Exodus 14: God proves himself in the hard times

In Exodus 14 we see God tell Moses that everything he and his people are going through is all so that the "Egyptians will know that I am God" (Ex 14:4). In the hard times we must trust that God will bring us through and, when he does, it will glorify him.

A bit later, in verse 7, Pharaoh "took siz hundred of the best chariots" (Ex 14:7) to attack the Israelites. In the natural, this would have looked dead scary, but in the spiritual it was nothing to fear as God was going to protect his people. We need to take our eyes off the natural and lift them to the spiritual reality of the situation: we serve a mighty God.

However, the Israelites did see it in the natural and "were terrified and cried out to God" (Ex 14:10). Why didn't they remember God's saving them from the plagues before? We need to learn from their mistake and remember God's acts of the past and not worry about what's going on right now. By focusing on God's faithfulness in the past, we can face crises with confidence rather than fear and complaining.

An epiphany!

On the 19th April I wrote this:

I know my salvation is secure, no matter what - when I die I am going to heaven. However, I strive earnestly (calling on God's help) to live a God honouring life day to day. When I mess up, as we all inevitably do (and as Joseph is here), I often worry about the possible consequences of my mistakes bringing everything crashing down around me. I still don't fully have peace about God not only forgiving us, but protecting us from the possible worst case scenario consequences of our actions. For example, Joseph was out of line here, being deceitful and certainly not Godly, but God didn't bring his whole kingdom falling down around him. I think it probably has something to do with God looking at the heart, but I don't have any clear answer. Much of the Bible talks about the consequences of our sin, but if everything we did wrong was punished in a worse case scenario sort of way, surely no-one would live in victory? Perhaps it's the heart that counts: if you are trying to do the right thing and mess up, God forgives and covers you from getting into trouble? But then what happens when you stop doing something you know was wrong: will God protect you from the consequences of it? Let me try and think of a good example: I download films, which is illegal. Let's say I stop because I am convicted it was wrong: will God protect me from the consequences of the copyright owners finding and prosecuting me?

Well today I had an epiphany and feel like God gave me the answer. In Psalm 103 it says:

The Lord is compassionate and gracious,
Slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbour his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavesn are aabout the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;
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;
for he knows how we are formed
he remembers that we are dust (Psalm 103 8-15)

All I can say is WOW! This, to me, proves that God will cover up the possible consequences of our sin if our hearts are right, and that just blows me away! It's not a license to sin, because then our hearts wouldn't be right and he would let us fall (possibly), but if we are right inside, then he will protect us from the consequences of our sins being discovered! You don't know how much that means to me right now!

Exodus 11&12: Don't put up with it any longer

Earlier on in Exodus we saw the cocky Pharaoh put off getting rid of the plague until 'tomorrow'. Here in Exodus 12 we see the plagues have moved on, and this time it is the plague of the death of first-born children. When this happens, Pharaoh has a change of heart and 'During the night...summoned Moses and Aaron and said "Up! Leave my people". (Ex 12:21) What a massive contrast to his previous attitude, where we decided (along with John Ortberg) that Pharaoh was just putting up with something he could handle. Now that's all changed, and something so bad has happened he needs to act. It makes me think about how hard times push us to God, but also how they may be avoidable if we would just come to God in the first place.

In Exoduse 12:36 we read how 'The Lord had made the Egyptians favourably disposed towards the peopel, and they gave them what they asked for'. Basically the Egyptian people are here giving the Israelites silver and gold, even though their children had all just died as a direct result of the curse brought upon them by them. This shows how we shouldn't look at the circumstances - if God wants to bless us he will do it, whatever the situation.

Exodus 10: Humble yourself before God does it for you!

A nice verse in Exoud 10:2, where God tells Moses he is doing lots of amazing things so 'that you may tell your chidren and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord'. The notes in my Bible say 'It is important to tell our children aout God's work in our past and to help them see what he is doing right now.' Just a simple, but very valid point I thought.

Also in Exodus 10 we see a message from God to Pharaoh: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?>' As we go on to learn in the new testament, God is definitely a God who gives us opportunities to humble ourselves, and if we don't take them he humbles us himself. Now take my warning: don't leave it to him, but do it yourself!

Exodus 9: God is gracious

OK, in reply to the 30,000 emails, I'm still here, reading my Bible every day, but I've drifted off from being online so apologies for that!

Exodus 9 sees Pharaoh still at odds with God and his messengers, Moses and Aaron. In verses 15-17 we see God say 'For by now I could have streched out my hand and struck you and your people with plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth'. What I love here is how God is merciful and patient, and gives Pharaoh lots of chances. We serve a God who is merciful and will give us chances and more chances!

Later in the chapter, God warns people to avoid his wrath by getting their animals out of the way. In verse 20 we see that 'those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside'. Here we see God giving the bad guys a chance to avoid punishment, showing he is not out to get us, but just wants us to learn his lesson. He is gracious and gives us chances!

Finally, in verse 34 we read how 'when Paraoh saw that the rain and hail had stopped, he sinned again'. This verse warns us not to fall into sin when we are not in a disaster. Don't go luke warm when nothing bad is happening, but stay faithful to God throughout.

Exodus 5 - 8: Do it today!

Nothing much from Exodus 5,6 and 7, but chapter 8 has proven fruitful. In this chapter we see Pharaoh under seige by a plague of frogs. He eventually agrees to let Moses and the Israelites leave the land, and Moses asks him when he wants the frogs to disappear, to which Pharaoh replies "Tomorrow" (Ex 8:10).

John Ortberg, in 'God Is Closer than you Think', writes about just how crazy this reply of Pharaoh's was; here's a whole nation completely weighed down by frogs everywhere and yet the main man doesn't want to get rid of them right away. Why? Ortberg argues it is because they are bearable,and claims that people will always put up with things whilst they can. He says we become anaesthatised to our own sins and bad habits because they are bearable, and calls us to evaluate our lives and cut off all the bits that are bad, not just put up with them because we can.

Exodus 4: God adapts his plan

This whole chapter just blows me away. God tells Moses to take His message to Phaoraoh, and Moses replies with "I have never been eloquent..." (Ex 4:10). Basically he's telling God 'I can't do it- you've got the wrong guy'. Now, for me, God has every right to flip out here, but instead says "What about your brother Aaron...He will speak to the people for you" (Ex 4:16).

Again, we see a God of mercy, who here adapts his plan to Moses wouldn't have to go through with something he couldn't handle. I truly believe that God will do the same for us if we only ask, so let's get asking!

Exodus 3: Pour it out to the Lord

In Exodus 3 we hear the word of God saying "I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out...and I am concerned...so I have come to rescue them". (Ex 3:7/8). To me this scripture highlights the importance of pouring our hearts out to God, letting him know everything, and trusting that he will hear and respond.

Later we see an amazing act of mercy from God towards Moses, who responds to his instruction about confrongting Pharaoh with "Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh?" (Ex 3:11). God could have flipped his lid here, but instead comforted Moses that he would be with him. In many ways, Moses is the most influential and close to God man in the Bible (second to Jesus), and yet we see his frailty and fear here. God is merciful!