PROVISION

Posted on November 27, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Long ago in a faraway time, traveling in the sixties, was different for me and family.  No, we didn’t travel by stagecoach, but a cramped compact car, loaded to the max with clothes to wear and food to eat from the old Coleman ice chest.  Mom carefully planned and rationed out each day’s food as an allotment to us so that we would not go hungry on the trip.  Traveling west from Oklahoma through Texas panhandle, New Mexico mountains, enduring the heat of the Arizona desert we finally made it to our destination—California!  This journey tested mom’s abilities to provide—but she did it!  Eating out was not only too expensive for the budget our parents laid out; but restaurants were not that plentiful.  We were blessed to find enough opened gas stations along the way so we could relieve ourselves and get enough fuel for the next part of the journey. I remember my mom and dad never failed to give God thanks for each meal and for providing “traveling mercies” at each stop.  It is important to realize who provides and to whom we give all our praise!

The Israelites didn’t get out that much for they had spent over 400 years in slavery, at the mercy of Egyptian slave drivers who told them what to think and how to work. They barely survived each day with these horrible working conditions.  Their work never satisfied their “bosses” who demanded more and more of them.  God heard their cries and saw their need and brought them out from slavery to freedom. But now, there are different needs like finding water to drink on their desert journey.  But instead of asking God, they grumbled sarcastically first— (like teenagers on a long trip to California!)  How do I know? I was one.  Sometimes, I still grumble when perplexed, which hinders my praise.

After God’s provision of water; now God’s Chosen and set free are hungry.  After traveling for over a month, the food supply for hundreds of people has run dry.  But instead of asking God, they grumble first to their leaders, bypassing God altogether.  (We don’t do that, do we?)  Mm, let’s be honest. We grumble as if God is deaf and blind to our hearts.  How silly and sinful we are to think that God, Our Father cannot hear us, see us, and know exactly what we need when we need it!  How utterly sinful is to think God will not provide as He guides us through the desert places of our lives until we arrive where God wants us to be.  Sigh.

Exodus 16

Manna and Quail

The whole Israelite community set out from Elim and came to the Desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the fifteenth day of the second month after they had come out of Egypt. 2 In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.”

4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions. 5 On the sixth day they are to prepare what they bring in, and that is to be twice as much as they gather on the other days.”

6 So Moses and Aaron said to all the Israelites, “In the evening you will know that it was the Lord who brought you out of Egypt, 7 and in the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we, that you should grumble against us?” 8 Moses also said, “You will know that it was the Lord when he gives you meat to eat in the evening and all the bread you want in the morning, because he has heard your grumbling against him. Who are we? You are not grumbling against us, but against the Lord.”

9 Then Moses told Aaron, “Say to the entire Israelite community, ‘Come before the Lord, for he has heard your grumbling.’”

10 While Aaron was speaking to the whole Israelite community, they looked toward the desert, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud.

11 The Lord said to Moses, 12 “I have heard the grumbling of the Israelites. Tell them, ‘At twilight you will eat meat, and in the morning you will be filled with bread. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God.’”

13 That evening quail came and covered the camp, and in the morning there was a layer of dew around the camp. 14 When the dew was gone, thin flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. 15 When the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, “What is it?” For they did not know what it was.

Moses said to them, “It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. 16 This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Everyone is to gather as much as they need. Take an omer for each person you have in your tent.’”

17 The Israelites did as they were told; some gathered much, some little. 18 And when they measured it by the omer, the one who gathered much did not have too much, and the one who gathered little did not have too little. Everyone had gathered just as much as they needed.

19 Then Moses said to them, “No one is to keep any of it until morning.”

20 However, some of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell. So Moses was angry with them.

21 Each morning everyone gathered as much as they needed, and when the sun grew hot, it melted away. 22 On the sixth day, they gathered twice as much—two omers for each person—and the leaders of the community came and reported this to Moses. 23 He said to them, “This is what the Lord commanded: ‘Tomorrow is to be a day of sabbath rest, a holy sabbath to the Lord. So bake what you want to bake and boil what you want to boil. Save whatever is left and keep it until morning.’”

24 So they saved it until morning, as Moses commanded, and it did not stink or get maggots in it. 25 “Eat it today,” Moses said, “because today is a sabbath to the Lord. You will not find any of it on the ground today. 26 Six days you are to gather it, but on the seventh day, the Sabbath, there will not be any.”

27 Nevertheless, some of the people went out on the seventh day to gather it, but they found none. 28 Then the Lord said to Moses, “How long will you refuse to keep my commands and my instructions? 29 Bear in mind that the Lord has given you the Sabbath; that is why on the sixth day he gives you bread for two days. Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out.” 30 So the people rested on the seventh day.

31 The people of Israel called the bread manna. It was white like coriander seed and tasted like wafers made with honey. 32 Moses said, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Take an omer of manna and keep it for the generations to come, so they can see the bread I gave you to eat in the wilderness when I brought you out of Egypt.’”

33 So Moses said to Aaron, “Take a jar and put an omer of manna in it. Then place it before the Lord to be kept for the generations to come.”

34 As the Lord commanded Moses, Aaron put the manna with the tablets of the covenant law, so that it might be preserved. 35 The Israelites ate manna forty years, until they came to a land that was settled; they ate manna until they reached the border of Canaan.

36 (An omer is one-tenth of an ephah.)

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Moses wrote down all these adventures with God on the journey through the desert.  He could have left out the embarrassing grumbling parts, but inspired by God, he did not.  We needed to see for ourselves where grumbling leads us—nowhere.  We, too, just go around in circles until we realize the depth of God’s unfailing love, mercy, and grace.  We will not “arrive” at the promised land of abundant living until pure, holy, relentless faith in God’s provision is depended on with praises and thanksgiving!  Being a slow learner in God’s ways; I had to go through a lot of desert experiences to arrive at this truth.  God is Jehovah Jireh—The Lord who Provides.  Do not question the Lord God who provides daily exactly what we need.

This chapter is my testimony of God’s daily provision. The reason these “writings” of what God places on my heart each day upon reading and studying His Word are called “Daily Manna.” 

  • God is the first one I talk with each morning before beginning the tasks for the day. 
  • He is the one I turn to first to ask questions about the things of life I don’t understand.
  • He is the One I run to for help for family and friends who are struggling and in need of Him.  
  • He is the One I confess to with all that is on my heart.  Confession daily is part of our conversation because Jesus provided the forgiveness I need most. 
  • God is my confidence that I am redeemed and I need to be reminded of that truth daily.
  • I listen to God speak to my whole being through His Word and the whispers of His Holy Spirit’s voice to my soul. 
  • I have learned that God is the Provider for all I need each day.  I cannot store it up, even for another day or week.  I must come to him daily, I want to come because HE is Life to me! 
  • He generously provides for that day for tomorrow is another day.  Tomorrow He will provide for that day…and the next…and the next.  That’s how God works in us and through us.  He knows.  He sees. He gives enough for what each day will bring. We need Him and He loves to be with us. This is abundant living!
  • Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

These are just some of the ways to respond with more praise and less grumbling!  The real list is endless!

It’s more fun and enjoyable to praise than to grumble.  Grumbling is physically taxing and tiring.  Praising and thanking reboots our minds, lifts our spirits and reshapes our hearts, our outlook and attitudes.  Yes, I choose joyful praise!  Hallelujahs to God are a lot more refreshing and fun!  When we look for God’s blessings as treasures along our journey; we will begin to see all that God truly provides for us!  Every single day.

Lord,

All I have needed; your hands have provided. Great is Your faithfulness, Lord unto me.

In Jesus Name, for Your glory, Amen

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FROM PRAISES TO GRUMBLINGS

Posted on November 26, 2024 by randscallawayffm

I remember a time when I was appointed to be an event planner for our denomination.  It was a yearly event that had something for everyone.  This event brought people from many states and a few countries to gather for learning, growing in God’s ways, gaining encouragement for their ministries, along with the joy of meeting others from other cultures and backgrounds who had the same needs—Jesus at the Center.  We planned separate times of learning during the day for pastors, teachers, youth leaders, women, laymen, youth, children, and infants.  We brought in well-known speakers who spoke words of wisdom, select worship bands who led us to praise God, and even a few Christina comedians to lift our spirits.  This took a lot prayer, asking for God’s will and provision and He provided.  It still thank God for all He taught me as a leader through the trials and victories as youth, young and old adults saw the benefits of believing and following Jesus as Lord of our lives. 

But then there was the grumbling a week later as I read the “evaluations” of those present. Most praised God for how He worked in their hearts and filled their souls.  But there was the one who angrily let us know that we showed our prejudice against those who preferred tea because only coffee, water, and cookies were served on the breaks.  It was a lengthy letter, in all caps, to let us know she was not happy.  I cried as I read her words that day in my office. My first thoughts were pity for her, thinking, how did you miss Jesus present with us, His Holy Spirit filling us, with the encouragement seeing many come to dedicate their lives to Christ?  How did you miss the praises of all who gathered with God’s Presence still aglow in our hearts? 

But we humans do this.  We can go from praising God with all that is in us for all He has done for us to grumbling in a nanosecond when the next trial comes that needs to be solved.  Lord, I repent of grumbling…for I would rather “shine like the stars” you created so all will know you are God and no one else!  

And who knew Moses and Miriam were rock stars?!

Exodus 15

The Song of Moses and Miriam

15 Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:

“I will sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.

2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense;
    he has become my salvation.
He is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a warrior;
    the Lord is his name.
4 Pharaoh’s chariots and his army
    he has hurled into the sea.
The best of Pharaoh’s officers
    are drowned in the Red Sea.[b]
5 The deep waters have covered them;
    they sank to the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, Lord,
    was majestic in power.
Your right hand, Lord,
    shattered the enemy.

7 “In the greatness of your majesty
    you threw down those who opposed you.
You unleashed your burning anger;
    it consumed them like stubble.
8 By the blast of your nostrils
    the waters piled up.
The surging waters stood up like a wall;
    the deep waters congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy boasted,
    ‘I will pursue, I will overtake them.
I will divide the spoils;
    I will gorge myself on them.
I will draw my sword
    and my hand will destroy them.’
10 But you blew with your breath,
    and the sea covered them.
They sank like lead
    in the mighty waters.
11 Who among the gods
    is like you, Lord?
Who is like you—
    majestic in holiness,
awesome in glory,
    working wonders?

12 “You stretch out your right hand,
    and the earth swallows your enemies.
13 In your unfailing love you will lead
    the people you have redeemed.
In your strength you will guide them
    to your holy dwelling.
14 The nations will hear and tremble;
    anguish will grip the people of Philistia.
15 The chiefs of Edom will be terrified,
    the leaders of Moab will be seized with trembling,
the people of Canaan will melt away;
16     terror and dread will fall on them.
By the power of your arm
    they will be as still as a stone—
until your people pass by, Lord,
    until the people you bought pass by.
17 You will bring them in and plant them
    on the mountain of your inheritance—
the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling,
    the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established.

18 “The Lord reigns
    for ever and ever.”

19 When Pharaoh’s horses, chariots and horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought the waters of the sea back over them, but the Israelites walked through the sea on dry ground. 20 Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a timbrel in her hand, and all the women followed her, with timbrels and dancing. 21 Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord,
    for he is highly exalted.
Both horse and driver
    he has hurled into the sea.”

The Waters of Marah and Elim

22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur. For three days they traveled in the desert without finding water. 23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink its water because it was bitter. (That is why the place is called Marah.) 24 So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?”

25 Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.

There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. 26 He said, “If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Moses and Miriam sang praises to God from their grateful hearts!  All the verses of their songs described in detail what God done to set them free at last from the bondage of slavery and fear of the Egyptians. All God’s people redeemed sang praises!

Then a few days later, when water can’t be found readily in the desert; they grumble.  They are becoming adept at grumbling.  We can almost hear that teenage sarcastic tone to their voices, “What are we to drink?”  I heard the same when my kids were preteens…what is there to drink in this house?  God’s kids are no different.

We often focus on the army behind us and the troubles before us, instead of the path ahead that God has paved for us.  God is Provider.  Jehovah Jireh.  God fixed their water problem and then issued a new lesson of instruction about who God is:

“If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”

God is Healer.  Jehovah Rapha.

There will be many lessons that God’s people will learn about who He is and what He does.  Their response will be guided by God for their good and His glory for He is Lord.  God wants His People to see Him for who He really is—The One and Only God who loves and cares for them like no other god!

Our lesson of response:

God sends help at the hour we need it. We don’t have wisdom for tomorrow’s problems. But we will tomorrow. We don’t have resources for tomorrow’s needs. But we will tomorrow. We don’t have courage for tomorrow’s challenges. But we will when tomorrow comes.

God meets daily needs daily and miraculously. He did then, he does still, and he will for you and me. 

Stop and give God praise for all He has provided—in detail just as Moses and Mirium did!

The words of Jesus echo in my mind; 

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?

“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” –Jesus, Matthew 6:25-34

“Do everything without complaining or arguing. Then you will be innocent and without any wrong. You will be God’s children without fault. But you are living with crooked and mean people all around you, among whom you shine like stars in the dark world.”         —Paul, Philippians 2:14-15 NCV

Lord,

Today is a new day. I will rejoice and be glad in it!

In Jesus Name, all for Your glory, Amen!

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A NEW RELATIONSHIP BEGINS

Posted on November 25, 2024 by randscallawayffm

A new glorious relationship with God has begun! Let’s recap what God has done so far for His people.  God provided a son to be born of a Hebrew woman at a time when all Hebrew sons born to them must be killed.  But this mom hid her son in the buses by the Nile to escape death.  The infant son was watched over by his older sister from a safe distance.  Now, it “just so happened” that the daughter of Pharaoh came to that very spot to bathe.  She discovered the infant in the basket and loved him instantly, giving him the name, Moses.  The watchful and clever sister suggests that a Hebrew woman nurse the child for her until he is weaned.  The princess loved the idea and even paid the real mom to sustain the life of God’s chosen leader.  Then Moses moved into the palace, right into the enemy’s camp!  Moses knew who he was and how the Hebrews were mistreated as slaves.  As a young man, he sees the abuse with a desire and with a knee-jerk response to rectify the situation; Moses murders to defend the Hebrew slaves and then runs from the scene of the crime.  But God had other plans and would prepare his heart and mind to love, trust, and obey Him in a new relationship of trust in God.  This new relationship with God is what God wanted from the beginning. 

Who else but God can orchestrate such an elaborate plan to bring His people back to Him?  Only God!  God created a unique way to bring them out from under the oppressive slavery to Pharaoh to a new found freedom with God.  This freedom comes with a brand new relationship with God who will amaze them at every step of their journey as they let God lead!

The Hebrews have been told for centuries who to be and what to do, where to live, how to behave, with unrealistically work goals.  They were not allowed to think or question.  It’s been so long they have lost the ability to think for themselves because that ability was beaten out of them as they served the one who abused them.  But God heard their cries for mercy and decided His people had enough. Not only that; God, who desires a new relationship with His people, will display His glory at work in ways that all will see GOD IS LORD and his working on their behalf—they need “only to be still”! 

Exodus 14

Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. They are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal Zephon. 3 Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” So the Israelites did this.

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!” 6 So he had his chariot made ready and took his army with him. 7 He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. 8 The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out boldly. 9 The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.

10 As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up, and there were the Egyptians, marching after them. They were terrified and cried out to the Lord. 11 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? 12 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!”

13 Moses answered the people, “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. 14 The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground. 17 I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them. And I will gain glory through Pharaoh and all his army, through his chariots and his horsemen. 18 The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I gain glory through Pharaoh, his chariots and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them, 20 coming between the armies of Egypt and Israel. Throughout the night the cloud brought darkness to the one side and light to the other side; so neither went near the other all night long.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land. The waters were divided, 22 and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left.

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.” 27 Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and at daybreak the sea went back to its place. The Egyptians were fleeing toward it, and the Lord swept them into the sea. 28 The water flowed back and covered the chariots and horsemen—the entire army of Pharaoh that had followed the Israelites into the sea. Not one of them survived.

29 But the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with a wall of water on their right and on their left. 30 That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians lying dead on the shore. 31 And when the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord displayed against the Egyptians, the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

These verses introduce the disappointing pattern of Israel’s behavior during their march from Egypt to Canaan. As long as everything was going well, they usually obeyed the Lord and Moses and made progress. But if there was any trial or discomfort in their circumstances, they immediately began to complain to Moses and to the Lord and asked to go back to Egypt. However, before we criticize the Israelites, perhaps we’d better examine our own hearts. How much disappointment or discomfort does it take to make us unhappy with the Lord’s will, so that we stop believing and start complaining? “For we live by faith and not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7).

The honeymoon period of any new relationship is one of complete loving trust until something unexpected happens that brings sudden fear, with circumstances that could dismantle our faith unless we stand firm.  All humans experience it.  But believers in God, who have a trusting relationship with God through Jesus, are given power to rise above it, walk through high waters, on solid ground knowing that God goes before us, behind us, while walking right beside us!  When in doubt?  Don’t move until we hear from God.  Be still and let God do what He does best in His way with His timing.

Indeed, our faith falters briefly at the unexpected.  Our trust in God is tested often.  Signs of trouble are posted regularly and trials are endured in our imperfect world. Most often, trials and roadblocks are prompted by the Enemy of God, who we cannot see.  Sometimes our troubles are a result of our own making.  But God is still God.  God is always there, fighting for us, working on our behalf in ways that declare His glory and might.  But we learn through the testing just how precious we are to God!  We are His and He is ours.  He watches over by day and by night!

We often focus on the army behind us instead of the path ahead that God has paved for us.  When we seek God first, humble ourselves before Him, give of ourselves to Him; God shows and tell us how much we are loved and cared for daily!  We need only to look up, thank Him with acknowledgement and praise, as we watch His spectacular glory at work in all the details of our lives!  God is always at work!  He never sleeps!  “My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.” Psalm 121:1

Even when I don’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working
You never stop, You never stop working
Even when I can’t see it, You’re working
Even when I can’t feel it, You’re working
You never stop, You never stop working…

Waymaker, miracle worker
Promise keeper, light in the darkness
My God, that is who You are!

(Way Maker; Songwriters: Osinachi Kalu Okoro / Michael Anthony Oluwole)

“When we have faith in God’s promises, we have peace in our hearts. “Why are you so fearful?” Jesus asked His disciples after he had calmed a storm. “How is it that you have no faith?” (Mark 4:40). Faith and fear can’t live together in the same heart, for one will destroy the other. True faith depends on what God says, not on what we see or how we feel. It has well been said that faith is not believing in spite of evidence—that’s superstition—but obeying in spite of consequence.” –Warren Wiersbe, The Wiersbe Study Bible

Why does God do what He does?  So, the world may know. “And the Egyptians will know that “I am the LORD.”  God is God. We are not.  God works so we will know who He is—Lord of all!  Be still, let go, and know that He is God.  (Psalm 46:10)

Lord,

Thank you, thank you, thank you for knowledge of the display of your power for your people all because of your great love for us.  Thank you for your power, the resurrection power the brought you, dear Jesus, from death to life. Thank you for making your power continually available to us today!  Lead us, Lord, building our faith as we walk on your solid ground through the high waters.  You’re still doing it, again and again!  Oh, what a Savior!

In Jesus Name, Amen

Christ is my firm foundation
The Rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaking
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith in Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t
He won’t!

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CONSECRATE, COMMENORATE, CELEBRATE!

Posted on November 24, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The world only knows one word “celebrate”—meaning, “party hardy”.  We celebrate the marriage of two people in love, new babies, job promotions, court settlements, new cars, graduations, etc.  But in God’s view of things the word has a sacred, eternal meaning along with consecrate and commemorate.  Remembering is a command of God so that we will never forget all He has done for us so that we won’t become proud or boastful thinking we are responsible—which we are not!  All we have is owned by God who created all and is in all He has created. 

God has done for us what we cannot do for ourselves—save us!

Let’s define the terms biblically and simply before we continue on with what God will do next in the lives of the Hebrews; His now redeemed people from the bondage of slavery to a new way of life holy set apart by God for their good and His glory!

  • Consecrate:  Setting apart a person, as well as a building or object, for God, declaring sacred for God’s divine purpose.
  • Commemorate:  The act of calling to remembrance with solemn respect for what God has done with specific acts included in retelling the Story of God.  To commemorate is to also to honor the memory of some person or event by solemn celebration—such as the feast of the Passover among the Israelites.  This is, was and always will be an annual commemoration of Israelites’ deliverance from Egypt.
  • Celebrate: The word “celebrate” is the translation of the Hebrew verb hagag, which means to prepare, keep, or observe a feast or festival; the noun hag, which indicates a feast or festival; and the verb asaa which means to do, make, or celebrate.

These words are used to describe the celebration of the three main pilgrimage feasts-the Passover, the Feast of Firstfruits, and the Feast of Tabernacles-and other special events in the life of Israel. Passover was first instituted by Moses with God’s direction. The celebration of Passover is spelled out fully in Exodus 12:3-40.

Exodus 13

Consecration of the Firstborn

The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belongs to me, whether human or animal.”

3 Then Moses said to the people, “Commemorate this day, the day you came out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery, because the Lord brought you out of it with a mighty hand. Eat nothing containing yeast. 4 Today, in the month of Aviv, you are leaving. 5 When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Hivites and Jebusites—the land he swore to your ancestors to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey—you are to observe this ceremony in this month: 6 For seven days eat bread made without yeast and on the seventh day hold a festival to the Lord. 7 Eat unleavened bread during those seven days; nothing with yeast in it is to be seen among you, nor shall any yeast be seen anywhere within your borders. 8 On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. 10 You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.

11 “After the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites and gives it to you, as he promised on oath to you and your ancestors, 12 you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All the firstborn males of your livestock belong to the Lord. 13 Redeem with a lamb every firstborn donkey, but if you do not redeem it, break its neck. Redeem every firstborn among your sons.

14 “In days to come, when your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ say to him, ‘With a mighty hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. 15 When Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed the firstborn of both people and animals in Egypt. This is why I sacrifice to the Lord the first male offspring of every womb and redeem each of my firstborn sons.’ 16 And it will be like a sign on your hand and a symbol on your forehead that the Lord brought us out of Egypt with his mighty hand.”

Crossing the Sea

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them on the road through the Philistine country, though that was shorter. For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 18 So God led the people around by the desert road toward the Red Sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.

19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place.”

20 After leaving Sukkoth they camped at Etham on the edge of the desert. 21 By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. 22 Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Passover marks the passing from slavery in Egypt to freedom in the promised land. Exodus 12:14 gives the guidelines: “This is a day you are to commemorate, for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord-a lasting ordinance.” It is also known as the Feast of Unleavened Bread, because “it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come” (Exodus 12:17).

The celebration of the Passover was for a perpetual remembrance, to keep alive for future generations what God had done for the Israelites in redeeming them from bondage in Egypt and guaranteeing freedom for subsequent generations.

Passover was an important aspect of the instruction of the children. When they asked, “What does this ceremony mean to you?” they were taught that “It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites … when he struck down the Egyptians” (Exodus 12:26-27). When the Israelites heard this, they worshiped. This celebration has been passed on from generation to generation, and the Haggada, the telling of the story, has become a vital part of the celebration. It is a constant reminder of what God has done with holy worship of God alone.

Consecration, commemoration, and celebration bonds people to God and to each other. The glue that holds us together is God’s perfect love for us. Our Passover remembrance today takes on even greater meaning for it is Jesus, God’s One and Only Son, who was set apart as the Lamb of God who would take away (remove as far as the east is from the west) the sins of the world!  Jesus did what His Father, Our Father, told him to do.  As a result, Jesus sacrifice for our sins opened the door to the throne room of God where forgiveness is freely given to all who believe and ask in the Name of Jesus!  We are redeemed by the Lamb—We, too must celebrate!  Don’t wait ‘til Sunday, celebrate daily what the Lord has done!

As we gather in our set apart, consecrated worship places, on any given day, may we commemorate together all that God has done, is doing, and will do in our lives as we celebrate the coming of the Lord, Jesus, “God in the flesh”.  Jesus is The One sent to earth by God.  Jesus, the living Word of God moved into the neighborhoods of humanity to seek and to save the lost—as a servant, set apart by God as “Son of Man” who felt all things human and as “Son of God” who was given the power to forgive and save us from our sins.  The holy sacrifice of Jesus secured for us who believe the gift of God of eternal life!  Celebrate! 

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.” John 3:16-17

AND, Jesus is coming back—so we wait expectantly and reverently; because the best is yet to come!

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” John 14:1-3

Lord,

I believe.  I’m yours.  I’m listening, remembering, and celebrating all you have done, are doing and will do in my life. Thank you for setting me apart from the world to be called your child, joint heirs with you, dear Jesus, who saved me. Thank you for cleansing my heart, renewing my mind, transforming my being and behaviors, refreshing my soul daily with the continual flow of joy of your salvation at work within me—reminding me of who I belong to—You!  I give my life to you as an offering today.  Lead me, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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THE LAMB

Posted on November 23, 2024 by randscallawayffm

IT’S FINALLY GO TIME for the Israelites!  But before leaving the cruel bondage of slavery to the Pharaoh; Instructions are given that must be followed.  It is a matter of life or death for each family.  The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob has given specific instructions to Moses and Aaron for His people, the Hebrew nation, that will secure their freedom from their former way of life of bondage and enslavement. 

These instructions are holy and significant; given by our Holy, Perfect God.  The guided, specific directions were given to save the lives of His people.  The commands for God’s people will indeed change everything in their lives!  God established a new calendar that will begin their “year” with this very event!  This event is commanded to be celebrated for generations to come with The Story of Redemption from Egyptian slavery that will be told to amazed, grateful listeners!

The Story of God’s Rescue of His People begins with an unblemished lamb taken from the herd, set apart, and made holy unto God—the holy Lamb of God.

Exodus 12

The Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread

12 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, 2 “This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year. 3 Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. 4 If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. 5 The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. 6 Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. 7 Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. 8 That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat the meat raw or boiled in water, but roast it over a fire—with the head, legs and internal organs. 10 Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. 11 This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the Lord’s Passover.

12 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. I am the Lord. 13 The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are, and when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No destructive plague will touch you when I strike Egypt.

14 “This is a day you are to commemorate; for the generations to come you shall celebrate it as a festival to the Lord—a lasting ordinance. 15 For seven days you are to eat bread made without yeast. On the first day remove the yeast from your houses, for whoever eats anything with yeast in it from the first day through the seventh must be cut off from Israel. 16 On the first day hold a sacred assembly, and another one on the seventh day. Do no work at all on these days, except to prepare food for everyone to eat; that is all you may do.

17 “Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread, because it was on this very day that I brought your divisions out of Egypt. Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. 18 In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day. 19 For seven days no yeast is to be found in your houses. And anyone, whether foreigner or native-born, who eats anything with yeast in it must be cut off from the community of Israel. 20 Eat nothing made with yeast. Wherever you live, you must eat unleavened bread.”

21 Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. 22 Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. None of you shall go out of the door of your house until morning. 23 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.

24 “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. 25 When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony. 26 And when your children ask you, ‘What does this ceremony mean to you?’ 27 then tell them, ‘It is the Passover sacrifice to the Lord, who passed over the houses of the Israelites in Egypt and spared our homes when he struck down the Egyptians.’” Then the people bowed down and worshiped. 28 The Israelites did just what the Lord commanded Moses and Aaron.

29 At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well. 30 Pharaoh and all his officials and all the Egyptians got up during the night, and there was loud wailing in Egypt, for there was not a house without someone dead.

The Exodus

31 During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. 32 Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me.”

33 The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. “For otherwise,” they said, “we will all die!” 34 So the people took their dough before the yeast was added, and carried it on their shoulders in kneading troughs wrapped in clothing. 35 The Israelites did as Moses instructed and asked the Egyptians for articles of silver and gold and for clothing. 36 The Lord had made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and they gave them what they asked for; so they plundered the Egyptians.

37 The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. 38 Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds. 39 With the dough the Israelites had brought from Egypt, they baked loaves of unleavened bread. The dough was without yeast because they had been driven out of Egypt and did not have time to prepare food for themselves.

40 Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. 41 At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt. 42 Because the Lord kept vigil that night to bring them out of Egypt, on this night all the Israelites are to keep vigil to honor the Lord for the generations to come.

Passover Restrictions

43 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “These are the regulations for the Passover meal:

“No foreigner may eat it. 44 Any slave you have bought may eat it after you have circumcised him, 45 but a temporary resident or a hired worker may not eat it.

46 “It must be eaten inside the house; take none of the meat outside the house. Do not break any of the bones. 47 The whole community of Israel must celebrate it.

48 “A foreigner residing among you who wants to celebrate the Lord’s Passover must have all the males in his household circumcised; then he may take part like one born in the land. No uncircumcised male may eat it. 49 The same law applies both to the native-born and to the foreigner residing among you.”

50 All the Israelites did just what the Lord had commanded Moses and Aaron. 51 And on that very day the Lord brought the Israelites out of Egypt by their divisions.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

When I see the blood, when I see the blood,
When I see the blood,
I will pass, I will pass over you…

This is the message: The blood of the unblemished Lamb of God saves us from death.

God protected the Israelites, not because they were better than the Egyptians, but because they were His people, the people of His Promise—namely Jesus, the Messiah, born from this generational line who will save the world!

God gives grace to his followers—whether through the blood of a lamb or the blood of the Lamb, Jesus—not based on merit but on his loving-kindness.

God redeemed His people by first releasing them from bondage and then bringing them out of oppression by others in power to a new way of life with Him who had all power to save them.  God redeems people today by breaking the chains of sin that entangles us and hold us down to a free life with him by believing in the Lamb of God, Jesus who bled and died to remove all our sins.

God reconciles us to Him.  Jesus removed all the barriers to come to God. By sacrificing His blood, He paid the price to redeem us.  He paid our sin debt in full by this act of God’s love.  No more lambs to kill to merely cover our sins because the Lamb of God, Jesus died and rose again to remove our sins!  Forever!  “Our sins remembered no more” by God!  We are redeemed, set free, once and for all, to love like He loves us!

God makes us right with Him because of Jesus, His Son.  God made him (Jesus) who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God” (2Corinthians 5:19, 21).

Max Lucado writes of God’s message of redemption;

“The perfect record of Jesus was given to you, and your imperfect record was given to Christ. Jesus ‘suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God’ (1Peter 3:18). As a result, God’s holiness is honored, and his children are forgiven.

By his perfect life Jesus fulfilled the commands of the law. By his death he satisfied the demands of sin. Jesus suffered not like a sinner, but as a sinner. Why else would he cry, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me” (Matthew 27:46)?

God makes perfect then makes us holy. God does what we cannot do so we can be what we dare not dream, perfect before God. He justly justifies the unjust by His perfect Love, generous grace, and merciful kindness as a gift.

“For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.” Ephesians 2:8

Accept the gift of salvation with open arms, a seeking heart, a grateful mind, and a believing soul who is ready to be filled with Life eternal. 

Believe and be saved by the blood of the Lamb. 

Lord,

Our hearts swell with gratitude for the story of redemption which began with your Hebrew children in need of salvation from bondage, slaves to all that was not of you.  We are the same as slaves to sin.  You knew that.  So the Lamb of God was sent to save us and set us free!

Thank you, Jesus for the blood you shed, the excruciating pain you bore before death, the going to hell and back for us as the Victor over death, and then rising from death to Life in power—a power available to us for the asking!  God, You’re amazing!  You are indeed the wonderworking God, who made a way for us to reconnect with you!  Thank you, Father. Thank you, Jesus. Thank you, Holy Spirit to guiding us to Truth 24/7.

In Jesus Name, Amen

What needed to be paid was paid. What had to be done was done. Innocent blood was required. Innocent blood was offered, once and for all time.

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WHO WILL HAVE THE LAST WORD?

Posted on November 22, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Who will have the last word? In an ongoing feud, there will be that final moment when opposing sides want to have the last word before turning on their heels to leave the scene. We humans seem to demand having the “last word” in any argument as one last line of defense and push for power.  But what happens when God has the last word?  God is the One who has all power, wisdom, and strength to accomplish His good, pleasing, and perfect will.  What God says will happen—happens!

When God speaks, all should listen!  After nine other debilitating plagues, Pharoah still refuses to listen.  God knew he would not give in, so now God will force him to lose what he holds dear—his first-born son.

In this passage, nine of the ten plagues in Egypt had already occurred. Pharaoh, despite the pleadings of Moses at their last in-person meeting, refused to give in. God will prepare His people, the Israelites, for this last plague of death with what they must do to protect their first born from death.  Because of hardened hearts with refusal to repent to God; the rescue and redemption of Israel will require the sacrifice of Egypt’s first-born sons. 

Exodus 11

The Plague on the Firstborn

11 Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely. 2 Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” 3 (The Lord made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)

4 So Moses said, “This is what the Lord says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. 5 Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. 6 There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. 7 But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. 8 All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.

9 The Lord had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” 10 Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Chapter 12 will outline the exact instruction from God to His people which we will talk over tomorrow.  But realize what is happening in the court of the Pharoah.  Moses will no longer plead with Pharoah to let the people of the Hebrew nation go.  Moses has done and said what he was told by God to do.  Now, God will show His power to a hardhearted leader who thinks he is in control.  God will bring Pharaoh to his knees through the death of his own first-born son. Imagine the mourning cries and wailing of Egyptian families over the deaths of all their first-born sons! Every family must be in state of shock.  Pharoah’s grief and shock, however, will give the God’s people, who have been prepared for the journey by God, to leave town for good—with no looking back. 

Hold this thought as we continue:  God did not protect the Israelites because they were better than the Egyptians, but because they were his people. God gives grace to his followers—whether through the blood of a lamb or the blood of the Lamb, Jesus—not based on merit but on his loving-kindness.

God is a God of miracles. God will not force His will but He will provide opportunities for people to change their minds and attitudes by His powerful works seen by all men and women.  Warren Wiersbe comments;

“Moses told the Israelites that the time had come for them to collect their unpaid wages for all the work they and their ancestors had done as slaves in Egypt. The Hebrew word for “ask or request” is sometimes incorrectly translated “borrow” in this verse. The Israelites didn’t intend to return what the Egyptians gave them, for that wealth was payment for an outstanding debt that Egypt owed to Israel.

God had promised Abraham that his descendants would leave Egypt with great wealth (Genesis 15:14), and he repeated that promise to Moses (Exodus 3:21, 22). God had given His servant Moses great respect among the Egyptians, and now He would give the Israelites great favor with the Egyptians, who would freely give their wealth to them (12:36, 37).” Wiersbe Study Bible

As we read the Book of Genesis, we learn that God often rejected the firstborn son and chose the next son to carry on the family line and receive God’s special blessing. God chose Abel, and then Seth, but not Cain; He chose Shem, not Japheth; Isaac, not Ishmael; and Jacob, not Esau.  These choices not only magnify God’s sovereign grace, but they are a symbolic way of saying that it is not our first birth that makes us right with God.  It is in our second birth of repenting to God of our sins that clears the debt and makes us right with God.  It is laying down our will for God’s good, perfect, and pleasing will.  It is not conforming to the world around us but transforming into a new person who follows what God says because of our newly forming, lovingly intimate relationship with God.  We love Him because He first loved us. (See Romans 12:1-2; 1 John 4:19)

God’s mercy should have brought Pharaoh to see his need for repentance to God; instead, he repeatedly hardened his heart and refused. Pharaoh’s officials humbled themselves before Moses; why couldn’t Pharaoh follow their example? Here’s why, “Pride goes before destruction, and haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverb 16:18). Pharoah’s pride cost him the life of his son.

Lord,

Cleanse our hearts of all that does not belong there and is not of you.  Remove the pride of demanding that we be in control of all things.  Renew our minds, transform our behaviors.  Refresh our souls with your tender mercies, fresh for us each morning. Restore the joy of your salvation at work within us by the power and leading of your Holy Spirit.  Lead us. Lead me all day long and into the night. I’m listening for I am yours.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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TELL YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN!

Posted on November 21, 2024 by randscallawayffm

My grandparents told stories.  My mom and dad shared, “when I was your age” stories of their past.  Now, I am a story teller.  I come by this trait naturally!  As I trained to be a teacher, I learned quickly that story telling was a virtue passed down to me that can be used to engage students as they learn new skills.  If the story included things they had never heard of in their young lives, they listened even more intently.  If the story had plot twists that led to an awesome, incredible ending, they even applauded! 

God is the greatest story ever told.  Jesus, His Son, was known as a Master Teacher and Storyteller who spoke in stories and parables so that mankind could know God.  Moses wrote the beginning story of God!  It is interesting to note that most biblical scholars agree the bulk of the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible, from Genesis to Deuteronomy, was told and written by Moses, inspired by God’s direction. God had purpose for all to be written down. We see that purpose in the opening words of this chapter.  God’s purpose for me literally leapt off the page for me this morning!

When God gave Moses the instructions for his next meeting with Pharaoh, He added another reason for the great display of His wonders in the plagues: that the Israelites might be able to tell the generations to come about the awesome power of their great God.

PAUSE TO PRAY AND REFLECT

How do we retell God’s story?  Do we treat as merely another Sunday School lesson with a craft or do we lead with God’s power, telling of His magnificent power and love, showing that God did all this because of His great love for us?  Yes, there is a difference!  Don’t center the focus on the horrible plagues while coloring pictures of frogs. Focus solely on God—Miracle worker, Way Maker, Promise Keeper!  There is purpose in all that God does!  Seek God first before telling His story!

The magnificent rescue of God was embedded in detailed script for generations to come as they took the telling of the story very seriously and was obedient to God’s direction and purpose in the telling.  This purpose was also written into the Passover feast (Exodus 12:26, 27; 13:8, 14, 15), not to be as merely ritual but in honor of God who saves us. Whether in the family or the local church, it’s good and wise for each new generation to learn and appreciate the way God has worked on behalf of previous generations. Recalling and giving thanks for God’s wonderful deeds is one of the basic themes of the Book of Deuteronomy, including what the Lord did to Pharaoh (Deuteronomy 4:34; 7:18, 19; 26:5–8; 29:1–3).

Moses continues to reveal the majesty of God through individual miracles and plagues. The first four plagues turned the Nile to blood and infested the country with frogs, gnats, and flies. Though the entire country of Egypt suffered these plagues, the king refused to free the Israelites.  God does not give up.

Exodus 10

The Plague of Locusts

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them 2 that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the Lord.”

3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “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. 4 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. 5 They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. 6 They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.

7 Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”

8 Then Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “Go, worship the Lord your God,” he said. “But tell me who will be going.”

9 Moses answered, “We will go with our young and our old, with our sons and our daughters, and with our flocks and herds, because we are to celebrate a festival to the Lord.”

10 Pharaoh said, “The Lord be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. 11 No! Have only the men go and worship the Lord, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.

12 And the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.”

13 So Moses stretched out his staff over Egypt, and the Lord made an east wind blow across the land all that day and all that night. By morning the wind had brought the locusts; 14 they invaded all Egypt and settled down in every area of the country in great numbers. Never before had there been such a plague of locusts, nor will there ever be again. 15 They covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.

16 Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.”

18 Moses then left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord. 19 And the Lord changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt. 20 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.

The Plague of Darkness

21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. 23 No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

24 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the Lord. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.”

25 But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the Lord our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the Lord.”

27 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.”

29 “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.”

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

In his angry response, Pharaoh blasphemed the name of God and assumed God’s people would never come back if all of them and their livestock left.  He was partially right to assume that.  Was God working on his heart?  Probably.  But Pharoah is beginning to figure out that the powerless, molded gods of Egypt are no match for the power of the God of the Hebrews (who is the only God!).

Who is God?  Who is God to us?  (You and me)

Do we really believe that what God says is really real? 

Do we trust God with our entire life, even in all the day to day details?

Do we take time to seek God first, to be still while letting go of all that is in the world for all the treasure that lies within knowing God?

What might be surrounding us and our families that hinders our view of God?  

Are there things we think about and do that break the heart of God? 

Our behaviors will reflect what we truly believe daily.  Our worries will reflect who we worship most.

Pharaoh was a beaten man, but he wouldn’t admit it. Instead, he used his authority to try to intimidate Moses. He warned Moses that if he came back into the palace to see Pharaoh, he would be killed. There were to be no more official audiences with Pharaoh.  But there is one last final plague to come to the Egyptians that will affect Pharaoh personally. 

Pharaoh had threatened to kill Moses, but God was going to slay every firstborn son in the land of Egypt and then later drown Pharaoh’s best troops. Despite what Pharaoh said about not seeing Moses, on Passover night, Pharaoh would once again call for Moses and plead for his help.  Stay tuned…there is more power of God to come!

“The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is a warning to all of us. If the sinful human heart doesn’t respond by faith to God’s Word, it cannot be transformed by the grace of God). Instead, it will become harder and harder the longer it resists God’s truth. No matter how often God may allow affliction, it will only provoke more disobedience. In the last days, when God sends His terrible judgments on the world, people will curse God and continue in their sins, but they will not repent, (See Revelation). There will be a whole world full of men and women like Pharaoh who will behold God’s judgments and still not repent. As the Holy Spirit says: ‘Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts’ ” (Hebrews 3:7, 8).” –Warren Wiesbe, Bible Scholar and Commentator

Lord,

We have heard you and we respond with repentant hearts asking for your forgiveness followed by your guidance.  Be in all the details of our lives today as we give ourselves to you as an offering of worship and praise for all you have done, are doing, and will do.  To you be the glory, honor, and praise forever!  What a mighty God we have and serve whose compassion and love never fails!  Lead us, Lord.

In Jesus Name, Amen

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GOD PROVIDES NUMEROUS OPPORTUNITES TO DECLARE HE IS LORD

Posted on November 20, 2024 by randscallawayffm

The parable of the drowning man, also known as Two Boats and a Helicopter, is a short story, often told as a joke, most often about a devoutly Christian man, who refuses several rescue attempts in the face of approaching floodwaters, each time telling the would-be rescuers that his God will save him. After turning down the last, he drowns in the flood. After his death, the man meets God and asks why he did not intervene. God responds that he sent all the would-be rescuers to the man’s aid, two boats and a helicopter according to the story, on the expectation he would accept the help, highlighting the proverb that God acts through humans and other earthly entities. Nothing is too hard for God. God acts on our behalf in many ways.

As we ponder the plagues designed, pronounced, and delivered by God to bring Pharoah, a powerful ruler, to full knowledge of the power of God; we pause to wonder.  I wonder how many opportunities did God put before me before I committedly believed and fully realized who God is and trusted that what He says will happen—happens?  God knows the hearts of all He has created.  God knows what every person needs to see to know Him more clearly.  We may have to tread a few frogs, swat away numerous gnats, endure physical suffering and experience possible financial loss until we realize the full power of God.  “It’s not God’s desire that anyone should perish but brought to repentance” echoes Peter, a disciple of the Son of God, Jesus. (2 Peter 3:9) So, God provides opportunities for us to turn to Him as our Lord as well as our Savior.

God desire is for each one of us to love Him back and worship Him. Only God is God.  He wants us to know who He is; the One and Only God who created all and is in all. Nothing escapes God’s notice.  God is everywhere and knows all that is happening to us as well as what is growing within us. God knows our hearts.

God knows the heart of Pharaoh.  God provides many opportunities to lead Pharoah’s hard, stubborn, obstinate heart to repentance.  God shows His hand many times “so they will know” who God is with knowledge of God’s wonder-working power to do what He says He will do.  Will Pharoah repent, and give in to God’s demands?  Will we repent and let go of the control we think we have—but don’t?

Exodus 9

The Plague on Livestock

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” 2 If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, 3 the hand of the Lord will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats. 4 But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’”

5 The Lord set a time and said, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this in the land.” 6 And the next day the Lord did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. 7 Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.

The Plague of Boils

8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. 9 It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”

10 So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. 11 The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said to Moses.

The Plague of Hail

13 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning, confront Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, 14 or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. 15 For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. 16 But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. 17 You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. 18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now. 19 Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’”

20 Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. 21 But those who ignored the word of the Lord left their slaves and livestock in the field.

22 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that hail will fall all over Egypt—on people and animals and on everything growing in the fields of Egypt.” 23 When Moses stretched out his staff toward the sky, the Lord sent thunder and hail, and lightning flashed down to the ground. So the Lord rained hail on the land of Egypt; 24 hail fell and lightning flashed back and forth. It was the worst storm in all the land of Egypt since it had become a nation. 25 Throughout Egypt hail struck everything in the fields—both people and animals; it beat down everything growing in the fields and stripped every tree. 26 The only place it did not hail was the land of Goshen, where the Israelites were.

27 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron. “This time I have sinned,” he said to them. “The Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong. 28 Pray to the Lord, for we have had enough thunder and hail. I will let you go; you don’t have to stay any longer.”

29 Moses replied, “When I have gone out of the city, I will spread out my hands in prayer to the Lord. The thunder will stop and there will be no more hail, so you may know that the earth is the Lord’s. 30 But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”

31 (The flax and barley were destroyed, since the barley had headed and the flax was in bloom. 32 The wheat and spelt, however, were not destroyed, because they ripen later.)

33 Then Moses left Pharaoh and went out of the city. He spread out his hands toward the Lord; the thunder and hail stopped, and the rain no longer poured down on the land. 34 When Pharaoh saw that the rain and hail and thunder had stopped, he sinned again: He and his officials hardened their hearts. 35 So Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not let the Israelites go, just as the Lord had said through Moses.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Hardened hearts of leaders make life miserable not only for themselves but for everyone who surrounds them!  The fear of losing, holding on tightfisted to all we currently have, causes us to lose everything we hold dear in the end—unless we turn to God who owns it all. 

Pride makes us stubborn. Not only is pride unattractive, but it also can be ruinous (like it was to Pharaoh). Pride builds in a hard heart and produces arrogance toward all within close proximity.  And “pride leads to a great fall”, says the wisdom of Proverbs. 

 “First pride, then the crash—the bigger the ego, the harder the fall.” Proverb 16:18 MSG).

Pride promotes the slippery slop of thinking we are in complete control of our lives.  Our pastor brought home this point last Sunday: “we all think we are in control of our lives—until we aren’t!”  Only God knows and is in complete control of His created and His creation.  Only God moves on our behalf in power when we ask for His help, receive it and trust Him. 

God is the One and Only in control who provides opportunities for us to come to know the truth of who He really is so we will trust Him. God knows what we need before we know we need it. God knows how to minister to us as we go through the process of losing all we think we have securely held in life to gain all the Life eternal that is waiting for the repentant soul on the other side—God’s side.  Be a loser (to all in this temporary world) who gains all that is eternal! 

  • “Whoever finds their life will lose it, and whoever loses their life for my sake will find it.”—Jesus, Matthew 10:39
  • “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will find it.” –Jesus Matthew 16:25
  • “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me and for the gospel will save it.”—Jesus, Mark 8:35
  • “For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it.” –Jesus, Luke 9:24
  • “Anyone who loves their life will lose it, while anyone who hates their life in this world will keep it for eternal life.”—Jesus, John 12:25

What is repeated in God’s Word is of most importance to us!  God knows us, well.

The story of God displayed through Moses is not over, yet.  There is much more to learn with repentant ways for us to respond to our living and active God! 

Oh Lord,

Hallowed be your Name.  May Your Kingdom come and reign in our hearts, minds, and souls.  May Your will be done in every detail of our lives.  Help us to see and hear you more clearly as we lay down and let go of all we think we “own and control” on any given day—on this day, right now—as we yield to your will and plan. Give us this day all you know we will need to please you as we follow you.  Lead us not into temptations to pick it back up from the altar on which we laid it all down.  Deliver us from evil and evil’s attempts to distract and deceive us.  For you have all power.  May your power lead us.  To you be all the glory, honor, and praise!  Forever!

In Jesus Name, Amen

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THE DISTINCTION

Posted on November 19, 2024 by randscallawayffm

There ain’t no flies on us
There ain’t no flies on us
There might be flies on some of you guys
But there ain’t no flies on us, huh!

Some people use repellent while others burn coils
You can plant some citronella or try essential oils
But if the flies are bugging and you just can’t get no rest
The best advice that I can give is pack up, and move West!

This old camp song comes to my mind as we read about the plagues God sends to bring Pharoah to his knees.  We know God wins in the end, right? But for a minute, imagine sitting around the campfire, singing camp songs, while swatting all the bugs buzzing around you while hearing tree frogs in the background. We knew that this was going to be part of the backdrop of camp. We didn’t particularly like the bug bites, sunburn, or the lack of sleep at camp, but we loved being together, away from home, on the adventure to make do with less luxury items like water supply and dependable shelter in bad weather.  I grew up going to church camp that was less than stellar in amenities.

However, imagine not being able to walk from your bed, to the bathroom without stepping on a carpet of frogs!  Imagine having flies surround your eyes, nose, ears, making it impossible to eat unless you like flies as an appetizer with your food!  Imagine gnats coming in like a black cloud to cover every living thing!  Pharoah and his court are used to the luxury of having all that his hard heart desires.  He is accustomed to servants who stand ready to deliver his heart’s desires whenever he demands it.  But now who’s in charge?

God will provide opportunities, with ways and means, for Pharoah’s demanding heart to change.  This series of challenges is not only meant to free the Hebrews from slavery but it is mainly meant for the whole world to know that “there is no one like the Lord our God”!

God sends His created creatures, such as frogs, gnats, and flies as the first series of unfortunate events to show His power in all and over all.   And the most powerful miracle of all is keeping the flies off God’s own people in the process!  Yes! God is amazing—can I get an amen!

Yeah, there might be flies on some of you guys; but there ain’t no flies on us!  Boom!

Exodus 8

 1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 2 If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. 3 The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. 4 The frogs will come up on you and your people and all your officials.’”

5 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the streams and canals and ponds, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt.’”

6 So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land. 7 But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

8 Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the Lord to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

9 Moses said to Pharaoh, “I leave to you the honor of setting the time for me to pray for you and your officials and your people that you and your houses may be rid of the frogs, except for those that remain in the Nile.”

10 “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said.

Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. 11 The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.”

12 After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. 13 And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. 14 They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. 15 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.

The Plague of Gnats

16 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” 17 They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats. 18 But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.

Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, 19 the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Flies

20 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the river and say to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. 21 If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.

22 “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land. 23 I will make a distinction between my people and your people. This sign will occur tomorrow.’”

24 And the Lord did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.

25 Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God here in the land.”

26 But Moses said, “That would not be right. The sacrifices we offer the Lord our God would be detestable to the Egyptians. And if we offer sacrifices that are detestable in their eyes, will they not stone us? 27 We must take a three-day journey into the wilderness to offer sacrifices to the Lord our God, as he commands us.”

28 Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to offer sacrifices to the Lord your God in the wilderness, but you must not go very far. Now pray for me.”

29 Moses answered, “As soon as I leave you, I will pray to the Lord, and tomorrow the flies will leave Pharaoh and his officials and his people. Only let Pharaoh be sure that he does not act deceitfully again by not letting the people go to offer sacrifices to the Lord.”

30 Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord, 31 and the Lord did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. 32 But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

There is no one like our God.  You can refuse to see His glory at work, deny His existence, rebel against all He teaches, but He is still God.  God will be God no matter if we believe Him or not.  Truth is truth whether we believe Him or not.  It isn’t “our truth” or “your truth”, it is God who is Truth!  Hardened hearts today struggle to explain God on their terms without using God’s name in the discussion of denying his existence.  Weird, right?  Chew on this prayerfully. 

After the plague of flies, Pharaoh suggested two compromises. Moses refused to compromise and make a deal with Pharaoh.  Moses is learning to do exactly what God says and nothing less! 

Where does our compromising meters land when dealing with the world of unbelievers who suggest there are many ways to God—ways that do not include the sacrifice of Jesus, His Son?  Have you ever found yourself adjusting your beliefs to go along with the world’s values, “making deals” with God? The Lord wants our obedience above everything else. And he is with us, right in the middle of it all.  There is no one like our God.  Let the world know what God says!

“Don’t go too far away,” the enemy whispers, “or people will call you a fanatic.” James 1:27 and 4:4 demolish that proposal. True service to God means giving Him authority over all our possessions and all the people in our family for whom we are responsible. Not to do so is to disobey Mark 10:13–16; Ephesians 6:4; and Deuteronomy 6:6–13. Once we start to negotiate the will of God and see how close we can get to the world, we have already disobeyed Him in our hearts.

Later, God will ask the Hebrews to provide an act of sacrifice as a further sign of distinction between them and their Egyptian neighbors that is a matter of life or death.  Stay tuned!

Lord, God,

You are amazing!  You teach us today’s skills for living by walking us through the exodus of your people from the slavery they endured along with the Egyptians gods they had to learn to avoid.  With you, there is no compromise.  You are God.  There is no other God but you.  I will trust what you say because you are God who never fails.

In Jesus Name, Amen

And we’re singing—Firm Foundation (He’s Gonna Make A Way); Songwriters: Cody Carnes / Chandler Moore / Austin Luke Kaleolanakila Davis

Christ is my firm foundation
The rock on which I stand
When everything around me is shaken
I’ve never been more glad
That I put my faith it Jesus
‘Cause He’s never let me down
He’s faithful through generations
So why would He fail now?
He won’t

I’ve still got joy in chaos
I’ve got peace that makes no sense
And I won’t be going under
I’m not held by my own strength
‘Cause I built my life on Jesus
He’s never let me down
He’s faithful in every season
So why would He fail now?
He won’t

He won’t fail, He won’t fail

Rain came, wind blew
My house was built on You
I’m safe with You, I’m gonna make it through…

‘Cause, He’s gonna make a way, He’s gonna make a way…

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LEARNING TO BECOME GOD’S DRIVER

Posted on November 18, 2024 by randscallawayffm

Have you ever wondered why God doesn’t just wave a hand over the people of the earth and pronounced them righteous with minds that will automatically do the right thing in every circumstance? 

I will never forget that summer day in 1968 when my dad announced; “Get up! I’m going to teach you how to drive.” I was so excited!  My dad was going to teach me how to drive his “work car”, his beloved, red Ford Falcon. How hard can it be? I thought. I’ve been in the back seat all my life and observed how dad did it. I’m ready, let’s do this!  Then came all the instructions.   Wait, what, now?  We can’t just jump in and go?

The first consideration was the challenge of my height.  Being 5’ 1” meant adjusting the seat, the back up mirror up top, and the side mirrors—all without the ease of power but with me yanking and pulling until I could see. (Remember it’s 1968!) My driving preparation required many adjustments before turning on the ignition!  I barely could see over the gigantic steering wheel! And why did it feel so big in my hands?

When we were set, then I could put the key in the slot and turned it.  Now, we have power! Ah, but wait, the engine died.  More instructions.  Dad taught me next how to use the “choke” to get and keep his car engine going. The choke had to be pulled and placed at just the right degree at just the right time to work successfully and not “flood” the engine.  Friends, we are still not out of the driveway!

After the choke lesson, we learned the gear shift placement which was less than stellar.  Dad taught me that with his car, the placement was actually between neutral and drive.  Got it.  But to get out the driveway, we needed R for reverse, of course.  Now, we’re talking.  I put the car in reverse, and as it began to move, Dad gave more careful instructions.  Did you look behind you?  You don’t want to run over a child or bike left in the drive. Thinking of how many times I might have left my bike in the drive, I stopped.  “But dad, I will have to get out of the car to see that,” I said.  “Yes, you will,” he said with a smile.  Because I wanted to drive like dad, I did exactly what he said.

We finally got out of the drive.  I learned to crane my neck to see all possible obstructions while learning how the steering wheel felt and worked to keep us on course.  We are on the real road going about ten miles per hour, when he warns me  that stop signs are not “pause signs.”  “You actually have to use the brake to stop the car completely.” I did—abruptly—and dad braced himself on the dashboard so he wouldn’t hit his head on the windshield! 

Dad didn’t give up on me.  We made the turn off our street to another.  To make this long story a bit shorter, we made it to a far away parking place at our local grocery store located a few blocks from our house.  He directed me to parked in a place with no one else around probably so I wouldn’t hurt anyone or their vehicle.  I was on board for that!  I was ready to shut off the engine and just sit there for a bit.  I was a sweaty mess and a bit overwhelmed by the “lesson” on that summer day in 1968.  I sat in wonder of how much I didn’t know about driving.  Watching is one thing but doing it is quite another. 

But, most of all, I will never forget the care and instruction, along with the trust my dad gave me as I learned to drive his car. 

The process of learning is as important as accomplishing the task. Our Abba Father knows this and knows us well with a desire to teach us. He leaves nothing unsaid that needs to be said for our good.  He smiles when we are attentive and do exactly what He says.  Moses and Aaron do exactly what God says and then watch in amazement at what God does through them!  Moses will learn great lessons of leadership as God leads him to sit in the driver’s seat as he leads God’s people, by God’s power, from slavery to freedom.

Stay tuned…there’s more instruction to come, more miracles of wonder, and more of God to know.  We haven’t even started the engine yet!

Exodus 7

Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron will be your prophet. 2 You are to say everything I command you, and your brother Aaron is to tell Pharaoh to let the Israelites go out of his country. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt, 4 he will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and with mighty acts of judgment I will bring out my divisions, my people the Israelites. 5 And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.”

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh.

Aaron’s Staff Becomes a Snake

8 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.”

10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.

The Plague of Blood

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. 15 Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, and take in your hand the staff that was changed into a snake. 16 Then say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has sent me to say to you: Let my people go, so that they may worship me in the wilderness. But until now you have not listened. 17 This is what the Lord says: By this you will know that I am the Lord: With the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water of the Nile, and it will be changed into blood. 18 The fish in the Nile will die, and the river will stink; the Egyptians will not be able to drink its water.’”

19 The Lord said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood.’ Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.”

20 Moses and Aaron did just as the Lord had commanded. He raised his staff in the presence of Pharaoh and his officials and struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. 21 The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.

22 But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts, and Pharaoh’s heart became hard; he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said. 23 Instead, he turned and went into his palace, and did not take even this to heart. 24 And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile to get drinking water, because they could not drink the water of the river.

WHAT DO WE LEARN—HOW DO WE RESPOND?

Lesson 1: Trust God. Although Moses thought he could not persuade Pharaoh, he saw that with God, nothing is impossible.  Moses was learning to trust God with each lesson God taught him.

Lesson 2:  Only God is God. As we continue our study of this remarkable series of miracles, we must focus on the reasons why the Lord took this approach in dealing with Pharaoh and sent these sign judgments to the land of Egypt. The ultimate purpose, of course, was to bring Pharaoh and the Egyptians to their knees so they would be willing for the Israelites to leave the land. But at the same time, the Lord was revealing Himself to both the Israelites and the Egyptians and proving that He alone is God.

Lesson 3:  There are no other gods but God. The miracles and plagues were also God’s way of judging the gods of Egypt and proving them false and futile. “Against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.”

Lesson 4: Hard heartedness is no match for God!  God was hardening Pharaoh’s heart. Does this mean that God was unfair and that Pharaoh shouldn’t be held responsible for what he did? No, for the same sun that melts the ice also hardens the clay. It all depends on the nature of the material. To the very end of the contest; Pharaoh was a proud, unrepentant sinner who refused to hear God’s Word, do God’s will, or even keep his own promises to the Israelite people. The Lord gave him more than enough evidence to convince him that the gods of Egypt were false and the God of the Hebrews was the true and living God.

We may think we are in the driver’s set on any given day.  Mm, but we aren’t really.  We are not that powerful!  What is most important to realize on the drive is Who is giving us instructions and directions to get us where we want and need to be?  Who is leading?  Who is following?  When we realize it was, is, and always will be God, the Father through Jesus, His Son; we will reach our destination.  And the process leads us to a deeper realization of the greatness of God before we arrive!

Lord,

Thank you for the lessons and instructions that proclaim who you are with how much you love and care for us! Thank you for the process of learning that brings a new appreciation for all you have done, are doing, and will do in our lives as we grow in our holy, loving, intimate relationship with you!  May your will be done by your instruction to us!

In Jesus Name, by your power, for our good, and your glory!

Amen!

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