A longing for ‘Goshen’

By ALPHONSE BARIASI
FROM high school geography lessons we know that ancient civilisations were centred on major rivers which served both as transport arteries and sources of water used for many purposes, notably agriculture.
Examples are the ancient Egyptians, who were based on the Nile, the Mesopotamians on the Tigris/Euphrates rivers, the ancient Chinese on the Yellow River, and ancient India on the Indus.
Wikipedia says Mesopotamia roughly corresponds to most of Iraq, Kuwait, parts of Northern Saudi Arabia, the eastern parts of Syria, Southeastern Turkey, and regions along the Turkish–Syrian and Iran–Iraq borders.
For farming, fishing, transportation and construction work, the ancients have relied on these rivers much like maritime communities relied on the sea and oceans.
The Nile was in every practical sense mother to the ancient Egyptians; her mood determined the economy and life of the kingdom. Prior to the confrontation by the runaway prince and his brother, Pharoah’s Egypt may have known only flood and drought to have changed the appearance and level of the Nile. That was determined by the fancy of a god or gods of Ancient Egypt.
And the Goshen region where Joseph had his family of 75 settle was prime agricultural land on the vast Nile delta. All manner of fruits and vegetables, plus grain and fodder for the livestock, thrived in abundance on the rich soil deposited by the river. Little wonder that it was a lot easier to take the Israelites out of Egypt than to take Egypt out of them.
In the parched land and scorching heat of the wilderness they thought back of the abundance of Goshen. “We remember the fish, which we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlic.” – Num 11:5.
When the Nile waters turned into blood, it was a completely new phenomenon but nevertheless one which the magicians of the kingdom could still counter with a trick of their own.
The Exodus account relates that the water turned to blood, the fish in it died and of course no one was able to drink it.
Alas, it was not only the waters of the Nile but all streams, canals, ponds and reservoirs – even the water in wooden buckets and stone jars turned bloody. -Ex 7:19
The Nile of Pharoah’s kingdom may have been affected thus while the rest of the river reaching south into the heart of Africa must have still run sweet for man and beast to enjoy.
The God of Israel had issue with the king of Egypt for His chosen people were being mistreated or worked to death. Besides, time for them in Egypt was almost up; it was time to pack up and leave for the Promised Land according to a covenant sworn to a patriarch.
But humanly speaking, Pharoah would be a mad man to wake up one morning and – at the request of someone who had grown up in his palace but fled when his treachery was uncovered – release “a whole nation within his nation.”
A pararell would be someting like a couple of spokesmen fronting up at Waigani to demand that all Western Highlanders and Engans immigrate somewhere with all their wealth!
The Israelites were a valuable part of the Egyptian workforce in nearly all aspects of the national economy. They certainly had a big enough imprint on the Egyptian civilisation that a sudden departure would cripple the host nation.
The scene in Pharoah’s court was a battle of wits and gods working behind the scenes.
After the initial staffs-to-snakes exchange, God commands Moses to strike the Nile in the presence of Pharoah so its water turned to blood. That however, was not convincing enough for Pharoah and after few more plagues, and eventually the slaughter of the first born, he relents.
This week as the Judeo-Christian world commemorates the events of the Passover/Pesach, the showdown between Moses and Aaron with Pharoah and his magicians is remembered as an important aspect of the Exodus narrative.
During the period leading up the Passover, Jewish families work tirelessly in preparation, cleaning the leaven out of their homes and for the next seven days nothing made of yeast would be found on their dining tables.
The spiritual significance of that for non-Jewish believers of the Word of God is self-examination to remove any “leaven” in the spirit and soul to be truly free of the “Egypt influence.”
Believers in the Messiah, having accepted the sacrifice of the Pesach Lamb, have in a sense left their own Egypt and are on a pilgrimage to a Promised Land of sorts. But like the Israelites of old, some have been taken out of Egypt but the Egypt has not been taken out of them completely.
That is the spiritual struggle all must face on this pilgrimage.
Ah the Nile and Goshen, the cucumbers, melons, onions and garlic!
How impoverished and undernourished believers are when they won’t enjoy ‘milk and honey’ that are free to all through a real and lasting relationship with the Risen Messiah.
Such a relationship should be the object of observing the solemnity of the events of this week.