What the Puritans Got Wrong

Genesis 46:3, Exodus 1

“So he said, “I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will surely put his hand on your eyes.” – Genesis 46:3

I have never had God come down and speak to me directly. Some people have had those surreal experiences, but God has always made His will clear to me in more concrete ways. For example, one Monday morning four years ago, after returning from a weekend of job interviews, I prayed a very specific prayer. I prayed, “God, please let a principal call me today. Give me some hope that I’ll get a job.” Sure enough, at 3:49 pm I got a call from a Social Studies department chair in Northern Virginia. Ok, it was not technically the principal, but I had hope. It seemed like God was moving…

In Genesis, God tells Jacob to get up and go to Egypt. With God’s blessing Jacob and his caravan set out for this unknown land. God assures Jacob that going to Egypt is part of His will. He does not tell Jacob that his descendants will end up enslaved under oppressive pharaohs. He also does not tell Jacob about the harrowing and glorious exodus that awaits the Nation of Israel.

Jacob is merely a piece of the story.

Could following God’s will mean we are getting ourselves into something uncomfortable and downright messy?

Yep.

We often expect that following God will ensure physical and material blessing. Our American forefathers, the Puritans, said that if you work hard and serve God he will bless your life. Conversely, those without such blessings were deemed unspiritual and judged for their state of misfortune. In fact, this “Protestant ethic” became so entrenched that made its way into our AP US History curriculum. Every September I teach that unit. Every September I can't help but think that I would have made a great Puritan.

I must ask myself: Am I guilty of judging people for making “poor life decisions?” If things aren’t going well for someone do I assume it’s because they just “suck at life?”

Sometimes God makes our paths very clear. Sometimes God’s direction makes sense. However, we may be called to do impractical things for the Gospel. Sometimes the path is difficult and hard to see. We might end up enslaved, imprisoned, or impoverished. Perhaps God’s plan is larger than our solitary lives. Perhaps those hardships are pieces of the story. We do not see the whole picture.

I wonder, would Jacob have gone to Egypt if he had known what was in store?