Tag: daily devotion

Clean Before the Lord

Leviticus 14-16

Whenever we watch a movie or read a book, we are anticipating “the moment” in the story where everything comes to a climax and all the puzzle pieces finally come together: chapter 16 of Leviticus is that climax within this book. In this chapter, God gives a special ceremony for the Israelite people, later called Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). At this special ceremony, the sins of ALL the people were forgiven and forgotten: at this special annual celebration, every person in God’s family gets a fresh start.

Once a year, the high priest would offer a sin offering for himself, his family, and all the people of Israel within the tabernacle. Since atonement and forgiveness are only possible through blood (Leviticus 17:11), the high priest offers this sacrifice on behalf of all the people to cover all their past yearly sins. He also presents a “scapegoat” before the people, a goat that would bear the sins of all the people and be led out into the wilderness, representing their sins being carried away and forgotten forever. Meanwhile, the people were expected to “deny themselves” in humility before God, repenting and mourning over the ways that they had offended their God throughout the year (and likely fasted from food and water).

What a wonderful and merciful act that God blessed His people with! This was the most important day of the year for every Israelite: the day that they could walk into a new year, cleansed and forgiven of every past mistake they’d made. God didn’t have to provide this ceremony: He only allowed it because He loves His people and understands that we are only dust.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us. Just as a father has compassion on his children, so the LORD has compassion on those who fear Him. For He Himself knows our frame; He is mindful that we are but dust.” – Psalm 103:12-14 NASB1995

Unfortunately, under the Old Covenant, only the high priest was able to bring about this forgiveness and atonement: only he could offer the sacrifice needed to cover over the sins of the people. There hasn’t been a tabernacle, a Temple, or a priesthood for Israel since 70 AD… based on the standards of Leviticus, it is impossible for the people to have their sins forgiven before God. That is, unless God provided a better way, which He did.

We find out in the book of Hebrews that Jesus Christ has taken the role of our new High Priest, and also as the sacrifice we need to take away our sins: not only just for the year, but forever.

“Every priest stands daily ministering and offering time after time the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins; but Jesus, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God, waiting for that time onward until his enemies be made a footstool for his feet. For by one offering he has perfected for all time those who are sanctified.” – Hebrews 10:11-14 NASB1995

We all have regrets and understand that we haven’t lived perfectly: what if you knew that tomorrow all those deeply regretful moments would be washed away, never to be remembered again? Would that change the way you lived before God today? Under the New Covenant, we have the opportunity to live completely free from the guilt and pain that comes from regretful sin, because Jesus died in our place: this is an opportunity available to you, not just once a year, but every single day.

We all have the choice to live differently today than we did yesterday, because Jesus has removed all our sins from the past. What will you choose to do?

-Talon Paul

Reflection Questions

  1. What similarities and differences do you see between Aaron as high priest and Jesus as high priest?
  2. What regrets, guilt, and shame have you experienced? Are you living with them today? Do you need to? What are the New Covenant’s steps to accepting God’s free gift of forgiveness? What will you choose to do?
  3. Did living under the Day of Atonement mean they could do whatever they wanted because once a year all the sins would be forgiven? Does living under the sacrifice of Jesus mean we can do whatever we want because we have forgiveness of sins every day of the year?
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Pure Plates – or Hearts?

Leviticus 11-13

Two of my favorite foods to eat are bacon and shrimp (sometimes together): I absolutely love the smell, taste, and feeling of crunching into a crisp piece of bacon. Shrimp is a delicacy that I enjoy in all different styles of cooking: fried, grilled, or even cold with a side of cocktail sauce. And yet, when I read through today’s Leviticus passage, I find out that the Israelites weren’t supposed to eat either of these very popular items: they are said to be “unclean” for them and were to be avoided… Am I sinning against God by enjoying these dishes?

We must understand the concept of “cleanliness” and the purpose behind the food laws in this book to answer that question. First, what does being “clean” mean in Leviticus? According to scholar Walter Kaiser, “being clean makes a person fit and suitable for entering into the worship of God.” Being clean simply meant that you are in a proper position to enter into God’s presence: it didn’t necessarily mean that you had sinned against Him and were guilty of punishment (although, sinning would certainly make you unclean). For example, in Leviticus 12, a woman who recently gave birth was considered “unclean” until seven days had passed by. Did the woman sin by giving birth to a child, which God commanded for humans to do? (Genesis 1:28) Of course not: this is just one example that being “unclean” didn’t necessarily mean that you had sinned, but that you were just not allowed in God’s holy space for a period of time.

With that understanding, we need to look at the purpose behind the food laws in Leviticus. We are told:

“For I am the LORD your God. Consecrate yourselves therefore, and be holy, for I am holy. And you shall not make yourselves unclean with any of the swarming things that swarm on the earth. For I am the LORD who brought you up from the land of Egypt to be your God; thus you shall be holy, for I am holy.” – Leviticus 11:44-45 NASB1995

“I am the LORD your God. You shall not do what is done in the land of Egypt where you lived, nor are you to do what is done in the land of Canaan where I am bringing you; you shall not walk in their statutes.” – Leviticus 18:2-3 NASB1995

The entire purpose behind the food laws was for the Israelites to be “holy”, which means “set apart” or “different”: since they worshiped and represented a completely holy God, they were supposed to live differently than the people around them. Although all the animals were given to humanity for food (Genesis 9:3), the Israelites were supposed to look different than those around them. Why? So that people would notice and begin pursuing their holy God. The entire purpose is so that others would come to know the one true God and follow His ways.

So are Christians sinning against God by deliberately disobeying these food laws? Well, Jesus in his ministry redefined what it means to be “clean” and “unclean”: it is no longer based on the food we eat, but the condition of our hearts and behavior towards others. What matters the most is what’s inside the person’s heart, not what they take into their stomach.

“He said to them, ‘Are you so lacking in understanding also? Do you not understand that whatever goes into the man from outside cannot defile him, because it does not go into his heart, but into his stomach, and is eliminated?’ (Thus he declared all foods clean.) And he was saying, ‘That which proceeds out of the man, that is what defiles the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed the evil thoughts, fornications, thefts, murders, adulteries, deeds of coveting, envy, slander, pride and foolishness. All these evil things proceed from within and defile the man.’” – Mark 7:18-23 NASB1995


Christians have the same command as the Israelites: to be “holy” like their heavenly Father is holy (Matthew 5:48). However, how we fulfill that command is different: under the New Covenant, we are supposed to be focused on making sure our hearts are pure, rather than our plates, if we want to be useful for God in this world. So, although we are now allowed to enjoy bacon and shrimp, Christians must ask themselves: “has my behavior brought glory to God, or am I unclean and unuseful because of the choices I’ve made and the words I’ve said today?”

-Talon Paul

Reflection Questions

  1. “Has my behavior brought glory to God? Or am I unclean and unuseful because of the choices I’ve made and the words I’ve said today?”
  2. What was the prescription for how the Israelites would get clean again in Leviticus?
  3. According to the New Covenant how do Christians get clean again?
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Preparing for God’s Leading

Exodus 38-40

Throughout history God has lead his people many ways. To a few he spoke audibly, others in dreams but he used the tabernacle to lead the Israelites. They set up the tabernacle to the very detail as God requested. After it was complete, 40:34 says

Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 

God made his presence known and clearly began to lead the people on their travels. Whenever the cloud left the people knew it was time to get up and go. Whenever the cloud would stop the people would also stop.

Sometimes I wish that God led us today in such an obvious manner. I need fool proof directions just to get across town let alone the race we are called to run as followers of Christ.

Although it is not as obvious, God still leads his people. He still tells us when and where to go and also when and where to stay.

The tabernacle was a dedicated place for God in the lives of the Israelites. They gave of their time, energy and resources to have a spot for God in their lives. Many often claim that they want direction from God but have not made space for his leading in their lives. They have not made time or space for God.

After the ascension of Christ, the believers were blessed with God’s presence in an even better way than the tabernacle. God’s power, his presence, his spirit can dwell in YOU!

Will you make time and space in your life – for the glory of God to lead you where he would have you go? And further, are you willing to follow that lead?

John Wincapaw

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 12, 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. Can you give some examples of God’s leading in your life – in big or small ways?
  2. What types of preparation and space making would God like to see you involved in before He reveals where He wants you to go next? Unlike Moses, are there any directions you haven’t completed yet that might be a helpful pre-cursor to the big journey God wants to lead you on next?
  3. “Will you make time and space in your life – for the glory of God to lead you where he would have you go? And further, are you willing to follow that lead?” What does it look like to make time and space for God?
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“Be My Holy People”

Exodus 22-24

                Social transformation is often a long and painful process.  Think about efforts at equality within the United States.  The founders’ vision was for a society where everyone had the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.  The Declaration of Independence expressed this in 1776.  Yet it took nearly a century and a Civil War to bring an end to slavery.  It took nearly 150 years for women to be able to vote and nearly 200 years and a lot of blood, sweat and tears to make significant strides toward racial equality.

                How does one take a community that has been enslaved for over 400 years and transform them into a nation that shines a beacon of light to all other nations in the world pointing them to the true God.  How does an entire nation become holy, set apart for God’s service and God’s glory?

                This is the challenge that was before God, Moses and the nation of Israel.  They were leaving behind one type of structure, slavery, to enter into a new way of living.  They needed a new structure to help them know how to live.  They had to be taught how to live in community.  They had to be taught how to work, and how to rest, how to care for their neighbors, and how to punish wrongdoing that threatened to destroy their community.

                In today’s reading we see how God begins to organize and structure the transforming community of Israel.  He teaches them how they are to live and become a holy nation and a royal priesthood.  This transformation would not come quickly or easily.

                They had to be taught how to show respect for personal property: “Whoever steals an ox or a sheep and slaughters it or sells it must pay back five head of cattle for the ox and four sheep for the sheep.” (22:1)  Those who steal must give restitution.

                They had to be taught to respect the family structure and to place their sexuality within proper boundaries: “If a man seduces a virgin who is not pledged to be married and sleeps with her, he must pay the bride-price, and she shall be his wife. If her father absolutely refuses to give her to him, he must still pay the bride-price for virgins.” (22:16-17)

                They had to be taught that there were severe consequences for failing to follow appropriate sexual boundaries: “Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal is to be put to death.” (22:19).

                They had to be taught to have empathy and to show kindness to strangers and people who were different: “Do not mistreat or oppress a foreigner, for you were foreigners in Egypt.” (22:21).

                They had to be taught to have compassion for people in the community who had suffered major losses: “Do not take advantage of the widow or the fatherless. (22:22).

                They had to be taught to show respect both to God and to their earthly leaders: “ Do not blaspheme God or curse the ruler of your people.” (22:28)

                They had to be taught how to live as a just community by not giving false testimony, and by neither showing favoritism toward the poor nor withholding justice from the poor (23:1-6).

                They had to be taught to care for their bodies and minds by getting appropriate rest. (23:12).

                It was also important that everyone be taught these and other guidelines for how to live in community as God’s people and that they verbally acknowledge that they understand and intend to follow “Everything the Lord has said we will do.” (24:3)

                Israel’s transformation from slavery to covenant people of God living a set apart life as the community of God’s people was a slow and challenging process.  It was painfully difficult, but necessary.  In the end, people failed more often than they succeeded in carrying out their assignments.  And yet, somehow, despite tremendous opposition from aggressive and hate filled neighbors, the Nation of Israel survived.

                As Christians, we can learn much from studying how God worked with His people Israel to bring about their transformation.  It is important to note that they were God’s people first, and then they were given this particular set of laws.  In the same way, as Christians, we become God’s people first, through faith in Jesus Christ, and then we commit to following Jesus and obeying Jesus’ commands.  We do not become God’s people by following laws, but by following Jesus Christ.  However, when we follow Jesus Christ, we do not descend into lawlessness.  Structure is still required.  So Jesus spends three years teaching his disciples how to live as the people of God who are called to be holy, set apart to be a light to all nations.  We complete the mission that the nation of Israel began, and we do so following the yoke or community guidelines as laid down by Jesus Christ.  The foundational teaching of Jesus is to Love God and Love our Neighbors.  That is a good place for each of us to start each day.

Jeff Fletcher

(originally posted February 6, 2020 for SeekGrowLove)

Reflection Questions

  1. What is the purpose of rules for your country, work/school or family? What is the purpose of God’s rules for His people?
  2. Does God still want a holy people today? What does a holy people look like?
  3. Which characteristic of a holy people do you want to especially work on developing more this month?
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A Kingdom of Priests

Exodus 19-21

Today’s reading is probably one of the most familiar passages in the whole Bible for it includes the Ten Commandments.  It is important to understand the context of these commandments.  God entered into a covenantal relationship with Abraham and Abraham’s descendants through Isaac and Jacob and Jacob’s sons who became the twelve tribes of Israel.  God promised to bless and provide for his people and in exchange His people promised to be faithful and obedient to God and worship God alone.

After 400 years of slavery, Israel has grown from 12 sons and their immediate family to millions of people.  These people, God’s covenant people, will be settling in a land where they will need to live in community.  They are no longer slaves.  They are now responsible to live in that community in peace and productivity.   They need help to know how to live together.  God provides His people with the structure of how to live together as God’s people.  The Ten Commandments and subsequently nearly 600 additional laws were all designed to help them be healthy and blessed representatives of God to the rest of the world.

God loves all people.  We must never falsely believe that God only loves certain people.  God considers all human beings His children and loves them all.  God wants to be in a right relationship with all of his children; however, many are disobedient and have no willingness to be in a relationship with God and many deny that God even exists.

So God needed to start with one group of people and prepare them to be a special, chosen people who would bring the knowledge of God to others.  Exodus 19:5-6 says, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.”

Israel was to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  A priest is one who helps connect people and God.  God would go on to designate priests in Israel to help the people connect with God, but His expectation for Israel was that the whole nation serve as priests to help other nations connect with God.  Because the whole nation was being set apart by God to be priests for the world, they needed to live holy or set apart lives.  There were behavioral expectations that they were to follow.  They had to  be exclusively loyal to God, they could not murder, steal, lie, cheat, they were to be respectful and honoring of parents and not misuse God’s name.

Now we are completing what God began in Israel.  Through Christ we have entered into a covenant with God.  We are now the covenant people, we are called to be a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.  That is the Church’s role.  And God expects us to live lives of holiness as we are set apart to serve God.  As you read through the many laws in the Old Testament, recognize that some applied very narrowly to the Nation of Israel and do not necessarily apply to us.  Dietary laws and sanitary laws were important in Israel at the time they were given but are no longer applicable.  However, some of the laws which pertain to morality have been reaffirmed by Jesus Christ for the Church.  In other words, as Christians we are free to eat pork and worship on Sundays, but we are not free to practice polygamy or murder.

God is truly a God of grace and mercy, but God is also a God who hates sin and punishes sin.  In this way we are still to live in fear of the Lord: Exodus 20:20 “the fear of God will be with you to keep you from sinning.”

Jeff Fletcher

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 5, 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. What are the duties and responsibilities of a holy nation/kingdom of priests? How would you rate how well/poorly Christians in your nation are doing this job? How would you rate how well/poorly you are doing this job? What can you improve upon this week?
  2. How can we mirror God’s grace and mercy? How can we remind the world (and ourselves) of God’s rule book and judgment? What is the problem with doing just one but not the other?
  3. What does it look like to live in fear of the Lord? Is this only an Old Testament concept or do we find it in the New Testament, too?
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Complaint Free Zone

Exodus 16-18

A number of years ago I led one of my churches through the 21 day Complaint Free Challenge.  The challenge was to go for 21 days in a row without complaining.  We each were given a purple wristband to wear throughout the challenge.  You were to wear the wristband on the same wrist for 21 straight days.  If you caught yourself complaining, then you had to switch your wristband to the opposite hand and start your 21 day challenge again.  Some of the studies I read said that it takes most people  about a year to go 21 consecutive days without complaining.  I forget how many months it took me to get to that point.

What was the purpose?  To help people break the habit of complaining.   For many people complaining is simply a bad habit.  Will Bowen, who invented the 21 Day No Complaining Challenge says that most people complain for one of 5 reasons using the acronym G.R.I.P.E.

Get Attention

Remove Responsibility

Inspire Envy

Power

Excuse Poor Performance

When we habitually complain to get attention, to remove responsibility (shift the blame), inspire envy, exert power or excuse our poor performance, we dig a behavioral rut and complaining becomes our default response to just about any situation.  That’s a sinful habit from which we need to repent.

In order to break the bad habit, like any bad habit, one must counter the undesired behavior with more desirable behavior.  The goal of the complaint free world experiment was to improve the world by reducing the amount of complaining that goes on.  During that process I became aware of just how often I did complain.  I don’t like hearing other people complain all of the time, I don’t think anyone does.  Parents don’t like to hear their kids complain all of the time.  Spouses don’t like to hear their husbands/wives complain all of the time.  Children don’t like to hear their parents complain all of the time.  Students don’t like to hear their teachers complain, and teachers, I’m sure don’t like to listen to their students complain.  Churches don’t enjoy hearing their pastor complain all of the time and pastors don’t like hearing church members complain a lot the time.  And guess what…even God gets fed up with human beings complaining all of the time.

In today’s reading, God has been busy taking care of Israel.  He led them out of slavery to the Egyptians by performing ten amazing signs.  When Israel was being chased down by Pharaoh’s army and looked like they were doomed for destruction, God miraculously parted the waters and brought them through on dry land.   God led them by cloud during the day and fire during the night.  God was taking them on a journey to a land that he was going to give them.  God was doing nothing but good for them.

And how did God’s people respond to all of this goodness?  They complained.  We’re thirsty… we’re hungry.  They sounded like a bunch of whiney kids on a long trip.  If you’ve gone on a long trip, the experience is very different for the parents up front and the children in the back.  Think about a family going on vacation.  The parents are the ones preparing for the trip.  Mom’s doing the laundry, packing everyone’s clothes, preparing snacks, arranging for neighbors to come and feed the animals and water the plants.  Dad is making sure the car is running well, changing the oil, getting the mail stopped, gassing up the car, checking the route to make sure there are no road closures.  The parents buy the tickets for wherever they are going, pay for the meals along the way, pay for the hotel rooms, make sure the kids have stuff to do in the car/van/suv.  And what do the kids do?  They complain: I’m hot… I’m bored… I’m hungry…I’m thirsty… I have to pee…  sister’s looking… brother hit me… and are we there yet?  I had 11 children and I know what I’m talking about here.

Imagine Moses… and God.  They are moving roughly 2 million men, women and children across the wilderness toward the promise land.  There are no McDonalds on the journey.  There are no Holiday Inns with an indoor pool.  There are no air conditioned SUVs with built in blue ray players and no iPhones or Nintendo Switches to keep them occupied.  They are tired, they are hot, they are thirsty and hungry, and they are complaining… a lot!

If I’d been Moses or the Lord I would have been tempted to say “Ya’ll be quiet or we’re turning around and going back!”  Fortunately the Lord, and Moses, have more patience and grace than I ever had:

Exodus 16:6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”  9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”  10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.  11 The Lord said to Moses,   12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

God heard their grumbling and he gave them quail and manna to eat.  There it was, as much as they wanted.  They were able to eat their fill.  And after that they never complained again. Well, that’s not true…. before long they were complaining about being thirsty too.

What God should have done was give each of them a purpose wristband to remind them not to complain.  It would take them a few more lessons before they quit complaining.

I’m sure God does get tired of hearing our complaining… but he still loves us and he even gives us ways to complain in the Bible.  Many of the Psalms are called Psalms of complaint and/or Psalms of lament.  Jesus himself, while he was on the cross prayed  one of those Psalms of complaint/lament, Psalm 22 which begins: “My God, my God why have you forsaken me?”   When we are suffering real pain, real sorrow, real trials, God wants us to turn those into heart felt prayer and we should.  God is able to handle our complaints and do something about them.  At the same time, too often our complaining comes from a place of ingratitude.  The ungrateful complaining that fails to acknowledge and appreciate God’s blessings needs to stop; legitimate complaining for true hurt in faith is something God is ready and able to hear and respond to for his glory and our blessing.

Jeff Fletcher

(originally posted on February 4, 2020 for SeekGrowLove.com)


Reflection Questions

  1. What could the Israelites have said instead?
  2. What happens when you are around people who are complaining? What positive message could you share with a complainer?
  3. Try it out just for today – how long can you go without complaining and grumbling? What could you say instead every time you catch yourself (almost) complaining? How long do you think it would take you to go 21 days without complaining? Will you take the 21 Day Challenge?
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Light Dawns on the Dark Night of the Soul

Exodus 10-12

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

  1. 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?
  2. 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?
  3. What lesson was Pharaoh learning in Exodus 10-12? What were the Israelites learning? What are you learning about man and about God?
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So They Will Know

Exodus 7-9

Moses does not believe that he can speak adequately, so what does God say? He does not tell Moses, “I am sorry. I picked the wrong man.” No. Instead He says, “I picked you for a reason. If you can not speak, then delegate that duty to Aaron.” God still says that He is going to speak through Moses, not Aaron. Once Aaron has received the words from Moses, then Aaron can speak them to Pharaoh. In fact, this is the way that religion is going to work for the rest of human history. God will pick a prophet, whether that prophet thinks he is capable or not, and will speak to the rest of humanity through that single person. God is also able to set up leadership through this prophet and the prophet can lead others and coordinate with them in order to achieve more and reach more people. This is what is established in the Levitical priesthood.

I recently heard an interesting interpretation on the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. I have usually not been able to define the phrase “hardened heart” when I read it. This interpretation however, defines the hardening of a heart as making a man brave. Under this interpretation, God did not force Pharaoh to refuse to listen. Pharaoh first chose to ignore the words of God. Then, when he became fearful because of the plagues, he was willing to let the Israelites go. It is at this point that God makes Pharaoh brave, allowing the Pharaoh to hold to his original decision not to let them go. I think this interpretation has some merit and is interesting at least.

Why did God choose the plagues that he chose? Why did he turn the Nile to blood? He could have turned it to mud or dried it up or anything. Why did he send a plague of frogs? Why not crocodiles or giant river snakes or something a little more intimidating? Why gnats? Gnats are just tiny little things, a nuisance at worst. Well God is the mastermind behind all of this, so He must have known what he was doing. Let’s try to think about all of these plagues in the context of Egypt. We know that Egypt is full of sorcerers who have a handful of tricks. We also know that the Egyptians were polytheistic and had many zoomorphic gods. Finally, we know that the Pharaoh had been oppressing the Egyptians with hard work and even worse, had slaughtered all of their baby boys.

God could have just dried up all of the water in the Nile and it would have had the same effect. All the fish would die and begin to rot and stink. There would be no water to drink. Yet God chose blood. This relates to what I said yesterday about turning people by degrees. God is starting with a plague that the Egyptians think is mere magic. The same thing occurs for the frogs, but the magicians can not create gnats. There is definitely some symbolism to blood in the Nile, possibly referring to the Pharaoh’s slaughter of the newborns. I also think it has to do with the significance of the river to Egypt. That river was a large part of the economy for them, they relied on it. So God took it away. Man should rely on God because he is the source of life. Even at this point in history, people knew that blood is an essential part of life and thought that a person’s life was in their blood. Thus, by turning the river to blood, God is saying, “I give life and I take away life.”

The plague of frogs is a weird one for me. The way it is described makes it sound like an inconvenience; they are just everywhere. One commentator I read said that this was poking fun at the Egyptians gods Hapi and Heqt. God was directly challenging the gods of Egypt.

The gnats are particularly nasty. Have you ever been out on a run in the summer when all of a sudden your mouth is full of gnats? Maybe that is just me. It is one of the most unpleasant experiences. Now have you ever been in a dry, dusty field running around and kicking up dirt? That is also quite unpleasant. It gets tough to breath. One time I was in a situation like this and I had to keep blowing my nose until it stopped coming out black. Now replace the dust in this field with gnats. That is a nightmare.

I am going to stop there and ask that you ask yourself these questions and see if you can come up with an answer. Why flies? Why livestock? Why boils? Why hail? God has every tool imaginable at his disposal, yet He deems these to be the best plagues for this situation. Why is that?

Thanks everyone for starting this plan and sticking to it! If you started from the beginning, great job making it this far and if you are just joining, I hope that you are able to find a routine of your own or hop in with this one. There is nothing better for the mind than to focus on God’s word daily.

Thanks for reading,

Nathaniel Johnson

(originally posted for SeekGrowLove on February 1, 2020)

Reflection Questions

  1. Why do you think God chose the plagues that he did? At which plaque would you have let the Israelites go?
  2. How might you describe a hard/hardened heart? Where have you seen one before? Have you ever experienced one? When is there a downside to being brave?
  3. What were some of the truly miraculous things about the plagues – including the timing, the location, the extent of each? What were the Egyptians learning? What were the Israelites learning? What are you learning? Who can you pass this knowledge on to?
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Be with My Mouth

Exodus 4-6

Oh Dear Lord, please be with my mouth and teach me what I shall speak! Because my mouth is not eloquent.

Sometimes it is downright rude. Sometimes it lies. Sometimes it gets angry. Sometimes it hurts people.

Oh Dear Lord, please be with my mouth and teach me what I shall speak! Sometimes it stays shut when it should open to speak your words. Sometimes it forgets to give you praise. Sometimes it prefers to be grouchy or selfish instead of thankful.

Oh Dear Lord, please be with my mouth and teach me what I shall speak! Sometimes it doesn’t speak up for the oppressed. Sometimes it misses opportunities to spread joy and hope and your love. Sometimes…

Oh Dear Lord, please be with my mouth and teach me what I shall speak!

In Exodus 3 & 4 Moses is giving God lots of reasons (excuses) why He should pick someone else for the job of delivering God’s first-born child (the Israelites) out of slavery in Egypt.

  • I am nobody special
  • I don’t even know your name
  • The elders won’t believe me
  • I am not eloquent
  • Somebody else can do it better

God has answers for it all. I love the Lord’s words in Exodus 4:12 (ESV): “Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.” What a beautiful promise! Yet, Moses still pleaded with Him to just send someone else! God got angry at that one. How many times does this child of God need to be reassured that his God is bigger than any fear that comes with doing His Work. The maker of your mouth can teach you how to use it – when you step up and GO where He wants you to GO! Did you notice that little two letter word at the start of God’s promise to be with Moses’ mouth and to teach him what to say? You’ll never know what words God is waiting to teach you to say if you say no and don’t go.

God graciously compromised with Moses and rather than sending someone else instead of Moses, He sent someone else to go along with Moses, his brother Aaron who was not ‘coincidentally’ coming out to the wilderness to meet Moses.

Maybe it’s time I spend less time on my excuses and instead say YES, step out and GO and trust God to do what He says He will do – be with my mouth and teach me what I shall speak!

-Marcia Railton

Reflection Questions

  1. What excuses have you tried giving God for not stepping out to do a job He wants you to do? How do they stand up to your GREAT BIG GOD?
  2. How can you be someone’s Aaron and come alongside him/her to do a job for God that perhaps neither of you would feel you could do “on your own”? Though, you are of course never “on your own” when you are doing the Lord’s work!? What are some other instances that God used the buddy system and what were some advantages to having a partner?
  3. So – the big question is – where does God want you to go? If you aren’t sure yet, be praying. And then, thank Him for being with your mouth and teaching you what you shall speak.
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His Name Forever

Exodus 1-3

After Moses fled Egypt and saved the Midianite women from the jerks at the well he settled down and had children and lived a simple life as a farmer/shepherd.  Meanwhile the rest of the Israelites were groaning in their captivity in Egypt and their cry rose up to God and he took pity on them (Exodus 2:23-25).  God was then ready to call up Moses out of the wilderness so that he can carry out God’s plan.

Exodus 3:10-15

10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God on this mountain.”

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’”

15 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’

“This is my name forever,

   the name you shall call me

   from generation to generation.”

It is very interesting that Moses had to ask God about his name.  In the eyes of the Israelites God had abandoned them when they were enslaved in Egypt, and they had mostly wandered away from God since then and had taken on the gods of the Egyptians.  It was the mindset of the Israelites that God had forsaken his promises to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and Moses was basically asking if God was wanting to start over in his relationship with the Israelites and form new covenants.  God emphatically states that he is to be known to his people as the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, to remind them that those promises still stand, and will stand for eternity. It is helpful to remember God in terms of what he has done for you or your loved ones, which is why God instructs the people to remember him as the God of Abraham so they will remember the stories that have been passed down of God’s faithfulness to their ancestors.

We need to be reminded of the fact that God does not change his mind like we do.  God does not forget a promise. Just because things have changed in our lives and we are having doubts doesn’t mean that God is no longer the one who created the foundations of the earth.  If we have sinned, or walked away from God for a time, or had a traumatic event in our lives it doesn’t change the fact that God IS, and that the blood of His Son Jesus can still cover our sins.

-Chris Mattison

(Originally posted for SeekGrowLove on Oct 3, 2018)

Reflection Questions

  1. What do we learn about Moses in the first 3 chapters of Exodus?
  2. How did the first 40 years of his life, spent in Egypt in the Pharaoh’s house, help prepare him for the job God selected him to do when he was 80? How did his years in Midian help prepare him? What talents, characteristics, knowledge, wisdom, connections, experiences, failures and accomplishments are in your past and present that could be useful for a future task God is preparing you for?
  3. What examples of God’s faithfulness would you do well to remember and pass on to the next generation so they can remember, too?
  4. What does it mean to you that God wants to be known by this same name forever? What does it tell us about God? What does it tell us about the past, present and future?
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