Tag: God

42.q. “Wilderness” – 5. Jethro heard and is now coming

 

Exodus 18:1  Jethro, the priest of Midian, Moses’ father-in-law, heard of all that God had done for Moses and for Israel his people, how the LORD had brought Israel out of Egypt.   Now Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her home,  along with her two sons. The name of the one was Gershom (for he said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land”), and the name of the other, Eliezer (for he said, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh”). Jethro, Moses’ father-in-law, came with his sons and his wife to Moses in the wilderness where he was encamped at the mountain of God. And when he sent word to Moses, “I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons with her,”

Do you ever wonder how Jethro heard of all that God had done? Without mail, email, phones, texting, social media, internet, TV, radio, news media, etc…. he heard of the work God had done.  How is this possible? People spoke of it. People who were amazed at how God provided an exodus out of Egypt for the Israelites. I imagine a traveler stole of it and it went something like this; “ I have just Come through Egypt.  The Israelite slaves are all gone. There are none to be found. Pharaoh and all of his chariots and men were drowned in the Red Sea. Prior to this all of the firstborn of all of the Egyptians died, and all of their livestock firstborn died too. Prior to this, there were many plagues of such wonder that only God could have done it. Now it is said that the Israelites are wandering around in the wilderness.  They say their God is with them and it is displayed by a cloud by day and fire by night. We have even heard that when they were attacked by Amalekites the Amalekites were amazingly defeated by them.”

More than one report surely came to Jethro and most assuredly he inquired of any passing through.  Let us be mindful of sharing what we have seen God do in people’s lives. How He has changed them. How He has blessed them. How He has protected them. How He has given them peace, rest, and joy. How He has healed them. How He has delivered them from addiction. We never know how God will use it but He will for His good. Some will reject what you say. However, the next time they hear something from another person it might just be the softening of their heart that leads them to repentance and eternal life.

42.n. “Wilderness” – 2. Quail and Manna

Exodus 16:13.  In the evening quail came up and covered the camp, and in the morning dew lay around the camp.  And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground.  When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, “It is the bread that the LORD has given you to eat.  This is what the LORD has commanded: ‘Gather of it, each one of you, as much as he can eat. You shall each take an omer, according to the number of the persons that each of you has in his tent.’”  And the people of Israel did so. They gathered, some more, some less.  But when they measured it with an omer, whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack. 

Exodus 16:35 The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan.

 Psalms 78:27-28    he rained meat on them like dust, winged birds like the sand of the seas;  he let them fall in the midst of their camp, all around their dwellings.

 Psalms 105:40    They asked, and he brought quail, and gave them bread from heaven in abundance.

 Numbers 11:9   When the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell with it.

 Deuteronomy 8:2-3   And you shall remember the whole way that the LORD your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments or not.  And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know, that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that comes from the mouth of the LORD.

 Nehemiah 9:15    You gave them bread from heaven for their hunger

 Nehemiah 9:20-21     You gave your good Spirit to instruct them and did not withhold your manna from their mouth and gave them water for their thirst.  Forty years you sustained them in the wilderness, and they lacked nothing. Their clothes did not wear out and their feet did not swell.

 Psalms 78:24-25    and he rained down on them manna to eat and gave them the grain of heaven.  Man ate of the bread of the angels; he sent them food in abundance.

At evening the quails came up, and the people caught with ease as many as they needed. The manna came down in dew. They called it Manna, Manhu, which means, What is this? It is a portion; it is that which our God has allotted us, and we will take it, and be thankful. It was pleasant food; it was wholesome food. The manna was rained from heaven; it appeared, when the dew was gone, as a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost, like coriander seed, in colour like pearls. The manna fell only six days in the week, and in double quantity on the sixth day; it bred worms and became offensive if kept more than one day, excepting on the sabbath. The people had never seen it before. It could be ground in a mill, or beaten in a mortar, and was then made into cakes and baked. It continued the forty years the Israelites were in the wilderness, wherever they went, and ceased when they arrived in Canaan. All this shows how different it was from any thing found before, or found now. They were to gather the manna every morning. We are hereby taught, 

1. To be prudent and diligent in providing food for ourselves and our households; with quietness working, and eating our own bread, not the bread of idleness or deceit. God’s bounty leaves room for man’s duty; it did so even when manna was rained; they must not eat till they have gathered. 

2. To be content with enough. Those that have most, have for themselves but food and raiment; those that have least, generally have these; so that he who gathers much has nothing over, and he who gathers little has no lack. There is not such a disproportion between one and another in the enjoyment of the things of this life, as in the mere possession of them. 

3. To depend upon Providence: let them sleep quietly, though they have no bread in their tents, nor in all their camp, trusting that God, with the following day, would bring them in their daily bread. It was surer and safer in God’s storehouse than their own, and would come thence sweeter and fresher. See here the folly of hoarding.

(Henry)

42.m. “Wilderness” – 2. Meat and Bread from Heaven – Grumbling

 

Exodus 16:1  They set out from Elim, and all the congregation of the people of Israel came to the wilderness of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had departed from the land of Egypt. And the whole congregation of the people of Israel grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness,  and the people of Israel said to them, “Would that we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day’s portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not.  On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.” So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “At evening you shall know that it was the LORD who brought you out of the land of Egypt,  and in the morning you shall see the glory of the LORD, because he has heard your grumbling against the LORD. For what are we, that you grumble against us?”  And Moses said, “When the LORD gives you in the evening meat to eat and in the morning bread to the full, because the LORD has heard your grumbling that you grumble against him—what are we? Your grumbling is not against us but against the LORD.”  Then Moses said to Aaron, “Say to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, ‘Come near before the LORD, for he has heard your grumbling.’”  And as soon as Aaron spoke to the whole congregation of the people of Israel, they looked toward the wilderness, and behold, the glory of the LORD appeared in the cloud.  And the LORD said to Moses,  “I have heard the grumbling of the people of Israel. Say to them, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God.’”

The provisions of Israel, brought from Egypt, were spent by the middle of the second month, and they murmured. It is no new thing for the greatest kindness to be basely represented as the greatest injuries. They so far undervalue their deliverance, that they wished they had died in Egypt; and by the hand of the Lord, that is, by the plagues which cut off the Egyptians. We cannot suppose they had plenty in Egypt, nor could they fear dying for want in the wilderness, while they had flocks and herds: none talk more absurdly than murmurers. When we begin to fret, we ought to consider, that God hears all our murmurings. God promises a speedy and constant supply. He tried whether they would trust him, and rest satisfied with the bread of the day in its day. Thus he tried if they would serve him, and it appeared how ungrateful they were. When God plagued the Egyptians, it was to make them know he was their Lord; when he provided for the Israelites, it was to make them know he was their God. (Henry)

They had just seen the bitter waters instantaneously made sweet to assuage their thirst, and a little while before had been miraculously delivered at the Red sea, when there seemed to be no possible way for their escape; and yet so far were they from learning to trust in that divine, almighty Providence, that had so wonderfully and so evidently wrought for them, that on the very first difficulty and distress they break out into the most desponding murmurings! (Benson)

In the original text the name “Wilderness of Sin” has nothing to do with sin and yet, as the story unfolds, we see that this wilderness had a lot to do with sin.  It would seem that starvation was more anticipated than experienced. In other words, they did not live through weeks and weeks of famine, nor did they see their family and friends die of malnutrition.  Israel selectively remembered the past and thought of their time in Egypt as a good time. They lost sight of God’s future for them, and they also twisted the past to support their complaining. This thinking is common among those who complain. This is another common practice among those who complain. They insisted that Moses and Aaron had bad or evil intentions. Of course, Moses and Aaron had no interest in killing the people of Israel, and this was a horrible accusation to make. Yet a complaining heart often finds it easy to accuse the person they complain against of the worst motives.  Bread doesn’t normally rain from heaven. Yet God promised that He would provide for Israel in this unexpected way. This reminds us that God may provide from resources that we never knew existed. Sometimes He provides from familiar resources, sometimes from unexpected resources.  One would think that with the experience of the plagues, Passover, and the deliverance at the Red Sea, Israel would already know that the LORD had brought them out of Egypt. Yet experiences, even great experiences, don’t change the heart as much as we often think. (Guzik)

Nothing is impossible for God. All things are possible for God. God is not limited by what we think is possible for Him to do. He is not limited at all. He can do more than we ask, and much more than we can imagine.

42.l. “Wilderness” – 1. Bitter water – Grumbling

 

Exodus 15:22  Then Moses made Israel set out from the Red Sea, and they went into the wilderness of Shur. They went three days in the wilderness and found no water.  When they came to Marah, they could not drink the water of Marah because it was bitter; therefore it was named Marah.  And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”  And he cried to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the LORD made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the LORD your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the LORD, your healer.”  Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

 Numbers 11:1-6   And the people complained in the hearing of the LORD about their misfortunes, 

 Numbers 16:41    But on the next day all the congregation of the people of Israel grumbled 

 Numbers 14:1-4    Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.  And all the people of Israel grumbled 

 Numbers 20:2  Now there was no water for the congregation. And they assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron.

 Numbers 21:5   And the people spoke against God and against Moses

 Philippians 2:14    Do all things without grumbling or disputing

 Jude 1:16    These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires;

 Psalms 78:19  They spoke against God

What is grumbling? (the action or fact of complaining in a bad-tempered way) (complain, moan, groan, gripe, criticize, whine, protest, speak out against, find fault with). 

What is at the root of this grumbling? What seeds the heart and mind to grumble? What fuels grumbling in the heart and mind? (judgmental, anger, ungraciousness, faithless, hopelessness, fearful, selfishness, self-reliant, self-worth, thankless, Satan tempted, and denying God’s sovereignty, love, presence, and power)

Speaking out, (grumbling) first originates in the mind. There is a root seed of some sort that gets time in your mind. If it is not discerned, recognized for what it is, and discarded there is ample room for it to fester and grow in importance. This sin will not be recognized. Though it is a sin it is believed to be so true that it is turned into words that come out of the mouth. Being God-honoring, humble, thankful, and faithful is not even given space in your heart or mind. They have been discarded so that there is room for this unholiness to feed and grow. 

Such is the way in far too many people who call themselves Christians. The shallowness of their commitment and faith is manifested in their lack of concern for things of God and what does and does not honor and glorify Him. In times of trials and troubles, there is no depth in their faith and love of God. They have neglected and become complacent about the Word of God. In this neglect and complacency, their understanding and knowledge of God’s grace, mercy, and love fall mightily short of having any impact on their thoughts or for that matter, their lives. The sinfulness of sin and the Holiness of God are forgotten. If we neglect His Word, how are we to recognize and know what sin is? How are we to recognize a sin seed (like the beginning thoughts leading towards grumbling) in our mind? Oh, that we would read His Word with a hunger and desire to be led on paths that honor and glorify Jesus Christ.

Here are some thoughts by JC Ryles on sin:

I believe that one of the chief wants of the Church in the nineteenth century has been, and is, clearer, fuller teaching about sin. I fear there is much mental confusion and haziness on the definition of “sin” and “sinners” Sin, in short, is that vast moral disease which affects the whole human race, of every rank, and class, and name, and nation, and people, and tongue. I say, furthermore, that “ a sin,” to speak more particularly, consists in doing, saying, thinking; or imagining, anything that is not in perfect conformity with the mind and law of God. “Of course I need not tell any one who reads his Bible with attention, that a man may break God’s law in heart and thought, when there is no overt and visible act of wickedness. There are sins of omission as well as commission, that we sin. (“leaving undone the things we ought to do,”  “ doing the things we ought not to do.” ) We may live like we don’t understand this but I fail to see any Scriptural warrant for the modern assertion that “ Sin is not sin to us until we discern it and are conscious of it”.  Every single person born carries in its heart the seeds of every kind of wickedness! You will see in it the buds and germs of deceit, evil temper, selfishness, self-will, obstinacy, greediness, envy, jealousy, passion,— which, if indulged and let alone, will shoot up with painful rapidity. We shall do well to remember, that when we make our own miserably imperfect knowledge and consciousness the measure of our sinfulness, we .are on very dangerous ground. 

42.k.. “Let My People Go” – 10.h. Praise and Rejoicing

 

Exodus 15:1  Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the LORD, saying, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea. The LORD is my strength and my song, and he has become my salvation; this is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him.

Revelation 15:3   And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!

Philippians 4:13   I can do all things through him who strengthens me.

Exodus 15:6  Your right hand, O LORD, glorious in power, your right hand, O LORD, shatters the enemy. In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries; you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.

 1 Chronicles 29:11-12    Yours, O LORD, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty, for all that is in the heavens and in the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and you are exalted as head above all.  Both riches and honor come from you, and you rule over all. In your hand are power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all.

Exodus 15:11  “Who is like you, O LORD, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness, awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders? 

Jeremiah 10:6   There is none like you, O LORD; you are great, and your name is great in might.

Exodus 15:18  The LORD will reign forever and ever.”

 Daniel 7:27    And the kingdom and the dominion and the greatness of the kingdoms under the whole heaven shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High; his kingdom shall be an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey him.’

 Daniel 4:3     How great are his signs, how mighty his wonders! His kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and his dominion endures from generation to generation.

This song is the most ancient we know of. It is a holy song, to the honour of God, to exalt his name, and celebrate his praise, and his only, not in the least to magnify any man. Holiness to the Lord is in every part of it. It may be considered as typical, and prophetical of the final destruction of the enemies of the church. Happy the people whose God is the Lord. They have work to do, temptations to grapple with, and afflictions to bear, and are weak in themselves; but his grace is their strength. They are often in sorrow, but in him they have comfort; he is their song. Sin, and death, and hell threaten them, but he is, and will be their salvation. The Lord is a God of almighty power, and woe to those that strive with their Maker! He is a God of matchless perfection; he is glorious in holiness; his holiness is his glory. His holiness appears in the hatred of sin, and his wrath against obstinate sinners. It appears in the deliverance of Israel, and his faithfulness to his own promise. He is fearful in praises; that which is matter of praise to the servants of God, is very dreadful to his enemies. He is doing wonders, things out of the common course of nature; wondrous to those in whose favour they are wrought, who are so unworthy, that they had no reason to expect them. There were wonders of power and wonders of grace; in both, God was to be humbly adored. (Henry)

What a song of worship and praise to God. A song pinned out of humbleness and gratitude. A song reflecting the pureness of raw worship and praise. A simple song with such depth and emotion that comes with a heart-felt presence of God. A song that reflects praise and worship, God’s power, God’s judgment, God’s love, and God’s holiness. 

I love old hymns. You can tell people have written them with like hearts and minds. They are songs of thanksgiving, worship, hope, and praise. If you ever get a chance to acquire a hymnal, do it. Read the heartfelt songs in them. Feel the presence of God in these people’s lives. Just because you are not gifted in music or poetry talent does not mean you can’t join in on the praise and worship in them. Your heart and mind certainly can joyfully join in this praise and worship as the writer has expressed. 

Let your hearts and minds proclaim the greatness, awesome power, and love of God, though they are pinned by another.

42.j. “Let My People Go” – 10.g. Parting of the Red Sea

 

Exodus 14:21  Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And in the morning watch the LORD in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,  clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the LORD fights for them against the Egyptians.”  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”  So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the LORD threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.  The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the LORD saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. Israel saw the great power that the LORD used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in his servant Moses.

 Joshua 4:23   For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over,

 Nehemiah 9:11   And you divided the sea before them, so that they went through the midst of the sea on dry land, and you cast their pursuers into the depths, as a stone into mighty waters.

 Psalms 66:6   He turned the sea into dry land; they passed through the river on foot. There did we rejoice in him,

 Psalms 78:13    He divided the sea and let them pass through it, and made the waters stand like a heap.

 Psalms 106:7-10    Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.  Yet he saved them for his name’s sake, that he might make known his mighty power  He rebuked the Red Sea, and it became dry, and he led them through the deep as through a desert.  So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy.

Psalms 114:3-5  The sea looked and fled; Jordan turned back. The mountains skipped like rams, the hills like lambs.  What ails you, O sea, that you flee? O Jordan, that you turn back?

 Deuteronomy 3:22   You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.’

The dividing the Red sea was the terror of the Canaanites, Jos 2:9; the praise and triumph of the Israelites, Ps 114:3; 106:9; 136:13. It was a type of baptism, 1Co 10:1,2. Israel’s passage through it was typical of the conversion of souls, Isa 11:15; and the Egyptians being drowned in it was typical of the final ruin of all unrepenting sinners. God showed his almighty power, by opening a passage through the waters, some miles over. God can bring his people through the greatest difficulties, and force a way where he does not find it. It was an instance of his wonderful favour to his Israel. They went through the sea, they walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea. This was done, in order to encourage God’s people in all ages to trust him in the greatest straits. What cannot he do who did this? What will not he do for those that fear and love him, who did this for these murmuring, unbelieving Israelites? Then followed the just and righteous wrath of God upon his and his people’s enemies. The ruin of sinners is brought on by their own rage and presumption. They might have let Israel alone, and would not; now they would flee from the face of Israel, and cannot. Men will not be convinced, till it is too late, that those who meddle with God’s people, meddle to their own hurt. Moses was ordered to stretch out his hand over the sea; the waters returned, and overwhelmed all the host of the Egyptians. Pharaoh and his servants, who had hardened one another in sin, now fell together, not one escaped. The Israelites saw the Egyptians dead upon the sands. The sight very much affected them. While men see God’s works, and feel the benefit, they fear him and trust in him. How well were it for us, if we were always in as good a frame as sometimes! Behold the end to which a Christian may look forward. His enemies rage, and are mighty; but while he holds fast by God, he shall pass the waves in safety guarded by that very power of his Saviour, which shall come down on every spiritual foe. The enemies of his soul whom he hath seen to-day, he shall see no more for ever. (Henry)

 We understand that those in darkness will not believe in the parting of the Red Sea, or any other miracle, and we don’t really expect them to understand or believe in this.  What is more troubling is those who profess to believe and then try to prove there was a natural wind that could have happened and that God used this natural phenomenon to part a place in the Red Sea. They try to find a means to “naturally” explain a miracle of God. Doing so is to deny the awesome power of God over all of His creation. They actually dilute this with man’s ideas of how God could have done this and still obey their understanding of nature and science. God’s miracles do not need any other explanation than they were of God. Why do we have to know the mechanics of God’s all-powerful hand? The most intelligent person in all of mankind does not have the capacity to comprehend or understand the Power of God over His creation. 

There is a peace that passes all understanding for those who put their complete trust in the All-Powerful Hands of God!

42.g. “Let My People Go” – 10.d. Pillar of Cloud and pillar of fire

 

 

Exodus 13:17  When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”  But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.  Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”  And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.  And the LORD went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go,…. Gave them leave to depart out of Egypt, and even urged them to be gone in haste upon the death of his firstborn: that God led them not through the way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near; the land of the Philistines was the Pentapolis, or five cities of Gaza, Ashkelon, Ashdod, Ekron, and Gath, which lay between Egypt and Canaan; and their way through it to Canaan, out of Egypt, was the nearest they could go; and was, as Aben Ezra says, about ten days’ journey; but Philo the Jew says (l) it was but three days’ journey; and it seems, by the sons of Jacob going to and fro for corn, that it was no very long journey: for God said: within himself, or he declared the following reason of so doing to Moses: lest peradventure the people repent: which is said not as ignorant or doubtful, but, as Aben Ezra says, after the manner of men: when they see war: the Philistines coming out against them to hinder their passage through their country; they being a warlike people, bold and courageous, and the Israelites, through their long servitude, of a mean, timorous, and cowardly disposition; and indeed as yet unarmed, and so very unfit to engage in war, and therefore would at once be intimidated: and they return to Egypt; judging it more eligible to continue in their former bondage, than to fall a prey into the hands of such fierce and cruel enemies. This is the only reason mentioned for not leading them this way; but there were other secret reasons for it, which afterwards opened in Providence, as the doing that wonderful work for them, leading them through the Red sea as on dry land, and the destruction of Pharaoh and his host in it; and by being brought into a wilderness, a solitude, they would be in the fittest place to receive and attend to the body of laws given them, and where they were formed into a commonwealth and church state, previous to their entrance into, and possession of, the land of Canaan; and here also they were humbled, tried and proved, and had such instances of the power and goodness of God to them, as were sufficient to attach them to his service, and lay them under the greatest obligation to him, as well as would be of use to strengthen their faith and hope in him in future times of difficulty and distress. (Gill)

We don’t always know what is best for us on our journey through life. As children of God be assured that His path for each of us is best. When our hearts and minds are focused on Him and our reliance, hope, and faith are in Him, and our leading is of Him, we will find peace, hope, calm, refuge, courage, and strength in the midst of trials and storms. We can trust His guidance because He loves us, knows what’s best for us, and is All-powerful, All-knowing, All-present, and sovereign over all of His creation. He will lead us on paths that strengthen and will build our faith. He will lead and guide us to that which is best for us. We need not question or grumble about His direction. We need only to follow, obey, trust, believe, and rely on Him. The easiest path may be easy but surely if this path is not the path directed then nothing good and only bad things will come of it. 

After stating this I must say that in a life of prosperity and ease, there is little attention being given to the Word of God, things of God, and the need for seeking His direction. In this state of neglect and complacency, people will intentionally choose paths for themselves and it will seem right in their own eyes. Throughout their life, they will never grow in wisdom and understanding of God’s grace and mercy. They will never see His hand helping them. They will be blind to the things of God and His leading for their lives. 

What is a person to do if after reflection you see yourself in this state? Repent and confess and purpose to seek and desire God’s leading in all things. Learn to live in such a way that in all you think, say, and do, Jesus Christ is honored and glorified. 

42.a. “Let My People Go” – 10. Promise of Death of all Firstborn of Egypt

 

Exodus 11:1  The LORD said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.  Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.”  And the LORD gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people. So Moses said, “Thus says the LORD: ‘About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt,  and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle.  There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again.   But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’  And all these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, ‘Get out, you and all the people who follow you.’ And after that I will go out.” And he went out from Pharaoh in hot anger.  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh will not listen to you, that my wonders may be multiplied in the land of Egypt.”  Moses and Aaron did all these wonders before Pharaoh, and the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go out of his land. 

Deuteronomy 4:34   Or has any god ever attempted to go and take a nation for himself from the midst of another nation, by trials, by signs, by wonders, and by war, by a mighty hand and an outstretched arm, and by great deeds of terror, all of which the LORD your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes?

 Job 27:16-17   Though he heap up silver like dust, and pile up clothing like clay,  he may pile it up, but the righteous will wear it, and the innocent will divide the silver.

 Psalms 24:1  The earth is the LORD’s and the fullness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein,

 Psalms 105:37   Then he brought out Israel with silver and gold, and there was none among his tribes who stumbled.

 Proverbs 13:22   A good man leaves an inheritance to his children’s children, but the sinner’s wealth is laid up for the righteous.

 Job 34:20    In a moment they die; at midnight the people are shaken and pass away, and the mighty are taken away by no human hand.

 Isaiah 42:13    The LORD goes out like a mighty man, like a man of war he stirs up his zeal; he cries out, he shouts aloud, he shows himself mighty against his foes.

 Psalms 105:36    He struck down all the firstborn in their land, the firstfruits of all their strength.

 Psalms 135:8   He it was who struck down the firstborn of Egypt, both of man and of beast;

 Proverbs 21:13    Whoever closes his ear to the cry of the poor will himself call out and not be answered.

 Revelation 6:16-17   calling to the mountains and rocks, “Fall on us and hide us from the face of him who is seated on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb,  for the great day of their wrath has come, and who can stand?”

Despite the great calamity to come, God would grant the Egyptians the ability to see the situation as it really was: the fault of their own Pharaoh, not the fault of Moses or the children of Israel. Here for the fourth time we are told that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 9:12, 10:20, 10:27, and 11:10). Yet God never hardened Pharaoh’s heart until he first hardened it against the LORD and His people (Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, and 9:7). (Guzik)

 “The Lord hath put a difference between those who are his people and those who are not. There are many distinctions among men which will one day be blotted out; but permit me to remind you at the outset that this is an eternal distinction.” (Spurgeon)

Much could be said about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart and passages that show it to be of himself and passages that show it to be of God.  A person can be tempted to say that it is not fair, God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.  But, clearly, Pharaoh hardened his own heart first.  He did have free will to choose and he chose to defy God and the signs and wonders performed in His name. Let this be a warning and witness to all – a hardened heart does not start out like stone. No, it is soft and pliable but with continual and repeated intentional choosing to defy God, deny God, things of God, God’s creation, and God’s Word (written and proclaimed) the heart becomes harder and harder and harder.  At some point, there is no possible softening. This is known to God. 

God knows the beginning from the end. He knows who is His and who is not.  He knows this before any person is born. There is nothing that happens on earth that would be a surprise to God, where He would say; “I did not see that happening”.  God knows the beginning from the end.  Every last bit of it. He knows the thoughts and intents of every single person born before they are born. He knows the hairs on the heads of every last person. He knows the beginning from the end. He knows who will honor and glorify Him. He knows who will repent. He knows who will believe. He knows who will abide in faith. He knows who will obey. He knows who will not. He knows who will be ushered into heaven and who will find eternity in Hell. He knows the sin(s) every man will commit before it is even a thought in their mind. Nothing is hidden from Him.  He knows the beginning from the end.  

Who is the man that they dare say to the Creator of all there is, “I am not at fault, You made me like this.” Each person is given knowledge of God in their innermost being and this knowledge is added to by the wonders of creation. No man is with an excuse when they stand before their Creator. It is by free will they choose to deny the One and only True God.  They make images of wood and stone and bow down and worship the craft of their hands, or they deny any God at all.  They harden their hearts day after day until the hardness is complete. They will never repent or believe in God and His redemption. They reject God’s Word, His grace, love, and mercy. They reject Jesus Christ’s sacrifice, salvation, and forgiveness. They reject eternal life and freely choose eternity in Hell, though they are warned 1,000 times.  

While I write this I am humbled beyond words for I was once like these, without a care, without a need of God, without giving thought or concern to eternity, sin, death, heaven, hell, judgment, forgiveness, etc…. And yet, God, in His great mercy and love, softened my heart, opened my eyes and ears, and showed me my sin and the need for redemption, salvation, repentance, and forgiveness. I lived a life of no concern for God or things of God, and yet He pursued me, He kept knocking at the door of my heart, and at the right moment, He got my attention. At the right moment, a neighbor across the street (Rich) asked my wife and me to attend an evangelical meeting at the church they attended.  It was at this meeting Thursday, March 22nd, 1979 my sin, God’s holiness, and my need for repentance and a savior were revealed deep within my heart and mind. I know there was nothing deserving within me of this grace and mercy – trust me I know. However, God’s great love brought me to the point of believing or rejecting. As I say this it is not as though I could have rejected it.  I don’t really know how to explain it.  The message preached and my need so revealed that there was no way I could say no to the gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. 

I don’t know how many times I reject God and things of God throughout my life up to the point of being saved. God does and I am sure it was a lot. God’s grace, mercy, and love are deep and wide. And yet, they have boundaries. These boundaries include “Faith and Repentance” (trust, obedience, reliance, honor, and glory to Jesus Christ). Good intentions, wishing, hoping, denying, rejecting, self-reliance, etc… all fall short of these boundaries of God’s grace, mercy, and love. 

Oh, that all of you would see the sinfulness of sin, the Holiness of God, and the need for repentance and salvation through Jesus Christ.

42. “Let My People Go” – 9. Darkness

 

 

Exodus 10:21  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”  So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived.  Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the LORD; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.”  But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the LORD our God.  Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the LORD our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the LORD until we arrive there.”  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.  Then Pharaoh said to him, “Get away from me; take care never to see my face again, for on the day you see my face you shall die.”  Moses said, “As you say! I will not see your face again.”

 Revelation 16:10-11   The fifth angel poured out his bowl on the throne of the beast, and its kingdom was plunged into darkness. People gnawed their tongues in anguish  and cursed the God of heaven for their pain and sores. They did not repent of their deeds.

 Proverbs 4:19  The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.

 Isaiah 8:21-22   They will pass through the land, greatly distressed and hungry. And when they are hungry, they will be enraged and will speak contemptuously against their king and their God, and turn their faces upward.  And they will look to the earth, but behold, distress and darkness, the gloom of anguish. And they will be thrust into thick darkness.

 2 Peter 2:17  For them the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved.

 This was no normal darkness, it had a supernatural element to it that could be felt. Light is not only a physical property; it is an aspect of God’s character (God is light and in Him is no darkness at all, 1 John 1:5). In judgment, God can withdraw His presence so significantly that the void remaining is darkness which may even be felt. Seemingly, God did not even allow artificial light sources to work. The Egyptians attempted to use candles and lamps but were unable to produce light. This was dramatic show of greatness over the prominent Egyptian god Ra, thought to be the sun god.  With this, Pharaoh made his last offer to Moses. All the children of Israel could go into the wilderness for three days of sacrifice unto the LORD God, but they must leave their livestock behind.  Undoubtedly, Pharaoh felt God was a hard bargainer and made the best deal for Himself that He could. Pharaoh still saw things as someone who thought he could bargain with the Creator. This shows that he still didn’t really know who the LORD God was, because He still had not submitted to Him. In exasperation, Pharaoh ordered Moses out and told him to never come back. Moses assured Pharaoh, “You have spoken well. I will never see your face again” – but this was not good news for Pharaoh.  (Guzik)

 “Pharaoh was now beyond reason, and God did not reason with him.” (Morgan)

The Darkness. – As Pharaoh’s defiant spirit was not broken yet, a continuous darkness came over all the land of Egypt, with the exception of Goshen, without any previous announcement, and came in such force that the darkness could be felt. (Keil)

It is hard to imagine the darkness spoken of in this plague. The total absence of light. I have read where cave explorers have experienced this total absence of light and how it was very unnerving and caused them some fear and anxiousness. However, they went into the cave with this being a possibility.  They knew if they did not have artificial light and a means of tracking their way back they would be in trouble.  They go into the cave with this in mind.  

The darkness which God brought upon Egypt was more than this type of natural darkness. It was a thick darkness that only God could create and control. 

Hell is a place of total darkness, separation from God, and of torment. Not only is there torment of the complete darkness but a burning of which there is no likeness.  The flame and its burning effects never cease. Eternal damnation. Eternal torment. Eternal anguish. Eternal separation from God. These are all given as warnings to mankind should they reject and deny their Creator. Denying these warnings or giving them no regard does not make them untrue. It just clouds the mind of the soul who wishes to fulfill the lusts of their fleshly desires without concern for eternity. People like to think that their death is the end of everything. They believe there is no God Creator or nothing eternal. Like Pharaoh, they harden their hearts to God’s Word and things of God. There is a day of judgment coming for all mankind. Eternal life – Heaven or eternal death and torment – Hell.

41.z. “Let My People Go” – 8. Locusts

 

 

Exodus 10:1  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them,  and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”  So Moses and Aaron went in to Pharaoh and said to him, “Thus says the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For if you refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow I will bring locusts into your country,  and they shall cover the face of the land, so that no one can see the land. And they shall eat what is left to you after the hail, and they shall eat every tree of yours that grows in the field,  and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Then he turned and went out from Pharaoh.  Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”  So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. And he said to them, “Go, serve the LORD your God. But which ones are to go?”  Moses said, “We will go with our young and our old. We will go with our sons and daughters and with our flocks and herds, for we must hold a feast to the LORD.”  But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.  No! Go, the men among you, and serve the LORD, for that is what you are asking.” And they were driven out from Pharaoh’s presence.  Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, so that they may come upon the land of Egypt and eat every plant in the land, all that the hail has left.”  So Moses stretched out his staff over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night. When it was morning, the east wind had brought the locusts.  The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again.  They covered the face of the whole land, so that the land was darkened, and they ate all the plants in the land and all the fruit of the trees that the hail had left. Not a green thing remained, neither tree nor plant of the field, through all the land of Egypt.  Then Pharaoh hastily called Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the LORD your God, and against you.  Now therefore, forgive my sin, please, only this once, and plead with the LORD your God only to remove this death from me.”  So he went out from Pharaoh and pleaded with the LORD.  And the LORD turned the wind into a very strong west wind, which lifted the locusts and drove them into the Red Sea. Not a single locust was left in all the country of Egypt.  But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

Summary; Egypt threatened with locusts. Pharaoh’s servants persuade him to let the Israelites go. Pharaoh inquires of Moses who are they that shall go to serve the Lord. Of Moses’s answer. Pharaoh’s reply. Locusts come over all Egypt. Pharaoh sends for Moses, and confesses his sin. Moses prays to God. The plague is stayed. Pharaoh’s heart hardened. (Brown)

Getting to the heart of the matter, God warned Pharaoh to humble himself or the worst plague of locusts ever seen would come upon Egypt. Pride was at the heart of Pharaoh’s problem; he simply didn’t want to give into God. What Pharaoh wanted is what many of us want in the flesh: a way to “give in” to God, without fully submitting to Him. Sometimes we look for a way to bargain with God as an equal, instead of submitting to Him as Creator and LORD.  Pharaoh did the same thing in Exodus 9:27-28. He said the words of repentance but did not follow through with the actions. His heart was only hardened more after God relented and showed mercy. (Guzik)

“Once again comes the easy confession of sin, and the shallow repentance that springs only from a desire to avert the consequences.” (Cole)

The plagues of Egypt show the sinfulness of sin. They warn the children of men not to strive with their Maker. Pharaoh had pretended to humble himself; but no account was made of it, for he was not sincere therein. The plague of locusts is threatened. This should be much worse than any of that kind which had ever been known. Pharaoh’s attendants persuade him to come to terms with Moses. Hereupon Pharaoh will allow the men to go, falsely pretending that this was all they desired. He swears that they shall not remove their little ones. Satan does all he can to hinder those that serve God themselves, from bringing their children to serve him. He is a sworn enemy to early piety. Whatever would put us from engaging our children in God’s service, we have reason to suspect Satan in it. Nor should the young forget that the Lord’s counsel is, Remember thy Creator in the days of thy youth. (Henry)

What would it take to soften your heart to the will of God? Does it take a sign or miracle for your heart to be moved? Does it require God to bless you financially, physically, or in higher honor positionally?  What would it take for your heart to soften to the will and purposes of God? A humble heart willing to the purposes, plans, and design of God will be blessed.  Take a lesson from the plagues against Pharaoh and Egypt; A prideful heart void of love for the one true God will never find peace in their self-orchestrated lives. Replacing God with false gods will give a heart and mind a false peace of being able to control and please these abominations. When a person continually rejects or denies the calls of God there is a continual hardening of their heart that results in it becoming like stone. 

How many times have I rejected the Holy Spirit’s leading and direction for my life?  How many times have I closed my eyes and ears to the things of God to entertain what this world has to offer? How many times have I brushed aside the conviction of sin? How many times have I allowed anger, hate, fear, pride, jealousy, disobedience, neglect, complacency, etc….. residence in my heart? How many times have I given God only a pacing thought throughout the day?  Do I even give any thought to my sinfulness in light of His Holiness? Do I even want to be grown and matured in ways that honor and glorify Jesus Christ? Do I want to be close enough to God to receive His blessings but not close enough to hear His quiet whispers of correction, leading, and direction? 

There will never be growth or maturing in your knowledge and understanding of God’s plans, purposes, and promises when shallowness and emptiness are in your heart and soul and does not have the desire to honor and glorify Jesus Christ in all you think, say, and do.