Bibledoorajar: Seismic Changes

     With the Passover came changes in perception of the chosen lambs. First God told the households to single out a lamb. Then the word of God said the lamb was to be without blemish. Then the lamb was referred to as your lamb, a male of the first year.  These changes are earthshaking in purport or the progressive meaning conveyed. A fully virile male lamb was to die for the household. There was to be salvation and peace through no other lamb and the truth of it being God's but also theirs had to be embraced. The truth of it. The truth of it was that God was going to look upon the shed blood of "their" singled out lamb and spare the household. They needed faith to lay hold of such a great truth.

     Many years later, John the Baptist said to the Jews, "Behold the Lamb of God which takes away the sins of the world".  Jesus was singled out.  The truth that He was the One who pleased God to carry out the act of salvation had to be believed and received in faith. Jesus was described by Peter as "a lamb without blemish or spot". Jews hearing these words would immediately hearken back to the Passover which they had been celebrating for years and to the prophecies of the Old Testament about the coming Redeemer. But the truth had to be believed and their faith had to lay hold of such a great truth.

     As a sign, the world which had been marking time in various ways such as "in the reign of or in the time of such and such Pharoah, etc., whould now mark time BC and AD. The truth of the Lamb of Jesus being able to become our Lamb would be forever established in how civilizations marked time. A man named Lew Wallace did not believe it and set about to research and write a book denying it. While in the midst of writing the first chapters, the Holy Spirit overcame him and broke through his disillusionment. He fell to his knees at the foot of the cross and embraced the unblemished Lamb. He later wrote Ben Hur: A tale of Christ, a film that is still being viewed and that is still impacting the lives of people everywhere. Seismic changes wrought by God. Praise Him.

Bibledoorajar: Angel Types

God told Moses to have the people place the blood of His lambs on their doorposts and when He passed through He would not allow death to strike their firstborn. Later the Word says He said He would prevent the destroying from being able to come into their homes. I personally am not sure if this"destroying" was an angel or not, even though I have heard that all my life. Whatever its' force, God was going to keep it from killing the firstborn of all the Israelis. The Bible does not say that some of the Jews did not anoint their doorposts. That is a very good thing. It reflects that even though they surely did not understand everything that was happening, they believed God's words and acted on it.

At this season of the year, we think of another type of angelic visitor. When Gabriel appeared to the scared young virgin, Mary,  he assured her with "Greetings". He was not a part of any destructive process. He was there to bring reassurance to her. To her credit, she believed and her future actions reflected her belief. He was there to let her know that she was about to spread a light in the world that would retreat our most extraordinary Christmas light displays into nothingness. If we believe and act, He will block the destroying and greet us calling us His friends. Wow!

Thank God for all the other worldly beings that do His bidding. I am reminded that we should be alert in our comings and goings for at any time we could be entertaining an angel unaware. I wonder what his or her duty(ies) would be? How customized to your needs does your God get? Well, anyway. best to believe and to be nicer to all we encounter during this Season and New Year. Right?

Bibledoorajar: Trusting in God's Lamb

It would be wrong to conclude that things were so much better for the Israelites even though their freedom process had begun. Actually, many of them still worshipped the gods of Egypt. And, when Pharoah learned that Moses did indeed plan to lead them out of his land, he increased their work burdens. They were a miserable lot, many of them, complaining about their misery. God, of course, heard all their miserableness. The Word does not say they cried out to Him for help, but nevertheless, He heard. And He remembered an important thing. He remembered the covenant He had made with Abraham. His covenant would be honored no matter the poor response of the sinners in Egypt, both Israelites and Egyptians. Justice and mercy would be served in and at the same time. Thus, we are introduced again to the unblemished lamb (first to Abraham) that was to be selected unto God. The lamb was unto God first and then to the people who put their trust forward and obeyed God's command of process. The unblemished lamb was to be killed and its' blood placed on the doorposts of every Israelite household. This unblemished lamb would provide a difference between those people and the Egyptians and thus God would extend mercy and justice at the same time. Thank God He had a plan for the lamb because the sinful Israelites had certainly done nothing to demonstrate moral superiority over the Egyptians!

Today, some men and women cannot understand how God can be merciful and carry out justice of a severe nature at the same time. They do not grasp the role of the Lamb that God said was chosen first unto Him and then to those who believe. They refuse to believe that God has established a difference. But He has. He did it before the foundation of the world when He established that His own Son would be the Lamb unto God given for all who believe.  God chose the Lamb and He chose us (See Ephesians 1: 4). We owe everything we have if we are believers to God who regarded our sinful state.

We are in that season of the year, when we acknowledge the first earthly step that Lamb made for us. He left His heavenly estate and was born a human being of a virgin unto God. And He grew up in the wisdom and stature of the Lord unto us. He is the perfect Teacher and example. He is the Lamb provided for us. When you look on that nativity scene this year, think---provided by my God first for Himself and then for me. From God's point of view--a perfect process for total freedom.

Bibledoorajar: Aspects of Deliverance

Free at last, free at last, thank God Almighty, we are free at last."

                                                                   Martin Luther King

When Martin Luther King made that statement it was a significant part of a dream of deliverance that he had for his people. Many aspects of freedom had occurred for his people but they were determined to advance toward the goal of total freedom. Such was the case with the Israelites. External bondage would end for them because how can anyone or any people be truly free if enslaved in bondage? However, they were still in the country of Egypt and it was still ruled by the sovereign control of the Pharoah. His sovereignty and control would have to be left behind to be truly liberated. Throughout the plagues God had been reorienting his people to His sovereignty and freedom in Him. They are not long away from joining Him at Mt. Sinai. They were instructed to go to their Egyptian neighbors and other Egyptian citizens and ask to borrow items of value. These borrowed items would be freely given by the power of God and would become the basis of necessary items to furnish their place of worship. Israelites were now not only assuming responsibility for themselves, but taking action on behalf of their community. Surely these efforts helped make the Jews feel freer and more human as they took action for themselves and others. Moses was given special abilities by the Spirit of God to act on behalf of His authority to lead the people through all the steps of deliverance.

When Jesus matured and began to preach He declared that He had been given similar authority. He declared that the Spirit of God was on Him to set the captives free and allow the blind to see their newly found freedom in His Sovereignty. The sovereignty of the ruler of this world could indeed be left behind. We can "borrow" from the world to gain necessary items to furnish our places of worship. We can feel freer as we move in community with each other. Praise God for the special abilities of Christ the King. He is able. Thank God for sending Him during this special Christmas season.

Bibledoorajar: Differences of Opinion?

"There is a way that seems right to man, but its end is the way of death"

                                                                                                    Proverbs 18:12

 "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand."
                                                                                                    Proverbs 19:21

“The eternal difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate, it is immutable.”
― Patrick Henry

Pharoah's way was just about to be over. Any Israelite who had not bowed his knee to God--his way was just about to be over too. As Moses left Pharoah in darkness mulling over Moses's refusal to do things his way, Pharoah was told by Moses that before things were over his people would be giving the Israelites many valuable things just to get them out of Egypt. And they would recognize the true leadership of Moses as opposed to Pharoah. He put it this way:

"All these your servants shall come down to me and bow down to me, saying, 'Get out, and all the people who follow you!" God would allow the Egyptians the ability to see the situation as it really was: the fault of their own Pharaoh, not the fault of Moses or their God. As Patrick Henry said, the difference between right and wrong does not fluctuate and in the end it must be dealt with.

The Bible says that in the end, every knee will bow to Jesus Christ, God's only begotten son. In the end, He, the only correct leader to God,  must be dealt with. Eternal right does not fluctuate, it is immutable. People will be offering all kinds of things to be relieved of eternal punishment. But God will allow people to see the situation as it really will be and to know where the fault really lies. That is why the Word of God says that now is the time to be redeemed; now is the time to deal with the immutable truths of God about us and our sin. Now is the time to totally trust the redemption prevention provided by Jesus. Have you taken that step? One can deal with it now, or one can deal with it later, but remember God says that now is the acceptable time.

Bibledoorajar: The Truth Over There

 "Emotion is the chief source of all becoming-conscious. There can be no transforming of darkness into light and of apathy into movement without emotion. "

 Carl Jung

One wonders what the emotions were like among the Egyptians who found themselves in total darkness because their Pharoah neither had compassion for the Israelite slaves nor fear of their God. Furthermore, he did not seem to be thinking too much about their happiness and welfare.

He appeared to have no feelings for others nor feelings of sadness over the condition of his country. The Israelite God had no darkness in Him at all, but He could decree darkness to cover the Egyptian villages. Full of light, He Himself shone in the land of Goshen. For three days the lesson of darkness versus light persisted. The truth was over there--in Goshen. Pharoah never got it but finally, tired of the dark, and perhaps tired of his staff talking about it, PhaRAoah sent for Moses. "O.K. Moses, I give, you and your people including the women and children can go worship your God but you have to leave all your animals here." "No, Pharoah we will need to take all of our animals because we will be sacrificing to our God in worship and need to be prepared to do that in truth." Pharoah, we are living in the light (truth) over there. We see the glory of our God. For Pharoah to not feel any emotions at this point puts him in what I will call the very callous arena and he is setting himself up for that which follows darkness---death. More to come.

"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, has shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ."  2 Corinthians 4:6

We can praise the Lord that we have seen the light of the glory of God in Jesus and experiencing His love has brought truth into our consciousness. We are moving forward with Him into greater and greater depths of worship because of a love relationship that is felt. We carry the right sacrifice in our hearts. Darkness cannot take hold of us in spite of all the little pharoahs that try to establish fiefdoms.

"Open my eyes, that I may see
Glimpses of truth Thou hast for me;
Place in my hands the wonderful key
That shall unclasp and set me free."

                                       Clara Scott

Bibledoorajar: Worthless II

    When Isaac Watts wrote At the Cross one of the things he included was a question. Did the Savior devote his sacred head and bleed and die for such a worm as I? Later, the lyrics were changed by some from worm to sinner--a humiliating term but not so much as worm. Sinner is demeaning but some would find worm downright harsh. Why did Watts use that term instead of sinner? Perhaps it was because he was in touch with just how much he differed from the Savior and just how far the Savior bent down to save him. Or maybe Watts had a celestial light experience like Fanny Crosby did when she heard the lyrics for the first time.

     PhaRAoah could not grasp his own worminess or the need that God had to redeem people for his own. For those who were being redeemed--- they were getting a real picture about the consequences of obstinancy before God being played out before them. After all, they had celestial light in the land of Goshen while PhaRAoah and his kingdom were in total darkness when the wrath of God was displayed.

About the only thing I can think that a worm is good for is breaking down rotting compost and earth and catching a fish. But, ah, if we could be a redeemed worm, we could catch the right kind of fish and have the lofty role of being fishers of men. Jesus said we would have to forsake ourselves, that is, see our worth only in His redemption of us. It is His light shining in us that makes us more than worthless. It is a celestial light and we should ever let it lead us through the dark.

               "Lead kindly light amid the encircling gloom. Lean Thou me on."
                                     John Henry Newman

Bibledoorajar: Worthless PhaRAoh

The PhaRAoh's identity was so tied up with that of Ra, the Egyptian creator (Sun) god, that Ra was significantly part of the PhaRAoh's title. According to their beliefs, Ra created the Egyptians and their beasts and shared his power with the PhaRAoh and the beasts. This was, of course, a great empowerment tool for a man who assumed the throne. After all, we know he was, as we all are, insecure and weak but afraid to admit it. It was Ra who empowered PhaRAoh to place others in bondage as he defined himself more and more by the glitter of possessions and strength. Playing god came naturally to PhaRAoh. Accruing possessions of gold and silver to carry with him when he went to Ra in eternity was a natural. He simply assumed it all. But in contrast, humble Moses had to be convinced within himself that the one and only God had placed him in front of PhaRAoh in the role of God Himself. It was not a given and the importance of representing God could not be assumed by one as arrogant as the PhaRAoh himself. We learn later in the book of Numbers that Moses was more humble than any man on earth. That is, he knew in his heart that he was worthless, "mere dust and ashes" greatly aware of his own limitations.
Now imagine this, PhaRAoh was now looking at a man before him who was once defined in Egyptian culture as one whom Ra had blessed and whose worth could be seen by his outer frame of gilt, status and possession. Now, he was supposed to define Moses as God himself? As the plagues continued PhaRAoh was having to admit that there may be something to that story. But still he remained confident in Ra and his empowerment. Finally, in plague number 9, God brings PhaRAoh to a place where the Sun "don't shine" on all his pomp and circumstance. He cannot even see his hand before him. Worthless. Ra is worthless. How will he respond? Will he finally bow his knee before his true maker?

Bibledoorajar: Will return soon, God Willing

Bibledoorajar: All Creatures of Our God and King

Following the hail storm there was only one crop that was not wiped out. It was a future producing wheat and spelt crop and the Bible reports that it was not damaged. Perhaps Pharoah thought he and his country could hang on until this crop produced. At any rate, he did not bow his knee to the only true God, the God of the Universe. So, God mobilized one of his creatures: the locust. The Bible reveals that God likes to use locusts for judgement. Perhaps it is because they can be mobilized in the millions (they band together when hungry and food is scarce) and they do their work thoroughly and rapidly. A desert locust can consume its weight in one day. Locusts are the swarming phase of a species of grasshopper. In 2013, massive swarms of locusts were noticed in  many places of the world. Note this Time headline from March 4, 2013:

"Local Swarms Descend on Egypt like Biblical Plague" 

People looked up as saw a black cloud on the horizon that turned out to be tens of millions of locust. Many varied efforts were employed in the battle against them as they disrupted Egyptian life on their way to ravage crops and orchards.

When God told Moses to go see Pharoah about the eighth plague He said if Pharoah was going to harden his heart against Him, then He was going to harden Pharoah's heart to the point of his not budging. And He says why. It was so He can do a sign that future generations will talk about.  Moses told Pharoah that he and his people were about to see the worst swarm of locust since creation. He said,

"Then your houses shall be filled, and the houses of all your servants and the houses of all the Egyptians, something which neither your fathers nor your forefathers have seen, from the day that they came upon the earth until this day." With that Moses and Aaron left Pharoah. 

But soon Pharoah's staff were appealing for him to let the people go and worship their God. Did Pharoah not realize that Egypt was slowly being destroyed? Based upon their appeals, Pharaoh had Moses and Aaron brought back to talk, but in the end he would not budge.
 

The locusts swarmed in on an east wind that had been building for a day and night.  Nowhere could an Egyptian put his foot that there were not locusts in service to God. 

                

                  "All creatures of our God and King
                  Lift up your voice and with us sing,
                 Alleluia! Alleluia!"   St. Francis of Assisi

Bibledoorajar: Grievous Matters

Egypt and its' Pharoah were enduring what the Word describes as a" grievous" hail, the likes of which Egypt had never experienced and which was extremely difficult to bear.  It was fraught with thunder and lightning so severe that "the fire ran along upon the ground." This, the seventh plague, followed six others that had not been fully understood and assimilated properly by Pharoah. How did he do with assimilating the Word of God with this one? At first report, things looked good. Pharoah called to Moses and told him that he knew he had sinned. This was a step in the right direction. But did this confession include reconciling himself to God and declaring his undying service to Him? Was his heart's affection now on God? Moses did not think so and told Pharoah that he did not feel Pharoah was being genuine. For one thing, Pharoah was only admitting sin that brought on the hail judgement  and admitted nothing about sins that had brought on the first six plagues. However, Moses told Pharoah that when he, Moses, left the royal city the grievous hail would stop. And it did. Why? It would stop in order for Pharoah to realize that earth was the Lords'. However, Moses told Pharoah that he knew he did not truly fear God. Was Moses right? Yes, the evidence is that as soon as the hail stopped Pharoah and his people immediately sinned.

The Hebrew linguists tell us that two meanings of the word hardened are used in this passage. One connotes great pride and the other great strength. The arrogance of this man Pharoah astounds.  But then this is how the story of the Bible starts isn't it?  Lucifer wanted to be as the Most High God. As Satan he displayed and is still displaying his great pride and great persuasive strength to get mankind to avoid undying service to God. What he never seems to get is that we serve a Savior who always has our well being in mind. Because our heart is not hardened toward Him, He will make a way for us. And, praise the Lord, though it may at times be difficult it will not be grievous because the God of Heaven is in charge. Hoffman put it this way:

          "Are all thy powers under Jesus control?
           Is Thy heart right with God?"

How can we get to that state? According to Hoffman, by nailing our affections to the cross. Sell out to Jesus.

Bibledoorajar: Costly Storms

We, along with the children of Egypt, are getting the idea that God may be slow to anger but that He will not leave the guilty unpunished. This is an important lesson that God is getting across. It will be the basis of the creed by which all His future people(s) will live. Redemption and God's power to deliver said redemption will always be necessary in order to live freely with God. Though they may not yet be fully liberated, the Israelites were learning more and more about their God and why He desired a certain relationship with them. They were seeing the wisdom of believing and obeying, even if, and maybe because, Egypt and its' Pharoah was not. The Israelite's God, the One who demanded no other gods before Him, was very effective in "enemy territory". He could and would move across all of creation and no one could stop Him. Whoa! Pharoah might one day forget the worst nightmare of his reign, but Israel would not, and they began to proclaim the power and might of their God. But old stubborn Pharoah, like the ole man river, he just kept rolling along with his lies and conniving.

Moses told Pharoah that hail was coming in such proportions that the only way his people and their livestock could survive would be for everyone and everything to take shelter. Not only would their present be affected but so would their future because the hail would devastate their crops. To those who believed and took shelter for themselves and their livestock there was salvation. For those who did not believe and took no shelter there was devastation and loss.

My maternal grandfather, an uneducated man, reared nine children during the Great Depression. He often fished the Cahaba River nearby his home in Alabama to supplement food for his table. According to my mother, he was often warned by my grandmother as he left to watch out for storms that might arise. And he would always say, "Why Ollie, I will be home before the storm comes." It was a reassurance based on wisdom. Jesus gave His followers a similar reassurance based on wisdom. If caught in the storm, He could calm the sea. He, after all, like His Father could move all across creation.

"The Lord’s our Rock, in Him we hide.
A shelter in the time of storm;
Secure whatever ill betide,
A shelter in the time of storm."

Words by Vernon Charlesworth and music Ira Sankley

Sung by my Grandfather who is now fully liberated and living with His God and Savior.

Bibledoorajar: Toils, Boils and Trouble

Call your doctor if:

• The boil is on your face, near your spine, or near your anus.
• A boil is getting larger.
• You have any other lumps near the boil, especially if they hurt.
• You are in a lot of pain.
• You have a fever.
• The area around the boil is red or has red streaks leading from it.
• You have diabetes and you get a boil.
• The boil is as large as a ping-pong ball.
• The boil has not improved after 5 to 7 days of home treatment.
• You get many boils over several months.

The above help from WebMD gives the modern reader some idea of the problems and pains of boils. The plague of boils followed God having said to the Jews that He "Was the Lord, that He Would FREE them and that He Would deliver them from their bondage and that He Would REDEEM them through extraordinary chastisements. Following this He Would TAKE them to be His people and He Would be their God. The plague of boils was an extraordinary chastisement and a strong reminder to the Jews that any supernatural "religious" exercise that they had witnessed during their 400 years of slavery did not even come close to the power of their God who was taking them from Pharoah. The Jews were getting a picture of what it meant to be a serious God loving and respecting Jew!

Severe boils interrupt all aspects of society. Pharoah's magicians and priests could not come to work. Pharoah was standing by a kiln where he was probably sacrificing to one of his gods for help when God instructed Moses to go over and collect some of the sacrificial ashes and throw it toward heaven. The filth landed on Pharoah's people and bacteria went to work. All aspects of life, personal and ecumenical were interrupted. Boils usually hit the body in areas of intimacy keeping people from wanting to have or feeling like having contact with each other. No work or love happened in Pharoah's land when everyone was suffering with boils. He and his land needed the kind of purifying that can come only from God. People today need to realize they need supernatural purification and God sent us Jesus just for that reason. He Is the Lord, He Will redeem through extraordinary chastisements, He Will take us to be His and to our God. Hear Him; refuse boils.

Bibledoorajar: God of the Hebrews

     God told Moses to tell Pharoah that God was the God of the Hebrews. It was a Name, a reference point for Pharoah. It said that God had the power to make a distinction between the Egyptians and their relationship to their gods and those who worshiped Him. Remember when God needed to bolster Moses's confidence. He told Moses that He was Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, I will be what/that I will be. Those words implanted one thing in the mind of Moses. God was sovereign and would be whatever He wanted to be. Whatever and wherever the situation His people were in He had the power to love and assist them. He was authentic. This was the God to which Pharoah was to respect.

Perhaps Pharaoh thought the Egyptian gods were authentic too. Perhaps he thought his own god ship was also authentic. But he was to learn that God could strike his gods with power and might.
With the fifth plague God made a devastating strike against among others, Hathor, Egypt's "powerful" cow god.  God would make a distinction between the livestock of His children and the livestock of Egypt. His hand would come forth at a specific time and would strike the livestock of Egypt with a devastating disease. Where was Hathor when the distinction was made? Where was Hathor when God's hand came forth in power? Why didn't Hathor know the time that God would strike and prevent it? When Pharoah had his people check it out how the plague came down, they reported that the devastation had happened just as God predicted it would and in just the way he predicted it. God had made His declaration and it took place. He was sovereign.

Some people think that God exists but they refuse to find Him authentic in everything that He has said, done, or will do. They cannot quite grasp some of the stories of the Bible as being authentic. They cannot grasp a virgin birth or a resurrection. But they fail to recognize the authenticity of Ehyeh-Asher-Ehyeh, I will be what/that I will be. He has said it, and He has extended His hand in mercy to His people.  Through Jesus, God's people escape final judgements against those who trust other gods.  He will come back for His own just as Ehyeh=Asher=Ehyeh, I will be what/that I will be, has declared that He will. Why harden your heart and look instead to a "cash cow of a god" for relief?
Many discern how to put bread in their mouths through earthly means but they despair when their cash cows rot and dissolve away. Where is their god then? Jesus said that authentic provision is the true treasure that can be laid up in heaven where it would not rot or be eaten by moths. Hear His declaration.

Bibledoorajar: Presumptions that Are Made

 “A presumption becomes a self-refuting assertion".   ~R. Alan Woods

After hordes of flies of various types hit just the Egyptians, Pharoah paid more attention. God had separated the Hebrews from the Egyptians. Oops! What was it God had said? Oh, yeah, it was something about letting His people go and worship and sacrifice in the land. O.K. Moses, you can take the people into the land and sacrifice. This assertion by Pharoah looked as if he has seen the light. But really it revealed that he had not taken the commands of God seriously. The commands were " that they be allowed to go THREE days hence from the place of burden to worship the God of the HEBREWS where they would hold a feast unto God in the WILDERNESS." No, Pharoah, your presumption about God was wrong. He does not "settle." His priorities remain constant. His people will not worship Him as part of the world. One cannot presume that the Lord no longer cares about His commands. He watches and waits for obedience and the reckoning continues.

Our God speaks of blessing and curses being set before people. To help avoid the curses, He gives commands, exhortations and admonitions. His word is full of them and when we hear or read of one that condemns we must accept these precepts as well as His grace-filled promises. Yesterday, our preacher made the comment that he does not talk about Hell much, but that surely Hell is living outside the parameters of His total provision. Yes, we have the promise of grace, but we cannot presume upon it. He still calls for wise living based on His commands. The house will fall that is built upon the sand when the floods come. Today would be a good day to make sure our presumptions are based upon the Rock. Hearing Him and striving to do what we hear can insure that our presumptions will not reflect negatively upon us.

           "With love and strength for each new day,
           He will make a way.
           He will make a way."
                            From the song, God Will Make a Way

Bibledoorajar: Family Stories

"My people, hear my teaching;
    listen to the words of my mouth. I will open my mouth with a parable;
    I will utter hidden things, things from of old— things we have heard and known,
    things our ancestors have told us. We will not hide them from their descendants;
    we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord,
    his power, and the wonders he has done.....HE SENT SWARMS OF FLIES THAT DEVOURED THEM."
                Psalm 78

I spent the last few days with family following the death of a dear aunt. As the family gathered together the stories started. Most of them I had heard before and known about because they had been told to me at previous gatherings. Some of them were very praiseworthy, others not so much, but all were familiar because they had been told over and over. What people were trying to do through telling these stories with illustrations was to keep the family dynamic alive and specifically keep the memory of the aunt's praiseworthy deeds alive. Perhaps the stories were even meant to be instructive giving us lofty traits to which to aspire. 

In Psalm 78 Asaph is speaking to Israel of an earlier time when God delivered His people. He mentions the fourth plague---He sent swarms of flies that devoured them. Most scholars feel the Hebrew indicates that many types of flies descended by swarms and actually preyed on the bodies of the Egyptians (from this plague on the Israelites were excluded from the judgements). And beginning with this plague, we find the magicians conspicuously absent and no longer copycatting God's actions through Moses and Aaron. Too busy getting "devoured" I guess. It is said that these flies were very large and very venomous. God's people were spared this but I am sure the lessons were instructive. In the end, any who continue on in their evil ways will be seriously judged.

Hell is a place of serious judgement. There will be wailing and gnashing of teeth (Matthew 8:12, 13:42, 50, 22:13, 24:51). The torment will be so great that people will grind and bear down on their teeth to try to deal with the pain and torment. Like the fourth plague, hell will be terrible. However, God has made a way for people to escape the torment just as he made a way for the Israelites. Are you familiar with His wonderful plan? Read John 3:16. It does not get any better than that. People, hear the teaching our ancestors have been sharing for years. Is it time to pay attention?

Bibledoorajar: Failure to Worship

    "Out, damned spot! out, I say!-"

                                                                           Lady MacBeth

              "Put to death therefore your members which are on the earth: sexual immorality,      
                uncleanness, depraved passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry;"
                                                                Colossians 3:5

God had disrupted the comfort of the Egyptians glorious world by changing their water and sending frogs. The third plague, however, will not only disrupt their comfort but also their worship. It affected them in this way: No one could approach the altars of Egypt contaminated by filthy lice and their priests were not allowed to serve in a contaminated state. They religiously shaved their bodies and heads every third day and wore the purest linen garments to avoid any taint of uncleanness.  Now, with the third plague, God has shown this advancing world system that they are all unclean and unworthy to worship their gods. This plague that assaulted their very ability to approach their gods really impressed Pharoah's magicians. They said, " this is the finger of God."

It strikes me as odd how the magicians of Egypt could recognize the existence of a true and living God who could so easily disrupt not only their comfort but also their worship and not call on the Egyptians to bow down to Him. But that is still the way it is today, is it not? The lusts of the flesh which places mankind in the unclean category as with the Egyptians is still attacking our persons.

In the passage above, Paul speaks of how Christians must put to death uncleanness which is by another name idolatry. The verse makes Commandments number one (no other gods before me) and two (don't make for yourself idols)  more clear for the Christian. We enter the Holy of Holies to worship our God made clean by the blood of Jesus our High Priest who was without contamination. We daily crucify any uncleanness in us by the power of the Holy Spirit. We examine ourselves a lot always seeking out the contamination which is so bothersome to our worship. Thank you Father for making a way for us to worship you.

Bibledoorajar: Understanding Frogs

"And Smiley says-----it's only a frog.' And the feller took it, and looked at it careful, and turned it around this way and that, and says, 'H'm___so 'tis. Well, what's he good for?'
"Well, Smiley says----'he's good enough for one thing, I should judge---he can out jump any frog in Calaveras County.'
-----'Well, he says, 'I don't see no p'ints about that frog that's any better'n any other frog.'
                The Celebrated Jumping Frog by Mark Twain

It is said that Mark Twain would collect tall tales and retell them with his own panache. They were so captivating that he delighted audiences with the telling. The lead character in this story thought he had a lucky frog, but when time came for him to be tested in a betting competition, he would not even jump!

The Egyptians forgot to honor their Creator and went on to celebrate parts of His creation. One of the things they celebrated was the frog. For God, the frog became a symbol of uncleanness. And so, the second plague was a reminder to them of their uncleanness. Frogs went everywhere, in their food and even to bed with them. And when the magicians tried to prove their point all they could do was make MORE FROGS. Just what folks needed. More uncleanness.

In the book of Revelation (chapter 16) John says he saw demon spirits that looked like frogs coming out of the mouth of the dragon. This is what Satan, the old dragon does; he spews uncleanness. When his followers try to mimic him they spew even more. And just as in the Twain story, there is not one frog that is better than any other frog. They are all unclean.

Jesus said He understood all about frogs for He was tempted by them all but succumbed to none. He gave Himself so that any of God's creation who believed in His gift of love could celebrate much more than "frogs". That's a remarkable story we can all be retelling.

Bibledoorajar: Water Into Blood or Wine?

And so Pharoah, having confidence in his wise men's abilities, allowed the plagues to begin. The fact that he had this confidence belies the fact that he really had no fear of the God of the Universe. This would prove to be a fact that he would live to regret. God told Moses to have Aaron "take his rod and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood." (Ex. 7) And, just as Pharoah expected, his magicians were able to dig water and do the same with their enchantments.

If Pharoah had taken the warning of the water into blood seriously, he would have seen it as a serious warning from God about the wages of sin being death. Doom awaited. But Pharoah was not shaken. His people dug for water and his magicians did a trick. It was all cool. Today, there are many people who do not take death seriously. It is the wage for sin and judgement comes with it. There is only one thing that can turn this death away from judgement to "life unto life" (2 Cor. 2:16) and that is rejoicing in the provisions made by the Man who turned the water into wine. Confidence placed in Him is confidence well placed; confidence not placed in Him belies the fact that many do not fear the God of the Universe. Like Pharoah this is a decision that they will later regret.

In the final judgement God will once again give the earth a symbol of blood and the wages of sin being death. The book of Revelation says the moon will "become as blood" (Rev. 6). Let us pray that many will accept the pure water of the Word which brings grace and mercy and so avoid so great a judgement.

  "Hey, Hey, if you trust me, I'll take you where the peaceful waters flow..."

                                     As Sung by Gladys Knight

Bibledoorajar: The Value of Covenants

 "Covenants presupposed a king, a domain, a way of life, people, and often mediating servants. The covenant was an important administrative means within a kingdom."
                                                                                     Baker's Evangelical Dictionary

I remember visiting with some friends once who were very upset that someone in their neighborhood had not lived up to the covenant established as how the neighborhood would look in some respects. A bond had been broken; a mediator was needed to correct the problem. Peaceful relations were in peril within the community. It is difficult when covenants are broken, is it not? Ways of life disappear unless mediation is successful.

When God heard the groaning of His people in Egypt perhaps they were being sorely stretched to believe God's covenant with them was still in tact . Even the mediator God had selected to assure the people that the bond with them was in tact had his doubts at times. But the value of a biblical covenant is that God never doubts. His people may not see the bond clearly, especially in times of stress, but He always does. When God moved with the plagues, He made Himself displayed in Pharoah's domain. What great value was this!  It was more than wonderful for the Jews to have a God who had a plan that He Himself would ensure even though He would have to endure the sorcerers of Egypt and their conflict against His kingdom.

 In 2 Timothy 3 we read of two of the sorcerers who resisted the bond God had with his people. Called by name they were Jannes and Jambres, men of corrupt minds. Paul says these are the types that arise in times of peril deluding God's people that the covenants of God will not stand. Why even they can do some of that supernatural stuff! We are challenged to keep our eyes open for this false opposition, but rather totally trust the covenant the Father made with His Son. He would come to earth and ensure the bond would not be broken even though He would have to endure many hardships and conflicts against His kingdom ending with His death on the cross. In Hebrews it is worded this way.

" And for this cause He is the Mediator of the New Testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."

The new testament, the new covenant, was brought about by means of death and it will endure through eternity. Take that you modern Jannes and Jambres! You will never best the value of our covenant no matter the perils of life!

Bibledoorajar: Vacation

Bibledoorajar will return in one week. Be blessed!

Bibledoorajar: Not Forever

     "He is merciful and tender toward those who don't deserve it; He is slow to get angry and full of kindness and love. He never bears a grudge, nor remains angry forever."
                                                     Psalm 103: 8-9

      Not forever. When in the mix of difficult situations in which the enemy seems to be winning, it is a good thing to remember that God will not stay angry forever. He will, in His own time, take steps to route the enemy. In this story, the abuse of God's people had been going on at least 80 years. But the time was coming when the efforts of God against the enemy would pay off for His people. This would happen at a time when things could not look worse. But not forever. Judgement does come to the land of Pharoah. It will come against a hardened heart and it will come in the form of plagues--ten of them. Each plague would show forth the deep realities of the God of the Universe. No matter the talk among the Egyptians of this god and that god, of this Pharoah and that Pharoah, this unit of plagues, bitter though they be, would free the Israelites. The Hand of God would bring finality to slavery in progressively more difficult ways. Watch the enemy bend and sway. Will he ultimately fall?
     Of course, this all makes us think of God's final judgement on the world and its' god. When the hand of God declares that time shall be no longer the Book tells us that seals--seven of them, will be broken upon the earth, each progressively more difficult. The enemy will bend and sway, but UL-
TIMATELY Jesus Christ will return and finish the final solution.
     Take heart today. No matter how the enemy is assaulting  you, you can place him on a timeline of judgement and speak to him as Moses spoke. This is what Martin Luther said to him one time when he was being assaulted: "Oh, it just you, you old fart." Minimize him; exalt the Christ. Seek freedom.

Bibledoorajar: "Now Wait Just a Minute"

     Things were not going too well with gaining freedom from Pharoah. God had told Moses that He was going to harden Pharoah's heart, but even Moses seemed to have wondered how long God would continue to let His people suffer at the hands of Pharoah. The foremen of the work crews were having a hard time making bricks without straw. The situation was really bad. The foreman accused Moses and Aaron of causing their people to be offensive to Pharoah and subjecting them to death.  Moses and Aaron were leaders with a bad situation on their hands. Finally, Moses went to God and said in a nutshell, "How long are you going to do evil toward your people?" Here are his comments from the Living Bible Version:

    " Then Moses went back to the Lord. 'Lord, he protested, how can you mistreat your own people like this? Why did you ever send me, if you were going to do this to them? Ever since I gave Pharoah your message, he has only been more and more brutal to them, and you have not delivered them at all!"  Exodus 5: 22ff.

     When I read this, my imagination hears God saying, "now just a minute, who do you think you are young man?" But there is nothing in the scripture about God calling Moses to task. Instead, He patiently reminded Moses that Pharoah would have to be forced to let the people go, but in the end Pharoah would gladly drive them out of his land. And then God reminded Moses of who He was: the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. They were not made privy of His name Jehovah, but Moses did know Him as Jehovah----Sacred---Covenant Keeping. Just a minute, Moses, steady on, don't lose sight of who I am.

     In the face of evil today, God has said to overcome it with good. A good like Jesus exemplified over and over. We must pray for deliverance from evil, but we can also get to doing good always remembering the Sacred.
     "Our Father who is in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, for Thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen." Let's just wait a minute and ponder that.

Bibledoorajar: Hope and Monkey Wrenchs

     Moses and Aaron met with the leaders in Israel and told them that it was God's intent to deliver the people. Word spread among the people and hope rested upon them and they began to relax a little. But soon their hope was dashed because Pharoah made things harder for them. They would not be given straw, but instead had to make just as many bricks by scouring the grounds for stubble. This raised the question, was Moses wrong? Pharoah was forcing them to focus on the material rather than the Eternal.
     This is ever the case. When Jesus comes calling to deliver God's people, Satan has a way of holding on. The material becomes so much more important than the spiritual. It's hard for the new believer to stay focused on the Eternal and trust His time frame to win the battles. They hear He is able to deliver, but like the Children of Israel they do not immediately see it. Soon they are loosing focus. But it was a trustworthy statement that God had sent Moses to deliver the children of God. It was worthy to be talked about--over and over--so that all would be encouraged even as Pharoah redoubled his efforts to keep them enslaved.
     Paul told Timothy that this was a trustworthy statement that could be talked about over and over to encourage believers away from enslavement:

       "Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners---of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." 1 Tim. 1:15ff

Today might just be a day when you need to hear this trustworthy statement that deserves full acceptance or maybe it is a day when someone you know needs you to to encourage them to focus on the spiritual and the deliverance that God promises through the blood of Jesus. To the question--was Jesus wrong?---let us boldly believe and share "never"!!!!

Bibledoorajar: Good Vs. Evil And Two Old Men

    The Word says that Moses and Aaron were older when they went before Pharoah the first time. How did they do? They did tell Pharoah that God wanted him to let His people go. But they went a little political too. God had not told them to make an appeal to Pharoah. But they did. They said, "pray thee" let the people go. This brings up questions. Does evil have a "better part" that can be appealed to? Does evil have to be handled just as God says? Just how powerful is Satan and his dominions? And, if God is hardening the hearts of evil men for His own purposes, how are we supposed to respond?
     When God spoke to Moses after the first encounter with Pharoah, He said two things: 1) I have made you gods before Pharoah and 2) do ALL that I command you to do.  First of all, God had Himself established within Moses and Aaron His power that would sustain them before the evil one. Secondly, there could be no ""pray thee" with evil---no negotiating. It had to be handled as God commanded. His wording became very important in this great battle.
     Yesterday in Bible class, we were discussing Paul's words to Timothy as to how to speak in the presence of evil. There was a trustworthy statement that Timothy should not veer from:
     
"Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners--of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on Him and receive eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory for ever and ever. Amen"  1 Tim. 1:15-17

This trustworthy saying is one that can be used over and over. It is the basis of our testimony to others to bring them to Christ and the thing well said that will overcome evil in our hearts. We do not understand all the ways that God is involved with the battle of evil. But it is clear that He is aware and is in charge. It is ours to use the trustworthy statement over and over giving praise to Him for His mercy and grace toward all who believe. Take that Devil!
    

Bibledoorajar: On My Terms

     Moses and Aaron have laid out the terms. Pharoah had assumed that the Hebrew people were his, but God made it clear. The Hebrew people are His. They are to be let go and to be allowed to go to a place three days away to worship Him. Pharoah: "I will not, they are mine"; God: "Yes you will, they are Mine." And in establishing the parameters of this "battle", God revealed the true nature of Egypt's heart--a people willing to subject another. But was God content to see His people as beasts of burden for another? No, and the people doing it would be judged. In time, all of their evil motives would be exposed and then judgement could come.

     History is replete with examples of similar scenes. Even now God's people are being persecuted in places around the world. People are not being allowed to go "three days hence" to worship the Living God in the place of His choosing. History has shown that judgement has fallen on nations who have attempted to burden God's people and this will continue to be the case. Many scholars say a time will come which will be even more worrisome for the Jews particularly when the Man of Sin is revealed. But even then, Jesus will return and impose final judgments.

     The Lord has always assured His people that the battle is His. We can lift up songs of praise knowing that He is near. He will not forsake us. The apostle Paul wrote these words in order that the believers could be assured.

 "Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, rather give place to wrath, for it is written, Vengeance is Mine says the Lord, I will repay".
                                         Romans 12:19

We take courage and sing glory and honor to Him for the battle is His. Be strong. Your redemption is at hand. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.

Bibledoorajar: Men At Work

Moses and Aaron have been prepared by God to go into Pharoah's Court. This was the court where all who entered with a request was made to humble themselves before Pharoah to make their entreaties known. But Moses and Aaron were not prepared by God to grovel before Pharoah. They were to unequivocably say: "Thus saith the Lord God, Let my people go..." I will never forget Charleston Heston playing Moses when I was a child. He was a magnificent Moses standing bravely there with his prophet before Pharoah. This they did, even though God had prepared them for the fact that Pharoah's heart would be hardened. It must have taken a great deal of courage to make that stand. But stand they did!

We are living in a time in which the "politically correct" is clashing for some with the "Thus saith the Lords". For other believers not so much. Our preacher made a point yesterday of saying that even in these times of differences God is in control. He will win. If the events of the day have put us in conflict with others, we must endeavor to handle those conflicts by being at peace with all men. Taking our needs to the Lord, He will be victorious. Just like Moses and Aaron, we must have the faith to believe this no matter how much we are worried about matters at hand. The legalities of any society can never outweigh the power found in the moral government of the Lord. He will win and many will be saved because He has a way of making something very good out of the seemingly impossible.

"And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose" (Romans 8:28).  Moses and Aaron had a purpose. You do too. The challenge is to walk in it.

Bibledoorajar: Instilling Peace to Act

Now that Moses and Zipporah had made things right at home, God moved to instill greater peace within Moses's heart to act on His behalf. In His wonderful kindness, God had already dispatched Aaron to the mount where Moses had first encountered Him. I think it is wonderful that God has things already in motion to help His own serve Him better. How reassured Moses must have been when he realized God had indeed sent Aaron to him. How reassured Aaron must have been that God Himself was sending him to Moses. And when they met on the mount where Moses had encountered the burning bush they had to have known that something great was going down. That place had taken on the significance of being Holy Ground because of what God and Moses had previously done there. Now God, Moses and Aaron would reaffirm their mission there. Moses was God's Ambassador; Aaron was Moses's prophet. Aaron would accurately report the Words received by Moses. Imagine the emotions that must have run high within these men as they perceived in their heart all that God was doing within them. Truly this is what made the mount holy and sacred.

Yesterday, many of us met around the Lord's Table. At that sacred place we experienced anew what God has done and is doing for us. It was an opportunity to plumb the spiritual realities of our lives and in the end to have peace instilled anew in our hearts. We left the Table fully aware of the potential God has given us to confront the world in which we live. Renewed and empowered. Ready to serve again. Ready to accurately report the Words of Jesus. How great is that? Are your emotions running high? Truly this is what made the Table holy and sacred.

Bibledoorajar: Oops, Did You Forget Something?

Moses, like Abraham before him, has been given certain assurances that God's Presence would be with him in service. But there came a time when Abraham was to move out that God called him to  "Walk before Me and be blameless". A study of the Hebrew word translated blameless shows it to mean "complete". God expected Abraham to live out his side of the covenant with God wholeheartedly and honestly and the sign of this would be circumcision.

Now, Moses would also have to deal with an ethical dilemma within his own household before he could complete his service in Egypt. It seems there had been an oversight and one of his son's had not been circumcised. This would, of course, present a "blemish" on a blameless walk before God for the act had not been completed which would give Moses and his household perfect standing before Him.
It was all about attaining the Divine standard for man's attainment ethically and righteously.

Zipporah, Moses's wife, observed Moses "pinned down" by a Heavenly Visitor who had the power to snuff out Mose's life. Just how Zipporah knew what the underlying problem was is not clear in the text, but she was aware. She took a flint and circumcised the son and thus completed the missing part of the covenant.

Years later, the Greater Son, completed the God appointed means to allow us to walk ethically and righteously before the Father. I hope you have not forgotten that part. Sure, you can walk in life, but you will not experience complete and blameless service to God without the acceptance of the covenant Jesus supplied.

   "I am the Way and the Truth and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. "

                                                                                                  John 14:6

Bibledoorajar: In His Service

In His service implies a great many things. But most importantly it implies implicit trust in the God of the Heavens that He will supply. We are just like Moses, aren't we? We will trust in almost anything more than the Living God. It must be a human trait because we all deal with it. But God makes it plain over and over in the Bible that His ways are not our ways. Human preparations may help us accomplish something in this world, but service for God calls for Godly preparations. I often think of Jesus and how He prayed so much. He said He could do nothing except by the Father. There is a service that is only meaningful to God that is God prepared. Only when Moses denied himself, did God anoint him for service. It is His glory and His alone, that accomplishes Kingdom service.

Moses and Aaron will be going into the courts of Pharoah in His service. The courts of Pharoah with all earthly ability to make things happen. It is a powerful picture of what we all must face in this world if we are in His service. Will it all go without difficulty? No, but it will accomplish God's intentions if we remain in His service. Not all service is easy and frightening things can happen.  The Bible speaks of martyrs; servants who gave their lives for His service. Most were not treated justly or fairly by the world, but God's agenda was addressed. And, according to the book of Revelation, God hears the cries of those martyrs and has prepared justice for them. Whether we live or die in His service, we win. God wins. The kingdom wins. Implicit trust in God's plans. It's THE PLAN.

"My God will supply all your needs.
According to His riches in glory."
                               Philippians 4:19

Paul, the writer of the above verse should know. He was a recipient and look what was accomplished for the Kingdom.

Bibledoorajar: Moses, The Servant of God

We have been following the transformation of one sinful man into a true servant of God. Born with awareness that he was a Hebrew, Moses spent many years exposed to an opportunity to live as an Egyptian. First, he was saved by an Egyptian who exhibited compassion and tenderness for him. She saw that he was exposed to every power that can be claimed by earthly knowledge and reasoning.  Perhaps her goal was to obliterate from his memory that he was a Hebrew and to make his people of low account. Or, perhaps she just wanted the best for her adopted son. She was not afraid to expose him to his Hebrew roots as she did call in a Hebrew woman to nurture him. How much teaching did he get about the truths of faith during this time we do not know clearly. However, we do know that somewhere deep in all of his experiences, he shared his adopted mother's compassion for Hebrews in need. Everything within him wanted to smite the oppressor of the people of God. Smite. However, what he was yet to learn was that he really did not have within him the ability to deal with the consequences of smiting. Killing, he ran and came face to face with consequences he did not know how to handle.

But now, in the desert, Moses has been esposed to the staff of God. This support, this divine truth alone can smite and deal with all the consequences to bring forth justice and truth. This Divine truth will be the principle from which Moses has been called to lead. To this man who had grown up in Egypt where knowledge was so exalted and men who had power and position ruled without compassion, came the assurance of Divine Truth. God would prevail against evil. Moses would stand believing that He would deliver His people from bondage and deal with ALL the consequences that would follow.

Years later, the Greater Son, would come to show the world of God's provision for them against evil. Humans cannot prevail against it. Helpless, we like Moses, must "lean on the everlasting arms." He alone can deliver. Trust Him? That's the lesson that Moses had to learn. How about you?

Bibledoorajar Speaks of Resistance and God's Loving Kindness

Moses had received two signs to give him assurance that God would be the One who intended to use him to free His (his) people. But still Moses demurred at the suggestion that he could get the job done. This human failing is something that can push God's button and it did in this instance. God got angry with Moses' and his multiplying resistance. But here is the good thing; He also heard in Moses a cry for help. He listened as Moses commented on his poor speaking ability. God had found him adequate, but not Moses. So, O.K. Moses wanted eloquence. Take Aaron, your brother, with you. He can speak with eloquence, but he will not be empowered. The words for his eloquent speech will all have to come from you. You, Moses, will remain my mediator with Pharoah.

As members of the family of God, we all demure at times. We need someone else to shore us up to accomplish the task at hand. God may dislike the human failing of demurring , but His loving kindness  and goodness overcome it. He will bring a brother of sister along side, to help get the job done. I often teach a Women's Bible class with another. Our giftings are polar opposite, but she is much warmer and more outgoing than me. Together, the teaching that the Mediator loves to see happen in the church goes better. Human weaknesses? God has a solution. His Loving Kindness and Goodness can help any of us serve Him and how uplifting it is to see Him empower as only He can.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me
all the days, all the days, of my life."
                                               Psalm 23

Look behind you, see Goodness, see Mercy. Help is on the way!

Bibledoorajar: Peaceful Order Through Humility

Moses had been given the first sign. Surely, he felt the authority of God that would be given to him over the evil imposed on His (his) people. Moses was being reassured that God's authority would be exercised in Egypt. But there is something about the authority of God for us to consider and learn with Moses. 1 Peter 5 tells us that God raises up authority in DUE TIME. We can never forget the human difficulties each of us carries in our hearts that must be addressed before God can act through us.  To show Moses this, God asked him to put his hand near his bosom. Near his heart, the hand turned leprous. Leprosy is that horrible disease that God uses over and over to help His own learn the true condition of their heart. In order to gain God's peaceful authority our pride must be cast down. In its' place comes wisdom, faith and holiness within us. We haven't always understood that this effect comes in due time not arriving when we think it should. God's ways remain forever, not our ways. But surely, humbled Moses, could begin to see that the difficulties that possibly could be faced in Pharoah's court could not be outmatched by God's appointed time! How firm did Moses have to believe that God could handle things that he could not? Very. Unbelief, distrust and lack of faith torture we humans and distract us from whom He really is in our lives. There would be no time for Moses to doubt or worry in the courts of Pharoah. He saw the hand immediately become leprous and he saw the hand immediately become healed. This must have had a calming effect on poor human Moses. God, Himself, would elevate him as Mediator for His people.

Years later, Jesus would refer to Himself, saying He had to be lifted up even as Moses lifted up the serpent in the Wilderness. He had to be accursed and cast all His cares for the future on the Father without whom He said He could do nothing. No pride, no ambition, just waiting on the Power of God. Folks, that's a peaceful producing consideration is it not? Like Esther of old, having done all by placing ourselves in the Hand of God we wait for Him and Him alone to lift us up.

Moses and Aaron would not be the only ones who would have to experience this lesson. Even Pharoah would hear:  "This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: 'How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me."

Pride and humility. One must give way to the other in the lives of those who follow the Lord. "I am thine O Lord, I have hear Thy call, and it told Thy love to me...."

Bibledoorajar: All Will Be Well, or No?

Moses is trying to grasp just what God is asking him to do exactly and how he is to do it. Like us, Moses has his eye on himself rather than God. Finally, God puts the focus back on Him. Moses is leaning on the staff that supported him as he roamed the desert. God asked him to throw his support down to the ground. When he did it became a snake and Moses backed away from it. Then God asked Moses to pick the snake up by the tail (what's your humanity saying about now?). When he did, the snake returned to being a staff from which Moses could gain support. The sign conveyed the message that the power of God would make all things well. Much more power than Moses's natural ability would be present in the court of the Pharoah. At least Moses had the intestinal fortitude to pick up the snake! Sometimes that's our problem. That old snake comes around and we don't have the fortitude to pick it up with God's help and watch our situation change. There's a saying about keeping your eye on the ball. For the Christian, our biggest challenge is keeping our eye on our God. We forget He is unchanging and just as able as He was on the day he commissioned Moses. The interesting thing is that God's assurance of all being well depended on Moses leaning not on his own staff but the support of God. Years later, King David would put it this way: "Thy rod and Thy staff, comfort me."

In Bible class yesterday, we were discussing the fact that Paul told Timothy that he had not been given a spirit of fear but of self-discipline. We Christians cannot afford to let human fear stop us in our tracks. We have the God-given ability to fear God and to discipline ourselves to make way for the deliverance and achievements that He intends. Sometimes this is a struggle. As Jacob of old, we wrestle within ourselves. Praise God when we come out on the "right side"!

This staff to serpent and back again was a powerful sign for Moses, but it would take two more to convince him to affirmatively answer the question: "Will all be well, or no? Isn't it great that God is mindful or us and takes the time to reveal himself? Paul told the Romans in chapter 10 that it is with their heart that they believe. Is your heart in it or no?

Bibledoorajar: Can God Be Limited?

     “The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves.”

                                                                William Shakepeare

The time had arrived. It was God's intent to free his enslaved people---captives to be set free. And before him stands a man (Moses) giving all kinds of excuses as to why he is not the one to get the job done. Why God could have struck him and all his excuses dead in a minute! But instead God would not be limited by all the human reasons Moses gave to Him about his abilities. He listened patiently to all the difficulties Moses saw. Moses, once the young, lofty and quick to anger Egyptian prince, now wondered what ability he would have in the courts of Egypt. But God was quick to reassure him. HE would be with him. He not only would be with him, but He shared some of the mighty acts that He would be doing with Moses. And He told him that this would be a token unto Moses---that after the mighty acts that led to freedom of God's people were completed---he, Moses, would worship God there in that very place where they were talking. 

God's love for the captive, for Moses, would cover the multitude of sins and weaknesses that God had seen everyday in His people. His power would be with them. When they could not, He would. HE WOULD! What wonderful words. Yes, Shakespeare, there is great trouble within ourselves, but those of us who serve a Mighty Risen Savior have a powerful presence with us all the way. But we must see that great ability. As Jesus walked the land, there were many who wanted to follow Him, but when given the opportunity found all kinds of reasons why they could not proceed with Him. It is, after all, trust and obey. Do you believe He will go all the way with you and that one day you will worship Him face to face? Is, therefore, what is within in you, less of a limiting factor? 

            " Seeking You as a precious jewel

               Lord, to give up I'd be a fool
               You are my all in all."

                                                       Dennis Jernigan

Bibledoorajar: Moses, You, and the Glory of God

     When I was in Graduate School, my class was given an assignment of dissecting an autobiography of an individual in order to try and understand the life dynamics that led that particular person to impact society in the way that he did. It was a fruitful lesson, but fell short in explaining the man's totality of being in his latter days. Here we are today, trying to ferret out some of the things that impacted Moses, but we soon see that the forty years of Moses' life experiences in Midian are not enumerated very much. We know he worked as a shepherd, an occupation not well respected by many. We know that he married and lived among his wife's people. We know that life was pretty ordinary compared to that of the Egyptian palace from whence he came.
     So "average" was his existence that the reader wonders just how God would empower him to do what he must in the courts of Egypt. But there on the desert floor, we are made to understand. Moses would find himself in the presence of the Shekinah glory of God. He looked afar and saw a thorny bush burning. The interesting thing was that it was not being consumed. The fire did not go out.
He was compelled to go nearer; he was compelled to know more.
     It seems that for any of us, Moses, me, you, who want to serve our Lord, we must first find ourselves in the presence of the Shekinah--the glory of God. From this perspective--all of Him and none of us--do we find the empowerment to do what we are called to do. Just as the thorny bush did not go out, the crown of thorns does not diminish in our lives. We have been redeemed and empowered by Everlasting Grace. And so we sing...

            "Anywhere with Jesus I can safely go
           Anywhere He leads me in this world below...."
                                                             Jessie Pounds

Later, a chocolate heiress, Helen Cadbury, would forsake her fortune and become a humble servant of God. She wrote this verse to the hymn:

            "Anywhere with Jesus,
             Over land and sea,
            Telling souls in darkness of salvation free;
            Ready as He summons me to go or stay,
            Anywhere with Jesus when He points the way,"

And so it is, for those who have confronted the Shekinah---the thrice Holy God.

Bibledoorajar: Providence and Illumination

What in me is dark, illumine, what is low, raise and  support, that to the height of this great argument I will assert eternal Providence, and justify the ways of God to men.                                              John Milton Not everyone believes in the providence of God, but the Bible is very clear that God is at work in the lives of His servants and "arranges" life experiences to illuminate His will for their lives and to protect and raise the bar of their ethical living. To this end, He was quite aware when His selected, Moses,  fled the country of Egypt. Fleeing, he wound up in the land of Midian near seven shepherd girls who were having trouble with some ne'er-do-wells. Moses took all of the guys on by himself and won. This, of course, made quite an impression on the girls who were the daughters of Reuel. Reuel was also  impressed by the stranger's actions on behalf of his daughters so much that he sent them back to bring him home for some hospitality. This "coincidence" put Moses where God would leave him for quite a while. He even gained a wife out of the deal: Zipporah. In our family, we have a saying if we have complications some how. We say God knew what was best and prevented us from doing what we thought we were going to do. It makes sense to us to justify God's providence in our lives. How about you?  See Romans 8:28.

Bibledoorajar Speaks of Faith's Direction

     During the past week, I have been helping my eleven year old great niece think through her speech topic for the  Leadership Training conference coming soon in Dallas. The topic the participants were given was "Give It Up" based on the passage in  Luke 14: 33 in which Jesus details the kind of disciple He desires. As she developed her speech she focused on making decisions that would be in God's will and that would bring glory to Him. What if she had to select one activity over another? How would her faith and her walk with God be involved? Which way would bring glory to God?
      In the story of Moses, we are reminded of how God is involved in matters and of how the way we attempt to handle something may have to be "adjusted".  The book of Hebrews says that Moses accepted his fate with the Hebrews by faith. But faith in God got adjusted when he chose to take matters into his own hands. God had to act to protect His own glory and He did this by allowing not only the Egyptians to know that Moses had gone about suffering with the people the wrong way. but  also the Hebrews. 
    This brings up the difficulty Christians sometimes have of choosing the best route: waiting on God in faith. Waiting on God is hard sometimes. Especially if it becomes apparent that you are not going to get to do something for Him or His kingdom in the way you thought it would happen. Once Moses became aware that everyone knew what he had done he fled. We get to see just where God took him to wait and just how long it would be before God would be ready for Moses to take action in the way that God wanted it done. God's action would not involve murders or assassinations, but the people would go free in a way that they nor the Egyptians would ever forget.
     Faith's direction often involves waiting to see just what God needs from us and just when will that be. The human tendency is to think that time has past, but rather it may be to our advantage to wait for time that is right. Only God knows how to develop the servant that He desires. What is the servant willing to give up? There is probably not anything more fulfilling than waiting to see how God will work something out in our behalf but allowing time after time to pass is sometimes hard. We have a tendency to think that nothing is happening; we are doing nothing for God. But faith's direction is often quiet and internal. And then, just when unexpected, faith presents the opportunity for service and we can accomplish something that brings glory to God.

Bibledoorajar: Staying in Faith Character

Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us about the Pharoah of Moses' time. You know, the one who ordered all the male children to be thrown into the Nile. Josephus tells us he had only one daughter and that she had no children of her own. What a situation for God to use. He moved the daughter's heart to save Moses and bring him to the very palace where her father lived. And further, he moved the heart of Pharoah to allow him to be brought up in the wisdom of the Egyptians and to enjoy all the pleasures of royal living. Perhaps he thought that he could by his will bend the will of Moses to become an Egyptian through and through. But Pharoah did what many people do; he discounted God. For Pharoah allowed his daughter to bring in a Hebrew to care for the child and God saw that that Hebrew woman was Jochabed, Moses's faith driven mother. So now we have moved from throwing the baby back into the Nile, to rearing it in both Egyptian and Hebrew ways. Once again, God turns the wisdom of the ungodly into foolishness and defeats the ways of his arch enemy Satan. In his great sermon, Stephen says that Moses learned the Egyptian ways well and became very learned. Without other children Pharoah would surely offer him succession to the throne. But Stephen says that Moses's heart was somewhere else. It was with the people of God who were being held in bondage. He had faith to believe what his parents told him: that the time was coming near for the people of God to be delivered. Faith character loomed larger and larger in Moses. But one day, he fell out of character and without God ordained authority he killed an Egyptian who was mistreating a Hebrew. Here is the human character at work: "he quickly looked this way and that and saw that no one was looking..."
Moses fell for one of the biggest temptations of most of us--taking the situation out of God's hands and into our own. He tried to get rid of the evidence by burying the man. Later the next day, he tried to appeal to the better nature of two Hebrews who were in fisticuffs. What he got in response was a revelation that there were witnesses to his own sad behavior and thus he was not qualified to judge them. The response: fear. Run.
Perhaps staying in faith character is the hardest thing for a Christian. Our weak humanity prevails too often. Like Moses, we have a hard time waiting for God to act. I guess that is why patience is listed as a virtue in the Bible. It goes hand in hand with having a will to wait upon God. Moses was a good forty years ahead of God's deliverance plan and lost his faith to no avail. These things were written as an example for us. Jesus said if you must, turn the other cheek while you wait for God to prevail. That is true faith character at work and the challenge is to stay in character. The good news is God still went on to use Moses and He will still go on to use us in spite of our human failings. God is faithful, even when we cannot be.

Bibledoorajar: Occupied With The Future

Jochabed had delivered a boy baby at what seemed like the wrong time. The Hebrew boys were all being taken to the river and killed by Pharoah's decree. Evil had spoken, but so had God. The battle for the future was on. Pharoah had no idea that God had spoken that His people, his fledgling nation now captive to Pharoah, would be delivered. A deliverer would come. Count on it!  For some Hebrews this message was received by faith--they heard the word and believed it. We know that Amram and Jochabed were among those who heard and believed because Stephen includes their acts of faith in his speech to the Sanhedrin (See Acts 7). Everything that happened at home after Moses was born, everything that happened at the river after he was placed there was a result of faith in a God who had said and was saying that His people would have a future. Amram and Jochabed hid Moses at home until he could no longer be hidden there. During that time, they prepared a safe ark for the baby to rest in for they would take to what seemed a place of death. Think of the bravery it took to carry the baby filled ark to the river, the place of death. A nervous bravery to be sure, but nevertheless one so occupied with the future that it compelled them to action. Since the Word assures us that faith comes by hearing, the family (at that time Aaron and Miriam, Moses brother and sister were at home) must have heard and believed that God would provide a Deliverer. Compelled, they placed the baby safe in the ark in the bull rushes near the palace at a place where Pharoah's daughter bathed. Miriam was placed nearby to watch and to provide a critical step in the plan. Think of the faith this young girl had to already be occupied with the future, to realize how important deliverance was.  No dawdling, no "I forgot". just bravely staying at her post.

I remember seeing the Nile river for the first time. It was truly a place of "death". I saw people relieving themselves as others were bathing, washing and brushing their teeth as dead animals floated by. We were warned that the river was full of disease and to be cautious. Only in a safe ark would we go in that river! And then it hit us. We were all at the place of death in our sins, when we were saved and placed in THE ARK. We had all become occupied with the future at the moment of our delivery. Indeed, we (a ministry team) were in Egypt because God had transferred us into His future occupied kingdom and by faith we were to minister life in that place of death when everything about us said home was calling. It was definitely a hard time, but also thrilling to realize how great salvation is and how wonderful it is to spread the good news in places of spiritual death. Look; it's all around us. Are you occupied with the future?

Bibledoorajar: By Faith and Unafraid

                           "Fair and balanced, and unafraid"

                              Brett Baier, Fox Evening News

In the evening I usually listen to Brett give the news. At the end he reports his commitment to continue a certain kind of presentation. He will attempt to be fair and balanced in his reporting and he will be unafraid of any repercussions. It is a noble commitment in these times of political correctness in which we live and I am compelled that unbiased reporting is his goal. Noble goals have a way of catching our attention, don't they?

 In the midst of everything God was having to listen to as Pharoah continued his quest to foil the growth of the budding nation of Israel, we find noble thoughts. After Pharoah's attempt to use the midwives to kill the boy babies failed, he turned to all the people and declared that they must throw every male child into the river as but refuse. But even in this climate of groanings and weariness, people were still looking for love and the comfort of family. And, more importantly, they were looking for love and comfort of family blessed by God. Such a couple were Amram and Jochabed. Amram was from the tribe of Levi which we know from Scripture was the tribe from whom the priests would later come as the nation developed. Amram, being a Levi, also chose a woman who was a Levite--spiritual calling out to spiritual. Into this family unit, God would place children that would be impacted by the priest like behavior of godly parents. Moses parents loved and served God in a time when many of the Jews were turning to serve other gods as life became more difficult. The children of Amram and Jochabed were the great grandchildren of Levi. Remember that at first Levi exhibited anger toward his father, but when Israel blessed him he included Levi being scattered among the brethren channeling their strong nature for their brethren. Thus, began a family line of service to honor God and to lead His people back to their spiritual nature. This is the kind of family into which God placed Moses. His parents had faith that led to action in difficult times and 2)  they were unafraid in difficult times. See Hebrews 11:23. It was by faith in their God and their willingness to see in Moses potential for God that led them to take courageous action. Later in the life of Moses, we will see just how right his parents discernment was that led them to making the sacrifice by faith and without fear.

In Colossians 3:23 Paul encourages the Christians to in every work they do, to do it for God. Our challenge is not just do this when it is easy but to include those tasks that call for faith without fear. Amram and Jochabed shine a light on such noble sacrifice letting us know that faith without fear is within the realm of possibility because God listens to such noble thoughts and extends His help.

Bibledoorajar: Honor

You were not a mistake,
for all your days are written in my book.
Psalm 139:15-16

For them that honor Me, I will honor.

1 Samuel 2:30

As the children of Israel bowed to their taskmasters' requests they continued to be the people of God. As such he honored them with homes with children. When the Pharoah saw that in spite of being "worked to death" the Israelites continued to have children, he was perplexed. Well over two million and growing. Wow! That Pharoah had no idea of why God was growing such a large nation. He knew nothing about the bounds of iniquity that God had set for the Amorites and that the nation which was the seed of Abraham would swell in number and be used of God to put down that powerful enemy.  So the evil Pharoah hatched another idea. How about killing all the boy babies during the birth process? This would seriously hamper the growth of God's people and help the Pharoah stay in control. But what the Pharoah could not see was that the plan would also hamper God's plans. Such action, if successful, would disrupt the line leading to David whom God intended to honor as the progenitor of the family line of Jesus.

Two Jewish midwives were instructed to not let the baby boys live. However, these two brave midwives honored God more than Pharoah. They knew children were not a mistake in God's eyes. Who knew who in the community might give birth to the promised Messiah? The women feared interrupting the plan of their God (even though all the dynamics may have not been fully understood) more than they feared Pharoah. And what was God's response to such honor and respect? The Word says that He blessed them personally with homes and children. 

Honor. Our military preaches it. A good soldier,  sailor or Marine is one who honors the goals of his branch of service and respects its leadership. He obeys. If he does not, his discharge from service is dishonorable. Children of God, soldiers of Christ, we absolutely cannot be a part of disrespecting God and His purposes. We must trust and obey. Who knows what purpose we were called to either carry out or "birth"? We are not a mistake. Stay true to the One who knows the plans He has for you.

Peal out the watchword! Silence it never!
Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free;
Peal out the watchword! Loyal forever!
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be.

     
                                                           Frances Havergal  1878