AN ALIEN IN A FOREIGN LAND

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.

When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?"

They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."

"And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat."

Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land."

Exodus 2:15b-22

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

The word had gotten out.

Moses, an Israelite, had killed an Egyptian and Pharaoh wanted an eye for an eye. And so in Exodus, chapter 2, we find him wanting to kill Moses who was able to escape and flee Egypt, finding refuge in Midian. As he sits down by a well, we see more of his future begin to unfold in our passage for today. Look again at those words here:

Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Now a priest of Midian had seven daughters, and they came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock. Some shepherds came along and drove them away, but Moses got up and came to their rescue and watered their flock.

When the girls returned to Reuel their father, he asked them, "Why have you returned so early today?"

They answered, "An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock."

"And where is he?" he asked his daughters. "Why did you leave him? Invite him to have something to eat."

Moses agreed to stay with the man, who gave his daughter Zipporah to Moses in marriage. Zipporah gave birth to a son, and Moses named him Gershom, saying, "I have become an alien in a foreign land." Vv. 15b-22

As Moses sat at the well, it was obvious that he would encounter people who would come regularly to draw from the water source.

On this day, he would meet “seven daughters” of “a priest of Midian” who had come to "draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock." The scriptures tell us that while they were trying to get water, they were harassed by some shepherds but we read that Moses "came to their rescue" and then even "watered the flock" for them.

Afterwards, the daughters returned to their father, Reuel, sharing what had transpired and what Moses had done. The story prompted Reuel to ask about Moses’ whereabouts before rebuking his daughters for leaving him without offering some form of gratitude through hospitality. In Reuel’s mind,  he feels the least he could do is offer something in return for what Moses had done for his daughters.

And so we read where he asks Moses to join the family for a meal, an invitation he agrees to. In fact, we read that Moses received far more than just food and a few nights’ stay. For the scriptures tell us that the priest of Midian gives his daughter, Zipporah, to Moses in marriage and after they are wed, they have a son who they named Gershom. All seemed like it was going fine for Moses but there was something wrong. For we read at the end of this scripture passage that he felt like "an alien in a foreign land", his feelings exposed through the name he gave his son.

With this, we get a sense that Moses really yearned to return to Egypt for although he was staying in Midian, he was not a Midianite at heart. And although he had come from Egypt and the Midianite hosts believed he was an Egyptian, we know he wasn’t an Egyptian at heart either. Rather, Moses was a full blooded Hebrew with a heart that loved his fellow brothers and sisters, the ones who were still in Egypt suffering from oppression and hardship. With this, it had to be extremely hard for Moses to feel good about his relatively good and safe conditions when he knew of the difficulty his fellow Israelites were experiencing in the place he had fled.

All this brought thoughts to my mind when maybe we have felt like aliens in a foreign land.

For example, I have changed jobs, and even work locations within the same organization, many times in my life. Every one of them was unsettling going into because the jobs were different with unique expectations and requirements. The people I worked with were different and every new start in employment meant I had to integrate and fit in with another group of people, which anyone who has done it knows takes time.

We could draw parallels to this anytime we experienced change in relationships or living arrangements or finances, anywhere that became new and/or uncharted territory or anything that may remove us from our comfort zone and into a place that is full of unknown. These transitions can leave us feeling off balance, maybe even alone and isolated with an uncertainty of what the future may hold.

Maybe you can relate to some of these feelings that Moses must have felt. I know I can.

Well, the good news is that we, like Moses, will soon realize that we serve a God who has a way of putting us where He wants us to be and sometimes this requires us to go to places where we might be an alien in a foreign land. After all, when we made the choice to accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, the scriptures let us know that we became a new creation for what was in the past was gone and everything after our rebirth became new and blessed (2 Corinthians 5:17). Through this conversion, we were no longer expected to be of the world, although we lived in the world.

In other words, through Jesus, we became aliens in a foreign land, disciples who now lived under a new set of holy and righteous standards for in Christ, we stand for principles and values that place us in conflict with the world and its sinfulness.

We also are disciples who will one day have a permanent change of address as we move on to a new eternal home in Heaven, a land of future eternal hope where we will live forever. Until then, all Christian believers are to be on a quest through the Great Commission to help alienate others from the world and its sinfulness, drawing them into a righteous new relationship with the Savior who delivers them from death to life, from a dark world into a new eternal place filled with light and hope and love.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

GOOD TRIUMPHS OVER EVIL

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"

The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?"

Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."

When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.

Exodus 2:11-15

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As we continue our study of Exodus, chapter 2, we fast forward from the baby Moses being plucked from the reeds along the Red Sea and adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter in infancy to becoming "grown up." Through this development, he witnessed the terrible oppression suffered by Israel at the hands of Egypt’s supreme leader, Pharaoh, and within the context of our passage for today, we get a sense that he had seen enough. Look again at those words here:

One day, after Moses had grown up, he went out to where his own people were and watched them at their hard labor. He saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew, one of his own people. Glancing this way and that and seeing no one, he killed the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.

The next day he went out and saw two Hebrews fighting. He asked the one in the wrong, "Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"

The man said, "Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?"

Then Moses was afraid and thought, "What I did must have become known."

When Pharaoh heard of this, he tried to kill Moses, but Moses fled from Pharaoh and went to live in Midian, where he sat down by a well.  Exodus 2:11-15

Here, we find Moses reach a breaking point in regard to the oppressive treatment of the Egyptians who had committed the Israelites to slavery. We read where he sees an Egyptian beating a fellow Hebrew and, after surveying the area and seeing no one else around, he took matters into his own hands and killed the Egyptian. Then, the scriptures tell us that he buried the body in the sand.

This action taken by Moses would serve to be a precursor of what was to come for we know he will be used by God for much greater purposes than saving a single Israelite. Here’s a couple of things we learn about his character early on:

First, Moses showed contempt for abuse, especially against his fellow Israelites.

Although he grew up with the luxuries that came from being a part of Pharaoh’s family, Moses didn’t forget his roots. His love for his fellow Hebrews was evident as he came to aid of his fellow Israelite being assaulted by the Egyptian.

Second, Moses showed great courage to intervene and save the Hebrew.

Let’s not be led to feel like that was an easy matter to step into. In fact, scripture tells that Moses first glanced "this way and that” to see if anyone would witness what he was about to do. Indeed, there was a lot at stake and Moses knew he would be put to death if Pharaoh ever discovered that he had killed an Egyptian. And yet, his desire to save one of his own people was greater than his own personal safety and so Moses took action. His courage and willingness to save would be used by God on a much bigger stage later.

So to recap, Moses had saved a brother Hebrew from an assault by an Egyptian national, killing the assailant and burying his body. We know that no one had seen what happened and so Moses had to think that the issue was over but he was wrong.

We know this because some time after burying the Egyptian, the scriptures tell us that Moses sees two Hebrews fighting one another. We should see how volatile things were for the Israelites because if it wasn’t bad enough that the Hebrews were being subjected to beatings from the Egyptians, we see where there were beating on one another as well.

We read where Moses steps in and confronts the Israelite aggressor, the "one in the wrong", asking a simple question:

"Why are you hitting your fellow Hebrew?"

I’m sure Moses’ intent  was to just try and diffuse the situation peacefully but we find the Hebrew who was in the wrong verbally assaulting Moses asking:

"Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?"

The question had to shock Moses for he had been careful to make sure there were no witnesses when he came to the rescue of his fellow Israelite. The only thing Moses didn’t plan for was that the person he helped would possibly tell their fellow Hebrews about what happened. This is how the person who was in the wrong knew about the prior killing.  

And so we find the Hebrew aggressor refusing to admit he was wrong in his actions and instead going after Moses, letting him know that he was well aware of what he had done prior. This revelation whisked away Moses’ courage and replaced it with fear for he now knew that word was spreading about the killing and indeed that word made its way to Pharaoh himself who we read tried to kill Moses after he heard what had happened.

Fortunately for Moses, it wasn’t yet his time to die for the Lord still had much for him to do. And so he escaped death at the hands of Pharaoh yet another time, fleeing to the region of Midian.

In regard to life application of our scripture passage for today, we can see a distinct flaw in our human nature as we look at the behavior of the Hebrew aggressor. For if we’re honest, we have all acted as he did at one time or another.

You see, I think we all have a hard time just admitting that we’re wrong sometimes. In the case of Moses and the fighting Israelite, we find him trying to get the Hebrew to see the wrongs of his ways with the hope he might say:

"You know, you’re right Moses. I got upset and I shouldn’t have started hitting my brother. I’m sorry."

Unfortunately, we know that this didn’t happen.

Instead, the Hebrew successfully deflected the blame off himself by putting it onto Moses instead. In essence, he was asking Moses, “Who are you to tell us to not fight? Are you in charge of us?"

And then, he plays his money ball, asking Moses if he was going to kill him as he did the Egyptian. I can imagine the distress and fright that immediately showed up on Moses’ face and the Hebrew thinking in his mind, “That’s right. I know ALL about it. Now, just go and mind your own business."

I wonder if we don’t get equally vindictive against someone when they call us out for our transgressions and/or seek to shift the blame on the accuser instead of taking accountability and responsibility for what we’ve done. Indeed, our scripture passage for today gives us a look into the good and bad of humanity.

In one case, we see the courage to stand up for what is right and save another, even at the expense of oneself. And this was what Jesus did as well, except the life He sacrificed for the cause of peace and salvation was His own.

In the other case, we see the destructive nature of a spiteful, non-repentant attitude. The Hebrew man’s caustic, hateful response to Moses was meant to hurt him just as much as he was physically hurting the fellow Israelite he was fighting.

Into the midst of this, we find our Lord stepping into the gap when His chosen ones are facing danger. For what the Hebrew assaulter intended for evil, asking Moses if he planned to kill him as he killed the Egyptian, God made it end up for good because Moses was made aware that the word about what happened was out. This allowed him to escape and remain safe, despite Pharaoh’s murderous intentions.

As stated prior, God still had much for Moses to do.

Friends, we need to keep all this in mind as we live as Christ followers each and every day because we will inevitably run into others who will want to do evil unto us, feeling in every way that they will succeed.

The good news is that, like Moses, we are servants of a God who wishes to use us for good. And as He ever works to shape is in His righteousness, He watches over us and protects us from sinister acts of wickedness. In the end translation, we need to embrace the good news that Satan will never get the upper hand against the Lord. Never.

Good triumphs over evil. It has, does, and will always continue to right up to the day when Jesus returns to set things straight forever. Thanks be to God that we can trust in this truth.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

DELIVERED TO DELIVER

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

"Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you."

So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

Exodus 1:22, 2:1-10

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

You’ll remember that in the latter chapters of Genesis, Jacob’s son, Joseph, was second in command in Egypt, just under the supreme Egyptian ruler, Pharaoh. This position and standing allowed for his Israelite family to be cared for during the seven year famine and beyond.

Transitioning to the Book of Exodus, we found where things changed drastically. For the scriptures told us that after Joseph and his brothers died, a new Pharaoh took charge, one who had no prior relationship with the Israelites. Seeing how much the Hebrew population was growing, we saw where the new Pharaoh felt so threatened that he ordered the Israelite midwifes to kill all Hebrew boys that they helped give birth to, a demand that they refused out of their fear for God.

Unfortunately, the Pharaoh was not ready to give up as we see in today’s scripture passage from the final verse of chapter 1 and the first ten verses of chapter 2:

Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: "Every boy that is born you must throw into the Nile, but let every girl live.”

Now a man of the house of Levi married a Levite woman, and she became pregnant and gave birth to a son. When she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him for three months. But when she could hide him no longer, she got a papyrus basket for him and coated it with tar and pitch. Then she placed the child in it and put it among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.

Then Pharaoh's daughter went down to the Nile to bathe, and her attendants were walking along the river bank. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her slave girl to get it. She opened it and saw the baby. He was crying, and she felt sorry for him. "This is one of the Hebrew babies," she said.

Then his sister asked Pharaoh's daughter, "Shall I go and get one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?"

"Yes, go," she answered. And the girl went and got the baby's mother.

Pharaoh's daughter said to her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me, and I will pay you."

So the woman took the baby and nursed him. When the child grew older, she took him to Pharaoh's daughter and he became her son. She named him Moses, saying, "I drew him out of the water."

How evil was this new Pharaoh?

So much so that he was willing to murder newborn babies, specifically all the baby boys who were to be thrown "into the Nile" where they would drown to death. His order was nothing short of an horrific act of infanticide but as we see in the scriptures, there was at least one family, a Hebrew Levite family, who was able to save their child by placing him in a papyrus basket and sending him off afloat on the Nile where he was discovered and saved, ironically by the daughter of Pharaoh.

It was nothing short of a miraculous act of God and as we go on to see, this would be no ordinary baby who would grow up into adulthood. For as we see, he is given the name Moses and will later become the man who will deliver the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt and lead them on an exodus to the Promised Land.

As I was meditating over these verses, I began to see parallels between Moses, Jesus, and our own lives as Christian believers.

First, Jesus.

You’ll remember that after King Herod failed in his attempt to trick the Magi into revealing the exact location of Jesus, he had all boys two or younger killed in the town of Bethlehem. What Herod didn’t know was that the Lord had warned Joseph in a dream about the coming danger and told him to take Mary and baby Jesus to...yes...Egypt. So, we see in the scriptures where God instructed Moses to lead and deliver His people from Egypt before later commanding Joseph to lead and deliver His only Son Jesus to Egypt, both for the purpose of survival and salvation.

Now, let’s apply this to our situation as Jesus disciples. For we too were once threatened by danger as Satan sought our utter destruction through exploiting the sin within us. And so as we floated along in life much like Moses floated in his basket on the Nile, we were doomed unless someone would come to save us. Thankfully, God did send someone in the way of His Son, who came to our rescue, pulling us out of the depths of our sin before we drowned in it, adopting us as His own, and then bringing us eternal life through His death and resurrection.

Indeed, He (Jesus) was, is, and will always be the Savior of the world and here’s one other important point. As Christians, we get to partner with Jesus to help others get delivered. This partnership isn’t just a suggestion. Jesus actually commanded it.

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Matthew 28:18-20

In both Moses and Jesus, we see how God made the way for both to be delivered and kept from death so that they might deliver His people. They were delivered to deliver and in the case of Jesus, not just deliver us in this life but in the glorious everlasting life to come where we will abide with Him and our God forever. And as if this wasn’t enough, those in Christ get to actively be the hands and feet of the risen Savior, working with Him to help others be delivered.

What an amazing privilege this is and so let us all rejoice and be glad in this truth, not just today but every day we’re blessed with.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

THE FEAR OF GOD

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In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died, but the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them. Then a new king, who did not know about Joseph, came to power in Egypt.

"Look," he said to his people, "the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."

So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh. But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread; so the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites and worked them ruthlessly. They made their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their hard labor the Egyptians used them ruthlessly.

The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, whose names were Shiphrah and Puah, "When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live." The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live.

Then the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and asked them, "Why have you done this? Why have you let the boys live?" The midwives answered Pharaoh, "Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."

So God was kind to the midwives and the people increased and became even more numerous. And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own.

Exodus 1:1-21

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

At the end of the final chapter of the book of Genesis, we find first Jacob, and then his son, passing away. The rest of Jacob’s sons and their families remained in Egypt but as we see at the beginning of the Book of Exodus, those sons and their relatives within that generation pass away as well:

These are the names of the sons of Israel who went to Egypt with Jacob, each with his family: Reuben, Simeon, Levi and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun and Benjamin; Dan and Naphtali; Gad and Asher. The descendants of Jacob numbered seventy in all; Joseph was already in Egypt.

Now Joseph and all his brothers and all that generation died.

So what happened to the next generations?

We go back to the scriptures for the answer:

...the Israelites were fruitful and multiplied greatly and became exceedingly numerous, so that the land was filled with them.

These descendants were from Jacob’s line, and since we know he was also given the name Israel by God, we know why the resultant people group was called the Israelites. In Genesis, we know that God promised that the Israelites, who traced back to Abraham, would be fruitful and multiply and indeed, they did just that with their population becoming “exceedingly numerous” as they began to fill the land of Egypt.

This population explosion captured the attention of a new Pharaoh who had assumed power, one who had no prior relationship with the Hebrew people. We see where this placed the Israelites at an immediate disadvantage for while the previous Pharaoh was accommodating and willing to assist the relatives of Joseph, his second in command at the time, this new Egyptian leader saw the people of Israel as a potential threat and so he decided to do something to nullify it.

"Look, the Israelites have become much too numerous for us. Come, we must deal shrewdly with them or they will become even more numerous and, if war breaks out, will join our enemies, fight against us and leave the country."

Of interest, the Pharaoh had at least part of this concern right because the Israelite people would eventually “leave the country” but not because they would have sided with one of Egypt’s enemies. Rather, they would depart Egypt to follow their God to the land He had promised their ancestors.

The scriptures tell us that Pharaoh’s anxiety over the Israelites led to actions to try and stop their growth. First, he appointed "slave masters over them to oppress them with forced labor” and under the supervision of the slave masters, “they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh." The intent here was to break the spirit of the Israelite people through enslavement but the scriptures reveal that his efforts were fruitless for the more the Israelites were oppressed, “the more they multiplied and spread."

Well, the Pharaoh wasn’t about to give up for we read where he treated the people of Israel even more harshly, making “their lives bitter with hard labor in brick and mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields." And then, as if hard labor wasn’t enough, Pharaoh summoned the Hebrew midwives, Shiphrah and Puah, and gave them the following order:

"When you help the Hebrew women in childbirth and observe them on the delivery stool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, let her live."

Note here that oppression wasn’t enough. The Egyptian leader was ready to resort to infanticide in order to accomplish his goal, sanctioning murder to stop the growth of Israel. In doing so, we find where he drastically underestimated the Hebrew people for we read where the Hebrew midwifes refused to carry out Pharaoh’s order out of their fear of God, a God that the Egyptians didn’t prescribe to.

This stance by the Israelite midwifes is one I think that all believers today should learn from and adopt themselves. For the enemy, Satan, is always seeking to use God’s people to try and carry out his evil work. Maybe that wouldn’t necessarily involve killing someone but any proposition by the devil that involves us sinning to support his purposes is an act of absolute enmity against a God who possesses infinite power and a willingness to use it against anyone who would oppose Him.

The Hebrew midwifes feared God so much that they were willing to stand up to the authority of Egypt’s mighty Pharaoh and if they could do that, we can take a stand against Satan because we fear God more than him. Disobedience to Him can’t be an option for a believer.

Well, after learning that the Israelite midwives had defied him, he summons them to ask why they hadn’t carried out his order. Here’s what they told him:

"Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive."

Their reasoning was actually pretty funny when we think about it. Indeed, the Hebrew women weren’t like the Egyptian women but it wasn’t because they always seem able to “give birth before the midwives arrive”. Rather, they were completely different from the Egyptians because they believed and trusted in the one true God, the God who blessed the midwives for their actions by giving “them families of their own" because they feared and honored Him.

As we see evident throughout the scriptures, God blesses and rewards those who are obedient to Him. In this passage, we found the Israelite midwifes standing firm on the side of righteousness when presented with a situation where they were being commanded to sin. Their choice to remain faithful to God not only saved the lives of others but brought an abundant blessing unto their own household.

Moving ahead in the Old Testament to the 111th Psalm, we find God’s Word providing a perfect close to today’s message. For there we read these wise words from the psalmist:

"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." v.10

Indeed, a lot of people deemed intelligent by the world’s standards have fallen because they lacked the wisdom to fear God and to move at His will and in His way. As believers, let us not do anything, whether by word or deed, without first seeking the approval of our Lord.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

KNOW YOUR PLACE

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?"

So they sent word to Joseph, saying, "Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father."

When their message came to him, Joseph wept. His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. "We are your slaves," they said.

But Joseph said to them, "Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."

And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them. Joseph stayed in Egypt, along with all his father's family. He lived a hundred and ten years and saw the third generation of Ephraim's children. Also the children of Makir son of Manasseh were placed at birth on Joseph's knees.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, "I am about to die. But God will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob."

And Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath and said, "God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up from this place."

So Joseph died at the age of a hundred and ten. And after they embalmed him, he was placed in a coffin in Egypt.

Genesis 50:15-26

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

As the Book of Genesis closes, we find where Jacob (also named Israel by God) died and received an incredible, honorable burial in Canaan, just as he requested. You’ll recall that his passing was followed by full traditional honors, both from his Israelite family as well as the Egyptians.

After an amazing life, we know that Jacob/Israel left behind twelve sons who would form the framework of Jewish nation, each son being a head of one of the twelve tribes. Indeed, the nation of Israel would be in their hands with God as their leader and guide. As we will see through studying the remainder of the Old Testament, the future Israelites would face many challenges, many of which were of their own making but as we see in our passage today from the closing verses of chapter 50, the sons of Jacob were more focused on what they saw as a clear and present danger, one created by their father’s death.

When Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, "What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?"

There were times previously when the brothers seemed to be in harm’s way when dealing with Egypt’s second in command, not knowing that he was Joseph, but that was when Jacob was living. The sons believed that their father was the big reason why Joseph held back his wrath and severe punishment before but with him now gone, they feared for the worse and so we find them sending the following appeal to Joseph:

"Your father left these instructions before he died: 'This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.' Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father."

The message was simple and succinct, containing three key points for us to consider:

1. The advice to ask for forgiveness came from their father.

Before he died, we read where Jacob had given his sons instructions regarding their relationship with Joseph. The instruction was grounded in forgiveness and reconciliation, humbly going to their brother to seek his pardon.

2. The brothers confessed to having sinned.

None of the brothers attempted to sidestep their accountability for what happened. They openly admitted that what they did to Joseph was sinful, unwarranted, and inexcusable.

3. They profess themselves to be servants of God.

Overall, this reflected great spiritual growth had happened within the hearts of Joseph’s brothers. For no true servant of God would have wronged him the way they did, selling him into slavery out of sheer jealousy.

But that was then and this was now.

Through their words, we find the brothers expressing humility and remorse. Yes, Joseph had suffered great hardship but in the end, it was all part of God’s overall plan, not only for him but for his family and the people of Egypt that he held authority over. God had used Joseph’s life circumstances to win his brothers over and they now confessed to serve the Lord themselves.

Well, the scriptures tell us that when the brothers’ message reached Joseph, his heart was touched. Overcome with emotion, "he wept" and we can see the Lord laying the foundation for forgiveness and repair of a previously fractured family relationship.

The message was followed by action as we read where Joseph’s brothers arrived and “threw themselves down before him", proclaiming:

"We are your slaves."

Note here that they don’t even wait to see if their message was received favorably but instead immediately throw themselves at Joseph’s feet professing their unworthiness, expressing that they were fit to do nothing else but be enslaved to Joseph so to repay the debt of their wrongdoing.

Friends, we should be ready to learn from these brothers of Joseph. For how many times have we wronged our Lord in the way we have lived? Shouldn’t we be throwing ourselves down at God’s feet and confess our unworthiness, understanding that we would be blessed to just be counted as His slaves?

If we’re honest as believers, we should admit the truth that none of us can stand before our Lord solely based on our own merit and righteousness for there isn’t one person living who hasn’t fallen short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We are all numbered with the transgressors and it’s only through placing our trust In Jesus as Savior that brings us God’s special mercy and redemption. We should all humbly come before His throne of grace with absolute thanksgiving and praise.

And this leads me to one more important point.

For since no single believer can stand before the Lord blameless, that makes no one worthy to judge another person either.

Ouch.

You see, we all too often love to assume this role as Satan loves getting us puffed up and believing we’re somehow superior to another when the truth is that we’re all the same when it comes down to it, sinners in desperate need of God’s pardon and absolution. And since He so freely forgives us through Jesus, His Son, so too are we to forgive one another.

You know, forgive others as we have been forgiven, or else risk losing God’s forgiveness altogether (Matthew 6:14-15).

Friends, this is how Joseph could so easily say this to his brothers:

"Don't be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don't be afraid. I will provide for you and your children."

My prayer for us today is that Joseph’s words will resonate within the chambers of our hearts and minds for like him, none of us are in God’s place. He is Lord and we aren’t. Period.

Through his words, Joseph shows a realization that it wasn’t his place to judge because only his God had the authority to do that. What Joseph could do us forgive because not only was it God’s expectation to do so, it was his obligation.

Like Joseph, we aren’t a substitute for God. None of us have been put in His place and so we don’t have the right to judge and condemn. Thankfully, what we do have God’s spirit within us and this indwelling will lead us to a place of reconciliation, mercy, and love when we submit to it, just the place where our Lord wants us to be.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

HONOR AND RESPECT OVER NATIONALISM

Can I pray for you in any way?

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Then he gave them these instructions: “I am about to be gathered to my people. Bury me with my fathers in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan, which Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. There Abraham and his wife Sarah were buried, there Isaac and his wife Rebekah were buried, and there I buried Leah. The field and the cave in it were bought from the Hittites.”

When Jacob had finished giving instructions to his sons, he drew his feet up into the bed, breathed his last and was gathered to his people.

Joseph threw himself on his father and wept over him and kissed him. Then Joseph directed the physicians in his service to embalm his father Israel. So the physicians embalmed him, taking a full forty days, for that was the time required for embalming. And the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days.

When the days of mourning had passed, Joseph said to Pharaoh’s court, “If I have found favor in your eyes, speak to Pharaoh for me. Tell him, ‘My father made me swear an oath and said, “I am about to die; bury me in the tomb I dug for myself in the land of Canaan.” Now let me go up and bury my father; then I will return.’”

Pharaoh said, “Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear to do.”

So Joseph went up to bury his father. All Pharaoh’s officials accompanied him—the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt—besides all the members of Joseph’s household and his brothers and those belonging to his father’s household. Only their children and their flocks and herds were left in Goshen. Chariots and horsemen also went up with him. It was a very large company.

When they reached the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan, they lamented loudly and bitterly; and there Joseph observed a seven-day period of mourning for his father. When the Canaanites who lived there saw the mourning at the threshing floor of Atad, they said, “The Egyptians are holding a solemn ceremony of mourning.” That is why that place near the Jordan is called Abel Mizraim.

So Jacob’s sons did as he had commanded them: They carried him to the land of Canaan and buried him in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite. After burying his father, Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him to bury his father.

Genesis 49:29-33, 50:1-14

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

Would you ever think that an Arab nation, one who had a well established polytheistic religious system, could appoint a Hebrew, one with strict monotheistic beliefs, as the second in command? Further, would that nation’s leader and its people then allow a contingent of Hebrews to actually move into and settle in, then provide full burial honors when the senior member of the Hebrew family passes away?

It’s almost completely unthinkable in today’s current world climate but as we see in the latter chapters of the first book of the Old Testament, Genesis, God truly makes all things possible.

To recap, you will remember how Joseph, the favored son of Jacob, lived in Canaan with his father, eleven brothers, and a sister. Out of jealousy, his brothers first wanted to kill him but decided against it, selling him into slavery instead. Joseph ended up being sold to an Egyptian named Potiphar, Pharaoh’s captain of the guard (37:36).

As Joseph served, God richly blessed Potiphar and as a result, he put his new servant in charge of the entire household, entrusting Joseph with everything he owned (39:1-6). Everything was going great until Potiphar’s wife tried to get Joseph to sleep with her, a request he rejected. With no one else in the house, we saw where she tried one more time to get Joseph to have sex with her, grabbing him by his cloak and as he fled, the cloak remained with her. She went onto falsely accuse Joseph of sexually assaulting her, a lie that her husband believed, putting Joseph in prison (39:6-20).

Now, while that might not have seemed to be a good thing, it all played out according to God’s plan. For the scriptures tell us that Joseph was blessed by God with the warden putting him in charge of all the prisoners, a position that allowed him to reveal a special gift that would eventually get him from the depths of incarceration to the heights of leadership over the Egyptian nation (39:21-23).

The catalyst for Joseph’s ascension came when two Egyptian servants of Pharaoh, a cupbearer and a baker, get into trouble and are imprisoned. While there, each man has a dream which Joseph, through God, interprets and as both men are restored, events unfold just as Joseph said they would. You’ll remember that the cupbearer was put back into his position but the baker was executed. You may also recall that the cupbearer promised to put a good word in with Pharaoh so to get Joseph released but he forgot (chapter 40).

Joseph would spend another two years in prison but then Pharaoh himself has two dreams and no one on his staff could tell him what they meant. It was then that the cupbearer remembered Joseph who was brought out of incarceration to deliver an interpretation, attributing it to God (41:1-16).

After hearing Pharaoh discuss the particulars of each dream, Joseph goes on to tell the Egyptian leader that they meant the same thing. For Egypt and the nations surrounding it would experience seven years of abundant harvesting that would be followed by seven years of severe famine (41:17-32).

Joseph then advises Pharaoh to choose a man who would be “discerning and wise” to oversee the next 14 years, offering specific guidance as to how the matter should be handled. This involved storing up a surplus of grain during the seven abundant years so to have adequate food to survive the seven years of famine that would follow. Hearing all this from Joseph, Pharaoh feels that no other man would be more suitable to carry out the plan than the one who provided it, the one who had the very spirit of God with him (41:33-40).

And with that, Joseph was put in a position where he was second in command of all of Egypt (41:41-46). He carried out the plan perfectly, stockpiling grain during the seven years of plenty and then selling grain to the Egyptians and other nations afterwards when the famine came (41:47-57).

It was during the difficult seven year famine that the scriptures took us back to Canaan where Joseph’s family was running out of food. This triggered Jacob sending his sons to Egypt to but grain, all of them completely unaware that they would be dealing with Joseph. We then find a lot of different encounters occurring between Joseph and his brothers before he reveals his identity to them. This leads to him inviting them, with Pharaoh’s blessings, to move to Egypt and settle in there where they could be provided for (chapters 42 through 47:12).  

Jacob would go onto live in Egypt for seventeen years before reaching the point of dying. You’ll remember that he (Jacob) made Joseph swear a vow to make sure he was not buried in Egypt but in the place where his fathers were laid to rest in Canaan (47:28-31). As we see in our passage for today, Joseph made good on the promise he made to his father.

For after Jacob (also named Israel by God) dies, we find him buried “in the cave in the field of Ephron the Hittite, the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre in Canaan”, the site that “Abraham bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite”. It was there that Abraham and his wife Sarah, Isaac and his wife Rebekah, and Jacob’s wife Leah were all laid to rest.

What was really impressive about what happened after Jacob’s passing was how the Egyptians provided such loving service, despite him being a Hebrew. We read where they first offered embalming services through their physicians and overall the entire nation “mourned for him seventy days”. That’s more than two months if you do the math. Simply incredible and a beautiful display of respect for someone who wasn’t even an Egyptian citizen.

Then, Pharaoh completely honored Jacob’s request to be buried in Canaan without reservation. But he didn’t just stop there for the scriptures tell us that “all Pharaoh’s officials accompanied” Joseph and his family, “the dignitaries of his court and all the dignitaries of Egypt”. This Egyptian representation included “chariots and horsemen”, and was nothing short of a “very large company”.

Before the final burial, we read where there was a “seven day period of mourning” that occurred at “the threshing floor of Atad, near the Jordan” and the period was observed by the Hebrews and Egyptians alike

And with that, Jacob was carried “to the land of Canaan” and buried “in the cave in the field of Machpelah, near Mamre, which Abraham had bought along with the field as a burial place from Ephron the Hittite”. Afterwards, the scriptures tell us that “Joseph returned to Egypt, together with his brothers and all the others who had gone with him”.

Indeed, this was the end of an important era in Hebrew and Egyptian history, one that showed that there can be peaceful cooperation and integration between two nations and people who on the surface appear to be diametrically opposed. If God could do in it Old Testament times, none of us should fail to believe He could do it again. Let this be our prayer over the current Middle Eastern world environment where we still find Arabs and Hebrews living in proximity to one another.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

A MATTER OF LEGACY (PART 2)

Can I pray for you in any way?

Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.

In Christ, Mark

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** Follow The Christian Walk on Twitter @ThChristianWalk

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”

“Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.”

“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”

“I look for your deliverance, Lord.”

“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.”

“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”

“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.”

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him.

Genesis 49:15-28

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

In yesterday’s message, we found Jacob (also named Israel by God) proclaiming the future of his sons, starting from the oldest. And given that each of his sons would be the progenitors of the Israelite nation’s twelve tribes, we get a sense of what would lie ahead for future generations.

In part one of this message, A Matter of Legacy, we looked at the future of Rueben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah. You’ll remember that the prospects for the first three weren’t positive as they had acted sinfully in some way, disrespecting their father in the process. On the other hand, Judah would find himself richly blessed and highly successful, having shown himself as being honorable during his life.

The main takeaway was that the way we live impacts the way we will be remembered and transgressions we may commit can have lasting effects on later generations.

Today, in the second and final message of this series, we turn to the other eight sons and see what Jacob says about their destinies. Look again at those words here:

“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”

“Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.”

“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”

“I look for your deliverance, Lord.”

“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.”

“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”

“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.”

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them, giving each the blessing appropriate to him. Vv.15-28

Let’s look at these eight sons and how their father’s prophecies played out.

1. Zebulun.

“Zebulun will live by the seashore and become a haven for ships; his border will extend toward Sidon.”

When land was allocated to each tribe after Israel inhabited Canaan, the land God had promised to them, the tribe of Zebulun was allotted land between the Mediterranean Sea and the Sea of Galilee. In regard to the land on the sea, the tribe’s northern border did indeed “extend toward Sidon”.

2. Issachar.

“Issachar is a rawboned donkey lying down among the sheep pens. When he sees how good is his resting place and how pleasant is his land, he will bend his shoulder to the burden and submit to forced labor.”

These words spoke to Issachar’s tribe being grounded in agriculture and the hard work and labor associated with that work. As it played out, the tribe ended up with land in the valley of Jezreel in Galilee, land rich and ripe for farming.

3. Dan.

“Dan will provide justice for his people as one of the tribes of Israel. Dan will be a snake by the roadside, a viper along the path, that bites the horse’s heels so that its rider tumbles backward.”

One of Israel’s judges, Samson, came from the tribe of Dan and “provided justice” for the Israelite people but not everything about this tribe would be so positive for unfortunately, many of the tribe’s leaders would turn to idol worshiping, a sin that would bring God’s judgment (Judges, chapter 18).

4. Gad.

“Gad will be attacked by a band of raiders, but he will attack them at their heels.”

This prediction was based on the future fighting ability of the tribe of Gad. In the twelfth chapter of 1 Chronicles, we find a large fighting force from Gad supporting King David.

5. Asher.

“Asher’s food will be rich; he will provide delicacies fit for a king.”

Jacob’s prophecy regarding the tribe of Asher predicted that they would later inherit land that would produce “rich” food. This tribe would be given the fertile land of Carmel located near the seacoast.

6. Naphtali.

“Naphtali is a doe set free that bears beautiful fawns.”

While we don’t fully understand what Jacob meant here, it’s believed that Naphtali would be a tribe that would be admired by the other tribes.

This leaves us with Joseph and Benjamin, the two sons that were delivered by Jacob’s beloved, deceased wife Rachel. We know how much Jacob admired both of these sons, especially Joseph, and this is reflected in the blessing he declares for each.

7. Joseph.

“Joseph is a fruitful vine, a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. With bitterness archers attacked him; they shot at him with hostility. But his bow remained steady, his strong arms stayed limber, because of the hand of the Mighty One of Jacob, because of the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel, because of your father’s God, who helps you, because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below, blessings of the breast and womb. Your father’s blessings are greater than the blessings of the ancient mountains, than the bounty of the age-old hills. Let all these rest on the head of Joseph, on the brow of the prince among his brothers.”

What would have happened to Jacob and his family if Joseph hadn’t allowed God to place him in a significant place of Egyptian leadership by trusting Him in obedience and then showing grace, mercy, and forgiveness towards his brothers who had sold him into slavery?

Indeed, Jacob’s favored son stood out from the rest in a big way, reflecting the abundant blessings of the Lord through his life.

As we see in Jacob’s prophecy, this would continue into the future and Joseph’s two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim, would each lead their own tribes, both claimed by Jacob as if they were his sons (Genesis 48:15-16).

8. Benjamin.

“Benjamin is a ravenous wolf; in the morning he devours the prey, in the evening he divides the plunder.”

As we will see play out in Old Testament history, many warriors will emerge from the tribe of Benjamin such as Ehud, Saul (Israel’s first king), and his son Jonathan. Ultimately, the tribe would gain a reputation for being mighty in battle.

And with that, Jacob had completed “giving each” of “the twelve tribes of Israel” the “blessing appropriate” to them. Each of them had a unique legacy to fulfill and it’s so interesting to read the rest of the Old Testament from this point on to see how these predictions come to be. 

As Christian believers, we need to be mindful that the lives we live and the associated influence from those lives carries an impact as to the mark we will leave on this world we live in. The Lord's expectation is that we will leave things better than they were and that He will be glorified through those who remember the wonderful, Kingdom work that we did in obedience to His will and way. It's a matter of legacy that we can't afford to not get right. 

Tomorrow, we will see how Jacob’s (Israel’s) life comes to an end as he leaves his sons to carry on his name and establish themselves as the Israelite nation.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.