GENESIS
EXODUS
1:1-3
‘Genesis’
means ‘beginning’. These opening verses challenge us to get our
priorities right - (a) The priority of God (1). God comes first. Before
anyone else is mentioned, He is there. (b) The priority of God’s Word
(3). God is the first to speak. Before any human word is spoken, there
is the Word of the Lord. (c) The priority of God’s Spirit (2). All was
‘empty’, all was ‘darkness’, yet the ‘Spirit of God’ was at work, and
transformation was set in motion. Here, we have God’s priorities, set
out in the Bible’s first three verses - Putting God first and listening
to His Word, we are to pray for the moving of God’s Spirit, ‘hovering
over’ our lives to transform them. For those who make God’s priorities
their own, there is a promise of great blessing (Psalm 1:1-2). It is the
great blessing of knowing Jesus Christ, our Saviour, as ‘God with us’
(Matthew 1:23).
1:4-13
God
speaks, and it is done (3,6-7,11). God is pleased with what He has done
(4,10,12). This is the pattern of God’s original creation. It is to be
the pattern of our life as a ‘new creation’ (2 Corinthians 5:17). God
speaks to us and we say, ‘Your will be done’ (Matthew 6:10). We say,
‘let it be to me according to Your Word’ (Luke 1:38). God looks on such
obedience, this ‘walking in the Spirit’ (Galatians 5:16,22-23), and He
sees that it is ‘good’ (Micah 6:8). In these verses we read of the
separation of the light and the darkness, the separation of the waters
and the dry land, and the fruitfulness of God's creation. There are
lessons for us here. We are to ‘walk in the light’ (1 John 1:7). We are
to let the Spirit's ‘living water’ flow in us (John 7:39-39). Walking in
the light, letting the living water flow - this is the way of
fruitfulness.
1:14-25
The
Bible’s opening chapter is a great hymn of praise, emphasizing that all
things have been created for the glory of God (Revelation 4:11).
Nothing can be permitted to distract our attention from the Lord. He
alone is worthy of worship. The creation of the ‘lights’ makes no
reference to the sun and the moon. These were worshipped by neighbouring
peoples. They are not gods. They are simply ‘lights’. Our worship is to
be given to God alone. The waters teemed with living creatures. The
land produced living creatures. Here, we have a picture of life. There
is life where the living water of the Spirit is flowing freely among
God’s people (Ezekiel 47:5-9). This water brings life to the land
(Ezekiel 47:12). Moving with the flow of God’s Spirit, we are to pray
that ‘the water of life’ will flow freely ‘for the healing of the
nations’ (Revelation 22:2).
1:26-2:3
We
now come to the creation of humanity, male and female. Our creation is
described in a distinctive way - created in the image of God (26-27). We
are different from the rest of creation. We have been given dominion
over ‘all the earth’ and ‘every living creature’ (26,28). We are
different from God. He is the Creator. We are His creation. Created in
God’s image, we have been created by Him and for Him. Though we have
sinned (Genesis 3, Romans 3:23), now - in Jesus Christ - we have begun
to live as a new creation (Ephesians 4:22-24; Colossians 3:9-10). The
Bible teaches us that Jesus Christ is God (John 1:1) and that ‘all
things were created by Him and for Him’ (Colossians 1:16). This is the
Saviour who is at work in us, enabling us to live as a new creation!
Creation has been ‘completed’ (2:1). Salvation will be completed
(Philippians 1:6)!
2:4-14
We
read of ‘the breath of life’, producing ‘a living being’ (7). Separated
from God through our sin, we have become spiritually dead (Ephesians
4:18; 2:1). Through the Spirit, we have been ‘born again’. This new
birth is brought about by the breath of life, the wind of the Spirit
(John 3:5-8). As the river watered the garden (10), so our lives are to
be watered by ‘the river’ which flows ‘from the throne of God and of the
Lamb’ (Revelation 22:1). As we read of the ‘tree’ which features in our
fall into sin (9; 3:2-6), our thoughts turn also to the ‘tree’ which
forms the foundation of our salvation - Christ ‘Himself bore our sins in
His body on the tree, so that we might die to sins and live for
righteousness’ (1 Peter 2:24). In our hearts, we say, ‘God forbid that I
should glory save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians
6:14).
2:15-17
We
noted, in 1:1-3, the importance of getting our priorities right - God,
God’s Word, God’s Spirit. Here, we emphasize the importance of these
priorities. We are under God. We must remember that He is God (15). We
are to obey God’s Word (16-17). Here, we learn that the act of obedience
is an act of freedom. In Christ, we are set free to obey God. God says,
‘You are free to eat from any tree in the garden’. He does not then
say, ‘You are free to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and
evil’. He says, ‘You must not’. The act of disobedience is not an act of
freedom. By choosing the way of sin, we show that we are in bondage. We
are not free. We are the captives of sin, and we need to be set free -
by Christ (John 8:32,36). We come to know God, choosing good rather than
evil, as we follow the way of God’s Spirit (Galatians 5:16; Hebrews
5:14).
2:18-25
We
come here to the creation of woman. Her creation is bound up with the
creation of man. She is created from man’s ‘rib’ (21-22). The ‘rib’ is
taken from his side, emphasizing that man and woman are to be together,
side-by-side, not one in front of the other. The ‘rib’, rather than the
head or the feet, emphasizes this togetherness rather than any
superiority-inferiority relationship. The ‘rib’ is close to the heart.
Woman is close to the heart of man. Both are close to the heart of God.
The contrast between humanity and the animals is again clear. Among the
animals, there was ‘no suitable helper’ for the man (20). The animals
had been ‘formed out of the ground’ (19). Humanity has come from ‘the
breath of life’ (7). Like the animals, we come from ‘the dust of the
ground’, but there is more: the Breath of God, created in His image to
glorify Him!
3:1-5
We
have read about the beginning of creation (1:1). Now we come to the
beginning of sin. In these verses, we have temptation. Note that
temptation is not sin. It only becomes sin when we do what the tempter
suggests (6). Temptation comes from ‘that ancient serpent called the
devil or Satan’ (Revelation 12:9). Satan reverses the priorities of God,
God’s Word and God’s Spirit. God is ‘our Father’ (Matthew 6:9). Satan
is the father of lies (John 8:44). Satan quotes and questions God’s Word
(1). He not only questions God’s Word . He contradicts it (4). Satan is
spiritual, an evil spirit. We must be aware of his schemes, and , in
Christ, we must take our stand against his schemes (2 Corinthians 2:11;
Ephesians 6:11). When Satan says, ‘Did God really say?’ (1), we must
wage war for God, filled with His Word and Spirit (2 Corinthians
10:3-5).
3:6-9
Once
we were innocent. Now we are guilty. The story of Adam and Eve is
repeated over and over again. This is our story as well as Adam and
Eve’s story. Even in the face of sin, we see something else. We see the
God of love, seeking to restore the fallen to Himself. In His words,
‘Where are you?’, we catch an early glimpse of the Gospel of salvation:
‘the Son of Man came to seek and to save what was lost’ (Luke 19:10).
Adam and Eve had lost their way. Now, God was looking for them to bring
them back to Himself. In the question, ‘Where are you?’, there is the
searching question, ‘What have you done?’, but there is also the
passionate appeal, ‘Will you not return to me?’. This is the call of
mercy: ‘Softly and tenderly, Jesus is calling, Calling, “O sinner, come
home”’ (Sacred Songs & Solos, 414). Our loving Father is waiting
patiently to welcome the returning prodigal (Luke 15:20).
3:10-15
Having
chosen the way of sin, we are ‘naked’ and ashamed (10). The Gospel
teaches us that ‘there’s a way back to God from the dark paths of sin’.
We can be clothed with the righteousness of Christ. We can bring the
‘filthy rags’ of ‘our righteous acts’ (Isaiah 64:6) to God, and we can
exchange them for the perfect righteousness of Christ (2 Corinthians
5:21). Putting our trust in Christ, we need not be ashamed in God’s
presence (Romans 10:11). There must be no ‘passing the buck’ - the man
blaming the woman, the woman blaming the serpent (12-13). We are to
confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness (1 John 1:9). This
forgiveness comes to us through the Cross where the suffering Saviour
becomes the victorious Victor and the subtle serpent became the defeated
devil. This is the message of verse 15: through the Cross, God has
provided for us a full salvation!
3:16-24
Sin
has consequences. Human life could never be the same once sin had
entered it. The effects of sin can be seen in the whole of life. The
most profound effect of sin is summed up in verse 22. We cannot reach
out our hands and take hold of eternal life. There is no way to heaven
which begins with the word ‘I’. We must begin with God - ‘God so loved
the world...’ (John 3:16). No sinner can open the door of heaven:
‘Christ only could unlock the gate of heaven, and let us in’. Sin leads
not to heaven but to ‘death’. If we insist on trying to get to heaven by
our own good works, we will earn our ‘wages’ - ‘the wages of sin is
death’. Come as a sinner to Jesus. Come to Him, saying, ‘Nothing in my
hand I bring, simply to Thy Cross I cling’ ( Church Hymnary, 83). Look
to Him alone for salvation, and know the truth of God's Word: ‘the gift
of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord’ (Romans 6:23).
4:1-5
The
name of Abel appears among ‘the heroes of the faith’ (Hebrews 11:14).
The story of Abel is a story of grace, faith and obedience. Abel's
sacrifice was a blood sacrifice while Cain’s was a fruit sacrifice
(3-4). The blood sacrifice points forward - via the Old Testament
sacrificial system - to the greatest sacrifice of all - ‘the blood of
Jesus Christ cleanses us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7; Hebrews 9:12). The
blood sacrifice points to salvation by grace - ‘without the shedding of
blood there is no forgiveness’ (Hebrews 9:22). Abel’s sacrifice was an
act of faith: ‘By faith Abel offered a better sacrifice than Cain did’
(Hebrews 11:4). The blood reminds us that true faith is always faith in
Christ and never ‘faith’ in anything we can ever offer to God. Abel was
obedient, bringing ‘the firstborn’ to God. ‘In the course of time Cain
brought some...’.
4:6-16
In
the story of Cain, we see the development of sin. Jealousy leads to
anger, and anger leads to murder. In this story, we see ourselves in the
‘mirror’ of God’s Word. Here, God emphasizes our exceeding sinfulness -
‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately corrupt’
(Jeremiah 17:9). Our sinfulness leads us away from ‘the presence of the
Lord’ to ‘the land of wandering (Nod)’ (16). This is the work of Satan
in our lives - Genesis 4 is an extension of Genesis 3. Even in the land
of wandering, the hand of God is upon us. This is the meaning of ‘the
mark of Cain’ - ‘so that no one who found him would kill him’ (15). Even
in our wanderings, God is waiting in mercy for us to make our way back
to Him by coming in faith to Jesus Christ our Saviour. Even when ‘sin’
is a good bit more than ‘crouching at the door’, it can be ‘mastered’
through Christ (6; Hebrews 7:25).
4:17-26
The
story of Cain and Abel is a continuing story. Abel died, yet ‘by faith
still speaks, even though he is dead’ (Hebrews 11:4). Cain ‘went out
from the presence of the Lord’. He became ‘a restless wanderer’ (14,16).
What a contrast there is between these two brothers! For Abel, there
was glory in the presence of the Lord - ‘By faith he was commended as a
righteous man’ (Hebrews 11:4), he was ‘justified by faith’ (Romans 5:1).
Cain was quite different. Far from God, he had no peace. He was haunted
by his sins. What does God’s Word say to us about Cain? - ‘Do not be
like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and murdered his brother...
because his own actions were evil and his brothers were righteous’ (1
John 3:12). Cain’s sinful influence continues. We must be on our guard.
The chapter ends with hope: ‘At that time men began to call on the name
of the Lord’ (26).
5:1-17
From
the story of Cain - taking God for granted (the opposite of grace),
approaching God proudly (the opposite of faith), rebelling against God
(the opposite of obedience) - , we come to a list of names and numbers.
In this first part of the chapter, there is nothing of any note.
Perhaps, this is the significant feature of this long list of names.
There is nothing considered to be worthy of special note, except the
length of their lives. What a sad reflection on the value of a life when
all that can be said is this: He lived, and he died! What we must
remember is this: the quantity of our years is less important than the
quality of our living. How long we live is less important than how well
we live. We have been ‘created...in the likeness of God’ (1), yet so
often we miss out on this spiritual dimension. We have been ‘blessed’ by
God (2) - ‘Count your blessings’.
5:18-32
In
this second part of the list, two names get a special mention - Enoch
and Noah (22,24,29). The reference to Enoch is the more memorable of the
two. Enoch's life was characterized by grace, faith and obedience. The
life-story of so many others could be told without reference to God.
Enoch's story was the story of God at work in his life. So many
life-stories end with the words, ‘he died’. Enoch's life on earth points
beyond itself (24). Enoch had ‘walked with God’ (22, 24 ). Building his
life upon the God of grace, Enoch had, by faith, stepped out of this
present world and into ‘what we hope for’, ‘what we do not see’ (Hebrews
11:5,1). What a testimony Enoch left behind him! Not much is said about
him, but what power of the Spirit of God there is in these few words!
The reference to ‘the Lord’ in Noah's life (29) prepares us for what is
to come (chs. 6-9).
6:1-8
The
story of Noah is the story of God’s grace - ‘Noah found grace’ (8).
Noah lived in very difficult times (5-7), yet ‘Grace found Noah’. His
testimony could be summed up: ‘Amazing grace...I once was lost but now
am found’ (Mission Praise, 31). Expanding on the thought of 5:29 - ‘this
one (Noah) shall bring relief from our work and from the toil of our
hands’ - we may allow our thoughts to turn to Christ and say to Him:
‘Not the labour of my hands can fulfil Thy law's demands...All for sin
could not atone, Thou must save, and Thou alone. Nothing in my hand I
bring, Simply to Thy Cross I cling' (Church Hymnary, 83). In these two
statements - ‘Noah found grace’ and ‘this one will bring...’, we see
both salvation and service. We are saved to serve. Once we ourselves
have been found by grace, we are to seek to bring others to Christ that
they also may be saved by Him and become His servants.
6:9-22
To
view the flood exclusively in terms of judgment is to see only one side
of what God was doing. As well as judging, He was also saving - ‘In
this ship a few people - eight in all - were saved by water’ (1 Peter
3:20). The ark points forward to Christ ‘who came back from death to
life’, Christ who ‘saves’ us (1 Peter 3:21). God was working out His
purpose of salvation. In Noah’s day, the remnant of faith was very
small, yet the promise of God's love was given to them - ‘I will
establish My covenant with you’ (18). Even when wickedness threatens to
overwhelm us, we still have God’s promise of love, ‘the new covenant in
Christ’s blood’ (1 Corinthians 11:25). ‘The blood of Jesus, God’s Son,
cleanses us from all sin’ (1 John 1:7). Knowing that Christ loved us and
died for us, we are to be like Noah (22). We are to walk with the Lord and serve Him.
7:1-24
Here,
we pick up on the words of verse 16 - ‘the Lord closed the door behind
them’. What was going on outside of the ark is contrasted with the haven
of salvation inside the ark. What was it that made the ark a place of
salvation? - The Lord. What is it that makes Jesus Christ the Source of
our salvation? - God has given Him the Name that is above every name,
the Name of our salvation (Philippians 2:9-11; Acts 4:12). From the ark,
we learn of (a) the one way of salvation - The ark had only one door.
Jesus is ‘the Door’ which leads to salvation (John 10:9); (b) the
eternal security of salvation - All were safe inside the ark. In Christ
there is eternal security (John 10:28); (c) the absolute necessity of
salvation - Outside of the ark, there was certain death. Refusal to come
to Christ for salvation leads to judgment: ‘How shall we escape...?’
(Hebrews 2:3).
8:1-22
Following
the flood, we have this simple yet striking declaration: ‘the ground
was dry’ (13). Safe from judgment! This is the message which comes to us
from the Cross: ‘Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the
world’ (John 1:29). The judgment has fallen upon Christ. We are no
longer swept away in the judgment. We can stand on solid ground: ‘On
Christ the solid Rock I stand’ (Church Hymnary, 411). He is our Support
in ‘the whelming flood’. God said to Noah, ‘Come out of the ship’ (15).
We are in Christ. He is the Source of our salvation. God has brought us
into Christ (1 Corinthians 1:30). He does not bring us into Christ
solely for our own benefit. We are sent out to be fruitful (17; John
15:16). We are to ‘abide in Christ’. This is the way of fruitfulness
(John 15:4-5). We are not sent out alone. Strengthened in ‘the ship’ (in
Christ), we step out with Christ and for Him.
9:1-19
‘When
you see a rainbow, remember God is love’. The rainbow reminds us of the
gracious promise of God (13-15). If the love of God is revealed in the
rainbow, it is more fully revealed in the Cross: ‘We sing the praise of
Him who died, of Him who died upon the Cross... upon the Cross we see in
shining letters. ‘God is love’, He bears our sins upon the tree. He
brings us mercy from above’. When we read the Old Testament stories, we
must learn to see their place within the fuller Story, the Story of
God’s salvation: ‘I will sing the wondrous Story of the Christ who died
for me’. This is the greatest Story of all - ‘the Story of Jesus and His
glory, of Jesus and His love,... the Story of wonderful redemption,
God’s remedy for sin’. ‘This is our Story. This is our Song, praising
our Saviour all the day long’. This is ‘the Story to tell to the
nations’ (Church Hymnary, 258,381,132; Mission Praise, 59,744).
9:20-29
What
a sad episode this is! It teaches us that yesterday's victories can
become today's defeats, if we do not keep close to God. We read, in
Hebrews 11:7 of Noah the man of faith, but here we have a very different
picture. The lesson is clear - ‘The arm of flesh will fail you; Ye dare
not trust your own’. We must not look to our own strength to keep us in
the way of faith and obedience. It cannot be done. We fail. ‘God can do
anything but fail’. We must affirm our faith in God - ‘All my hope on
God is founded’. In man, there is no sure foundation - only ‘change and
chance’. There is nothing that will last - ‘only pride of man and
earthly glory’ (Church Hymnary, 481,405). Can we be guided through
change and chance? Yes, but we must learn from Noah’s fall - Past grace
is no guarantee of present growth - , and we must keep our eyes on
Jesus, ‘the Author and Finisher of our faith' (Hebrews 12: 2).
10:1-32
What
a lot of names! Why is all this included in God’s Word? It may describe
the historical context of God’s unfolding purpose of providing
salvation for sinners, but what does it say to us? The inclusion of so
many obscure names emphasizes that everyone - however obscure - is
important. ‘God so loved the world’ (John 3:16) - not only the
‘important’ people but all people. Names are important to God. Jesus,
the Good Shepherd, calls His sheep ‘by name’ (John 10:3). Among the many
names there is an interesting reference to ‘Nimrod, the first mighty
warrior on the earth...a mighty hunter whom the Lord blessed’ (8-9).
First among ‘the cities of his kingdom’ was ‘Babylon’ (10). Alarm bells
ring! - Babylon's rebellion! The privilege of God’s blessing brings the
responsibility of maintaining His blessing. We must be ‘mighty warriors’
for God (2 Corinthians 10:4; Ephesians 6:10-20).
11:1-9
Human
pride sets itself up against the authority of God. This is the
oft-repeated story of the ‘Tower of Babel’. The end of godless men is
sure - ‘Tower and temple, fall to dust’ (Church Hymnary, 405). Sin can
be analyzed psychologically in terms of the human
attitude of proud independence - ‘let us make a name for ourselves’ (5),
sociologically in terms of sin’s pervasive influence on a whole society
(this was the sin of a whole society), and theologically in terms of
the divine judgment which human sin brings upon itself (5-9). What a
contrast there is between the Tower of Babel and the great declaration
of Proverbs 18:10 - ‘The Name of the Lord is a strong tower’. In Babel
there is scattering (9). In the Lord, there is safety - ‘A righteous man
runs to it and is safe’. Do not imagine yourself to be strong (Proverbs
18:11). True strength is in Christ alone (1 Corinthians 1:27).
11:10-32
Another
list of names! Again, there is something here for us - God is moving
on. These many names summarize the times between Noah and Abraham. We
must look beyond this list of names. We must see them in connection with
His Story. History can be tedious, until we see it as His Story. From
the human standpoint, things seem to have come to a dead end: ‘Now Sarai
was barren; she had no child’ (30). There are, however, no dead ends
when God is at work. From verse 30, we move on to 12:1-3. We read on
though the story of Abraham. We learn of the faith of Sarah and the
faithfulness of God (Hebrews 11:11-12). We follow the Story on to
Christ, who is the fulfilment of the promise given to Abraham (Genesis
12:1-3; Galatians 3:16). This is the Story of ‘the God of Abraham’, the
‘God of love’. Through Christ our Saviour, we will ‘sing the wonders of
His grace for ever more’ (Church Hymnary, 358).
12:1-20
_________________ 12:1-20
This
is a divine Story, carried forward by God’s grace and power. God’s very
great promises (1-3) find their ultimate fulfilment in the coming of
God’s eternal Kingdom (Revelation 21:10). We have not reached our
heavenly destination. We are still caught in the tension between
obedience (4) and disobedience (11-13). We are conscious of our human
failure, yet we rejoice in the divine faithfulness. We read of Abraham’s
sin (10-20), yet we look beyond this to God's salvation. This is not
simply the story of Abraham. It is the Story of Abraham's God. This
becomes clear in the change of name. Abram (‘exalted father’) draws
attention to the man. Abraham (‘Father of Many’) points to God’s purpose
(17:5). Like Abraham, we are to worship God (7-8). We are to say, ‘He
is exalted’. We are to say, ‘Christ must increase, and I must decrease’
(John 3:30).
13:1-18
13:1-18
Life
is full of choices. Lot made a selfish choice (10-12). He allied
himself with ‘the men of Sodom (who) were wicked and were sinning
greatly against the Lord’ (13). Abraham made a godly choice, and he was
blessed by the Lord (14-17). The lesson of Abraham’s choice is the
lesson of Matthew 6:33 - Seek God’s glory and find His blessing. We read
later of Lot’s restoration (19:29). This is ‘amazing grace’! How much
better it would have been if Lot had chosen the Lord’s way in the first
place! The choices we make reveal the people that we are. The worldly
man, Lot, thought only of himself. The spiritual man, Abraham, concerned
himself with doing the Lord’s will. The worldly man takes for himself
(11). The spiritual man receives from the Lord (15). Our sin comes from
ourselves. Our salvation comes from the Lord. Confess your sin. Receive
God’s forgiveness.
14:1-24
14:1-24
Following
an account of military conflict, we come to a passage that is full of
Christ (18-20). In Melchisedek, we see Jesus. In Hebrews 7:3, we learn
that Melchisedek resembles the Son of God. We read on, in verse 4, ‘See
how great he is’, and, in our hearts we say, ‘How great is our Lord
Jesus Christ’. Melchisedek is ‘the King of Salem (peace)’ (18), pointing
to Christ through whom we have ‘peace with God’ (Romans 5:1).
Melchisedek brings ‘bread and wine’ (18), pointing to Christ whose body
was broken for us and whose blood was shed for us (1 Corinthians
11:23-26). Melchisedek spoke of the divine deliverance from enemies
(20), pointing to Christ's victory over Satan (Colossians 2:15). In this
episode we see the origins of tithing. It is not a legalistic practice.
God had been good to Abraham. In grateful worship, Abraham responded,
giving the tenth to Him (20).
15:1-21
15:1-21
God
is greater than our circumstances. God had given great promises to
Abraham, yet there appeared no sign that His promises were being
fulfilled. The circumstances seemed bleak, and Abraham felt despondent.
Abraham was full of questions. In verse 2, he asks, ‘What can you give
me...?’. This is the question of salvation. What does God give? He gives
salvation. In verse 8, he asks, ‘How can I know...?’. This is the
question of assurance. We ask for assurance. God gives it - the
assurance of salvation, the assurance that salvation has been given and
received. Where are we to look for answers to these questions? Are we to
look to our circumstances? Are we to look to our feelings? No. We look
to the ‘Almighty God’ (2,8). Trusting in Christ, the ‘Passover
Lamb...sacrificed for us’, we receive a sure salvation (6:1; 1
Corinthians 5:7; John 20:31; 1 John 5:13).
16:1-16
16:1-16
From
salvation and the assurance of salvation, we turn to Satan and the
activity of Satan. Sarai came with temptation (1). Abraham yielded to
temptation (2). Temptation becomes sin when we yield to it. In Abraham,
we see the conflict between ‘the old man’ that he was and ‘the new man’
God was calling him to become (17:5; Galatians 5:17). He chose the way
of unbelief. Listening to the voice of Satan, speaking through Sarai, he
walked straight into immorality. Unbelief and immorality belong
together (Romans 1:18). We must guard our hearts with respect to both
what we believe and how we behave. We must not imagine that Satan will
win the victory over the Lord and His purpose of salvation. Satan will
try to overcome God's gracious purpose, but he will not succeed
(Revelation 20:10). ‘Hallelujah!... the Lord our God the Almighty
reigns’ (Revelation 19:6).
17:1-27
17:1-27
Amazing
grace - this is the marvellous theme of this chapter. Abram became
Abraham (5). Sarai became Sarah (15-16). What they were belonged to
their sinful past. What they became was the work of God's grace. What a
contrast there is between human sin and divine grace. We look at
ourselves. We see sin, and we lose hope. We look at the God of grace,
and we say, ‘Sin shall not have dominion. Grace is victorious’ (Romans
6:14). Abram and Sarai appeared to be hopeless cases. They had failed
the Lord, but He did not fail them. He made them new people. They became
the father and mother of nations. To those who do not deserve His love,
God still renews His ‘covenant’, His promise of love (2). He still
says, ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3). In
the Cross of Christ, we have the greatest ‘sign of the covenant’ (11;
Romans 5:8).
18:1-15
18:1-15
Is
anything too hard for the Lord? (14). We need to hear these words as
God’s call to greater faith. Sarah, like Abraham, had heard God’s
promises, yet ‘she laughed to herself’ (12). We can hear God’s Word, and
still remain, in our hearts, men and women of unbelief. The Word of God
does not benefit us when we do not receive it with faith (Hebrews 4:2).
God knows what is in our hearts, just as He knew what was in Sarah’s
heart (13-15). He knows the human heart, ‘deceitful above all things’
(Jeremiah 17:9), yet He continues to love us. He does not give up on us.
He perseveres with us. He could have given up on Sarah as a hopeless
waste of His time, but He did not. ‘The evil heart of unbelief’ is
always with us, but God is constantly at work to create in us ‘a clean
heart’ ( Hebrews 3:12: Psalm 51:10). 'Soften my heart, Lord’ (Mission
Praise, 606).
18:16-33
18:16-33
In
the face of the threatened judgment of God upon Sodom and Gomorrah, we
find Abraham engaging in mighty intercessory prayer. He is not concerned
only about himself and his own salvation. He is prayerfully committed
to seeking the salvation of others. This is a mark of spiritual maturity
- a deep concern for the salvation of sinners, leading to earnest
intercessory prayer for them. Abraham drew near to God (23; James 4:8).
He pleaded with the God of grace to have mercy on the city (23-25; 2
Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:3-4, 1:15; John 3:17). With a deep love for the
people, Abraham prays with boldness and persistence (27,32; Hebrews
4:16). A great many people refused to honour God, yet His purpose was
not hindered. The remnant seemed impossibly small. It was the beginning
of blessing for all nations. ‘To God be the glory, Great things He has
done’ (Church Hymnary, 374).
19:1-29
19:1-29
In
Genesis 3, we read of humanity’s fall into sin. Here, we see the
awfulness of human sin and the awesomeness of divine judgment. We must
take God with the utmost seriousness. If we refuse to take Him
seriously, He will continue to take us seriously - in His judgment! Sin
leads to judgment - that’s the lesson of Sodom and Gomorrah. There is
sadness in the story of Lot. A compromised believer for whom the world
had no respect, he chose Sodom. This choice brought him nothing but sin
and shame - ‘and now he wants to play the judge!’ (9). The amazing thing
is that God did not give up on this ‘backslider’ - ‘the Lord was
merciful to them... He brought Lot out of the catastrophe’ (16,29). What
a great thing it is to have God’s salvation: ‘everything we need for
life and godliness’ to ‘escape the corruption in the world’ (2 Peter
1:3-5).
19:30-20:18
19:30-20:18
These
are stories of deception and deceit. Lot is deceived by his daughters
(30-38). Abraham deceives Abimelech (1-18). Even with the divine
provision for godliness, we need to be constantly on our guard. Even
those to whom we had looked for help can turn out to be a hindrance. Lot
was drawn into incest. This had drastic effects - ‘the father of the
Moabites, the father of the Ammonites’ (37-38)! Devotion to the Lord
needs to be renewed day-by-day. Otherwise, we will be vulnerable to the
attacks of the enemy and overcome by him. Abraham concealed the whole
truth by telling a half-truth (12). Abraham was regarded as ‘a prophet’
(7). He ought to have lived the life of a prophet, a true life. We are
to be true - the people of God.
21:1-21
21:1-21
We
have here the contrast between Isaac, the child of promise, and
Ishmael, the fruit of unbelief. Ishmael was born as a result of
impatience, the failure to wait upon the Lord. In the birth of Isaac,
the initiative belonged with God, and the glory belonged to Him. In
Christ, we are the children of promise - ‘children born not of natural
descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God’
(John 1:13). God did not forget Ishmael. There were blessings for him
(17-21). The difference between Ishmael and Isaac is the difference
between common grace and saving grace. Many people know much of the
grace of God in ‘the common things of life’ (Church Hymnary, 457). There
are so many blessings for them to count. Still they fail to appreciate
God’s greatest gift - His Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Thank God for
this and that and... Jesus!
21:22-22:14
21:22-22:14
Here,
we see Abraham in his relationship with the world (22-34) and his
relationship with the Lord (1-14). Abraham deals honestly and wisely
with the pagan king, Abimelech, who acknowledges Abraham's closeness to
God - ‘God is with you in all that you do’ (22). We are to be honest and
wise in our relationship with the world (Romans 12:17; Colossians 4:5;
Ephesians 5:15; 1 Peter 2:12). Our relationship with the world is to be
grounded in our relationship with God. In the testing of Abraham, we
catch a glimpse of ‘the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world’
(John 1:29). Christ is the Lamb whom God will provide (8). In verse 14,
we read, ‘On the mount of the Lord it shall be provided’. On Calvary’s
hill, Christ died to bring us to God, so that we might learn to live for
Him in this world (1 Peter 3:18; 2:24).
22:15-23:20
22:15-23:20
After
the renewal of God’s promise (15-18), Abraham went to Beersheba (19).
He returned to the place where he had ‘called...on the Name of the Lord,
the Everlasting God’ (33). This is a good ‘place’ to be, the ‘place’ of
calling on the Name of the Lord, the Everlasting God. As we read of the
death and burial of Sarah, we must remember this: the Lord is the
Everlasting God. The death of Sarah took place in God's time. Her death
signified that her work had been done. She had mothered the child of
promise. Beyond the death of Sarah, there was the continuing purpose of
God. The cave at Machpelah (23:19-20) became the burial place for Sarah,
Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Jacob and Leah. We see the continuity of
history, and we thank God for His continuing faithfulness down through
the generations.
24:1-21
24:1-21
The
servant was sent on a mission. He was ‘to get a wife for... Isaac’ (4).
When Christ entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11), He was on a mission.
He had come for His Bride, the Church (Ephesians 5:25; Revelation
21:2-3). The servant was not to ‘get a wife... from... the Canaanites’
(3). The Church is to be made ‘holy,... a radiant Church, without stain
or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless’ (Ephesians
5:26-27). The servant carried out his mission carefully and prayerfully
(12-14). Jesus was careful to fulfil the words of the prophet - entering
Jerusalem 'on a donkey' (Matthew 21:2-7). In His journey to the Cross,
Jesus was concerned with this one thing - ‘to do the will of Him who
sent Me and to finish His work’ (John 4:34). The servant prayed, and the
answer was given (15-16). Not my will but Thine, Lord!
24:22-49
24:22-49
The
detailed account of Isaac's marriage highlights the guidance of God. He
directs the life of His people. This is our testimony - ‘the Lord...
has led me on the right road’ (48). The great lessons of this story are
stated in verse 27 - (a) the ‘steadfast love’ of the Lord; (b) the
‘faithfulness’ of God; (c) the guidance of God - ‘the Lord has led me’;
(d) worshipping the Lord - ‘Blessed be the Lord...’. We are to seek
God’s guidance, rejoicing in His love and trusting in His faithfulness.
Looking to Christ, who went to the Cross for us, we are to say, with
Him, ‘I have come to do Thy will, O God’, ‘I will praise Thee’, ‘I will
put my trust in Him’, ‘Here am I, and the children God has given Me’
(Hebrews 10:7; 2:12-13). To those who do His will, praising Him and
trusting Him, God will give much blessing - ‘an overflowing blessing’
(Malachi 3:10).
24:50-67
24:50-67
In
verse 60, we read of the blessing of God upon Rebekah - ‘Our sister,
may you increase to thousands upon thousands; may your offspring possess
the gates of their enemies’. This refers to the long-term fulfilment of
God’s promise to Abraham. Through the death of Christ, the Lamb of God,
‘a great multitude that no one could number, from every nation,’ will
sing the song of salvation, ‘Salvation belongs to our God ...and to the
Lamb’ (Revelation 7: 9-10). This is what we must pray for in our own
community. In homes where Christ has not been honoured, there will be
transformation. The Lord’s messengers will be received - ‘Blessed is he
who comes in the name of the Lord!’ - and the Lord’s Name will be
praised - ‘Hosanna in the highest!’ (Matthew 21:9). Such blessing will
be given to those who spend time with God (63; Joshua 1:8).
25:1-18
25:1-18
What
will we leave behind us? What will we pass on to the next generation?
In this passage of many names, there is a challenging contrast between
the influence of Abraham and Ishmael on the next generation. In verse
11, we read, ‘After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac’. In
verse 18, we find that ‘Ishmael’s descendants lived in hostility toward
all their brothers’. In Isaiah 52:13-53:12, there is a great prophecy
concerning the death of Christ. We read of His suffering, as He becomes
‘an offering for sin’. We learn also of His glorious future - ‘He will
see His offspring and prolong His days’ (53:10). Unlike Abraham (175
years) and Ishmael (137 years), Jesus did not live a long life on earth
(33 years), yet ‘He shall see the fruit of the travail of His soul and
be satisfied’ - ‘many’ will be ‘accounted righteous’ (11).
25:19-34
25:19-34
Esau
was a fool. He chose his own way rather than the Lord’s way. Jacob was a
‘heel’! ‘Born with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel..., he was named
Jacob (Heel)’ (26). A crafty twister, a manipulating cheat, there was
nothing about him that merited God’s blessing. He was not superior to
Esau. Like Esau, Jacob was a sinner. Esau was not inferior to Jacob.
Both were guilty before God. Why, then - in God’s purpose - does ‘the
elder’ (Esau) ‘serve the younger’ (Jacob) (23)? The answer is grace, the
‘amazing grace’ of God. Grace lifted Jacob. The glory belongs to God.
Grace could have lifted Esau. By grace Jacob valued the birthright
(God’s blessing). His way of seeking God’s blessing was devious.
Nevertheless, he was seeking for God - and God, in His grace, found him
and made him a new man (32:28). ‘Wonderful grace of Jesus, Greater than
all my sin!’
26:1-35
26:1-35
‘History
repeats itself’. Sin has a ‘like father, like son’ quality about it -
Isaac is like Abraham (7; 12:13, 20:2, 12-13), Jacob is like Isaac (7;
25:31,27:19). Grace repeats itself. God is faithful. He gives
forgiveness and victory over temptation (1 John 1:9; 1 Corinthians
10:13). He cannot deny Himself (2 Timothy 2:13). Deceived by ‘the father
of lies’ (the devil), ‘man’ denies the truth (John 8:44). ‘Let God be
true, and every man a liar’ (Romans 3:4). In verses 19-22, there’s ‘the
story of the three wells’ - ‘Dispute’, ‘Opposition’, ‘Room’. Things went
from bad to worse, then there was progress. There is room for both,
when there is no more quarrelling. Isaac worshipped God, and was
recognised as God’s man (25,28). We are to be recognised as God’s
people, but remember - verse 34 - even the Lord’s people can make
mistakes!
27:1-40
The deception of Isaac by Jacob (prompted by Rebekah) is a sad episode, yet God - in grace - really bestows His blessing on Jacob. Beneath Jacob’s deceit, there was a real desire to be blessed by God. To Esau (the late arrival), Isaac says, ‘I have blessed him - yes, and he shall be blessed. I blessed him, and blessed he will remain’ (33). Once the blessing had been given, it could not be recalled. The blessing could not be undone. Power bestowed by God could not be removed. This had nothing to do with ‘Jacob’s righteousness’. It had everything to do with God’s faithfulness. The good work begun by God, will be completed by Him (Philippians 1:6). This was true for Jacob (28:15). It is true for us - ‘All the promises of God find their Yes in Christ’. To this, we say ‘Amen’ and ‘To God be the Glory’ (2 Corinthians 1:20)!
27:41-28:9
What a tangled web! Jacob has cheated Esau. Now, Esau is saying, ‘I will kill my brother Jacob’ (41). What are we to make of all this? We must look beyond the human scene. Behind it all, there is ‘God Almighty’ (3). God will fulfil His promises. Nothing will distract Him from His ultimate purpose of salvation. We look at the complex series of events involving Rebekah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau. God looks beyond all of that to Jesus Christ. He looks beyond the nation of Israel. His purpose concerns ‘the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). ‘The blessing of Abraham’ refers not only to the ‘land’ (4). There is also ‘the promise of the Spirit’ (Galatians 3:14). We are to live ‘by the power of the Spirit’, and not ‘according to the flesh’ as Esau did when ‘he went to Ishmael (the child of Abraham's unbelief...)’ (9; Galatians 4:29).
28:10-22
Just another night (11)? No! - this was a night to remember, a night Jacob would never forget. God came to him with His wonderful promise of love: ‘I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (15). At Bethel (‘the house of God’), powerfully transformed by the presence of God - ‘Surely the Lord is in this place’ (16) - , Jacob consecrated himself to the Lord. ‘If’ (20) means ‘Since’. See Romans 8:31 - ‘If (Since) God is for us, who can be against us?’. Giving the tenth (22) - this is not legalism, a kind of repayment scheme. There can be no ‘salvation by works’. We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our giving must always be a heartfelt expression of thanksgiving to the God of grace: ‘Loving Him who first loved me’. We are saved ‘to do good works’ (Ephesians 2:10) - not because we do good works!
29:1-30
The tables are turned on Jacob. The trickster is tricked! The ‘trick’ was according to the ‘custom’ that the elder daughter should be given in marriage before the younger one (23,25-26). Seven years became fourteen years (18-20,27,30). Jacob did receive his heart’s desire, but there was a lesson to be learned: Going God’s way is better than getting your own way. ‘All things work together for good to those who love God’ (Romans 8:28) - this doesn’t mean that we always get what we want. We must learn to ‘let go and let God have His wonderful way’, and to say, ‘This God - His way is perfect’ (Psalm 18:30). Out of love for Rachel (18,20), Jacob served Laban for an extra seven years. We would serve Christ better if we loved Him more. Jesus still asks the question, ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17).
29:31-30:24
Leah progressed beyond her own concerns (32-34) to the most important thing: ‘This time I will praise the Lord’ (35). Of the many children, the most significant, in terms of God’s purpose of redemption, was Joseph (22-24). An answer to prayer, it was the work of divine grace (22). ‘Rachel was barren’ (31) yet the Lord gave her this testimony: ‘God has taken away my disgrace’ (23). We move from one Joseph to another - the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We see an even greater work of grace: the birth of our Saviour. Rachel was to have a second son, Benjamin (24). Through Christ, God has many sons and daughters (Galatians 4:4-5). Rachel rejoiced in the gift of a son, her son. We rejoice in the gift of the Son, God’s Son. Through the Spirit of God’s Son living in our hearts, we are God’s children and He is our Father (Galatians 4:6).
30:25-31:21
Jacob was still a complex character, trying to arrange his own prosperity (37-43). There is, however, another, better reason for his prosperity - God had promised to bless him, and God did bless him (28:15). Inner desire, favourable circumstances, the divine Word - all three were present in Jacob’s decision to leave Laban and ‘go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan’ (18). (a) Inner desire - Jacob had been badly treated by Laban, and he did not want to work for him any longer (2); (b) Favourable circumstances - Jacob had grown ‘exceedingly prosperous’ (43). He didn’t need to keep on working for Laban; (c) The divine Word - Inner desire and circumstances were not enough to confirm God’s guidance to Jacob. He needed God’s command and promise (3). Let God ‘guide’ by His ‘light and truth’ (Psalm 48:14; 43:3).
31:22-42
As we try to unravel the complexities of Jacob’s dealings with Laban, we must remember this one thing: ‘If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac (the God before whom Isaac bowed in reverence) had not been with me...’ (42). This is the spiritual dimension. We must not lose sight of this. Life can be complicated at times, but we must not forget this: God is with us. Jacob, who was renamed ‘Israel’ (32:28), confessed his faith: God is with me. Later on, the nation of Israel confessed its faith in God: ‘If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...’, it would have been disaster. ‘Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’. The Lord is with us still. With the Psalmist, we say, ‘Blessed be the Lord’. He is the God of our salvation (Psalm 124).
31:43-32:21
Jacob and Laban were not exactly the best of friends. Nevertheless, they came to an agreement that they would not continue feuding with each other (52). Jacob prepares to meet Esau (1-21). From verses 9-12, we learn some important spiritual lessons - (a) Make sure that God is your God, and not only the God of your father and grandfather (9). (b) Confess your unworthiness of ‘all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness’ of God (10). (c) Pray to God for salvation - ‘Save me I pray...’ (11). (d) Stand on the promises of God - ‘You have said...’ (12). Jacob, soon to be renamed Israel (32:28), was preparing to meet Esau. There is, in his prayer, the way of being prepared for a more important meeting: ‘Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!’ (Amos 4:12). Confess your sin, pray for salvation, stand on God’s Word - make it personal!
32:22-32
At the place called Peniel, Jacob ‘saw God face to face’ (30). We see ‘the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jacob wrestled with God and became an overcomer (28). Christ wrestled with the powers of evil, and has won a mighty victory for us. When He cried out from the Cross, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30), this was not an admission of defeat. It was the declaration of victory - the victory has been won, the victory is complete. ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:57). For Jacob, crossing the Jabbok involved a spiritual ‘crossing over’. Jacob became Israel, a new man (28). After he had been ‘touched’ by God, Jacob was ‘limping’ (31-32). This was a reminder of his own weakness. His true strength was in the Lord. Wait on the Lord, and renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).
33:1-20
From Jacob’s meeting with God, we come to his meeting with Esau. Before we start thinking of this as a big ‘come down’, we should note Jacob’s word to Esau: ‘truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God’ (10). Jacob is describing his meeting with Esau in terms of his encounter with God at Peniel: ‘I have seen God face to face (32:30). Before we dismiss Jacob’s words as ‘a bit over the top’, we should remember Jesus’ words: ‘as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:40). We are not to choose between loving God and loving our neighbour. We are to love both (Matthew 22:37-38). We honour God. We are to honour other people. The two go together - reverence for God our Creator and respect for people, created in God's image (1 John 4:20-21).
34:1-31
This chapter is about sin - the name of God is not even mentioned! We might well say of this chapter: ‘the less said the better’. We should, however, notice that Jacob is still turning out to be a big disappointment. Despite all Jacob’s potential (28:15-17,20-22; 32:28-30), there is still, in him, a great deal of self and not very much of the Lord. We see this in verse 30: ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me odious... my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household’. Where is God in all this? It seems that Jacob has become so preoccupied with himself and his own interests that he has forgotten all about God. Amazingly, the next chapter begins, ‘God said to Jacob, “Arise...”’. God was still calling him to higher things. What love! God doesn’t give up on us. He keeps on calling us back to Himself.
35:1-15
‘God appeared to Jacob again ... and blessed him’ (9). The Lord’s blessing does not come only once. Again and again, He blesses His people, leading us on to a closer walk with Him. God knows what we have been - ‘Your name is Jacob’ (10). He knows how often we have failed Him, yet still, He loves us. Still, He holds out before us a new and better future - ‘Israel shall be your name’ (10). God is inviting us to enter into a future of fruitfulness (11): ‘I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that you fruit should abide’ (John 15:16). Special mention is made of ‘the place where God had spoken with him’ - ‘Bethel’ (the house of God) (15). We cannot expect to be fruitful witnesses if we are not faithful worshippers. Listen for God’s Word. Take His Word with you - and share it with others.
35:16-36:43
Two prisoners looked out from the same cell. One saw the sunshine and the other saw mud! There are two ways of looking at every situation - 'Benoni' (son of my sorrow), 'Benjamin' (son of the right hand) (35:18). Spot the missing name in chapter 36? - God. Many never think of God (Psalm 10:4). Esau’s hardness of heart was more than personal. It has continued for generations - ‘two nations... two peoples...’ (25:23). He has ‘spiritual’ descendants too. God’s Word warns us: ‘See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God...like Esau’ (Hebrews 12:15-17). Salvation does not come to us because of our good works (Romans 9:10-13). Every attempt to save ourselves meets with the divine condemnation (Malachi 1:1-4; Romans 3:19-20). Thank God for your own salvation. Never feel superior because of it. Pray that hard hearts will be brought to Christ (1 Timothy 1: 12-17; Romans 1:16).
The deception of Isaac by Jacob (prompted by Rebekah) is a sad episode, yet God - in grace - really bestows His blessing on Jacob. Beneath Jacob’s deceit, there was a real desire to be blessed by God. To Esau (the late arrival), Isaac says, ‘I have blessed him - yes, and he shall be blessed. I blessed him, and blessed he will remain’ (33). Once the blessing had been given, it could not be recalled. The blessing could not be undone. Power bestowed by God could not be removed. This had nothing to do with ‘Jacob’s righteousness’. It had everything to do with God’s faithfulness. The good work begun by God, will be completed by Him (Philippians 1:6). This was true for Jacob (28:15). It is true for us - ‘All the promises of God find their Yes in Christ’. To this, we say ‘Amen’ and ‘To God be the Glory’ (2 Corinthians 1:20)!
27:41-28:9
What a tangled web! Jacob has cheated Esau. Now, Esau is saying, ‘I will kill my brother Jacob’ (41). What are we to make of all this? We must look beyond the human scene. Behind it all, there is ‘God Almighty’ (3). God will fulfil His promises. Nothing will distract Him from His ultimate purpose of salvation. We look at the complex series of events involving Rebekah, Isaac, Jacob and Esau. God looks beyond all of that to Jesus Christ. He looks beyond the nation of Israel. His purpose concerns ‘the ends of the earth’ (Acts 1:8). ‘The blessing of Abraham’ refers not only to the ‘land’ (4). There is also ‘the promise of the Spirit’ (Galatians 3:14). We are to live ‘by the power of the Spirit’, and not ‘according to the flesh’ as Esau did when ‘he went to Ishmael (the child of Abraham's unbelief...)’ (9; Galatians 4:29).
28:10-22
Just another night (11)? No! - this was a night to remember, a night Jacob would never forget. God came to him with His wonderful promise of love: ‘I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you’ (15). At Bethel (‘the house of God’), powerfully transformed by the presence of God - ‘Surely the Lord is in this place’ (16) - , Jacob consecrated himself to the Lord. ‘If’ (20) means ‘Since’. See Romans 8:31 - ‘If (Since) God is for us, who can be against us?’. Giving the tenth (22) - this is not legalism, a kind of repayment scheme. There can be no ‘salvation by works’. We are saved by grace (Ephesians 2:8-9). Our giving must always be a heartfelt expression of thanksgiving to the God of grace: ‘Loving Him who first loved me’. We are saved ‘to do good works’ (Ephesians 2:10) - not because we do good works!
29:1-30
The tables are turned on Jacob. The trickster is tricked! The ‘trick’ was according to the ‘custom’ that the elder daughter should be given in marriage before the younger one (23,25-26). Seven years became fourteen years (18-20,27,30). Jacob did receive his heart’s desire, but there was a lesson to be learned: Going God’s way is better than getting your own way. ‘All things work together for good to those who love God’ (Romans 8:28) - this doesn’t mean that we always get what we want. We must learn to ‘let go and let God have His wonderful way’, and to say, ‘This God - His way is perfect’ (Psalm 18:30). Out of love for Rachel (18,20), Jacob served Laban for an extra seven years. We would serve Christ better if we loved Him more. Jesus still asks the question, ‘Do you love Me?’ (John 21:15-17).
29:31-30:24
Leah progressed beyond her own concerns (32-34) to the most important thing: ‘This time I will praise the Lord’ (35). Of the many children, the most significant, in terms of God’s purpose of redemption, was Joseph (22-24). An answer to prayer, it was the work of divine grace (22). ‘Rachel was barren’ (31) yet the Lord gave her this testimony: ‘God has taken away my disgrace’ (23). We move from one Joseph to another - the husband of Mary, the mother of Jesus. We see an even greater work of grace: the birth of our Saviour. Rachel was to have a second son, Benjamin (24). Through Christ, God has many sons and daughters (Galatians 4:4-5). Rachel rejoiced in the gift of a son, her son. We rejoice in the gift of the Son, God’s Son. Through the Spirit of God’s Son living in our hearts, we are God’s children and He is our Father (Galatians 4:6).
30:25-31:21
Jacob was still a complex character, trying to arrange his own prosperity (37-43). There is, however, another, better reason for his prosperity - God had promised to bless him, and God did bless him (28:15). Inner desire, favourable circumstances, the divine Word - all three were present in Jacob’s decision to leave Laban and ‘go to his father Isaac in the land of Canaan’ (18). (a) Inner desire - Jacob had been badly treated by Laban, and he did not want to work for him any longer (2); (b) Favourable circumstances - Jacob had grown ‘exceedingly prosperous’ (43). He didn’t need to keep on working for Laban; (c) The divine Word - Inner desire and circumstances were not enough to confirm God’s guidance to Jacob. He needed God’s command and promise (3). Let God ‘guide’ by His ‘light and truth’ (Psalm 48:14; 43:3).
31:22-42
As we try to unravel the complexities of Jacob’s dealings with Laban, we must remember this one thing: ‘If the God of my father, the God of Abraham and the fear of Isaac (the God before whom Isaac bowed in reverence) had not been with me...’ (42). This is the spiritual dimension. We must not lose sight of this. Life can be complicated at times, but we must not forget this: God is with us. Jacob, who was renamed ‘Israel’ (32:28), confessed his faith: God is with me. Later on, the nation of Israel confessed its faith in God: ‘If it had not been the Lord who was on our side...’, it would have been disaster. ‘Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth’. The Lord is with us still. With the Psalmist, we say, ‘Blessed be the Lord’. He is the God of our salvation (Psalm 124).
31:43-32:21
Jacob and Laban were not exactly the best of friends. Nevertheless, they came to an agreement that they would not continue feuding with each other (52). Jacob prepares to meet Esau (1-21). From verses 9-12, we learn some important spiritual lessons - (a) Make sure that God is your God, and not only the God of your father and grandfather (9). (b) Confess your unworthiness of ‘all the steadfast love and all the faithfulness’ of God (10). (c) Pray to God for salvation - ‘Save me I pray...’ (11). (d) Stand on the promises of God - ‘You have said...’ (12). Jacob, soon to be renamed Israel (32:28), was preparing to meet Esau. There is, in his prayer, the way of being prepared for a more important meeting: ‘Prepare to meet your God, O Israel!’ (Amos 4:12). Confess your sin, pray for salvation, stand on God’s Word - make it personal!
32:22-32
At the place called Peniel, Jacob ‘saw God face to face’ (30). We see ‘the glory of God in the face of Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4:6). Jacob wrestled with God and became an overcomer (28). Christ wrestled with the powers of evil, and has won a mighty victory for us. When He cried out from the Cross, ‘It is finished’ (John 19:30), this was not an admission of defeat. It was the declaration of victory - the victory has been won, the victory is complete. ‘Thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (1 Corinthians 15:57). For Jacob, crossing the Jabbok involved a spiritual ‘crossing over’. Jacob became Israel, a new man (28). After he had been ‘touched’ by God, Jacob was ‘limping’ (31-32). This was a reminder of his own weakness. His true strength was in the Lord. Wait on the Lord, and renew your strength (Isaiah 40:31).
33:1-20
From Jacob’s meeting with God, we come to his meeting with Esau. Before we start thinking of this as a big ‘come down’, we should note Jacob’s word to Esau: ‘truly to see your face is like seeing the face of God’ (10). Jacob is describing his meeting with Esau in terms of his encounter with God at Peniel: ‘I have seen God face to face (32:30). Before we dismiss Jacob’s words as ‘a bit over the top’, we should remember Jesus’ words: ‘as you did it to the least of these my brethren, you did it to Me’ (Matthew 25:40). We are not to choose between loving God and loving our neighbour. We are to love both (Matthew 22:37-38). We honour God. We are to honour other people. The two go together - reverence for God our Creator and respect for people, created in God's image (1 John 4:20-21).
34:1-31
This chapter is about sin - the name of God is not even mentioned! We might well say of this chapter: ‘the less said the better’. We should, however, notice that Jacob is still turning out to be a big disappointment. Despite all Jacob’s potential (28:15-17,20-22; 32:28-30), there is still, in him, a great deal of self and not very much of the Lord. We see this in verse 30: ‘You have brought trouble on me by making me odious... my numbers are few, and if they gather themselves against me and attack me, I shall be destroyed, both I and my household’. Where is God in all this? It seems that Jacob has become so preoccupied with himself and his own interests that he has forgotten all about God. Amazingly, the next chapter begins, ‘God said to Jacob, “Arise...”’. God was still calling him to higher things. What love! God doesn’t give up on us. He keeps on calling us back to Himself.
35:1-15
‘God appeared to Jacob again ... and blessed him’ (9). The Lord’s blessing does not come only once. Again and again, He blesses His people, leading us on to a closer walk with Him. God knows what we have been - ‘Your name is Jacob’ (10). He knows how often we have failed Him, yet still, He loves us. Still, He holds out before us a new and better future - ‘Israel shall be your name’ (10). God is inviting us to enter into a future of fruitfulness (11): ‘I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit and that you fruit should abide’ (John 15:16). Special mention is made of ‘the place where God had spoken with him’ - ‘Bethel’ (the house of God) (15). We cannot expect to be fruitful witnesses if we are not faithful worshippers. Listen for God’s Word. Take His Word with you - and share it with others.
35:16-36:43
Two prisoners looked out from the same cell. One saw the sunshine and the other saw mud! There are two ways of looking at every situation - 'Benoni' (son of my sorrow), 'Benjamin' (son of the right hand) (35:18). Spot the missing name in chapter 36? - God. Many never think of God (Psalm 10:4). Esau’s hardness of heart was more than personal. It has continued for generations - ‘two nations... two peoples...’ (25:23). He has ‘spiritual’ descendants too. God’s Word warns us: ‘See to it that no one fail to obtain the grace of God...like Esau’ (Hebrews 12:15-17). Salvation does not come to us because of our good works (Romans 9:10-13). Every attempt to save ourselves meets with the divine condemnation (Malachi 1:1-4; Romans 3:19-20). Thank God for your own salvation. Never feel superior because of it. Pray that hard hearts will be brought to Christ (1 Timothy 1: 12-17; Romans 1:16).
37:1-36
Here,
we have human sin and divine grace. We see jealousy (11) and its
effects: ‘where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be
disorder and every vile practice’ (James 3:16). We see God working out
His purpose: ‘you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good’
(50:20). In his dreams, Joseph was given a glimpse of the ‘new thing’
(Isaiah 43:19) God was about to do. Joseph’s situation seemed hopeless:
‘cast... into a pit’, ‘sold’ into slavery (24,28). God was in this
situation. Each of us is in a ‘pit’, but we are not alone. Jesus has
gone into the ‘pit’ for us, and He has come out of it victorious: ‘Death
is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is your sting? O grave where
is your victory?’. Slaves of Satan, we have been set free by Christ (Romans 6:17-18; Hebrews 2:14-15). God was with Joseph. He is with us.
38:1-30
‘Judah
went down from his brothers, and turned in to a certain Adullamite...’
(1-2). This is the sad story of so many people: Drawn away by an
unbelieving man/woman from the fellowship of God's people, the story
then goes from bad to worse. A whole catalogue of disasters follows. God
is mentioned in only two verses (7,10). Both speak of human sin and
divine judgment. God’s Word is clear: Believers are not to be joined in
marriage to unbelievers (2 Corinthians 6:14). Lower your spiritual
defences at this point, and you are asking for big trouble! Satan is
ready to sweep in and cause chaos. This sad story of sin and shame
stands as a warning to us. Do not rush into sinful choices. Put God
first, and let Him lead you in His perfect way: ‘Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well’ (Matthew 6:33).
39:1-23
In
chapter 38, we read of unbridled lust. Here, we read of sexual
restraint: ‘how can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?’
(9). Sin brings complications, and so does obedience! There is, in fact,
only one complication - sin. We live in a sinful world, which has no
real interest in obedience to God. We must be realistic: ‘all who desire
to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted’ (2 Timothy
3:12). Obedience and persecution - we see both in the story of Joseph.
He was tempted, but he did not sin (7-9). Temptation is not sin. God
provides ‘the way of escape’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). Christ is ‘the way’
(John 14:6), God’s way of escape. We go to Him when we are tempted
(Hebrews 2:16; 4:15-16). Joseph was put into prison, ‘but the Lord was
with him, and showed him steadfast love’ (20-21) - ‘persecuted, but not
forsaken’' (2 Corinthians 4:9).
40:1-23
God
gave Joseph power to overcome temptation (chapter 39). Now, He gives
him power to interpret dreams. Here, Joseph the dreamer (37:5-11)
becomes Joseph the interpreter of dreams. Joseph may be viewed as a
prophet: ‘Surely the
Lord does nothing, without revealing His secret to His servants the
prophets’ (Amos 3:7). As a true prophet, he gives the glory to God
alone: ‘Do not interpretations belong to God?’ (8). Joseph became the
forgotten man (23). For Joseph, life had become very difficult. He had
known prosperity (39:2-3). Now, he was suffering adversity. God
is in both our prosperity and our adversity. He uses adversity to
produce in us a heart of humility. What was Joseph doing while he was in
prison? He was keeping close to God, waiting patiently for his ‘time to
speak’ (Ecclesiastes 3:7).
41:1-57
‘After
two whole years’, Joseph was still the forgotten man. Then Pharaoh had a
dream (1). This was the beginning of the next stage of God’s plan for
Joseph. In the interpretation of Pharaoh’s dream, Joseph directs
attention to God: ‘It is not in me; God will give Pharaoh a favourable answer... God has revealed to Pharaoh what He is about to do... God has shown Pharaoh what He is about to do... the thing is fixed by God, and God
will shortly bring it to pass (16,25,28,32). Joseph spoke with divine
authority because ‘the Spirit of God’ was living in him (38). God was at
work in Joseph, enabling him to forget his hardship and to be fruitful
in his affliction (51-52). This is the work of divine grace - a reversal
of human expectations. By God’s grace, hardship and affliction lead not
to bitterness and resentment but to a deeper love for the Lord.
42:1-38
‘Joseph’s
brothers... bowed themselves before him’ (6). Remember Joseph’s dream
(37:5-11)! God is fulfilling His purpose. This has nothing to do with
the glory of Joseph. It has everything to do with the glory of God.
Joseph was exalted to a place of honour because he was a man of God: ‘I
fear God’ (18). All the glory belongs to God alone! Joseph’s treatment
of his brothers seemed harsh. In verse 24, we see another side of him:
‘he turned away from them and wept’. Joseph loved his brothers. Behind
his ‘harsh’ words, there was love. He wanted them to recognize their sin
(38:18-33). He was paving the way for his reunion with them in
brotherly love. God loves us. Sometimes, His ways seem harsh, but they
are always for our best (Revelation 3:19; Hebrews 12:5-11). He shows us
how much our sin hurts Him so that we might see how much He loves us.
43:1-34
The
roles have been reversed. At the beginning of Joseph’s story, it seemed
that the brothers had control over his destiny (37:19-20). Now, Joseph
has the upper hand. Ultimately , it was the Lord who was in control. In
all the events of Joseph’s life, God had been leading him towards the
re-uniting of the family through which He would work out His purpose of
grace. Joseph, the man at the centre of God’s purpose, knew the God of
grace and desired that others might also know the blessing of the
gracious God (29). Benjamin was Joseph’s only full brother. The others
were step-brothers (29:31-30:24; 35: 16-18). Joseph had a special
affection for Benjamin (30). In the love of Joseph for Benjamin, we see
God’s love for us: ‘My compassion grows warm and tender’ (Hosea 11: 8);
‘I have loved you with an everlasting love’ (Jeremiah 31:3).
44:1-34
God
is fulfilling His purpose: ‘the brothers fell before Joseph to the
ground’ (14; 37:7,10). God’s purpose is moving towards its ultimate
fulfilment: ‘that at the Name of Jesus every knee should bow’
(Phillipians 2:10). As God’s purpose moves forward, the brothers are
being changed from men who sold their brother into slavery to men who
will welcome him again as their long-lost brother (37:28; 45:15). God
wants to change us - ‘Jesus, You are changing me, By Your Spirit You're
making me like You. Jesus, You're transforming me, That Your loveliness
may be seen in all I do.You are the potter and I am the clay. Help me to
be willing to let You have Your way. Jesus, You are changing me, as I let You reign supreme within my heart’ (Mission Praise, 389). Bowing the knee to Jesus Christ begins here and now.
45:1-28
In
the reunion of Joseph with his brothers, there is a great testimony to
the God of grace: ‘Do not be distressed... because you sold me here; for
God sent me before you to preserve life... God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant on earth, and to keep alive for you many survivors. So it was not you who sent me here, but God... God
has made me lord of all Egypt' (5,7-9). Joseph was the pioneer. He went
ahead of the others. He paved the way for them. Jesus is ‘the Pioneer
of our salvation’. He will ‘bring many sons to glory’. He will welcome
us as His ‘brothers’ (Hebrews 2:10-12). Jesus is also the ‘Perfecter of
our faith’ (Hebrews 12:2). He is leading us to ‘a better country - a
heavenly one’ (Hebrews 11:16). Let ‘every tongue confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord’ (Philipians 2:11). Let it begin here on earth.
46:1-34
Jacob goes to Egypt. There were three factors in Jacob’s guidance: Inner desire - He wanted to see Joseph; Circumstances - Joseph wanted to see him and his sons were going to take him; God’s Word - God told him to go. With God’s command, there was also His promise
- ‘I will there make of you a great nation’. There was no need for fear
because God would be with him (3-4). Life would not be easy in Egypt -
‘every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians’ (34). We live in a
world which does not honour Christ as ‘the Good Shepherd’ (John
10:11,14), ‘the Great Shepherd’ (Hebrews 13:20-21), ‘the Chief Shepherd’
(1 Peter 5:4). In Christ, we are ‘a holy nation’. Why has God made us
His ‘own people’? - ‘that you may declare the wonderful deeds of Him... ’
(1 Peter 2:9). ‘The nations are waiting for us, waiting for the gospel
we will bring’ (Songs of Fellowship, 539).
47:1-26
Jacob
and Joseph - the two stories are one. Christ and the Christian - our
story is bound up with His story. Jacob reflects on his life - ‘What has
it all amounted to?’. He does not sing his own praises (8-9). Let the
glory be given to God and not kept for ourselves. Joseph provided food
for his family (12). Jesus has provided for us something better than
food (Matthew 4:4) - ‘an eternal redemption’ (Hebrews 9:12). Grateful to
Joseph for what he had done for them, the people said, ‘You have saved
our lives... we will be slaves’ (25). Saved by Christ, we are to be
‘slaves’ of Christ (Romans 6:17-18). We belong to Christ. We are to
serve Him. We look to Him to ‘give us seed (His Word)... that the land
may not be desolate’ (19; Mark 4:14; Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 126:5-6). We
‘sow’. We ‘reap’. ‘God gives the growth’ (1 Corinthians 3:6-7) !
47:27-48:22
No more fear (46:3). No more pride (47:9). Now, no more doubt - God will bless (15-16, 19-21). Let it be confidence (Philippians 1:6), humility (John 15:5) and faith (Hebrews 11:1; Philippians
3:14). Man's way is set aside - ‘his younger brother shall be greater
than he’ (19). We are ‘saved by grace’ (Ephesians 2:8). There is one way
of salvation - God’s way (John 14:6). Israel was promised a ‘land’
(21). In Christ, we are being led on to ‘a better country... a heavenly
one’ (Hebrews 11:16). Jacob said, ‘I am about to die’ (21). Jesus says,
‘I died and... I am alive for evermore’ (Revelation 1:18). He says, ‘I
will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be
also’ (John 14:3). No more fear, pride, doubt - Christ saves ‘to the
uttermost’ (Hebrews 7:25).
49:1-27
Jacob
blesses his sons, ‘blessing each with the blessing suitable to him’
(28). The most significant blessings are reserved for Joseph (22-26).
This is not simply the blessing of Jacob. This is the blessing of ‘the
Mighty One of Jacob... the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel... the God of
your father... God Almighty' (24-25). God blesses us ‘with blessings of
heaven above, blessings which are mighty beyond the blessings of the
eternal mountains, the bounties of the everlasting hills’ (25-26). He
does this for us in Jesus Christ, the fulfilment of the divine purpose
within which Joseph was privileged to take his part. ‘God... has blessed
us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places’
(Ephesians 1:3). What blessings He has given to us - the forgiveness of
sins, the Holy Spirit, eternal life (Ephesians 1:7,13-14)! ‘Bless the
Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits’ (Psalm 103:2).
49:28-50:26
It
was a time of ‘very great and sorrowful lamentation’ (10). Jacob had
died (33). Soon, Joseph would be gone (26). God was still there. He had
been there in the past (20). He would be there in the future (24-25).
Times are hard. We rejoice: ‘The steadfast love of the Lord never
ceases’. An earthly life has ended. We say, ‘His mercies never come to
an end’. We cannot cope. We discover that ‘His mercies are new every
morning’. Everything seems to be changing. We trust in God’s unchanging
love: ‘Great is Thy faithfulness’. It seems hopeless. We say, ‘I will
hope in the Lord’ (Lamentations 3:22-24). ‘Bad’ things are happening to
you. Do you need to be ‘reassured... and comforted’? - ‘God meant it for
good... Do not fear’. The Lord ‘will provide for you’ (20-21). Whatever
happens, remember this - God is in control, and He loves you (Romans 8:28)!
EXODUS
1:1-2:10 - Things were difficult for
2:11-3:22 - Salvation, service, personal faith, life among God’s people - God has much to teach us. Moses sins (2:12). God graciously forgives (Micah 7:18-19) - this is salvation. His sin forgiven, Moses is called to service. He is called by the eternal God, the God who draws near to His people (3:14-15). Saved by Christ, we are called to serve Him, the eternal ‘God’ who ‘became flesh and dwelt among us’ (John 1:1-14). Saved, we belong to God’s people (1 Peter 2:10). Serving, we play our part within the ‘one body’ of Christ (Romans 12:4-5). Moses was to serve God’s people, the people whose prayer God answered - delivering them from bondage and leading them on to great blessing (2:23-25; 3:8). Moses was a key figure, but he did not stand alone. The work of God made progress because the people of God went forward together. In God’s work, we are to be participators - not spectators!
4:1-31 - Two great obstacles had to be overcome - Moses’ sense of inadequacy and Pharaoh’s stubborn resistance. Moses had to learn that ‘our competence comes from God’ (2 Corinthians 3:5). Part of God’s provision for Moses was Aaron (14-16). We are not called to go it alone. What encouragement there is in the support of our fellow-believers. Weak believers need strengthening. Stubborn unbelief (Pharaoh) is ready to overwhelm us. We need strength if we are to ‘attempt great things for God’ and ‘expect great things from God’ (William Carey). Concerning Pharaoh, God says, ‘I will harden his heart’ (21). This was also Pharaoh’s own choice - ‘Pharaoh hardened his heart’ (8:15,32; 9:34). God sent circumstances into Pharaoh’s life which led him to harden his own heart by rejecting God's Word. Pharaoh’s resistance did not hinder God’s salvation - he was ‘compelled by a mighty hand’ (3:19). God is at work - make sure you don't miss out on His blessing!
5:1-6:13 - In 4:29-31, we see Moses, the elders and the people worshipping God. Pharaoh opposes them - ‘Who is the Lord, that I should heed His voice...?’ (2) - , and ‘the foremen of the people of Israel ’ start complaining (19-21). What does Moses do ? - He prays. Notice the honesty of his prayer - he asks the ‘Why ?’ question, and he protests, ‘You have not rescued Your people at all’ (22-23). God gives His answer - redemption will be given (6:1,6-8). Redemption - this is God’s answer to our suffering. He gave His Son to suffer for our sins. Through Christ, we receive salvation. Moses had to learn to wait for the fulfilment of God’s promise. God’s own people were not listening to him. How could he expect the unbelieving Pharaoh to listen to him (6:9,12)? It was not easy. Nevertheless, this ‘charge’ had been given - ‘bring the people out’. It shall be done!
6:14-7:24 - This list of names emphasizes that God is concerned with the ‘little people’, and not only ‘the big names’ like Moses. Gifted individuals have their important place in carrying forward God’s purpose. Such individuals are used by God for the blessing of the whole people of God. The forward movement of God’s work is often preceded by great difficulties. We must ‘walk by faith, not by sight’ (2 Corinthians 5:7). Adverse circumstances must not defeat us. The Lord is calling us on to greater faith. God’s purpose of grace moves forward according to His power and not our weakness. Moses spoke ‘with faltering lips’ (30). God worked miracles (8-24). Turning to ‘sorcerers’ and ‘magicians’, Pharaoh, the servant of Satan, ‘would not listen’ to God’s servants (11,13;7:22). ‘Our God is marching on’ - to glorious victory (Church Hymnary, 318)!
7:25-8:32 - God’s work is ‘in the midst of the earth’. He claims His own people for Himself (22-23). To ‘all the ends of the earth’, He says, ‘Turn to Me and be saved’. Concerning His own people, He says, ‘In the Lord all the offspring of Israel shall triumph and glory’ (Isaiah 45:22,25). In the plagues, we see God’s power and Pharaoh’s pride. There is a conflict between the reality of God and Pharaoh’s fantasy. Conflict is God’s training ground for spiritual growth. We take our stand on the reality of God. Those who oppose God live in a fantasy world, imagining that they can successfully oppose the mighty God of salvation - ‘To pluck from His hand the weakest, trembling soul, it never, never can be done’ (Sacred Songs and Solos. 508). Pharaoh was neither the first nor the last to oppose God - and fail! Put to death by men, Christ was raised by God (Acts 2:23-24) - Hallelujah!
9:1-35 - Today, we highlight three lessons: The importance of trusting Christ as your Saviour, the folly of refusing Christ’s salvation and the danger of professing conversion without really meaning it. Each of us must choose: Will you step into Christ or remain outside of Him? Will you flee to Him and take refuge in Him or will you neglect Him and remain under judgment? ‘Flee from the wrath to come’. ‘How shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation?’ (20-21; Luke 3:7; Hebrews 2:3). You can enter into salvation through faith in Christ or you can, in unbelief, remain outside of Christ (Hebrews 4:2-3). Pharaoh ‘confessed’ his sin, but didn’t really mean it. He had had ‘enough’ of God’s interference. That was his ‘reason’ for admitting his sin. This was not real repentance - only a dislike for suffering! Make your decision for Christ, and make it real!
10:1-29 - The conflict between God and Pharaoh is a conflict between light and darkness. We are to shine as lights - for God, the ‘Light’ in whom there is ‘no darkness at all’ (Matthew 5:16; 1 John 1:5). God’s purpose is moving forward. Pharaoh becomes more determined in his rebellion. Pharaoh’s stubborn unbelief becomes his own undoing. Pharaoh doesn’t want God. God confirms him in his unbelief (28-29). God says, ‘You can go your own way, but you will be spiritually dead’ (Psalm 106:13-15). God says, ‘Do not harden your heart. You may be very close to the point of no return’ (Hebrews 3:8; Proverbs 29:1). Before you lose all inclination to return to the Lord, let Christ’s love touch your heart. Only His love can ‘create in you a clean heart’. Only His love can ‘put a new and right Spirit within you’ (Psalm 51:10).
11:1-12:28 - Here, we focus attention on two verses which emphasize the importance of being saved by the Lord and going on to live for Him: ‘when I see the blood, I will pass over you... you must eat unleavened bread’ (13,20). In verse 13, we are directed beyond the Passover to Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed for the forgiveness of sins (John 1:29; 1 John1:7). In verse 20, we have the call to holy living. In 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 and Galatians 5:7-9, Paul uses ‘leaven’ as a symbol of ‘sin’, which holds us back from ‘running a good race’. We are to live as a new creation, who feast on ‘the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’. Forgiveness of sins and holy living belong together. We are not to rejoice in God’s forgiveness and then gloss over His call to holy living: ‘justified by faith’, we are to ‘walk in newness of life’ (Romans 5:1; 6:4)
12:29-13:16 - God delivered His people from their bondage (3,14,16). There is, in the Exodus, a great picture of the Gospel, which sets us free. Christ sets us free. He does this by His Word of ‘truth’ (John 8:32,36). The Gospel says, ‘Sin will have no dominion over you... You have been set free from sin’ (Romans 6:14,18,22). Through ‘the Spirit of God’, we have received ‘not... the spirit of slavery... but... the spirit of sonship’ (Romans 8:14-15). Israel’s deliverance from the land of bondage was also deliverance for a new life in ‘a land flowing with milk and honey’ (5). We look back in grateful remembrance. We look forward in eager anticipation. We have received ‘the first fruits of the Spirit’. There is more to come - ‘the glorious liberty of the children of God... the redemption of our bodies’ (Romans 8:21-23).
13:17-14:31 - Sin may be ‘near’, but God never leads His people into it (13:17, James 1:13). Following Christ means walking a narrow road (Matthew 7:13-14). We are surrounded by many temptations. Pray that your feet will not slip (Psalm 37:31; 17:5; 44:18). Sometimes, the Lord leads us ‘by way of the wilderness’ - a way of apparent fruitlessness. Why? - So that ‘equipped for battle’, we might learn to serve Him better (13:18). The Lord does not leave His people in the wilderness. Pursued by their enemies (the Egyptians), they were guided by the ‘cloud’ and ‘fire’ (13:21-22). God was with them, and He was about to reveal His saving power in a mighty way (13-14). There is judgment as well as salvation (30). Looking to neither the ‘right’ nor the ‘left’, we must look to the Lord (14:21-22). Rejoicing in ‘the great work’ He has done, our faith ‘in the Lord’ grows strong (31).
15:1-21 - This is a song of redemption - God has redeemed His people; a song of thanksgiving - we give thanks for God's redemption; and a song of hope - we look forward to the complete fulfilment of God's redemption. This is not only a ‘song of God’s people’. It is also the song of Moses, a personal song. This is worship - not a mere formality, but worship which arises from the depths of Moses’ heart. Deeply moved by the grace and glory of God, Moses pours his heart out to God in worship: (i) He praises the God of grace - ‘my strength... my song... my salvation’ (2). (ii) He praises the God of glory - God triumphs ‘gloriously’ (1). His ‘glorious’ power is demonstrated in His ‘glorious’ deeds (6,11). (iii) Worshipping this God of grace - the redeeming God (13) - and glory - the reigning God (18) - , we say, ‘You are my God, and I will praise You’ (Psalm 118:28). Let us worship God - personally as well as publicly.
15:22-16:36 - God allows His people to suffer difficulties. Why? - To strengthen our faith (15:25; 16:4; Deuteronomy 8:2,16; 1 Peter 1:6-7). He chastens us, to teach us repentance (Revelation 3:19). Don't forget God’s love. He is faithful: ‘He didn’t bring us this far to leave us’. He shows us His glory (7). He assures us that He is God (12). He provides us with ‘daily bread’ (4). Yesterday’s ‘bread’ is insufficient for today’s challenges (19-20). ‘Morning by morning’, the ‘bread’ is to be gathered (21; Lamentations 3:22-23). Jesus is the Living Bread (John 6:32-35,48-51). Feed on Him each day. Don’t invite spiritual starvation by missing days. If you miss some days, don’t let it continue. Remember: ‘Seven days without prayer makes one weak’! ‘How long has it been since you talked with the Lord?’ Too long? It is time to pray and feed on Jesus!
17:1-18:27 - Worldly people create problems (17:3). Moses asks, ‘What shall I do...?’ (17:4). Indecision asks, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (17:7). He gives victory (17:8-9,13). Joshua is being equipped for special service - ‘in the ears of Joshua’ (17:14). God’s great concern is that His people move forward together. The work is not to be left to the few (18). God is looking to faithful servants who will ‘bear the burden’ together (21-22). There is much to be done, but we must never forget this: ‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’ (Acts 6:1-4). You may not be a Moses or a Joshua, but you can play your part. We rejoice in who God is and what He has done for us. Assured of His presence with us, let us worship Him: ‘Blessed be the Lord...’ (18:10-11).
19:1-25 - Before law, there is Gospel - what God has done for us (4). We are to obey in the Spirit of grace, as those who have been redeemed by His mercy (5-6; 1 Peter 2:9-10). God’s Word is not only for the leader. It is for the whole people of God (3,7,9,11). God speaks to us concerning possession, consecration and reverence. Possession - We are His 'own possession' (5). In love, He has claimed us for Himself. We belong to Him. Consecration - God is holy. We are to be holy (10,14; 1 Peter 1:15-16). Reverence - Don’t rush into God’s presence, presuming on His blessing. We must not take God’s blessing for granted. That would be arrogance (21-22). We must come to Him with this humble confidence: God will bless those who truly call upon Him (2 Chronicles 7:14-16). May God help us to say, ‘All that the Lord has spoken we will do’ (8).
20:1-20 - God does not want to see sin in us (20). He wants to see Himself in us. Sin robs us of His great blessing. He wants to fill us with love (Mark 12:28-31; Galatians 5:14; 1 Corinthians 13:1-13). Before our love for Him, there is His love for us. He is the God of redemption. He has redeemed us. We are His people. This is His doing. All the glory belongs to Him (1-2). We are to live as His people. He is to have first place in our lives (3). The ‘law’ is ‘holy’ and ‘good’, but it cannot make us holy and good - without ‘the new life of the Spirit’ (Romans 7:12,6: 8:2; 2 Corinthians 3:3). ‘Moses’ cannot save! There is only one Saviour - Jesus! Not under law, we yield ourselves to the God of salvation (Romans 6:13-14). Our obedience comes from faith in Christ - not legalism (Romans 1:5-6)! Our holiness comes from the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23).
20:21-21:32 - So many instructions - Don’t get bogged down in details. Remember this: We do not live by an ethic of legalism. This is an ethic of redemption (20:1-2). Forget the God of redemption, and you have nothing but a lot of rules and regulations. Become obsessed with rules and regulations, and there will be no room for the Redeemer and His redemption. ‘Earmarked’ for Jesus, we are to ‘serve Him for life’ (6). No turning back! We are bound to Him by love - not law! What love He has for us! Verse 30 speaks of ‘ransom’ and ‘redemption’: What great words of the Gospel (Mark 10:45; 1 Peter 1:18-19)! ‘Eye for eye...’ (24) - This limits vengeance. Remember: Love is the answer - not vengeance (Leviticus 19:18)! Let Christ’s love give you strength - to keep on serving Him (Galatians 2:20; Philippians 1:6).
21:33-22:31 - We travel from grace to glory - from ‘Egypt’ to ‘the promised land’. In the wilderness there are many pitfalls. We can become careless in our obedience to Christ. Do not ‘leave a pit open’ - you may cause a brother to stumble (33; Romans 14:13). Restitution (1-17) - Be faithful in practical matters (Luke 19:8; 3:10-14). Read of ‘the thief’ (8). Think of the Lord - and be ready for His return (1 Thessalonians 5:2; Matthew 6:19-21). All our human problems are to be brought ‘before God’. Never forget Him (8-9,11). God is 'compassionate' (27). We are to be 'consecrated' (31). God loves us. Will we continue to live as those who have never known His love? - ‘God forbid! How can we who died to sin still live in it?’ (Romans 6:2).
23:1-33 - God is love: He loves ‘the stranger’ (9). God is holy: He ‘will not acquit the wicked’ (7). He wants to reproduce His love and holiness - in us. Not holiness without love: that is self-righteous legalism. Not love without holiness: that is spineless sentimentalism. To Israel, He sent 'an angel...' (20). To us, He has sent Christ: He is the Way to the place prepared for us (John 14:2-3,6). Through the Holy Spirit, Christ continues His ministry among us (John 14:25-26). ‘Pay attention’ to the words of Christ. ‘Listen’ for the voice of the Holy Spirit (21). Do not ‘quench’ or ‘grieve’ the Holy Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19; Ephesians 4:30). It may take time - ‘little by little’ (30) - but God will work through his obedient people - ‘I will... you shall...’ (30-31).
24:1-18 - Moses was alone with the Lord - receiving the Word of the Lord (1-2). Moses went to the people - speaking the Word of the Lord (3). There was also a written ministry of the Word (4). At the heart of our worship, there is ‘the blood of the covenant’ (8; 12:13; John 1:29; Hebrews 9:22; 10:4; 9:13-14; 1 John 1:7). Moses worshipped on ‘the mountain of God’ (12-18). We worship ‘in spirit and truth’ (John 4:19-24). We come to the Father through Christ and in the Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). We come on the basis of Christ’s blood shed for us (Hebrews 10:19-22). We come as those to whom the Spirit has been given (John 1:33; 3:34). With ‘the Spirit of God’ living in us and helping us as we pray, let us feast on Christ, the Truth, the living Word, to whom the written and spoken words point us (Romans 8:9,26; John 14:6; 1:1,14; 17:17).
25:1-40 - This is full of Christ! We don't ‘read into’ the Old Testament things which aren’t really there. We read this part of Scripture in the light of the full revelation of God. We see Christ as the Central Theme. Above everything else and everyone else, there is Jesus Christ our Saviour. God dwells among His people (8). Christ lives in us (Galatians 2:20; Colossians 1:27). God is merciful to us (17-22; Psalm 103:8-12; Micah 7:18-19). Through Christ, we have received ‘mercy’ (Ephesians 2:4-7; Titus 3:4-7). From ‘mercy’ we move on to 'testimony' (18). The two are vitally related (1 Timothy 1:12-17). The ‘bread of the Presence’ (30) turns our thoughts to the Cross. The ‘lampstand of pure gold’ calls us to shine brightly for Christ, who ‘came... to save sinners’ (1 Timothy 1:15).
26:1-37 - From the outside, it was a ‘tent’. On the inside, the tabernacle was a place of great beauty. Many look at Christ, and see ‘no beauty that we should desire Him’ (Isaiah 53:2). The believer looks at Christ, and says, ‘You are beautiful beyond description, too marvellous for words, too wonderful for comprehension, like nothing ever seen or heard’ (Mission Praise, 788).The ‘veil’ has been removed (2 Corinthians 4:3-4,6). Our sin had separated us from God, hiding His face from us (Isaiah 59:2). When Christ died, ‘the curtain of the temple was torn in two...’ (Mark 15:37-38). He has changed everything (Hebrews 9:7-8,11-12). Once, we were ‘separated... alienated... strangers... far off’. Now, we are ‘in Christ Jesus’ - ‘brought near in the blood of Christ’ (Ephesians 2:12-13; Hebrews 10:19-22).
27:1-19 - We highlight two interesting phrases - (a) ‘as you were shown on the mountain’ (8); (b) ‘towards the sunrise’ (13, New International Version). We need both ‘the Scriptures’ and ‘the power of God’ (Mark 12:24). Our faith is based on divine revelation - ‘according to the Scriptures’ (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). We are ‘not’ to ‘go beyond what is written’ (1 Corinthians 4:6). Face the risen Son - We may not always be facing the rising sun, but we should always be facing the risen Son! The revelation, the resurrection, the Scriptures, the Son - these are the great focal-points of our Christian Faith: God has revealed Himself, Christ has risen. Encouraged by the Scriptures, and empowered by the Son, we face the risen Son and we say, ‘I will proclaim the glory of the risen Lord’ (Romans 15:4; Matthew 28:18-20; Mission Praise, 14).
27:20-29:9 - The ‘lamp’ was ‘set up to burn continually’ (27:20) - ‘May we be a shining light... Let the flame burn brighter...’ (Songs of Fellowship 389; Mission Praise, 743). A ‘royal priesthood’, we have been called by God - to let His light shine (1 Peter 2:9). He has called us to serve Him (28:1 John 15:16; Acts 20:28; 13:2; 9:15; Hebrews 5:4). The divine call is accompanied by a divine empowering - ‘the Holy Spirit sent from heaven’ (1 Peter 1:12). We are precious to God - Our ‘names’ are written on His heart (9-12,21,29-30; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; John 10:3). In Christ we are cleansed (29:4 1 John 1:7), anointed (29:7; 1 John 2:27) and robed (29:5-6,8-9; Isaiah 61:10). In Christ, we have ‘the best robe’ (28:2; Luke 15:22; Revelation 7:9-10,13-14). In Him, we are ‘consecrated’ by the Word and ‘anointed’ by the Spirit (28:3,41; John 17:17; 14:16-17, 26; 16:13-14).
29:10-46 - There is a great contrast between the many sacrifices of the Old Testament and the one sacrifice of Christ (Hebrews 9:25-28; 10:1-4, 10-14). Looking to Christ, we focus attention on verses 42-46. For God’s people, ‘the tent of meeting’ was a special place concerning which God said, ‘I will meet with you, to speak there to you. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by My glory’ (42-43). Let us pray that, in both the pulpit and the pew, there will be the glory of God. Aaron and his sons were ‘consecrated to serve’ (44). We look beyond them to Christ who ‘came... to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many’ (Mark 10:45). He dwells among us (45; John 1:14). He has provided for us a ‘better’ redemption than the redemption of Israel from Egypt - He is ‘much more excellent’ (46; Hebrews 8:6; 9:23-24).
30:1-38 - The Word of God (‘the testimony’) declares the mercy of God, leading to our meeting with God (6). We highlight several features of our worship: (a) ‘the blood of the sin offering of atonement’ (10) - This points to the ‘how much more’ sacrifice of Christ on the Cross for us (Hebrews 9:13-14); (b) ‘washing’ (18) - Christ ‘has washed us from our sins in His blood’ (Revelation 1:5; 1 Corinthians 6:11; Titus 3:5-6); (c) ‘holy anointing oil’ (25) - We are to be ‘consecrated’, ‘most holy’, servants of the Lord, ‘making holiness perfect in the fear of God’, living in the power of the Holy Spirit (29-30; 2 Corinthians 7:1; Zechariah 4:6); (d) ‘incense’ (35) - We are to be ‘the aroma of Christ’, spreading His ‘fragrance’ (2 Corinthians 2:14-16). Christlike living is grounded in prayer (Psalm 141:2; Revelation 5:8; 8:3-4; Luke 18:1; Ephesians 6:18; 1 Thessalonians 5:17).
31:1-32:14 - ‘Called’ by God and ‘filled’ with His Spirit (31:1-3), Bezalel had the support of Oholiab and ‘all able men’ (31:6). Few may be called and equipped to lead, but many are required for God’s work to be done - effectively (1 Corinthians 12:4-10). ‘All’ of us receive our strength from the ‘Spirit’ (1 Corinthians 12:11). We offer ourselves in service with this faith, ‘Jesus is Lord’. Faith is God’s gift: ‘no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit’. There are many gifts. They are varied expressions of one gift - the faith which confesses that ‘Jesus is Lord’ (1 Corinthians 12:3). The people fell into idolatry and immorality (32:6): a ‘warning’ to us (1 Corinthians 10:6-12). We have God’s help - to overcome temptation (1 Corinthians 10: 13). Moses sets for us a godly example: he spent time with God, hearing His voice and prevailing in prayer (32:1,7-14).
32:15-33:23 - In Moses, we see the holiness and love of God: a deep hatred of sin (32:19), an intense longing for sinners to be forgiven (32). Filled with ‘the fear of the Lord’, Moses was fearless before men. God’s Word to sinners is clear: He warns them (Proverbs 29:1); He calls them to repent (Acts 2:38); He invites them to return to Him (Hosea 6:1). Moses’ faithful and fearless preaching emerged from his closeness to God: ‘The Lord spoke to Moses face to face, as a man speaks to his friend’ (11). Moses prayed; God heard; God answered (33:17). Moses prayed for a revelation of God’s glory (33:18). God revealed Himself as the good God, the God of grace and mercy (33:19). Let us go up to God and bring down all that is needed to build the Body of Christ that God may take pleasure in it and that He may appear in His glory (Haggai 1:8).
34:1-35 - God gives His promise (33:19). God keeps His promise (5-7). The glory of Christ is revealed to those who are learning to love Him (John 14:21). We are not yet ready for the full glory (33:20). When Christ returns, ‘we shall see Him as He is’ (1 John 3:2). There is to be ‘no other god’ but the Lord (14). We are not to be squeezed into the world’s mould (Romans 12:2). ‘No molten gods’, ‘no graven image’ - We are to be remoulded by God, ‘conformed to the image of His Son’ (17; 20:4; Romans 12:2; 8:29). Moses’ face was shining - Other people noticed (29)! Let others see Christ in you. Never take pride in your own spirituality - ‘If anyone imagines that he knows something, he does not know (the Lord) as he ought to know (Him)’ (1 Corinthians 8:2). Keep your eyes on Jesus. The glory comes from Him. No glory for me - All glory to Him (2 Corinthians 3:18)!
35:1-36:7 - The work of God is shared by many different people with many different gifts. The work is done according to (a) the Lord’s command (35:1,4,10; 36:1,5); (b) heartfelt obedience (21; 36:3,5-7); (c) the God-given abilities (24-25; 36:2,4,8). There is something for ‘everyone’ to do - everyone ‘whose heart is stirred whose spirit is moved’ (21). Many gifts are needed (31-35). Underlying them all, there is this: ‘filled with the Spirit of God’ (31). In God’s work, there is to be ‘full’ obedience. When we are fully obedient, there will be ‘an overflowing blessing’ (Malachi 3:10). ‘The people bring much more than enough...’. There ‘was sufficient to do all the work, and more’ (36:5,7). God is ready to bless. Are we ready to obey? ‘If my people... I will...’(2 Chronicles 7:14). ‘Always abounding in the work of the Lord’ (1 Corinthians 15:58)!
36:8-38 - Moses may have been the leader among God’s people, but he could not do all the work by himself! Two of his helpers - Bezalel and Oholiab - are named (1-2). Most - ‘all the able men’ - remain anonymous (8). Anonymous yet indispensable - Without them, the work of God would have been left undone! To those who are full of their own importance, God says, ‘No-one is indispensable. I will find someone else to do My work’. To those who, without fuss, get on with doing His work, God says, ‘You are my servants, through whom My work will make good progress’. Building Christ’s Church is a long process, involving suffering and disappointments as well as hard-fought victories. In so many ways, the tabernacle pointed to Christ: ‘God with us’ (Matthew 1:23). May God help us to lead many people to Christ!
37:1-29 - Pure gold (2,6,11,16-17,22-24, 26); Jesus Christ is ‘pure gold’. He is ‘God with us’. His body was broken for us. We feed on Him, the living Bread. His light is shining. He spreads the fragrance of His holiness, and the aroma of His love (Matthew 1:23; Luke 22:19; John 6:35; 8:12; 2 Corinthians 2:14-16). Read about the ark, the mercy seat, the table, the lampstand, the altar of incense, the holy anointing oil... Think of Christ: He is the ‘mercy seat of pure gold’ (6). ‘The Lord is merciful and gracious...’: In mercy, He withholds His judgment from us - He is ‘slow to anger’. In grace, He pours His blessing on us - He is ‘abounding in steadfast love’ (Psalm 103:8). We deserve judgment. We receive salvation. Why? Christ took our judgment that we might receive His salvation. This is the Gospel - and it is ‘pure gold’!
38:1-31 - We read, in verse 8, of ‘the ministering women...’. See also 35:25-26,29 - ‘all women ... all the women... All the men and women...’. Male and female - We need each other. We are ‘one in Christ Jesus’. In Him, ‘there is neither male nor female’ (Galatians 3:28). There should never be a competitive spirit. We are to complement each other. In verse 25, we read of ‘the silver from those of the congregation’. God’s work does not depend entirely on those who have been called to be leaders. Each of us must play our part. There should be no pulling in different directions. We belong together. We are to work together. Let’s pull together, pooling our resources, pulling our weight. Among God’s people, there is ‘gold’ - but it must be ‘used for the work’ (24). Will you be worth your weight in gold - for God?
39:1-43 - ‘As the Lord had commanded...’ (1,5,7,21,26,29,31-32,42-43): Obedience to God - this is the most important thing. ‘And Moses blessed them’ (43): Where there is obedience, there is blessing - there’s a vital connection between the two. In Jesus, we see perfect obedience: ‘My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work’ (John 4:34). Jesus was fully obedient to the Father’s will: ‘He became obedient unto death, even death on a Cross’ (Philippians 2:8). Through His obedience, there is blessing for us: ‘by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous’ (Romans 5:19). We look beyond the Old Testament priesthood to Christ, the ‘High Priest of the good things that have come’ - By ‘His own blood’, He has secured for us ‘an eternal redemption’ (Hebrews 9:11-12).
40:1-38 - Here, we highlight three lessons: (a) The work of God begins with the Word of God: ‘The Lord said to Moses...’ (1). Before we can do anything for God, we must be taught by God. (b) The work of God must proceed in the way of God: ‘Thus did Moses; according to all that the Lord commanded him, so he did’ (16). If we are to accomplish anything for God, we must do God’s work in God’s way. (c) The work of God must lead to the worship of God: ‘The glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle’ (34). If we are really seeking to work for God, we must seek to give Him the glory for all that is accomplished. Making these our priorities - the Word, way and worship of God - , we will look for ‘the cloud and fire’, the presence and power of God among us: He will be our Guide ‘throughout all our journeys’ (38).
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LEVITICUS
1:1-2:16 - Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). This offering of Christ – He ‘loved us and gave Himself up for us’ – is ‘a pleasing odour to the Lord’, ‘a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (1:9,13,17; Ephesians 5:2). Read of the ‘cereal offering’ in which there was to be ‘no leaven’ (2:11). Think of Christ – ‘Our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed’: ‘Let us celebrate the festival (the Lord’s Supper)… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’ (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). May our worship – ‘frankincense’: an expression of worship (Matthew 2:11) – be filled with ‘the oil of gladness’, ‘with the Holy Spirit and with fire’ (Psalm 45:7; Luke 3:16). Such worship is ‘most holy… to the Lord’ (2:3,10).
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LEVITICUS
1:1-2:16 - Jesus Christ, ‘the Lamb without blemish’, has ‘made atonement’ for sin through the shedding of His ‘precious blood’ (1:3-5; 1 Peter 1:18-19). This offering of Christ – He ‘loved us and gave Himself up for us’ – is ‘a pleasing odour to the Lord’, ‘a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God’ (1:9,13,17; Ephesians 5:2). Read of the ‘cereal offering’ in which there was to be ‘no leaven’ (2:11). Think of Christ – ‘Our Passover Lamb has been sacrificed’: ‘Let us celebrate the festival (the Lord’s Supper)… with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth’ (1 Corinthians 5:7-8). May our worship – ‘frankincense’: an expression of worship (Matthew 2:11) – be filled with ‘the oil of gladness’, ‘with the Holy Spirit and with fire’ (Psalm 45:7; Luke 3:16). Such worship is ‘most holy… to the Lord’ (2:3,10).
3:1-4:35 - Christ is the real thing.
Israel’s sacrifices are only ‘copies of the heavenly things’, ‘a shadow
of the good things to come’ (Hebrews 9:23-24; 10:1,5-10). As you read
of the ‘peace offering’, rejoice in this: ‘we have peace with God
through our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:1). We look to Christ, and we
say, ‘He is our peace’ (Ephesians 2:14). Christ is ‘our sin offering’ –
‘offered… to bear the sins of many (4:3; Hebrews 9:28). The ‘blood’ has
been shed – We have been ‘washed… in the blood of the Lamb’ (4:5-7;
Revelation 7:14). Christ went ‘outside the camp’ for us: He ‘suffered
outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through His own blood’
(4:12; Hebrews 13:11-12). For Christ, there was suffering. For us, there
is forgiveness – ‘he shall be forgiven’ (26,31,35).
5:1-6:30 - Christ’s sacrifice covers every
sin. No matter what your sin may be, you can bring it to Him for
forgiveness. ‘If any man sins’ – Take your sin to Christ: He has ‘made
atonement for sin’ (5:1,6,10,13-14,16; 6:2,7). ‘Blasphemy against the
Holy Spirit’ (Mark 3:28-30) does not refer to some specific,
identifiable sin, which lies beyond God’s power to forgive. It refers to
your persistent refusal to bring your sins to Jesus Christ for
forgiveness. The Holy Spirit convicts of sin and leads to the Saviour
(John 16:8-9,14). Let Him show you your sin. Let Him lead you to your
Saviour. ‘It is a thing most holy’ (6:17) – Never forget God’s holiness.
Christ’s death speaks of both holiness and love. In holiness, God
pronounces His judgment on sin. In love, He provides forgiveness for
sinners.
7:1-38
- As we read about the sacrifices, rejoicing in Christ – the perfect
Sacrifice for sin – , let us bring our sacrifice of ‘thanksgiving’
(12-13,15). ‘Let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God’
(Hebrews 13:15). Let it be ‘a living sacrifice’, the sacrifice of our
lives – this is ‘our spiritual worship’ (Romans 12:1). God’s salvation
is ‘to the praise of His glorious grace’ (Ephesians 1:6). ‘We bring the
sacrifice of praise… We offer up to You the sacrifices of thanksgiving…
the sacrifices of joy’. ‘Fill Thou my life, O Lord my God, In every part
with praise… Not for the lip of praise alone nor e’en the praising
heart, I ask, but for a life made up of praise in every part’ (Mission Praise, 722; Church Hymnary, 457). Still ‘in the wilderness’ (38), let us learn to worship as we travel to ‘the promised land’!
8:1-36
- ‘This is the thing which the Lord has commanded to be done’ (5): For
us, it must be ‘as the Lord commanded’ (4,9,13,17,21,29,36). God calls
us to serve Him (Hebrews 5:4-5). Obedience to God, love for God – These
are to be our priorities (1 Samuel 15:22; 1 Corinthians 13:3). Christ is
to be our ‘first love’ (Revelation 2:4). Washed, robed, anointed
(6-7,12): Our robes washed in the blood of the Lamb, we have this
anointing – ‘to preach the Gospel…’ (Revelation 7:14; Luke 4:18-19). Ears, hands and feet:
Consecrated by the blood of Christ to hear the Word of the Lord, do the
work of the Lord and walk in the way of the Lord (24), we must pray
for a change of heart – ‘O for a heart to praise my God, a heart from sin set free; a heart that always feels Thy blood so freely shed for me’ (Church Hymnary, 85).
9:1-10:20 - Aaron had to make atonement for himself and for the people (9:7). Christ did not need to make atonement for Himself – He was ‘without sin’ (Hebrews 4:15). In Christ, we are ‘accepted’. In Him there is blessing, glory and joy
(9:22-24; Ephesians 1:6,3; 2 Thessalonians 2:14; 1 Peter 1:8). God has
given us ‘holy fire’. Let us not try to do His work with ‘unholy fire’
(10:1-2; Acts 2:3-4). To those who seek to live ‘as the Lord has
commanded’ (9:7; 10:15), God promises to reveal His holiness, nearness and glory
(10:3). Do you want to draw near to God, to become ‘mature’ in Christ? –
Learn ‘to distinguish between the holy and the common… the unclean and
the clean… good and evil’ (10:10; Hebrews 5:14). God reveals the glory
of His holiness. Let us confess our sins, be forgiven and be obedient. (Isaiah 6:3-8).
11:1-47
- God sees only two types of people: ‘clean’ and ‘unclean’. All of us
are ‘in Adam’ (sinners). Not all are ‘in Christ’ (saved) (Romans
5:12-21). How about you?
– Are you cleansed, forgiven, born again, saved, committed (1 John
1:7,9; John 3:7; Acts 16:31; 2 Timothy 1:12)? Or, are you still in your
sins, guilty of neglecting God’s great salvation, not far from – yet
still outside of – God’s Kingdom, almost persuaded but still uncommitted
(John 8:24; 9:41; Hebrews 2:3; Acts 26:28)? Before the call to holiness
(45), there is the call to salvation. Give your heart to
Christ. This is where holiness begins (Mark 7:14-23). Holiness is not
our own achievement – ‘God is at work in you’ (Phillipians 2:13).
Remember: Our holiness is grounded in His redemption (45). Feed on His
Word – and let holiness grow (Psalm 119:9-11).
12:1-13:46 - How can I
be made clean (12:8)? – This is the vital question to which the Gospel
gives its emphatic answer. We ask, ‘What can wash away my stain?’. The
answer is given, ‘Nothing but the blood of Jesus’. We ask, ‘Has
atonement been made for my sin’ (12:8)?’. The answer is clear: ‘Christ
has for sin atonement made’. You
can be ‘washed in the blood of the Lamb’. What water cannot do, Christ
does for us. The water used in baptism – ‘a little’ or ‘a lot’! – cannot
wash away our sin. It can only point beyond itself to Christ’s Cross,
where we hear the Good News: ‘There is wonder-working power in the
precious blood of the Lamb’ (Redemption Hymnal,
333,615,309,288). Confess your sin – ‘Unclean, unclean’ (13:45). Christ
will change you – beginning with your ‘heart’ (12:3; Romans 2:28-29).
13:47-14:32 - We read about skin disease. Remember: there is also the sin
disease – and we’re all suffering from that!. Sin is a deadly ‘cancer’
for which there is only one treatment: ‘Oh, precious is the flow that
makes me white as snow; no other fount I know, nothing but the blood of
Jesus’ (Redemption Hymnal,
333). The new birth – like physical birth – is a unique, once-for-all,
experience: it is the beginning of the Christian life (John 3:3-6).
Many times over, we will need to be ‘washed a second time’ (58). Justification (Romans 5:1) happens in a moment: ‘The vilest offender who truly believes, that moment from Jesus a pardon receives’. Sanctification (Romans 6:13,19). lasts a lifetime: ‘Take time to be holy…(Mission Praise, 708,625). God loves us: He will help us to ‘be holy’ (1 Peter 1:16).
14:33-15:33
- You can get ‘dry rot’ in people – as well as houses (14:34; Hebrews
12:15)! Sin is like ‘a wasting disease’ (Psalm 106:13-15). It will
only get worse – unless something is done about it! Sin spreads. and
spreads, and… Can anything be done about this sad situation? Look into
yourself, and you will find that the situation is hopeless (Romans
7:14-20). Look to Christ, and there is hope: ‘where sin increased,
grace abounded all the more’ (Romans 5:20). Sin is not to be taken
lightly. Don’t underestimate the power of sin. Little by little, it
will lure you away from Christ. Keep close to Jesus, rejoicing in this:
‘He who is in you is greater than he who is in the world’ (1 John
4:4). God calls for holiness: ‘your body is the temple of the Holy
Spirit’; ‘present your bodies…to God’ (1 Corinthians 6:19; Romans
12:1).
16:1-34 - God is ‘holy‘.
We cannot ‘draw near’ and ‘come’ to Him without a ‘sin offering’
(1-3). We cannot bring ‘a sin offering’ to Him. We can only bring our
sin: Our righteousness is ‘like filthy rags’ (Isaiah 64:6). There is a
‘way’ for sinners to ‘draw near’ to God: Christ is the true and living
Way (John 14:6; Hebrews 10:19-22). In verses 20-22, we have a great
picture of Christ bearing the sin of the world: ‘Bearing shame and
scoffing rude, in my place condemned He stood… Full atonement, – Yes it is! Hallelujah! What a Saviour!’ (Church Hymnary, 380). Atonement has been made for us…We have been
cleansed from all our sins (30): What a perfect atonement! What a
perfect Saviour! – ‘God forbid that I should glory save in the Cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ’ (Galatians 6:14).
17:1-18:23
- We are to be devoted ‘to the Lord’ (17:4-6,9): ‘You are not your
own; you were bought with a price’ (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Underlying
Christ’s atoning death, there is this principle: ‘the life… is in the
blood… I have given it for you… to make atonement…’ (17:11). Christ has
shed His blood: He has given His life that we might have life. God
looks upon His Son, crucified for us: He ‘has commanded the blessing,
life for evermore’ (Psalm 133:3). We confess our sin, acknowledging
that ‘without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins’
(Hebrews 9:22). With grateful thanksgiving, we rejoice in our Saviour,
‘the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world’ (John 1:29).
‘Dear dying Lamb, Thy precious blood shall never lose its power…’ (Mission Praise, 671).
18:24-19:37
- Holiness and love – the two belong together (1,18,34). God calls us
to live a life of holiness, a life of love. Through His Spirit – the
Holy Spirit, the Spirit of love – , He enables us to live this life. We
need His promises. We need His commands. Take them both together –
not one without the other! Promises without commands – We take God for
granted, we presume on His blessing. Commands without promises – Our
‘obedience’ becomes a legalistic thing which has nothing to do with the
Gospel of grace. We are to ‘be holy… before Him in love‘
(Ephesians 1:4). ‘The holiness without which no one will see the Lord’
(Hebrews 12:14) is to be accompanied by the ‘love’ without which we are
‘nothing’ (1 Corinthians 13:1-3). The Lord has redeemed us: By His
grace, we shall ‘be holy… in love’ (34,36).
20:1-27
- The life of holiness is not an expression of our own moral virtue.
It is an expression of the holy character of God being reproduced in us:
‘I am the Lord who sanctify you’ (8). God wants us for Himself – This
is why we must not live the world’s way: ‘I the Lord am holy, and have
separated you from the peoples, that you should be mine’ (26). God has a
great purpose for us: ‘You shall inherit their land… I will give it to
you, a land flowing with milk and honey’ (24). ‘You prepare a table
before me in the presence of my enemies… my cup overflows’ (Psalm
23:5). ‘The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly… in
Christ Jesus’ (1 Timothy 1:14). This is the pathway to holiness: ‘By
grace you have been saved through faith… for good works’ (Ephesians
2:8-10).
21:1-22:16
- We are sanctified by the Lord (21:8,15,23; 22:9,16). It is His
doing – God’s call to holiness is founded in His gift of holiness: ‘the
Holy Spirit…has been given to us’ (Romans 5:5) – ‘every virtue we
possess… every victory won… every thought of holiness, are His alone’ (Church Hymnary,
336). When we are so conscious of our own weakness, God says, ‘I am
the Lord’ (21:12; 22:2-3,8). He is more than sufficient for our
justification, sanctification and glorification. Between our
justification (the forgiveness of our sins) and our glorification
(heaven) there is our sanctification (‘conformed to the image of His
Son’). This is God’s doing. From beginning to end, it is the work of
God (Romans 8:28-29). We lack faith, we lack holiness, we lack
perseverance: In this we rejoice – ‘Salvation is of the Lord’ (Jonah
2:9).
22:17-23:44 - God says, ‘I am the Lord’ (22:30-33): Let Him be ‘your
God’ (23:14,22,28,40,43,). We are to ‘worship in Spirit and in truth’ –
‘in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day’ (John 4:24; Revelation 1:10) When
Christ died – This was the
day of atonement. We worship Him, ‘our Passover Lamb’ (22:28; Exodus
12:13; 1 Corinthians 5:7-8). After ‘fifty days’ came the Day of
Pentecost – What a day that was (Acts 2:4,16-21,41)! Bring ‘the first
fruits of your harvest’ (9): ‘What can I give Him? – my heart‘ (Church Hymnary,
178). Blow the trumpet (23:23; Joel 2:1,15) – It must be a ‘clear
call’: ‘Get ready for battle’ (1 Corinthians 14:8). On the ‘day of
worship’ (3), God is preparing us for the rest of the week: ‘Be strong in the Lord‘ (Ephesians 6:12). Pray for the ‘fire’ of God (8,18,25,27,36-37; Acts 2:3-4).
24:1-25:24 - ‘Pure’ worship is to be offered ‘continually’: This is what God is looking for (1-8). ‘Who shall ascend the hill of the Lord? Who
shall stand in His holy place?’: No-one else but Christ – He alone
‘has clean hands and a pure heart’, He alone ‘will receive blessing from
the Lord’ (Psalm 24:3-5). Our worship is offered to God – in Christ…
to the praise of His glorious grace’ (Ephesians 1:3,6). This is our
worship, this is our joy – We have been reconciled to God ‘through our
Lord Jesus Christ’ (Romans 5:11). The ‘jubilee’ – ‘fiftieth year’
(25:11): Half a century is such a short time in the light of eternity
(James 4:14). God has been good to us. How have we lived? How much do
we love God? How much have we loved one another? Rededicate yourself
to ‘the Lord your God’ (25:17).
25:25-55 - Moral conduct is to be grounded in divine redemption.
Throughout the detailed ethical instructions, there is the recurrent
emphasis on God’s salvation: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you
forth out of the land of Egypt (Salvation) to give you the land of
Canaan, and to be your God (Sanctification)… For to Me the people of
Israel are servants (Service) whom I have brought forth out of the land
of Egypt: I am the Lord your God’ (38,55). Salvation; Sanctification; Service.
We do not begin with the questions, ‘How can I live a godly life? How
can I serve the Lord?’ We begin with the question, ‘What must I do to
be saved?’. God’s answer is clear: ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus …` (Acts
16:31).
26:1-46 - ‘Every spiritual blessing’ is ‘in Christ’ (Ephesians 1:3). The moment you begin to feel superior – ‘I am blessed because I am obedient’ (There is too much of ‘I’ in this!) – , remember: ‘in Christ‘. We are blessed because God loves us and Christ died for us. It is His grace which changes us. Without Him we can do nothing (John 15:5). Our obedience comes from Him.
Our disobedience comes from ourselves. We do not deserve His
blessing. We deserve His judgment. There is only one way to blessing:
Humbly confess your sin, turning to the Lord in whom alone there is
blessing. We must not ‘be proud’ of our ‘obedience’. There is only one
thing about which we should ‘boast’: ‘the Cross of our Lord Jesus
Christ’ (Galatians 6:14). Thank God for His ‘new covenant’ (42,44-45;
Hebrews 8:8-13; 1 Corinthians 11:25).
27:1-34
- ‘Every devoted thing is most holy to the Lord’ (28). We are loved
by the holy God. We are precious in His eyes. In love, He has reached
out to us – through the Cross of Christ (Romans 5:8). We are ‘greatly
beloved’ (Daniel 9:23). The Lord takes great joy in every sinner who
returns to Him (Luke 15:7,10). ‘Most holy to the Lord’ – This is how
the holy God looks upon those who have ‘faith in Jesus’ (Romans 3:26).
We are to be ‘devoted’ to the Lord: The Lord must come first – ‘All the
tithe… is the Lord’s’ (30). The bringing of the tithe (tenth) to God
was an outward sign of an inward commitment. Do you love God? – Let it
show in your living and giving. Let it be Thanksgiving (I want to) –
not Grudge Giving (I have to) or Duty Giving (I ought to): ‘God loves a
cheerful giver’ (2 Corinthians 9:7).
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NUMBERS
1:1-54 - ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. They have ‘divine power’. They are ‘powerful weapons from God’. They are ‘mighty through God’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). The Levites were to lead worship (47-54). The battle is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). We will never be strong ‘soldiers of Christ’ unless we are learning to worship the Lord. Worship lies at the very heart of the life of God’s people. Without worship, we are weak. Worshipping God, we will grow ‘strong’. We will ‘firmly resist’ the enemy. We will ‘take action’ for God (Daniel 11:32).
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NUMBERS
1:1-54 - ‘Every man able to go forth to war’: This is the key phrase in verses 1-46. God is looking for ‘soldiers’: Soldiers of Christ! To live for Christ is to be engaged in warfare. It is spiritual warfare. We need ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-20). We must remember that ‘the weapons of our warfare are not worldly’. They have ‘divine power’. They are ‘powerful weapons from God’. They are ‘mighty through God’ (2 Corinthians 10:3-6). The Levites were to lead worship (47-54). The battle is the Lord’s (2 Chronicles 20:15). We will never be strong ‘soldiers of Christ’ unless we are learning to worship the Lord. Worship lies at the very heart of the life of God’s people. Without worship, we are weak. Worshipping God, we will grow ‘strong’. We will ‘firmly resist’ the enemy. We will ‘take action’ for God (Daniel 11:32).
2:1-34 - ‘The
Lord said to Moses’: These words appear more than eighty times in
Numbers. Let your life be centred on the Word of the Lord - Listen,
Read, Study, Memorize, Meditate! God’s people were ‘facing the tent of
meeting on every side’ (2). There were to be no gaps in the ranks. We
are not to pull in different directions. We are to pull together.
Everyone has their place. All who are willing to serve the Lord will
find a place in His service. Let us be united in worship and witness.
Without this spirit of co-operation, the work of the Lord will fail.
Each of us needs to be ‘in position’ (17) - on the Lord’s Day for
worship and on other occasions, when we are called upon to ‘serve the
Lord with gladness’ (Psalm 100:2). Let our ‘standard’ (17,31) be the
Lord - not the world: We are God’s people!
3:1-51 - The
Levites were to ‘minister at the tabernacle’ (5-8). Different people
were given different responsibilities. They were not to compete with
each other. There was to be no overlapping. One was not to interfere
with the work of another. The call comes from God. ‘Every male from a
month old and upward’ (15,24,28,34,39-40,43): Long before we even
thought of serving God, He was calling us to be His servants. God is in
control: He determines who will serve Him, and how we will serve Him. Each of us has a part to play. The important thing is the whole
work of God. Let each of us be faithful so that the whole work can move
forward. Never forget this: We serve the Lord as a ‘redeemed’ people,
for whom Christ has provided ‘redemption’ - ‘we have redemption through
His blood’ (44-51; Ephesians 1:7).
4:1-49 - ‘The
sons... from thirty years old up to fifty years old’
(2-3,22-23,29-30...): The service of the Lord calls for maturity. Long
before we ever offered ourselves to God, He had His hand upon us. If,
however, we are to prove worthy servants of the Lord, we must press on
to spiritual maturity. Why is it that so many people upon whom God’s
hand has been laid early in life never attain their true spiritual
status? - They have been distracted. ‘Self’ has intruded where only God
should be. Choose God-centred blessing - not self-centred rebellion. God
is ‘holy’ (Isaiah 6:3; Revelation 4:8). Serving Him is a ‘holy’ calling
(4,15,19-20). In all of our service, one thing must take priority: Worship. We can ‘put on a performance’. It can be very impressive. Without real worship, it means nothing!
5:1-31 - ‘The
Lord said...’ (1): Let us hear and obey His Word. God is holy: His
people are not to be defiled (3). Sin is not merely moral. It is
spiritual. It is not only a deviation from law. It is an offence against
God - ‘breaking faith with the Lord’ (6). God is holy: ‘Atonement’
is more than a provision for our need of forgiveness. It is a
‘restitution... to the Lord’ (8). Christ’s atoning death does two
things: (a) It meets the demands of God’s holiness. (b) It meets our
need of salvation. We must not do ‘the wrong’ and ‘break faith with the
Lord’ (6-7). We are to obey the Gospel call for ‘faith in our Lord Jesus
Christ’: This is ‘repentance’. We obey God’s ‘command...to repent’
(Acts 20:21; 17:30). No longer ‘trusting in ourselves that we are
righteous’, we confess our sins and look to Christ for mercy (Luke 18:9,13).
6:1-27 - ‘Separate...
to the Lord,... Separate... from wine and strong drink’ (2-3): These
two thoughts are closely connected in the New Testament - ‘Do not get
drunk with wine,... Be filled with the Spirit’ (Ephesians 5:18). We are
to be ‘holy to the Lord’ (8). ‘Consecrated to the Lord’, our whole life
must be controlled by one thing: ‘Do all to the glory of God’ (1
Corinthians 10:31). Motivated by a desire for God’s glory, we will enjoy
God's blessing (22-27). God’s blessing is not a ‘cheap’ thing,
something that doesn’t matter very much. Remember Esau (Genesis
25:29-34). He couldn’t be bothered. He couldn’t care less. God’s
blessing meant nothing to him. He didn’t want God’s blessing. What did
God do? - He gave it to Jacob. ‘The Lord bless you...’: Do you want
this? Or must God find somebody else?
7:1-47 - Why
do we bring our offerings to the Lord? - ‘that they may be used in
doing the service of the tent of meeting’ (5). We give ourselves to the
Lord - ‘Love so amazing, so divine, Shall have my soul, my life,
my all’ - and we ask Him to put our gift to good use - ‘O use me, Lord,
use even me, just as Thou wilt, and when, and where’ (Church Hymnary,
437,485). Why is there so much repetition here? - God does not look
only at the total offering. He prizes each separate offering. Each gift
expresses the giver’s love for Him. Let us ‘lay up... treasures in
heaven’, bringing our offerings in faith, as an expression of our
gratitude to God for His abundant grace. Which matters most to you? -
‘earth’ or ‘heaven’: ‘Where your treasure is, there will your heart be
also’ (Matthew 6:19-21).
7:48-89 - At the end of this long chapter, we have Communion with God:
‘When Moses went into the tent of the meeting to speak with the Lord,
he heard the voice speaking to him from above the mercy seat...’ (89).
This is what it’s all about: We ‘draw near to the throne of grace’. We
‘receive mercy and find grace...’ (Hebrews 4:16). Listen for God’s Word.
Speak to God in prayer. So often, the most important things get crowded
out. We lose sight of God - His love, His grace, His mercy. Religion
becomes a burdensome, legalistic thing. There is no joy in it. God comes
to us in mercy - ready to forgive. In love, He offers us a new
beginning. By His grace, we can live as the people of God. God is
speaking. Are you listening to Him? God is listening. Are you speaking
to Him? Nothing is more important than this!
8:1-26 - The Levites were ‘set apart’ for God (14). They were ‘a gift to Aaron... to do the service for the people of Israel at the tent of meeting...’ (19). We
are to work together as a team. ‘Yield yourselves to God...’ (Romans
6:13): Help each other to be better servants of Christ. The ‘lampstand’
(1-4): ‘Thy Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path’ (Psalm
119:105). Without Christ, the living Word, we remain in darkness. With
Him we ‘walk in the light’, in the joy of His salvation (John 8:12; 1
John 1:7). ‘Service for the people of Israel ’
(19): As servants of Christ - He ‘came not to be served but to serve’
(Mark 10:45) - , we are to serve others for ‘Jesus’ sake’ (2 Corinthians
4:5). To those whom we serve, we say, ‘We are your servants but you are
not our lords’. Jesus is Lord: It is ‘as the Lord commands’ (22).
9:1-23 - God’s
people were ‘in the wilderness’ (1) - No longer in the land of bondage,
not yet in the land of promise. This is our situation - We look back to
what the Lord has done for us, we look forward to what the Lord will
yet do for us. The Passover directs our attention to the death of
Christ, ‘our Passover Lamb’ (4; 1 Corinthians 5:7). The Cloud directs us
to the return of Christ - ‘He is coming with the clouds’ (Revelation
1:7; Matthew 24:30). God’s people are guided by the ‘cloud’ and ‘fire’
(15): Not one without the other, but both together. We need both grace
and faith: Not grace without faith, not faith without grace. God is
‘able to keep us from falling’ (Jude 24) - This is grace. We are to keep
ourselves in the love of God (Jude 21) - This is faith. ‘Kept by the
power of God through faith’ (1 Peter 1:5).
10:1-36 - God’s
Word - ‘the testimony’ (11) - reveals God’s purpose (29) and provides
God’s guidance (33). The ‘cloud’ is like the presence of God’s Spirit
hovering over us. Great things are about to happen. The Spirit of God is
moving over the face of the people of God gathered for worship (11;
Genesis 1:2). Through the Word, the Spirit draws our attention to the
Lord who has promised good to us (29). Instructed by the Word and
strengthened by the Spirit, we ‘journey’ with God (33). We are moving on
with God, looking forward to the fulfilment of His good purpose. We
have heard the trumpet sound, calling us to worship the Lord, to be His
soldiers and servants (1-10). We hear the divine declaration, ‘I am the
Lord your God’ (10), and we say, ‘Yes, Lord, You are our God’ (Psalm
63:1; John 20:28).
11:1-35 - ‘The
people complained in the hearing of the Lord’ (1) - Remember: All our
words are spoken ‘in the hearing of the Lord’! There was ‘a rabble among
them’ (4): What problems there are when such people are mingling with
God’s people! What are we to do when this happens? - Pray for God’s help
(10-15). God will not disappoint us - He gives people who will ‘take their stand with us’ (16), the Spirit who rests on God’s people (25), the Word, ‘strong meat’ to sustain our spiritual strength (31-32; Hebrews 5:12-14). The lure of the world , the pull of the flesh - ‘the rabble’ wanted to go back to ‘Egypt ’ (4-6): This is the attack of the devil.
Standing in Christ’s strength alone, we ‘resist the devil’. Defeated by
Christ, Satan can do nothing but ‘flee from us’ (Philippians 4:13;
James 4:7; 1 John 3:8).
12:1-13:33 - Miriam
and Aaron complained (12:1-2). Caleb and Joshua encouraged (30;
14:6-9). Thank God for encouragers! How did Moses react to criticism? He
‘was very meek’ (3). He was like Jesus - ‘When He was reviled, He did
not revile again’ (1 Peter 2:23). Moses - ‘a servant’ - was ‘entrusted
with all God’s House’: We look beyond Moses to Christ who is ‘faithful
over God’s House as the Son’ (12:7; Hebrews 3:5-6). In times of
difficulty, we draw our strength from Him. Where there is the
encouragement of faith, the discouraging voice of unbelief is not far
behind it. Unbelief sees nothing but problems - ‘We are not able...’
(30-31). ‘Not able’ or ‘well able’? The choice is yours. Choose faith.
There must be no place for unbelief.
14:1-45 - ‘All the congregation raised a loud cry...’, ‘all the people of Israel murmured...’, ‘all
the congregation said to stone them...’ (1-2,10). Was there any ‘light
at the end of the tunnel’? Yes! - ‘The Lord... will bring us into this
land’ (8). With the promise, there was also the warning: ‘Do not rebel
against the Lord’ (9). Though angry, God remained patient: ‘How long will this people despise Me? How long
will they not believe in Me?’ (11). He was waiting patiently for a
change of heart. Moses prayed for mercy without presuming on it: ‘He
will by no means clear the guilty’ (18-19). God announces His pardon
(20). Nevertheless, there may be times when God says, ‘Enough is enough -
It’s time for a new beginning’: Only Caleb, Joshua and the ‘little
ones’ would enter the land (30-31): No one else! Not even Moses!
15:1-41 - We
read of offerings for ‘atonement’ (25,28). We think of Christ: He went
‘outside the camp’ for us (35-36; Hebrews 13:12) - to bring us
forgiveness (25,28). We are to ‘be holy to our God’, the God of our
redemption (40-41). Obedience to God is of the utmost importance: We
need to be reminded of all His commandments (39). Our supreme motivation
is redeeming love. This divine redemption creates a relationship. God
is our God and we are His people. Out of this relationship is to come
the obedience of faith (40-41). ‘E’er since, by faith, I saw the stream
Thy flowing wounds supply, Redeeming love has been my theme, and shall
be till I die’; ‘When
He comes, our glorious King, all His ransomed home to bring, then anew
this song we'll sing, “Hallelujah! What a Saviour!”’ (Mission Praise, 671; Church Hymnary, 380).
16:1-50 - ‘You
have gone too far!’: They regarded themselves as ‘holy’, yet they
refused to go ‘too far’ with God (3)! What kind of ‘holiness’ is this?
There is a ‘holiness’ which is more concerned with respectability than
obedience to God. Faced with ‘the upward call of God in Christ Jesus’,
we dare not say, ‘We will not come up’ (12; Philippians 3:14). We are to
be ‘holy’: ‘Let everyone who names the name of the Lord depart from
iniquity’ (4; 2 Timothy 2:19). ‘Separate yourselves’ (20): This is not
the false separation of the Pharisees - Spiritual ‘pride’ is ‘an
abomination to the Lord’ (Proverbs 11:1-2). Maintain your high calling
- Don’t get dragged down to the level of those who ‘will not come up’
to where God wants them to be - and remember: ‘By grace... not your own
doing... the gift of God’ (Ephesians 2:8).
17:1-18:32 - The
call comes from God - to Aaron, to Christ (17:5; Hebrews 5:4-6). Christ
is both the Offering for sin and the Great High Priest (Hebrews 5:7-10;
2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 7:25). We look at ourselves, and we say,
‘We perish, we are lost, we are dead’ (17:12). We look to Christ, and
everything changes (John 3:16; Luke 19:10; Ephesians 2:1). ‘Service’ and
‘reward’ (18:31): The Lord blesses those who serve Him faithfully each
day (1 Corinthians 15:58). Building on Christ, we seek to do work of
lasting value - ‘gold, silver precious stones’. We dare not rest content
with shallow superficiality - ‘wood, hay, straw’. There is ‘a reward’
for those whose ‘work’ is ‘built on the Foundation, which is Jesus
Christ’ (1 Corinthians 3:10-15).
19:1-22 - The
sacrifice was to be ‘without defect’. There was to be ‘no blemish’ (2).
Here, we have a picture of the Lord Jesus Christ - ‘without sin’, He
offered Himself ‘for the sins of the people’ (Hebrews 4:15; 2:17). The
gathering of ‘the ashes’ (9-10) speaks of the completeness of Christ’s
work for us - ‘for all time a single sacrifice for sins’ (Hebrews
10:12). The danger of becoming unclean through touching a ‘dead body’
(11) - there is a warning for us here. ‘Dead in trespasses and sins’, we
have been ‘made alive’ in Christ (Ephesians 2:1). We dare not look back
(Luke 17:32; Genesis 19:26; Luke 9:62; 2 Peter 2:20-22). We have been
purified ‘from dead works to serve the living God’ (Hebrews 9:14).
Christ ‘saves to the uttermost’. How dare we ‘shrink back’ from Him?
‘Have faith. Be saved’ (Hebrews 7:25; 10:39).
20:1-29 - No man or woman is indispensable. God’s work goes on, with or without us! (a) Miriam
(Moses’ sister) served and worshipped the Lord (Exodus 2:7-8;
15:20-21). Now, her time had come. She was not to enter the land. She
‘died’ (1). (b) Moses had been the leader of God’s people. He
sinned, and he was excluded from the promised land (12). Do not rest on
your laurels. Yesterday’s grace is not sufficient for today’s
challenges. A day-by-day walk with the Lord is called for. (c) Aaron
(Moses’ brother) had stood alongside Moses in leadership. He ‘died’
(28) without entering the promised land. In the leadership of God’s
people, the names and the faces change - but the Lord never changes. He
remains unchanged, unchanging and unchangeable in His love. When Moses,
Aaron and Miriam had gone, God was still there!
21:1-35 - In
verses 5-9, there is an illustration of God’s salvation (John 3:14-15).
There is sin and death (Romans 5-6; 3:23, 6:23). Christ prays for our
forgiveness (7; Luke 23:34). Lifted up on the Cross, He dies that we
might have eternal life. In love, He appeals to us, ‘Look to me and be
saved’ (John 12:32; Isaiah 45:22). Enter, Destroy Possess (21-24,
33-35): Let Christ enter your heart, destroying Satan’s strongholds and
taking possession of your life (2 Corinthians 10: 3-5). If we are to be
victorious to the ‘praise and glory and honour... of Jesus Christ’ (1
Peter 1:6-8), we must ‘go by the King’s Highway, not turning aside to
the right hand or the left’(22; 20:17). For the Christian, ‘the King’s
Highway is ‘the Way of Holiness’: ‘This is the way, walk in it’ (Isaiah
35:8; 30:21).
22:1-41 - Learn
from the past. In 2 Peter 2:15-16, Jude 11 and Revelation 2:14, we are
encouraged to learn from the events of this chapter. Each passage
contains a warning. (a) 2 Peter 2:15-16 - Don’t leave ‘the straight way’ and follow the crooked way! (b) Jude 11 - Don’t let making a profit become more important than being a prophet! (c) Revelation 2:14
- Make sure you don’t get drawn away from God into sin! What is God
saying to us here? - ‘these things happened... as a warning... they were
written down for our instruction... let anyone who thinks that he
stands take heed lest he fall’. With the warning, there is also the
promise: ‘...God is faithful, and He will not let you be tempted beyond
your strength, but with the temptation will also provide a way of
escape...’ (1 Corinthians 10:11-13).
23:1-30 - Our
words are to be an echo of God’s Word. We are to speak only what God
says (8,12). Before we can speak for God, He must speak to us. ‘God’s
Word is truth’ (John 17:17). God does not lie. He does not change His
mind. What He says, He does. He fulfils His purpose (19). How does God
carry forward His purpose of blessing? We receive His blessing. We share
His blessing with others. We can only bring blessing to others when we
ourselves seek blessing from the Lord. His blessing comes to us. His
blessing reaches out through us. We speak His Word, yet - through our words - He
speaks (20). This is the work of the Holy Spirit. ‘God’s Word is the
sword of the Spirit’ (Ephesians 6:17). The Spirit uses the Word to
convict us of our sin and lead us to our Saviour (Hebrews 4:12-16).
24:1-25 - When
‘the Spirit of God came upon him’, Balaam’s ‘oracle’ was described as
‘the message of the man who sees clearly’. His ‘eyes are opened’. He
sees ‘with far-seeing eyes’. He ‘hears the words of God’. He ‘sees the
vision of the Almighty’ (2-4,15-16). Balaam
looks beyond his own time. ‘With far-seeing eyes’, he prophesies
concerning our Lord Jesus Christ: ‘I see Him, but not now’ (17). Balaam
catches a glimpse of Jesus Christ, the ‘King of kings’ (Revelation
19:16). This is what we must pray for: ‘the revelation of Jesus Christ’.
Pray that you will be ‘in the Spirit’, ready to ‘hear what the Spirit
says’ (Revelation 1:1,10; 2:7,11,17,29; 3:6,13,22). God is the
unchanging God - Nothing changes Him (23:19). He is also the changing
God. He changed Balaam. He will change us!
25:1-26:22 - Read of Israel ’s
adultery and idolatry and remember God’s Word of warning: ‘Don’t let
the world squeeze you into its mould’ (25:1-5; Romans 12:2). God is
looking for people who have the ‘same zeal’ as He has (25:11). Those who
are zealous for God may be few in number, but we must not be
discouraged. Glorying in Christ our Saviour, we must continue to be
zealous for Him. In Christ we have ‘peace’, ‘atonement’ and a
‘perpetual’ salvation (25:12-13; Romans 5:1-2,9-10). We are saved to
serve - This is the thought contained in the phrase, ‘all in Israel
who are able to go forth to war’ (26:2). The wilderness wanderings were
over. God was doing a new thing. He was looking for a new people,
determined, by grace, to carry His work forward into the future. He is
still looking!
26:23-65 - There
is real sadness in the final words of this chapter: ‘There was not left
a man of them, except Caleb and Joshua’ (65). There is also a sense of
expectation. So many had died in the wilderness. This was now a new
generation. We’re living in changing times. God is equipping His people
for new challenges. We must not stand still. We dare not say, ‘It’s
never been done that way before’! A new generation has to be won for
Christ. Will we rise to the challenge? Or, will we ‘die in the
wilderness (65)? Taking possession of ‘the promised land’ would not be
easy. Making advances for Christ will not be easy. We must lay aside
those things which need to ‘die in the wilderness’. We must take hold of
all that God has given to us - if there is to be ‘Good News for the
next generation’!
27:1-23 -
The daughters of Zelophehad were concerned about the continuation of
the father’s name (1-11). Our first concern must be the glory of God,
our Heavenly Father. We are to honour our parents, loving them deeply.
We must not allow such love to compete with our love for Christ. He must
come first. We are called to a life of single-minded devotion to Jesus
Christ. Joshua is chosen to succeed Moses as the leader of God’s people
(12-23). Soon, Moses would be gone. The Lord was preparing His people
for the future. God had His man - Joshua - waiting to continue the work
which Moses had begun. For each place and time, God has His ‘Joshua’.
The work of God will go on. His work requires more than a ‘Joshua’. What
part will you play in God’s ongoing work? Will you take up the challenge?
28:1-31 - The
sacrifices, offered to God, were to be ‘a pleasing odour’ to Him
(2,6,8,13,24,27). These sacrifices are no longer required. A greater
Sacrifice has been offered and accepted. Jesus Christ, God’s Son, has
offered Himself as a Sacrifice for sin (Hebrews 9:23-26). This Sacrifice
is ‘a pleasing odour’ to God. It is ‘good news’ for us. This is ‘good
news’ - the Gospel of our salvation: ‘Christ died for our sins’ (1
Corinthians 15:3). How do we know that Christ’s Sacrifice is ‘a pleasing
odour’ to God? - God ‘raised’ Him from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:4).
The ‘feast of weeks’ (Pentecost) turns our thoughts towards the Holy
Spirit (26-31; Acts 2:1-4). It is through the power of the Holy Spirit
that the ‘good news’ of Christ becomes real in our lives. He brings us
to Christ and leads us on with Him (Acts 2:37-47).
29:1-40 - Between the feast of weeks (Pentecost) and the feast of trumpets (28:26-29:6), there was the harvest. Pentecost - the outpouring of the Holy Spirit - has ushered in the time of Harvest
- the saved are being gathered in as men and women are being won for
Christ. During this time of harvest, we ‘blow the trumpets’ of worship,
rejoicing in the Lord (1), and ‘alarm’, calling on men and women to pay
attention to the Word of the Lord (Joel 2:1). By blowing the trumpets
for God, we prepare the way for the final trumpet, ‘the trumpet of God’
(1 Corinthians 15:52; 1 Thessalonians 4:16). We must get ready, and we
must encourage others to get ready, for Christ’s Return.
Atonement (7-11), Tabernacles (12-40): Christ has ‘tabernacled’ among us
(John 1:14). He has made ‘atonement’ for us (Romans 5:11). Share the
Good News!
30:1-31:20 - Vows
(30:1-16): Be careful what you say - You may live to regret it
(Ecclesiastes 5:2, 4-6; Matthew 12:36-37; James 3:6-11). Learn from
Balaam. Full of good intentions about speaking God’s Word (22:18;
23:12), he hoped to ‘die the death of the righteous’ (23:10). He did not
live up to his good intentions. He sinned and he led others into sin
(31:16). He ended up being slain among God’s enemies (31:8). Why were
the Midianites destroyed (31:7-8)? They opposed the Lord, exerting an
evil influence on His people. We must take care that we do not cause
God’s people ‘to act treacherously against’ Him (31:16). Sin needs to be
removed if we are to press on to a greater enjoyment of God’s blessing.
‘Put to death what is earthly in you... put off the old nature... put
on the new nature’ (Colossians 3:5-11). This is what we must do.
31:21-54 - If
we are to be ‘soldiers of Christ’, we need to be ‘purified’, made
‘clean’. There is purification by ‘fire’ and ‘water’. Purification may
be painful, but we have the promise of God’s protective presence. He
says, ‘I will be with you’. He assures us, ‘the waters... shall not
overwhelm you... and the flame shall not shall not consume you’ (22-24;
Isaiah 43:2). From the Old Testament wars, we learn important spiritual
principles: Enter the war, Destroy the sins, Possess the land. This is what we must do throughout life. Looking beyond Israel ’s
triumphs to Christ’s victory over Satan (Hebrews 2:14-15; 1 John 3:8),
we thank God for His victory and we claim this victory by faith (1
Corinthians 15:57; 1 John 5:4-5). The battle may be ‘fierce’. The
‘victory is secure’ (Church Hymnary, 479). Praise God!
32:1-42 - Some
look for an easy life. They know that there will be conflict on the
other side of the Jordan. They opt out - ‘do not take us across the
Jordan’ (5). They think they’ve travelled far enough. God
says, ‘Let us go on to maturity’ (Hebrews 6:1). ‘My happiness’ - This is
what concerns the self-centred person. Spiritual maturity is not about
happiness. It’s about holiness. We find happiness when we aim at
holiness. What is holiness? - ‘It’s the life apart from the world’s
excess. It’s the Lord’s command, not the Lord’s request. It’s the only
life that the Lord can bless’. Pretend to be more holy than you really
are, and ‘be sure your sin will find you out’ (23). A small minority -
Caleb and Joshua - ‘wholly followed the Lord’ (12): Better a minority
with God than a majority without Him.
33:1-49 - In
the history of Israel - Set free by the power of God, failure to learn,
wandering, the promised land - , there is a picture of the Christian
life - conversion and growth to spiritual maturity by way of learning
from our mistakes. We are not to remain in the past. That would be
nostalgia. It is, however, a good thing for us to remember, with
gratitude, all the way the Lord has led us. This will increase our
appreciation of the goodness of God. It will deepen our sense of
indebtedness to Him. Israel’s redemption was a mighty work of God. Our
salvation is a mighty work of God. Think back over your life - ‘stage by
stage’ (2) - and thank God for all that He has done. ‘These are
the stages of’ what the Lord has done (1): You may see the Lord in
places where you hadn’t noticed Him before!
33:50-34:29 - ‘Drive
out all the inhabitants of the land’ (52): We must drive out the enemy
(Satan) if we are to enter more fully into our salvation in Jesus Christ
(Ephesians 5:3-14). Idolatry is to be banished (52). It has no place
among God’s people. God wants us to ‘possess the land’ (53) - a fuller
enjoyment of Him. Idolatry is settling for ‘second best’ - letting
something or someone else become more important to you than the Lord.
Don’t let it happen! The setting of the boundaries of the land of Canaan
(34:1-29) is a reminder that there are boundaries in the Christian
life, boundaries set by God Himself, the boundaries of Holy Scripture.
When we move beyond the boundaries of God’s holy Word, we move outside
the sphere of God’s blessing. Live in the will of God - within the
boundaries set by His Word.
35:1-36:13 - Cities
of refuge were provided for those who had killed someone accidentally.
This is a good illustration of fleeing to Christ for refuge. He is our
‘strong tower’. We ‘run’ to Him and we are ‘safe’ (Hebrews 6:18;
Proverbs 18:10). God gave Israel
a ‘land’. They were not to ‘defile the land’ (34). God has given us a
Saviour. We are not to dishonour Him. Christ is our ‘inheritance’. Our
full enjoyment of Him is still to come (36:2-4, 7-9,12; Ephesians 1:18;
Colossians 3:24; 1 Peter 1:4). How can we enjoy our Saviour more fully? -
‘These are the commandments...’ (36:13). The names change. The places
change. The principle remains the same: Obedience to God. We have been
redeemed by God. Let us live in obedience to Him. There is nothing more
important than this - if we really want to enjoy His blessing.
__________________________
DEUTERONOMY
1:1-46 - With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the older generation – including Moses – was not to enter the land (34-38). For the new generation, there was a challenge. There must be no more failures. One wasted generation was enough. This was the time for real commitment to the Lord. He loved them – He had ‘set the land before’ them. They were to rise up in faith and ‘ take possession of the land’ (8). We are called to go on with the Lord. ‘You have stayed long enough’ at a low level of Christian living. God is calling us on to maturity: ‘go in and take possession of the land; (6,8; Philippians 3:13-14). Do not hesitate to move forward with God: ‘do not fear… It is a good land which the Lord gives us’ (21,25). Will we be the new generation, ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) ?
4:1-43 - The people of Israel were involved in the work of the Lord. The work was based on God – not Moses. Moses would not be in the promised land. God would be there. Moses would ‘not go over the Jordan’. As God’s man. he was to prepare the people for their task: ‘you shall go over and take possession of that good land’ (22). Privilege involves responsibility. Israel was a privileged people, redeemed by the Lord, delivered from bondage ‘by a mighty hand and outstretched arm’ (34). Israel was a responsible people, called to obey the Lord: ‘Obey His laws and commands’ (40). The Lord our God is ‘a merciful God’ (31). He has saved us. We are to serve Him. Let Him reign in your heart. Let there be ‘no other besides Him’ (35). Flee to Christ for refuge (42-43), and live each day with ‘the attitude of gratitude’.
__________________________
DEUTERONOMY
1:1-46 - With the exception of Caleb and Joshua, the older generation – including Moses – was not to enter the land (34-38). For the new generation, there was a challenge. There must be no more failures. One wasted generation was enough. This was the time for real commitment to the Lord. He loved them – He had ‘set the land before’ them. They were to rise up in faith and ‘ take possession of the land’ (8). We are called to go on with the Lord. ‘You have stayed long enough’ at a low level of Christian living. God is calling us on to maturity: ‘go in and take possession of the land; (6,8; Philippians 3:13-14). Do not hesitate to move forward with God: ‘do not fear… It is a good land which the Lord gives us’ (21,25). Will we be the new generation, ‘a new creation in Christ’ (2 Corinthians 5:17) ?
2:1-37
- During their wilderness years, God’s people had many problems. God
is greater than all the problems! Israel’s journey began in the land
of ‘bondage’ (Exodus 2:23-25). From there, He led them to the land of
promise, ‘the land which the Lord our God gives to us’ (29). This is
‘amazing grace’: ‘Through many dangers, toils and snares, I have
already come; ‘Tis grace that brought me safe thus far, and grace will
lead me home’ (Mission Praise, 31). In the giving and taking of the land, we see both grace and faith:
‘I have begun to give… this land over to you; begin to take
possession…’ (31). We are not saved by grace apart from faith. We are
‘saved by grace through faith’. We are not saved by faith without
grace. We are ‘saved by grace through faith’. Saved by the Lord, let
us press on to a life of ‘good works’ (Ephesians 2:8-10).
3:1-29
- The promised land was near. For Moses, it was ‘so near and yet so
far’. He was excluded. Together with the sadness of Moses’
exclusion, there was the joy of the people’s entrance (27-28). When we
consider Moses’ sadness and the people’s joy, we must remember this: Nobody
deserved to go into the land! The land was God’s gift. Without His
strength, the people of Israel would fail. With Him, they would be
victorious: ‘You shall not fear them; for it is the Lord your God who
fights for you’ (22). There is here a basic principle of Christian
living: ‘not by might , nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of
hosts’ (Zechariah 4:6). ‘In heavenly armour we’ll enter the land. The
battle belongs to the Lord. No weapon that’s fashioned against us will
stand. The battle belongs to the Lord’ (Mission Praise, 639).4:1-43 - The people of Israel were involved in the work of the Lord. The work was based on God – not Moses. Moses would not be in the promised land. God would be there. Moses would ‘not go over the Jordan’. As God’s man. he was to prepare the people for their task: ‘you shall go over and take possession of that good land’ (22). Privilege involves responsibility. Israel was a privileged people, redeemed by the Lord, delivered from bondage ‘by a mighty hand and outstretched arm’ (34). Israel was a responsible people, called to obey the Lord: ‘Obey His laws and commands’ (40). The Lord our God is ‘a merciful God’ (31). He has saved us. We are to serve Him. Let Him reign in your heart. Let there be ‘no other besides Him’ (35). Flee to Christ for refuge (42-43), and live each day with ‘the attitude of gratitude’.
4:44-5:33
- Obedience is grounded in salvation. The Ten Commandments (7-21) are
preceded by the divine declaration: ‘I am the Lord your God’ who
brought you… out of the house of bondage’ (6). He has redeemed us. We
are to live for Him. The Word of God was spoken to Moses before it was spoken by
him (27). We cannot begin to live for the Lord until we begin to
listen to Him. The way of obedience is the way of blessing. Our
obedience is to be offered in a spirit of gratitude to God for His
gracious salvation. Never imagine it is because of our obedience that
God loves us. His love for us is always prior to our love for Him.
Remember what the Lord has done for you, and your love for Him will grow
stronger. Forget, and you love will grow weaker. Loved by God, let us
love Him – more!
6:1-25
- ‘Hear’ and ‘do’ (1-3; James 1:22-25). In our obedience to God,
there is to be the fear of the Lord and love for the Lord (2,5). Fear
and love: the two belong together. God is holy – fear Him. God is love
– love Him. This is for every generation: ‘you and your son and your
son’s son’(2). ‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart’ (5). Teach
the children well so that the blessing of God may be ‘prolonged’ among
us (7,2). Our promised land – heaven (John 14:1-3) – is far better than
Israel’s promised land. Through faith in Christ, we have received
‘eternal life’ (John 5:24; 6:40). Never take the Lord’s blessing for
granted. Always remember to thank Him for all that He has done for you
(10-12). Teach the children what the Lord has done for them (20-23).
Then, and only then, tell them what they must ‘do’ for Him (24-25).
7:1-26
- Enter, Destroy, Possess (1-2). Don’t try to jump straight from
entering to possessing. Don’t forget to destroy. We enter the
Christian life through faith in Christ. We will not ‘take possession
of’ a fuller enjoyment of His salvation if we refuse to ‘destroy’ the
obstacles to His blessing in our lives. Sin is like a ‘cancer’. It
will ‘kill’ us if we let it (Romans 6:23). This is why we must fight it
– with ‘the whole armour of God’ (Ephesians 6:10-17). From beginning
to end, our salvation is the work of God: ‘…it is because the Lord
loves you… that He has… redeemed you…’ (6-8). The Lord’s love speaks of
His keeping power. He will complete the work He has begun (17-19;
Philippians 1:6). Saved and kept by the power of God, we travel from
Christ’s Cross to our Crown (Romans 1:16; 1 Peter 1:3-5; 2:24-25; 5:4).
8:1-9:21 -
The ‘wilderness’ was a place of ‘testing’. God was ‘disciplining’ His
people. He was teaching them to ‘walk in His ways’ (2,5-6). In the
‘wilderness’, we must remember this: ‘man does not live by bread alone…
man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord’
(3). Everything that
proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord – His warnings as well as His
promises! He speaks to us in warnings: ‘Take heed lest you forget the
Lord your God…’ (11). He speaks to us in promises: ‘the Lord your God
is bringing you into a good land’ (7). ‘God forbid that I should
glory…’ (8:17-18; 9:4-6; Galatians 6:14). God gave Israel the land. He
gives us ‘the Kingdom’ (Luke 12:32). As earthly kingdoms rise and
fall, ‘the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom which shall never be
destroyed’ (Daniel 2:44).
9:22-10:22
- ‘We will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of
the Word’ (Acts 6:4). Moses was an intercessor (25-29). The ministry
of the Word needs to be grounded in prayer. Prayerfully seeking the
Lord’s help, we are to place His Word at the centre of the life of His
people (5). God shows His mercy by providing His servants to carry His
Word in a ministry of blessing to the people, a ministry which helps the
people to ‘go in and possess the land’ (8,10-11). In gratitude to God,
our Creator-Redeemer, we are to give ourselves to Him in obedience
(12-15). Let your heart and life be changed by the Lord, never
forgetting this: ‘He is your praise; He is your God, who has done for
you… great… things’ (16-21). ‘God… gives the growth’ (22; Corinthians 3:7). Read Psalm 126:6 and pray!
11:1-32
- God is at work among His people, teaching them many lessons.
Through His precious promises and strong warnings, He leads us in the
way of obedience and blessing (31-32). If we are to enjoy the Lord’s
blessing, we need the whole Word of God – the warnings as well as the
promises. Obedience to God – This is the most important thing in the
life of faith. Obedience demonstrates the reality of faith. By our
obedience, we show our ‘love’ for the Lord. We rejoice in ‘all the
great work of the Lord’. By ‘His mighty hand’, He has provided for us a
great salvation. Our enjoyment of His salvation increases as we live
in obedience to Him (8-15). Without obedience, there can be no blessing
(16-17). Teach others to obey God – especially the ‘children’
(18-21). God is good. He loves us (22-25). Obey Him. Choose blessing
(26-28).
12:1-32
- In our hearts, nothing else must compete with the Lord. There is no
room for idolatry. ‘Destroy’ everything that threatens to take the
place of God in your life. (2-3). We are not to ‘do what is right in
our own eyes’. We are to worship as the Lord ‘chooses’ (5,8,13-14).
Remove every distraction. Get rid of those things which keep you from
crowning Christ as Lord of your life. When you are tempted to put other
things before the Lord, ‘be careful not to be ensnared’ in the ways of
the world (29-31). When we are tempted, we must take our stand on God’s
Word. ‘Everything’ He has given to us – This means more than our
favourite passages! Don’t ‘add to it’, making ‘the traditions of men’
more important than the Word of God. Don’t ‘take from it’, ignoring the
parts you don’t like (32; Mark 7:8; Acts 20:27).
13:1-14:21
- Obedience to God involves an uncompromising attitude toward those
who would lead people away from God. Those who say ‘Let us go and serve
other gods’ (13:2,6,13) must not be permitted to exert their evil
influence on God’s people. God says, ‘You must not listen to them
(13:3,8). Temptations to ‘idolatry’ can come under the guise of
‘spirituality’ – ‘a prophet… a dreamer of dreams… a sign or a wonder’
(13:1; 1 John 4:1). ‘Idolatry’ can come from within one’s own family.
The Lord must come first (13:6-11; Luke 14:26). God’s judgment is upon
‘idolaters’ so that others may see their folly, turn from ‘idolatry’ and
receive God’s mercy (13:12-18). Remember God’s purpose of love (John
3:17). In our worship and in the whole of life, we are to be ‘a people
holy to the Lord our God’ (14:2,21).
14:22-15:23
- ‘Tithing’ (Giving the tenth to God) emerges out of holiness: ‘You
are a people holy to the Lord your God… You shall tithe’ (14:21-22). It
is more than giving things to God. It is giving ourselves to Him. It
also involves caring for others (7-11; Isaiah 58:6-7). We have been
‘earmarked’ as servants of the Lord (17). Being ‘earmarked’ for God
involves listening to God (Isaiah 55:2-3). Bring ‘the firstling’ to God
(19). ‘We are here to bring You the best that we can bring. And it is
our love rising from our hearts’ (Mission Praise, 717). ‘Just as I am… to be the best that I can be for truth, and righteousness, and Thee, Lord of my life, I come’ (Church Hymnary, 448). No second bests – Only the best will do for God.
16:1-17:13
- Blessed by God, the people of Israel had much to celebrate. They had
been brought out of the land of bondage. They were about to enter the
land of promise. The keeping of the feasts (16:1-17) was a response to
God’s love, a way of celebrating His love. Why did God bring Israel to
the promised land? It was because He ‘loved them’ (Psalm 44:3). The
Passover was a continuing reminder of God’s mighty work of redemption.
The Lord’s Supper is a memorial of what God has done for us in Christ.
In remembering His dying love for us, we remember what we were without
Him and we give thanks for all that He has done for us. As well as ‘joy’
(45), there is to be justice (16:18-17:13; Micah 6:8). Note the effect
of justice: ‘And all the people shall hear, and fear, and not act
presumptuously again’ (17:13).
17:14-18:22 -
Even the king is subject to God’s ‘law’. His supreme responsibility is
this: Pay careful attention to God’s Word (17:18-20). Politically, he
may be in an elevated position – a ‘king over’ others (17:14-15).
Spiritually, he must not allow ‘his heart’ to be ‘lifted up above his
brethren’ (17:20). There must be humble obedience to God’s Word. Priests
speak to God for us. Prophets speak to us for God. We need both –
‘prayer and the ministry of the Word’ (Acts 6:4). In our worship, we
must keep the Lord at the very centre. Anything or anyone who distracts
our attention from the Lord is no help to true worship (9-14). ‘A
prophet like Moses’ (18:15): Jesus is the ultimate prophet – to see and
hear Him is to see and hear God (John 5:19; 12:49; 14:9). He preaches
God’s Word. He is ‘the Word of God’ (John 1:1).
19:1-20:9
- Justice is concerned with (a) the protection of the innocent –
‘innocent blood will not be shed in your land’ (10); (b) the punishment
of the guilty – ‘you must purge the evil from among you’ (19). Through
justice, God is to be glorified among His people. We are to fight for
the Lord without fear, confident of His glorious presence (20:1-4). In
the service of the Lord, we must not be ‘fearful and fainthearted’
(20:8). We are to be ‘good soldiers of Jesus Christ’ (2 Timothy 2:3). We
need to give careful attention to the Word of God: ‘When you draw near
to the battle, the priest will come forward and speak to the people, and
say to them, ‘Hear, O Israel…’ (20:2-3). God’s Word is not concerned
only with ‘Church work’. It sends us ‘back to our house’ – ‘dedicated’
to the Lord (20:5-9).
20:10-21:23
- The offer of ‘peace’ is made (20:10; Romans 5:1). Some refuse to
‘make peace’. They choose to ‘make war’ (20:12). When the enemies of
Christ and the Gospel are raging, we must be resolute in our commitment
to living ‘as the Lord our God has commanded’ (20:16-18). We are to ‘do
what is right in the sight of the Lord’. This will involve ‘going forth
to war against our enemies’. It will involve ‘purging the evil from our
midst’ (21:9-10,21; Ephesians 6:10-13; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5; Hebrews
12:1-2,11). Our life of holiness is grounded in the death of Christ who,
on the Cross, was ‘accursed by God’ so that we might be saved by God
(21:23; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 2:24). Through faith
in Him, we have been declared holy (Romans 5:1,3-5,9-10).
22:1-30 -
Care for ‘your brother’ (1-4). Our caring is not to be selective – ‘If
the brother does not live near you or if you do not know who he is’
(2). When Jesus says, ‘Love your neighbour as yourself’ (Luke 10:27), He
means much more than loving the people who live near us, the people
that we know. The ‘Samaritan’ didn’t know ‘the man who fell into the
hands of robbers’ (Luke 10:30,33). ‘Jews did not associate with
Samaritans’ (John 4:9). Jesus says, ‘Love your enemies (Matthew 5:44).
Love your enemies with the love of the Lord – ‘when we were God’s
enemies, we were reconciled to Him through the death of His Son’ (Romans
5:8,10). Don’t love the ways of those who ‘live as enemies of the Cross
of Christ’ (Philippians 3:18). ‘Purge the evil from the midst of you’
(21-22,24).
23:1-25
- God sees us as we really are. He ‘looks on the heart’ as well as
‘the outward appearance’. We must live to please Him, praying, ‘Search
me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! And see if
there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!’ (14;
1 Samuel 16:7; Psalm 139: 23-24). God calls us to be holy: ‘you shall
keep yourself from every evil thing’ (9). This ‘holiness’ is not to be a
proud, arrogant thing. It is to be filled with compassionate caring.
Don’t write anyone off, saying, ‘They’re not our kind of people’ (7).
Don’t be out for all you can get for yourself without any thought of how
your actions affect other people (24-25). Let your holiness be real.
Don’t say one thing and do another. Don’t pretend to be more ‘holy’ than
you really are. Choose to be holy – every day (21-23).
24:1-25:29
- Justice for the vulnerable is grounded in God’s redemption
(24:17-18). This is an important principle for us. God loves us. He has
done great things for us. He cares. We are to care. Let His love be the
guiding light in every part of your life. Scripture speaks of both
salvation and judgment. Israel was given ‘the land’ as ‘an inheritance
to possess’. The Amalekites were blotted out (25:19). The Christian life
is a spiritual warfare. When we are ‘faint and weary’, we will be
‘attacked on the way’. If we ‘lag behind’ in our walk with God, those
who ‘do not fear God’ will try to ‘cut us off’ from the Lord and His
people. This is the work of Satan. We must not be ‘ignorant of his
devices’. God is with us in the battle. He is leading us on to our
eternal ‘inheritance’ (25:17-19; 2 Corinthians 2:11).
26:1-27:10
- The people of Israel had a testimony. They had been redeemed by the
God of love. Thankful for His love and salvation, they brought their
offerings to the Lord (26:5-9). The call to obedience is grounded in the
gift of salvation. Redeemed by the Lord, we are called to be ‘a people
holy to the Lord our God’ (26:16-19). There is no privilege without
responsibility. Israel was privileged: God was giving them ‘a land
flowing with milk and honey’. Israel was responsible: God was saying to
them, ‘Keep all the commandments which I command you this day’ (27:1-3).
God blesses us. We obey Him. We enjoy more of His blessing. This leads
us to obey Him more. Break the ‘vicious circle’. Get on to God’s
‘victorious circle’: He shows us His love. We love Him. He shows us more
of His love. We love Him more… (John 14:21).
27:11-28:24
- Through His strongly worded warnings, God calls us back from the way
of disobedience (27:15-26;28:15-24). Through His promises of blessing,
He calls us to the way of obedience, the only way to true happiness
(28:1-14). God’s blessing cannot be taken for granted. Where there is
disobedience, there is no blessing. Our ‘enemies’ will triumph over us
(28:25). We need not be defeated. God has shown us His way of blessing.
It is the way of obedience (1-2). We are not blessed because we deserve
to be blessed. We can never earn the Lord’s blessing. The blessing comes
from Him (8). He blesses us because He loves us – not because we are
worthy of His blessing. You can be in ‘the promised land’ without
enjoying the promised blessing. Don’t ‘suffer loss’ – ‘saved, but only
as through fire’ (1 Corinthians 3:15).
28:25-68
- There is nothing inevitable about the chain of events described in
these verses. These are the consequences of disobedience. God is warning
His people: ‘If you will not obey the voice of the Lord your God…’
(28:15). Why does God warn His people of the consequences of
disobedience? He wants them to draw back from the way of disobedience
and follow the pathway of obedience and blessing. These ‘curses’ were
avoidable. They would only happen if Israel persisted in rebelling
against the Lord. We can bring ‘curses’ upon ourselves. Don’t imagine
that God doesn’t care how you live. He does. That is why He calls us
back from the pathway of disobedience. That is why He exhorts us to
choose holiness. Read Hebrews 10:26-31; 12:25-29. Pray for God’s mercy
(Luke 18:13). Ask Him to make you more holy (Hebrews 12:14).
29:1-29
- God has done great things for His people – ‘in the land of Egypt… in
the wilderness’ (2,5). Acknowledging Him to be the Lord their God, they
were to live in obedience to Him (6,9). The way of obedience is the way
of blessing. Moses warns the people that they must not depart from the
way of blessing. Moses warns the people that they must not depart from
the way of obedience (16-28). Turning away from the Lord leads to
judgment – ‘anger and fury and great wrath’ (24-28). There are ‘secret
things’. There are ‘things that are revealed’. Some ‘things’ we will
never understand. These ‘things belong to the Lord our God’. There are
many ‘things’ we have learned and have firmly believed. ‘The things that
are revealed’ are found in ‘the Holy Scriptures’. Through God’s written
Word, we are brought to ‘salvation’ and we are ‘thoroughly equipped’
for Christian living (29; 2 Timothy 3:14-17).
30:1-31:13
- For Israel, a real turning to the Lord with ‘all the heart and soul’
involved obedience to ‘His commandments… written in this book of the
law’ (30:10). We are not left wondering what God wants us to do – ‘…the
Word is very near you…’(11-14). Through His Word, God ‘sets before’ us a
choice. He calls us to ‘choose life’ (15-20). Joshua was to succeed
Moses (31:1-2,7-8). Conflict lay ahead. God’s people needed His Word of
encouragement: ‘Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in
dread of them’. Beyond the conflict, there would be triumph. God gave
His Word of promise: ‘It is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will
not fail you or forsake you’ (31:6). Turning from the people to Joshua,
Moses spoke the same words (31:7-8). Hear; Learn to fear the Lord; Be
careful to obey His Word (31:12-13).
31:14-32:18
- ‘Write this song, and teach it to the people of Israel’ (19,22).
Moses did not delay his obedience to God. ‘Write… Teach…’: God is
speaking to us about the renewal of our worship. Don’t say, ‘It’s never
been done that way before’ – ‘the seven last words of the church’!
Moses’ song was ‘a witness for God against the people of Israel’ (19).
It can still help us, in this generation, to confess our sin – We ‘have
dealt corruptly with Him’ (5) – and glorify our God – ‘I will proclaim
the Name of the Lord’ (3). Modern music can help us to hear afresh the
ancient message: ‘Ascribe greatness to our God…’ (3-4; Mission Praise, 40). Let us praise God ‘in psalms, hymns and spiritual songs’ (Ephesians 5:18-20).
32:19-33:17
- Here, we have both the warning of judgment and the promise of
salvation. Rebuking ‘a perverse generation’ – ‘They are devious people,
children who can’t be trusted’ – God says, ‘I will hide My face from
them’ (20). When, in our need, we look to Him for mercy, we have His
promise: ‘The Lord will… have compassion on His servants, when He sees
their power is gone’ (36). ‘This is the blessing…’ (1). For each tribe –
Reuben (6), Judah (7), Levi (8-11), Benjamin (12), Joseph (13-17) – ,
there is a different Word from the Lord. Each of us is different. Our
circumstances are different. God knows what we need to hear. He speaks
the Word which is just right for each one. He ‘loves’ every one of us.
We are ‘in His hands’. Let us ‘follow in His steps, receiving direction
from Him’ (3).
33:18-34:12
- ‘The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting
arms’ (27): This is no guarantee of peaceful tranquillity. For Israel,
there was conflict. ‘Saved by the Lord’, Israel had found true
happiness. Still, there were ‘enemies’ to be ‘thrust out’ and ‘trampled
down’ (27,29). Knowing the blessing of God’s salvation is no guarantee
that life will be easy. When the enemies of the Gospel see a believer
intent on glorifying the Lord, they do all they can to create problems.
We have ‘enemies’ in ‘high places’ (29; Ephesians 6:12). Their argument
is not with us. It is with God. If God’s work is to do well, there needs
to be spiritual leadership. Moses had led God’s people in his day.
Joshua was to take his place (9). Moses was important. Joshua was
important. The Lord is more important – ‘If God is for us, who can be
against us?’ (Romans
8:31).
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