Month: October 2023

V23-28 – The Sadducees and Pharisees all had one common agenda –to undermine Jesus. They do the same here.

Matthew clearly states beforehand, to give us context, that the Sadducees did not believe in the resurrection. So when they come to ask Jesus about matters of resurrection, is it because they are interested in knowing the truth or because they want to “trap” him?

It is quite clear that they wanted to trap him. And so, they thought of the best question that they thought they could trap him with. In their eyes, this was a very clever question.  The reason they seem to think that this is a very good trap for Jesus is simply because they think that life after resurrection is the same as life on earth. They qualify their question based on human intellect and disbelief. They think that since a woman can only be married to one man, there is no way that there can be a resurrection because if there was, who would this woman be married to? And so just because they are convinced that there would be absolute confusion regarding who the woman would be married, they decide that then there is definitely no resurrection. Their own human thought processes about the matter make them rub off that there is ressurection. Their faith is based on their human reasoning and not on what scripture says.

And of course we see how wrong they are.

This is a very big warning— we cannot approach Godly matters with mere human reasoning. If you are unable to reason God out, that does not mean that He is not existent.

The Christian life is a journey of Faith. And our Faith is built by understanding and believing the word of God. We do not walk this journey by human intellect but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. We believe what He says and trust Him.

Ecclesiastes 3:11 ASV – He hath made everything beautiful in its time: also he hath set eternity in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God hath done from the beginning even to the end.

Its clear therefore that man does not need to understand God in what He does, we only need to trust and obey what He has given us. We should not conjure up ideas of God based on human reasoning. We should learn to take God at his word. There are many things that God has hidden from man, and that’s okay. But there is also a lot that God has revealed about himself and that is found in the scripture.

Deuteronomy 29:29 NIV – The secret things belong to the LORD our God, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may follow all the words of this law.

 The days of ignorance are gone. We know the truths of God that have been revealed in his word and so we are to obey:

Acts 17:30-31 ESV – The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed; and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

This reminds of the words of a blessed hymn:

‘Tis so sweet to trust in Jesus

Just to take Him at His Word

Just to rest upon His promise

Just to know, “Thus saith the Lord”

V29-32 – Jesus, in his response, answers the question by pointing out a number of things. This is because He knows their superficial problem but He also knows their deep problem.

First, He says that their mistake is that they do not know or understand scripture. As religious leaders, they of course knew the Torah and the prophets but did they understand?? The Bible talks about how ignorance brings death. A rejection of God’s word means that we have rejected knowledge– the knowledge that comes from God’s word.

Hosea 4:6-9 NIV – my people are destroyed from lack of knowledge. “Because you have rejected knowledge, I also reject you as my priests; because you have ignored the law of your God, I also will ignore your children. The more priests there were, the more they sinned against me; they exchanged their glorious God for something disgraceful. They feed on the sins of my people and relish their wickedness. And it will be: Like people, like priests. I will punish both of them for their ways and repay them for their deeds.

When we reject God’s word or are ignorant of the same, we reject life. For there is so much that the Bible says about God’s word – listening and heeding.

John 6:63 NIV – The Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you—they are full of the Spirit and life.

Isaiah 55:3 NLT – “Come to me with your ears wide open. Listen, and you will find life. I will make an everlasting covenant with you. I will give you all the unfailing love I promised to David.

Philippians 2:16 NLT – Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless.

Ephesians 5:25-26 TPT – And to the husbands, you are to demonstrate love for your wives with the same tender devotion that Christ demonstrated to us, his bride. For he died for us, sacrificing himself to make us holy and pure, cleansing us through the showering of the pure water of the Word of God.

Jesus’s then secondly makes it clear that in the resurrection, there will be no marriage. This answers their question, the question they had thought was so crafty.

Jesus then thirdly makes it clear that there is a resurrection of the dead. God is the God of the Living, not the dead. For He said “I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”  In a way, you can visualize this as if God is saying these words while looking at Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He is their God currently  -like right now He is their God – because they are alive.

The message about the resurrection from the dead is critical to our understanding. We must always remember it. And who is the resurrection? It is Jesus.

John 11:25-26 NIV – Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

And here is more of God’s word on this:

Philippians 3: 20-21 NIV – But our citizenship is in heaven. And we eagerly await a Savior from there, the Lord Jesus Christ, who, by the power that enables him to bring everything under his control, will transform our lowly bodies so that they will be like his glorious body.

John 6:39-40 NIV– And this is the will of him who sent me, that I shall lose none of all those he has given me, but raise them up at the last day. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

1 Corinthians 15:12-14, and 20-21 NIV – But if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? If there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, our preaching is useless and so is your faith…………..But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man.

V33 – The crowds were astonished at Jesus’s teaching. It was powerful and the Pharisees and Sadducees could not corner him with their tricks which were inspired by evil.

(Help me Father, not to be ignorant of your word but to be diligent in reading, studying and understanding it. Thank you for your holy spirit, my teacher, who teaches me of all things and reminds me of everything you have said to me. As my shepherd, teach me your voice, that I shall hear your words, your precepts, your promises and your rebuke. Let me love to listen to your voice— your voice like the sound of many waters as you say in Ezekiel 43:2. May the water of your word cleanse me and purify me. Mold me to be like you, Lord Jesus.)

Tuesday, October 24, 2023

V15 – The pharisees wanted to trap Jesus into saying something He could be arrested for. Their intention to go and see Jesus is not to get life and counsel, it is to undermine him and find a way to “defeat” Him.

They were going to justify themselves. They wanted him to be seen as a revolutionary against Rome. They called him false prophet, they said He casts out demons by Beelzebub, and called him a glutton and a drunkard. They never went to him for the forgiveness of sin.

When I come before Jesus, what is my attitude? Am I going before him to justify my actions? Am I trying to make him look as if He is wrong? Am I going with an attitude that his commandments are tough to follow and obeying his word to be impossible? Am I coming before him with excuses?

My heart must be careful to come before him with the right understanding. And this is it…. He is perfect (it is impossible for him to be wrong), He has good thoughts towards me (not evil), He is not eagerly looking for a way to punish me, He has no evil in him, He gives me life, He is my savior – the one I come to for salvation and redemption.

I must come before him with brokenness. That must be my continuous sacrifice.

Psalm 51:17 NIV – My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a broken and contrite heart you, God, will not despise.

V16 – They use flattering words to him yet even they know deep in their hearts that He is indeed truthful but they are not saying that with a clean heart.

Beware against flattery.

Proverbs 29:5 MSG– A flattering neighbor is up to no good; he’s probably planning to take advantage of you.

The meaning of the word “Flatter” is “lavish praise and compliments on (someone), often insincerely and with the aim of furthering one’s own interests.”

V17-V18 – “Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” This was their question but Jesus knows their evil motives. Jesus asks them directly why they wanted to trap him.

May the Lord give us discernment to always know when people pretend to have pure motives when they actually evil in their purpose. Here Jesus knew their intention and was therefore very wise in his response.

He did not play into their trap.

But thank God who protects us. When a person with an evil intention sets a trap for us, the Lord saves us from it. Ours is to walk humbly and sincerely with the Lord. He is the one who knows people’s inner motives and intentions.

Proverbs 26:27 NIV – Whoever digs a pit will fall into it; if someone rolls a stone, it will roll back on them.

Psalms 35:7-10 GNTA – Without any reason they laid a trap for me and dug a deep hole to catch me. But destruction will catch them before they know it; they will be caught in their own trap and fall to their destruction! Then I will be glad because of the Lord; I will be happy because he saved me. With all my heart I will say to the Lord, “There is no one like you. You protect the weak from the strong, the poor from the oppressor.”

V19-21 – Give to Caesar what is his, and give to God what is his.

Jesus had one purpose for his coming – to do his father’s will. And at this very moment, we see how the master turns around this “trap” into an opportunity to preach. Instead of discussing with them about taxes, Jesus goes beyond that.

The picture on the coin was of Caesar and so Jesus says that you should give to Caesar what is his. It is his anyway. The image of Caesar was imprinted on that coin and so Caesar had a right to his property. He made the coins and put his image on them. If He demanded a part of his coins back, then its okay.

But then Jesus says something more: Give to God what belongs to God. And that is the sermon. He points them to God. He points them to reflect on what belongs to God and whether they are giving God what He deserves.

There is something extremely wise in what Jesus says…. Human beings have the image of God imprinted on them, just like Caesar’s image was imprinted on that coin. The coin had an image of Caesar.

Genesis 1:27 NIV – So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

And so because we have been created in God’s image, He then deserves what belongs to Him. And so, the question becomes ” What belongs to God?”

• The glory due his name
• My utmost devotion
• My praise
• My worship
• My sacrifice
• Fruitfulness
• Obedience to his word
• My thanksgiving

He deserves my all. He is the one who saves us and gives us life. We cannot live on earth as if we created ourselves and do not have his image and likeness.

1 Chronicles 16: 28-30 NIV – Ascribe to the Lord, all you families of nations, ascribe to the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe to the Lord the glory due his name; bring an offering and come before him. Worship the Lord in the splendor of his holiness. Tremble before him, all the earth! The world is firmly established; it cannot be moved.

Reflection: Am I giving the Lord what belongs to Him? What He deserves?

Oh Lord, I fail so many times in giving you all the glory you deserve. I place many limits on what I think you deserve not realizing that you indeed deserve it all… you are my creator, I live because you designed it that way in your own wisdom. Why should I be so deceived and be led astray by my own thoughts and ideas of who you are? Have Mercy on me, my God my creator. Help me to give you what belongs to you. Search me Oh Lord and know me, see the hidden things in my life, correct me and lead me in the path of life. Grant me Oh Lord to know you intimately and very closely. Grant me to fear you and to worship you in holiness. Grant me the strength and ability to do everything as unto you. Give me a clean heart Oh Lord and teach me worship you in truth. Let my walk on earth be sincere and truthful. Move me away from all lying, thievery and human tricks because I know these do not lead me to life. Let me led by your precious Holy Spirit. I surrender to you, I need you, I realize my need for you and how weak I am. Be glorified in my life. Amen.

V1-2 – This parable teaches that God has prepared a place, a feast for his son. Being God, this banquet will be extraordinary and full of splendor.

God has prepared this feast for his only begotten son, Jesus Christ. It will be Jesus’s wedding feast. And therefore there will be a bride.

V3-6  – There are people who were invited to the feast. They were to go and celebrate and dine with Him. But as we can see, they refused to come. The servants are sent out again, the second time, to tell those who were invited that the feast is ready. But those who were invited refused and went on to their businesses, farms and their own things. Others killed and hurt the messengers.

There is a great mystery here.

These verses refer to the Children of Israel who has been called by God and were his chosen people. They were his first invited people. But they refused to follow the Lord. They killed the messengers (the prophets) and eventually killed Jesus.

V7-10 – The King now decided to invite everyone else. The guests He had invited at first were not worthy of that honor. And so now, everyone else was invited. EVERYONE! Not a select few, every person!

Dear friends, everyone has been CALLED to the feast now. Every person has an invitation from the King who is God Almighty. And He has made this invitation by making a way through Jesus Christ. Everyone person who believes in Him will be saved and will have eternal life.

John 3:16 NIV – For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

V11-14 – But everyone who is invited and who has accepted the call to go to the feast must have the right clothing.

The Lord has prepared a banquet where his people who have endured to the end will come to marriage with Jesus and dine with God. The banquet is the marriage supper of the lamb.

Revelation 19:6-9 ESV – Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the roar of many waters and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, crying out, “Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

From another angle, we see that Jesus said He has gone to prepare a place for his disciples.

John 14: 1-6 NIV – Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.” Jesus the Way to the Father Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?” Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, Jesus is the way to the banquet and we (the bride) prepare and clothe ourselves with the right clothing if we are to be present at the banquet and to come into perfect union with Him. From the verses in Revelation, it is clear that the Bride clothes herself with fine linen, bright and pure.

And what does that fine linen mean?? “for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints.”

Ephesians 2: 10 KJV – For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

The “righteous acts” are the outworking of one’s faith, which are visible to the human eye. God ordained that those who are created in Christ Jesus do good works. And God prepared the good works that we should do beforehand. King James Version says He prepared these good works so that we “walk in them.” This means that He prepared these good works for us so that we can live doing them, they become our way of life.

But how do we clothe ourselves? How do we do these good works?

I believe and agree with the statement that “the Book of Revelation appears to correlate invisible (inward / in-working) faith with visible (outward / out-working) faith.”  (words from a certain website). This means that these righteous acts are a result of what has happened in the inside of us. As we get renewed in the knowledge of Him who has saved us, we bear fruits of righteousness.

And so it is obvious that whoever is truly in Christ will bear fruit. If you are not bearing the fruit of righteousness, then we are not in Him.

We abide in Him, and then automatically, we will bear fruit. This is what Jesus says:

John 15: 1-6 NIV – I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.  You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.

And how do we remain in Him? Colossians chapter 3 gives us a very clear way that we abide in Jesus. It says that we set our hearts on the things above, where Christ is. It says we think and meditate on the things of God. We set our hearts on his word and feast on it so that we can know Him. We set our hearts to dwell in his presence in prayer and in communion with Him. We set our hearts to attend and be in fellowship with other believers. And more and more… We set our hearts on the things above, where Christ is… the things of God.

Here is:

Colossians 3: 1-17 NIV – Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory. Put to death, therefore, whatever belongs to your earthly nature: sexual immorality, impurity, lust, evil desires and greed, which is idolatry. Because of these, the wrath of God is coming. You used to walk in these ways, in the life you once lived. But now you must also rid yourselves of all such things as these: anger, rage, malice, slander, and filthy language from your lips. Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator. Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all. Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We abide in Jesus, setting our hearts on Him and the things above where He is and as a result, we know Him and get to bear fruit. This outward fruit, which will be seen, even by those around us, are the righteous acts of the saints. And there is more and more that God will lead us to do provided we abide in Him.

As an example, when we abide in Him, we are led by the Holy Spirit and we therefore bear the fruit of the Spirit:

Galatians 5:22-23 NLT – But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!

In verse, we see that the one who is called but does not have the right clothing will be thrown out of the feast! This one will not participate in that wedding feast. Outside there, where the person will be thrown out, there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. It will be a place of pain and regret.

And so the saying becomes clear… “For many are called, but few are chosen.”  Basically, Many are called because everyone has indeed been called to the wedding feast, but few are chosen. Few have the right clothing required for the feast. These are those who remain in the straight and narrow road that leads to life, to the wedding of the Lamb of God.

Matthew 7:14 Berean Literal Bible – For small is the gate and narrow the way leading to life, and few are those finding it.

The church must not forget that it is the BRIDE — It is not yet the “wife”

V16 -17 – Who is like the Lord? Mighty in power?

Moses and Aaron just strike the ground and the dust turns into gnats. Just imagine that. Our God is mighty in power, awesome in splendor.

Exodus 15:11 NIV – Who among the gods is like you, Lord? Who is like you— majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders?

In this part of the song of Moses and Miriam, they exclaim after seeing all the signs that God has done that there is no one like the Lord. No one like him in all the earth and in the heavens. He fills everything and is all in all.

V18-19 – Though they had been stubborn, the magicians now acknowledge that this was God. They could no longer compete with him. And they start realizing that they are dealing with one who has much power than them. In fact, they even tell Pharaoh this.

But Pharaoh continues to remain stubborn. This shows the extent of the stubbornness of the heart, that even though He sees what is happening, his heart still remains hard. In times of pain and trouble, people should seek the Lord and realize their need for him. But unfortunately, many, like Pharaoh here, do not respond to the Lord and still harden their hearts.

God gets all the glory even in this plague because the magicians now admit that this is God.

V20-24 – The Lord still says the same thing – Let my people go so that they can worship me. And this time, God clearly sets out a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites in that the flies would not be in Goshen where the Israelites live. The purpose of this was so that Pharaoh would know that the Lord was present even in the heart of the land. God is very clear about making himself known to all men and He does that here.

God is present in our land, even in the heart of our countries and He seeks to ensure that all people know Him. His purpose is for all to feel his love and power. That they would recognize that they need him. We must recognize our need for God and draw close to Him.

Joel 2: 12-13 GNBUK – “But even now,” says the LORD, “repent sincerely and return to me with fasting and weeping and mourning. Let your broken heart show your sorrow; tearing your clothes is not enough.” Come back to the LORD your God. He is kind and full of mercy; he is patient and keeps his promise; he is always ready to forgive and not punish.

I see a lot of similarity between what Moses and Aaron does in giving this warning to Pharaoh and how Jonah gave the warning to Nineveh. In both, God promises punishment if his word is not heeded to. But the difference was in their response. Pharaoh’s heart remains hard but the people of Nineveh are very quick to repent and fast, even up to their animals.

And the Lord did not destroy Nineveh. But He continues to punish Egypt and in the end, will receive all the glory.

V25-32 -Pharaoh gives in for a moment but says that they should offer their sacrifices to the Lord in the land of Egypt.

But Moses and Aaron knew God’s command. They were to take a three day journey and sacrifice to the Lord in the wilderness. And so Moses and Aaron insisted on that. They were not tempted to change God’s instruction. They were careful to obey every bit of the word given by God.

This is a warning and is a great example given to us. Do not twist God’s word. Obey and follow it as it is. If He commands me to do something, I must not twist it but do exactly what He says.

And I must not be lazy about it. I must know that there is not much time and so I must take every opportunity He gives me to do as He instructs in every of my life. Because I only have but a certain set number of days on earth to make decisions that will impact eternity.

Ephesians 5: 15-16 NIV – Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil.

Psalm 139:16 NIV – Your eyes saw my unformed body;  all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.

John 9:4 NLT – We must quickly carry out the tasks assigned us by the one who sent us. The night is coming, and then no one can work.

Pharaoh agrees to let them go but says they should not go too far.  And Moses warns him not to lie to them again. But that’s exactly what Pharaoh does. He lies to them and by so doing continued to heap God’s anger on himself.

Romans 2:5 NLT – But because you are stubborn and refuse to turn from your sin, you are storing up terrible punishment for yourself. For a day of anger is coming, when God’s righteous judgment will be revealed.

We cannot mock God. He is not man. He asks that we draw closer and He promises that He is ready to fill us with his Holy Spirit:

Isa 44:3 NKJV – For I will pour water on him who is thirsty, And floods on the dry ground; I will pour My Spirit on your descendants, And My blessing on your offspring;

Psalm 81:10 NIV – I am the Lord your God,  who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

And the Lord indeed says this in that chapter of Psalms, in a wishing voice as we see in the verses before and after the above verse:

Psalm 81:6-16 NIV –  I removed the burden from their shoulders;  their hands were set free from the basket.  In your distress you called and I rescued you, I answered you out of a thundercloud;  I tested you at the waters of Meribah. Hear me, my people, and I will warn you—    if you would only listen to me, Israel! You shall have no foreign god among you;  you shall not worship any god other than me. I am the Lord your God, who brought you up out of Egypt. Open wide your mouth and I will fill it. “But my people would not listen to me;  Israel would not submit to me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts to follow their own devices.  “If my people would only listen to me, if Israel would only follow my ways, how quickly I would subdue their enemies and turn my hand against their foes!  Those who hate the Lord would cringe before him, and their punishment would last forever. But you would be fed with the finest of wheat; with honey from the rock I would satisfy you.”

And again, He says:

Revelation 3:18 NIV – I counsel you to buy from me gold refined in the fire, so you can become rich; and white clothes to wear, so you can cover your shameful nakedness; and salve to put on your eyes, so you can see.

Let us not delay any longer. Let our response be like the Psalmist:

Psalms 27:7-8 NASB 1995 – Hear, O LORD, when I cry with my voice, And be gracious to me and answer me. When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I shall seek.”

(Help me father against delayed obedience. I must not be slow to obey you. Help me father to make most of the time you give me.)

V1 – The Lord says it again… Let my people go so that they can worship me. Worship is to be given to the Lord. It’s our sacrifice to Him, our utmost devotion to Him and our utmost submission before his presence. God’s purpose in setting the Israelites free is so that they can freely worship him and given him their utmost devotion. But am not sure the Israelites ever got this properly. Theirs became a struggle where God would have to continuously remind and reproach them because they would move away.

While it holds true that the Lord was going to set them free and take them to a land of milk and honey as He had promised, that was his part which He was going to do and He did not need the Israelites to do anything really. And He would indeed bless them and increase them. And true to his word, God did all these things.

But for God, it is very clear from the beginning that He was setting them free and out of slavery so that they would worship Him. His purpose was to make sure that they have the freedom, time and all they needed to worship Him.

I find myself straying because I forget that He has set me free for his glory. He has set me free so   that I can worship Him — worship him by utmost devotion and fear of Him in all areas of my life. In his mercy, He also has given his spirit, the Holy Spirit, who is to help me to accomplish this according to how God desires.

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 NIV – Now all has been heard; here is the conclusion of the matter: Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the duty of all mankind. For God will bring every deed into judgment, including every hidden thing, whether it is good or evil.

Isaiah 43: 6b- 7 NIV – Bring my sons from afar and my daughters from the ends of the earth—everyone who is called by my name, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made.

Isaiah 43:20-21 NIV – The wild animals honor me, the jackals and the owls, because I provide water in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland, to give drink to my people, my chosen,  the people I formed for myself that they may proclaim my praise.

Psalm 29:2 NKJV – Give unto the Lord the glory due to His name; Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.

1 Corinthians 10:31 NIV – So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

(Lord, keep me in a place where I understand that you have set me free so that I can worship you. That I can give my utmost devotion to you, my God. And while it’s true that you will bless and increase me, that is not the end in itself for me. The purpose of setting me free is so that I can worship you and give my utmost devotion and obedience to you. Help me by your spirit to do this.)

V2-7 – The plague of frogs comes and there are frogs everywhere, they even jump into ovens. That was extraordinary. The frogs were jumping on people and were even on the Egyptians’ bed.

And the magicians were also able to do the same. But clearly, there was still a distinguishing aspect. Because even though the magicians were able to make frogs come up on the land, this time Pharaoh noticed the immense nature or numbers of the frogs that had come up when Moses and Aaron raised their staff. And his heart, unlike the previous times, now started to feel God’s power. He must have started realizing that this was not ordinary.

And therefore even in this plague, the Lord still gets all the glory!

V8-14 – Pharaoh humbles and ask for help. He is now willing to let the Israelites go. And Moses says that indeed the Lord will take away the frogs and the Egyptians will know that there is no one like the God of Israel.

And the Lord heard the prayer of Moses and Aaron and the frogs. They had been so many such that they were piled in heaps and the land smelled. So the Egyptians were clearly able to see that the frogs came abruptly and all died abruptly. No one apart from the Lord could have done that. And they saw it. They could not deny it.

The Lord was indeed glorified through this plague.

V15 – Pharaoh hardens his heart again, He became stubborn. And the Lord had said all this would happen. And He was going to reveal his mighty power through Pharaoh’s hardness of heart.

But, note that God saw the humility of Pharaoh at first and He took away the plague. I think this is what most of us do. We harden our hearts as soon as God takes away the trouble we had or the pain we faced. God’s goal is always that we would come closer to him but immediately He takes away trouble, we make our hearts stubborn again. And we thus continue stirring up God’s anger.

Romans 2: 4-11 NIV – Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance? But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. God “will repay each person according to what they have done.” To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile; but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. For God does not show favoritism.

May the Lord help us.

V1-2 – God says He will make Moses like God before Pharaoh and Aaron like Moses’s prophet. This scripture section is very critical in showing who a prophet is. As we shall see here in the story, Aaron would do what Moses commands, and remember that Aaron was the spokesperson. I clearly see therefore that the prophet is a spokesperson but in addition, is God’s servant to do whatever God wants to do for his purposes.

This is an important lesson. A prophet of the Living God does not operate from himself/herself. The prophet is God’s tool to be used for God’s purposes and in all things, the prophet’s actions will glorify the one who sent/sends them.

V3-5 – Pharaoh’s response to Moses and Aaron the first time they went to Him was like a mockery. He had said in Exodus 5:2 NIV:

Exodus 5:2 NIV: “Who is the Lord, that I should obey him and let Israel go? I do not know the Lord and I will not let Israel go.”

Pharaoh and the Egyptians did not know the Lord and did not honor Him as God. And so the Lord here tells Moses that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart and raise his powerful hand over them and they will know that He is the Lord.

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart therefore was because of his lack of acknowledging who the Lord is. This was also the case for the Egyptians. And so God would reveal himself to them powerfully. He will reveal that He is the creator of all and the all-powerful God. He would do it for his glory.

I see here that the hardening of the heart and the subsequent punishment comes because of rebellion and stubbornness toward God. And this same script happens a lot throughout scripture. For example, the Israelite nation would get punished many times because of forgetting the Lord their God. When they acted in rebellion, the Lord would leave them and they would thus suffer pain but before that, God would keep asking them “return to me.”

Does the Lord have to go to the extent of letting me experience pain so that I can listen to Him?

What eventually happens to those who refused to acknowledge and obey God? They die. Why? Because that is just what sin is and the wages of sin is death. Sin is rebellion against God and that breeds death.

Ephesians 4: 17-18 NIV – So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.

V6-7 – God uses those who obey Him. And note that God is using Moses and Aaron in their very old age. God has no limit as to the age his servants are because He is not defined by time.

V8-13 – Pharaoh would demand for a miracle from Moses and Aaron. He was testing to see what God this is. Moses and Aaron perform the miracle but Pharaoh’s sorcerers and magicians do the same thing.

However, even if they do the same thing, God still glorifies himself by making Aaron’s snake swallow the other snakes. He stamps his power and authority over these other false powers.

But even after being shown the miracle, Pharaoh’s heart is still very hard just as God has predicted. The goal of asking for the miracle was not to obey but rather to test God. If it was in his heart to let the Israelites go, He would have let them go even without any miracle. The command from God was clear and no extra thing was needed for Pharaoh to Obey God. And that is why God would do it forcefully. As seen in the later chapters of Exodus, even when Pharaoh let them go on that night of death, He later followed them and wanted to capture them back. Why did He do that? Because He was never ready to obey God.

We do not need any extra thing to obey God. He does not have to convince you in any other way. His initial word and direction is enough. Listen and obey!

I Samuel 15:22 MEV – Samuel said, “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Obedience is better than sacrifice, a listening ear than the fat of rams.

V14-18 – God’s message remains clear – Let my people go so that they can worship me in the wilderness. All the miracles and signs will accompany the message which remains clear. They are not the message. They are not the end in themselves. They are tools that God will use to ensure Pharaoh will know that He is the Lord.

V19-22 –  And the Lord greatly shows his power because not only does the water in the Nile become blood but all other water that was even in the bowls in Egypt turned to blood.

That’s astonishing. It happened instantly at that moment everywhere in Egypt. That was the superiority of God’s power. Because the magicians were called and they too turned the water into blood but could they turn all water into blood, even what was in the bowls and instantly?

No, they couldn’t.

V23 – Pharaoh returned to his palace and continues to harden his heart. In fact, He put the whole thing out of his mind.

This is how hard hearts behave: they put God’s word out of their hearts and forget it about as if nothing had happened. You see, Pharaoh indeed heard God’s word, over and over but it did not do anything in his heart. His heart remained hard and He never repented.

The Lord warns us against this hard heartedness where God’s word does nothing in our lives yet we indeed hear it.

James 1:23-27 NLT – For if you listen to the word and don’t obey, it is like glancing at your face in a mirror. You see yourself, walk away, and forget what you look like. But if you look carefully into the perfect law that sets you free, and if you do what it says and don’t forget what you heard, then God will bless you for doing it. If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.

Do not live as if you have not heard his word. Live a honest life before God, readily and willingly obeying his word.

V1 – David comes to the Lord asking for justice. He cries for help and asks God to pay attention because He prays from a sincere heart. He is talking about sincerity when coming before the Lord.

Coming with an open and sincere heart before God matters. It is going before Him in truth. And these are the kinds of worshippers He wants. As He said:

John 4:24 NKJV – God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.

And He has also said:

Hebrews 10:22 NIV – Let us draw near to God with a SINCERE heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

What does sincerity mean when coming before God?

Sincerity is the quality of being free from pretense, deceit, or hypocrisy. Don’t come before God thinking you can hide other things from him and tell him others. For example, you and I can’t come to God hiding your sin and ignoring it, regardless of what He has said in his word, and then come asking for anything. We can’t come before him asking for material things/healing/ and what we perceive to be important and not be ready to bring our hypocrisy before Him. We can’t come before the Lord hiding our disobedience to his word but asking for him to use us.

When we come before the Lord, we must be open — our hearts are ways must be open to Him. Because regardless of whether you acknowledge your ways or not, He still knows everything about you and nothing is hidden before Him.

(Lord, I come, with an open heart, deal with me in every area of my life. Cause me to obey you and to be like you. My heart’s desire is to completely walk in your ways.)

V2 – The Lord sees those who do right. He knows them and their actions are not hidden from Him.

He knows those who are innocent. And who are these? Well, we know that every person is a sinner and without a savior, you can NEVER be innocent. The ones whose transgressions are forgiven are the ones who have accepted Jesus as their savior and Lord (master).

But after accepting the Lord, many stumble in being true (sincere) believers and Christians. We are called to be obedient children, loving the Lord with sincerity. Loving God is obeying his commands. After we have accepted him therefore, we must check if we are really standing in him or we are still walking in our old ways of sin and rebellion to God.

Apostle Paul talked about people who say they are Christians but are not:

2 Corinthians 13:5 Living Bible – Check up on yourselves. Are you really Christians? Do you pass the test? Do you feel Christ’s presence and power more and more within you? Or are you just pretending to be Christians when actually you aren’t at all?

Check on yourself!

V3-5 – There is something very profound in what David is saying here. David is saying that He has truly given his heart to God and to following his commands.

And He does not mean just outwardly, He means from the depth of his heart that He has loved God’s commands and obeyed them, to the best of his knowledge. He is saying that even in his private life, which is not seen by anyone, he has been careful to honor the Lord.

When you evaluate yourself, can you say these words like David?

In verse 4, we also note that DAVID knows that God’s commands keep him from harm – from evil and cruel people. That’s part of what God’s word does. It keeps people from harm. So you want to avoid harm? – keep God’s word.

I also see in verse 3 that God searches and tests the thoughts and the heart of a person. He looks keenly at our true motives and intentions. He looks to see if they are pure and if they honor him.

(Help me father, to honor you in my private and public life. Let me know to obey your word. Let me reminded of your precepts and your instruction to me.)

V6-12 – By his mighty power, God rescues those who seek refuge from their enemies.

The enemy fights against those who put their trust in the Lord. The enemy is murderous, always looking to kill us and our faith in God. The enemy has no pity and is boastful, He tries to track us down and is always looking for the chance to throw us down. Like a hungry lion in ambush, the enemy wants to tear me apart.

So, what can I do?

I will not lie hopeless, waiting for the attack. I will run to Him who is able to protect me. Him who is able to keep me from all harm. I will cry out to Him “only you can keep me Oh God. You can keep me from stumbling and falling.” We cry out to God because He is also the one who is able to keep us from stumbling and falling in our faith in Him.

Jude 24-25 BSB – Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you unblemished in His glorious presence, with great joy— to the only God our Savior be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all time, and now, and for all eternity.

(Father, in your mercy, keep us in you, in your love. Keep us hidden in you Oh Lord.)

V13 – The Lord will stand against the enemies of those who trust in Him by his power.

What a glorious truth, He will protect us. We just have to be under his wings.

V14  – We truly cannot look to the world for a reward. Those who do that always fail and will be destroyed. The world cannot give any reward. Only the Lord can give a true reward.

For those who trust in the Lord, their children will have plenty and they will leave an inheritance for their descendants.

V15 – The righteous will see the Lord. We have been made the righteousness of God through Christ and thus we will see the Lord.

When we awake, we see the Lord and we are satisfied in Him.

But at the same time, when we awake in heaven, we will see Him and be satisfied.

This can be understood by knowing that those who die (physically) in the Lord have only slept. They are awake beyond the grave.

1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 NIV – Brothers and sisters, we do not want you to be uninformed about those who sleep in death, so that you do not grieve like the rest of mankind, who have no hope. For we believe that Jesus died and rose again, and so we believe that God will bring with Jesus those who have fallen asleep in him.

He is our satisfaction.

V1 – It is the Lord who keeps me safe, through his mighty power. He keeps me safe from the attacks the enemy plans against me, He keeps me safe from all the works of the evil one. He keeps me safe on the road, on the highway, on the rough road, everywhere. He keeps me safe when at home, He keeps me safe when doing my daily chores . He keeps me safe in his presence. I am hidden in him… and because He hides me, then the enemy is not able to find me. He keeps me safe.

Why does He keep me safe? Because I have run to Him, I depend on Him. No one anyone else can. He has taught me to know that only He can protect. I have come to him for refuge. I am a refugee in his camp.

He teaches me proper conduct, and He teaches me to fear Him. He gives me his Holy Spirit who reminds me of his truths that I may not forget, whether I wake up or sleep.

God is my refuge! Keep me Safe Oh Lord in you…. For you are my God and my creator. No one hides from you. Blessed are those who run to you and not from you. Blessed are those who do not quieten your voice when you speak to them concerning life’s directions.

V2 – My soul joins with David in crying to Him—- You are my master, my life is in your hands, Make me faithful to you for then I will be safe in you.

I am a servant: do with me what you want. I want to be hidden in you… doing your precepts oh God

V3 – Godly people are an example to be emulated. These are those who love his word and walk in his precepts. Those who love righteousness and hate sin, they do not love the world but keep their treasures in heaven and their hearts in his presence always. They are careful to hear his direction and to follow the path of life that He leads.

Philippians 4:9 NLT – Keep putting into practice all you learned and received from me—everything you heard from me and saw me doing. Then the God of peace will be with you.

Do you know any truly godly men and women? Love them and follow their example even as they truly follow Christ.

These men and women encourage us to walk with Him and to love Him.

V4 – There is nothing but trouble for anyone who drifts, is drifting or has drifted or who has always been away from God.

There is no other safe place apart from your presence Oh God.

There is no peace away from your presence.

There is no rest away from you.

There is no discipline and Godly chastisement away from God.

Having God is having everything good. Having his holy spirit is the best experience for life, it needs to be greatly desired daily.

V5-6 – The Lord is the inheritance of his people, those who put their trust in him and call upon him.

The land He has promised them and which He gives them is pleasant more than anything else human beings know. It not only flows with milk and honey from his presence but flows and produces much more than we can think or imagine. It is the unending spring of life, it is indescribable to the human mind. Those who see it long to be there,  and those who are there do not want ever to be away from it because it satisfies their deepest desires, those which they have never known. It draws them in and they sink in worship and as they worship, they burst with unexplainable radiance from God. This land is from the Lord, is in the Lord, it is the Lord. The Lord is the inheritance of his saints.

V7-8 – No one is shaken when He is in his presence. No one who has God by their side is afraid of anything. Because He has the mighty Lion, the conqueror of all Kingdoms, the one who defeats everything by his mighty power.

My soul must and shall bless the Lord my God, because in his great mercies toward me, He speaks his instruction to my heart. He causes me to hear him and to love him. Even at night, I hear his word…. “Do this..” “Don’t do that”. Even at night, my heart which is being trained in his presence questions me… “Is that pleasing to your master and Father?” “Does that honor your savior?”

My heart experiences in Him what my mind and my words cannot properly express. I revel in having communion with Him… the God of my salvation.

What does revel it mean? to take great pleasure. Revel means to take great pleasure. If you revel in something, you’re not just pleased or even excited; you’re overwhelmed by joy.https://www.google.com/search?q=revel&oq=revel&gs_lcrp=EgZjaHJvbWUyCQgAEEUYORiABDINCAEQABiRAhixAxiKBTIKCAIQABiRAhiKBTINCAMQABiDARixAxiABDIHCAQQABiABDIHCAUQABiABDIHCAYQABiABDIHCAcQABiABDIGCAgQRRhB0gEIMTgzOGowajGoAgCwAgA&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#:~:text=People%20also%20ask-,What%20does%20revel%20it%20mean%3F,you%27re%20not%20just%20pleased%20or%20even%20excited%3B%20you%27re%20overwhelmed%20by%20joy.,-It%20used%20to

V9 – After experiencing this, David comes to this point where He simply exclaims…. “No wonder my heart is glad, and I rejoice. Greek version reads and my tongue shouts his praises. Compare Acts 2:26. My body rests in safety.”

V10 – He will not leave those who trust in Him and who have given themselves to Him to go to the dead. He will give them eternal life.

In this section, David is also speaking prophetically about Jesus. He would not rot in the grave but would be resurrected to Life. And this happened… He rose on the third day.

V11 – He shows the way of Life and grants us joy in his presence and the pleasures of eternal life… living with him forever. In his right hand are pleasures forever more.

Psalm 16:11 KJV – Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.

Psalm 16:11 TLB – You have let me experience the joys of life and the exquisite pleasures of your own eternal presence.

Anyone who thinks they know what pleasure is because of experiencing the mere joys that come from worldly things does not know the meaning of pleasure. Even I cannot yet understand the deepness of the true pleasure which is to experience Him and to enjoy his presence, Nothing can ever be compared to that.

If there is every a pleasure scale, then it cannot measure the pleasure of God’s presence. The pleasure from his presence blows that scale, and the scale itself cannot even qualify to be a the smallest value

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Hallelujah!

V14-25 – When we come to genealogies, there is a temptation to pass over them but it’s important to always remember that this is still part of God’s Holy word, given to us for our direction and for accomplishing his great purposes in us.

There are a number of things that I see in these verses as they explain some of the descendants of Israel.

FIRST

First, there is an obvious distinction between the descendants of the Levites and the rest of Israel clans mentioned here. The Levites were the priests and they were set apart for service to the Lord. As such, the Lord had said that He would be their inheritance. All these descendants of Aaron as explained here would inherit the Lord.  What an awesome privilege!!

Out of all the Israelites, the Levites had the best inheritance, the Lord!

Deuteronomy 18:1-2 NIV – The Levitical priests—indeed, the whole tribe of Levi—are to have no allotment or inheritance with Israel. They shall live on the food offerings presented to the Lord, for that is their inheritance. They shall have no inheritance among their fellow Israelites; the Lord is their inheritance, as he promised them.

Having being made a holy priesthood unto the Lord then, our inheritance is also the Lord. Our inheritance is not earthly, it is heavenly. A lack of understanding of this, or forgetfulness concerning this, can easily lead us to have desires that are contrary to God’s design. When we don’t understand this, we start craving the world yet concerning life in this world, the Lord has said that He will provide for our every need.

1 Peter 2:9 NIV – But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s special possession, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.

SECOND

The number of clans/descendants that a person gets is not fixed, it varies per individual. God gives children and descendants according to his wisdom. For example, Reuben has 4 sons, while Simeon has 6. Aaron had 3 sons, while his son, Merari, has 2. This designation belongs to the Lord, it’s not for us.

Psalm 127:3 NIV – Children are a heritage from the LORD, offspring a reward from him.

It is really not up to you how many children you can or will have. The Lord decides these things in his wisdom. Every human being belongs to the Lord and therefore, parents receive children as gifts from God. They become custodians and keepers of God’s work. Having this perspective greatly changes our understanding in parenting and in thinking about children.

Can we be careless keepers or custodians? No.

May the Lord help us to diligently guard and keep his gift(s) to us.

THIRD

The age of some of these people is mentioned. It is also random. Levi lives to be 137, Amram – 137, and Kohath – 133 yrs. old. It is also all God’s doing, it’s not man who decides how long anyone lives. And so, human beings are also custodians of life. God puts life in me and you and therefore, we need to be careful how we live. The Lord can decide to take his life out of a person and there is nothing that person will do.

Let us carefully walk each step in life, thinking about the Lord who gives the life and who purposed for us to be here at this time.

V26-30 – The Bible notes that Moses argues with the Lord yet it was God’s command to him and Aaron that they go and speak to Pharaoh.

The kind of arguing that Moses does is inward looking. He looked at himself as a  clumsy speaker, and as inferior and wondered how He could speak to Pharaoh.

But you see, here is the contrast, from what we have seen above. It is God who gives life and decides where we are to be at different points in time. It then means that He has placed us here for reason known to Him. Clearly, God had the purpose of using Moses to lead the Israelites out of Egypt but here Moses argues. He does not seem to understand that part of the reason God had created and given him life was for this purpose.

And thus, Moses argued with God his creator.

When the Lord calls to us, we often fall in this place where we forget his ultimate power over our lives, We forget that He is our maker, our creator and that He has the right to do with us whatever He wants. We argue with him yet He created us for his glory.

Isaiah 45:9 NIV – Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?

Isaiah 45:11 NIV – This is what the Lord says— the Holy One of Israel, and its Maker: Concerning things to come, do you question me about my children, or give me orders about the work of my hands?

This is our reminder and may we not forget. He is the potter, we are the clay. He does what He wants with us. He orders and we obey, not the other way round. There is no use arguing with Him. When He speaks, this is how we respond:

Luke 17:10 NIV – So you also, when you have done everything you were told to do, should say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done our duty. ‘ ”

Luke 1:38 KJV – And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.

Remember, the Lord is good and there is no evil in Him, He is not a harsh and cruel master. He is good and his purposes are good toward us. When He commands, it is also for our good. Whatever He decides for our life is best!

PSALMS 32: 8-9 NLT – The Lord says, “I will guide you along the best pathway for your life. I will advise you and watch over you. Do not be like a senseless horse or mule that needs a bit and bridle to keep it under control.”

There is no use arguing against the Creator!