Remember

Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done.  [Exodus 1.8]

In stark contrast to Hebrew culture and record-keeping, it seems Egyptian culture and record-keeping was lacking.

The lessons from this fact are valuable. How many uninformed mistakes are made because we do not remember the past?

The fact that the new king in Egypt knew nothing of Joseph is, in my opinion, alarming. Really, how could he NOT know? We should not underestimate the negative power (weakness?) of ignorance!

The preservation of information is something Jewish culture was quite capable of. Much was written and much was passed on in the form of stories. This is why the Bible provides so much early history!

But, back to Egypt... How uninformed! The lesson here is simple: If we forget where we came from, we are likely to make some real ignorant decisions.

I cannot help but believe Israel's prosperity was closely tied to their record-keeping. It is much easier to avoid repeating mistakes if we remember the past. So, to remember, we must first learn. But that is another topic altogether!

Father, help me to remember. First, help me to learn and remember Your great power on behalf of those who love and follow You. But also, help me to remember all the times You have intervened in my own life and circumstances!