BLESSED ASSURANCE

Can I pray for you in any way? Send any prayer requests to faithhopegodlove@aol.com In Christ, Mark

"Then the Lord said to Moses, "Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh: Because of my mighty hand he will let them go; because of my mighty hand he will drive them out of his country." God also said to Moses, "I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they lived as aliens. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant. "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord." Exodus 6:1-8

In Chapter 5 of Exodus, we saw where Pharoah didn’t know God by his own admission and the Israelites and Moses didn’t trust God by their actions. Moses concludes the chapter asking God why He has brought additional trouble to the people of Israel while not showing up to rescue them.

At the start of Chapter 6, we see the Lord’s response to Moses…one of blessed assurance. For God reaffirms that Moses will see what the Lord will do to Pharoah and notice that God says that Pharoah is the one who will let the people go. In other words, it won’t be God doing the releasing but Pharoah himself. God would just make things so miserable for Pharoah that it will be in his best interest and the interest of his people for Israel to be allowed to leave.

God also reminds Moses of His track record through Jewish history and how He was with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob…all ancestors of Moses. He reminds Moses how He was with them and how He remembered His covenant with them, delivering them to the land of Canaan, just as He had promised He would do with the Israelites after rescuing them from their Egyptian bondage.

In fact, the Lord makes special mention of the suffering Israelites in Egypt saying, "I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant." He tells Moses to go back to the Israelites and speak for Him, reminding them of His promise. Moses was to tell them God said, "I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord." In His words, God provided a blessed assurance for the people of Israel and for us as well. Specifically, He promised:

1. That He remembered His covenant. Always remember that God remembers His promises. He has promised to never leave us nor forsake us. He has promised us that He would never allow us a burden we couldn’t bear. He has promised to always be with us. He has promised us that nothing is impossible with Him. And He has promised to never destroy us, even though through our sinfulness we deserve it…just take a look next time after a rain and look for the rainbow…a still visible sign of the covenant He made with His people after Noah, the ark and the great flood, well over 2,000 years ago.

2. That He is the Lord. Almighty. Omnipotent. All willing. All able. All loving. He is Creator and Miracle Worker with nothing being beyond the work of His hands. Although the Israelites thought they could never escape their captivity…although Pharoah thought that no power could exceed his own…although Moses doubted that God would actually do what He said He would do…God is God and will work in His own time and place in accordance with His will. He will ALWAYS prove His nay-sayers wrong and show that He and He alone is God.

3. That He will deliver and redeem. He promised He would deliver the Israelites out of the bondage of the Egyptians just as He promises to deliver us from the bondage of sin today. Our promise of redemption came through the gift of His Son, Jesus Christ… the same Jesus we will celebrate tomorrow as He is born to Mary and Joseph in a lowly manger in Bethlehem. This Son was born to save…to die for our sins and bring the chance for eternal life…to bring hope to a hopeless world. The good news, my friends, is that He still brings hope today. Thanks be to God and Merry Christmas.

In Christ,

Mark

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