream] and said, ‘’To your offspring, I will give this land…’’ Trust the father of faith. Abram, simply, worshiped his Master and observed and enjoyed the ‘’milk and honey’’ of Canaan.

Suddenly, a severe famine descended upon Canaan. Imagine being a foreigner in a country that faces a severe famine! Probably, not wishing to bother God with questions about the famine instead of plenty of blessings, carnality prevailed over him.

‘’Let me give technical assistance to God, avoid this famine by going to Egypt, for a while, and then, come back to His original plan,’’ Abram could have resolved. So to Egypt, he went but not without consequences. On the way, fear gripped him about the possibility of losing his beautiful wife, Sarai to the Egyptians. Not only did he lie, he also traded his wife for wealth and livelihood!

Fast forward – Abram returned to Canaan wealthier than when he left - hungry to look for survival. The Lord’s promised blessings continued flowing. One thing led to another, he got a son- Isaac whom he almost sacrificed in obedience to God’s command. And for that, he was credited with righteousness.

Like father, like son, Jacob, Abram’s descendant, traveled from Hebron to Egypt because Canaan was under severe famine. Prior to that, by divine plan, Jacob’s son - Joseph’s, was already a slave who had risen to the status of Governor of Egypt. Not only did the Pharaoh provide food for his father’s family and livestock, he gave them the best land in Goshen. Ge 21-22; 37:12; 46-47 [NIV].

For four hundred years, Jacob, later, named Israel, prosperously lived in Egypt. However, when the Pharaoh who knew and favoured Joseph died, his successor was not only intimidated by the prosperity and numbers of Israelites, he also harboured evil thoughts thinking that they are a potential political risk. He designed plans to destroy God’s nation by killing all newly born boys and subjecting the adult men to hard labour and poor feeding.

Just, at the nick of time, Moses was born and raised in Pharaoh’s palace, again, by divine arrangement. When time came for God to deliver the Israelites, He called Moses and commissioned him to go to Pharaoh and demand for immediate release of His people. No matter what Moses did or said or miracles performed, Pharaoh obstinately refused. Finally, when the tenth plague was invoked by God’s hand which saw the instant death of every first born, the children of Israel were unconditionally released to go and worship the Lord as free people. Exo. 2-17 [NIV].

Reaching the Red Sea, the Israelites looked behind them only to see the Egyptian army pursuing them either to kill or return them back into slavery. Divinely, Moses, prompted by the Lord, hit the waters with his stuff, parted it and they majestically crossed on dry land. When the Egyptian army tried to emulate them, they all perished – thereby demonstrating God’s power and love for Israelites.

As the distance increased, from ‘’Cairo’’ to ‘’Jerusalem’’, not directly, but circuitously, by divine wand, many signs and wonders manifested physically and spiritually. During the day they were guided by a cloud. At night a pillar of fire shone and protected them from behind. Their closes did not wear out and their feet not tire or get bruised. They drank water from a stone or sour water sweetened by mere plant-stems! They ate manna and quails from heaven. Four forty years, they lived this way.

As they trekked along, they quarreled, complained and attacked Moses, Joshua and Aaron and other leaders. No signs or wonders or instructions from Moses or God seemed to calm or enlighten these incorrigibly stubborn and stiff-necked descendants of Patriarchs: Abraham, Isaac and Jacob who were covenantly credited with righteousness because of their faith. For the entire covenant duration, and for over four hundred years in slavery, and forty years wandering in the desert and over a mere ‘’Cairo – Jerusalem’’ distance, much history has been written as the Old Testament and given us the New Testament and Eternal Life, courtesy of Lord Jesus Christ, the new and last High Priest and descendant of Abraham. Amen.

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