Themes in Scripture: Egypt
One of the themes found throughout the Bible is looking to Egypt for provision instead of God. It begins at the beginning -- the book of Genesis. Learn to look for this and other symbols in Scripture.
In the ninth grade, I was introduced to Shakespeare. Until then, I was terrified to attempt to read this 16th-century playwright. I was scared until I began to read the play for myself. One of the reasons I was so intrigued by his writing was being introduced to symbolism. I still remember the paper I wrote about the importance of the moon in Romeo and Juliet (though I have no idea what it represented).
Literature was more than a story. It was a game.
Recognizing most or any of the symbols is unnecessary to enjoy a book (or movie, painting, poem, etc). However, recognizing a symbol the author places in their writing opens up their work to a new level of value and meaning.
Scripture is no different.
Most of us learn the Bible as children. We hear the stories and memorize the details but miss the deeper meanings. Today, as you read the Bible, whether you realize it or not, there is a deeper value and meaning to its stories. This month, I am sharing with you a few symbols and recurring themes found in the book of Genesis but also run through the entire Bible. In fact, the five symbols I’ll write about this month can all be found in just one chapter — Genesis 12.
In this chapter, which contains 20 verses and two simple stories, I identified at least five different themes found throughout the Bible.
Egypt
Men + Women
See + Take
Trees
Last week, I began with covenant; this week, we’ll move on to Egypt. As you read, you’ll see how Egypt symbolizes mistrusting the power of God’s provision.
Egypt: Breadbasket of the World
Last week, we read the initial covenant between God and Abraham. Seemingly, out of nowhere, God chose Abraham to create a nation of men and women whom God would use to redeem the entire world from the sin enveloping it. God starts the process by calling Abraham out of his homeland and moving him to a land God would show him.
God promised to bless Abraham and his descendants as a sign of honor for Abraham’s obedience. God tells Abraham he will be “blessed to be a blessing.” When Abraham arrived in Canaan, God promised Abraham this land for the nation to be built from Abraham’s family. This is what it looked like:
Abram traveled through the land as far as the site of the great tree of Moreh at Shechem. At that time the Canaanites were in the land. The Lord appeared to Abram and said, “To your offspring I will give this land.” So he built an altar there to the Lord, who had appeared to him.
From there he went on toward the hills east of Bethel and pitched his tent, with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east. There he built an altar to the Lord and called on the name of the Lord. -Genesis 12:6-8
Everything was clicking for Abraham.
Until it wasn’t.
While the text doesn’t specifically tell us this is a test from God, it appears God does test Abraham’s faith by sending a famine. Abraham built his wealth mainly through large flocks of sheep and goats. This meant he needed plenty of green grass and water, so famine was a problem.
Who would Abraham trust?
Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down to Egypt to live there for a while because the famine was severe. -Genesis 12:10
Egypt was the breadbasket of the ancient world.1 This hits home as a guy who grew up and continues living in Kansas. We are also known as the breadbasket to America (and beyond). Egypt appeared famine-proof because of the annual flooding of the Nile, which left dark, rich soil to grow their fruits, vegetables and grain.2 While many parts of the world would struggle during dry years, Egypt flourished.
So, Abraham did what so many others in Scripture have done.
Abraham turned to Egypt.
Egypt throughout Scripture
This temptation to rely on Egypt for provision is a consistent theme in the Old Testament. When times got tough for the people of God, they would turn to, trust in, or even dream about Egypt as their provider. Egypt shows up early in the Old Testament and again at the end. Egypt always seems to be around.
Wandering in the Wilderness
Egypt's next appearance in Scripture is in the story of Joseph at the end of Genesis. Then, God raised Moses to deliver the nation of Israel, enslaved by Egypt. The books of Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy tell the story of God moving his people from Egypt to the Promised Land of Canaan.
Because of their disobedience, Israel is stuck in the wilderness for 40 years. In the midst of their wilderness wandering, they dream of returning to Egypt. They remember all the food available to them and forget the 400 years of slavery.
Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”
-Numbers 11:4-6
Manna from heaven. We talk about manna now as a gift and blessing—because it was! Manna was God’s gift to his people. Rather than being satisfied with God’s provision in the desert, they dreamed of returning to Egypt.
The Prophet Isaiah
Hundreds of years later, well after the establishment of the Kingdom of Israel, God was dismantling all he had built through his people because of their disobedience (are you seeing the theme of disobedience, too?). God used prophets to speak to the people during these final desperate years as Israel faced foes with massive armies and unlimited storehouses to fuel these armies.
One of these prophets was Isaiah.
Isaiah recorded the story of one of these nations besieging Jerusalem. The king of Assyria sent messengers to the King of Judah (one of the two nations Israel split into and the only remaining nation after the fall of the other nation to Assyria). This enemy king did what so often the enemy of our soul does. He mixed truth with lies:
“‘This is what the great king, the king of Assyria, says: On what are you basing this confidence of yours? You say you have counsel and might for war—but you speak only empty words. On whom are you depending, that you rebel against me? Look, I know you are depending on Egypt, that splintered reed of a staff, which pierces the hand of anyone who leans on it! Such is Pharaoh king of Egypt to all who depend on him. But if you say to me, “We are depending on the Lord our God”—isn’t he the one whose high places and altars Hezekiah removed, saying to Judah and Jerusalem, “You must worship before this altar”? -Isaiah 36:4-7
The truth? You can’t trust Egypt.
The lie? You can’t trust God.
Notice how it wasn’t the prophet who spoke the truth about Egypt. God used a wicked king to speak the truth about who Egypt was — a poor imposter of the strength of God.
The Prophet Jeremiah
God did save Judah from that threat, but only for a moment. Just 100 years later, a new empire, Babylon, attacked Judah. Again, the threat caused the people to look for help. Rather than trust God, they looked to Egypt.
Another prophet spoke about the folly of running to Egypt for safety.
But if you are going to say, “We will not stay in this land,” so as not to listen to the voice of the Lord your God, saying, “No, but we will go to the land of Egypt, where we will not see war or hear the sound of a trumpet or hunger for bread, and we will stay there”; then in that case listen to the word of the Lord, O remnant of Judah. Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, “If you really set your mind to enter Egypt and go in to reside there, then the sword, which you are afraid of, will overtake you there in the land of Egypt; and the famine, about which you are anxious, will follow closely after you there in Egypt, and you will die there. So all the men who set their mind to go to Egypt to reside there will die by the sword, by famine and by pestilence; and they will have no survivors or refugees from the calamity that I am going to bring on them.” -Jeremiah 42:13-17
Are you seeing the theme? Egypt isn’t a source of hope and safety, but God is our source of provision.
Egypt in Your World
In Genesis 12, Abraham turned to Egypt for provision, a practice that continued throughout the Old Testament. Longing for Egypt still exists in our hearts today. Egypt is anything that draws us away from trusting in God’s ability to provide.
A little over ten years ago, Kia and I determined God was directing her to leave her family’s business. This was no easy decision; she had been part of it for almost 20 years. We had a list of reasons to leave the business, but the main reason was God was calling our family to a new place. Similar to the story of Abraham, we knew it was time to go, but we weren’t quite sure where (not long after I began working at my current job as a pastor).
As we made this decision and put it into practice, the temptation was to return to the comfort of the old business. That place was safe. We knew exactly when and where the money would come. Paychecks were always paid. We became like the Israelites longing for fish and melon. In that hard place, we just wanted a little comfort.
To be clear, Egypt itself wasn’t the problem. The problem is what Egypt represents.
In other words, the problem wasn’t the family business. God wanted us to leave, and looking back to it for provision was a problem.
God is jealous. He doesn’t want part of my heart—he wants it all. My temptation is to worship God with most of my life but to turn to my old ways for safety and comfort. The old business was safety and comfort; even though we were willing to give God the rest of our lives, it wasn’t enough.
We all have these safe, comfortable areas of our lives. We have things we are very happy to turn to when things get dicey. Here is a sample list of things we turn to for comfort:
your savings account
your addictions - drugs, alcohol, porn, food, etc
your job or career
your relationships
your media - Netflix, Fox News, CNN, Instagram, TikTok
your politics
Any of these (and many others) may represent Egypt in your life. They are the safe and comfortable thing to turn to instead of looking to God as your provider. This tendency in our lives is the bad news.
The good news? Jesus breaks the hold of Egypt in your life.
Jesus Breaks the Chain.
When Jesus was a baby, he was targeted by the evil King Herod to be killed. God instructed Mary and Joseph to flee to Egypt…that’s right, God used Egypt as a place of refuge in Jesus’ life.
After the wise men were gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up! Flee to Egypt with the child and his mother,” the angel said. “Stay there until I tell you to return, because Herod is going to search for the child to kill him.”
That night Joseph left for Egypt with the child and Mary, his mother, and they stayed there until Herod’s death. This fulfilled what the Lord had spoken through the prophet: “I called my Son out of Egypt.” -Matthew 2:13-15
And, of course, Jesus returned from Egypt after Herod died.
When Herod died, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt. “Get up!” the angel said. “Take the child and his mother back to the land of Israel, because those who were trying to kill the child are dead.”
So Joseph got up and returned to the land of Israel with Jesus and his mother.
-Matthew 2:19-21
Jesus broke Egypt's traditional hold on his life. He returned from Egypt and never looked back. He had plenty of reason to run to Egypt in his own trouble, but he valiantly walked to the cross.
This ushered in a new covenant between God and humanity.
This allows you to break Egypt's hold on your life, too. Instead of running to the things that always have provided a sense of safety and comfort (though fleeting), you can now run to God.
Related Articles
Is this really God’s promise?
https://online.ucpress.edu/SLA/article-abstract/4/4/486/115851/Climate-Change-in-the-Breadbasket-of-the-Roman?redirectedFrom=fulltext
https://vmfa.museum/learn/resources/ancient-egyptian-culture/#:~:text=The%20Nile%20River%2C%20which%20flowed,breadbasket%E2%80%9D%20of%20the%20ancient%20world.