Romans 5:1 “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ,” (NKJV)
Devotion by Merry Peterson (Canada)
In the part of Ontario where I live there is a museum called ‘Ripley’s Believe It or Not’. Inside there are lots of strange and unusual items and displays about occurrences that are most, well, quite frankly unusual! The sign says it all – believe it – or not. Some things in that museum I find really hard to believe.
Faith is really about belief. Our belief that God is who He says He is, and will do what He says He will do. That’s the tenet of having faith – those beliefs about God. His existence as the supreme ruler of the universe and that His declarations of what He will do He follows through on.
In the previous chapter we see that Abraham was justified by his faith even though the whole salvation plan through Jesus dying on the cross for our justification hadn’t happened yet in his time. It was Abraham’s belief that God was in control and able to do what He said He would do that brought him justification.
We as Christians have received justification through Christ’s sacrifice because we live in a different time frame than Abraham. Christ, the promised savior that God declared would become the sacrifice for sin has indeed died, and risen again, and our justification comes through that fulfilled promise.
Notice that the fulfilled promise brings peace. We have peace with God through Christ. We have peace knowing that our sin is covered by Jesus’ blood, that we are no longer God’s enemies because of our sin. The blood of Christ washes away the debt of our sin. We become in good standing with God. How is this achieved – by our belief that God is in control and follows through on his promises. He said that Jesus would be the once for all atoning sacrifice for mankind bringing us justification with Himself. We believe it!
For Reflection:
Do you have friends or family members who have a hard time with faith?
When did you first start to have faith and believe?
Was there something or someone who helped you truly believe?
Are there ways that you could help guide another person to belief?
Jesus was a master teacher but also a compassionate friend, deeply moved by the struggles and sorrows of those he loved. In John 11, we encounter one of the most powerful stories in the Gospels where we see Jesus’ emotion. This record invites us to consider how Jesus meets us in our grief, reveals the glory of God, and calls us to trust in God’s power—even when all hope seems lost.
The narrative opens with a startling circumstance—Lazarus, the beloved brother of Mary and Martha, is gravely ill. And so, the sisters send word to Jesus, confident in his love and his ability to heal. Yet, in a surprising twist, Jesus delays his journey. The text says, “Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. But when Jesus heard that Lazarus was sick, he didn’t depart immediate but stayed two days longer in the place where he was (John 11:5-6). This delay, however, does not show Jesus as being indifferent. Given the timing and distance for the message to travel, it is very likely that Lazarus died soon after the messenger was sent by Mary and Martha, and perhaps Jesus already knew this by revelation when the message arrived. Furthermore, Jesus knew that through this situation, though, God’s glory will be revealed in a way that will deepen the faith of his followers.
Reflect: When have you experienced a delay in answered prayer? How might God be using that time to deepen your trust or reveal His purpose?
Walking in the Light
When Jesus finally prepares to go to Judea, his disciples are concerned for his safety. Jesus responds, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world” (John 11:9). Jesus uses this physical reality to make a spiritual point: as long as we walk in the light of God’s revelation, we can move forward with confidence, even in dangerous or uncertain circumstances. Jesus models courageous trust in God, reminding us that our times are in God’s hands.
Reflect: What does it look like for you to “walk in the light” in your daily life? Where do you need courage to trust God’s guidance, even when the path is uncertain?
Jesus—the Resurrection and the Life
As Jesus approaches Bethany, Martha meets him with a mixture of faith and sorrow. She believes Jesus could have prevented her brother’s death, yet she holds onto hope that somehow Jesus might still do something. Jesus boldly declares, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though he dies” (John 11:25). This is not just a promise for the distant future; it is a present reality. Jesus reveals that through him, God’s life-giving power is available now, even in the face of death. Lazarus’ resurrection serves as a glimpse and foreshadowing of the future resurrection of all God’s people to new life.
Reflect: How does Jesus’ promise of resurrection shape your perspective on loss and the comfort of the hope? In what areas of your life do you need to trust that God’s power can bring new life?
The Glory of God Revealed
When Jesus sees Mary and the others weeping over Lazarus, he is deeply moved—so much so that he himself begins to weep (John 11:35). Jesus had a special attachment to Lazarus, and his tears show his genuine empathy and sorrow. Jesus’ grief is mingled with righteous anger at the pain and brokenness that death brings. He stands at the tomb, not as a rabbi or religious figure, but as a friend who was there with Mary and Martha in their pain.
Jesus intentionally prays out loud so that all those who were present at the tomb would believe that God sent him (John 11:42). Then, with a loud voice, Jesus called to Lazarus for him to come out of the tomb. As everyone stood there watching, Lazarus emerges from the tomb still wrapped in grave clothes. This miracle is a powerful display of God’s glory—His power in action. Lazarus’ resurrection is not the final victory over death, but a sign pointing to the greater hope that all who trust in Christ will one day be raised to everlasting life in the age to come.
Reflect: How does knowing that Jesus was moved by compassion encourage you in your own struggles? Who around you might need the comfort of your presence and solidarity today?
Encouragement
This record reminds us that Jesus meets us in our deepest pain and invites us to trust in God’s power and timing. Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and through him, we have hope that transcends even the death and the grave. May you find comfort in knowing that the same Jesus who wept at Lazarus’ tomb walks with you today, offering life, hope, and the promise of resurrection. Trust in God’s love, timing, and power in every circumstance in your life.
It can be easy to get into the weeds when discussing and debating theology. There are many years behind us of writing and interpretation of the scriptures, and we can easily lose focus on the big picture when we’re bogged down in the minutiae. One could simply read scripture and take away that Jesus died for the sins of the world and that whoever believes in him will be saved. On the flip side, books have been written digging into how Jesus’ death and resurrection functionally deal with sin. Atonement theories such as Penal Substitution, Christus Victor, and Scapegoat Theory (among others) are ways to try to understand exactly the process through which God forgives through Jesus. The main thing we should remember is that the blood of Jesus brings forgiveness, regardless of the thoughts that we might have about how exactly God reconciles everything through Jesus.
The Pharisees were very much concerned with the letter of the law. Now I believe we should strive to understand scripture, but sometimes I can allow my views on specific doctrines or practices to overshadow others. We need to be striving to see the big picture and get to the spirit behind the words of scripture.
In today’s text, we see Jesus’ warning against the leaven of the Pharisees. This calls out things like false doctrine and hypocrisy that were present in the lives of the Pharisees that clashed with Jesus. This bad leaven will corrupt the “bread” that comes from it.
Jesus recognizes that there are key things that the disciples need to know and understand, specifically relating to his death and resurrection. But also, the big picture needs to be in view. Jesus asks Peter, who do people think that Jesus is, and he spits off a few theories, but then Jesus asks Peter who he thinks Jesus is, and he answers: You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.
Big Picture. None of the things that Jesus shows and teaches Peter and the disciples will be impactful without this pig picture. Jesus is the Son of God. Jesus is the Messiah. This confession is the foundation of the Church. We’re not always going to agree on everything, but we must agree on this primary fact: Jesus is the Savior, and in Him we must put our faith and hope.
Reflection Questions:
1. What distracts you from the big picture?
2. Does your need to know how sometimes distract you from simply accepting what you read in scripture?
3. Have ingrained habits or false things that you have been taught stood in your way of implementing your faith in every aspect of your life? Take a step back and look at the big picture in scripture and weigh your thoughts against what you see in the Bible.
If you have been reading with us from the beginning of the year – welcome to the New Testament!
Devotion by Telva Elwell (SC)
Malachi had last spoken 400 years ago and had promised that the Messenger would come. “Behold, I send my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me.” Surely Zechariah, as a priest, knew this well. But to put it mildly, God caught him off guard one day.
Zechariah was busy in the Holy Place offering incense, a duty Zechariah was permitted to do only once in his lifetime, when suddenly out of nowhere, the angel Gabriel stood by the altar. Of course, Gabriel had to calm Zechariah, because he was focused upon his task and not expecting Gabriel’s visit. “Fear not,” he said. Not only did Gabriel’s presence startle Zechariah, but the news he brought was also startling.
Gabriel told him that Zechariah and Elizabeth, his wife, were going to have a son! One would expect this to be good news for Zechariah because Elizabeth and Zechariah had been praying for a child for many years. Zechariah did not believe such a thing possible because he was an old man, and his wife was advanced in years as well. (Luke 1:18) This story was reminiscent of Abraham and Sarah, for God had also said that He would give them a son in their old age. “Abraham fell on his face and laughed.” (Gen 17:17)
Before he could even grasp the idea of having a son in his old age, Gabriel told him to name his son John, and that John would grow up to be God’s prophet to show Israel God’s son. “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” (vs16-17) (Mal 4:5) I understand that this was a lot to take in. But none of it was new to him. He was well acquainted with the promises of God as told by Malachi and other Old Testament prophets. This was the day, the time, that Zechariah, the priest, was looking forward to. What a blessing and privilege to be the father of the much-anticipated Messenger who would turn the children of Israel to God. But something got in the way of that for Zechariah.
Instead of rejoicing, Zechariah demanded proof that this was even possible. Even though an angel, who stands in the presence of God, came to deliver this good news, Zechariah believed this was all nonsense. He wanted proof—not just a proclamation of an angel of the Lord. “How can I be SURE of this?” he asked. (vs18) Gabriel gave him proof in the form of punishment. “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words…” (vs19,20) Zechariah was struck dumb, (v20) and quite possibly deaf. (v62)
When Zechariah finished his priestly duties, he walked home to his faithful wife, and in time, she conceived. For nine months his words did not come, and his world was silent. Every waking moment of every day, Zechariah was reminded of his unbelief.
I would be remiss in not mentioning Mary. Gabriel also brought her unexpected news. Although young, a virgin, and unmarried, she was also going to have a son—God’s Son, the Messiah. Her response was unlike Zechariah’s. Instead of demanding proof that this could happen, she humbly submitted to God’s plan as His servant. “Behold I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” (v38) While Zechariah sat silently with his thoughts running rampant in his head, Mary rejoiced in prayer and song. (vs.46-55)
In time, Elizabeth gave birth to a son. Relatives and neighbors and friends heard the good news and rejoiced with her. Then something truly miraculous happened.
By custom Jewish boys were circumcised eight days after birth, at which time a name was given to the child. The expectation was that this child would be named Zechariah, after his father, but Elizabeth said his name would be called John, just as Gabriel had told Zechariah. It was unusual not to name the son after his father or another family member, so Zechariah was asked what he wanted the child to be called. Zechariah asked for a tablet and wrote the words, “His name is John.” (v63) That name, John, means God is gracious. When Zechariah penned the baby’s name, “John” on his tablet, he was declaring his belief in God’s faithfulness and grace, and affirming Gabriel’s message to him concerning his son, John. A simple thing, yet profound. Because God is gracious, Zechariah’s tongue was immediately loosed. (v64) Because God is gracious, He did not forget or abandon Zechariah, even when he did not believe. That does not mean that it is okay to not believe. We need to believe God. But when we struggle, God is there.
Belief and unbelief are often at war with one another in our lives. Sometimes we struggle to believe, much like Zechariah, and then other times we simply believe without doubt or question, much like Mary. When we struggle, sometimes it is the small things that awaken our faith and cause us to believe—like a new baby named John
That same small baby, named John, awakened the faith of the children of Israel years later when as a man he “came as a witness, to bear witness about the light that all might believe through Him.” (John 1:7)
Reflection Questions
Question One: Why do you think God chose to make Zechariah a mute as punishment for his unbelief?
Question Two: Why do you believe Zechariah struggled to believe God? Are there times when you struggle to believe God? Why? When?
Question Three: Right now, where are you in your belief? More like Zechariah, the high priest, or more like Mary, the young virgin?
Question Four: In Mark 9:24, a man came to Jesus and said: “I believe; help me in my unbelief.” How can someone say, I believe, and at the same time ask for help in overcoming unbelief? Do you believe this was the situation with Zechariah? Is this your situation on occasion?
We spent yesterday with Haggai urging the Israelites to obey God with a pure heart and focus on His coming Kingdom. Zechariah, another minor prophet, does something similar, encouraging the Israelites to rebuild the temple.
Here again, the Israelites are discouraged. Zechariah challenges them to not be like their ancestors, rebellious and disobedient. He reminds them that if they turn back to God, He will be with them. “Return to me,’ declares the Lord Almighty, ‘and I will return to you,’ says the Lord Almighty.” (Zech. 1:3)
Zechariah has a series of God-brought nighttime visions, solidifying His promises to restore and protect His people and the city of Jerusalem, and to bring the promise of the Messiah to fruition.
Today, visions and dreams from God are far less common, or even do not occur at all, depending on one’s interpretation of the Word. We can’t expect God to give us clear visions while we sleep, but what we can do is remember that He left us his Word, which is 66 books of His goodness, His plans and His promises. Within these pages you’ll find the assurance that God is with us, that He promises to never leave us. He urges us to return to Him, and there we will find Him. Just like Zechariah encouraged the Israelites, so God encourages us.
Reflection Questions:
Have you ever experienced a vision? Or, recall a time when Scripture spoke to you so strongly that it was as a vision.
Has there been a time in your life where you rebelled or were disobedient? What happened when you returned back to God?
What is your favorite promise from God? Reflect on that today.
Thank you for joining me this week as we examined Scripture together! Let’s close out with a few more Psalms, written by David.
The word ‘wonderful’ primarily means “very good”, but can also mean “astonishing”. Today’s Psalms are beautiful reflections of God’s wonderful works. Despite some of those works being consequences of rebelling against God, and certainly not our definition of “good”, there is no denying they are still wonderful in the sense of the astonishing, awe-inspiring, power God displayed in these moments.
All people were created by the omnipotent God, whether or not they acknowledge Him. All people experience God’s wonderful works, whether or not they know those works are done by God alone. In our world today, there are plenty of people that either do not know or choose to deny God’s power. But that lack of understanding does not change the undeniable truth that God is the Almighty, and that someday, every knee will bow in acknowledgment of Him. And oh what a glorious day that will be!
Until then, as Christians, we should be remembering God’s wonderful works, and sharing them with others regularly. We should praise the doer of these works, giving thanks and announcing them with shouts of joy (107:22)! Our God is truly an awesome God, and worthy of all praise and recognition. In our day to day, it can be challenging at times to pause and reflect on how God is working in the world and in our life, but it can make so much of a difference in our day when we simply say, “Thank You, awesome God.”.
Sarah Johnson
Reflection Questions
From today’s reading, which verse stuck out to you most?
As we close out the week together, I challenge you to not only take some extra time to give God praise for all He has done, but find a brother or sister to share in all His wonderful works, together!
It was so close they could almost taste the milk and honey on their lips – their Promised Land! After centuries of oppression and slavery under Pharaoh followed by 40 more years wandering free in the wilderness, the Israelites finally possessed the metaphorical keys to their inheritance. Many of the tribes ventured out right away for their assigned territories, ready to explore, conquer, and settle at last, but several tribes remained behind. Why wouldn’t they ropedrop this momentous occasion and charge with abandon straight to their inheritance?
Though I cannot speak for all the Israelites since I have not walked in their sandals, this is my speculation based on what I’ve read: they desired the path of least resistance. Though they were promised that the land would be theirs, they had to go in and take it. There were still other people living on those properties; it would require a lot of effort to drive them out. Yes, God had guaranteed that this land would be theirs, but that didn’t mean their possession of it would be effortless. In the beginning of their nomadic desert life, remember how they had longed to return to the familiarity of slavery and oppression in Egypt? Now, well accustomed to desert dwelling, they didn’t want to expend the energy to settle into the cities, which would still require them (albeit with the promise of success!) to conquer it. It was more comfortable to stay in their crummy environment than to embrace the best land that God had for them.
I am reminded of Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes who was determined to conquer the interior of Mexico, including the Aztec empire and a vast swath of land from the Caribbean to the Pacific. This fierce leader and fighter, frustrated that his men were too focused on the possibility of going home and too scared to invade this new territory, took away their temptation to retreat by doing what any extreme leader would do: he burnt the ships. Now, there was no turning back, no reason to not forge ahead and claim this land.
Perhaps the seven tribes had become so lazy or complacent in their faith that they didn’t even care that God had something infinitely better in store for them. As C.S. Lewis said, “It would seem that Our Lord finds our desires not too strong, but too weak. We are half-hearted creatures, fooling about with drink and sex and ambition when infinite joy is offered us, like an ignorant child who wants to go on making mud pies in a slum because he cannot imagine what is meant by the offer of a holiday at the sea. We are far too easily pleased.”
Ultimately, in part because the Israelites did not fully drive out the inhabitants of their Promised Land, God’s people became immersed in the culture, false gods, child sacrifice, and overall moral corruption of the people around them, which perpetuated the spiral of falling away from God and then begging Him to save them. Though written much later, Romans 12:2 would have been good advice for the Israelites (who were called to be set apart for God), and it is still wise for us as present-day believers to heed its wisdom: “Don’t become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You’ll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you.”
So, what ships are holding you back? What comfort, familiarity, or apathy is keeping you from fully following God? Sometimes I am a lot like the 7 tribes and Cortes’ crew. While I claim to desire God’s calling on my life, I often let the comforts of the present and anxieties about the future hold me back from fully embracing His plan for my life. Let us pray for God’s strength to follow wherever He may lead us.
-Rachel Cain
Reflection:
Watch this powerful music video about “burning the ships” and charging ahead into God’s will for our lives.
A time of reflection and recap of events as the Israelites prepare to enter the Promised Land. “For the LORD your God has blessed you in all the work of your hands. He knows your going through this great wilderness. These forty years the LORD your God has been with you. You have lacked nothing.” (2:7) They’ve LACKED NOTHING?! They probably didn’t agree with that, but it shows how God provided for them the basics, which is ample for a person. He literally gave them their daily bread.
Moses reminded them, “The LORD your God who goes before you will Himself fight for you, just as He did for you in Egypt before your eyes,and in the wilderness, where you have seen how the LORD your God carried you, as a man carries his son, all the way that you went until you came to this place. Yet in spite of this word you did not believe the LORD your God.” (1:30-32)
It’s amazing that we can do the same thing like the Israelites at times, cry out to get out of a difficult situation (Egypt), then afterwards when we’re out we complain again. But if they would’ve trusted that God would fight for them they could’ve been spared the long difficult 40 years. The wilderness was the ONLY way to get to the Promised Land, and their lack of trust made it even harder (and longer).
“Not one of these men of this evil generation shall see the good land that I swore to give to your fathers, except Caleb… and Joshua who wholly followed the LORD.” (1:35) Even Moses wasn’t allowed to enter as the LORD was angry with him too (or, had been angry and was following through with consequences).
Despite failures and difficulties Moses pressed on with the people until his departure. This reminds me of parenting! It’s difficult and rewarding! One of my main parenting verses that encouraged me over the years, besides Deut. 6:4-7, is 1 Peter 4:12,
“Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.”
– Shalom y’all, Stephanie Schlegel 🙂
(From Israel and Tennessee:)
REFLECTION QUESTIONS
1. Have you had to endure a difficult situation for years? How did God sustain you through it?
2. Is there an issue you’re dealing with that if you’d wholly trust God, the situation would be better? Are you taking matters into your own hands or trusting God with it?
3. Reflect over this last month how God’s provided for you and thank Him for it!
4. How does looking back better prepare the Israelites for looking ahead? How can it benefit you?
Some of you may be old enough to remember the old Sunday School song, “12 Men Went to Canaan Land” and you held up your ten fingers and then gave the double thumbs down when you sang “10 were bad.” Then you held up two fingers and gave two thumbs up while you sang “and 2 were good!”
In today’s reading we see the stark difference between fear and faith and why 10 were bad and two were good.
In chapter 13, twelve spies, one from each tribe in Israel, came to scope out the land of Canaan, the land flowing with milk and honey, the land God had promised.
In his commentary, David Guzik, reminds readers that there was no need for this reconnaissance mission. According to Ezekiel 20:6, God had already searched this land and promised it to them. So some people were already distrusting God from the beginning.
“Some saw giants big and strong,” 10 of the Israelite spies came back with scary accounts of many giants in the land that made the spy’s look like grasshoppers. One theologian stated that “fear performed the miracle of adding a cubit to the stature.” 😉 and on top of that, the city is heavily guarded! Obviously, there was NO way to defeat them!
“Some saw grapes in clusters long.” All of the spies agreed that the land was made of fertile soil and it would be easy to grow wonderful food there. This was definitely the place God had promised them!
“Some saw God was in it all,” But only two spies, Joshua and Caleb, had unshakable faith that God would deliver what He had promised and bring them into this land.
I love how F.B. Meyer put it, “ They saw the same spectacles in their survey of the land; but the result in one case was panic, in the other confidence and peace. What made the difference? It lay in this, that the 10 spies compared themselves with the giants, whilst the two compared the giants with God.” WOW! Did that statement convict you?!? It sure convicted me!
It’s easy for us to figure out who was good and bad back in the Old Testament. Hindsight from over 3000 years ago is 20/20. But what about you? When troubles come your way, which spy describes your response? Are you comparing you to your troubles, or your troubles to God?
“10 Were Bad and 2 Were Good!” Which one are you?
-Maria Knowlton
Reflection Questions
How is Caleb described in Numbers 14:24? is there anyone you know today who could also wear that description well?
“10 Were Bad and 2 Were Good!” Which one are you? Do you generally compare yourself to your troubles and experience fear and panic? Or, do you more often compare your troubles to your God and rest in faith and peace?
What was the reward for Caleb and Joshua? What was the punishment for the 10 spies? What was the punishment for all those who listened to and trusted the report of the spies? Who are you listening to today? How does who you listen to today determine whether you will receive a reward or punishment?
As we go through life, there are times when it seems like God is very active and involved in our day to day lives and we sense God’s love, nearness and active interest in our lives. However, if we are honest, there are other times when life seems to just move along and God doesn’t seem to be saying much or doing much on our behalf. The technical term for this awareness of God’s absence is called “the dark night of the soul.” Many growing Christians have and do experience times of God’s apparent absence in our lives.
As we read through the Bible it becomes apparent that there are times when God gets actively involved with His people. God was there in creation, making the earth, making the plants and trees, making the animals, making Adam from dirt and Eve from Adam’s rib. God was there in Eden talking openly and directly with Adam and Eve. God was there asking Cain about his brother Abel. But then we don’t hear much from God. We know that people like Enoch “walked with God”, but we’re told very little about what God is up to for hundreds of years, as the population of earth increases and also the sin of humanity increases. There is a long period of God’s apparent absence from history until the days of Noah when God appears to Noah and tells him to build the Ark because a flood is coming.
After the flood there appears to be more years of silence, until the Tower of Babel gets built and God comes down and confuses people’s language. Then there is more silence from God until he calls Abraham. And so on and so on…There are intermittent times where God is active and involved and times when God seems silent throughout the book of Genesis.
At the end of Genesis God saves Abraham’s family from famine by bringing them down to Egypt. At first, all is well as Joseph, Abraham’s great grandson is the second most powerful man in all of Egypt. But Joseph eventually dies, and he is no longer able to protect his family from the powerful Pharaoh, and eventually the descendants of Abraham are enslaved by the Egyptians. This lasts for a period of roughly 400 years. During that 400 years it seems that God is once again silent.
During that time Israel is growing from a few hundred people, to millions of people. Millions of men, woman and children living in bondage in a foreign land. Perhaps stories about God and their ancestors Abraham, Isaac and Jacob were passed along by word of mouth, but we might imagine that so many years of silence may have left the nation of Israel in a permanent Dark Night of the Soul. But then… out of the darkness and silence, Moses is born and becomes a member of the Egyptian royal family. God is at work, but he’s not quite ready to make himself fully known to Israel. Moses kills an Egyptian and flees to the wilderness and it seems that the darkness continues and the voice of God remains silent…until God appears to Moses in the burning bush and tells him to go back to Egypt.
In Exodus 10-12 the time has come for God to make himself known to His people… and to Egypt. Exodus 10:1-2 – “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children 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.”
Here, God tells Moses that He’s about to make his presence known in a powerful way. God’s about to show up, the darkness is ending, the silence is over. And show up He does! God shows up in a profound and powerful display of his power and might. Bear in mind, Egypt was, at the time, the most powerful empire in the whole world. Pharaoh was the most powerful person in the whole world. Pharaoh had been exerting his power in a ruthless way over God’s chosen people for hundreds of years. Lord Acton once said “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” In the United States we live under a Constitutional system that intentionally balances power among three different branches of government- Executive, Legislative and Judicial. This is to prevent any one person from having too much or absolute power. These lessons were learned after observing thousands of years of kingdoms. Pharaohs and other absolute monarchs have historically used their power in destructive and unjust ways. And with such unmatched power comes hubris.
The Poet Percy Bysshe Shelly captures the hubris in his powerful poem Ozymandias:
I met a traveller from an antique land,
Who said—“Two vast and trunkless legs of stone
Stand in the desert. . . . Near them, on the sand,
Half sunk a shattered visage lies, whose frown,
And wrinkled lip, and sneer of cold command,
Tell that its sculptor well those passions read
Which yet survive, stamped on these lifeless things,
The hand that mocked them, and the heart that fed;
And on the pedestal, these words appear:
My name is Ozymandias, King of Kings;
Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and despair!
Nothing beside remains. Round the decay
Of that colossal Wreck, boundless and bare
The lone and level sands stretch far away.”
Pharaoh, like Ozymandias in the poem, was filled with hubris over his unmatched power. He believed himself to be king of kings. He needed to be taught a lesson in humility by the true King of Kings. God showed up. Ten plagues later and all of Egypt was brought to their knees. Meanwhile, the people of God began to see first hand just how great and powerful their King, the true God, YHWH really was. That story has been told for thousands of years, and today, the people of Israel continue to sit down and eat bread without yeast and drink wine and remember the Passover and how powerful their God really is.
Sometimes, God seems to be silent, but make no mistake, God is still there and God is still powerful and in the end, God will show himself to be greater than all human opposition. May you know the true God.
Jeff Fletcher
(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 2, 2020 – Thank you, Jeff!)
Reflection Questions
Have you ever felt like you were in a dark night of the soul? How would you describe this time? How might God describe this time? Is there anything you found helpful during this time?
How do you think the Israelites were feeling as they: made bricks without straw, encountered the first 9 plagues, asked their Egyptian neighbors for jewelry – and received, selected a lamb, killed it, put the lamb’s blood on their doorframe, experienced the distinction God made between Israel and Egypt?
What lesson was Pharaoh learning in Exodus 10-12? What were the Israelites learning? What are you learning about man and about God?
Seek Grow Love 