God Gave the Ten Commandments

"And God spoke all these words."  Exodus 20:1

The Israelites had been in the wilderness for three months when God led them to Mt. Sinai.  God told Moses to instruct the people to consecrate themselves for two days in preparation to hear Him speak.  This emphasized the importance of what was about to take place.  The people were also told not to come too close to the mountain lest they die.  God is a holy God, and the proper way to approach Him is with reverence and awe.  Too often people are flippant and irreverent about God.  In an attempt to make God seem more relevant, we have called Him "the Man Upstairs" and other such frivolous names, and today many people use His name as an exclamation when something unusual happens.  Charles Swindoll wrote,  "The heaviest obligation upon the Christian church is to purify and elevate her concept of God until it is once more worthy of Him."

Notice: God gave the Israelites the Ten Commandments, not the Ten Suggestions.  These instructions are absolutes.  They are not conditional.

The giving of the Ten Commandments served several valuable purposes.  It affirmed Moses' leadership to the people.  It revealed God's power and holiness.  It gave regulations about interpersonal relationships.  Obedience to these laws helps maintain the stability of community life.  F. B. Huey, Jr. wrote,  "Because they [the laws] deal with the most basic moral principles that govern human relationships, they are universal in scope and applicable to all peoples of all ages and of whatever cultural background.  No individual or society is better off by ignoring them."  They have been guidelines for good behavior and individual well-being throughout the ages.  They spell out  behavior and attitudes that are sinful.  They show us what God expects of us.

In a discussion of spiritual matters, have you ever heard anyone tell you that they "just try to keep the Ten Commandments," implying that this is sufficient for salvation?  The most important reason for the Ten Commandments is to show us that nobody can keep them.  The Bible tells us that we are all sinners and there is no one who is righteous.  Our breaches of the commandments  show us just how true this is and how much we need a Savior.  They lead us to Jesus.

Father, we have all sinned by doing things You have told us not to do.  Thank You for sending Jesus so we could be forgiven and become Your children forever.  Amen.

Complainers

"Do everything without complaining or arguing."  Philippians 2:14

The Israelites were a whining, complaining, murmuring bunch of people.  God had sent ten miraculous plagues to convince Pharaoh to allow them to leave Egypt.  He had rescued them from Pharaoh's army, which pursued them.  He had made a path through the Red Sea to allow the Israelites to walk across on dry land.  Then He had drowned the entire Egyptian army, mightily rescuing His people from their enemies.

The Israelites traveled for three days into the desert without finding water until they came to Marah.  The water at Marah was too bitter to drink, and the people grumbled to Moses because they were thirsty.  God showed Moses a piece of wood which he threw into the water, and the water became sweet.

After the Israelites had been in the desert for a month and a half, they grumbled against Moses and Aaron because they were hungry.  Then God gave them manna to eat the entire time they were in the wilderness.  By and by the Israelites grew tired of eating manna everyday, and they complained about that.  Charles Swindoll wrote,  " Mrs. Moses' cookbook surely had a special section on 'A Thousand and One Ways to Fix Manna.'  Unless I miss my guess, she had tried them all.....99 times.  What potatoes are to Idaho, pineapples are to Hawaii, wheat to Kansas, and crab gumbo to New Orleans, manna was to the wandering Hebrews for forty weary years.  They boiled it, baked it, broiled it, barbequed it, breaded, and buttered it.  They ate it cold, hot, raw, cooked, sliced for sandwiches, baked in pies, and sprinkled on their cereal.  You name it--they tried it.  When everyone came in to eat, they didn't ask,  "What's for supper?' but, "How'd you fix it?  Mealtime was about as exciting as watching paint dry or listening to the minutes of last year's meeting."   The Israelites complained so much about the manna that God sent them quail to eat.  Psalm 106:15 King James says,  "And he gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul."  What chilling words!  May we never want anything of the world so badly that we damage our relationship with God.

Their grumbling and complaining was their way of dealing with circumstances they did not like.  They were, in essence, telling God they were dissatisfied with Him and with His plans and provisions for them.  How should they have responded to their various circumstances?  How do you respond to your circumstances?

Heavenly Father, instead of whining and complaining about difficult circumstances, may we trust You, remembering all the times You have rescued us, provided for us, and protected us in the past.  May we praise You and thank You for Your faithfulness.  Amen.             

Crossing the Red Sea

"Do not be afraid or discouraged...for the battle is not yours but God's."  from 2 Chronicles 20:15

"The Lord your God himself will fight for you."  Deuteronomy 3:22b

The Israelites were really hemmed in.  The Red Sea was before them.  Rugged mountain ranges were on each side.  And Pharaoh's army was rapidly closing in on them from the rear.  We might say they found themselves "between the devil and the deep Red Sea."  The Israelites were terrified.  They did not know that God had already planned a miraculous escape for them.  Moses told them what to do, and it is good advice for us as well when we are in a seemingly impossible situation.  He said,  "Do not be afraid.  Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring you today.  The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.  The Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still."   Exodus 14:13-14.  My mother-in-law used to say,  "Hush yo’ fuss!"  That's the general idea here.  The verb translated "be still" also has the connotation of keeping silent.  Ceasing to grumble or complain can go a long way toward helping find a way out. Recognizing our weakness and turning quietly to God in faith and hope is the surest path to deliverance and victory.

When we are hemmed in, the world watches us to see what will happen, to see how we will react and what God will do.  This is a tremendous opportunity for us to display our faith and for God to reveal His faithfulness.

God caused a cloud to come between the Israelites and the Egyptian army, obscuring one from the other in order to protect His people.  Then He caused the wind to blow all night, pushing back the water of the Red Sea and making a path through it.  Apparently the wind had the effect of a giant hair dryer, because the Israelites crossed on dry land rather than sloshing through mud.

Some people say the Red Sea was only a foot or two deep, and the Israelites merely waded across.  If that were the case, the miracle would be that God drowned an entire army in such shallow water!

When we are in a tight spot, it is very encouraging to remember all the times that God has delivered us in the past.  And when God delivers us, we should always remember to praise and thank Him for what He has done for us.

Father, thank You for all the times You have come to our rescue when we have been in tight places.  Thank You for Your love and Your faithfulness.  May we always trust You and find peace in You.  Amen.     

Hemmed In

"As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them."  Exodus 14:10a

Have you ever felt like you were between the proverbial "rock and a hard place?"  Have you ever been hemmed in and completely helpless to deal with your situation?  What did you do?  How did you react?

After the final plague on Egypt, Pharaoh finally agreed to let the Israelites go.  The Egyptians urged the people to hurry up and leave.  They had experienced more than enough of God's plagues on their land.  They even gave the Israelites silver, gold, and clothing to take with them as they left.  I can hear them in my mind's ear snorting the Egyptian equivalent of "good riddance."

Sometimes when we are in hard places, we think that God may have made a mistake or forgotten us or hidden His face from us or left us.  But the Israelites knew that God was with them because He led them in a pillar of cloud by day and in a pillar of fire by night.  We can know that God has not forgotten us nor left us because He has given us His promise never to leave or forsake us.

God was very specific in His directions to Moses about where the Israelites were to camp, so God led them on purpose into their situation.  After the Israelites left Egypt, Pharaoh regretted letting his slaves get away, and he and his army set out in hot pursuit.

Sometimes God leads us into a difficult situation where we are hemmed in because He has a good purpose.  In this case God would be glorified and the Egyptians would know that God was the Lord.

How did the Israelites react?  Exodus 14:10b-12 tells us,  "As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians marching after them.  They were terrified and cried out to the Lord.  They said to Moses,  'Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?  What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?  Didn't we say to you in Egypt,  "Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians?  It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert"'"  Was the response of the Israelites a good example for us?  How do you think they should have reacted?

Father, when we find ourselves in difficult circumstances, may we continue to trust You and Your sovereignty, Your love, Your goodness, and Your wisdom.  Amen.

The Passover

"When the Lord goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down."  Exodus 12:23

At first glance it appears that the Israelites escaped the last plague, the plague of death.  But actually there was a death in every household in Egypt.  The firstborn son in every Egyptian family died, but in the houses of the Israelites a lamb died in the place of the firstborn sons.

The Israelites were instructed to put some blood from the lambs they had slain on the sides and tops of their door frames.  When the death angel came through, he passed over the homes with blood--hence the name Passover.

The blood of the lambs that were slain foreshadowed Jesus' blood that was shed on the cross for us.  When God sees those who have been covered by Jesus' blood, He forgives their sins.  To be covered by Jesus' blood, we must acknowledge that we are sinners deserving God's punishment .  We must also acknowledge that Jesus died to pay the penalty we deserve for our sins.  Then we ask Jesus to the the Savior of our lives, committing ourselves completely to Him.  When we do this, we become God's children and are given eternal life.  There are some wonderfully reassuring words in Romans 8:1, which says,  "Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus."

In essence, Jesus is our Passover Lamb who frees us from the penalty and punishment of sin.  John the Baptist called Jesus "the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world" in John 1:29.  In  Revelation 1:5 Jesus is called "him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood."  And in I Corinthians 5:17 Paul calls Jesus "our Passover Lamb."  He says, "For Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed.  Just as the Israelites' Passover lambs were sacrificed to provide the blood over the door frames, the precious, holy Son of God gave Himself as a Sacrifice so we could be forgiven and live eternally in heaven.  Are you covered with the blood of God's Lamb?

I thank You and praise You, God, for Christ, our Passover Lamb.  I praise you and thank You, Jesus, for Your sacrifice on our behalf.  Amen.

Potholes and Patches

"Being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."  Philippians 1:6

In the summer time, all across our nation, reconstruction on our highways and avenues is taking place. The smell of hot tar is in the air, and the roar of paving machines assaults our ears. Parts of pavement have been stripped down to their "washboard" layer in preparation for being repaved. "Men Working" signs tell us to slow down, and men with "Stop" signs are directing traffic. "Detour" signs redirect us from our chosen routes. This causes us inconvenience and, in many cases, we become impatient and aggravated when we travel. We tend to gripe and complain about all the construction. But I wonder how much we would gripe and complain if our roads were never repaved? They would be full of potholes and patches. It really is pleasant to glide over smooth new pavement. We don't like the process, but the end result is very appealing.

God has His construction projects in our lives. Think of Joseph who was sold into slavery in Egypt and then unjustly thrown into prison where he spent several years. Think of Moses fleeing for his life from Pharaoh and tending to helpless, smelly sheep on the backside of a hot, barren desert for forty years. No doubt these men suffered during the processes that refined them, but God used them greatly afterward.

When we complain and lose patience with God's processes of refinement in our lives, we would do well to think what kind of people we would be if God had just left us alone. In Romans chapter one we see some people who so completely ignored God and so persisted in their evil deeds that "God gave them over" to exercise all their sinful desires. There are chilling words. When God works on us to make us more like Jesus, we should be grateful and cooperate with Him as much as possible. He is continuously filling in our potholes and repaving our patched areas. Even though we may chafe under the process, the results will be well worth it.

Heavenly Father, thank You that you never give up on those who belong to You. May we be grateful for Your refining processes in our lives and enjoy the beneficial results. Amen.

The Pharaoh's Heart Condition

"But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said." Exodus 8:15

Have you ever crossed your eyes or made another kind of silly face and had your mother tell you that you had better quit because your face might freeze that way? 

Jell-O conforms to the mold into which it is poured after it has gelled. Concrete hardens into the shape of the form into which it is poured. It bothers many people that the Bible says God hardened Pharaoh's heart, but God allowed it to harden into the mold, the form, into which Pharaoh himself had chosen. In Romans 1 the Bible talks about people who ignore God and continually do evil deeds, and it says, "Therefore God gave them over to the sinful desires of their hearts...." Romans 1:24 God allowed them to be set in the way they had lived. Our faces won't freeze in the silly ways we make them look, but our hearts will eventually harden according to the choices we make. 

After each plague Pharaoh told Moses If God would lift the plague, he would let the Israelites go worship in the wilderness. Yet after each plague was over, Pharaoh changed his mind until the last and most painful plague of all. 

I wonder if any of us have cried out to God to rescue us from one situation or another and have made promises to God about what we would or wouldn't do if He would just help us, yet after God has rescued us, we have forgotten or ignored our promises until the next time we are in a jam and crying out to God to rescue us again. One reason God allows our problems and troubles is to tenderize our hearts and to draw us closer to Him. We have a choice. We can allow God to change us so that we become more Christ like, or we can rebel against God's hand and harden our hearts toward Him. But one day we will face God's judgment, and our lives will be set according to how we have chosen to live. 

Father, make my heart tender toward You and obedient to Your word. Amen.