Living in Goshen
Finding peace amidst destruction. A word of hope
in troubling times.
By Lynn Ridenhour
Oct. 13, 2001
"…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
We never talk about Goshen. I’ve never heard one sermon on Goshen, not
read one book on Goshen, not even a pamphlet. But I’m convinced, more than
ever, the city of Goshen has strong prophetic overtones for the Body of
Christ—especially in light of our recent national tragedies.
To begin with, where was Goshen? In Egypt. And where are we? In the
enemy’s territory. This earth is still in its telestial state. As Christians
we live in Egypt too. Goshen is that part of Egypt where the Israelites dwelt
during their sojourn there. It was usually called "the land of
Goshen" but also simply Goshen. "The land of Rameses" seems to
have been another name for Goshen (Gen.47:11) unless it was simply a
district of Goshen. According to Genesis 45:10 it appears to have been a
territory near the palace of Joseph’s Pharaoh, who was of the 15th
Egyptian dynasty, and resided part of the year at Memphis. Goshen was probably
the extreme province of Egypt towards Canaan (Gen.46:28,29).
I see tremendous parallels for our day.
Number One: there were storms in Goshen. As Rick Joyner points out,
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). (A Prophetic Vision for the 21st
Century, p.54).
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. Make no mistake about it, darkness is coming.
And will cover the earth. The plagues have already begun, but the
Israelites had lights in their camps!
"…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
Let me get to the point. I have great respect for the Patriot movement.
Also for the Restoration movement. But too frequently I have met believers
within both camps who are motivated by fear & unbelief. They live their
lives in a survivalist mode. Saints, if we’re saving up our food storages,
we should not do this as a survival community, but as a mission base! Again, I
can do no better than to quote Rick Joyner:
"How could Christians hoard anything if their neighbors were starving?
If we establish a storehouse, our aim should be to help as many people as
possible through future difficulties, whether or not it is the Great
Tribulation. We should seek the Lord for a specific understanding of the
coming troubles, but we are doing this out of love, not fear." (A
Prophetic Vision for the 21st Century, p.53).
Why is it so difficult for us to believe that all the children of Israel
had light in their camps during hard times?!
It’s been my experience that more than a few believers in general have
extreme difficulties in believing that our Lord will providentially take care
of us when the storms hit. Recently I was having a casual conversation with a
dear friend of mine. Naturally the topic turned to the last days and living
off the land. I mentioned that we were preparing as a family to live off our
land, to become self-sufficient. I have a saying, "…if our government
went to hell in a hand basket today, the Amish people would never know
it." They’re completely out of the system and self-sufficient. I went
on to mention that we were planning to grow our own food.
My friend replied, "…it won’t do you any good. When the mobs come,
they’ll come and steal your food. And take your land."
Not according to scripture! Not if we’re living in Goshen. Not if
we’re Israelites living off Joseph’s land—and full of faith. Not if
there’s a God in heaven who keeps his covenants with a thousand generations.
I suggest finish reading Exodus nine:
"And Pharaoh sent and called for Moses and Aaron, and said to them
‘I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous, and my people and I are
wicked. Entreat the Lord, that there may be no more mighty thundering and
hail, for it is enough. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer. So
Moses said to him, ‘As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will spread
out my hands to the Lord; the thunder will cease, and there will be no more
hail, that you may know that the earth is the Lord’s.’" --Exodus
9:27-29
Brothers & sisters, the earth is the Lord’s. It doesn’t belong to
the Muslims. To governments. To mobs. To thieves & robbers. The Lord has
given me squatter’s rights! I have an inheritance from the Lord—I
am a descendant from Joseph of old. My birthright is Joseph’s Land! The
Muslims won’t take it from me. An evil & corrupt US government won’t
take it from me. Thieves and robbers don’t have a prayer. Sadly, I have met
those believers who adamantly refuse to take the mark of the beast but, after
having discussed in some detail with them, sadly they have no
specific plan as to how to survive bountifully outside of the system during
hard times. Or during not so hard times.
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
our 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
And…
"…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
As our world darkens in evil, the Lord’s glory will rise and shine upon
His people. Nations, if need be, will bring their wealth to us. Not to the
politicians. Joseph ruled Egypt. Not Pharaoh. The rules are about to
change. That is why God’s people have nothing to fear when they do not take
the mark of the best. We need not worry that we will not be allowed to buy or
sell or trade. A greater provision of God will be coming to those who
are faithful!
Again, I ask the all-searching question. Why is it so hard for some of the
Lord’s people to believe--A greater provision of God will be coming to
those who are faithful.
When my friend remarked, "it won’t do you any good to grow your
food, the mob will come and steal it," I responded "…no they
won’t. If need be, God will kill them."
He flinched.
Why?
Cannot we live in Goshen too?
