2002-01-01
Good Morning Dear Ones,
The Lord directs me to continue sharing citations in which He is referred to as El Elyon, the Most High God, thus giving Him the opportunity to reveal His wonderful interactions with mankind and His marvelous attributes. Some examples of these come from the story of Joseph in Genesis. Once Joseph became the governor of Egypt, God had a very important assignment for him. GN 42: 6, “Joseph, as governor of the land of Egypt, was selling grain to people from all over the world. So Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down before him with their faces to the ground.” This was before the brothers knew Joseph’s true identity and was the consummation of a prophecy made by God in a dream Joseph had had as a boy before being given by his brothers into Egyptian slavery [GN 37: 6-11]. Later, Joseph finally identified himself to his brothers. Note God’s part in this. GN 45: 4-8, “Then, Joseph said to them, ‘Please come closer.’ They did, and he said, ‘I am your brother Joseph, whom you sold into Egypt. Now do not be upset or blame yourselves, because you sold me here. It was really God who sent me ahead of you to save the people’s lives. This is only the second year of famine in the land; there will be five more years in which there will be neither plowing nor reaping. God sent me ahead of you to rescue you in this amazing way and to make sure that you and your descendants survive. So it was not really you who sent me here, but God. He has made me the Pharaoh’s highest official. I am in charge of his whole country; I am the ruler of all Egypt.” GN 50: 20, “You plotted evil against me, but God turned it into good, in order to preserve the lives of many people who are alive today because of what happened.”
When God esteems a faithful person such as Joseph, it can be seen that He reveals more than the usual information to that person about his commission. The perspective that Joseph had on his situation and his part in God’s work could have only come from the Lord. We are given this story, so that we can see: 1) God’s power to make His will happen; 2) an example of how an ordinary person can be brought closer to His higher perspective; 3) how God can commission a person and equip him to do a task that has far reaching beneficial consequences for many people. In Joseph’s case, Joseph (and us) are allowed to know that his work was to save many people alive during his time and to make sure that his own family line [the royal line of David, and thus, Christ’s lineage] would survive. Joseph didn’t know his brother, Judah’s, line would be that of King David or Jesus Christ, but he know it was God’s will that the family line should survive. We may ask why it is important for us that God revealed His interactions with Joseph. The answer lies in the lessons for us. When God gives us an assignment to do, we may not know the full implications or benefits to others of it. We may not feel qualified to carry it out, or we may feel that the time of this assignment is inconvenient for us. But, our objections should be put aside, replaced by the understanding that God knows our potential better than we do, and His timing is always perfect. I assure you that at the time Joseph was sold into slavery into Egypt, he felt resentment toward his brothers for doing this. Yet, we must understand that in keeping with the mechanism revealed to us in RO 12: 2, the supernatural inward transformation that God affects in us by the renewal of our minds, Joseph was made to understand what God wanted for him to do and part of the reason why. What a marvelous way for God to reveal both His love for His children and His omnipotence to us!
Another such example of the presence and interaction of El Elyon occurs in the story of Hannah’s longing for a son of her own with her husband, Elkanah, at the beginning of 1 SAM. Hannah was not Elkanah’s only wife; there was also, Peninnah, who had a number of children with him. Each year, Elkanah and his family would travel from Ramah (east of Joppa) where they lived, to Shiloh (in the lower or south portion of the old city of David section of Jerusalem where the Tabernacle had been placed) to worship and offer sacrifices to El Elyon. Eli, and his two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, were priests there [1 SAM 1: 1-3]. 1 SAM 1: 6, “Peninnah, her [Hannah’s] rival, would torment and humiliate her, because the Lord had kept her childless.” One time they were in the house of the Lord at Shiloh, Hannah was so depressed that she wept bitterly in Eli’s presence. 1 SAM 1: 11, “Hannah made a solemn promise: ‘Lord Almighty, look at me, your servant! See my trouble and remember me! Do not forget me! If you give me a son, I promise that I will dedicate him to You for his whole life and that he will never have his hair cut.’ “ At first Eli thought she was drunk, but she was able to convince him otherwise. Then, Eli told her to go home in peace.
The next morning, Elkanah had sexual relations with Hannah, and the Lord answered her prayer [1 SAM 1: 19-20]. She became pregnant and later gave birth to a son, whom she named Samuel. Hannah waited until the baby was weaned and then took him to Shiloh along with a 3 year old bull, a bushel of flour, and some wine to sacrifice. Once there she offered the sacrifices and then brought the child [Samuel] to Eli (22-25). She had already told Elkanah that she would take him to the house of the Lord and give him over to live there and spend his life serving the Lord. Hannah kept her promise, and the Lord had kept His. We can appreciate the importance to us of this story when we examine the remarkable ministry of Samuel. It was he who was Israel’s last judge and her first prophet. Samuel was instrumental many important events in Israel, including the transfer of power from King Saul to King David. Hannah didn’t know all that her son’s service to the Lord would be that important, but she did demonstrate remarkable faith. Her God-given spiritual insight is revealed in 1 SAM 2: 6-10, part of Hannah’s prayer. “The Lord kills and restores to life; He sends people to the world of the dead and brings them back again. He makes some men poor and others rich; He humbles some and makes others great. He lifts the poor from the dust and raises the needy from their misery. He makes them companions of princes and puts them in places of honor. The foundations of the earth belong to the Lord; on them He has built the world. ‘He protects the lives of His faithful people, but the wicked disappear in darkness; a man does not triumph by his own strength. The Lord’s enemies will be destroyed; He will thunder against them from heaven. The Lord will judge the whole world; He will give power to His King, He will make His chosen King victorious.’ “
PRAYER: O Lord, You are with us every day of our lives. Too often, we don’t slow down enough to listen to Your prompting through the Holy Spirit. Too often we don’t rely on the perspective Your word gives us and examine that against the circumstances of our lives. With the stories of Joseph and Hannah, You show us how You can work Your will through the lives of ordinary people, a will that benefits countless others in addition to the person You have invited to join You in Your work. Your presence and guidance is an enormous blessing in our lives when we acknowledge and act on it. You ask us to trust and obey You, never with evil purpose. We humbly ask you to teach us to be more trusting of and obedient to You. Today and every day, we offer You our adoration, worship, honor, glory, praise and thanks for the goodness You bring into our lives and the salvation You made possible for us through the work of the cross. In Christ’s name, amen.
Tomorrow, the Lord leads me into other places in the Scriptures at His will in which we can learn more about El Elyon. Please hang on for the ride with me, and know that I hope it is blessing your lives as much as mine. How can we ever feel we are alone and abandoned again after this? Bask in the warmth of our Lord’s love for each of us. Peter and I send you our love too. There can never be enough love in this world.
Grace Be With You Always,
Lynn