Written by Uyoyou Christiana Charles-Iyoha
God’s loving preventive measures have always helped
the people of God to avert dangers in a timely manner. The Bible records a
number of instances where God in His power and mercy prevented the evil designs
of the devil upon the people of God.
Moses could have been killed as a child because a
law had gone out in Egypt that all male babies of the children of Israel should
be killed. Despite his law, God gave Jochebed unparallel wisdom to preserve the
life of Moses. First, she successfully hid him away from prying eyes for three
months. But when she could no longer do that, she tapped into the divine wisdom
she was filled with and dropped the baby in the reeds by the river bank, significantly
close to where Pharaoh’s daughter showered. Also, Jochebed kept Moses’ sister
Miriam close by to stand watch over the baby.
When Pharaoh’s daughter came to shower in company of
her maidens, she saw the ark Moses was put in among the reeds. Immediately, she
sent her maid to get it. And this is where the great grace and love of God
never ceases to amaze me. As soon as Pharaoh’s daughter opened the ark and saw
the baby, the Bible records that the baby wept; thereby triggering off every
maternal instinct in this great princess of Egypt. Again, and this is quite
significant, the Bible records that she had compassion on baby Moses, noting
that he must be one of the Hebrew children. And just then, Miriam who was tactically
hiding in the background showed up when she saw the benevolent expression on
the face of the princess.
Quickly and quite strategic, Miriam asked if she
could go call a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for the
princess. Of particular importance is that fact that Miriam requested that the
nurse would care for the child for the princess. Miriam did not also mention
that the proposed nurse was actually the baby’s mother. This is wisdom
begetting tact and discretion for averting satanic disasters.
Moses’ mother showed up promptly and ironically was
hired by Pharaoh’s daughter to nurse Moses. This is quite ironic because the
princess is a daughter of the Pharaoh who decreed the death of all male Hebrew children
born to the Israelites. Yet the person God would use to lead the children of Israel
out of Egypt to the Promised Land was raised in the palace of Pharaoh, cared
for and nurtured like one of the princes of Egypt. Awesome God Who alone does
great and wonderful things. Nothing indeed takes him by surprise.
The Syrians had laid a long siege against Israel. The
siege was designed to make Israel surrender to Syria after hunger had weakened
the resolve of the people of Samaria. In point of fact, the famine was so bad
in Samaria that some people resorted to cannibalism, eating their children as
food. When word of this got the King, he was furious and threatened to have the
prophet Elisha beheaded as if it was Elisha’s fault that the Syrians laid the
siege.
An unperturbed Elisha simply made prophetic
pronouncements nullifying the famine in the land. His words were so strong that
an official of the King attempted to create doubt wondering how the situation
could be resolved in one day. Elisha immediately countered the negative
pronouncements of the official noting that the official would see the abundance
but would not partake of it. That said, Elisha went to sleep over the issue of
famine. The rest was the business of our ever busy God Who always wants His
children to live in peace and abundance.
The Syrians who were comfortable in their siege
suddenly heard the sound of chariots, a great army that was after them. Without
looking to see which direction the noise was from, they took to their heels
leaving behind their well stocked camp that was designed to take on a very long
siege. No one in the city of Samaria knew this. But somehow, I believe this
strongly in my spirit that the move by the four lepers to the camp of the Syrians
was prompted by God. They were the ones who saw that the Syrians had
disappeared, were the first partakers of the abundance and the ones who came to
share the god news.
What however amazes me is the fact that the Syrians
who caused the siege that led to the famine were the ones who provided
everything that was necessary to end the siege. It was their abundant supply of
food and material resources which they left behind in a hurry that was used to
mitigate the famine. And as rightly spoken, the official who tried to create
doubts in the minds of the people actually saw the abundance but was
unfortunately trampled to death in the stampede to get food supplies by people who
had resorted to cannibalism on account of the severe famine.
Beloved, God’s ways are past finding out. He made the
Syrian army to hear the sound of chariots and a great army and without
thinking, they fled thereby ending the evil siege that was designed to destroy
the people of Israel.
I have no idea what the circumstances are now with
you, your family, your career, your finances, your nation, your ethnic group, anything
whatever. But be convinced that God is able to do a new thing, a new thing that
will put a beautiful new song of praise to God in your lips. Shalom.
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