5 keys for those in Crisis

 Read Exodus 14. 

God led His people eastward to the shore of the Red Sea.  There were mountains to the north of them and mountains to the south.  Suddenly, Pharaoh and his advisers conclude that these slaves were wandering aimlessly and boxed in.  Then, the Israelites saw the Egyptian army coming after them with full military force. 

There are four perspectives in this account.

1. Pharaoh and the Egyptians had lost their slave labor and were embarrassed.  They wanted to seize what they perceived as an opportunity for some revenge and exercise of their control over Israel.

2. The Israelites feared for their lives.  They had little to no defense against the Egyptian army.  When people are in duress physically, emotionally, even financially, they will blame God and their leaders.  The statements of the people showed no insight into God's leadership.  They blamed Moses for not leaving them alone and for not letting them die as slaves in Egypt.  They had no sense that they were in the center of God's will for their lives, or what God was about to do.

3. But these were God's people.  God led them to this place.  This was God's plan all along.  Three times He stated that He will get glory from Pharaoh and the Egyptian army.

4. Moses, as the leader, suffered the brunt of the verbal attacks by the people.  This won't be the last time that the people turn on him when they feel threatened.  He knew he was where God wanted him to be, doing what God wanted done. 

So, in preparation for a miracle Moses delivered a terse and powerful message to people in verses 13-14.

1. "Fear not."  Fear is the opposite of faith.  In crisis, acknowledge your fear.  Fight your fear with faith in the One who brought you this far and has shown Himself faithful to you in the past.

2. "Stand firm."  Recognize the crisis as a test of your character and of your faith.  A crisis is never a test of God and His ability.  So, stand on what you know is right from what God has said in His Word.

3. "See the salvation of the LORD."  There is hope in the LORD.  It will require patience while we wait on Him to act on our behalf.  Faith lives in a continual mode of expectancy.  "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  (Hebrews 11:1)  "By faith the people crossed the Red Sea as if on dry land, but the Egyptians, when they attempted to do the same, were drowned." (Hebrews 11:29)

4. "The LORD will fight for you."  Joe Sangl is known for saying, "If it is God's will, then it is God's bill."  In other words, if we are His people, in His will, doing what He wants done, we can count fully on Him to meet our needs.  God is trustworthy.  He is working His plan for our lives, even when we cannot see any movement.

5. "Be silent."  In crisis, we may feel the need to initially vent because we are upset or scared.  But we must quickly reach a point where we stop talking about it.  We cannot hear God's voice if we keep interrupting Him.  Some of our prayer time should be meditating on the Word of God and listening to His insights for us.

4 questions for the journey of Life

 Read Exodus 13. 

As the Israelites began their journey out of Egypt, God delivered a strong message that established a memorial celebration.  This would later be incorporated into the Levitical Law. 

1. "Consecrate to me all the firstborn.  Whatever is the first...is mine." (v.1)  God wants our first and our best, not the leftovers.

As the owner of all things, this is the first message to the nation as they set out on their exodus.  The firstborn in the family was to be especially dedicated to Him.  That was true also of their livestock.  When they arrived on the land and grew crops, it was the first fruits of their harvest that was given to the LORD.  Proverbs 3:9-10, "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first fruits of all your produce; then your barns will be filled with plenty, and your vats will be bursting forth with wine."  The implication is that expressing such gratitude to God at first anticipates His blessings on the rest. 

Question: Are you honoring the LORD with the first of all your increase?

2. "You shall tell your son on that day, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me..." (v.8)

Tell your story to the next generation so they know they know firsthand of the power of God in your life.  Begin with how you came to place your personal faith in Christ.  Then, recount those times when God answered your prayers, protected you and provided for you in unusual ways.

Question: Does the next generation in your family know the stories how God has displayed His power in your life? 

3.  "And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the LORD may be in your mouth." (v.9)

Your God-story should be evident in three personal and obvious ways: a) hand-what you do; b) eyes-what you see and how you interpret life; c) mouth-what you say.  

Question: Is it obvious to others in your daily contacts that God has made a difference in your life? 

4.  "And the LORD went before them..." (v.21) 

The pillar of cloud gave them direction as well as shade from the desert heat.  The pillar of fire provided light and warmth in the desert night.  No matter where the journey takes you, God is there, in the lead, shielding and providing.  

Question: Have you noticed how the LORD protected and provided for you today?  Have you thanked Him? 

 

Making Passover Personal

 Read Exodus 12. 

The LORD gave Moses the message of how He would deliver the people of Israel.  They were to be dressed, packed up, and standing up while eating a good meal with their walking staff in hand, ready to leave Egypt.  Imagine the faith it took on the part of these slaves to believe that after more than 400 years they would actually be leaving.  Yet, they worshiped God when they heard His word and prepared accordingly. 

God is a God of justice and, therefore, He judges sin.  God is a God of mercy and, therefore, provides a way of escape from that judgment.  The details included:

1. Instruction: sacrifice a lamb and apply the blood to the top and sides of the door frame.

2. Condition: without blemish.

3. Perfection: no broken bones, watched for four days to be sure of the condition.

4. Reason: "I will execute judgment and kill all firstborn".

5. Personal application: "every man a lamb", "your lamb", personal identification with the sacrifice.

6. Results: God promised when He saw the blood applied He would "pass over" those who responded.

(Source: Walk Thru the Bible) 

This is not the first time we have seen God provide the death of an animal, especially a lamb, on behalf of person's sin.

Genesis 3:21-in the Garden of Eden, after the sin of Adam and Eve, God took the skin of an animal and clothed the guilty couple.

Genesis 4:4-Abel brought the firstborn of his flock and offered it to the LORD as a sacrifice.

Genesis 22:1-13-God called Abraham to offer his firstborn son as a sacrifice.  On the way, Isaac asked where the lamb was for the burnt offering.  This clearly indicates the normal expectation in the worship of God at that time.  Abraham answered, "God will provide for himself the lamb for the burnt offering."

Keep in mind that those statements in Genesis are centuries prior to the law.  The law only incorporated what God had already expected as a covering for sin. 

From Genesis to Revelation the concept of the sacrificial lamb, shedding blood in atonement for personal sin, is consistently taught.  Hebrews 9:22, "...without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins." 

Isaiah 53:7-12 describes the Messiah as a lamb and One who will die as an offering for sin. 

When John, the Baptist, saw Jesus, he said, "Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world" (John 1:29).  Jesus said of Himself that He came "to give His life as a ransom" (Matthew 20:28).  In Hebrews 9:26, referring to Jesus, "...he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself." 

And, in the final judgments God has announced for this earth, in preparation for the glorious return of the Messiah to rule and reign, Revelation 5:11-12 describe the opening scenes with these words-"Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads of myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, 'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing!'" 

Jesus, the perfect and only sacrificial payment for our sin, mercifully offers the way of escape to all from eternal judgment.  Is Jesus your personal Passover lamb?

 

4 lessons for tough Times

 

Read Exodus 11.

 

The LORD told Moses to announce the tenth plague.  This time the LORD Himself will pass through the land of Egypt at midnight and kill the firstborn of every family and of all cattle.  This was a direct confrontation with Pharaoh whose own firstborn son was considered a god.  The suffering throughout the nation would be unimaginable.  

 

The plagues were designed to demonstrate to an unbelieving king and nation the power and authority of the Living God and to call them to repentance toward Him.  The result would be Pharaoh's unconditional release of his Hebrew slaves.

 

But there would be no such suffering among the Israelites.  "Not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel." (v.7)  

  

The Jews had lived in Egypt for 400 years.  As slaves, they had very little in the way of possessions.  Journeying from Egypt to the land of Canaan would require resources to sustain them.  How would this practical need be met?  While Pharaoh hardened his heart against God and the Israelites, the LORD gave Moses and His people favor among the Egyptians.  The Egyptians willingly shared their silver and gold with the slaves in anticipation of their departure.

 

There are four lessons here that will sustain us in the toughest of times.

1. God wants everyone to know, love and worship Him alone.

2. God is all-powerful and the ultimate source of all authority.

3. God protects His people.

4. God provides for the needs of His people.

 

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

 

3 common and deadly spiritual Mistakes

 Read Exodus 10. 

After seven devastating demonstrations of God's absolute power, Pharaoh still refused to yield himself to the LORD.  The cost grew higher each time for him and his nation.  Systematically, the false gods of Egypt were being shown for what they were--nothing! 

Locusts: The Egyptians even had a god to protect them from the swarms of locusts called Serapia. 

Darkness: Amon-Re, Aten, Atum, Horus, Harakhte were worshipped as sun gods; Thoth, the moon god.  

Pharaoh hardened his heart against the LORD.  John Calvin labeled this "outrageous obstinacy".  God will get glory from Pharaoh either way (9:16).  At that point, the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart for three reasons: so that the Egyptians would witness "these signs among them and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD." (v.2) 

Pharaoh made three serious and deadly mistakes.

1. Pharaoh mistook God's word for the word of a human. (v.7)

Despite all that had taken place, the king still wanted to be in charge.  God kept pursuing Pharaoh and patiently increasing the pressure.  Yet, Pharaoh saw this as a match of wills; his against Moses.  A person who ignores God's word does so at their own peril.  "For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thought and intentions of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)  

2. Pharaoh mistook temporary feelings for eternal actions. (vv.16-17)

This was the second time he did this.  Under the pressure of moment, he wanted relief.  But his words of "I have sinned" and "forgive my sin" proved empty.  They were, perhaps, emotionally sincere but were spiritually false.  He had no intentions of surrendering his life to the LORD.  Remorse is not repentance.  The Apostle Paul preached, "...that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds in keeping with their repentance." (Acts 26:20) 

3. Pharaoh mistook partial obedience for doing God's will. (vv.24-27)

Partial obedience is disobedience.  He thought he could negotiate what God had commanded.  The truth, promised by the LORD in Genesis 15:13-14, was that the Jews were leaving Egypt to return to their real home.  It was to be a total exodus.  Partial obedience is evidence that a person is holding back from God for self-serving reasons.  Later, such actions cost Saul his kingship and ultimately his life (1 Samuel 15:10-23). 

"For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to give strong support to those whose heart is blameless toward him." (2 Chronicles 16:9) 

 

The sin of a false Confession

 Read Exodus 9. 

The LORD continued to respond to Pharaoh's question: "Who is the LORD that I should obey him?" (5:2) 

The Egyptians were deeply religious, worshiping a multitude of so-called gods.  But they refused to acknowledge the one and only true God.  The ten plagues became the answer to that spiritual challenge. 

Death of domestic animals: Ptah, Hathor, Mnevis, Amon were gods associated with bulls and cows. 

Boils: The Egyptians considered Sekhmet to be a goddess of epidemics.  Serapis and Imhotep were the so-called gods of healing. 

Hail and Fire: Nut was a sky goddess; Seth and Isis agricultural deities; Shu, the god of the atmosphere. 

What will it take to bring the king of Egypt to acknowledge the truth?  Moses said, "You are still exalting yourself..." (v.17)  The solution would not be found in religious debate or apologetics.  The root of this problem was the man's pride and smug rebellion against the LORD.  Pharaoh defied God and thought he not only knew better but that he could somehow get away with rejecting God. 

After the plague of hail, Pharaoh declared: "This time I have sinned; the LORD is right, and I and my people are in the wrong."  (v.27).  However, acknowledging sin is not the same as repentance.  Once the pressure was off, Pharaoh refused to obey God.  Repentance of sin involves a turning from the wrong to doing what is right.  His failure to obey the LORD proved the insincerity of his words. 

His hard heart brought only more misery and pain on himself and all those around him.  God's purpose was to demonstrate "that there is none like me in all the earth." (v.14)  He alone is worthy of our worship and our obedience to His word. 

A case of self-imposed Suffering

 Read Exodus 8. 

The plagues came one by one, mocking and demonstrating the powerlessness of the religious belief system of the Egyptians.  Beside the false god of the Nile, they had an intricate multitude of gods. Frogs: They worshipped two frog goddesses Hapi and Heqt. 

Gnats: This was directed against the false worship of Seb, the so-called earth god. 

Flies: Uatchit, the fly god.

While Satan could counter with a facsimile of the first and second plagues, his power is limited.  The magicians of Egypt could not stop the plagues and, then, could no longer reproduce the ensuing ones.  At that point, the magicians came to realize "this is the finger of God" (8:19). 

The LORD's intent was to answer Pharaoh's question from 5:2, "Who is the LORD that I should obey Him?" and to prove to the Egyptians "there is no one like the LORD our God" (8:10). 

Pharaoh must have felt smug after his own spiritual leaders copied the initial plagues.  But he finally had to ask Moses for relief from them.  Once the pressure was off, Pharaoh showed no signs of learning his lesson.  He even promised in 8:28 to let the Israel go, but he lied.  After all of these displays of God's power, Pharaoh hardened his heart against the LORD.  His rebellion against God and his ingratitude for God's mercy would prove costly to everyone around him.  Eventually, the exodus of Israel will take place but Egypt will be destroyed in the process.  

Don't miss the LORD's loving care of His own people in 8:23: "I will put a division between my people and your people."  While the Egyptians suffered these plagues, the people of Israel did not.   

God certainly can and does discipline His children, but His wrath is reserved for those who reject Him.  How much better it is for us and everyone around us when we listen and obey the LORD at His first prompting.