Moments With God

Exodus 11-12

The Lord Jesus Christ is the "Lamb of God" who laid down His life on the cross to pay the penalty for the sins of His people. (John 1:29) As His children we have been cleansed from our sins and made "white in the blood of the Lamb," our Lord Jesus Christ! (Revelation 7:14b)

This wonderful truth is pictured for us in the Old Testament story found in Exodus 11-12. Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, had continued to harden his heart over and over in spite of nine horrendous plagues which God had sent on Egypt. (Exodus 7-10) Pharaoh had repeatedly refused to obey the clear command of God to let His Old Testament people, the Israelites, leave Egypt. Hence, God sent a tenth plague on Egypt. About midnight God went throughout the land of Egypt, and every firstborn son from every family in Egypt died including the first born son of the great Pharaoh down to the first born son of the lowliest of slaves. Those who do not accept God’s grace and who do not bow the knee to the Lord will die in their sins. They will also reap the eternal consequences of that sin.

For the Israelites, God’s Old Testament people, God provided a way of escape and grace, however. The Israelites were instructed to kill a lamb "without defect." (Exodus 12:5) Next the Israelites were to put some of the Lamb’s blood "on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses." (Exodus 12:7) God’s promised His Old Testament people that if they obeyed Him in this matter, He would pass over their houses and spare their first born sons. The Egyptian families’ firstborn sons would die, but when God saw the blood on the Israelite families’ houses He would spare their sons. What a beautiful picture of Jesus Christ, our Lamb of God, who once and for all shed His blood for our sins on the cross! The Israelites were no more deserving than the Egyptians of God’s grace. Yet God saved them because of the blood of the lambs on their doors. We also are undeserving of God’s grace. Yet through Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, and through Christ’s blood God has chosen to save us and make us His children! Praise His name!

The same night as the Lord passed over their houses, God’s Old Testament people were instructed to eat the meat of the Lamb that they had killed and to eat bitter herbs and bread made without yeast. Yeast is often used as picture of sin in the New Testament. I Corinthians 5:7a instructs us to "get rid of the old yeast" of sin. In thankfulness for what Christ, our Lamb of God, has done for us on the cross may we passionately seek to live our lives in practical holiness and obedience to our Lord. The Lord says to us in I Peter 1:18-19, "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed----, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect." The lamb that was killed and whose blood was put on the doorframes of the houses of God’s Old Testament people needed to be a lamb "without defect." (Exodus 12:5) So our Savior and Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, is our perfect "lamb without blemish or defect." (I Peter 1:19b) Jesus Christ lived a perfectly sinless life for us that we could not live, and then shed His blood to pay the punishment for our sins! That monumental event in the life of God’s Old Testament people when God spared their first born sons was very significant. It was from that day on called Passover, and the Israelites remembered that event every year with the Passover celebration and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. It also was a new beginning in their calendar year and truly a new beginning in the history of God’s Old Testament people. (Exodus 12:2) As the Passover was a new beginning for God’s Old Testament people; so in Christ we as His people today have a new beginning, a new identity, and a new purpose in Him. Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, shed His blood on the cross to purchase our salvation. May we passionately live our lives in gratitude to Him!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 10

"As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear Him." (Psalm 103:12-13) These verses from Psalm 103 are a wonderful promise to those who are truly repentant and sorry for their sins. Those who continue in sin, however, who deliberately harden their hearts and deliberately continue in habitual sins, do not truly know the Lord. (I John 3:6, 9-10) In fact unrepented, deliberate, and habitual sin coming from a heart that has grown hard and cold toward God will reap destruction. Galatians 6:8a says, "The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction." Such was the case in the life of Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, and in the nation of which he was the leader.

Pharaoh and the nation of Egypt had already suffered through seven horrendous plagues when God sent the eighth plague, the plague of the locusts. During the seventh plague, the plague of hail every person, animal, and plant that was out in the field had been destroyed. When the Lord announced the onset of the plague of locusts to Pharaoh, God said this about the locusts, "They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians-something neither your fathers nor your forefathers have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now." (Exodus 10:5b-6a) Pharaoh’s officials tried to persuade him from his stubborn and rebellious ways saying, "Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?" (Exodus 10:7b)

The plague of the locusts is a picture of the total destruction of sin. As the locusts "devoured all that was left after the hail" and left nothing alive (Exodus 10:15), so unrepented sin destroys and ruins people’s lives. Sin destroys people emotionally and spiritually and sometimes physically. Unrepented sin removes joy, security, and peace from people’s lives. Unrepented sin destroys the possibility for an eternal and personal relationship with the Lord. Unrepented sin destroys purpose in life, because we were created for the purpose of serving the Lord. Unrepented sin makes people hard in their hearts. Over and over Exodus tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart until it appears there was a point of no return. After the sixth plague, the plague of boils, Exodus 9:12 says "But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses." Although this is a difficult verse to understand, it first of all it shows God’s sovereignty. (Exodus 10:1-2) Also this writer believes Pharaoh had hardened his heart for so long that at last the Lord let Pharaoh’s heart go in its natural inclination against God. As the cement mixture which is laid for a new sidewalk eventually hardens, so the Lord allowed Pharaoh’s heart to harden in his sinful rebellion.

The eighth plague on Pharaoh and the Egyptian people was the plague of darkness. There was total darkness over Egypt for three days. This is a picture of the darkness of sin. Exodus 10:23b says this of God’s Old Testament people, however, "Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived." Although the world around God’s people may be very dark, God’s children have the light of Jesus shining in their lives directing their paths even when they walk through deep trials. This is true because Jesus has died on the cross and taken their punishment for sin on Himself. As it was dark three days in Egypt, so Jesus was three days in the grave before His glorious resurrection. Jesus Christ not only saves us from our sins and gives us an eternal relationship with Him, but He daily directs our steps with the light of His presence and guidance. The psalmist says this to the Lord in prayer in Psalm 89:15, "Blessed are those who have learned to acclaim You, who walk in the light of Your presence, O Lord." Praise God for His light and freedom from sin’s destruction in the lives of His children!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 9

Proverbs 28:14 says, "Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble." Believers who trust in the Lord will face trials in this life, but because the Lord protects His children, they are "more than conquerors" through Jesus Christ. (Romans 8:37) Those who harden their hearts in rebellion against the Lord, however, do not experience the Lord’s peace and joy. Instead they experience God’s wrath.

Pharaoh, ancient king of Egypt, hardened his heart over and over against God and His clear commands. Repeatedly Moses had come to Pharaoh and said, "The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: ‘Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the desert." (Exodus 7:16) When Pharaoh disobeyed this command to let God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt, God sent ten terrible plagues on Egypt. First God sent the plague of blood. Blood was in the Nile River, in all the ponds and streams, and even in the containers found in their homes. Next came the plagues of the frogs, gnats, and flies. After the onset of each plague Pharaoh would ask Moses to pray to God to remove the plague. When the plague was no longer existent, however, Pharaoh would harden his heart time and again against God’s clear command to let God’s people leave Egypt.

Then came the fifth plague. This was the plague on the livestock. Moses warned Pharaoh that if he did not let God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt "the hand of the Lord" would bring a terrible plague on their various animals in the field. (Exodus 9:3) For the believer "the hand of the Lord" is a blessed thing. Psalm 37:24b says of the child of God, "the Lord upholds him with His hand." For those who continue to harden their heart against the Lord, however, "the hand of the Lord" is a fearsome thing. Yet Pharaoh continued to harden his heart against the Lord. So the Lord did indeed send that terrible plague on the livestock; and then later God sent the sixth plague, the plague of the boils. These boils covered all the Egyptian people and all their animals. Whereas the previous plague had affected only the animals in the field, this plague affected all the animals and people. Animals and animal-headed deities were often worshipped by the Egyptians, but once again these false deities did not help them at all in their time of crisis. Only our God can protect and help. He alone is Lord of Lords and King of Kings.

The seventh plague that God sent on Pharaoh and the Egyptians was the plague of hail. Hail fell and killed all the animals and people who were out in the field. It also "beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree." (Exodus 9:25b) Not only was there hail, but the lighting and thunder that accompanied the hail was horrendous. "It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation." (Exodus 9:24b) The only place this storm did not hit was in the land of Goshen where God’s Old Testament people, the Israelites, lived. Once again as with the other plagues Pharaoh summoned Aaron and Moses. Pharaoh said, "This time I have sinned---The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer." (Exodus 9:27) This is the first time Pharaoh acknowledged his sin and began to have a glimmer of understanding about the consequences of his sin. So Moses prayed and the hail and thunder disappeared. As soon as the hail storm disappeared, however, Pharaoh chose to harden his heart and disobey God once again; and he refused to let God’s people leave Egypt. Pharaoh was going to be visited with three more plagues before he would submit to God’s command to let God’s people go. Let us be very sure that we protect our hearts from becoming hard or indifferent. May our hearts instead be filled with a passion to serve and obey our Lord!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 7-8.

Our God is Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Those who acknowledge Him as Lord over every area of their lives experience His peace even in times of difficulty in their lives. Those who blatantly and stubbornly rebel against Him will experience only the anger of the Lord. Such was the experience of Pharaoh, king of Egypt. Once again Moses and Aaron spoke to Pharaoh about letting God’s Old Testament people leave Egypt. "Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said." (Exodus 7:13) As a result God began to send a series of ten terrible plagues on Pharaoh and on Egypt to show to Pharaoh that God indeed was the only Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

The first plague God sent was the plague of blood. Moses with his staff struck the water in the Nile River, and the water in the Nile was changed into blood. Also all the water in the ponds and streams turned to blood, and blood was found "even in the wooden buckets and stone jars." (Exodus 7:19) The second plague was the plague of frogs. Frogs were everywhere. Frogs were in the Nile River, in the Egyptian people’s houses, in their beds, in their kitchens, and in everything. Dependence on false gods had not helped the Egyptians. The Egyptian people depended on the Nile River for it’s life-sustaining water. This had led to the deification of one of their false gods, Hopi. Also the toad or frog was deified in their worship of the false goddess, Heqt. As it turned out neither one of these false gods were of any help or protection to them in this time of crisis in their nation. We too must be very careful that we are not depending on ourselves or on our own resources. Only the Lord is our sure foundation and protection for life and for eternity.

The third and fourth plagues were gnats and then flies. In Exodus 8:17b it says, "All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats." After the gnats came some of the Egyptian magicians finally recognized that this was due to the miraculous power of God, and they said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." (Exodus 8:19) Those who are in rebellion against the Lord will see "the finger of God" by experiencing the Lord’s wrath. Those who love the Lord will see "the finger of God" by experiencing His protection, strength, and love. As believers travel through valleys of suffering and weeping even these times will become times of blessing for them because of the Lord’s mercy.

When the Lord sent the fourth plague, flies, swarms of flies were everywhere; "and throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies." (Exodus 8:24) This time, however, the Lord said, "I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land." (Exodus 8:22) It seems likely that God’s Old Testament people did not suffer any more effects from the remaining plagues from this point on. Apparently, however, God’s Old Testament people had suffered some of the effects of the previous plagues. We do not understand why sometimes God’s people suffer along with unbelievers when major wide spread catastrophes happen, but we do know that the Lord is always with His children even in those times. Even those catastrophic times will be used for the Lord’s glory and His children’s ultimate good.

After this fourth plague of flies Pharaoh wanted to compromise with God. Pharaoh said that God’s people could sacrifice to God within Egypt and that they did not need to leave Egypt to do this. This was not God’s plan for His people, however. We also can not go against God’s plan and try to compromise with God’s clear commands. May it be our passion to always be obedient to our God in all things, for He is indeed Lord of Lords and King of Kings!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Exodus 6:10-7:7

Sometimes even when we are being obedient to our Lord, we may face significant obstacles in our lives. In spite of this God expects us to trust Him and to persevere in the faith. James 1:12 says, "Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love Him."

After Moses’ first encounter with Pharaoh, God’s Old Testament people’s situation had gotten worse and not better. (Exodus 5) Moses probably felt like giving up, but God instructed Moses to proceed in faith and to return to Pharaoh again. God said to Moses, "Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the Israelites go out of his country. (Exodus 6:10) Moses continued to use the excuse of his lack of eloquence in speech, (Exodus 6:12 & 30) but the Lord did not accept that excuse.

We also must not be reluctant to obey God’s clear commands and His plan for our lives. We must not be intimidated by the obstacles and problems of life. Instead we should "look to the Lord and His strength." (I Chronicles 16:11a) We must also not look at our weaknesses and shortcomings, but we must remember that the Lord delights in infusing His strength in those who know they are weak in themselves. God did give to Moses his brother, Aaron, as a helper and spokesman. God will also often send people into our lives to help us and encourage us along the way. These fellow believers are often used by the Lord as His vessels to help us persevere in the face of life’s heavy burdens. God has also promised that He Himself will always be with us. The Lord says to us, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." (Hebrews 13:5b) The Lord expects us to trust and obey Him in all things, however. God did not let Moses "off the hook" when Moses tried to make excuses for not doing as God commanded. God said to Moses, "You are to say everything I command you" to Pharaoh. (Exodus 7:2)

God also told Moses that Pharaoh would harden his heart over and over. God told Moses that in spite of the miraculous judgments that would occur in Egypt, Pharaoh would not listen to Moses. In the end, however, the Egyptians and Pharaoh would know that God alone was Lord and sovereign in all things. God said about the Egyptians, "And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it." (Exodus 7:5) God’s plan would work out. God’s Old Testament people would be freed from slavery. God’s plan to free us from the slavery of sin worked out in God’s perfect timing also when Jesus died for our sins. Further God’s plan for the world and for all the details of our lives will take place according to His perfect will. His plan for our lives ultimately always works out for His glory and our spiritual good.

So "Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh." (Exodus 7:6-7) May we never say or believe we are either too young or too old to serve the Lord. Christians must never think they can retire from serving the Lord. Our area of service may change, but we all must and can serve the Lord all of our days. May this be our passion!