God’s Covenant plan to make Abraham’s descendants into a great nation and lead them into the promised land continues after Joseph’s death but does take another turn.  Let’s pick up the story today in Exodus 1.  

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, 7 but the Israelites were exceedingly fruitful; they multiplied greatly, increased in numbers and became so numerous that the land was filled with them. 8 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. 9 “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 10 Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country.” 11 So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites 13 and worked them ruthlessly. 14 They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.

The Egyptians begin to fear the Israelites because they have grown so much.  They are enslaved and worked hard.  God is again using a difficult time to bring about His ultimate plan.  Shortly in the story we will pick up with Moses and his life.  He faced his own difficulties in life, not always as faithfully as Joseph.  God used him to do amazing thing for the nation of Israel.  Ultimately the entirety of the Biblical narrative is the story of God’s faithfulness toward a people that are not always faithful.  It remains our story today.  Take time today and reflect on the faithfulness of God in your own story.  Thank Him and let that encourage us all as we walk through our own difficulties and challenges in life.