Come Forth As Gold

August 25

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Exodus 20:2

The Lord has indeed brought His people out of bondage. They who were slaves in Egypt have morphed from the role of slaves in captivity to leadership in all fields of human endeavor. The world we live in would be a poorer place were it not for the contributions of Jewish scientists and researchers and doctors and statesmen. A people who have been beset by the enemy virtually from their establishment as a people have risen to the fore of human achievement because the hand of the Lord has never ceased to be upon them.

What can we learn from them? One important lesson we must not overlook is that our present circumstances do not dictate our future. Were that the case, the Israelites would still be slaves who do the bidding of an unrelenting task master rather than pioneers who have led the way in every field of human accomplishment. We can learn that it is to our great advantage to, "...call things that are not as though they were..." Romans 4:17, even as did these believers of old.

From them we also learn as did Job that, "When He has tried me, I shall come forth as gold," Job 23:10. Job's life had fallen apart. He went from being a highly respected man of wealth and substance to being a man laden with trial who was accused by his so-called friends of having greatly disappointed God. From him we learn to trust the Holy One through our trial, knowing He has a glorious outcome that we shall attain when our moment of affliction is past.

Did Job endure the trial entirely without question or doubt? Indeed, the Word conveys the fact that even he strained under the burden of all he bore, but when he made his complaint before the Lord he was challenged with the question, "Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?" Job 38:4. Like Job, we cry out in our distress and like him, we are silenced by the realization that we have no basis for challenging the purposes the Lord has in allowing us to face the refiner's fire.

Perhaps the most glorious lesson we can learn from the faithful men who have gone before us is, "Christ in us is the hope of glory," Colossians 1:27. We who believe are not required to endure our trails alone, for His Word has assured that we may, "Cast all our cares upon Jesus, for He cares for His people," I Peter 5:7. Though the ancient Israelites endured much trial, they emerged as the blood-bought, redeemed people of Christ and those who accepted Him as their Messiah went forth into all the world preaching the gospel (Mark 16:15), which is the greatest of all the contributions they have made to this fallen world.

May we anticipate no less as we surrender ourselves to Him and to His glorious purposes in us and through us. May we know beyond the shadow of doubting that, "What He has promised, He is able to perform," Romans 4:21. May we know beyond the shadow of doubting that it is His good pleasure to give us not only good things in time but the blessings of His eternal Kingdom," Luke 12:32.