Tag: poured

41.x. “Let My People Go” – 6. Boils

 

 

Exodus 9:8   And the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh.  It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.”  So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast.  And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the LORD had spoken to Moses.

 Deuteronomy 28:27  The LORD will strike you with the boils of Egypt, and with tumors and scabs and itch, of which you cannot be healed.

 Isaiah 47:12-14   Stand fast in your enchantments and your many sorceries, with which you have labored from your youth; perhaps you may be able to succeed; perhaps you may inspire terror.  You are wearied with your many counsels; let them stand forth and save you, those who divide the heavens, who gaze at the stars, who at the new moons make known what shall come upon you.  Behold, they are like stubble; the fire consumes them; they cannot deliver themselves from the power of the flame. No coal for warming oneself is this, no fire to sit before!

 Psalms 81:11-12    “But my people did not listen to my voice; Israel would not submit to me.

 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.

Previously, God announced that he would harden Pharaoh’s heart (Exodus 4:21 and 7:3), and this was the fulfillment of it. Yet it is said at least six times before this that Pharaoh hardened his own heart (Exodus 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7). We see that God’s hardening of Pharaoh’s heart was the strengthening of what he already had set himself towards. (Guzik)

“This is the first occasion on which this form of words is used after an actual plague. Previously, the position has always been put from the other side: pharaoh has hardened his own heart. The moral would be that God hardens those who harden themselves.” (Cole)

“‘Harden’ is the expression, not of the divine purpose but of the result of disobedience to the divine appeals. As a matter of fact, all the plagues were intended and calculated to soften, if Pharaoh had been willing to yield.” (Thomas)

Hardness of heart is a figurative expression, denoting that insensibility of mind upon which neither judgments nor mercies make any abiding impressions; but the conscience being stupefied, the stubborn rebel persists in determined disobedience. (Unknown)

Every heart from birth has a root seed of defiance and stubbornness, (sinfulness) that results in a divide between all mankind and God. In this separation, man will come up with millions of ways to accomplish the same thing – deny and disobey God allowing this unholy root to take firm hold of the heart and mind.  This is the curse on all man and it will justly be judged by God.  The judgment is eternal hell and torment. There is no escape through any of man’s attempts to be made right (should they choose this on their own accord). Separation from God is separation from eternal heaven. Families, cultures, and societies with people with the responsibilities of teaching and governance who are rooted firmly with the seeds of defiance and disobedience will lead whole families, cultures, and societies straight to Hell. This is a fact and not a fairytale. Mankind is separated from God in such a deep and endless way that all are without chance or hope of bridging the gap – forever separated, forever doomed, forever without hope!!  

But wait,  John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

There is HOPE. Jesus Christ died for the sins of every single person and those that repent of their rooted sinfulness, believe, trust, follow, obey, and rely on Jesus Christ will be saved from eternal hell to inherit eternal life – Heaven.

There is no reason to deny or disobey God other than to promote self-reliance, self-wisdom, and self-assurance. 

There is hope in Jesus Christ – yield to His redemption, salvation, and forgiveness and believe/trust/rely on Him alone.  There is no need to harden your heart more and more to the point of no return.  Hell is no place you want to be. No matter what you may think, Hell is real. Hell is for eternity. Hell is torment. Hell is total separation from God and without any hope of redemption – FOREVER!

17.o. Sitting at the feet of Jesus

John 12:1   Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. Then Mary took about a pint of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.” He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

Luke 10:39   And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’* feet and heard His word.

John 11:32    Then, when Mary came where Jesus was, and saw Him, she fell down at His feet, saying to Him, “Lord, if You had been here, my brother would not have died.”

Mary has sat at the feet of Jesus and learned.  She sat at His feet in mournful surrender. And she sat at His feet and honored Him with oil.  How can we learn if we do not spend time listening with a desire to hear Him speak?  How can we surrender our broken heart at His feet if we don’t believe in His comfort in a time of grief?  How can we honor Him if we do not know and see His holiness and worthiness?

Outside of the betrayal of Jesus, Judas is only mentioned in the New Testament here for doing/saying something that would indicate his heart was not right. We do not know if the disciples knew that Judas was a thief.  This may have been hidden from them or not.  John indicates he knew he was helping himself to the money given to them and their ministry with Jesus.  Was it greed that overcame Judas’s heart?  Is this how satan took a foothold? We need to be mindful that sin is the fishing pond of satan.  Once hooked no amount of thrashing about will calm these troubled waters unless there is complete surrender to and belief in Jesus Christ.