THE LORD WILL FIGHT OUR BATTLES

PROCLAMATION

“And Moses said unto the people, ‘Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of The Lord, which He will show to you today; for the Egyptians whom ye have seen today, ye shall see them no more forever.  The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace.’ ”  Exodus 14:13-14 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  When the Israelites left Egypt, The Lord God told Moses to have them make camp between Migdol and the Red Sea. (Exodus 14:1-2)  The Lord God again hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he took his army of chariots and horses and pursued the Israelites. (Exodus 14:5-9)  When the children of Israel saw the Egyptians coming after them, they were afraid. (Exodus 14:10-12)  Moses told them to fear not, they would not see the Egyptians ever again.  He said that The Lord God would fight for them. (Exodus 14:13-14)  The angle of God which had been leading them, moved to a position behind them and blocked the path of the Egyptians. (Exodus 14:19-20)  Then God parted the Red Sea with a strong east wind which blew all night and the next day the Israelites crossed over the sea on dry land between walls of water on their right and left. (Exodus 14:21-22)  After they crossed, the Egyptians pursued them and The Lord let the waters of the parted Red Sea return to normal and Pharaoh’s army and his horses all drowned. (Exodus 14:23-28)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God protected His people from an army which they could not defeat with a pillar of fire.  He made a way out of no way when they were in an impossible situation by parting the Red Sea.  He fought a battle for them and defeated an army which they were not prepared to fight by drowning Pharaoh’s army in the Red Sea.  There are some battles which we are not prepared to fight.  Those battles The Lord God will fight for us.  Some battles are not against people, but are against principalities, and evil powers, and wicked spirits. (Ephesians 6:12)  That is why we need to put on the whole armor of God (Ephesians 6:13-17) and just stand.  We need to stand still and behold the power of our God. (Exodus 14:13, 2 Chronicles 20:17, and Ephesians 6:14)  The Lord God will take care of His people, including all believers.  He did it then, and He can do it again.

 

HEADING TOWARDS THE PROMISED LAND

PROCLAMATION

“And it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go … God led the people about, through the way of the wilderness of the Red Sea … And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him … And The Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light …”  Exodus 13:17-21 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  During the night, after The Lord God had killed all of the firstborn of Egypt and passed over the children of Israel, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and “Go, leave my people, you and the Israelites.”  Go worship your God as you have requested. (Exodus 12:31-32)  The Lord made the Egyptian people look kindly on the Israelites and they gave them silver, and gold, and clothing. (Exodus 12:33-36)  There were about six hundred thousand men plus women and children, and their livestock. (Exodus 12:37-38)  God led them as a pillar of a cloud by day, and a pillar of fire by night.  The day after they ate The Passover meal, Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt heading towards the Red Sea. (Exodus 13:15-21)  The Passover meal was to be eaten with unleavened bread. (Exodus 13:3 and 13:6-10)  Moses was told to make sure that the firstborn males were circumcised and consecrated to The Lord. (Exodus 13:1) 

 

APPLICATION

When The Lord God led the children of Israel out of Egypt, He did not lead them on the shortest route which would have been through the land of the Philistines.  He led them towards the Red Sea through the wilderness. (Exodus 13:17)  As we are led to the promised land, the road may be the long way, difficult and beset with tribulations.  However, He will be with us, (Hebrews 13:5) and there is nothing that we will encounter on our journey that He cannot manage.  So, wherever He leads us, we should gladly follow Him because He is The Way, The Truth, and The Life. (John 14:6)  We cannot make it to the promised land without Him.

 

THE LORD PROTECTS HIS PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you, ‘What mean ye by this service?’  That ye shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of The Lord’s Passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when He smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses.’  And the people bowed the head and worshipped.”  Exodus 12:26-27 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The Lord God told Moses what to say to Pharaoh in order for him to let the people of Israel go free to worship Him. (Exodus 7:1-2)  He also told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the people go. (Exodus 7:3-5)  The Lord God brought ten separate plagues on the land of Egypt and after the first nine plagues Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.  Only after the tenth and final plague, the death of the firstborn sons of Egypt man and animal, did Pharaoh let the people of Israel go. (Exodus 12:30-32)  The Lord God protected His own people and the Israelites were not affected by any of the plagues. (Exodus 8:22, 9:4, 9:26, 10:23 and 12:12-13)  On the night when the tenth plague killed all of the firstborn sons of Egypt, The Lord God passed over the homes of the Israelites who had the blood of a lamb smeared on the sides and tops of the doorframes. (Exodus 12:7 and 12:12-13)  Even unto this day they still celebrate “The Passover” and explain it to their children. (Exodus 12:25-27)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God protects His people and that includes all believers.  He said that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  There may be danger all around us, but The Lord God protects believers from dangers seen, and unseen.  That upsetting delay that occurred to us may have kept us from being involved in an accident.  Sometimes we have automobile accidents but we walk away unharmed.  We are blessed in more ways than we can count, and by things that we take for granted.  We may not be in an ideal situation but things could be a lot worse.  We need to acknowledge God’s presence in our lives (Proverbs 3:6) and thank Him for blessing us and keeping us.  Death has passed us by a number of times and we should be grateful for the protective covering of the blood of Christ over our lives. (Exodus 12:23)

 

THE PLAGUE OF THE DEATH OF THE FIRSTBORN

PROCLAMATION

“And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts.”  Exodus 11:5 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the nine plagues which The Lord God allowed Moses to bring upon Egypt, Pharaoh refused to let the people of God leave Egypt.  Moses told Pharaoh that the tenth and final plague would be the death of the firstborn son of all of Egypt, including Pharaoh, his officers, his servants, his soldiers, and even his cattle. (Exodus 11:5)  This shall only be upon the Egyptians; it will not affect the children of Israel. (Exodus 11:7)  However, even after having witnessed the nine other plagues which Moses foretold Pharaoh still would not listen to the warning which Moses gave him. (Exodus 11:9-10)

 

APPLICATION

There are times when we are warned that our present course of action will result in a negative outcome, but we ignore the warning and proceed on ahead as we had planned.  The result of which is usually disaster on our part that could have been avoided.  The Word of God tells us the consequences of our sin and disbelief but some of us insist on continuing on in our sinful course.  We act like we do not believe God’s Holy Word.  Those whose name is not written in The Lamb’s Book of Life will spend eternity suffering in hell. (Revelation 20:15)  Heed the warning while you still have time.  Repent, those of you who do not believe, the end is near and the kingdom of God is at hand. (Mark 1:15)

 

DECEITFULLY AND REPEATEDLY LIED

PROCLAMATION

“Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste; and he said, ‘I have sinned against The Lord your God, and against you.  Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat The Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death’ … And The Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts … But The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.”  Exodus 10:16-20 (KJV)  

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After each plague, Pharaoh said to Moses and Aaron, pray to The Lord your God to end this plague and I will let your people go.  However, Pharaoh was deceitful and he repeatedly lied to Moses.  Each time when the plague ended and he saw some relief from it, he refused to let the people leave. (Exodus 8:8-15, 8:25-32, 10:8-11, 10:16-20, and 10:24-28) 

 

APPLICATION

The Bible says, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23) and it also says that “… all men are liars.” (Psalm 116:11)  However, some people in this world are so deceitful, that they will lie to you, face to face and eye to eye, and tell you that they will do something, knowing full well that they have no intention of ever doing it.  They couldn’t care less that lying is a sin. (Exodus 20:16 and Matthew 19:18)  The Bible says that there is a special place in hell for all liars. (Revelation 21:8)  It is wrong to intentionally deceive someone.  In fact, legally, the premeditation of a crime makes it a greater offence.  The devil is referred to as “the deceiver of the whole world.” (Revelation 12:9)  He is the father of lies. (John 8:44)  In His Sermon on the Mount, Christ advised to keep our conversations brief because the more we say, the more likely we are to tell a lie. (Matthew 5:37)  The Lord hates a lying tongue; it is an abomination to Him. (Proverbs 6:16-17)  But “oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” (Walter Scott)  Do not become a psychopathically habitual liar by repeatedly and intentionally deceiving and lying to people.

 

HARD HEARTED PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as The Lord had spoken unto Moses.”  Exodus 9:12 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  The Lord God told Moses that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the Israelites leave Egypt. (Exodus 4:21 and 7:3)  Even after all nine plagues which were wonders He would give Moses the power to perform.  First, the Nile river was turned into blood. (Exodus 7:17-24)  Second, frogs overran Egypt including Pharaoh’s palace. (Exodus 8:1-15)  Third, there was a plague of gnats. (Exodus 8:16-19)  Fourth, there was a plague of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32)  Fifth, there was a plague on the livestock which killed all the Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats. (Exodus 9:1-7)  Sixth, was the plague of boils on the skin of all of the Egyptians. (Exodus 9:8-12)  Seventh, was the plague of hail which killed people and animals caught outside and destroyed the trees and plants. (Exodus 9:13-35)  Eighth, there was a plague of locusts which devoured everything growing in the fields and everything green that was left after the hail. (Exodus 10:1-20)  Ninth, was the plague of darkness over Egypt for three days. (Exodus 10:21-29)  Just as The Lord God had said it would happen, Pharaoh’s heart was hardened after each of the nine plagues that Moses performed. (Exodus 7:22, 8:15, 8:19, 8:32, 9:7, 9:12, 9:34, 10:20, and 10:27)

 

APPLICATION

Some people are hard-headed and just plain stubborn.  While some people are hard-hearted and not capable of pity or feelings for others.  They are uncaring, unsympathetic, and unloving individuals.  When people who know of God but have no feelings or concern about The Lord God, and are corrupt in their way of thinking, God can turn them over to their corrupt and reprobate mind and then they are unable to change. (Romans 1:28)  As believers it is our job to tell people about Christ.  If the people will not believe us, or hear us, or even receive us, then we are to leave them alone, shake the dust off of our feet, and keep on stepping. (Mark 6:11)  We are not to argue with hard-hearted individuals.  If they do not want to listen to us, there is nothing we can do for them except to pray for them.  

 

LET MY PEOPLE GO

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord spake unto Moses, ‘Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith The Lord, Let My people go, that they may serve Me.’ ”  Exodus 8:1 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Moses and Aaron again went to Pharaoh and asked him to let the people of God go so that they could worship Him, but The Lord God had harden Pharaoh’s heart and he refused.  Through the power of God, Moses released nine plagues on Egypt but Pharaoh would not let the people go.  First, the Nile river was turned into blood. (Exodus 7:17-24)  Second, frogs overran Egypt including Pharaoh’s palace. (Exodus 8:1-15)  Third, there was a plague of gnats. (Exodus 8:16-19)  Fourth, there was a plague of flies. (Exodus 8:20-32)  Fifth, there was a plague on the livestock which killed all the Egyptian horses, donkeys, camels, cattle, sheep, and goats. (Exodus 9:1-7)  Sixth, was the plague of boils on the skin of all of the Egyptians. (Exodus 9:8-12)  Seventh, was the plague of hail which killed people and animals caught outside and destroyed the trees and plants. (Exodus 9:13-35)  Eighth, there was a plague of locusts which devoured everything growing in the fields and everything green that was left after the hail. (Exodus 10:1-20)  Ninth, was the plague of darkness over Egypt for three days. (Exodus 10:21-29)

 

APPLICATION

The Lord God wanted the people to be free from slavery so that they could worship Him. (Exodus 7:16, 8:1, 8:20, 9:1, 9:13, and 10:3)  The Lord God freed us from the control of sin for the same reason, so that we could worship Him.  Unfortunately, as believers we still sin even though we are not under the control of sin.  We still have our sinful human nature within us, we are no longer under the control of sin.  We now have a choice as to whether we sin or not. (Romans 7:15-20)  However, our sins should not interfere with our worship.  We should ask to be forgiven then continue to praise and worship The Lord.  No person or thing should keep us from serving The Lord.

 

USE WHAT GOD HAS GIVEN YOU

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying, ‘When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, ‘Show a miracle for you;’ then thou shall say unto Aaron, ‘Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.’ ”  Exodus 7:8-9 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Moses spoke to The Lord God and said that he had made things worse for the people (Exodus 5:22-23) and God gave him a message for the people (Exodus 6:1-8) but the people would not listen to Moses. (Exodus 6:9)  Then He told Moses and Aaron to go back to Pharaoh, and Moses questioned Him by asking, if the people will not listen to me why should Pharaoh listen to me? (Exodus 6:28-30)  Then The Lord God said, ‘I have made thee a god to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. (Exodus 7:1)  He said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and even after multiple signs he will not let the people go.  But eventually the Egyptians will know that He is The Lord God and will let the people go. (Exodus 7:2-5)  Moses and Aaron did as God had told them to do, and yet Pharaoh would not listen to them. (Exodus 7:6-25) 

 

APPLICATION

The staff of Moses became a snake and consumed the staffs of Pharaoh’s officials which had also become snakes. (Exodus 7:10-12)  Later Moses used his staff to turn the Nile River into blood. (Exodus 7:20-21)  Moses believed and he used his staff to perform miracles.  Sometimes we feel that because we don’t have much that we can’t do very much.  However, The Lord God has given each of us a gift. (1 Corinthians 7:7; 2 Timothy 1:6; and 1 Peter 4:10)  The Holy Spirit of God has given every man a gift (1 Corinthians 12:7-12) so that we can work within the body of Christ.  We just need to use what we have been given to do what The Lord God has for us to do.  If, by chance, you are unaware of your gift, pray and ask God to reveal it to you, and to give you the courage to use it to His glory.  All that we do should be done to the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)

 

GOD PROMISES DELIVERANCE

PROCLAMATION

“Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, ‘I am The Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments.’ ”  Exodus 6:6 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  Chapter six of The Bible Book of Exodus is a continuation of the end of chapter five.  It is the answer to the prayer that Moses prayed at the end of the chapter. (Exodus 5:22-23)  The Lord God said to Moses, “Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh.” (Exodus 6:1)  Then He said that when He appeared unto Abraham, and unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, He identified Himself as God Almighty.  He did not tell them that His name was JEHOVAH. (Exodus 6:2-3)  He told Moses that He remembered the covenant and He has heard their groaning. (Exodus 6:4-5)  Then He told Moses to tell them the He will bring them out of Egypt with great judgments and bring them to the land which He swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (Exodus 6:6-8)  When Moses told them this, but they would not listen to him.  The Lord told Moses to go again to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people of Israel go.  Moses replied that if the Israelites will not listen to him, why then would Pharaoh listen to him. (Exodus 6:9-12)  After recording the genealogies of Moses and Aaron, (Exodus 6:14-25) The Lord God again told Moses to tell Pharaoh what He says, and again Moses questions Him. (Exodus 6:28-30)

 

APPLICATION

It is not clear why The Bible repeats itself, or why The Lord God repeats a message to us.  In the world of education it is said that if something is repeated in class, it is important.  If it is repeated a third time, then you know it will be on the test.  A professor in medical school told my class, you are intelligent and you don’t understand or remember everything that you hear the first time that you hear it; so, repeat the information that you give to your patients.  Maybe it is because the message is not being received that The Lord God keeps repeating it.  Maybe it is because The Lord God feels that it is important so He repeats it.  The Bible keeps telling us that deliverance is coming.  It also repeatedly says, “Repent, the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” (Matthew 3:2, Matthew 4:17, and Mark 1:15)

 

MAKE BRICKS WITHOUT STRAW

PROCLAMATION

“And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, ‘Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore; let them go and gather straw for themselves.  And the tale of bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof …’ ”  Exodus 5:6-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After meeting with the elders of Israel, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and told him that The Lord God said, “Let My people go.”  Pharaoh said that he did not know this God and he would not let Israel go. (Exodus 5:1-2)  He was upset that they wanted the people to stop working for a three day journey into the wilderness to go worship their God.  So, he ordered the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite overseers in charge of the people to stop supplying them with the straw which they used to make bricks, and said that their quota of bricks must be the same as before. (Exodus 5:3-9)  After the people were not able to meet their quotas, the Israelite overseers went and appealed to Pharaoh (Exodus 5:15-16) and he said that the Israelite people were lazy and they should get back to work and produce the same quota of bricks. (Exodus 5:17-19)  When they left Pharaoh, they found Moses and Aaron and told them that they had made their situation worse.  Being blamed for the increased burden on the people, Moses turned to The Lord God in prayer. (Exodus 5:20-23)

 

APPLICATION

Unfortunately, we are a very impatient people.  When we ask The Lord God for something we expect to receive it immediately.  Even that which He has promised us will not be given to us when we want it, but we will receive it according to His plan and timeframe.  Some of the time our bad situation will get worse before it gets better.  However, God is still in control of things.  We just need to learn to wait on The Lord.  Patience is a skill which must be learned and acquired.  Our patience is produced by going through trials. (James 1:3-4)  “… Wait, I say, on The Lord.” (Psalm 27:14)

 

BELIEVE AND OBEY THE LORD

PROCLAMATION

“And The Lord said unto Moses in Midian, ‘Go, return to Egypt; for all the men are dead which sought thy life.’  And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt; and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.”  Exodus 4:19-20 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After The Lord God told Moses that He was going to send him into Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let His people go, Moses asked, “What if they do not believe me?”  The Lord then showed Moses several signs to show the people so that they would believe that The God of their fathers had appeared to him and spoken to him. (Exodus 4:1-9)  Then Moses came up with a number of excuses which he offered to God as reasons why God should not sent him to Pharaoh. (Exodus 3:10-13)  Then God explained to him how it would work.  God would tell Moses what to do and what to say, and Moses would tell Aaron who would then tell the people what thus saith The Lord. (Exodus 3:14-16)  Moses then went down the mountain and he told his father-in-law Jethro that he must return to Egypt.  He packed up his family and returned to Egypt. (Exodus 4:18-20)  The Lord told Moses to perform before Pharaoh all the wonders that He had given him the power to perform.  He said that He would harden Pharaoh’s heart and he would not let the people go. (Exodus 4:21-23)  But first God had to threaten to kill Moses for not circumcising his son.  His non-Hebrew wife, who apparently did not want to harm her son, had to circumcise him on their way to Egypt to save the life of Moses. (Exodus 4:24-26)  Then Aaron met Moses in the wilderness and then they went to the elders. (Exodus 4:27-31)

 

APPLICATION

Like Moses, sometimes we have our doubts about the things which The Lord God tells us to do.  At times we even question God’s instructions.  However, it is better for us to believe in Him, and in His Holy Word, and to obey Him even when we do not understand how it is all going to work.  It is our place to trust in The Lord.  We do not have the mental capacity to fully understand or comprehend all that He knows.  Additionally, He knows the future and what it holds for us.  So, let us not just be hearers of The Word but let us also be doers of The Word. (James 1:22)  To obey The Word of God is better than sacrifice. (1 Samuel 15:22)  Those who love Him will keep His commandments. (John 14:15)

 

GOD HEARS THE CRIES OF HIS PEOPLE

PROCLAMATION

“And The Angel of The Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush … And He said, ‘… put off thy shoes … for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground …’ And The Lord said, ‘I have surely seen the affliction of My people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows; And I am come down to deliver them …’ ”  Exodus 3:2-8 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Moses fled to Midian he married Zipporah the daughter of Jethro and granddaughter of Reuel, and began a family. (Exodus 2:15-22)  He became a shepherd tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law. (Exodus 3:1)  It was there that Moses saw the burning bush which was not consumed by the fire, and he heard the voice of The Lord God. (Exodus 3:1-10)  God told him that He had heard the cries of the Israelites (Exodus 2:23-24 and 3:7-8) and He was sending Moses to bring His people out of Egypt (Exodus 3:10) and into the land flowing with milk and honey. (Exodus 3:8)  God told Moses that He would be with him and that he was to bring the people to worship Him on that mountain. (Exodus 3:12)  Moses was to tell the people “I AM has sent me.” (Exodus 3:14)  God also told Moses that the king of Egypt would not let the people go until He smites the Egyptians. (Exodus 3:19-20)  And when they leave Egypt, they will not leave empty-handed. (Exodus 3:21-22)

 

APPLICATION

Believers still suffer and go through trials and tribulations during this earthly journey.  It is comforting to know that The Lord God hears our prayers and our cries.  When the time is right, according to His will, He will do something about our plight.  Things are allowed to happen to us for a reason.  Sometimes bad things happen to us to keep us humble, (2 Corinthians 12:7) sometimes they are to keep us focused on Him, (Matthew 14:25-31) and sometimes they are punishment for our sins, (Numbers 14:26-31) or for the sins of our parents and grandparents. (Exodus 34:7)  However, our troubles won’t last always. (Psalm 30:5)  God hears the prayers of the righteous and He sees our situation. (1 Peter 3:12)  We just need to keep the faith and obey His Holy Word, (Deuteronomy 7:9) and know that when we call on Him, He hears us.

FOUND KEPT AND BLESSED

PROCLAMATION

“And the woman conceived, and bare a son … she hid him three months.  And when she could not longer hide him, she took for him an ark of bulrushes … put the child therein, and she laid it … by the river’s brink … And the daughter of Pharaoh … saw the ark … opened it … had compassion on him … Then said his sister to Pharaoh’s daughter, ‘Shall I go and call to thee a nurse  … the maid went and called the child’s mother … Pharaoh’s daughter said unto her, ‘Take this child … nurse it for me … And the child grew, and she brought him unto Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son.  And she called his name Moses … ‘Because I drew him out of the water.’ ”  Exodus 2:1-10 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  During a time when all male Hebrews were being killed at birth, (Exodus 1:22) Moses was born and hidden by his mother.  When she could no longer hide him, she put him in a basket among the reeds at the edge of the Nile river. (Exodus 2:1-3)  He was found by the Pharaoh’s daughter who had compassion on him.  His sister, who was watching from afar, asked her if she wanted her to go and get a Hebrew woman to nurse him and she agreed.  Thus Moses was nursed by his own mother then he was raised as the son of the Pharaoh’s daughter. (Exodus 2:4-10)  After he had grown up, Moses saw an Egyptian taskmaster beating a Hebrew man and he killed the taskmaster then hid his body in the sand.  The next day he saw two Hebrew men fighting and he asked the one that was wrong why he was beating his fellow Hebrew.  The man asked Moses, are you planning to kill me as you did the Egyptian? (Exodus 2:11-14)  When the Pharaoh heard of this, he sought to kill Moses, but Moses fled to Midian and dwelt there.  He helped the daughters of the priest water their flock and stood up against the shepherds who sought to drive them away.  As a reward the priest gave Moses one of his seven daughters.  There he married Zipporah one of the daughters of Reuel and she bore him a son. (Exodus 2:15-22)

 

APPLICATION

In the midst of hard times and danger, The Lord God will make a way.  He protects, and He provides, and He prepares a path with provisions when all seems lost.  As we look back over our life we should be able to see the hand of God orchestrating the events.  We need to acknowledge Him in all of our ways and pray that He will direct our paths in the future. (Proverbs 3:6)  We should be grateful for the protection which He has afforded us by giving His angels charge over us. (Psalm 91:11)  “O give thanks unto The Lord, for He is good; for His mercy endureth forever.” (Psalm 107:1)

 

WHEN THINGS GET BAD PRAY

PROCLAMATION

“Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.  And he said unto his people, ‘Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more and mightier than we; Come on, let us deal wisely with them …’  Therefore they did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens …”  Exodus 1:8-11 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the death of Joseph and his brothers, a new king came to power in Egypt who did not know of Joseph.  This new king was concerned with the large number of the Israelites so he made slaves of them and placed taskmasters over them. (Exodus 1:8-14)  The king told the Hebrew midwives to kill every male child that was born. (Exodus 1:15-16)  However, the midwives feared The Lord God and did not do as the king had commanded them. (Exodus 1:17)  When they were questioned by the king as the number of Israelites grew, they said that the Hebrew women gave birth before they arrived.  Because they feared God they were blessed with families of their own. (Exodus 1:17-21)  Then the Pharaoh commanded all of his people to kill every newborn Hebrew boy by drowning them in the Nile river. (Exodus 1:22)

 

APPLICATION

There comes a time when things seemingly go from bad to worse.  When our leaders do not have our best interest at heart and they institute plans which do us harm.  That is the time for us to pray.  While we should pray all of the time, (Luke 18:1 and 21:36) we should definitely pray when things go wrong and we need God’s help.  The fervent sincere prayer of a righteous person is very effective. (James 5:16 )  However, we need to remember that God hears and answers prayers on His timeframe and not on ours.

 

THEY MEANT IT FOR EVIL BUT GOD MEANT IT FOR GOOD

PROCLAMATION

“But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.  Now therefore fear ye not; I will nourish you, and your little ones.  And he comforted them, and spake kindly unto them.”  Genesis 50:20-21 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After the death of his father Israel, Joseph directed the physicians to embalm him, a process which took forty days.  Joseph mourned his father for seventy days then he asked permission of Pharaoh to bury his father in Canaan according to his dying wish. (Genesis 50:1-5)  Joseph and his brothers and his servants were accompanied to Canaan by all of Pharaoh’s officials with chariots and horsemen. (Genesis 50:6-9)  After burying his father Joseph returned to Egypt.  His brothers were worried that he would mistreat them for what they had done to him, now that their father was dead.  So they sent word to Joseph that their father left instructions before he died that Joseph should forgive his brothers of their sins against him.  When Joseph heard this, he wept. (Genesis 50:15-17)  His brothers came to him and threw themselves at his feet and said that they were his slaves.  He told them not to be afraid.  What they did to him was meant to harm him, but The Lord God meant it for good.  God used it to put him in a position to save the lives of many people, and he was put in a position to provide for them and their families. (Genesis 50:18-21)  Joseph stayed in Egypt and lived to be one hundred and ten years old.  Before he died, he made his brothers promise to carry his bones out of Egypt when God led them into the promised land. (Genesis 50:22-26)

 

APPLICATION

Some people, including family members and “so-called-friends,” will do things to us which are meant to do wrong to us.  The things that they meant to harm us, The Good Lord can use to our benefit and for our good. (Genesis 50:20)  Remember, The Bible says, “… All things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28)  Nothing that is formed against us shall prevail, and every lie which is told on us shall be refuted. (Isaiah 54:17)  We are protected by God because we are the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. (Galatians 3:26)  So, fear not, we belong to Him and we are in His hands, and not one can take us out of His hand. (John 10:29)

 

A REQUEST FROM A DYING FATHER

PROCLAMATION

“And he charged them, and said unto them, ‘I am to be gathered unto my people; bury me with my fathers in the cave that is in the end of the field of Ephron the Hittite … in the land of Canaan … There they buried Abraham and Sarah his wife; there they buried Isaac and Rebekah his wife; and there I buried Leah …’ And when Jacob had made an end of commanding his sons, he gathered up his feet into bed, and yielded up the ghost …”  Genesis 49:29-33 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Jacob blessed the two sons of Joseph, intentionally giving the younger son Ephraim the blessing which should have gone to the oldest son Manasseh, he blessed Joseph. (Genesis 48:8-20)  Then Jacob called his twelve sons together and blessed each one of them and spoke prophetically of their individual futures. (Genesis 49:1-28)  They would become the twelve tribes of Israel.  Then he gave instructions to his sons to bury him in the land of his fathers, where he buried his wife, and not in Egypt.  When he finished giving them his burial instructions, he breathed his last breath and died. (Genesis 49:29-33)

 

APPLICATION

People make promises to other people all of the time and, unfortunately, we break most of the promises that we make.  Many children are often “crushed” by the broken promises made to them, especially by their parents.  However, there is something special about the promise one makes to a dying individual on their deathbed.  Those promises are usually held in very high regard and are often honored.  We should be very careful when we give our word to someone regarding something we plan to do in the future.  The old saying goes, “You are only as good as your word.”  We need to pray for faithfulness in the promises that we make to others.  We also need to be more faithful in the promises that we make to The Lord.  We make a lot of promises to God when times are bad that we somehow forget when things get better.  He doesn’t break His promises to us, and we need to keep the promises that we make to Him.

 

ISRAEL BLESSES THE SONS OF JOSEPH

PROCLAMATION

“And he blessed Joseph, and said, ‘God, before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, The God which fed me all my life long unto this day, The Angel which redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads; and let my name be named on them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac; and let them grow into a multitude in the midst of the earth.’”  Genesis 48:15-16 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  And it came to pass that Israel got sick and Joseph went to see him and took his two sons with him.  Israel recounted to Joseph that God Almighty had appeared to him in Canaan and told him that He would multiply his seed, and that He would give that land to his seed. (Genesis 48:1-4)  He also reminded Joseph of the death and burial of his wife Rachael. (Genesis 48:7)  Then he hugged and kissed both of the sons of Joseph.  Afterwards he blessed them, but he put his right hand on the head of Ephraim the youngest, and his left hand of the head of Manasseh the first born.  This displeased Joseph but Israel said that while both sons would be great, the younger son Ephraim would be greater than his brother and a multitude of nations shall come from him. (Genesis 48:8-19)  Then he told Joseph that The Lord God would be with him. (Genesis 48:21)

 

APPLICATION

If the truth be told, all of us are blessed, but we are not all equally blessed.  The Lord God does not follow man’s tradition of giving the first born the most of everything.  He blesses whomever He chooses, how and when He chooses.  God will frequently bless the younger son to be greater than the first born son.  That which The Lord God has in store for each of us will not be given to anyone else.  He blesses us according to our different abilities. (Matthew 25:15)  And in the end, we will all be rewarded according to how well we used the blessings, gifts, and talents which He gave us. (Matthew 25:21 and 25:23)  Hopefully, one day we will all hear Him say to us, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

 

 

DARKEST JUST BEFORE DAWN

PROCLAMATION

“And there was no bread in all the land; for the famine was very sore, so that the land of Egypt and all the land of Canaan fainted by reason of the famine.”  Genesis 47:13 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After his brothers told their father Israel all that had transpired when they were in Egypt, he agreed to accompany them and leave Canaan. (Genesis 45:24-28)  Along the journey Israel had a vision.  The Lord God spoke to him (Genesis 46:1-5) and from that time forward he became a man of faith.  When they arrived in Egypt, Joseph went to the Pharaoh and told him that they were in the land of Goshen. (Genesis 47:1)  He took five of his brothers with him and the Pharaoh asked them, “What is your occupation?”  When he learned that they were shepherds, he told Joseph to put them over his flocks. (Genesis 47:2-6)  The famine continued in Egypt and Canaan and the land wasted away.  The people gave all of their money to Joseph to buy grain.  The next year they traded all of their flocks and herds to Joseph for grain.  The following year the people traded all of their land to Joseph for the Pharaoh in order to buy grain because the famine was so severe. (Genesis 47:20)  Joseph reduced all of the people, except for the priests, to servitude.  He gave them seed to plant but required one fifth of all of the crops they produced belonged to the Pharaoh. (Genesis 47:21-24)  The Israelites stayed in Goshen for seventeen years.  When Jacob was a hundred and forty-seven years old, he made Joseph swear not to bury him in Egypt but bury him with his fathers. (Genesis 47:27-31) 

 

APPLICATION

Even during the seven years of bad times and famine, Joseph obeyed God, and God was with him.  The Lord God did not promise believers that there would not be any bad times or storms in our lives.  What He said was that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  He has to power to calm the storms, (Mark 4:39) but He did not say that He would calm all of our storms.  What He said was that He be with through the storms and always, even to the end of the earth. (Matthew 28:20)  So, no matter how dark it gets, it’s always darkest just before the dawn and joy is coming in the morning. (Psalm 30:5)  Keep the faith and praise The Lord.

 

FEAR NOT GOD IS WITH US

PROCLAMATION

“And Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beer-sheba, and offered sacrifices unto The God of his father Isaac.  And God spake unto Israel in the visions of the night, and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’  And he said, ‘Here am I.’  And He said, ‘I am God, The God of thy father; fear not to go down into Egypt; for I will there make of thee a great nation; I will go down with thee into Egypt; and I will also surely bring thee up again; and Joseph shall put his hand upon thine eyes.’ ”  Genesis 46:1-4 (KJV)

 

EXPLANATION

These are the words of God which were revealed to and written by Moses under the influence of The Holy Spirit of God.  After Joseph had convinced his brothers who he was and had spent some time with them, Pharaoh found out that Joseph’s brothers were in Egypt and he told them to go back to Canaan and get their father and their families and bring them to Egypt. (Genesis 45:16-20)  When they got home and told this to their father, Isaac, he agreed to travel to Egypt to see his son Joseph. (Genesis 45:28)  While traveling to Egypt, The Lord God spoke to Israel in a vision and told him not to be afraid regarding this journey because He would be with him.  Israel continued on the journey but now he was walking by faith.

 

APPLICATION

Traveling on a long journey, or to a foreign land, or even on certain streets within the city may cause us some concern.  However, The God that we serve is already wherever it is that we are going, and He will also be with us as we travel to get there.  He said in His Word that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)  The Lord God is omnipresent; He is everywhere all at the same time. (Psalm 139:7-8)  He is also omnipotent; He has all power in heaven and in earth, and everything is under His control. (Matthew 28:18)  He has said, “fear not, for I am with you.” (Isaiah 41:10)  If The Lord God is telling us to go to some place, then we have no reason to be afraid.  We just need to stay close to God and pray about everything. (Proverbs 3:6, Matthew 21:22, and Luke 18:1)