Tag: Egypt

Choosing to Believe in God’s Faithfulness

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 5-6

POETRY: PSALM 23

NEW TESTAMENT: MATTHEW 20:1-16

Moses overcame the excuses we read about in Exodus 3-4. He traveled to Egypt and met Aaron in the wilderness at the mountain of God. Together, they went and told the people. “The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshipped” (Exodus 4:31). 

I wonder what Moses thought would happen next. He had spoken to the people, and due to the signs Moses had shown them, they believed that God would deliver his people. Did they think it would happen right away? Did they think that Pharoah would just let them go? What did Moses think? Was he prepared for a resounding no? 

Moses went and told Pharaoh to let God’s people go, but Pharaoh responded, “Who is this God that I should listen to him?” Pharaoh’s response was to make the Israelites labor harder. God had told Moses at the burning bush that “the king of Egypt will not allow to go, even under force from a strong hand” (Exodus 3:19). Even so, it seems like Moses begins to doubt that God will do what he said he will do as he sees Pharaoh make the Israelites’ lives even harder. 

The Israelites begin to complain, saying that it would be better if Moses had never come (Exodus 5:19-21). Moses cries out to God, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23). Those old insecurities pop up again as Moses repeatedly tells God, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me since I speak with faltering lips?” (Exodus 6:12, 30) 

Moses had the promise of God to fulfill his covenant with Abraham. God said he would deliver the people. But, Moses began to doubt as he looked around at his current circumstances. He tells God, ‘You haven’t even rescued your people at all. You’ve made things worse.” 

We often fall prey to a certain kind of prosperity gospel preaching. We believe that if we work for God and do what he asks, we will see big returns right away. No waiting. No fussing. No pain. No problems. 

This is simply not the way God works. When we act in faith, we know that eventually, we will see a return for what we are working towards. However, that return is not promised to be quick or readily apparent. We work for a lifetime, and with the benefit of time and wisdom, we can look back and see the faithfulness of God. It is a fruit that takes decades not days. A fruit that may not be seen until the Kingdom. 

When Moses didn’t see immediate results, he began to doubt God’s intentions, his power, and his goodness. (Even though he was told that Pharaoh would have a hardened heart!) We have also been told that “in this world, we will have trouble” (John 16:33). How often do we doubt God’s intentions, his power, and his goodness in the face of the trouble of the world? 

We can “take heart” because Jesus has overcome the world!

~ Cayce Fletcher

Cayce writes about discipleship, productivity, and homemaking at her blog https://amorebeautifullifecollective. You can find her latest post on remembering God’s story in our lives here. You can also listen to A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you think Moses expected Pharaoh to let the Israelites go right away? Why or why not? 
  2. How do you persevere in your calling in the midst of setbacks and ‘troubles’? What are some practical ways you can stay encouraged to “keep fighting the good fight?”
  3. What is a past example of God’s faithfulness that you can remember when you face troubles in the future? 

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Isaiah 31-34

The Lord gives victory to his anointed. Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.

One highlight of my year is going to South East Camp held on the mountaintops of the NC Blue Ridge. Years ago, we drove down the mountain to a center with a high ropes course. Everyone suited up with a helmet and a buddy and clipped their carabiner to the first level on the course. Now, I have some friends who are into rock climbing and would be happy to dangle off the top of a mountain just to get the adrenaline rush. However, I am not that person. As a child, I used to get weak knees going to the edge of the second floor balcony at my church. In fact, there are still some rides I refuse to go on at amusement parks, because the drop is just too much. I’ve gotten better, but I definitely am still scared of heights. Going back to our high ropes adventure, I made it through the whole course, including the more difficult parts, but then I came to the end where I needed to zip line down to the ground. 

Looking down off the ledge, I could already feel a tingling in my knees and my palms getting sweaty. At that moment, I felt like turning around and going through the whole ropes course again just to make it back down to the bottom, because I felt like that was something that I could control with my body. Even though my heart was racing, I paused to take a few deep breaths, and then I stepped off the side to zoom through the air. In truth, once I picked up my feet, I felt safe and secure in my harness. The obstacle I had to overcome was one of trusting that my harness would do what it was supposed to do. I had to trust in something that I couldn’t control, but was probably the quickest and safest way down. 

In Isaiah 31, we read about some trust issues that the Israelites had developed with God. They weren’t afraid of heights in this case; instead, they were afraid of the nations around them. Israel had chosen to rely on numbers of men and horses when they faced battle, and because of this, they had grown to depend on Egypt’s help. They thought that by controlling the amount of man- and horsepower they could bring to a fight they could ensure their victory. However, God reminds them that the “Egyptians are men, not God; their horses are flesh, not spirit” (Isaiah 31:3). God was so much stronger than anyone the Israelites would face, but they refused to see it. By not trusting in God, they paved the way for their own demise (v. 3). 

We also have a daily choice between trusting God or trusting our own flesh. It may come in the form of choosing to be obedient to God’s command, by giving away our money or time to someone in need, or by sacrificing a desire to make room for a deeper relationship with God. In those times, we may want to trust in our own minds or bodies, because we feel like we can control those things. But, remember, God is so much more mighty than we are. We can trust him in whatever situation that we face. 

~ Cayce Fletcher

 

Today’s Bible passage can be read or listened to on Bible Gateway – Isaiah 31-34.

Tomorrow, we continue reading about the history of Judah and Israel in Isaiah 35-36– as we continue the 2020 Chronological Bible Reading Plan.

The Cycle

Ezekiel 29-31

ezekiel 29-31

Tuesday, March 28

Like Tyre and the other nations mentioned in Ezekiel 25, God will place Egypt into the hands of Babylon.

 

Here are a few of the main points/interpretations and moments of personal application that I picked out in our passages today as noted by the visual above:

  • Egypt = monster
    • Egypt will be like a sea monster with hooks in their jaw, and fish leaching onto its scales (29:3-5).
    • God will bring a sword (Babylon) against Egypt and they will become a scattered and desolate land (29:11)
    • After 40 years, God will reunite Egypt and they will be a lowly kingdom (29:15)

 

  • Egypt = Assyria = Garden of Eden
    • Assyria was once a thriving, beautiful nation. Even the “garden of God” (Eden) could not rival it” (31:8)!
    • Assyria was taken captive by the Babylon’s and Egypt has the same fate.

 

  • Life Application: I am a big-picture person. Therefore, it feels like I have basically read the same thing for the past five chapters.  The cycle looks something like this: there is a nation that disobeys God and subsequently God sends Babylon to conquer them, leading them to desolate decline.  So, what can we learn from this cycle? We learn that this matter is important to God because he repeats it over and over again.  God is trying to relay an important message to His children because He continually makes the same point through the prophet Ezekiel.  I pray that the Holy Spirit is working in your heart and mind as you read this text, and that you might open your heart to the change God desires.  What is God trying to show you through this repetition?

 

For me, I come back to the theme that God yearns for our attention.  He longs to hear from us and be in communion with us.  In Ezekiel, we see that God longs for the nations to follow Him and is willing to go to extreme measures to call His children back home.  I Corinthians 6:19 comes to mind, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you whom you have received from God?  You are not your own”.  We are not our own, but belong to God.  How can you break-up with your old self and give a new part of your plans, emotions, desires, and abilities to God?  God longs to hear from YOU!

-Amber McClain