Day 24 - Exodus 17-19

ONE-YEAR JOURNEY OF THE BIBLE

Day 24 - Exodus 17-19 (The HOLINESS of God)

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“Then the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai, on the top of the mountain. And the Lord called Moses to the top of the mountain, and Moses went up.  And the Lord said to Moses, "Go down and warn the people, lest they break through to gaze at the Lord, and many of them perish.  Also let the priests who come near the Lord consecrate themselves, lest the Lord break out against them." But Moses said to the Lord, "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.' "  Then the Lord said to him, "Away! Get down and then come up, you and Aaron with you. But do not let the priests and the people break through to come up to the Lord, lest He break out against them."  So Moses went down to the people and spoke to them.”  (Exodus 19:20-25)

The Bible says about God: “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, And cannot look on wickedness.” (Habakkuk 1:13)  The very nature of God’s holiness is the reason behind all of the strict rules and regulations that He gave to the Israelites in the Old Testament.  In my own limited and simple understanding, I kinda compare it to pure water or sterile surgical equipment that must be free from even the minutest contaminant otherwise it becomes polluted or unsterile and no longer pure.

It is no wonder why God, in our text, goes to great length to instruct Moses concerning the people that they must not come up on Mount Sinai because of their sins and because they have not been consecrated by God as Moses was.  As an aside, my wife and I noted as in today’s reading how Moses had the gall to tell God,  "The people cannot come up to Mount Sinai; for You warned us, saying, 'Set bounds around the mountain and consecrate it.' "  I almost laughed when I read God’s response to Moses, “Away!”  I feel  somewhat vindicted whenever someone in my family answers me back when they think I am placing an over-emphasis on a point I think is very important.  Now I can tell them I am just being biblical :).

Back to God’s holiness; the consequence in the Old Testament of a person who touches a consecrated object such as Mount Sinai or the Ark of the Covenant is death.  Many times in the Bible we read that “no one can see God and live” although because of God’s mercy, He has allowed excpetions to that principle as in the case of Jacob, Gideon, and others whom He has called for His purpose.

The holiness of God is the very reason that He chose to take on a human form in the person of His Son Jesus in order to pave the way for all people to approach Him permanently without dying.  You see, Jesus died on the cross in order to pay for our sins in order that anyone who believes (trust Him for salvation)in Him will have be cleansed completely of their sins and be sanctified (made holy, made a saint) so that they are now able to approach God permanently through the merit of Christ’s sacrifice and holiness that is imputed (transferred) in behalf of the believer.  Have you been made yet by the blood of Christ?

Day 23 - Exodus 14-16

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Day 23 - Exodus 14-16 (Israel Crosses the Red Sea; Egyptians Drown in the Red Sea)

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“Then I will harden Pharaoh's heart, so that he will pursue them; and I will gain honor over Pharaoh and over all his army, that the Egyptians may know that I am the Lord." And they did so. …  So the Egyptians pursued them, all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh, his horsemen and his army, and overtook them camping by the sea beside Pi Hahiroth, before Baal Zephon. ... And He took off their chariot wheels, so that they drove them with difficulty; and the Egyptians said, "Let us flee from the face of Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians." … Then the waters returned and covered the chariots, the horsemen, and all the army of Pharaoh that came into the sea after them. Not so much as one of them remained.”  (Exodus 14:4, 9, 25, 28)

The timing of our Scripture reading for today could not have come in at better timing than now when two movies about the Exodus, one a distorted Hollywood version and the other, an accurate documentary based on the latest evidence, showed in theaters all over almost simultaneously.  Unfortunately, I have not had the chance to watch either one but do intend to soon.

Anyways :) I don’t need any movie to inform me about what actually happened during the Exodus because I can read the Bible to find out the facts; and here is the synopsis from my own reading of the account of the Exodus, particularly the crossing of the Red Sea:  As we read from my last post, Pharoah finally lets God’s people go as a result of the tenth plague of the death of the firstborn.  God tells Moses to lead the Israelites to a location by the edge of the Red Sea and the mountains where there was no way out except going back the way they came from or crossing the Red Sea.  Pharoah hears about Israel’s predicament and decides to go after them in order to kill them all or perhaps return them to Egypt.  The Israelites cry out in panic and God comes to their rescue by parting the Red Sea.  Pharoah decides to pursue them in between the walls of the Sea and his entire army drowns when God orders the waters to return.  Meanwhile, all the Israelites cross safely to the other side.

One would think that if the Exodus and the Red Sea crossing did indeed occur that there would be evidences of the chariot parts on the seabed where it all happened and that’s exactly what explorers find at the site.  I have seen some of those films and pictures on the internet and I am excited to see what the documentary movie Patterns of Evidences does show.

But what does this all have to do with you and me who are living in the 21st century?  Here’s one food for thought: Evidences of historical events recorded in the Bible abound today like never before as a result of technology and these should serve as reason enough for anyone to believe that the Bible is indeed the Word of God as well as the Words of life for anyone who will believe its claims, particularly, its claims about Jesus Christ as the only way, truth and life.  Have you come to that point in your life yet?  If not, I urge you to consider the evidences about the historical accuracy of the Bible and then ask God to reveal Himself to you through His written Word.

 

Day 22 - Exodus 10-13

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Day 22 - Exodus 10-13 (The Passover)

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“For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord.  Now the blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.   And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord struck all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sat on his throne to the firstborn of the captive who was in the dungeon, and all the firstborn of livestock.  So Pharaoh rose in the night, he, all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt, for there was not a house where there was not one dead.”  (Exodus 12:12,13,29,30)

The tenth plague - that’s what it took for Pharoah to let God’s people go and leave the land of Egypt with all of their possessions.  It was the plague of death of all the firstborn of all the Egyptians, their servants, and all their livestock.  There was not a house where there was not one dead.

But it was not the case among the Israelites and their livestock for one reason and one reason only: because they followed God’s command for each family to kill a lamb and “they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and on the lintel of the houses where they eat it.” (Exodus 12:7)  For God had said that He would “pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment. …And when I see the blood, I will pass over you; and the plague shall not be on you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt ”  (v12-13)

Since that day, Jews all around the world have been observing the Passover as one of their most holy days.  Jesus took special care in the gospels to make sure that all the necessary preparations were made for His last Passover with His disciples and He Himself became the Passover Lamb, Who unlike the animals sacrificed every year is able to save anyone who applies HIS blood over the doorpost of their hearts so that they will not die in hell.

Have you applied the blood of the Lamb of God that taketh the sins of the world?  The Bible says that God will one day pass through the entire earth and not just one country like Egypt and will execute His judgment on sin and on every person who is guilty.  The only escape from that terrible judgment is the application of the blood of the Lamb - the blood of Jesus on the doorpost of a person’s heart through repentance and faith in Christ alone.

Day 21 - Exodus 8-9

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Day 21 - Exodus 8-9 (Who’s in Control of the World?)

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“Then the Lord said to Moses, "Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and say to him, 'Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: "Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth.  Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the earth.  But indeed for this purpose I have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be declared in all the earth.”
(Exodus 9:13-16)

A cursory look at world events today and it would be hard not to despair and lose hope.  We see the Islamist terrorists killing anyone and everyone who does not agree with them and wreaking havoc close to home.  We see our nation’s leaders putting their stamp of approval on the murder of the unborn by the millions every year.  We see tyrants like Putin and Kim Jong-un constantly threatening the the world with nuclear war.  It would not surprise me if most people might be thinking, “Is God in control of the world?”

God answers that very question in our text for today.  He told Pharoah through Moses that He could have killed him at any time during the six times in which he had refused to let Israel go to the wilderness to sacrifice to God but that He did not because it was for this very purpose (Pharoah’s hardening of his heart towards the Jews) that God had raised him up in order to show His power in him and that God’s name may be declared in all the earth.

What a comfort it is for God’s people today who trust in Him to know that He is in control of everything that goes on in the world even when things certainly don’t look that way.  Non-believers look at what’s going on in the world and say, “Everything is falling apart!” but believers look at the world through the lens of Sciptures and Bible prophecy and say, “Everything is falling in place.” because they know that God is in control and that world is marching forward in fulfillment of God’s plan exactly as the Bible said it would.

So, what in the world has all this have to do with you and me?  If you are saved, knowing that God is in control should free you from fear of the evil that is happening in the world today and fear of what the future holds.  If you are not sure you are saved, you need to ask God to forgive you of your sins and to help you to trust Him for your fears and He will.

Day 20 -Exodus 5-7

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Day 20 - Exodus 5-7 (Why Does God Allow Suffering?)

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“Then the officers of the children of Israel came and cried out to Pharaoh, saying, "Why are you dealing thus with your servants?  There is no straw given to your servants, and they say to us, 'Make brick!' And indeed your servants are beaten, but the fault is in your own people."  But he said, "You are idle! Idle! Therefore you say, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' Therefore go now and work; for no straw shall be given you, yet you shall deliver the quota of bricks."  And the officers of the children of Israel saw that they were in trouble after it was said, "You shall not reduce any bricks from your daily quota."  (Exodus 5:15-19)

There is no one right answer to the question that is the title of this post because God does not always reveal the reason why He allows suffering in this world.  In the case of the Israelites in our text, however, we can deduce at least one or two reasons why He allowed them to suffer even more after they were given hope of deliverance through the introduction of Moses and Aaron whom God called to bring them out of Egypt.

In all appearances, Moses’ mission to deliver the Israelites was an utter failure.  Not only did Pharoah not give in to Moses’ request to let the Jews go on a three-day journey to the wilderness, He maintained their production quota of bricks without providing them the fuel.  As recorded above, the Jews knew that they were in serious trouble.

We shall see in the succeeding chapters the How of God’s deliverance of Israel from their slavery in Egypt; but God gives us the Why in the following chapter:  “Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land."  (Exodus 6:1)  

The Why of the suffering of Israel after they were given hope is this:  God wanted to glorify Himself before them in even more than He would have been if He had not allowed them to experience their greater suffering.  Oftentimes, God does the same thing to His children in order for Him to receive greater glory.  Do we not give God higher praise and thanks when He answers our prayer for a serious problem compared to a trivial need?  Therefore, one reason God allows suffering is so that He can receive greater glory to Himself.

One may say, “Is it not selfish of God to want to receive more glory to Himself?”  Absolutely not!  It is consistent with God’s nature to want to receive the uttermost glory to Himself - He would not be God if He did not act accordingly.  To put it in terms we can better understand, would it be selfish of us as humans to not want to get the best medical treatment possible even if we can’t afford it?  Why? Because God has put it in the heart of every person to want to live forever.  That is human nature.

Are you struggling with why God allows suffering in your life or in the life of others you care for?  I pray that you would be content to accept that God is in control of all things and that He has His reasons for everything, including suffering in this world and one of that is to gain glory for Himself.

Day 19 - Exodus 1-4

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Day 19 - Exodus 1-4 (The First Government-Sponsored Abortion Genocide)

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Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, of whom the name of one was Shiphrah and the name of the other Puah; and he said, "When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live."  But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive. …  Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty.  And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.  So Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, "Every son who is born you shall cast into the river, and every daughter you shall save alive."  (Exodus 1:15-22)

It had been a very long time since Jacob came with his family to Egypt and now the Israelites have greatly increased in numbers and in strength so that the Egyptians were seriously threatened by them.  So, Pharoah orders the Hebrew midwives to kill all male babies before they are able to come out of the womb.  But, as our text records, the midwives feared God and did not obey the king’s command in what may have been the first civil disobedience recorded in history.  We read that God richly blessed the midwives for their courage and obedience in honoring the sanctity of life and for defending the most defenseless of all people.

This week, pro-life people from all walks of life and beliefs commemorate the sanctity of life in protest of the unjust ruling in the Roe VS Wade case on January 22, 1973  legalizing abortion in the US.  Did you know that close to 60,000,000 babies in the womb have now been murdered in the US since 1973 under the guise of freedom of choice?  

Yesterday at our church, my very good friend Stuart Migdon preached about the sanctity of life in conjunction with Sanctity of Life Sunday observed by many churches in the US.  One important truth I learned in that sermon is that God has endowed every person with the instinct to save lives.  We see that in the Hebrew midwives in our text and we also see that in every culture and society in the world since the beginning of time.

The Ten Commandments were given by God to serve as a mirror for man to see sin as sin and to bring conviction and judgment of sin.  The command “Thou shalt not murder” was given to protect all lives including the unborn.  The Bible clearly teaches that God is the one who forms every life in the womb and that He knows every person before He even created him:

“For You formed my inward parts; You covered me in my mother's womb.  I will praise You, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very well.  My frame was not hidden from You, When I was made in secret, And skillfully wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.  Your eyes saw my substance, being yet unformed. And in Your book they all were written, The days fashioned for me, When as yet there were none of them.”  (Psalm 139:13-16)

It is not enough to agree that killing babies is wrong and evil; we need to act to protect the lives of the helpless and to be a voice to the voiceless.  I thank God for the opportunity this Thursday for me and my family to join the March for Life in Washington DC.  Also, I thank God for my friend Stuart whom God is using as a voice to the voiceless babies in the womb.  He has just finished producing a movie entitled Voiceless that will come out in theaters all over beginning next year.  The movie seeks to challenge the church to rise up against the evil of abortion.  We who have been given the knowledge about the evil of abortion must not be content to sit back and do nothing.  Get involved in any way that you can and like the Hebrew midwives, God will bless you richly.

Day 18 - Genesis 48-50

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Day 18 - Genesis 48-50 (Eyes of Faith)

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And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob." 25 Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here." 26 So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.

“And Joseph said to his brethren, "I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob."  Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, "God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here."  So Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt.”  (Genesis 50:24-26)

God blessed Joseph’s life so that he lived to see his great grandchildren.  Now in our text, Joseph is old and dying and he ask his brethren, the Israelites, to swear to him that they will carry his bones up from Egypt when God visits them to bring them out of there and into the promised land.

Joseph, in all likelihood, knew that the Israelites would have to stay in Egypt for 400 years as God had revealed to his great grandfather, Abraham.  Yet, despite the very long time in the future when God would bring Israel out of Egypt, Joseph did not lose faith that God WILL fulfill his promise.  Joseph was able to see the future as clearly as his physical eyes could see his brothers before him because of his faith in God and His promise.

The book of Hebrews in the New Testament is known as the Bible’s Hall of Faith because it records the men and women who had eyes of faith to see the future as God had promised in His Word through their lens of faith.  True believers in Christ also can see the future as written in the Bible through faith.  For instance, they know for certain (Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see - Hebrews 11:1) that they will rise from the dead and be received in heaven to live with Christ forever as Christ promised to all who believe in Him.

Would you like to have faith like Joseph and like so many others who are able to see the future as though it were right before their eyes?  First, ask Christ to forgive you of your sins and to give you the gift of eternal life if you have not done so already.  Then, as you trust God more and more in everything, your eyes of faith will be strengthened until one day you will be able to see the future as promised by God in the Bible as though it were right in front of you.