2 Corinthians 4 teaches us that we have the ability to endure hardship. We are able to endure hardships because we have God’s help. As Christians we have to remember that since God has the ability to raise the dead, he also has the ability to give us the strength to handle hard situations or remove us from those situations altogether. 2 Corinthians 4:7 states:
“But we have this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing power is from God and not from us.”
Paul refers to the power that can save us as “treasure in jars of clay”. This treasure cannot be found from worldly things. There is no amount of podcasts or self-help books that will save you the way only God’s power can save us. Paul goes on to remind us that even when we feel the pressure of our problems, we are not broken.
“We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.” (2 Corinthians 4:8-9).
2 Corinthians 4 leaves us with an important reminder. The problems we have to deal with now are only temporary and it is an opportunity for God to work within us. If we remain faithful, we will one day live eternally without worldly troubles.
“For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal” (2 Corinthians 4:17-18)
-Brooke Cisneros
Reflection Questions
What have you done that could only be done with God’s power? Are you using God’s power to the fullest?
When have you felt “hard pressed…but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed”? What makes the difference and gives you hope even in difficult situations?
What temporary or “light and momentary” troubles has God already seen you through?
– the Pea soldiers, from Veggie Tales “Josh and the Big Wall”
I’ve never been in the military (even preschool gymnastics was beyond my capabilities, and let’s just say I was usually a last pick in gym class), but even I can imagine that the mighty Israelite soldiers felt mighty silly walking around the city once a day for six days. Just walking behind the ark. And blowing some trumpets. Wow, fierce. I wonder if they wondered what God was thinking? Had they accidentally signed up for the (mostly-silent) marching band instead of the military? But on the seventh day – seven is the biblical number of completion – they marched around the city seven times, and then, a different kind of trumpet blast sounded, and Joshua ordered everyone to shout. And then, the wall collapsed. The mighty, impenetrable wall of the great city of Jericho, along with everything inside (save Rahab and her family), became a pile of rubble. Yet again, the people obeyed what seemed like ridiculous commands for an impossible task, and God worked through it all. I don’t know why God chose to take over Jericho in such a strange way, but I bet part of the reason was to display His awesome power and make sure everyone knew that He was the One True God.
Psalm 47 even sounds like a song of praise that might have been shared after conquering Jericho: “He subdued the nations under us… He chose our inheritance for us… God has ascended amid shouts of joy, the LORD amid the sounding of trumpets…”
All of our lives should reflect back to the power of God. In our New Testament reading today, Paul also says, “My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, so that your faith might rest not on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power” (I Cor 2:4-5) Just like when God made it clear that it was only by His power – not the marches and shouts – that the walls fell down, God likes to use ordinary, untrained people to do His biggest work, so His might is evident through their humility.
God displays His power by working in big ways through us. He doesn’t NEED us; after all, God created the whole world without any input from mankind! But He wants to use us as part of HisStory, to help tell the world the greater message of His saving power. Will you join in the Greatest Mission of all time?
-Rachel Cain
Reflection Questions
How will you join in the Greatest Mission of all time?
How/when have you seen God at work doing what seemed impossible in a way that you wouldn’t have expected? Who did He use in the mission?
Isn’t it funny how you can read the same passage of scripture numerous times and still find new nuggets within it? I know the story of Rahab quite well, and since I love studying strong women of the Bible, I even read a historical fiction novella about her (“Unashamed” by Francine Rivers, if you’re interested). Still, I discovered a rabbit trail of new insight into Rahab through an oft-overlooked Bible feature: the footnote.
In the first verse of Joshua 2 (NIV), upon noticing a footnote following the word “prostitute,” I glanced to the bottom of the page to find this clarification: “or possibly, an innkeeper.” Excuse me? “Innkeeper” and “prostitute” are very different occupations! As I dug deeper, I found respectable commentaries arguing on both sides of the fence why one interpretation was definitely more likely than the other, and some even suggested that she operated both an inn and a brothel. In either case, Rahab was a Gentile who, because she met many travelers, was privy to a lot of information about the happenings outside her city walls, including the miraculous power of the God of Israel. When the king’s men came to inquire about the spies, she not only hid them, but committed treason by leading the guards astray to chase after the spies, knowing full well they were hiding on her roof. Rahab risked her life to protect the spies, and the spies honored her request to spare her life (and the lives of her family) when they would later take over Jericho. Not only was her physical life spared, but Rahab married Salmon (who was perhaps one of the spies), became grafted into God’s chosen people, and is mentioned as an ancestor to Jesus.
Let’s assume that she was a prostitute, as many interpretations of the Bible seem to imply. This woman was super important to the success of God’s people. Though we think she had a dark past, Rahab feared and trusted God perhaps even more than the Israelites did. How cool is it that God used not only a Gentile, but a promiscuous one at that, to help His people gain their Promised Land! It really gives us all hope that God can use us no matter our histories. In Romans 15, Paul reminds his readers that he is preaching not only to his fellow Jews, but also to help the Gentiles know about the saving power of Jesus. Thank God that his grace is for all of us!
Psalm 44 ties well into this storyline of conquering Jericho, confirming over and over again that it is only by God’s power that people throughout history have conquered their enemies: “They did not conquer the lands with their swords; it was not their own strength that gave them victory. It was by your mighty power that they succeeded… only by your power can we push back our enemies; only in your name can we trample our foes… it is you who gives us victory over our enemies.” (Psalm 44:3,5,7)
I’ll close with this blessing for your day from Romans 15:13 (NIV): “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
-Rachel Cain
Reflections:
– God has a history of using “unworthy” people (like Rahab) for His glory. Reflect on your life, your unworthiness. How has God used your story for His glory? In what ways can you allow Him to do that even more in the coming years?
– Can you think of anyone in your life whom you would have judged as unworthy, whom God has saved for his glory? Praise God for His faithfulness to all of us!
In yesterday’s devotion, we learned that Psalms 113-118 comprise the “Hallel,” or praise. These verses are recited or sung together at Jewish observances such as Passover. These specific verses are called the “Egyptian Hallel” to identify them from two other passages in Psalms also referred to as “Hallel.” Today, our reading brings us to Psalm 114, which focuses on praising God’s rescue of the nation of Israel from Egypt and contributing to the moniker “Egyptian Hallel.”
Instead of focusing on a detailed account of the exodus from Egypt, Psalm 114 uses beautiful language to focus the reader on the majesty of God displayed throughout that time period. It centers on the miracles that God uses to fulfill His promises to His people. In the eight short couplets, we get a sense that all things, including nature, are under God’s control.
Israel was never meant to make Egypt their home. In fact, in the first two verses, we read, “When Israel went forth from Egypt, the house of Jacob from a people of strange language.” It is a recognition that they did not belong there and were being delivered from their oppressors.
Throughout the remaining verses, we read about miracles performed during the exodus from Egypt and while Israel wandered for forty years. While in the desert, God performed miracles, such as bringing forth water from rock, to provide for His people. The verses also refer to “the mountains skipped like rams,” which happened when the Lord descended to Mount Sinai (Exodus 19). The psalmist shows how even the earth obeys God’s word and reacts to His mighty power.
By stating, “The sea looked and fled, Jordan turned back,” the psalmist encapsulates the beginning and end of Israel’s journey. He refers to the parting of the Red Sea (Exodus 14) and the crossing of the Jordan under Joshua’s command (Joshua 3). He shows the completion of the work that began in Egypt. It’s affirmation that God sees all things through to completeness and within His time.
Though these verses are used in the Passover feast to remember the exodus and thank God for His miracles, I feel that they are also a promise to us. Like the nation of Israel living in Egypt, we too are a people living among “people of a strange language.” As sin grows within our world today, it becomes increasingly challenging to adhere to our faith and follow God’s word. But like Israel laboring within Egypt, we must labor within this world, holding fast to the promise that God has something much better in store for us. John 17:14-16 says, “I have given them thy word; and the world has hated them because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not pray that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou shouldst keep them from the evil one.They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.” This is not our home. We must keep our eyes focused forwards on the Kingdom of God.
Isn’t it beautiful to think about the coming Kingdom? As a child, I always wondered when it would be established. In my lifetime? After my death? We will never know the exact time, but that’s not what is important. What is important is that God will fulfill His promises, just like He brought His promises to Israel to completion.
Just like within the exodus, even nature will obey God’s commands. Psalm 114 states, “Tremble, O earth, at the presence of the Lord.” In Revelation, we read about several earthquakes that will occur in the end times (during the opening of the seals and the bowls of God’s wrath), as well as other natural events that will reveal God’s power to the inhabitants of the earth.
To me, it is interesting how Psalm 114 mirrors our own wait for the promise of the Kingdom and the events that will lead to its establishment. As we go throughout this week, let’s reflect on what we are doing to prepare. Are we being faithful like the Israelites in Egypt? Are we prepared spiritually to endure a wait? Are we thankful for the promises that will be fulfilled?
~Jen Siderius
Reflection Questions
Spend some time considering the questions at the end of today’s devotion.
Consider your view of God – are there any areas where your view does not completely match the God we see in our Bible reading? Any areas where your view is too small, too powerless?
Let’s play a quick game together, shall we? I’m going to give you two separate lists to study, each with a dozen synonymic adjectives, and then ask you questions about them.
Who is the first person to pop into your head when you see each respective list?
Which list best describes you currently?
Which list would you rather have read about you at your funeral?
The first set of words contains synonyms for the word “foolish”, and the second one lists synonyms for “wise”. The end of I Corinthians 1 is contrasting foolishness and wisdom as it relates to God vs. man, and how God empowers us to do His work. Paul writes beginning in verse 25 (ESV), “For the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men. For consider your calling, brothers; not many of you were wise according to worldly standards, not many were powerful, not many were of noble birth. But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong; God chose what is low and despised in the world, even things that are not, to bring to nothing things that are, so that no human being might boast in the presence of God. And because of him you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, righteousness and sanctification and redemption, so that, as it is written, ‘Let the one who boasts, boast in the Lord.'”
This verse causes me to bubble over with inspiration and gratitude every time I read it! I take great joy in reading accounts of the underdogs in the Bible whom God used to do great things, and in believing that He can do the same with me. Moses had a speech impediment, but God used him to speak with Pharoah and deliver the Isaelites from slavery. Rahab was a prostitute, but God designated her to save His spies and she was then in the lineage of Jesus. David was only a grungy, petite shepherd, but God used him to defeat Goliath. (David later served God as a great King of Israel, despite being a murderer and adulterer.) Gideon, who was the least important of his family (which was the weakest of his tribe), was hiding when an angel sent from God called him “Mighty Warrior”, but God led him to defeat the Midianite army with nothing but a miniscule army and God’s power.
BUT GOD.
BUT GOD.
BUT GOD throughout history has called people to do great things through his power. Most of them were not already rich or famous or powerful, but when God gave them His power, He did mighty things through them! Even in the New Testament, we read in Acts 4:13 that people were amazed that Peter and John were “unschooled, ordinary men.”
God is still active and working today. He wants us to strive for wisdom and seek Him. God wants to use you to do great things for Him! God is still using his people in big ways to impact their communities and the world. No matter your history, education level, age, job, or any other excuse you might share for why God can’t use you, remember… He loves to use imperfect people for His glory.
-Rachel Cain
Reflection:
*What is your excuse for why God shouldn’t use you? Pray for Him to show you the way He sees you and give you His power.
*What is God calling you to do that might be scary or out of your comfort zone? Pray about that situation and ask Him to fill you with His power!
Today in Isaiah 37 we see a glimpse of Hezekiah’s prayer life and the boldness he has when asking God for deliverance. This boldness is not in an outward appearance…when Hezekiah hears the King of Assyria’s threats he rips his clothes and wears sackcloth, both common practices for those who are mourning or in a vulnerable state. While he seems unsure, Hezekiah is still willing to ask God for deliverance from this threat, even though we do not hear much regarding his faithfulness or attitude towards God until this time. In my opinion, this makes his request even more bold because he seems to lack relationship with God! And yet, we see a prayer for his city to be saved for the purpose that they know God is LORD (v.20), and God delivers! God sends an angel to strike down the Assyrians and scares away the king (v. 36). While the appearance of Hezekiah almost seems cowardly to human eyes, God saw Hezekiah’s humility and his acknowledgement of the one true God and rewards him for that!
In chapter 38 we see Hezekiah again boldly ask for healing from God. This bold request for healing shows Hezekiah has confidence in God’s power and knows God can do amazing things. It’s easy to think, “If I had experienced an answered prayer like Hezekiah I would always pray boldly!”, however, we experience answered prayers daily, but I know I am constantly reminding myself to pray boldly with the concerns I have! Maybe it’s just me, but when I get caught up in the brokenness of the world it doesn’t always come as my first instinct to offer up a prayer. Sometimes I may first try to find a solution on my own, other times I may just ignore the problem, or maybe I just sit in the problem! Although it may seem unlikely, Hezekiah can be a great example of how to pray boldly and have complete trust in God’s power to answer those bold requests.
When we look at our passage in 2 Thessalonians, we see Paul’s encouragement to bold and consistent prayer. In this chapter, Paul is specifically requesting prayer from the church to guard against the evil one and for the gospel to be spread and honored (v. 1 – 3). Paul also asks and reminds the church to pray for them to have strength to carry on in good things such as spreading the gospel and working hard to provide for immediate needs. These requests may not seem as bold as asking God to destroy an army, but I do find them much more relevant to our lives today, and still just as difficult to remember to pray for! Spreading the gospel is an easy thing to say, but doing so truly does require great effort, dedication, and strength. Asking for help in this is certainly a bold task, mainly because if you ask God to help you spread the gospel, He is going to put you in places to practice that! Paul writes “Do not grow weary in doing good” (v. 13), which tells me to expect that doing good will be wearisome. In this letter we can see the benefit in not only praying bold requests for ourselves, but also praying boldly to encourage our brothers and sisters.
You may not know, but the Church of God has over 600 fellowships of believers outside of the United States. We have a LOT of brothers and sisters in Christ that can constantly use our prayers for strength, encouragement, and deliverance. If you are interested in knowing more about our fellow believers, I encourage you to go to https://lhicog.com/ to learn more about what bold prayers you can bring to God on their behalf!
One thought I had (and maybe you did too) during today’s reading was ‘What about when prayers aren’t answered?’ I prayed about this thought, and here is what I felt based on our reading for today: We must faithfully know that God’s purpose is greater than our own. I do not believe there are UNanswered prayers, but rather prayers that have an answer yet to come or an answer we do not want to hear. There are other stories in the Bible where bold prayers are not answered the way that people want or when they want… I think of David and Bathsheba’s son dying after David prayed and fasted, Hannah diligently praying for her future son to be born, or Jesus himself who prayed to not have to go through the horrible crucifixion process! We may not be able to comprehend the purpose God has, but we are always invited to pray with boldness and faith. We are also invited to pray for “peace in every way” (v. 16) for ourselves and our fellow believers when the prayers don’t result in what we want or when we want them. I look forward to a day when we will never have to bring another bold request to God because we will be living in a perfect Kingdom where all believers can constantly rejoice in God’s holy presence and perfection! Until that day, let’s continue to boldly pray and praise our amazing YHWH.
-Sarah (Blanchard) Johnson
Today’s Bible reading plan passages can be read or listened to at BibleGateway.com here – Isaiah 37-38 and 2 Thessalonians 3
You know the feeling you get when you meet up with a couple of fellow kings, who aren’t really your fellows, but you have a common enemy, so you march on together in friendship and harmony, despite the odds that are against you, when you come to the devastating realization that your combined armies and cattle are on the road to dehydration, so you suggest finding that one prophet dude who can maybe help out in this situation, and the other kings agree, so you find the prophet dude and it miraculously turns out, yes! He, or more accurately God through him, helps you out with your water dilemma, (it’s “but a slight thing in the sight of the LORD) and not only that, but he also says that he’ll assist in the defeat your enemy!! Eeeeek, I’m practically bursting just thinking of it. Unfortunately, I can’t say I’ve actually experienced the aforementioned occurrence, but I have felt the amazing emotion that fills your heart with complete, unmatchable joy when you are assured that the most powerful, capable, fierce, wisest Being in the universe, loves you and has your back.
In 2 Kings 3, this is exactly what we see happening. Jehoram, the king of Israel, comes together with Jehoshaphat, the king of Judah, along with the king of Edom, and together they avoid dying of thirst, and totally crush the Moabites. Their epic victory wasn’t of their own works, though. It was God who provided water, and delivered Moab into the hands of the three kings. More often than we ever realize, God works in our lives too. Every single undeserved blessing, every single little victory we celebrate, is our Father’s loving presence. He is continually showing us how much He cares for us, and how deeply He loves us. He demonstrates this love not only in our lives now, but in the amazing promises He’s made to us. Promises of a perfect Kingdom in a beautiful land, where we will live eternally in absolute contentment and happiness with our wholly perfect and wholly good Father.
Notice, however, that Elisha clarified in verse 14 of chapter 3 that he would not even be seeing them if it wasn’t for the presence of the godly and faithful king Jehoshaphat. This king trusted his God, and knew to go to Him in his time of need. Back then, they had to go to God through a prophet, like Elisha, or Elisha’s predecessor, Elijah, but Jesus has since then connected us to our God, bridging the gap as a mediator between God and man. We have the ability to speak directly with God and form the relationship He so desperately wants with us, despite our utter imperfection and His divine perfection. Hold on tight to that gift, never forgetting how awesome it is that we can be so massively loved by such a great God; that He would care for us at all, even in our sin and weakness. Hold on tight to the unimaginable promises He’s made to us, and live everyday aware and thankful for the countless blessings He provides for us.
What a feeling, to know that you have such an awesome God on your side.
-Isabella Osborn
Today’s Bible reading passages can be read or listened to at Bible Gateway here – 2 Kings 3-4 and Proverbs 6
Right after the passover God wants to make sure that the Israelites will remember what He did for all time.
Exodus 13
14 “And in the future, your children will ask you, ‘What does all this mean?’ Then you will tell them, ‘With the power of his mighty hand, the Lord brought us out of Egypt, the place of our slavery. 15 Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, so the Lord killed all the firstborn males throughout the land of Egypt, both people and animals. That is why I now sacrifice all the firstborn males to the Lord—except that the firstborn sons are always bought back.’ 16 This ceremony will be like a mark branded on your hand or your forehead. It is a reminder that the power of the Lord’s mighty hand brought us out of Egypt.”
In our lives God has worked a lot, and maybe when you were less spiritually mature God did a work in your life and you forgot about it, well as you grow older maybe God will remind you of that time in your past that He has been with you. As you grow you should realize that those times are important, and that you need to pass them on to help the faith of others.
Sometimes we need something to be so obvious and in our face, as a symbol on our hand in order to remember what God has done, and He understands that.
Then right after telling the Israelites to never forget about what He does for them and to pass it down for generations He leads them to the Red Sea and then leads them across it, which had to have been one of the most amazing events to see ever.
Exodus 14
19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.
21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.
I’m sure this cements their faith in God….
Meanwhile in Mark 4 we see another example of God’s power over the water.
Mark 4
35 As evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s cross to the other side of the lake.” 36 So they took Jesus in the boat and started out, leaving the crowds behind (although other boats followed). 37 But soon a fierce storm came up. High waves were breaking into the boat, and it began to fill with water.
38 Jesus was sleeping at the back of the boat with his head on a cushion. The disciples woke him up, shouting, “Teacher, don’t you care that we’re going to drown?”
39 When Jesus woke up, he rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Silence! Be still!” Suddenly the wind stopped, and there was a great calm. 40 Then he asked them, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”
41 The disciples were absolutely terrified. “Who is this man?” they asked each other. “Even the wind and waves obey him!”
The disciples would have known the story of the Exodus inside and out, and this showed them very clearly that God was working, and that Jesus must be serving God to have these abilities. Through the rest of the book, and in the other Gospels we see their lives changed by the message of God, and in the rest of the Exodus we will see how many of the Israelites receive God’s instructions, and I think Jesus summarizes the different responses we can have really well in Mark 4.
14 The farmer plants seed by taking God’s word to others. 15 The seed that fell on the footpath represents those who hear the message, only to have Satan come at once and take it away. 16 The seed on the rocky soil represents those who hear the message and immediately receive it with joy. 17 But since they don’t have deep roots, they don’t last long. They fall away as soon as they have problems or are persecuted for believing God’s word. 18 The seed that fell among the thorns represents others who hear God’s word, 19 but all too quickly the message is crowded out by the worries of this life, the lure of wealth, and the desire for other things, so no fruit is produced. 20 And the seed that fell on good soil represents those who hear and accept God’s word and produce a harvest of thirty, sixty, or even a hundred times as much as had been planted!”
The disciples will take a little while to catch on, but by their example that we see later in the New Testament we see that they were the good soil in this parable, and in Exodus we will start to see that many in the Israelite community represent the footpath or the rocky soil in this parable. It is important for us to maintain our connection to other strong Christians and continue to read God’s word so that we can grow deep roots and weather the storms of life, so that we can be a good witness to others and keep the faith.
We have been building up in the last couple of chapters to bigger and bigger plagues and displays of God’s might and power over the gods of Egypt, and finally we are coming to the climax of that story. God is about to unleash his judgement on every firstborn in Egypt, but he will spare the people of Israel if they will sacrifice a lamb and put its blood around their doors.
3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household.
4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat.
5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats.
6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.
7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs.
8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. (Exodus 12:3-8)
The meat of a lamb that you had taken care of for a week and that was cooked with bitter herbs and unleavened bread would not be a special feast that you would enjoy. Emotionally this would be difficult, and the food would not taste that great. This is to show the people of Israel that sacrifices and victories are not always joyous or exciting, but come at a personal cost. For Moses it was seeing the Egyptians, the people he grew up with and who he cared for still, devastated and suffering. This judgment was difficult for God as well since we know that he does not wish that any should perish, but he needed to show his people that the Egyptian gods they were following were powerless so that he could start to build them into his own people.
12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt. (Exodus 12:12-13)
God is starting to prepare the Israelites to be his people so that one day he can have Jesus, his son, die for all sins as the ultimate sacrificial lamb whose blood will cover our sins. They have a long ways to go before they are really the people of God, but we can skip ahead to Mark 3 and start to see another major change that is being initiated.
Jesus went into the synagogue again and noticed a man with a deformed hand. 2 Since it was the Sabbath, Jesus’ enemies watched him closely. If he healed the man’s hand, they planned to accuse him of working on the Sabbath.
3 Jesus said to the man with the deformed hand, “Come and stand in front of everyone.” 4 Then he turned to his critics and asked, “Does the law permit good deeds on the Sabbath, or is it a day for doing evil? Is this a day to save life or to destroy it?” But they wouldn’t answer him.
5 He looked around at them angrily and was deeply saddened by their hard hearts. Then he said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” So the man held out his hand, and it was restored! 6 At once the Pharisees went away and met with the supporters of Herod to plot how to kill Jesus. (Mark 3:1-6)
This is very near the start of Jesus’ ministry and we see that he is running into a ruling group who have hard hearts and are therefore unable to follow God’s will. Sadly this time it is the very teachers of the law that we will see Moses give later this week that are wanting to kill a Godly man.
The biggest thing stopping God from working strongly in our lives is our own hard heart, and sometimes it can take a really major event in our lives to break down the walls that we set up around our heart, but I encourage you to take the first step and prayerfully listen to what God is trying to tell you.
I really enjoy the story of the Exodus and I hope you enjoy walking through this next chapter in the story of the Israelites and also in the early stages of Jesus’ ministry.
In today’s reading the plagues continue: livestock, boils, hail, locusts and darkness. The plagues reap destruction on their food supplies and on their bodies. God declares to Pharaoh His purpose for sending the plagues: “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.” (Exodus 9:16)
Once again, Pharaoh continues his predictable response: plague comes, Pharaoh says he repents and will let them go, the plague is lifted, Pharaoh hardens his heart and refuses to let them go.
All of the plagues are bad but the 9th plague is of particular interest: darkness. In my younger days I sang with a choir and performed Handel’s Messiah. I was given the privilege of singing the bass recitative: “For behold, darkness shall cover the earth…” (If you’ve never listened to it check it out: “For Behold…The people that walked in darkness”, Philippe Sly, Julian Wachner – YouTube )
The next year I was in college at George Mason University and we sang Handel’s Israel in Egypt and I sang the bass recitative “He sent a thick darkness over the land, even darkness which might be felt.” Nearly 40 years later I still have vivid memories of our first performance of this, I was battling strep throat and spent the whole day nursing my throat with honey, lemon and salt water so that I could sing my solo that night (check it out here: Israel in Egypt, HWV 54, Pt. II: Part II: He sent a thick darkness over all the land (Chorus) – YouTube) In fact you might want to listen to the entire Oratorio Israel in Egypt by GF Handel.
In both of these Handel works with the Biblical texts and colors them with the accompanying music. You can almost feel the darkness. What does three days of thick darkness feel like? How disoriented would it be for an entire nation to be blanketed in darkness?
Jesus later used darkness to get Saul/Paul’s attention. Saul was blinded for three days (Acts 9:9) until Ananias prayed over him and the scales fell from his eyes and his sight was restored. Paul responded by literally “seeing the light” and he become a lifelong follower of Jesus Christ. He immediately got up and was baptized into Jesus Christ.
What happened after Pharaoh came out of three days of darkness? You guessed it, his heart was once again hardened. It was harder than ever. After 9 plagues, 9 times God gave him a chance to repent after seeing God’s power at work. 9 Times Pharaoh had the chance to proclaim God’s greatness to all the earth. 9 times Pharaoh hardened his heart.
Psalm 103 reminds us that:
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
God balances His love and desire to see justice for the oppressed with his compassion and gracious love for the oppressor. In the story God loves both His oppressed people Israel represented by Moses and He loves His children mired in pride and power who oppress his people, the Egyptians represented by Pharaoh. God demonstrates His patience to Pharaoh by giving him 9 chances to repent. God also demonstrates His love and faithfulness to Israel by limiting Pharaoh.
Peter later picks up this same theme in II Peter 3:9-10- “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come like a thief. The heavens will disappear with a roar; the elements will be destroyed by fire, and the earth and everything done in it will be laid bare.”
God was patient with Pharaoh, “Love is patient”. But God was also merciful to Israel, God’s love and patience have limits. Pharaoh was about to discover the limits of God’s patience. It would cost him and all of Egypt their firstborn sons.
How will America and the world respond to our current “plague” the Covid-19 Pandemic? Will we soften our hearts and repent and turn to God and forsake our sins and put our full faith and trust in God? Or will we harden our hearts again? How much longer will God be patient and give opportunities to repent? When will God finally say- it’s time to fully and finally set my people and all of the earth free from this dreaded curse of sin and death? It’s time to bring about the final judgment?
I don’t know and you don’t know. But learn the lesson from Pharaoh and don’t test the limits of God’s patience and mercy. May the scales fall from our eyes, may the thick darkness of sin and unbelief that covers our land be lifted.
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