Jesse Tree: Passover Lamb (December 9, 2014)

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I have yet to write the children's version of this story, though it can be found in Exodus, chapters 12:1 to 14:3. But for you, set aside this time to consider the Passover, a sacrifice and feast that would be celebrated each year. A remembrance of all that had come to pass. As the Israelites consumed the meal it signified even more than they knew. It prophesied of another lamb that would give up its life for our freedom and mark the doors of our hearts for God.

Day 9:  Israelites Saved (Exodus 12:1 – 14:3)

Yesterday we read that the Egyptians believed the goddess Isis could cure the sick and bring the dead back to life, but on the night of the 10th plague every first born son in the land of Egypt died and she could not interfere.  God's righteous judgment had come upon Egypt.  No other sign could have turned their hearts to him, but now they knew that YAHWEH is the One True God.

You may be wondering what happened to the Israelites?
Did their sons face the same fate?

We will need to go back a little, to when God sent Moses to warn Pharaoh of this one final plague with which he would judge the Egyptians and all in the land, revealing once and for all his justice and mercy.

Moses stood before Pharaoh.

This is what YAHWEH says:  At midnight I will go throughout Egypt and death will come to every first born son in Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh to the firstborn son of the female slave, even the firstborn of the cattle will not be spared.   There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt--worse than there ever has been or ever will be again.  But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.  Then you will know that YAHWEH makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.  Your officials will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, "GO, you and and all the people who follow you!" And when they do, I will leave.  

Moses left Pharaoh, and oh, he was so angry!  Pharaoh had refused to obey YAHWEH nine times and he would receive no more chances.  He had been warned.  God planned to kill every firstborn son in Egypt, and only after that would Pharaoh be convinced - so convinced that he would force them to leave - he would drive them out of the land completely!

Then YAWHEH told Moses and the Israelites to ask their Egyptian neighbors for things made from gold and silver, and you know what?  The Egyptian magicians and people had come to have such respect for YAHWEH, and Moses, and God's people that they DID give them their gold and silver things!  Has the heart of Egypt changed? Even while the heart of Pharaoh is rock hard?
 

But YAHWEH had reminded Moses that all along, while it looked like Pharaoh was in control, refusing to let them go, that it was all a part of God's plan to save the Israelites from slavery.  It was a part of his plan to defeat the false gods of Egypt and reveal himself as the One True God.  It was part of his plan to make his name known - yes to Moses, to Israel, but also to the Egyptians, and to Pharaoh.  No one in the land would have any doubt that he is YAHWEH, the One True God.  It was YAHWEH who had hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he could do all these wonderful things!  God is always in control, even when things seem like they're going wrong!

God planned for them to remember what would happen next FOREVER.  He told Moses about a new Feast they were to share each year in the month of Nisan.  The Passover.

This month, Nisan, will become the first month of the year.  It will be your new year.  Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a male lamb for his family, one for each household.  Make sure that it is just enough to feed your household.  No more.  The lamb should be a pure and spotless lamb without defect, and it must be a year old.  

God went on to tell them his plan, and what this lamb had to do with it.  

Take the lamb into your household and care for it for fourteen days.

Can you imagine it?  Living with a cute, little, fluffy, sweet, innocent lamb?  It just might make a good pet!  But God wasn't finished yet.  This arrangement couldn't go on forever.

He continued...

After you have cared for your lamb for fourteen days, on the fourteenth day all the members of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.  You must kill your lamb.  It is part of my plan to save you!

What God would say next was VERY important.
For the Israelites it would mean the difference between life and death.

Once you have killed the lamb, here is what you must do: take some of the blood and put it on the sidese and tops of the doorframes of your houses.  You must eat the lamb - the whole lamb, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast.  Do not leave any of it till morning; if any of it is left over, you must burn it.  You must eat it quickly, with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals already on your feet and your staff in your hand.  This is YAHWEH's Passover.

On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of both people and animals.  I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt.  I... AM... YAHWEH.

The Israelites bowed down and worshipped him. 

They ate the meal ready to run - fully dressed, sandals on, and walking stick in hand.  They were to eat it quickly because the Angel of Death was coming.  If they opened the door at night, the Angel of Death wouldn't pass over their house.  It would come inside.  But if they were shut inside as God commanded, the blood of the lamb would protect them.  God was finally going to finish his work, judging Egypt and all their false gods, but if the Israelites failed to obey they would be judged right along with the Egyptians! 

They obeyed him.  Every word.  And it happened just as YAHWEH had said.

The meal they shared that day, the Passover Meal, would be shared each year.  A remembrance of all that had come to pass.  A celebration that would mean even more than they realized, as it prophesied another lamb that would give up its life for their freedom and mark the doors of their hearts as belonging to God. 

We are awaiting the birth of this little lamb.  Jesus Christ, our Savior!

He came into the world as a babe.  He grew in wisdom and stature and in favor with God and man.  And John, when he saw Jesus coming his way cried out, "Behold!  The Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!" 

One year, as the Passover approached, the chief priests and teachers of the law were looking for some way to get rid of Jesus.  They hated him, and wanted him gone.  There was a spiritual battle going on.  The devil was about his plan to get rid of Jesus, and his demons were busily trying to bring about this evil plan.  Then, Satan entered Judas, called Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples.  

Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard and they talked about how Judas might betray Jesus.  They were more than happy to pay him if he would, and Judas agreed.  He watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when there weren't too many people around.  

Then came the day the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed.  The day they would remember how the lamb died to save them from bondage.

On this night Jesus shared the meal with his disciples.  Perhaps it looked something like the Seder meal that Jews share for Passover.  Perhaps it went something like this:

Jesus stood up and spoke to his disciples.  Today is the 14th day of Nisan.  The Passover.  Tonight, the Passover Lamb is sacrificed and we remember how the lamb died so our firstborn sons wouldn't have to.  The blood of the lamb saved them from death!

All people have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.  And the penalty for sin is death!  All people deserve to die!  Examine your heart and confess any sin in your life now - and you will be saved.  Pray with me.  

YAHWEH, Father, your people have sinned before you.  Please forgive them.  Renew your people so that we can live a holy life for you.  Amen.

My dear friends, I have been eagerly waiting to eat this Passover Meal with you before I suffer.  I will not get to eat another Passover meal with you again until the feast is fulfilled at the end of time!

Jesus lit a candle.

My friends, this candle represents the Law - the true law - that is written in the Bible.  Follow all of God's laws!

He lit a second.

This candle represents the prophets who spoke the truth of God to us, even when it was hard for us to hear.  Always speak the truth as they did.

I am the Light of the World - I am the Word of Truth that brings light to the world.  I fulfill all that was written in the Law of Moses, in the Prophets, and in the Psalms.  I will bring to light the fullness of what the Bible means!  Remember the word of God! 

Jesus filled a cup with wine. 

Each Passover we fill our cup four times.  The cup reminds us of the four reasons that YAHWEH saved the Israelites from slavery.  

YAHWEH saved the Israelites to save us from hardship.  YAWHEH freed us from being slaves.  YAWHEH judged the gods of Egypt with his power.  YAHWEH is our God, and he chose us to be his own people.

Now, I will do all this for you.

I will save you from the hardship that sin has brought upon you and the world.

I will free you from your bondage to sin.

I will take the wrath and judgement of God that you deserve onto myself.

I will take you to be my own as I go to prepare a place for you, so that you can be with me one day in heaven.

Jesus held up the cup.

Baruch atah Adonai...  Blessed be the Lord.

This cup is the new covenant in my blood.  Do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.

And they drank.

He took the bread in his hands.

We have removed all the yeast from our houses and today we eat unleavened bread.  It reminds us that our people had to escape quickly when Pharaoh demanded that they leave.  There was not time to let yeast work its way through the whole batch of dough.  Not time to let it rise.

Sin is like yeast that spreads through the whole lump of dough.

I am the Bread of Life, and like this bread I have no yeast in me - I have never sinned.  I will break this bread because my body will be broken so that you may be whole.

Raising up the bread, Jesus prayed.

Baruch atah adonai...  Blessed be the Lord.

This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.

He broke the break, and each took some.

For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.  But make sure that before you eat this bread that you've gotten rid of the yeast in your life.  If anyone eats this bread or drinks this cup while they still, knowingly harbour sin inside, will be guilty of sinning gainst my body and my blood.  

They choked down the lump of bread.

Jesus continued...

This roasted lamb bone represents the innocent lamb who died at the first Passover to save them from sin and from death. I am the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the whole world!  Soon you will understand!

This horseradish is bitter to bring tears to our eyes, reminding us of how our people felt as slaves.  It also reminds us that we have been slaves to sin.  And we cry for the people we know who are still slaves to sin.  I have come to free you from that slavery.

Celery, green to remind us of spring.  A time of new life and new hope!  If you follow me you will become a new creation - I will give YOU new life!

And this bitter lettuce.  It reminds us of how sad it was that the innocent perfect lamb gave its life to save the firstborn son.  I will give up my life like that lamb.  I will suffer and die for you, to save your life.  For me it will be bitter and painful, but I love you, and I will do this for you.

They finished the meal with a sweetend mixture of apples, nuts, and spices.  

Brown, like the mortor the Israelites used to hold the bricks together, but it reminds us of how sweet it is that we are not slaves anymore!  I want to offer you the sweetness of freedom.  God has heard your cry, and he has sent me to save you!

Jesus hung his head.

Someone here has betrayed me.  Judas.  The time has come for me to die.

Perhaps it happened this way.  Or perhaps the disciples were left with the mystery of what all this meant, and his disciples would learn to piece it all together in his word, the Bible, only later.  But Jesus left us with a new feast to celebrate.  A new Passover Meal that is his body and blood.  The renewed covenant that calls us to live without sin!

"...For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.  Therefore let us keep the Festival, not with the old bread leavened with malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1 Corinthians 5:7, 8)

It was on this basis that Christians were "not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the people of this world who are immoral, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters.  In that case you would have to leave this world."  But Paul wrote that "you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister but is sexualluy immoral or greedy, an idolater or slanderer, a drunkard or swindler."  As Paul writes this he is dealing with an issue of incest in the church - that even the pagans do not tolerate!  While God judges those outside the church, Paul reminds us that we are to judge those inside, expelling the wicked person from among us so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord.  

...We have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess.  For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weakness, but we have one who has been temped in every way, just as we are--yet he did not sin.  Let us then approach God's throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need. (Hebrews 4:14-16)

 This baby that we await is the Son of God who came to become a lamb,  a male lamb, a pure and spotless lamb, slaughtered in our place, whose blood stained the cross and now covers the door of our heart and frees us from the bondage of sin and death.

We have lived in a foreign land, far from him for so long.  We honor him with our lips but our hearts can be far from him.  We fall for human rules and forsake God's commands.  It can be hard to remember him.  Hard to remember his love.  His strength.  His overwhelming power.  His goodness.  Sometimes we forget the hope of freedom, and yet he never does.  It is ever on his mind.  Ever in his plan.  We wait for Christ to walk us out of this foreign land, so different from the one God formed, into the promised land of freedom, healing, salvation.  

Pray together:  

Lord God, when you come I will go with you!  I wait for you.  I hope in you.  I am yours.

Sing together:

Come Thou Long Expected Jesus (Maranatha Celtic)


Noel (Chris Tomlin)

Give me Jesus (Her Heart Sings Project)




 

Jesse Tree: Ten Commandments (December 10)

Day 10: Giving of the Law (Exodus 19:1-20:20)

Ten divine expectations.  That’s all!  And really, are they so much to ask?

Four commands show us how to relate to God so that we might love him with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength.  Six more keep and protect our relationships with others.

These are the Ten Commandments…

One God.  No false ones.

The Israelites were first and foremost commanded to worship the One True God alone.  Surrounded by so many false gods this could prove difficult, but standing in the thundering presence of YAHWEH, after 10 plagues devastated false god after false god, it only made sense to tremble at HIS feet forever.  Was it too much to ask of them?  Is it too much to ask of us?  No false gods?  No graven images?  No mute gold animals?  No trusting in power, or money, or placing personal freedom and choice above commitment to God and his laws for creation? 

Respect for YAHWEH’s name.

Was it too much to ask that they represent YAHWEH’s name in a way that reflects his truth and glory, and didn’t twist it to their own ends?   To use it in a way that didn’t use his name with emptiness, falsehood, or worthlessness, but called upon his name with deep reverence and intimacy. 

 “Oh YAHWEH, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” (Psalm 9). 

It was in his name that Moses went to Pharaoh, to represent him before this foreign nation.  But what if one claimed to represent YAHWEH, and spoke in his name, but was actually speaking his own thoughts, and what he wanted?  What if someone threw his name around carelessly?  Without reverence?

Today most people don’t call on the name of our God.  You may not have heard his name, YAHWEH, before.  Many years ago, for fear of misusing the name of YAHWEH people stopped calling on his name.  We see this fear reflected in our Bible translations, where God’s personal name, YAHWEH, is translated instead with the words “The LORD.”  I wonder if we haven’t missed the point of this command, which is to represent him, spread his glory with truth and reverence for who he is!  But God is clear about this.  Those who misrepresent his name (and I think those of us who avoid the use of his name are not off the hook), would do well to heed the warning:  He “will not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name.”  They WILL be found guilty.

Keep the Sabbath day holy.

The Israelites were commanded to keep the Sabbath day holy.  The author of Hebrews reminds us that “from the beginning humans were to rest on the Sabbath day…  The seventh day is made holy [set apart] – the first thing of God’s creation to be made so.” (2) 

“Six days you shall labor and do all your work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a sabbath to YAHWEH your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. ¹¹ Here is the reason:  For in six days YAHWEH made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore YAHWEH blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.” (Exodus 20:8-11)

As God walked his people across dry land, and defeated all their enemies, he gave even more meaning to the Sabbath day.  New meaning that Moses would remind them of as they prepared to enter the land that was promised first to Abraham and his family – to them!  The Sabbath was to be a string around their finger, rousing the memory of God’s redemptive work.  God told them:  “Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that YAHWEH your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore YAHWEH your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.” 

At the center of its observance: creation and redemption, as they relaxed into the mighty arms of their God and could think of nothing more satisfying.

With the fifth command God moved from laws meant to define and protect one’s relationship with God to defining and protecting one’s relationship with others.  How we care for others is one of the ways we honor God!

Honor Parents.

Honor thy father and mother is a command to all, regardless of one’s age.  The first and most basic relationship that one encounters in life is that of parent and child.  Indeed, we already experience this relationship in the womb, cuddled inside mom, hearing the comforting voice of daddy for the first time. 

The honor one owes to God and the honor we are to show our parents are similar.  God promises us that if we honor our parents “it may go well with you in the land YAHWEH your God is giving you.”  That we “may enjoy long life on the earth!” (Eph 6:1). ₍₃₎

This command is at the top of the list of commands for how people should treat each other, in a similar way to how honoring God alone sits at the top of lists regulating how we should treat God.  In this command God is showing us that his design for the family is most important, and is needed to keep all other human relationships healthy. 

Throughout life, such honor takes on variations in flavor, but it is honor nevertheless.  As a child it means obedience.  God also wants us to show respect to elders and value them.  Baby Jesus grew to gives us this example of how he loved Mary, HIS mother. 

Mary birthed Jesus, she held in her arms the Savior, and Jesus grew up treasuring her, obeying her, honoring her with his every breath.  Even his last breath.  Hanging from the cross, as the Soldiers divided his clothes among themselves, Jesus looked upon his mother and felt great concern for her.  Who would take care of her when he was gone? 

John, whom he knew and loved, was also standing nearby, and he said to his mother ‘Take John to be your son.’  And to John he said, ‘She will be your mother now.’  And from that time on John cared for her as if she were his own mother. 

Do not murder. 

Then we come to “Do not murder.”  This one seems like a piece of cake.  Really, do we need to mention it?  Who doesn’t know that it’s wrong to murder another human being?  You might chuckle if I were to ask you “Have you murdered anyone today?”  It seems a pretty ridiculous idea!  And yet there is a trend in the world today to think some people are worth less than others.  Some people think it is okay to kill children, as long as they are still in their mother’s tummy.  Some people think it is okay to kill old people or sick people.    But who are we to decide who has the right to live or die?  God, as creator of life, rightly has that place.  We do not.  The God of life and death commands that we leave this in his hands.

No adultery.

Do not commit adultery.  This means we are to search for only one person to marry and offer them the covenant commitment that God offers us!  It is a call to reflect God’s glory by imaging him in our male-female relationships, and by filling the earth with his image as together we bring to life more children that are made in the Image of God, and by raising our children to be like him. 

Do not steal. 

This really is a simple one.  If its not yours – if it doesn’t belong to you – don’t take it. 

Do not lie. 

Don’t represent others in a dishonest way to make yourself seem better than you are, or to bring about your selfish desires.  Be a witness to truth.  I find most people are okay with a white lie to save face.  There are times when people tell little lies because they want something to happen.  They may be convinced that what they believe should happen needs to happen, no matter the cost.  So long as “God’s will” comes about in the end, they may think its okay to misrpresent the trutgh.  Anytime we say something that isn’t fully true it is a lie and it breaks God’s commandments.  Sometimes, remaining silent, when God wants us to speak, misrepresents the truth, too.  How can you speak truth in all you say and do?

No being jealous. 

Do not covet – you’re neighbor’s house or wife… and how guilty are we in this current day and age of coveting?  It’s hard to see another person with something we want.  We may think that we deserve it more than them.  But God calls us to be thankful for what we have.  When we remember that we deserve nothing (we are all law breakers) we can begin to see that everything we have is a blessing from God, and we have more than we deserve. 

What a wonderful challenge for this season!  Ten simple rules.  Not too much to ask.  But God knows our hearts.  Since Eden sin's infectious desires pump through our hearts, through our veins, infecting us body and soul.  And if we break even one of the commandments, even once, we are a law-breaker. 

 “For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it.” (James 2:10)

God knows that we have, that we will, fail to keep them.  Still he gave them to us.  Why? 

The law was not given to be a burden, but a gift!  Undiluted holiness that opens our eyes to our desperation for the birth of our Savior.  We need him!  We need the law-keeper to come, live, grow, love, and then to die to cleanse us from our sins. 

Let’s not forget these two greatest commandments.

They sum up the law and the prophets.  

LOVE GOD.   
You shall love YAHWEH your God with all your heart and soul and mind and strength. 

And LOVE OTHERS.   
Love your neighbor as yourself. 

When we meet Christ, let’s watch him expectantly, that we might learn his ways and walk in them. 

We must remember Jesus when he encountered the woman caught breaking number 7.  She had called the curse of death upon herself, but who of us can throw stones from a heart of innocence?

She had broken the law.  She was guilty.  But Jesus recognized that she was not the only one, and if they, any of them repented, forgiveness was waiting.  It waits for us, too.  We, too, can choose to go and sin no more, because our Savior is coming.  To show us the way.  To be the way.

Prayer: 

YAHWEH, may your law bring us to Christ.  If there is only law what hope have we?  But you are coming and we wait in faith for you - OUR HOPE -  to come and save us!

The heavens declare the glory of God;  the skies proclaim the work of his hands.
Day after day they pour forth speech;  night after night they reveal knowledge.
They have no speech, they use no words;  no sound is heard from them. 
Yet their voice goes out into all the earth; their words to the ends of the world.
In the heavens God has pitched a tent for the sun.
It is like a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, like a champion rejoicing to run his course.
It rises at one end of the heavens and makes its circuit to the other; nothing is deprived of its warmth.

The law of YAHWEH is perfect, refreshing the soul.
The statutes of YAHWEH are trustworthy, making wise the simple.
The precepts of YAHWEH are right, giving joy to the heart.
The commands of YAHWEH are radiant, giving light to the eyes.
The fear of YAHWEH is pure, enduring forever.
The decrees of YAHWEH are firm, and all of them are righteous.

They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold;
They are sweeter than honey, than honey from the honeycomb.
By them your servant is warned; in keeping them there is great reward.
But who can discern their own errors? Forgive my hidden faults.
Keep your servant also from willful sins; may they not rule over me.
Then I will be blameless, innocent of great transgression.

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight,
YAHWEH, my Rock and my Redeemer. (Psalm 19)

Sing Together:
Psalm 19 (Tune: The Ash Grove) (Seedbed Psalter)
Psalm 19 (Jason Silver)
Psalm 119 Playlist (Jason Silver)
 Take My Life (youtube)

 NOTES:

(1)    http://www.gospelproject.com/2014/06/honor-father-mother/

(2)    New Testament Commentary on the Old Testament (p. 957)

(3)    New Testament Commentary on the Old Testament (p. 829)

Jesse Tree: Moses (December 8)

Day 8:  Moses (Exodus 2:1-4:20)

The Egyptian Pharaoh came to know Joseph, and his respect for Joseph grew.  He trusted him.
The Israelites were thriving in Egypt. 
They were fruitful and increased in number. 

Time passed, the Pharaoh that knew and loved Joseph died and a new pharaoh, who knew not (and cared not) for Joseph’s family, came to power.  He began to feel threatened by the vast, blessed numbers of Joseph's family.  He came down hard on them, forcing them into slavery. 

It had been 400 years suffering under Pharaoh’s rule when the Israelites groaned in their slavery.

They cried out to God for help, and God, he heard their cry!  The time had come for YAHWEH to reveal his plan of salvation.  Up to this point Moses himself is unaware that God had rescued him as a baby for this just purpose – that one day he would save the people of God! 

Moses met YAHWEH in a bush that wouldn’t burn down.  God got his attention, drew him near, and spoke of his plan.

Oh how I have seen their misery. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering!   So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey…the land that I promised to Abraham long ago… the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. So now, go, Moses. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” 3:7-10

And YAHWEH gave Moses two signs – a staff turned snake, and a hand turned leprous – “so that they might believe that YAHWEH, the God of their fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has appeared to you.” (4:5)

But God had in his heart more than just his people. 

This story is usually told: 10 plagues - one brief plot and a God that saved his people from slavery …and that he absolutely did!  But if we slow down the action a little and illuminate the ancient context within which it’s set we begin to see that Moses’ task was also a missionary one! 

What the Israelites and the Egyptians alike don’t understand is that God is planning to wage war on all the false gods of Egypt, so they too can to know and love and worship YAHWEH, the ALLPOWERFUL One True God.  This was YAHWEH’s plan all along!  This was his plan long before the Israelites even became slaves in Egypt – before Joseph was sold by his brothers eventually bringing them there, before Jacob had his 12 sons, before Isaac’s near sacrifice…  We hear of God’s plan for the first time when God was speaking with Abraham.  Do you remember what God said to him? 

Know for certain that for four hundred years your family will be strangers in a country not their own and they will become slaves and suffer tremendously there.  After four hundred years of suffering I will punish the nation that enslaved them, and in the end they will come out with riches. I will do this when the sin of the Amorites reaches the point that I cannot wait any longer to punish them.

Here we are!  They’ve become a great nation, and the time has come for their freedom, but their freedom as a people is tied up in God’s heart for all people.  For God had also said to Abraham, “I will make you into a great nation and I will bless you… I will make your name great – everyone will know it one day, and you will become a blessing for the whole world. 

YAHWEH’s desire was that all of Egypt might know him, call on his name, and be saved – indeed, that all the earth might come to know him!  But this battle for their hearts would be hard won, for the Egyptians did not know that there was One True God – one God who was the creator of the universe, all-powerful over all of its elements. 

That’s why Pharaoh refused to obey the One True God.  “Who is YAHWEH, that I should obey him and let Israel go?” Pharaoh asked.  “I do not know him and I will not let Israel go.” (5:2)  And so Pharaoh made the lives of the Israelites that much harder to bear… instead of letting them go to worship their God.  It got worse, much worse, before it got better.  But it was all a part of God’s plan.   (6:6-8)

The Israelites didn’t understand what God was doing, and they complained and groaned.  Lets just say Moses wasn’t their favorite guy at the moment. 

But God offered them words of comfort:

"I am YAHWEH, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. ⁷ I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am YAHWEH your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. ⁸ And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am YAHWEH." (6:6-8)

God spoke to Moses about his plan, and about his desire that Egypt might come to know him too: 

“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 YAHWEH**** when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” (7:2-5)

Did you hear it?  In the midst of God's judgment?

It was God’s heart to save them, too.  But first, they would need to come to know him.  To understand his Creator nature.  His dominion over all.  These things would be difficult for them to come to know because the Egyptians believed there were thousands of gods, each with power over some aspect of nature.

They believed…

Hapi was the goddess of the Nile.  The Nile that brought life to all Egypt by watering the ground, making things grow, watering the animals, and offering life-giving water to the people there.  They believed Hapi helped people to be healthy and even to have babies.  Hapi was one of the most important gods to the Egyptian people.  One would expect such a goddess to have control over the waters, and so the first plague would be a big blow to her reputation.  It was YAHWEH who turned the Nile to blood, and Hapi could do nothing about it.  She was NOT a true god. Only YAHWEH, who created the water, truly has power over the Nile River.

A frog-god named Heket was the god of childbirth.  They loved this god so much that frog-murder was punishable by death!  But…  was Heket a true god?  One would expect him to be able to at least control the fertility of his own froggy kind, but it was YAHWEH who multiplied frogs so that they could not walk without squashing one underfoot.  Heket was powerless.  Heket is NOT a true God.  It is YAHWEH who created human beings (and all created life, for that matter) and told them to be fruitful and increase in number, and it is YAHWEH that has power over fertility.

Geb was god of the ground.  One would expect the god of the ground to be able to control the dust of the earth, but as YAHWEH turned the dust into gnats even Pharaoh’s magicians recognized “This is the finger of God.”  But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as YAHWEH had said.  YAHWEH has shown that Geb does not have power over the ground.  Only YAHWEH who created the land has that power!  Geb is NOT a true god.

Kephri was a dung beetle god.  The dung beetle is an insect that rolls poop along the ground, and as it does, it keeps the flies from reproducing too much.  The Egyptians believed that, just as the dung beetle rolls poop along the ground, that KEPHRI rolled the sun across the sky each day.  But can Kephri keep keep the flies from multiplying?  As YAHWEH poured out dense swarms of flies into Pharaoh’s palace and into the house of his officials, even throughout the whole land of Egypt, ruining the land, Kephri was powerless.  Only YAHWEH, who created everything, has ultimate power over the flies!  Kepnri is NOT a true god.   

Hathor, a cow god, was the goddess of love and protection.  But could she protect the animals?  Or at least HER own kind?  As YAHWEH poured out his judgment on Egypt once more, all the livestock of the Egyptians died… but not one belonging to the Israelites passed away.  Hathor couldn’t even keep the cows safe!  Only YAHWEH, who created the animals, has ultimate power over life and death!  Hathor is NOT a true God.

Thoth was the god of healing.  But could Thoth protect the health of the Egyptians?  As YAHWEH took the soot and turned it into boils on Egyptian skin – human and animal alike – Thoth, who they believed created medicine, couldn’t heal their boils let alone prevent them.  Only YAHWEH, who created the humans and their bodies, has ultimate power over health!  Thoth is NOT a true god.

Set was the god of storms.  Yes, one would expect him to have power over such things.  But as YAWHEH sent the worst hailstorm that ever fell on Egypt, Set was nowhere to be seen.  Some of Pharaoh’s officials, who had come to fear the word of YAHWEH, hurried to bring their slaves and livestock inside at God’s warning and were saved, but the devastation of this plague brought Pharaoh to his knees, confessing: “This time I have sinned…  YAHWEH is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong," and he asked Moses to pray to YAHWEH on his behalf.  

Pharaoh’s heart hardened again once the suffering was lifted, but Set’s  
                                                               reputation had been destroyed in the storm.  Set is NOT a true God.  Only 
                                                               YAHWEH, who created the heavens and the earth, has divine power over 
                                                               the elements.

Osiris was the god who protected the crops and helped them to grow.  But YAHWEH sent locusts, and they devoured what little was left after the devastation of the previous plague.  Again, Pharaoh cried out, “I have sinned against YAHWEH your God and against you.  Now forgive my sin once more and pray to YAHWEH your God to take this deadly plague away from me. 

When YAHWEH relented Pharaohs heart hardened again, but it was clear.  Osiris could not protect the plants.  Osiris is not a true God.

Nut was the sky god.  But she was powerless as YAHWEH spread darkness over Egypt.  No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet YAHWEH lit the places where the Israelites lived!  Nut was powerless to stop him because only YAHWEH who created the sky and light and darkness has power over these things!  Nut is NOT a true God.

Isis, as mourner, “she was a principal deity in rites connected with the dead; as magical healer, she cured the sick and brought the deceased to life; and as mother, she was a role model for all women.”(1)  But as YAHWEH went out among the Egyptians every first born son in the land of Egypt died, proving Isis to be powerless, and bringing Pharoah to his knees as he begged the Israelites to leave, and leave they did… with great treasures.  Isis is NOT a true God.  Only the God who breathed life into humanity has ultimate power over life and death.

YAHWEH is the One True God.

There were many in Egypt who never believed.  Even Pharaoh, who came to recognize YAHWEH’s power, was never willing to bow to him, forsaking all others.  But, there were many who did come to know YAHWEH, and they left with the Israelites, following the One True God wherever he would lead them.

There is only One True God, and yet still today people are in bondage, slaves to false gods, illusive powers, and to the lie that we can (or even must) be our own gods.  What wonderful news that we need not be in bondage any longer!  We are not true gods!  We cannot save ourselves!  There is only one with power over all – the power to save us, and he is coming soon! 

The time is near!   We cry out for you, Jesus!  Save us!  Save us, too!

Questions to inspire family discussion:

Are there people or things that you find it easier to trust in than God?  What do you put your faith in? 

Confess your idols to the One True God.

Ask him to be Lord of your whole life and bow to him in worship!
Then Listen.  Listen to the world, our broken world.  Hear the cry of the people around you.  How does God want you to share his healing?  To whom will you offer it?

Pray together:

Lord God, you have remembered us!  You have turned and heard our cry, and we wait for that freedom only Christ can bring!

Worship:
Psalm 105 to the tune of Kingsfold (O Sing a Song of Bethlehem) (seedbed psalter)

Mighty to Save (youtube)

At your name (youtube)