By His Grace....

“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” ~ 1 Corinthians 15:10, NKJV

Among the Corinthians were those who actually preached that Christ did not rise from the dead. Paul refutes this false doctrine vigorously in 1 Corinthians 15, impressing even unbelieving scholars with the credibility of his arguments and evidence. As part of his defense, Paul reminds the Corinthians of the hundreds of eyewitnesses who saw the risen Jesus, including himself and the more eminent apostles. The message preached by Paul and the message preached by the other apostles was the same: Jesus died, was buried, and rose again on the third day, and thereby paid the price for our sins and paved the way for us to be resurrected as well. Paul was the last eyewitness in a chronological sense, Christ having been seen by him "as by one born out of due time." (vs. 8) Paul also calls himself the least of the apostles, "...not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God." (vs. 9) Paul laid the credit for his role, and his labor that was more abundant than all the other apostles, all at God's feet. It was by His grace that Paul was who he was, and God's grace had not been given in vain; it worked mightily in Paul, making his weakness his strength (because where we are weak God must therefore be strong, and His strength is better than ours). Paul was rich in labor. He traveled thousands of miles without modern transportation, he was shipwrecked, he was imprisoned, he was beaten, he was stoned, he wrote most of the books of the New Testament, he was constantly praying, preaching, and exhorting - the man never stopped. He labored not because he felt a weight of guilt and condemnation for his former sins; he labored not because he had a debt to pay, or else; he did not actually labor at all. It was all the grace of God working in him and through him. This is God's gift to the believer. All that He would have us do He will empower us to do. In fact, He will go so far as to do it Himself, providing all the energy, wisdom, opportunity, and means that are required. All we have to do is go along for the ride. This is the power and blessing of God's grace - His unmerited favor - which does exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.

by Rebecca....

In Israel All the Nations of the World Are Blessed...

“And the arms of his [Joseph's] hands were made strong

By the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob

(From there is the Shepherd, the Stone of Israel)...” ~ Genesis 49:24, NKJV

Before he died, Jacob blessed his twelve sons. His blessings included elements of prophesy, and there are at least two allusions to the coming Messiah. Verse 24 (part of Joseph's blessing) is one of those allusions. From the Mighty God of Jacob, who had strengthened Joseph's hands when he was in trouble, would come the Shepherd and the Stone of Israel. These two titles of the Messiah are rich with analogies that help us better understand just who this Messiah is. As our Shepherd, He loves, cares, guides, protects, provides, and even lays down His life for us; as our Stone, He is our rock, foundation, anchor, source of certainty, memorial, watchtower, and meeting place. (I think of the times in Jacob's life where a stone became a sign of God watching between him and his enemies; a place where God met with him; and a remembrance of God's promises.) I treasure these Messianic titles because they speak to the needs of the human heart. They answer fears, longings, questions, hurts, uncertainties, and so much more. Jacob was a sinful man. He stumbled many times in his life. Yet through him we see God's grace, because it is through Jacob, through Isaac, through Abraham, that the Lord sent the Messiah - the Shepherd, the Stone - to be our Savior and Redeemer. In Israel all the nations of the world are blessed!

by Rebecca...

Quit You Like Men...

“Watch, stand fast in the faith, be brave, be strong. Let all that you do be done with love.” ~ 1 Corinthians 16:13-14, NKJV

In the King James, the injunction "be brave," is translated, "quit you like men." Here Paul is linking the qualities of power (quit ye like men!) and love (that combination being rather counter-intuitive today). As he closes his epistle to the Corinthians, he urges them towards very soldierly virtues: watchfulness, steadfastness, bravery, and strength. Yet at the same time, he also exhorts them to align everything they do - including watching, being steadfast, being brave, and being strong - with the priorities of love. Our example is, as always, Christ Himself. On the cross He demonstrated both the heart of a warrior (quit ye like men!) and the heart of love. He acquitted Himself as a soldier in that He submitted Himself totally to His Father's will; endured well to the end the ordeal that was laid upon Him; trusted the Lord completely for all that He needed; faced the battles He fought without faintness or cowardliness; He protected those under Him; He completed His mission. He acquitted Himself in love in that His whole reason for going to the cross was His love for His Father, and His great love for us; when He opened His mouth, He was caring for His mother, speaking salvation to the thief next to Him, speaking the truth, or reaching out to those who were abusing Him; He again protected those under Him; He healed one of those who came to take Him into custody; and so much more. Jesus is the perfect example, the epitome of these two verses. To be like Him, we do as He did - depend totally on the Lord and let His Spirit do the work rather than striving to accomplish it ourselves. Our strength is pitiful. It has to be God's if we are to answer Paul's exhortations. Through His Spirit in us, the love and the strength of Jesus (quit ye like men!) are also ours. May we live them both out in the world.

by Rebecca...

Committing Ourselves to Him Who Judges Righteously....

“When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, ‘Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.’ So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, ‘Before your father died he commanded, saying, “Thus you shall say to Joseph: ‘I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.’” Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.’ And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.

Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, ‘Behold, we are your servants.’

Joseph said to them, ‘Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.’” ~ Genesis 50:15-21, NKJV

Jacob's death had an extra dimension of fear for many of his sons. Afraid that Joseph's kindness towards them was only for the sake of their father, they thought that Jacob's departure might unleash their younger brother's vengeance. They had, after all, mocked him, betrayed him, imprisoned him, and mercilessly sold him into slavery (as a more profitable alternative to killing him). The human response to such treatment is to return evil for evil. But Joseph had genuinely forgiven his brothers, and their fear of him broke his heart. His words to them in verses 20 and 21 explain how he could have such an extraordinary attitude towards those who had done him so much harm. His words also form the Biblical basis for forgiveness. “Am I in the place of God?” Am I sinless? Do I have God's perfect righteousness, His omniscience, or His absolute authority? Do I have any right to harbor a grudge against someone else when - one way or another - I am just as guilty as they? In and of myself, do I deserve any better than what I have received? The answer to all those questions is no. No one but God stands in the place of God. He alone has the right to be personally offended when someone sins. Despite all that Joseph's brothers had done to him, the only thing Joseph could rightly do was forgive them. As a man who loved God, he did not dare usurp God's authority and judge his brothers to condemn them. Joseph also understand something else: what man intends for evil, God intends for good. Many, many years after Joseph, the apostle Paul writes the same principle to the Roman believers, reminding them, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) God's end in Joseph's suffering was life for Joseph and life for many others. God's end is always life. His end is always good. He is so be trusted, so that when we, as His children, suffer wrong during our time on earth, can commit ourselves to “Him who judges righteously.” (1 Peter 2:23) He will never fail to uphold His promises.

by Rebecca...

For By Faith You Stand...

“Not that we have dominion over your faith, but are fellow workers for your joy; for by faith you stand.” ~ 2 Corinthians 1:24, NKJV

While writing first Corinthians, Paul planned on visiting Corinth in the near future. This plan didn't work out as he originally intended, and the Corinthians were offended. Paul deals with this matter early in his second epistle to these believers, writing in verse 23, “Moreover I call God as witness against my soul, that to spare you I came no more to Corinth.” It was better that Paul's visit had not worked out, since he would have found much that needed to be set right and both he and the Corinthians would have been grieve rather than refreshed by their time together. Paul takes care, however, to add the caveat above. Though he had a certain amount of spiritual authority over the Corinthians (as their spiritual father and pastor, he could lovingly correct them as the Holy Spirit directed), but they and he were nevertheless fellow workers. Joy was their aim as both Paul and the Corinthian believers strove to obey the Lord and walk in His Spirit (since there is much blessing in spiritual maturity). Broken though these believers were, broken though we all are, we stand by faith. The Corinthians were not somehow inferior to Paul or to other, stronger believers; by faith they stood before God with the standing of Christ Himself, righteous, beloved, honored, and accepted. Faith, in a believer, is the acknowledgement of our own inability and an acceptance of God's perfect sufficiency on our behalf. By faith, we say that in and of ourselves we are fallen, unable to stand. By faith, we receive God's free gift of salvation. Thus, by faith, we stand. It's no longer dependent on us, our ability or our performance. It is all Christ. He is able to make us stand.

by Rebecca...

But the Midwives Feared God....

But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but saved the male children alive.” ~ Exodus 1:17, NKJV

After Joseph's death, the children of Israel multiplied and grew strong. When a new king (probably a new dynasty) arose who did not know Joseph, the Egyptians began to enact population control measures against the Hebrews who shared their borders. The new Pharaoh feared the Hebrews' strength. When rigorous labor and harsh taskmasters didn't stop the Hebrews from multiplying, he called in the midwives - Shiphrah and Puah - and commanded them: “When you do the duties of a midwife for the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstools, if it is a son, then you shall kill him; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.” (vs. 16) These brave women were caught between a choice of two fears, the fear of God and the fear of man. If they chose to fear God over man, and disobey Pharaoh's edict, Shiphrah and Puah risked everything - including their very lives. But if they chose to disobey God out of fear of Pharaoh, they risked not only their lives, but also their souls. Jesus taught His disciples, “And I say to you, My friends, do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. But I will show you whom you should fear: Fear Him who, after He has killed, has power to cast into hell; yes, I say to you, fear Him!” (Luke 14:2-5) Who is greater? Man or God? Whose commandment trumps the other's? Shiphrah and Puah chose to fear God rather than man and save the Hebrew boys alive. “Therefore God dealt well with the midwives, and the people multiplied and grew very mighty. And so it was, because the midwives feared God, that He provided households for them.” (vs. 20-21) The fear of God is the beginning of wisdom, the first step on the road of blessing, and the way that - ironically - brings freedom from any kind of terror. The fear of God is healthy and clean. The fear of God brings life. The fear of man, on the other hand, “brings a snare.” (Pro. 29:25) I love Shiphrah and Puah for their example. They feared God; they put themselves at risk for the sake of the babies they helped bring into world; they defied an evil Pharaoh and served the loving, righteous God instead. The recognizable blessings they received as the result of their conduct go to show us the truth that the fear of God is always blessed. We may pay with our lives when we go against the will of man in order to obey the Lord; but we will reap eternal life, and the fulfillment of all the great and precious promises we have in Christ. The Pharaohs of this world are not be feared - only God is. And when we do fear Him, we find His perfect love casts out all fear.

by Rebecca....

Thanks Be to God Who Always Leads Us in Triumph!!

“Now thanks be to God who always leads us in triumph in Christ, and through us diffuses the fragrance of His knowledge in every place.” ~ 2 Corinthians 2:14, NKJV

Paul writes this verse in the context of sharing the gospel. As he explains, believers are the fragrance of Christ “among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing.” (vs. 15) As homes of the Holy Spirit, believers carry God Himself with them wherever they go. They're Christians - little Christs - who, even in their worst moments, cannot help but be different from the rest of the world (though sometimes that difference is simply that their sin will make them more miserable than unbeliever's sin ultimately would). To the one (those being saved) believers are the fragrance of life leading to life, because the life-giving Holy Spirit can be sensed in us. But to the other (those who are perishing), believers are the aroma of death leading to death, because that same Spirit of truth convicts him of his sin and reminds him of the “bad news” - man deserves death - without that person ever allowing the Spirit time to tell him the good news: Jesus Christ died in man's place so that we could be forgiven and live forever. “And who is sufficient for these things?” Paul asks (vs. 16). What believer is sufficient to be Christ in the world? The answer is none! No one is sufficient! No human can handle a mission that important or that huge! But God can handle it. God is sufficient. And it His sufficiency that works in us, not our own insufficiency. That's why I love the verse 14 (above). Paul gives thanks to the God who always leads us in triumph in Christ! He actually uses the word ”always.” I know I am not always triumphant. In fact, I know I'm more often defeated than I am victorious. I know I fail. I know I fall down (constantly). That's okay. I want the Spirit to win more battles in my life, but as the Lord accomplishes that in me, I also rest in the knowledge that the war is won. Christ won it on the cross two thousand years ago. His victory is my triumph, because He fought on my behalf. Am I sufficient? Am I triumphant? Certainly not! - as Paul would say. But Jesus is both, and Jesus is in me. Thanks be to God indeed.

by Rebecca...

The Power of a Cry...

“Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.” ~ Exodus 2:23-25, NKJV

Though the children of Israel spent years in bondage, this is the first record of their crying out to God because of their affliction. The Lord had His perfect purposes for their suffering, as He always does; but what I love most about this passage is His response to them in the midst of their suffering. As soon as Israel cried out, God answered. He was ready with deliverance. He had even been preparing His answer - Moses - for years, long before Israel went to Him for help! He heard their groaning, He remembered His promises to their fathers (not that He had ever forgotten); He looked upon His children; and He acknowledged them. These were His children, His care, His responsibility, His cause, and His beloved. He called them by His own name and, through the Exodus, declared this adoption to the whole world. God always hears those called by His name. He never fails to fulfill His promises to His children. And He is never ashamed to acknowledge us. There is power in crying out to God, whether the cause is distress, affliction, or simply thankfulness. He hears. He answers. And He acts!

by Rebecca....

Spirit over Letter...

“Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think of anything as being from ourselves, but our sufficiency is from God, who also made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant, not of the letter but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.” ~ 2 Corinthians 3:5-6, NKJV

Under the influence of false teachers, the Corinthians had been questioning Paul's authority and his message. Paul counters these attacks, but takes care not to curb any suggestions that his accomplishments are of him rather than of God. Paul and his fellow workers never considered themselves sufficient for their callings. Anything good that they did they accredited totally to the Lord, who “made us sufficient as ministers of the new covenant.” (vs. 6) This new covenant - our salvation in Christ - is not of the letter, but of the Spirit. The letter (the regulations and rituals contained in the law) killed, because no sinful human being can ever hope to keep the law in its entirety. Though the old covenant was good, though the law was in and of itself good, and though the ministry of the old covenant had glory, it was still to us a ministry of condemnation and death. (Vs. 7, 9) We can't keep the law. We can only work judgment for ourselves. The Spirit, on the other hand - the ministry of righteousness (vs. 9) - gives life! The Spirit comes to us through Christ, who fulfilled the law and then took our judgment upon Himself. Christ was sufficient. The ministry of the Spirit, who indwells each believer, is to supply God's children with His Son's sufficiency. We reap the benefits of His sacrifice and find life for ourselves through His incredible grace. In Christ, I don't have to struggle to bear up under the letter anymore. The law has been replaced by the Spirit, who gives me a new nature of righteousness that is energized by God Himself! My insufficiency is no longer relevant. I have God's overflowing sufficiency, and He fills me with life and peace.

by Rebecca...

There is No God Like Jehovah!

“And the Lord said [to Moses]: ‘I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites.’” ~ Exodus 3:7-8, NKJV

Long before Israel cried out to the Lord because of their bondage, the Lord had been preparing their deliverer. When they did cry out, however, He visited Moses in the wilderness as a fire burning in the midst of bush that was not consumed. Exodus 3:2 specifically states that it was “the Angel of the Lord,” who appeared and spoke. The Angel of the Lord is always Jesus, the second Person of the Trinity. He is clearly distinct from angels (lowercase L) as He receives worship and honor due only to God, and as Scripture continuously identifies His words as God's words (even calling Him God). So here we have Jesus Himself coming down from heaven to answer the cry of His people. Israel was so important to Him that when He heard their sorrows, He was unwilling to entrust their deliverance to anyone other than Himself. He came to deliver them. He sent Moses. He brought the plagues. He was the Angel of death. He was the cloud that guided and protected the Israelites after they fled Egypt. He was the pillar of fire that also guided them and warmed them. He was with His people throughout the exodus and through all the years in the wilderness, even when they rebelled against Him. The fact that God Himself came down speaks to at least two things. First, it demonstrates the power of prayer - Israel cried out, and the Maker and Sovereign of the universe acted in response. Secondly, it speaks to the extent of the love of God. As He would later do on the cross, Jesus humbled Himself and came down to meet His people. He is the Great I AM WHO I AM, the Becoming One, who becomes the answer to our every need. Paul writes, “But the righteousness of faith speaks in this way, ‘Do not say in your heart, "Who will ascend into heaven?"' (that is, to bring Christ down from above) or, '"Who will descend into the abyss?"' (that is, to bring Christ up from the dead). But what does it say? 'The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart' (that is, the word of faith which we preach)..." (Romans 10:6-8) We didn't have to go to great lengths or climb to great heights to meet our Savior. He came to meet us, where we were, in our hour of need, as He did for the Israelites in Egypt, and He continues this practice to this day. (Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, as it says in Hebrews 13:8.) He is near to all those who call upon Him! He is our I AM, the one who supplies all our needs, who sees our sorrows, who hears us when we call, and who always acts on our behalf. There is no God like Jehovah!

by Rebecca...

We Do Not Lose Heart....

“Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day.” ~ 2 Corinthians 4:16, NKJV

Paul faced many hardships in his life. As he explains in verse eight, he and his fellow workers were hard-pressed, perplexed, persecuted, and struck down, as their difficulties constantly forced to confront their innate human weakness and mortality. But because of the hope that he had been given in Christ, and because of the mercy he had received from the same, Paul did not lose heart. He labored in his God-given ministry knowing that he did not labor in vain. He dealt with a perishing body knowing that He who raised Christ from the dead would also resurrect him, and present him, and all those for whom he labored, faultless together before God's throne. Paul went through life with heavenly eyes that saw the world in the light of the truth God gives us in His word. Even when hard-pressed, he was not crushed; when perplexed, he did not despair; when persecuted, he knew he was not forsaken; when he was struck down, he was not destroyed. (Vs. 8) How much could you do, despite a broken and dying (albeit slowly dying) body, if your heart wasn't also carrying a heavy load of fear, doubt, sorrow, despair, anger, bitterness, envy, hatred, selfishness, or anxiety? What if those burdens were gone, leaving your spirit light and your heart full of energy and hope? Paul certainly battled his flesh on a daily basis. But as a mature believer, he knew the power of the Holy Spirit in his life. He could endure the perishing of his outward man, and even genuinely call it a “light affliction,” because God renewed his inward man day by day. Believers don't have to carry those heavy loads on their hearts. They don't have to bear up under despair. They have the great and precious promises of God, which bring life, comfort, peace, hope, joy, strength, and so much more. We don't have to lose heart because in Christ there is no reason to lose heart. Instead, there is every reason to rejoice. “For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal.” (vs. 17-18)

by Rebecca....

Making a Spectacle....

“[The Lord's instructions to Moses]: ‘Then you shall say to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord: ‘Israel is My son, My firstborn. So I say to you, let My son go that he may serve Me. But if you refuse to let him go, indeed I will kill your son, your firstborn.’”’” ~ Exodus 4:22-23, NKJV

Had He so chosen, the Lord could have delivered Israel from the Egyptians in a minute. He didn’t need to deal with Pharaoh. He certainly didn’t need Pharaoh’s consent. But the Lord’s plan in the exodus was not just to deliver His people, but also to judge Egypt (for all the years they practiced slavery, abuse, and mass infanticide); to glorify His name (so that the world know that He is God, and have a chance to believe in Him and be saved); to foreshadow Messiah (through the Lord’s Passover); to work in His people’s hearts (as a father might labor to teach his children those things that will benefit their character); and to demonstrate, in no uncertain terms, His love for His people Israel. The way in which He delivered Israel was perhaps as importance as their deliverance itself. God calls Israel His firstborn. He went to great lengths to ensure that not only Egypt, but also the world would know how much His firstborn meant to Him. He warned a hard-hearted Pharaoh that for His firstborn He was willing to kill Pharaoh’s and Egypt’s firstborn. When Pharaoh remained obstinate and that final, devastating plague struck Egypt, did it leave any room to doubt God’s word? There was not a household without one dead! The Lord reduced Egypt - a world power - to chaos and destruction, all for the sake of its slaves! What message did that send to anyone who heard about Egypt’s plagues? What did it say about how much God cared about Israel? A great deal. Much more than mere words could ever say. Egypt became a spectacle, as a Man on a Roman cross would also become a spectacle, thousands of years later. For Israel, His firstborn, God sacrificed all the firstborn of Egypt. For mankind - including Israel - He sacrificed His only begotten Son, “that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) The Exodus, and the death of the firstborn, was a graphic demonstration of God’s love for His children. He fights for His children; He defends them; He protects them; He delivers them; He avenges them. Jesus’ death was another, even more graphic, demonstration of God’s love. When believers lose sight of who they are in Christ - when they forget or struggle to believe that they are God’s sons and daughters, precious and beloved - they can look to the cross. There, also, God left no room for doubt.

by Rebecca....

This Tent....

“For we know that if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.” ~ 2 Corinthians 5:1, NKJV

In the previous chapter of 2 Corinthians, Paul explained how he and his fellow workers could - even in the midst of tremendous hardship - “not lose heart.” (2 Cor. 4:16) Paul's hope was not invested in this world. He didn't look to find satisfaction or perfection here. Instead, he looked to the world to come, and the new life given to him in Christ, knowing that as believers “our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen.” (2 Cor. 5:17-18) Paul's outward man was perishing but his inward man was being renewed day by day. Why? Because he knew that his outward man - his physical body - wasn't supposed to be his permanent home. His apt metaphor for the believer's present body is that of a tent. Why should Paul invest all his emotional, physical, and intellectual energy into preserving a pole-and-canvas construction that (a) couldn't be preserved and (b) wouldn't be needed for much longer? Paul took care of himself, certainly. But protecting and bettering his own body or human experience didn't weigh on him as if this life is all there is. He knew that his Savior and God was preparing a permanent dwelling - a resurrected body - for him, eternal in the heavens. Paul had eternal life coming. Paul had a perfect body waiting for him. Paul had a home in heaven. Paul had citizenship in the new heavens and the new earth that are to come. Paul had what all believers have in Christ: redemption. Mankind, in its forefather Adam, squandered its inheritance. We brought death on ourselves and on the universe we were given to govern and enjoy. We lost perfection. Our bodies are walking (or sometimes not) proof of our losses, as they go back to the dust from which they were created. We can spend our short lives denying the truth and desperately trying to patch up the damaged goods we were born with; or we can trust the same God whom Paul trusted. He conquered death for us. He won back what we lost. He raises the dead. He gives us new bodies. My outward man is perishing, like Paul's, but my inward man can be renewed day by day, because my Savior loved me.

by Rebecca...

A Fearful Thing...

So Moses returned to the Lord and said, ‘Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.’” ~ Exodus 5:22-23, NKJV

Pharaoh did not respond well to his and Moses' first encounter. He denied the Lord's authority, he refused to let the people go, and he enacted measures to make the children of Israel's lives miserable. Whereas previously the Egyptians had provided the Israelite slaves with the straw required for brick making, Pharaoh now ordered that the Israelites obtain straw for themselves. The people had to scatter over the land to gather stubble instead of straw. When they failed to meet their daily quota of bricks - which had not been reduced - the officers of the children of Israel were beaten, and their appeal to Pharaoh was summarily dismissed. Pharaoh deliberately set the people to an impossible task and then punished them harshly for not accomplishing it. It was a cruel and brilliant strategy, designed to make the Israelites hate Moses and focus on surviving rather than escaping, and it worked. The officers of the children of Israel told Moses, “Let the Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.” (vs. 21) That's when Moses when to the Lord. Why had He brought trouble on His people? Why had He sent Moses if it was only going to make matters worse? Why had He let Pharaoh do evil to His people? Why hadn't He brought deliverance? Israel's bondage had only become more severe! The Lord answers in the next chapter: “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” (6:1) Pharaoh had his chance to freely obey. He spit on it. His cruel, rebellious heart was being manifested in his deeds towards Israel. Had Pharaoh beaten the children of Israel? Had he done them evil? The Lord would work it together for good for them. But Pharaoh would become an example not only to Egypt, but also to the whole world - even to this day - as God judged him. The Lord loves His people. Be they physical or spiritual descendants of Abraham, He is jealous for their good and well-being. He protects them. He preserves them. He blesses them. And He avenges them. Israel, as we know, did not come out the loser in their battle with Pharaoh. Pharaoh did. God's people can afford to love their enemies and those who hate them. We don't have to worry about what these Pharaohs will do to us! We know their end if they do not repent, and it makes sense for us to show them as much grace as we possibly can. It brings us, and God, far more joy to see them repent and be saved rather than remain in their sin and receive the inevitable penalty for their deeds. Because God cares for us, we can care for those who do not. After all, “It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” (Hebrews 10:31)

By Rebecca