The first twelve chapters of Exodus set the up the Road Trip. The Pharaoh was an evil, stubborn man who had no fear of God…Truth was the Pharaoh did not know God. It is through the mercy, grace, and love of our Father that we learn and have mercy, compassion and love for people, the gods of Egypt and the Pharaoh and his people knew none of that.  

Here is a quick review of the first three chapters as God prepared His people for a Great Road Trip.In the first chapter of Exodus we are made aware of the history of these people before they became a nation. Moving on to chapter 2 we read of God preparing for the salvation of his people… God always is in charge and has a plan. “Moses is born, and exposed on the river. (1-4) He is found, and brought up by Pharaoh’s daughter. (5-10) Moses slays an Egyptian, and flees to Midian. (11-15) Moses marries the daughter of Jethro. (16-22) God hears the Israelites. (23-25) In chapter 3 God makes known his presence and plan to Moses. “God appears to Moses in a burning bush. (1-6) God sends Moses to deliver Israel. (7-10) The name Jehovah. (11-15) The deliverance of the Israelites promised. (16-22)

This week we move to chapter 4. We will break it down into four sets of verses, as follows. God gives Moses power to work miracles. (1-9) Moses is reluctant  to go, Aaron is to assist him. (10-17) Moses leaves Midian, God’s message to Pharaoh. (18-23) God’s displeasure against Moses, Aaron meets him, The people believe them. (24-31) In the first nine verses Moses objects that the people will not believe or accept his word alone. As in the NT to come, Moses cited a need for a sign. God gave him power to work miracles. I had a bit of a problem here but further research got me over the hump. I asked myself, but what of us today? What power do we as messengers of God’s word have…what or where is our power? Our Power lies in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Remember that old saying and Hymn… “there’s power in the blood”?  The word of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit can and will cast out the sins of man. When we accept Christ as Lord and savior, our power lies in our faith. Not to be to hard on Moses but to state the situation as it was, In verses 10-17, William Henry leaves little to ponder… “ We must not judge of men by the readiness of their discourse.” Moses wasn’t quick with his tongue, he was not a great orator but God often choses those that seem to be unlikely, so that His Glory and Power may be seen in their actions. We must not blame Moses from shrinking from the task. Moses knew the heart of the Pharaoh and the danger to him and his family as he undertook to do God’s calling. Step back and wonder at the wisdom of God as he gave Arron to assist Moses to take on the mission to free his people. The tongue of Aaron, with the head and heart of Moses, would make one complete team fit for this errand. God’s constant teaching and help along with God’s Divine grace, assured their success. God spoke to Moses often after the burning bush. The Pharaoh had harden his hearts against the cries and moans of despair of the oppressed Israelites and in righteous judgement God hardens His heart to the terror of the plagues and other judgements being put upon the Pharaoh and his people. Will Pharaoh respond? God commands Moses to tell him…   Thus saith the Lord. He must demand a discharge for Israel, Let my son go; not only my servant, whom thou hast no right to detain, but my son. It is my son that serves me, and therefore must be spared, must be pleaded for. In case of refusal I will slay thy son, even thy first-born. As men deal with God’s people, let them expect so to be dealt with.

Over time nations and people over all the world have put aside the teachings of God, Christ and the council of the Holy Spirit, blind to the need of salvation, forging ahead in a rush for power and putting self first. Pharaoh does just that and does not heed God’s command. One interesting thing in these last verses (24-31) that stand out to me is the need to make ourselves right with God. When things are wrong in our lives we would be wise to correct them quickly. These things that are amiss in our lives are calling out to us to return to God and his precepts. God sent Arron to Moses and the elders of Israel met with them and believed. Then Israel welcomed the tidings of their deliverance, and worshipped the Lord, how should we welcome the glad tidings of redemption?…Embrace it in faith, and adore the Redeemer! When through faith, prayer and Divine intervention we too should worship the Lord and stand strong in the faith.

There are always consequences when we follow God…In the NT Jesus on several occasions made it very plain that to follow Him would not be easy, it would be a perilous path not without personal cost. The Israelites here in chapter 5, OT, are about to pay a price for their faith and obedience to God’s call. 

Bricks without straw…Pharaoh treated all he had heard with contempt. He did not know God and he did not fear Him; he refused to obey Him. Can you remember a time in your life that you refused to obey? Did your pride, ambition, covetousness, and lack of knowledge, hardened your heart which in turn led to a bad time? What Moses and Aaron ask is very reasonable, they wished only to go three days’ journey into the desert, where they would sacrifice unto the Lord our God. Pharaoh had no intention of that happening. In our lives today we often experience the rejections of a good thing on the basis of those opposed misrepresenting our intent. This can be read in different ways but the first thing that bothered the Pharaoh was the fact that the people would not be doing his work. This is my other thought and is my opinion. We know that he had no knowledge of God and certainty no understanding of the Jews and their beliefs. When he was told they wanted to go into the wilderness to worship and sacrifice unto the Lord our God, he immediately took that to mean people would die. He said no and used this as a pretense to add to their burdens. This added to the burden of Moses and Arron by causing physical distress and hardship on the very people they were sent to free. The quota of bricks per day was not reduced and to maintain that they would have to get their own straw. To do all this would be a physical strain that would break many of the men. In the closing verses 10-23 we know the task mangers of the Jews were very severe in their treatment of those who failed to meet the quota that had been set for the bricks due per day. The head workman with just cause complained to Pharaoh but received only his destain and taunts. There were many who worked harder to meet the quotas and their previous complaining to Moses and Arron brought home to them their previous sins and left them in shame. Mosses, I am sure was shaken by this turn of events that brought more misery on the people. But being diligent in faith Moses returned to the Lord. He knew that what he had said and done, was by God’s direction; and therefore appeals to him. The key here is Moses returned to the Lord. In life today we are often left disappointed in a task that becomes difficult. We must not let that drive us from the direction God has given us. We may well be confused as to why something has happen but faith in God will overcome when we to go to God, and lay open our case before him by fervent prayer.

Thank you for staying with this series from Exodus. Next week we will close out this series but not the book of Exodus. We will have traveled through the first 12 chapters and there are 38 chapters in the book. That gives us the chance to return to this important book in the future.

Life is Good

jk

As we start this journey in earnest I encourage you to read the Book of Exodus, the first 12 chapters tell of their path to their great journey…God’s Great Road Trip. We note right off that the life of Moses plays out over three 40 year segments.  

The first forty he spent as a prince in Pharaoh’s court, the second as a shepherd in Midian, the third as a king in Jeshurun, which is another word for Israel. Life is always changing and Moses was constantly having to adapt to the changes and from that first day in those bulrushes God was with him. When God first shows himself to Moses, he finds him tending sheep. Moses has two qualities which we all can admire. While Tending sheep…seems like an unlikely position for a man who was raised in a royal household, a well educated man, he is satisfied with it, he has learned meekness and contentment…Many times we are driven to do things because we cannot be happy with what we have. God is pleased when he finds us busy with life and not resting in idle despair. As we move through these first six verses the mission is disclosed as God makes his presence and purpose known to Moses. Tending sheep was a lonely job but sometimes being alone is a good friend when we have the opportunity to communicate with God. One thing about God he shows up in the most unexpected ways. The bush was burning, but yet it did not burn away and that got the attention of Moses. There is a point here, that bush is a symbol of the faith then and of the church today…it reminds us that in every age under the severest of persecution the presence of God has kept the faith and the church from being destroyed and in this case…that bush. Fire itself is an emblem of the church in many ways. In it we see Divine holiness and justice, of the afflictions and trials of the faithful, the purification of his people, the baptism of the Holy Ghost…The presence of God magnified in many ways. Words, we can get lost in words when the simple truth is there before our very eyes. God comes to us in many ways and a receptive heart and mind do us great service. We can assume that Moses was a bit taken back by that bush…but he was a good man, chosen by God and he responded by taking off his shoes as a token of submission and respect. Moses hid his face as if ashamed to look upon the face of God. Fear and Awe.The more we see of God, and his grace, and covenant love, the more cause we shall see to worship him with reverence and godly fear. These next few verses 7-10 inform us of God noticing the afflictions and hearing the cries of his people. The oppressions they have endured at the behest of the Pharaoh and his taskmasters but know that they in all their earthly greatness are not above him, God promises speedy deliverance by the his protective care and spiritual power. We must remember that even in the harshest of times God hears our cries. There is waiting for us a heavenly Canaan, so to speak. 

Verses 11-15 show us a Moses who is held back by of all things his own confidence when he suddenly is confronted with the knowledge of his own weaknesses. We must learn not to move quickly but to seek God’s guidance and learn the patience of and assurance of faith in our God. It is enough to know that he will be with us in our heavenly endeavors. Our God is self-existent: he has his being of himself and That he is eternal and unchangeable, and always the same, yesterday, to-day, and for ever. God says,  “I AM THAT I AM.”  Let Israel know this, I AM hath sent me unto you. I am, and there is none else besides me. All else have their being from God, and are wholly dependent upon him. Also, here is a name that denotes what God is to his people. The Lord God of your fathers sent me unto you. Moses must revive among them the religion of their fathers, which was almost lost; and then they might expect the speedy performance of the promises made unto their fathers.

Wisdom, knowledge and power are the fuel of the burning bush. By God’s grace the elders of Israel would receive the instructions of Moses into their hearts, they would open their ears to him, Moses, and his commands, which God has given him. God makes known to Moses that petitions and persuasions, and humble complaints, would not prevail with the Pharaoh; nor a mighty hand stretched out in signs and wonders. But Pharaoh will certainly be broken by the power of God’s hand, who will not bow to the power of his word. From all this we have a view of the miserable, abject state of sinners. It seems in a way unbelievable but they struggle on till God sends redemption. God sends his message and will through Moses and most importantly the teaching of his Spirit. Thus Satan loses his power to hold them and they are set free with all they have….and more. Giving thanks to the glory of God and to service to his church.

What is your Egypt? Who or what holds you in bondage? Seek the word of our Lord and began your Road Trip. 

Life is Good

jk 

Lay this world aside for a while and join me in the Pew as we rediscover God’s Great Road Trip. During more than 200 years, while Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob lived at liberty, the Hebrews increased slowly; only about seventy persons went down into Egypt. The Book of Exodus is the record of how God rescued his people, Israel, from the cruel oppression of slavery in Egypt. The end of the book of Genesis reads that at the invitation of Joseph who was a son of Jacob, Jacob’s family to come to Egypt. Joseph had attained a degree of power there and sought to bring them to Egypt to avoid the famine. Here in Egypt even though they were under cruel bondage, they became a large nation. A quick profile will show us that at the end of Genesis they went down to Egypt as a free people and they prospered and grew in number. They did so well in their new environment that the people of Egypt grew to fear them and sought to control them by enslaving them. The opening chapter of Exodus tells how the Israelites were enslaved by the Egyptians. We often do what I call a surface read.

The words resonate in our minds but we don’t always go beyond the words. What do I mean by that? Consider an old man’s reasoning…The Bible is like good western wear…never goes out of style. The bible relates to places and things even in our day. People are oppressed, enslaved, genocide is still a problem in certain parts of the world and ethnic cleansing still occurs. The story of the Exodus is about a people willing to flee the oppression they live under, to take a dangerous journey on the way to a better place. It doesn’t stop there. In Exodus we are introduced to the God we met in Genesis, the creator of life, he who made humanity in his own image. Here begins the story of a God who has heard his people’s cry…and comes to rescue them from their oppressive circumstances…this life that is threatening the very blessings of the life he has created. This chapter relates to the coming together of the children of Israel into a church and a nation. Exodus, the departure from Egypt and Egyptian bondage as the fulfilling of several promises and prophecies to Abraham respecting his seed, and shadows the state of the church  in the wilderness of this world, until her arrival at the heavenly Canaan, an eternal rest.

I plan to look at a few verses at a time in the hope that I can encourage you to read this wonderful book of a remarkable God, his people and a Road Trip to salvation. We will start in chapter 1, verses 8-14. It is hard to imagine but we must consider the fact that the place where we are so happy could soon become the very place of our affliction. The people did well because Joseph was so well loved but with his death things started to change. It is a fact that after a man dies the best of his services to his fellow man are soon forgotten. So it was with the Egyptians toward Joseph and his people. We have stated that the Egyptians feared the growth of the Israelites and of course there is the sin of envy, they resented the Jews prosperity. The desire to be free escalated as the punishments increased because of the fear the Egyptians had of the growing numbers of the Jews. Funny thing took place here, the more the Egyptians punished the Jews the Egyptians became more annoyed and frustrated with their efforts and the Jews. It is at that point…verses 15-22 that the Egyptians tried to destroy Israel by the murder of their children. They had no pity on the Jews and resented the obvious fact that these people were the recipient’s of an uncommon blessing. The enemy attempted to destroy the church in its infant state, they moved quickly to stifle any hope of  objection to their deed, they moved before it had a chance to become a matter of the heart among other Egyptians. It was a matter of pure and simple genocide. Those who are free of sin should cry out loudly to the Lord for his saving grace that even in this day such things continue to happen.

A quick overview of chapter 2…. Moses is born, (1-4) He is found, by Pharaoh’s daughter who takes him in and raises him. (5-10) Then in his early manhood Moses slays an Egyptian, and flees to Midian. (11-15) There Moses marries the daughter of Jethro. (16-22) It is next followed by the news that God hears the Israelites cries of oppression.(23-25) What can we learn if we go beyond the words? The very first thing is that God is always ahead of the game so to speak. As the Pharaoh’s cruelty increased a deliverer is born…Moses. All through time men have planed ways to destroy the church… our God is always preparing for its salvation. In Hebrews 11:23 God is already preparing a way for the people’s deliverer.

11:23

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s edict.

In verses 5-10 we read that our faith in God will lift us above the burden of fear…we can accomplish much with God as our guide.

When the baby Moses lie alone in an ark of bulrushes by the rivers edge God watched over him. When we seem most neglected and forlorn, God is present with us. As he lay there watched by his sister along comes the Pharaoh’s daughter…call it luck if you want but those of faith would call it a divine act. No one else could have the power and wherewithal to have got this done. She even brought his mother in to nurse him. So what do we see here? God rules, God is in charge and in God’s time there will always be a way. In these next verses 11-15 we see a man’s faith in action. In Exodus 2:11 Moses sees for himself the cruelty of the Egyptians to the Hebrews. It puts forth the consideration  that the future actions of Moses were faith driven. He leaves behind   the honors, wealth, and pleasures of his rank among the Egyptians. In these next verses we see that faith in God overcomes the world. By the grace of God he was a partaker of faith in Christ, which overcomes the world. He was willing, not only to risk all, but to suffer for his sake; being assured that Israel were the people of God.

 There are some facts that different commentaries views question the killing of the Egyptian beating a Hebrew as others view it as a special warrant from Heaven. There was also the attempt of Moses to settle a dispute between two Hebrews. Beyond the words here is a lesson for the church today. There are many theological debates a questions of doctrine that divide and weaken the church today. As a church and a Christian community we must be on guard against those who profess faith and are easily angered or frustrated when their ways are challenged. Because he saw an injustice and sought to stop it and reached out to seek a reconciliation between his Hebrew brethren  …Moses was forced to flee to Midian. From this point on verses 23-25 there is an awaking of the people of Israel, the bondage in Egypt continued but the murdering of the infant children stoped. They began to think of God in the mist of their problems which usually leads to a closer relationship with God and strengthens their desire for deliverance. God never forgets his covenants, he looked upon the Jews and considered the merits of their cries of despair. I could write much more but it is sufficient to know that God’s eyes are fixed upon the people of Israel and to simply leave it at this verse….

Mathew 11:28

 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.

This brings us to the end of the first two chapters of Exodus. Thank you for joining me in the Pew…Join me next week as we return to this amazing Road Trip. 

Life is Good

 jk

Welcome back, yes we are back again to Proverbs. Had a note from a reader that Proverbs 8 was one of his favorite chapters in this book; so I went to take a quick look and I couldn’t leave it at that. So this week we will run the chapter, we will break it down into four parts. 

It is Christ as wisdom who calls to the sons of men.The first set of verses from Proverbs 8 will be vv.1-11. Clearly Mosses and the prophets made known the will of God…but we will also find that will in the creation and fortified in the consciences of men. The problem has always been to get us to pay attention to the instruction given to us. As would be said, tis a pity, because the words of Christ will guide us to that saving knowledge of the truth.     When we open our hearts to understanding and are willing be to receive the truth in love, we will find that wisdom to be worth more than silver and gold. 

In the next set of verses vv. 12-21 we are instructed that wisdoms promises the good we have received and given have been laid up…saved not for just days but for eternity. It is in a way like Murphy’s Law…If there is a way to mess up our relationship with God, you can be sure we will find a way. There are some things God finds annoying and we would do well to note those. God hates pride and arrogance, evil ways and contrite conversations. These are some of the things that keep us from humbling ourselves and being awaken to his holy instructions. Even with this line-up, God found a way for our recovery. The true religion, I prefer to call it the true faith, gives us the best advice in difficult times, pointing out the best way to go. Truly happy are those who receive it in the love of Jesus Christ. There is yet more to consider. We must seek him early, seek him earnestly, put him before anything else. The love of Christ will overwhelm the believers and it will fill their hearts. The believer will be happy in this world but even more so in the world to come. Wealth of this world obtained by our own vanity at the expense of others will not last long…That which we do in christian piety and selfless charity will do well and honor our God. It is true…Christ by his spirit will guide all believers in truth and righteousness thus will we be happy in the glory of God hereafter.

Verses 22-31 says a lot in just a few words. Scriptures tell us that Christ was present at the creation of the world . Consider this…the son of God was ordained even before the creation and was destine to do great works. He will take great pleasure in saving sinners and the restoration of God’s’ people to salvation. Like a moth drawn to a flame lets be responsive and not refuse the mercy of Christ. Those who hear the voice of our Savior, pray daily, read and meditate on God’s word, will be blessed. Heed these words…those who refuse the word, find excuses to neglect the path to salvation will never obtain God’s favor or the grace of His salvation. We close out with verses 32-36.Those who offend Christ deceive themselves; sin is a wrong to the soul. Sinners die because they will die, which justifies God when he judges.

 What does wisdom say we should do? We need to listen to Christ as he calls to us, there should be an eagerness liken to that of a child seeing and hearing new things. We would be wise not to refuse such mercy and grace.