One Year Bible, January 31

EXODUS 12:14-13:16
Hebrews 11:28 says, "By faith he (Moses) kept the Passover and the sprinkling of blood, so that the destroyer of the firstborn would not touch the firstborn of Israel." The blood of the Passover Lamb (John 1:29, 1 Co 5:7) broke the power of death, provided they stayed behind the blood-stained door.

At midnight, the Destroyer killed the firstborn of EVERY Egyptian. (See Num 33:4) After their Passover meal, eaten "in haste", the Israelites and "mixed multitudes" that accompanied them, left Egypt, stopping that night at Succoth, where they got Joseph's body out of the tomb to take with them to Canaan. This is a picture of Jesus coming out of Joseph's tomb, (of Arimathaea Matt 27:57-60)

"Leaven" is a type of inherent power - here it is the power of sin to permeate everything about us. Three times Jesus said to "beware the leaven of ...." in reference to legalism and tradition, worldliness and sin, and humanism or man-centeredness. All three will take over and change us with their influence. Thus, Passover is also known as "the Feast of Unleavened Bread."

Israel was adopted by God as the nation of Jehovah (Ex 6:6-7). But for this, a divine consecration was necessary, that their outward cutting off from the land of Egypt might be accompanied by an inward cutting away from everything of an Egyptian or worldly nature. This consecration was by the Passover.  And because they had no altars, the blood was applied to their homes, which became their altars.

That very same night, Pharaoh sent for Moses and Aaron and DEMANDED that they take everything and leave! Exo 12:36 says they did just that - "they plundered the Egyptians" (430 years of back-wages). And they hurried so fast that took their biscuit bowls with them with the dough still inside!

When the Israelites first arrived in Egypt, there were 70 of them in Jacob's caravan. When they left, there were 600,000 men, plus women and children. The only ones actually numbered are those old enough to fight, over 20 years old, so the total number of people was about 2 million! . And the Bible says they went out in "divisions" or, like an army, organized by divisions for war.

RESPONSE:   I must confess I've never thought of sin as being like leaven, in that it has built into it the power to permeate my whole person. It is no longer just an act, but it becomes a decision to rebel. I will take sin a lot more seriously. I repent, God. Tell me what You want me to do.

MATTHEW 20:29-21:22
For Matthew 20:29-34 see yesterday's post. 

How many donkeys did Jesus ride into Jerusalem? Zech 9:9 which He fulfilled that day says two: the mother and her colt. Mark and Luke further define the colt as "one on which no one had ever sat (unbroken)". Chances are, He could have sat on the mother with His feet propped up on the colt beside her, since Matthew says He sat on "them". It was not unusual for kings to ride into towns on donkeys, as Solomon did before Him (1Ki 1:33). Jesus was the last King crowned in Jerusalem!

All of Matthew 21 is about one thing: acknowledgement and worship of Jesus. The crowds received Him as king and worshipped Him. He got to the Temple, which was supposed to be holy, and found it profaned - rendered secular. The Temple should have been used for worship like the "children and infants" did. The Temple was in the same condition as the fig tree, which was leaves but no fruit. A hypocrite. It LOOKED good, but was empty - no worship or praise. Our faith must NEVER be like that - leaves but no fruit. So let's believe and not doubt because "faith without works is dead"  as withered as that fig tree.

RESPONSE:   Sometimes I think I'm that colt - untamed and wild. When You called me, You climbed onto a frightened, bucking, wild thing. Like a donkey, I was stupid and stubborn.  Thank You for insisting on being my King.

I don't want to be all leaves with no fruit either. Let worship and thanks and praise always be coming from my mouth. I will be as exuberant as a little child. As a matter of fact, one of my granddaughters thinks I'm fun because I sing in the car and dance in the kitchen!

PSALM 25:16-22
A Psalm of deliverance - from our personal troubles. My troubles should always drive me straight to God. Here, "troubles" and "distress" are "tight places" - backed into a corner with no way out. I am in my tight spot because of sin, so the first thing I want Him to do is to forgive me. "Rescue me and don't let me be put to shame!" Make a way of escape, where I see no way.

PROVERBS 6:12-15
"A scoundrel and a villain" - the KJV says "A naughty person, a wicked man". The original language also says, "son of Belial" , which meant deceitful and worthless. This is the portrait of the man who is not to be trusted, whose look and gestures give him away. His speech is crafty; his wink says that the victim is already snared; his gestures with feet and hands are half in deceit, and half in mockery as he plots and schemes. WITHOUT WARNING, he will be destroyed with no means of recovery.

RESPONSE:  Sin does tend to corner us, doesn't it? I would LOVE to be delivered without any shame involved, but it just doesn't happen for me. I think it really means that we won't be left to stew in our mess - but God will help us to get out of it, with or without embarrassment to us. We just don't have to be ashamed in from of HIM - because He is our Father and will even take away the guilt. Isn't that wonderful? He is truly Fabulous!