Good Morning.
So Moses feared and said, “Surely this thing is known!” When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he sought to kill Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of Midian; and he sat down by a well. (Exodus 2:14-15)
Moses was forced to flee Egypt, ultimately, because of the attitude of his own people. Yes, Pharaoh came to know of the killing of the Egyptian taskmaster but, presumably, because it was some among the Hebrews who made it known. If that is, in fact, how it happened, he was chased off by some of his own people who did not recognize him as a ruler. Consequently, he had to go into a far country.
Similarly, Yeshua was not recognized by many of His own as the Messiah and they did not not regard Him as their King. Most of His confrontations were not with Romans and other such nations but the rulers of the Jewish people. They are the ones who claimed He performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub and chastised those who dared regard Him as the Messiah. As for Him, He longed to gather them as a hen gathers her chicks but “you would not” (Matthew 23:37). It is His own people who eventually turned Him over to the Gentiles to be hung on a tree.
In Luke’s Gospel, Messiah spoke of this hostile sentiment toward Him in a parable. He described how a “certain nobleman went into a far country” leaving behind servants who were instructed to take care of his business. According to the parable, “But his citizens hated him, and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We will not have this man to reign over us.” (Luke 19:14). Coupling this with other statements Messiah made it is feasible to conclude that their refusal to acknowledge Him as King may have delayed their redemption. As John wrote, “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11).
The Good News in all of this is that being rejected by His own opened the door for others to come into the family — you and me. In this we rejoice and thank the Father for His mercy and generosity to us. On the other hand, let us take this lesson as a warning not to reject those that the Father sends to us to help us. Let us not be so entrenched in our own opinions and traditions that we cannot see what God is doing. It might not look or sound like what we have expected. Therefore, examine the fruit and listen to His Voice. Let’s not do as others have done and fail to recognize the time of our visitation.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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