Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt (Exodus 1:8 NIV).
It is surprising to note how fast our circumstances sometimes change. We are often hurt when those who showed us favor is gone and those who succeeded them seemed not to care for us or the relationship we had with their predecessors.
Though it is uncomfortable we have to understand that new kings who know not Joseph will come.
They will find you a threat to them. See how this new king dealt with the Israelites. He thought that these people were much too numerous for them. So he said to his people that they must deal shrewdly with them. And to deal likewise they put slave masters over them to oppress them. They were made slaves to do forced labor.
This is a hard truth. Yet it can often happen in our lives. We might have had Joseph’s to help us and take care of us in the past. But now Joseph might be no more there to help you. Those people who knew about Joseph and his care for you might no longer be there.
A new setup has come. And neither Joseph nor you find a place in the new scheme of things. And to complicate matters further you are given a rough treatment.
Do not be discouraged. The Bible has recorded this powerful statement to encourage us in our walk of faith. As we read further, we find that the more the Israelites were oppressed the more they increased. They multiplied and spread in the land. But again the persecution increased.
Yet let us find encouragement in the fact that these kind of situations come with God’s knowledge and along with oppression He will cause us to increase!
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