The “I Will’s” of God in Exodus 6…

 

Then, as they came out from Pharaoh, they met Moses and Aaron who stood there to meet them. And they said to them, "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."—Exodus 5:20-21

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

I love Moses.  I understand why he was called humblest man on the face of this earth. The men of Israel had just lashed out at him because there first meeting with Pharaoh had gone very badly. They couldn’t take it out on Pharaoh, so they took out their fear and frustration on Moses. How does Moses react?  Does he retaliate?  Nope.  He brings his heavy heart to the Lord and turns it upside down before Him.  Beloved this is what makes Moses great…when the people yelled at him, he didn’t yell back. He brought it all before the Lord again and again.  

Moses was grieved because his demand for freedom for the people of God had increased their sufferings, not eased them.  The Lord’s reassurance to Moses in the next verses are good ones to tuck away and remember when you are in need of reassurance as Moses was here.

Then the LORD said to Moses, "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."

And God spoke to Moses and said to him: "I am the LORD. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name LORD I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Therefore say to the children of Israel: I am the LORD; I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, I will rescue you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage: I am the LORD.'" So Moses spoke thus to the children of Israel; but they did not heed Moses, because of anguish of spirit and cruel bondage.—Exodus 6:1-9

The first thing I noticed was that there were a lot of “I will’s”. God would save them. God would liberate them from bondage. God would redeem them with an outstretch arm and great judgments.  God would adopt them as His children and be their God. As I read I couldn’t help but notice the parallels in my own journey with the Lord.  (Saved, freed, redeemed and adopted).  The last “I will” we read is this: 

And I will bring you into the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; and I will give it to you as a heritage:

He will bring them into the land…the promised land….the placed He had prepared for them.  Beloved…God  has promised to do the same for us who are His children.

"Let not your heart be troubled; you believe in God, believe also in Me. In My Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also. And where I go you know, and the way you know."—John 14:1-4

He assures Moses that He heard the groaning of the children of Israel.  He felt their burdens and was on their side working on their behalf. 

Beloved…Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. We serve an all powerful,  promise-keeping God who sees us, knows what we are going through and acts on our behalf.  He is not ignorant of our needs nor is He unconcerned about our suffering. He does not delay our deliverances.  Everything in the lives of those that are called by His name is working in accordance with His perfect plan.  God is our Helper. He is the One who will never leave us or forsake us.  He has promised to see us through and He will do it. He will not fail. So go ahead…do as Moses exampled.  

“Casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

Surely the Lord is in this Place, and I Did Not Know It…

 

Then he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and its top reached to heaven; and there the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. And behold, the LORD stood above it and said: "I am the LORD God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and your descendants. Also your descendants shall be as the dust of the earth; you shall spread abroad to the west and the east, to the north and the south; and in you and in your seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed. Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you." Then Jacob awoke from his sleep and said, "Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."  And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!" Then Jacob rose early in the morning, and took the stone that he had put at his head, set it up as a pillar, and poured oil on top of it. And he called the name of that place Bethel; but the name of that city had been Luz previously. Then Jacob made a vow, saying, "If God will be with me, and keep me in this way that I am going, and give me bread to eat and clothing to put on, so that I come back to my father's house in peace, then the LORD shall be my God.--Genesis 28:12-21

To Each of My Precious Daughters…

Here we find Jacob sleeping under the stars, fleeing his brother Esau's wrath and fearing for his life.  I am pretty sure he is filled with anxiety and much uncertainty.  He has no idea what his future holds and cannot go back into the past.  Trouble was behind him...he had to go forward.  Sometimes our thoughts, like Jacob, get so consumed by our circumstances that we forget this.  BUT GOD.  While Jacob slept that night God gave him a vision and a promise.

The vision was the ladder reaching from heaven to earth with the angels ascending and descending.  Reading John 1:43 -51 this vision is clarified.

The following day Jesus wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, "Follow Me." Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."  And Nathanael said to him, "Can anything good come out of Nazareth?" Philip said to him, "Come and see." Jesus saw Nathanael coming toward Him, and said of him, "Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!" Nathanael said to Him, "How do You know me?" Jesus answered and said to him, "Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you." Nathanael answered and said to Him, "Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!" Jesus answered and said to him, "Because I said to you, 'I saw you under the fig tree,' do you believe? You will see greater things than these."  And He said to him, "Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man." 

Jesus is declaring here that the ladder that figured in Jacob's dream...the ladder that reached heaven where God met man was Jesus Himself.  Jesus is the ladder that brings man to God.  He is the bridge between heaven and earth.  He is the way, the truth and the life...no one comes to the Father except through Him.  

The promise Jacob received that night:

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you."  

God would bring Jacob through and bring him back to his father's house in peace. 

Jacob's words upon awakening... 

"Surely the LORD is in this place, and I did not know it."  And he was afraid and said, "How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!"

Like Jacob, we so forget that our Lord...our great God is in all our trials when we believe.  We forget that Hs presence goes with us and is before us always.  We forget that He is God and has promised not to leave us or forsake us.  He will do all that He has promised in our lives and will bring us home to Him when the work is complete. 

God not only allows the trials that come to us, but orchestrates them for His beloved children to work always for their good and His glory.  We have no need to get muddled up in our dark thoughts.  As His beloved child, we can cry out to Him.  We can  nestle under His wing until the calamities have passed and be safe in His presence.  His plan for us is from His heart of love.  Our trials, though difficult, are our greatest blessings in disguise.  They keep us at His feet and surround us with His presence.  It is there, at His feet, that we are safe and content...happy and peaceful.  It is there, at His feet, that we begin to see what He went through for us.  It is there, at His feet, that we begin to thank God for our trials and afflictions because in them we have known Him. 

Love

Mom

Turning the Other Cheek in the Old Testament…

 

Then Isaac sowed in that land, and reaped in the same year a hundredfold; and the LORD blessed him. The man began to prosper, and continued prospering until he became very prosperous; for he had possessions of flocks and possessions of herds and a great number of servants. So the Philistines envied him. Now the Philistines had stopped up all the wells which his father's servants had dug in the days of Abraham his father, and they had filled them with earth. And Abimelech said to Isaac, "Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we."

Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar, and dwelt there. And Isaac dug again the wells of water which they had dug in the days of Abraham his father, for the Philistines had stopped them up after the death of Abraham. He called them by the names which his father had called them.

Also Isaac's servants dug in the valley, and found a well of running water there. But the herdsmen of Gerar quarreled with Isaac's herdsmen, saying, "The water is ours." So he called the name of the well Esek, because they quarreled with him. Then they dug another well, and they quarreled over that one also. So he called its name Sitnah. And he moved from there and dug another well, and they did not quarrel over it. So he called its name Rehoboth, because he said, "For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land."

Then he went up from there to Beersheba. And the LORD appeared to him the same night and said, "I am the God of your father Abraham; do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you and multiply your descendants for My servant Abraham's sake." So he built an altar there and called on the name of the LORD, and he pitched his tent there; and there Isaac's servants dug a well.

Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. And Isaac said to them, "Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?"

But they said, "We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, 'Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the LORD.'"

So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

It came to pass the same day that Isaac's servants came and told him about the well which they had dug, and said to him, "We have found water." So he called it Shebah. Therefore the name of the city is Beersheba to this day.—Genesis 26:12-33

The Philistines envied Isaac for the Lord had prospered him and he had possessions of a great number of flocks, herds and servants.  No matter where Isaac dug a well…no matter how often the Philistines stopped up his wells with dirt…God’s blessings to Isaac could not be stopped. Isaac’s crew just kept digging and God kept on blessing. 

When a man's ways please the LORD,

He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.—Proverbs 16:7

Driven away by his enemies, Isaac pitched his tent in the Valley of Gerar and continued his search for water. The men of Gerar opposed him here as “well”. The first well Isaac dug he called Esek which means Quarrel.  The next one was called Sitnah, which means enmity and the last Rehoboth which means spaciousness or room. (Me thinks Isaac had a sense of humor).  Isaac just kept moving, digging and relinquishing. . He did not fight back. He trusted that the Lord would fight for Him and bless Him. The Philistines, probably out of sheer frustration, finally left him alone.

Next we read that after Isaac moved to Beersheba, God appeared to him confirming with Isaac, the covenant He had made with Abraham. Isaac responded as his father had, by building an altar and calling on the name of the Lord. (and also by digging yet another well) 😃

When the conflict over the wells was finally over Abimelech (the leader of the Philistines) came to Isaac requesting a treaty. (Just as an earlier Abimelech had acknowledged that the Lord was with Abraham and requested a treaty with him, this Abimelech did likewise with Isaac.). God’s blessing was on Abraham’s seed and Isaac was the rightful heir of this blessing. In his seed all the nations would be blessed. No opposition would stop it. No weapon formed against it would prosper. God would bless those who blessed his people and curse those who cursed them.  God had made a promise to Abraham and confirmed it Isaac. It would be accomplished.

For when God made a promise to Abraham, because He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, "Surely blessing I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply you." And so, after he had patiently endured, he obtained the promise. For men indeed swear by the greater, and an oath for confirmation is for them an end of all dispute. Thus God, determining to show more abundantly to the heirs of promise the immutability of His counsel, confirmed it by an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold of the hope set before us.

This hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which enters the Presence behind the veil, where the forerunner has entered for us, even Jesus, having become High Priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.—Hebrews 6:13-20

Beloved…Jesus is our hope. He who is our strong confidence, is also our strong consolation. We who believe have this safe, sure and steadfast hope as an anchor to our soul which cannot slip and cannot break down no matter what pressure bears upon it. God’s promise and God’s oath are unchangeable. To Him we flee for refuge. In Him we have strong encouragement and indwelling strength to hold tightly to the hope set before us. He has promised to see us through. Nothing and no one can separate us from Him. 

Father…All of your promises in Your word are yes and amen in Your Son. Help me to trust you today with whatever opposition comes my way knowing that You are for me. You are on my side. Uphold me in Your right paths and keep me in your perfect will. 

What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?—Romans 8:31-32

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written:

"For Your sake we are killed all day long;

We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter."

Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.—Romans 8:35-39

He Leads Us Forth By the Right Way…

 

And I bowed my head and worshiped the LORD, and blessed the LORD God of my master Abraham, who had led me in the way of truth to take the daughter of my master's brother for his son. Now if you will deal kindly and truly with my master, tell me. And if not, tell me, that I may turn to the right hand or to the left."

Then Laban and Bethuel answered and said, "The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good. Here is Rebekah before you; take her and go, and let her be your master's son's wife, as the LORD has spoken."—Genesis 24:48-51 (bolding mine)

I am truly loving this verse. 

The thing comes from the LORD; we cannot speak to you either bad or good.

What a great way to think about each and everything that comes our way…good or bad.  Beloved…nothing comes into a believer’s life without first passing through His sovereign, providential hand. He rules and overrules all for our good and His glory. We need not be afraid. Our hearts can be steadfast as we go through the trials of this life. He is with us. He loves us and has promised to one day receive us into the place He has prepared for us in heaven.  We can return to our rest no matter what is going on in our personal lives or in the world around us.  He has dealt bountifully with us.  

Beloved…Psalm 107:7 tells us that God always leads us forth by the right way.  Matthew Henry has said that those who are led by God are well led. It takes a lot of energy to fight against the Lord, and as I age, energy is something I have less and less of. How much better to submit unto His gracious hand and His right leading and trust Him.  His will for me comes from His heart of love. He does not afflict me willingly.  

With all of that said, I know that I will be tested on this today.  I also know that I will fail over and over again. My (our) flesh always puts up a fight. It does not die easily. 

Praying then, that as I fail, God uses my failures to write this verse on my heart.  Oh, Father…Help me to remember that whatever I face in this life proceeds forth from You who loves me with a sacrificial, everlasting love.  Help me to say with Eli—“It is the LORD. Let Him do what seems good to Him."—1 Samuel 3:18

saying, "Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done."—Luke 22:42

This was the LORD's doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes.

This is the day the LORD has made;

We will rejoice and be glad in it.—Psalm 118:23-24

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?—Matthew 21:42

Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters,

As the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress,

So our eyes look to the LORD our God,

Until He has mercy on us.—Psalm 123:2

Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.—James 4:7-8

The LORD is my shepherd;

I shall not want.

He makes me to lie down in green pastures;

He leads me beside the still waters.

He restores my soul;

He leads me in the paths of righteousness

For His name's sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil;

For You are with me;

Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;

You anoint my head with oil;

My cup runs over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

All the days of my life;

And I will dwell in the house of the LORD

Forever.—Psalm 23

Divine Departures…

 

So the child grew and was weaned. And Abraham made a great feast on the same day that Isaac was weaned.

And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, scoffing. Therefore she said to Abraham, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son; for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, namely with Isaac." And the matter was very displeasing in Abraham's sight because of his son.

But God said to Abraham, "Do not let it be displeasing in your sight because of the lad or because of your bondwoman. Whatever Sarah has said to you, listen to her voice; for in Isaac your seed shall be called. Yet I will also make a nation of the son of the bondwoman, because he is your seed."—Genesis 21:8-13

There is much in this section of Scripture, but for today’s devotional I am focusing solely on Sarah’s reaction to the scoffing of Ishmael, Abraham’s son by Hagar, Sarah’s maidservant.  

But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now.—Galatians 4:29

People can make me very tired. People can make me angry. People can make me very sad. People can get my focus off of God and onto the never-ending saga of how I was wronged or, as in this case, both me and my child were wronged.  What happened to Sarah here is exactly what happens to me when my focus is on the horizontal rather than the vertical. It is what happens when I don’t take captive my initial fleshly reaction to a situation but instead dwell on them. 

This is not the first time we find Sarah embroiled in conflicts with others.  Earlier, Sarah had mistreated Hagar and now Hagar’s son was mistreating Sarah’s son Isaac. Sarah had caused Hagar, who was with child to flee, and now she was the cause of both Hagar and Ishmael’s fleeing. 

Thankfully, our God can use even our sin for our good and His glory.  He used this particular incident of Ishmael’s scoffing (literally laughing) to drive out Hagar and Ishmael. God chose Isaac to be Abraham’s heir. Ishmael was a threat to Isaac’s inheritance and had to be removed. God works all things together for good to those who love Him, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman."—Galatians 4:30

It is always good for me to remember that what the people around me say and do reveal way more about them than they do about me. It is also good for me to remember that God is my defense. In any situation, I can commit myself to Him who judges with absolute and perfect righteousness. I can cast all my cares, hurts and offenses on Him because He cares for me.

How much better for me is it to go to God with my problems than to angst about them in my heart. God never makes me tired. He makes my crooked places straight. My God is my strength and my song.  He accepts me, hears my prayers and has compassion on me. He is my refuge and the One to whom I pour out my heart.  Time spent with Him renews a right spirit within me.

Beloved…bring unity by obeying God and praying for your enemies. Trust your hurts to Him and let Him perfect that which concerns you.  Yes, God told Abraham to listen to Sarah (she was right) but how much better would it have been for all had they waited for God to bring about His perfect will for Ishmael in His own perfect way. 

I am weary with my groaning;

All night I make my bed swim;

I drench my couch with my tears.

My eye wastes away because of grief;

It grows old because of all my enemies.

Depart from me, all you workers of iniquity;

For the LORD has heard the voice of my weeping.

The LORD has heard my supplication;

The LORD will receive my prayer.

Let all my enemies be ashamed and greatly troubled;

Let them turn back and be ashamed suddenly.—Psalm 6:6-10

I called on the LORD in distress;

The LORD answered me and set me in a broad place.

The LORD is on my side;

I will not fear.

What can man do to me?

The LORD is for me among those who help me;

Therefore I shall see my desire on those who hate me.

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in man.

It is better to trust in the LORD

Than to put confidence in princes.—Psalm 118:5-9

Trust in the LORD with all your heart,

And lean not on your own understanding;

In all your ways acknowledge Him,

And He shall direct your paths.—Proverbs 3:5-6

Unto the upright there arises light in the darkness;

He is gracious, and full of compassion, and righteous.—Psalm 112:4

He will not be afraid of evil tidings;

His heart is steadfast, trusting in the LORD.

His heart is established;

He will not be afraid,

Until he sees his desire upon his enemies.—Psalm 112:7-8

Tell me, you who desire to be under the law, do you not hear the law? For it is written that Abraham had two sons: the one by a bondwoman, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of the bondwoman was born according to the flesh, and he of the freewoman through promise, which things are symbolic. For these are the two covenants: the one from Mount Sinai which gives birth to bondage, which is Hagar— for this Hagar is Mount Sinai in Arabia, and corresponds to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children— but the Jerusalem above is free, which is the mother of us all. For it is written:

"Rejoice, O barren,

You who do not bear!

Break forth and shout,

You who are not in labor!

For the desolate has many more children

Than she who has a husband."

Now we, brethren, as Isaac was, are children of promise. But, as he who was born according to the flesh then persecuted him who was born according to the Spirit, even so it is now. Nevertheless what does the Scripture say? "Cast out the bondwoman and her son, for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman." So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman but of the free.—Galatians 4:21-31