Before I begin let me exhort each of you to do two things..."hey wait a minute Mark, I'm already reading the One Year Bible and memorizing one verse each week. You keep adding stuff!" Shut up and listen...did I say that out loud? Kidding, Kidding, Kidding:)
Two things...if you think about it what am I doing in writing this blog? Really, it's nothing more than journaling my thoughts from my quiet time. I'm just sharing those thoughts as an accountability. This is my 8th or 9th year to read through the Bible in a year...words cannot begin to express the difference! I am seeing so much more beauty, magnificence, glory, truth in HIS precious Word than ever before. You may ask, "Mark, do you really think it is just because you are journaling? Remember I said two things...journaling and prayerfully reading the daily reading with the intent to re-teach what God shows you. In other words, read with the intent to share something God gave you that morning with your spouse, children, family, friends, co-workers, neighbors.
If you and I were to listen to every sermon and every Sunday school lesson with the intent to share something that God revealed to us...we would listen very differently...the only way I know to describe it is that you shift from PASSIVE LISTENING TO ACTIVE LISTENING! ENOUGH ON THAT...
I suppose what led to the above comments is that it was never so clear to me how people today are exactly the same as they were thousands of years ago. I am sure we can all think of people who do not know the LORD and who continually harden their hearts toward the things of God. We can all think of Christians that are incredibly flawed, like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Jacob's sons (excluding Joseph) and soon we will see like the Israelites and like ME!
I continue to be amazed in the NT that it is the disciples who are continually rebuked for their little faith by Jesus and those that you would least expect are commended for their great faith, visible faith in the Lord Jesus.
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In verse 16 of chapter 9 God states how Pharaoh fulfill part of God redemptive plan and redemptive story.
Ex 9:13-16--Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: Let My people go, so that they may worship Me. 14 Otherwise, I am going to send all My plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like Me in all the earth. 15 By now I could have stretched out My hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. 16 However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you My power and to make My name known in all the earth.
9:16 for this … I have raised you up: God used Pharaoh’s stubbornness (Ex. 4:21): (1) to demonstrate His power; and (2) to make known His name (10:2; Rom. 9:17, 18). Pharaoh was not only an evil ruler in a powerful state; he was an evil man, ungodly, unrighteous, and anti-God. Pharaoh set himself up as a god who maintained the stability of his kingdom. The Lord’s judgment on him was an appropriate response to this fraud.
Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson's new illustrated Bible commentary (Ex 9:16). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers.
Ex 9:34--When Pharaoh saw that the rain, hail, and thunder had ceased, he sinned again and hardened his heart, he and his officials.
In Exodus 10 God reveals another part of HIS redemptive plan, yes HE orchestrated these events so that HE could do these miraculous signs among them, but so that the Israelites would share the good and amazing news with their children and children's children...so that they would KNOW that HE is the LORD!
Ex 10:1-2--Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may do these miraculous signs of Mine among them, 2 and so that you may tell your son and grandson how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them, and you will know that I am the Lord.”
Remember the Israelites deliverance out of Egypt is a foreshadow of the "strong arm of the Lord" delivering humanity from sin, death and Satan through Jesus Christ...the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the World." Praise God!
In chapter 10 we see that Pharaoh's officials get it, but his heart is so hard by sin he does not realize he has destroyed his own nation. I think of men that had fallen into adultery that I have gone to warn...they all continued until their families were devastated...wives and children. They thought that they could handle it, they thought that they could play with fire and not get burned.
Ex 10:7-8--Pharaoh’s officials asked him, “How long must this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Don’t you realize yet that Egypt is devastated?” 8 So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” Pharaoh said. “But exactly who will be going?”
God flexes HIS power and might, HE flexes HIS outstretched arm, HE executes judgement against the gods of Egypt and delivers HIS people.
Ex 12:12-13 “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn ⌊male⌋ in the land of Egypt, both man and beast. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. 13 The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy ⌊you⌋ when I strike the land of Egypt.
When God sent HIS only Begotten, we HE sent Jesus, HE flexed HIS power and might once again...this time HE won HIS own with the blood of HIS SON. In all of its glory this is the gospel, this is the good news, amazing...the God we serve is all glorious, all powerful...stunning in beauty, majesty and glory AND YET HE IS a humble servant, tender, loving, gracious, faithful, merciful...our heavenly Father sings over us with a loud voice, HE delights over (us) HIS children. HE is a happy God, an overflowing, eternal spring of living water.
Hebrews 9:11-14 Now the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation ), 12 He entered the holy of holies once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God?
Mt 20:28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life—a ransom for many.”
We were created to worship, to serve and to love the living God! Let's continue in the great adventure:) to pursue HIM with a white hot passion, a passion to delight in and enjoy our great God.
love,
m