Blessings come in the midst of burdens.   ~~~   Have you ever bought a lemon? And I’m not talking about the fruit. Usually when people say, ‘they bought a lemon’, they are referring to a vehicle purchase that didn’t turn out like they thought. You get a lemon when you think you’re getting something of value that will be a good investment, only to discover what you purchased was in fact worthless, unsatisfactory and in great need of repair. Lemon laws, as they are called, were set into place as a result of consumers being deceived by companies trying to sell something that looked shiny and new, but was in fact not. The lemon law protects customers in that no matter what they are buying, if something is a dud, or a lemon, the seller must fix, repair or replace the product. It can be difficult to know if you’re getting a lemon. Shiny, new and pleasing to the eye doesn’t always mean it’s a good choice! Just ask Eve. All this month, since it’s a NEW year, I’m digging through scripture that uses the word NEW and seeing what NEW thing God may want us to discover through it. Today I’m looking at a new king I read about in Exodus. We don’t know much about him, but what we do know is that even though he may have been shiny and new in his leadership role, he was in fact a big old lemon! Sadly he couldn’t be fixed or sent back. But God was still on the throne. Exodus 1:8-12 Then a new king, to whom Joseph meant nothing, came to power in Egypt. “Look,” he said to his people, “the Israelites have become far too numerous for us. 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.” So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. What we see in these few verses is nearly 400 years of history unfolding. If we go back just a bit, we see Joseph, his father Jacob, and all of his family in Egypt. Remember, how they got there? It’s a crazy story, one meant for evil, but God used it for good. You can read more on that in Genesis. Bottom line, the children of Israel were saved and given a new home in Egypt. Fast forward a bit. Then a new king, who knew nothing of Joseph, came to power in Egypt. Shiny and new doesn’t make it good. The season that once was, was no more. This dud of a king, and the ones that followed, no longer honored the memory of Joseph. All they saw was a people greater in number and strength than their own. We have the advantage in scripture of knowing how the story ends, but for the children of Israel, they faced a very long season of struggle, oppression and slavery. But God… He had a way of turning what was meant for evil for good when his people first came into Egypt and in THIS turn of history, He still had a plan to work it all for their good that would ultimately bring them OUT of Egypt. It was a long road. Sometimes it is in life isn’t it. This was out of their control, but God was always IN control. Remember verse twelve? The more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. God’s people will rise. Blessings come in the midst of the burdens. Praise will rise in the midst of persecution. What God had started, He would finish. And nothing, not even a lemon of a king, and all his evil ways, could stop God’s plan for His people. That’s the truth! Remember, shiny and new isn’t always good. Don’t be deceived. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Trust Him on the mountain and when you walk through the valley. What was meant for evil, He is working for your good. I’m Lori Cline.