One Year Bible, January 27

EXODUS 4:1-5:21
Who would pick up a poisonous adder by the tail? NOT ME! That was Moses' introduction to the miraculous power that was to accompany his assignment from God. Because he was still afraid, God let him take Aaron with him. So, here we have two old men: Moses is 80 and Aaron is 83 years old, with nothing but a stick (rod) between them. No wonder they were worried that the Israelites wouldn't believe them.

God declared Israel as a nation to be His firstborn son, and when Pharaoh refused to release Israel, God said he'd kill Egypt's firstborn sons. And Pharaoh (remember this is a new Pharaoh - Moses' adopted family are apparently all dead) - his reply was, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey Him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go." God KNEW Pharaoh would refuse, and He had told Moses and Aaron that before they even asked. In fact, God is the one who hardened Pharaoh's heart against the Israelites to say "no!"

Pharaoh was so ticked off with the request that he "punished" Moses and Aaron by making the slaves' work even harder, beating their crew bosses, and then calling them "lazy". So now the Israelites hated Moses and Aaron because their request only made things worse.  Pharaoh and the Egyptians already hated Moses and Aaron.  It's a good thing that Moses spoke to God face-to-face, because it must have been tempting to just give up. Nobody believed in them anymore.

RESPONSE:   When God asks me to do something, I am the one who must make all the adjustments, not God. But if God and I are the only ones who think I should do it, I'll admit that would be difficult.

And instead of trying to kill Moses in the desert, why not just tell him that he "forgot" to circumcise the males?  Moses now has nothing but Aaron and that "rod of God". When we have nothing left but God - that's enough! Yes! He is all I need! If everyone turns against me, God is still enough! He is faithful to do what He has said. "In for a dime, in for a dollar" - let's not take baby steps anymore! Just do it!

MATTHEW 18:1-22
The Kingdom of God surely contrasts with the Kingdom of Man. The Kingdom of Man exalts wealth, talent, success, beauty, and anything else that exalts MAN. The Kingdom of God exalts "little children". The Kingdom of God is never possessed by the haughty or proud. There should be a certain naiveté about God's people. We are to be "wise about what is good, and innocent about what is evil." (Rom16:19) Or, as it says in another place "wise and harmless" (Mat 16:10). But "offenses" come. That word is "TRAPS" That's what we need the wisdom for. If your hand or eye is caught in a trip, gnaw it off! (get rid of the trap and the lust in you, that got caught)

When is it okay to tell someone that they "offended" you?  ESPECIALLY when Jesus follows this discourse with a long discussion about FORGIVENESS.  Not just once, but 70 x 7!  The word "trespass" is actually the word "sin".  If a "brother" sins again you.....someone from the Church, a fellow-Christian, then don't spread it around, "Do not hate your brother in your heart. Rebuke your neighbor frankly so you will not share in his guilt. Do not seek revenge or bear a grudge against one of your people, but love your neighbor as yourself. I am the LORD."  (Lev 19:17-18)  If your "brother" has "sinned against you" - caused you real harm, and you are not seeking revenge or some sort of personal satisfaction, go ahead and tell them.  Just be sure you have your facts straight and you have a witness if you need it.  Be sure it is SIN, and not just your touchiness or your inability to forgive. 

Let me add this:  "He that covereth a transgression seeketh love; but he that repeateth a matter separateth close friends. " (Prov 17:9)  "The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression."  (Prov 19:11)  You NEVER read of Jesus defending Himself or taking personal offense.  He laid that down when He came to earth as a "dead man" - which is what you became when you were born again.  Remember: you "lost" your life, in order to gain His.  I will cover Mat 18:21-22 with the rest of that section on "forgiveness". 

RESPONSE:   Children aren't haughty (for the most part) and so are teachable and soft-hearted. And God's got their back! (their angels are watching). If I see myself as inexperienced and innocent when it comes to evil, I lose my "edge" - which is what I think God wants. My real "edge" comes with knowing God and living in His wisdom.  I can be content with that.  Even happy.  I don't HAVE to be in bondage in order to minister to someone in bondage. Not even in ex-bondage!

PSALM 22:19-31
Even though earlier in the Psalm, the writer declared himself to be a "worm and no man", and considered himself a really, really lost cause, look at what he calls himself in verse 20. "My precious life" is actually "my Darling" in the original language. I must insist that you know that, because that's me! Yes! God calls me "His darling"! I'll bet He calls you that, too, but you just haven't heard Him yet.  Being saved from the "horns of the wild oxen" isn't NEARLY as good as the KJV - "horns of the unicorn."

A testimony to God's GOODNESS:  God does not "despise" (scorn) the afflicted. He does not look at us in disgust when we get ourselves into trouble. But when we cry out to Him, He hears us. In fact, the "needy shall eat and be satisfied." We can eat because we KNOW we need help. We KNOW we don't have it all together and are needy.

A testimony to God's GREATNESS: The word "dominion" is an unfortunate translation, since the word is actually "kingdom." "All the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee." The rich, the needy. All the holy seed counted as God's generation: those "in Christ" - the holy nation, royal priesthood. God has done it all. "IT IS FINISHED!!!"

PROVERBS 5:15-21
GOD IS WATCHING YOU. "Drink from your own cistern". That's a nice way of telling you not to "sleep around", but stay home with your wife.

To carry on with the figurative language:  God is my Source. If I am sad or lonely or frustrated and unhappy, I need only to go Him, not 100 other things. No person is obligated to make me happy. Only Jesus is enough to produce true happiness.  The rest are substitutes and won't last.

RESPONSE:   As we meditate on God's GOODNESS and GREATNESS, we reassure our hearts that God loves us, God has a plan, I am part of God's plan. No matter what things may look like, I am God's darling. He has done all it takes for me to overcome whatever I face. When I don't insist on my own way, don't defend myself, and don't complain, I HAVE OVERCOME! I am part of His family - His Seed. I can't be killed because my heart lives forever! He said so.