QT 30 Mar 10

Ex 15:22-25 (NIV) Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, "What are we to drink?"

25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became sweet.

NOTE: This is the second grumbling. The desert life is not going so good. Water is difficult to find. And water is an absolute necessity. One can only live a few days without water, and maybe less in the desert. The people have seen miraculous works of God in saving them, but again and again they complain to Moses (indirectly to God) about his provision. In essence the real argument is, "do you care about me? God, I know you are powerful, but do you care for me and my needs?" I believe this is always the struggle of faith when bad times come upon us. Some do struggle with God's power or existence (although their complaint against God suggests otherwise), but most people struggle with the idea of God, in his immensity, hearing and caring for one who is so insignificant in the grand scheme of things. In Hebrews 11:6, the writer makes the argument that real faith has two components, one, his existence, and two, that he is a rewarder of those who love him. In other words, he cares for and is working for the good of his children. Crises tend to bring the issue to the forefront. Real faith believes that God does care, and that he will provide -- he will bring good out of the situation. Although, God's definition of good and mine do not always coincide.

QT 27 Mar 10

Ex 15:13-17 (NIV)

13 "In your unfailing love you will lead

the people you have redeemed. . . .

14 The nations will hear and tremble; . . .

15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified, . . .

the people of Canaan will melt away;

16 terror and dread will fall upon them. . . .

17 You will bring them in and plant them

on the mountain of your inheritance —

the place, O Lord, you made for your dwelling,

the sanctuary, O Lord, your hands established.

NOTE: The song of Moses, having looked backwards at God's mighty hand, now looks forward. It announces, with supreme confidence, what will happen to the nations ahead of them. In an ironic twist, when the time came to take the land, when the spies returned from spying out the land, it is Israel who trembles, who terror and dread fall upon.

Again, it is so easy after a mountain top experience to think that one can conquer anything with God. And that actually is the truth; but when reality strikes, our faith melts away quickly. Instead of an attitude of victory, we expect defeat. Instead of seeing God in something, we just see ourselves failing. Father, protect me from own fears and rationalizations. I want to trust you and your power to carry me on to victory.

QT 26 Mar 10

Ex 15:9-10 (NIV) "The enemy boasted,

'I will pursue, I will overtake them.

I will divide the spoils;

I will gorge myself on them.

I will draw my sword

and my hand will destroy them.'

10 But you blew with your breath,

and the sea covered them.

They sank like lead

in the mighty waters.

NOTE: Today, many scoff at Christianity. Some are blatantly opposed to the ideas of Christianity, interestingly more so than other religious ideas. They imagine how wonderful life would be without the trappings of religion -- some of which I might agree, i.e., the religious who just go through the motions without any real faith. Someday they may get their wish, if the "restrainer," discussed in Revelation, turns out to be the restraining influence of the church. I don't think they will like what they will see. Like the Egyptian Army referenced in this verse, they boast and talk a lot, but ultimately all people will stand before God to give an account. And there is no fancy speech or overpowering argument that will cause God to reconsider His judgment. How dumb can our intellectual elites be -- to think that the infinite God might get jousted in an argument by a finite mind.

QT 25 Mar 20

Ex 15:2 (NIV) The Lord is my strength and my song;

he has become my salvation.

He is my God, and I will praise him,

my father's God, and I will exalt him.

NOTE: After the Egyptian army is destroyed in the Red Sea, the Israelites come to some conclusions, which they put to song, probably to help them remember. A few are referenced in this verse here. One conclusion, God is my strength. I don't have to do it in my own strength but can trust in God's strength to accomplish His purpose. In fact, I probably just get in the way when I try to do things in my strength.

Two, God is my salvation. I can never earn it, work hard enough to achieve it, or be good enough to deserve it. Salvation is a gift. All I can do it accept the gift and praise the giver.

Three, for Israel, God who rescued them is the same person who worked in the lives of their forefathers. His work continues. God sees things from an eternal perspective. Sometimes we are too focused on God's work in individuals. His work in individuals is dependent upon his work in nations. In this case, 400 years are used to paint a picture of bondage to sin and redemption from slavery to sin. We might argue that He was not fair to those who did not see their redemption, but that is only because we value our temporal lives more than we do our eternal lives. God has a bigger picture in mind.

QT 24 Mar 10

Ex 14:25 (NIV) He made the wheels of their chariots come off so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, "Let's get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt."

NOTE: Belief in God requires more than intellectual assent to his existence or to his hand's involvement in some event. The Egyptians identified God through his actions. The Egyptians believed in the God of Israel. But the Egyptians had not put their faith in God.

Today, the situation has a lot of similarity. There are a lot of people with belief in God, his existence, his works, his claims, and even his involvement in their lives. Yet there is no corresponding effect upon their life (James 2:19 You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that — and shudder). So, true belief is an act of the will in declaring one's trust in Jesus Christ's death for their sins; and should be characterized by a corresponding change in a person's life (2 Cor 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come!).

Sadly, many will stand before God and claim all kinds of things done for him, and God will say he never knew them (Matt 7:21-23 "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and in your name drive out demons and perform many miracles?' 23 Then I will tell them plainly, 'I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!').

QT 23 Mar 10

Ex 14:10-15a (NIV) As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, "Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!"

13 Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still."

15a Then the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me?

NOTE: How quickly we forget God's previous interactions in our life. As soon as the next crisis hits, it is as if God had never intervened in our life or given us a glimpse of his goodness. Even Moses struggles. While his words are strong, apparently he is not so sure when he goes to God. I don't think God is angry with him, but rather questions him to help him see that his previous words were true, and that he needed to believe what he told the people to believe.

When are my words different from my actual beliefs? C.S. Lewis called it a house of cards, his faith. It looks good, but it takes a slight wind to destroy it all. And even worse, we go back and rebuild the house of cards. Our faith needs to be much stronger. Our words need to reflect our heart's convictions. We need to build our faith on rock (Jesus is the foundation) with rock (God's word -- is my word not like a rock?) to withstand the tests of life.

QT 19 Mar 10

Ex 12:36 (NIV) The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

NOTE: I plan to write an article sometime related to aspects of this verse. The article will also indirectly deal with the "hardening of heart" that Pharaoh experienced. Regarding God's "hardening of Pharaoh's heart," it should be noted that the first hardening of Pharaoh's heart was from Pharaoh himself when he refused to obey God. His decision to disobey God, and for that matter--anyone's decision to disobey God, has consequences and one of those consequences is that our heart becomes hardened to God. I suppose once we've started the process, it is hard to tell who is doing the hardening since it is God's judgment for disobedience -- if you disobey, God makes it harder to obey and to experience the blessing of obedience.

But I digress; the other issue is to what extent does God interfere with free will? Free will is absolutely critical to being made in the image of God, because it is only with free will that a person can love another. The bible says that God is love (at least one definition), and so being made in his image requires the ability to love. Without free will, you can't have love -- a robot cannot truly love another person -- you must choose to love. And for that matter, you can't worship either, a robot cannot worship; a person requires free will to love and to worship.

But God can "influence" persons without directly affecting their free will. In this case, he made the "Egyptians favorable disposed toward" the Israelites. It doesn't say how he did that. I'm sure there was a certain sense of awe as the plagues attacked the Egyptians and left the Israelites alone. That could have also turned to bitterness and envy, but it can easily go the other way. Much like when people give a rich person preferential treatment (which is wrong by the way). While they might envy the rich, the think that by being friends they will get something in return.

Anyway, the bottom line is that while free will is an essential aspect of God's creation (and incidentally, the real reason for evil in the world), and critical for loving, God can influence people without taking away their ability to choose freely.

QT 18 Mar 10

Ex 12:8-17 (NIV) That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire — head, legs and inner parts. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord's Passover.

12 "On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn . . . 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. . . .

14 "This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord — a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. . . . On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. . . .

17 "Celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come.

NOTE: There are two festivals here; the first is the Passover (when God struck down the firstborn of Egypt), and the second which begins immediately afterwards is the feast of unleavened bread, when Israel, in haste, left their bondage in Egypt to head to the Promised Land.

The Passover is a precursor to Jesus' death (God's firstborn) on the cross. Jesus is the Lamb of God. None of his bones are broken. He dies at the very moment that the Jews ceremonially kill the Passover lamb for the nation at the temple. I think the feast of unleavened bread is a precursor to the resurrection, when Jesus led captives with him to heaven (the OT saints). It also represents our freedom from slavery to sin when we put our faith in Jesus for the forgiveness of our sin. We are set free from the bondage of sin, and given the ability to obey God. At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will come and indwell the believers giving them the power to live godly lives for God. All of this is done with purpose and forethought.

QT 17 Mar 10

Ex 10:28-11:8 (NIV) Pharaoh said to Moses, "Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die."

10:29 "Just as you say," Moses replied, "I will never appear before you again."

11:1 Now the Lord had said to Moses, "I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. . . ."

4 So Moses said, "This is what the Lord says: 'About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt — worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.' Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, 'Go, you and all the people who follow you!' After that I will leave." Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

NOTE: Both men were quite angry. God had given Moses instruction on the last plague prior to the meeting, so now he gives the last plague and leaves. Pharaoh was angry because his nation was destroyed and he was being forced to do something he did not want to do. Moses was angry because Pharaoh's hard-heartedness had ruined the nation, probably people that he knew previously and cared for when he served in the previous Pharaoh's court.

I don't believe there is anything wrong with being angry at God for a period of time. I believe it is a natural, human reaction to the pain in life. Jonah was angry at God, but he was not rejected. Moses, though not angry, used every excuse in the book to avoid doing what God called him to do. His description to his Father-in-law of the reason for his going to Egypt confirmed that he really didn't believe God at first. But God was patient with Moses, up unto the point where he refused to obey God, then his anger burned against Moses. So the problem is not anger toward God, but disobedience to what God has called us to do. Jonah was also disobedient and nearly lost his life for it. But Jonah's anger only brought about circumstances to teach him truth.

The message for us is to listen and obey. The consequences of disobedience are great. God can overlook doubt and anger, but he will not overlook for long disobedience.

QT 12 Mar 10

Ex 6:6-9 (NIV) "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.'"

9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.

NOTE: God's message was true; it was to be fulfilled absolutely; it was not too distant; it was a message of hope; and it was a message directly to the people. But the people "did not listen … because of their discouragement and cruel bondage." This is a very common response to truth -- we don't listen when the pain around is too great or where we have felt let down already. Moses had already spoken a message of hope that left them in greater pain. They had already given up. Their faith was very weak. There is a tremendous message here to those who would listen -- life will not always go the way we want even when we are standing smack dab in the middle of the will of God.

QT 11 Mar 10

Ex 1:20-22 (NIV) So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live."

NOTE: The Egyptian leaders feared the men more than the women. But the women feared God more than men. That is an interesting lesson. The Egyptian leader viewed life from a physical perspective. The men were strong and dangerous. But spiritual strength can do more than physical strength. Ultimately, none of Israel's man-strength will save them, nor will it destroy Egypt as the leaders feared. It was all spiritual, and it started with the women fearing God above men.

Who do I fear, men or God? How does it affect my actions?

QT 10 Mar 10

Ex 5:17-23 (NIV) Pharaoh said, "Lazy, that's what you are — lazy! That is why you keep saying, 'Let us go and sacrifice to the Lord.' 18 Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks."

19 The Israelite foremen realized they were in trouble when they were told, "You are not to reduce the number of bricks required of you for each day." 20 When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron waiting to meet them, 21 and they said, "May the Lord look upon you and judge you! You have made us a stench to Pharaoh and his officials and have put a sword in their hand to kill us."

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, "O Lord, why have you brought trouble upon this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble upon this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

NOTE: Moses must have felt like an utter failure. If he had not heard God speak verbally, maybe he would have quit. Far from getting the people out, things were just getting worse. And to add it, the people were not looking for any more of his help. Moses is discouraged and even angry at God. Little does he realize how all of this will turn out for good. For now, it has been a failure from the beginning -- when he told God he was the wrong man for the job.

Sometimes we are too quick to determine if God is in something by just looking at the results.