By Kelita Deems
“‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. Ex 8:22
“…And Moses stretched out his rod toward heaven; and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire darted to the ground. And the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt. So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail so very heavy that there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. And the hail struck throughout the whole land of Egypt, all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail struck every herb of the field and broke every tree of field. Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail.” –Exodus 9:23-26
23 And I will put a division between my people and thy people: tomorrow shall this sign be.
Exodus 9:26 Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel [were], was there no hail.
Exodus 10:21 And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness [which] may be felt. (Heb: mashash-maw-shash feel or grope through)
22 And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days 23 They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.
Goshen is primarily recognized as an area in the northeast sector of the Nile Delta. It was occupied by the Hebrews from the time of Joseph until the Exodus. Goshen is described as the “best of the land.” The pharaoh assigned Goshen to Joseph’s family when they entered Egypt It was the land that was “assigned” to the Hebrews. – But let me remind you, it was the land where they went because of famine – and the pharaoh Joseph was under gave them favor – but eventually he died and the Israelites sold themselves into slavery for food. It then became the land they were “allotted” the boundary that the government said they could not cross….
I see tremendous parallels for our day.
There were storms in Goshen. Storms can be demonic, but they can also represent moves of the Holy Spirit. For example, the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind (Job 38). Wind often represents the Holy Spirit, and rain sometimes represents anointed teaching (Deut. 32:2).
As people of God, I’m convinced we need to learn how to live in the middle of whirlwinds; in the midst of storms. Of course, we understand that Goshen was not only a place in Old Testament days; it is also a state of abiding in the will of the Lord. We all know that darkness is coming, and darkness is here; and the word says it will cover the earth. The plagues have already begun….but note that in the Bible the Israelites had lights in their camps when Egypt was covered in darkness!
“…Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, darkness which may even be felt.’ So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another; nor did anyone rise from his place for three days. But all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.” –Ex. 10:21-23
Many Christians tend to be motivated by fear & unbelief. They live their lives in a survivalist mode. Instead of storing up food to survive, how about we store up food as a reservoir to be a help to others? We are blessed to be a blessing!
If we’re living in Goshen, if we’re Israelites living off “Joseph’s land” – land of peace—and full of faith…. if there’s a God in heaven who keeps his covenants to a thousand generations…we shall be the head and not the tail! Deuteronomy doesn’t stop because the world gets more evil! (read all of Exodus 9)
The Lord has given us his word. We have two delightful promises:
After this I saw four angels standing at the four corners of the earth, holding back the four winds of the earth, so that no wind should blow on the earth or on the sea or on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the rising of the sun, having the seal of the living God; and he cried out with a loud voice to the four angels to whom it was granted to harm the earth and the sea, saying, ‘Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees, until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their forehead.” Rev. 7:1-3
“…The wealth of the nations will come to you…Foreigners will build up your walls, And their kings will minister to you; For in My wrath I struck you, And in My favor I have had compassion on you. Your gates will be open continually; They will not be closed day or night, So that men may bring to you the wealth of the nations, With their kings led in procession. For the nations and the kingdoms which will not serve You will perish, And the nations will be utterly ruined.”–Isa. 60:5,10-12
Putting in context that we are in a community of people that believe in God and God is very “real.” A God of spirit and power, yet at the same time a kind and gentle God caring for His people with compassion – using all circumstances and distresses of their lives to grow an eternal seed of faith. What can the “Land of Goshen” mean: (1.) The best of Pharos land (2.) A place of refuge where Pharos Army was not allowed to enter (3.) A land that was blessed by God (4.) A land protected by God (5.) A place of peace. Ahh, ….. A Place of Peace
The Hebrews were originally given the best land in Egypt. Joseph had prospered Pharaoh and Pharaoh rewarded him and his family. But, many years passed by, Joseph died and a new Pharaoh ruled over Egypt. The favor and blessing of God upon the Israelites continued but the Egyptians became jealous of them. And the Israelites became complacent and presumed upon God that the favor they had would continue forever. In their complacency toward God, they became oppressed by the Egyptians in their own land, Land of Goshen North of Egypt, even though it was the best land.
Aren’t we a lot like them? Here we are in the best “land” in the world, the land of salvation and blessing because we have Jesus as our Savior, and yet so often we are oppressed…. It took years of oppression and eventually murder of their children, for the Israelites to begin to cry out to God for a deliverer. – After all – It was the place they sold themselves into slavery. It was the place they were allotted to live. It was the price they had to pay for gas, it was the grocery store they had to go to. The healthcare system they had, the lawmakers and government – all were of Egypt, yet God prospered His people in the place where they dwelled.
Finally, the Lord raised up Moses. And as Moses thundered out the command of God “Let MY people go!” suddenly the Land of Goshen was spared. The pestilence did not touch the place called “drawing near.” While the plan of God to take His people to a new place was being worked out, He protected them from the plagues and pestilence.
(more info – There is no mention in the first three plagues that fall upon the land of Egypt whether or not the Israelites were affected. Since in every other plague following, the fourth through the tenth, we are specifically told that the people of God were not affected, we may assume that the turning of the Nile into blood, the frogs covering the land, and the plague of lice were poured out indiscriminately. Preceding the swarms of flies, however, God stipulates that He will put a division between the people of Egypt and His own people. The word for division literally means a redemption (it is translated as such in Psalms 111:9 and 130:7; and as redeem in Isaiah 50:2). In the plagues that God pours out on Egypt and the saving of His people from these plagues, we have a portrait of God’s judgment and redemption. http://answersfromthebook.org/
SO – How do we live in the land of GOSHEN? Sow into the land of Goshen! How do we do that? WORDS! Your words frame your world.
Proverbs 18:21 The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit.
Examples of death by the tongue:
1. The ten spies (Numbers 14:36-37) 2. Sennacherib (2 Kings 18:28-35; 2 Kings 19:22-35) 3. The Ammonites (Ezekiel 25:3-7) 4. Annanias and Sapphira (Acts 5:5-10)
Examples of life by the tongue:
1. Esther (Esther 7-8) 2. Paul (Acts 16:28-34) 3. Believers (Romans 10:9-10; 1 Peter 3:10)
Whosoever Shall Call!
(Death and Life are in the power of the tongue)
Joel 2:32 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call.
Acts 2:21 And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved. Romans 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.
So, folks, today, I am declaring that I live in the Land of Goshen. The land of peace. The land that Jesus bought for me with His blood. I choose to abide in HIM because its in Him, I move, live and have my being. In Him, is where I find peace and strength and joy! In Him is my preservation and my provision. In Him, I will be able to stand and abound in the grace that much more abounds! He is the Light of Life and in Him is no darkness, no shadow of turning. And as it says in Hebrews – And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Let us encourage each other and remind one another that we win! Jesus is coming and I refuse to be hidden in darkness, but I choose to set my lamp on a hill! Let’s let our lights shine into the darkness and lead others to the “Land of Goshen.”
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