The Rescue

The book of Exodus is the thrilling epic of God’s rescue act. It tells of the redeeming work of a sovereign God. The book gives us the story of Moses, the great hero of God. 

If the book of Genesis is a family history, the book of Exodus is a national history. After Joseph’s death a new dynasty came to the throne in Egypt and the wealth and great numbers of children of Israel made them objects of suspicion in the eyes of the Egyptians. The pharaohs reduced them to a slavery of the worst sort. The people remembered the promises God had given to Abraham and his descendants, and it made this bondage doubly hard to understand (Genesis 12:1-3). 

The story of Exodus is repeated in every soul that seeks deliverance from the enmeshing and enervating influence of the world. The plagues and the negotiations Moses had to make with Pharaoh must have lasted for nearly a year. This gave the children of Israel more time to gather their things. We study Exodus in order to see God’s way of delivering sinful people, and his gracious purposes in rescuing them.

Exodus 12 gives us the thrilling story of Passover, the clearest Old Testament picture of our individual salvation through faith in the shed blood of Jesus Christ. God had sent nine plagues on Egypt in order to make pharaoh willing to let his people go. Finally God said that the firstborn in all Egypt should die. This tenth plague would have fallen on the Israelites too, had they not killed the paschal lamb and been protected by its blood of redemption (Exodus 12: 12, 13). They left Egypt under the blood as marked people. They passed through the Red Sea as a directed determined people. God led them out and shut the door behind them. 

In Exodus 20 to 24, we see the laws given, broken and restored. The law did not make us sin, but it showed us that we are sinners. The physician comes and looks at a child and the symptoms reveal that it is sick. He gives the child some medicine for cure. The doctor did not make the child sick, but he proved that the sickness was there (Galatians 4:4, 5; Romans 8:1-4; 3:19-28).The law is God’s mirror to show us our exceeding sinfulness (Romans 7:12). Before Israel even received the law or started to keep it, they were dancing around the golden calf, and worshipping a god they had made (Exodus 32:1-10,18). 

God told Moses he wished a sanctuary or holy dwelling place that should point to Christ and tell of his person and work. Exodus 25 to 40 gives us the account of building of the Tabernacle. The Tabernacle, having the cloud of glory over it, taught the people that God was dwelling in their midst (Exodus 25:8). Tabernacle was the common center and rallying point that could be moved from time to time. 

Even though God gave his law, the mirror to analyse about them, Israel sinned and can be seen in the history how they got the punishment. But God did not give up on them. As he promised he called them back and now they are a powerful nation. The people who follow Jesus Christ are called New Israelites. Same is applied for New Israel. Whatever blessings God pronounced on Israel will come upon them as well. Of course Law is there. But since Christ obeyed the law faithfully and died for our sins, believing in Christ is the qualification for us to become the New Israel.

May God help you and bless you to be the chosen New Israel through Christ Jesus.

The BOOK – Looking Out

In the end chapters of Deuteronomy we see Moses’s third address to Israel. Here we see Moses giving the people some solemn warnings. Initially he told them about the blessings if they are obedient and then he told them the results of disobedience. 

Before 3000 years ago, God warned about the results of disobedience. Yes, we can see in history how Israel were scattered from one end of the earth to the other. We see Jewish history is full of persecution and tragedies. God foretold all this through Moses in Deuteronomy. 

Joshua was one who started the journey from Egypt and kept his faith throughout. Now at eighty years he got the leadership from Moses. The one thing Moses gave to Joshua along with the leadership is the fact that – “The Lord is with you; be strong”. If God is present, fear is baseless. We see Moses singing songs to glorify God. We saw he singing song after the deliverance from Egypt and now towards the end of his life. As a Christian, we all should have songs in our lips. 

Then Moses went up to mount Nebo (Pisgah) and there God showed him the Promise Land. He died there and Lord buried him. No one knows where. Someone said God buried his burial. Once again we see Moses in the Bible. One day Jesus took Peter, James and John and climbed up Mount Hermon to the north of the sea of Galilee and then Moses and Elijah appeared and talked with Jesus about his coming death. (Mathew 17:1-3).

It is not important for us to know whether Moses wrote Deuteronomy 34 or whether Joshua added it later, the important fact is about the blessings and curses he gave depending upon our obedience. With respect to Deuteronomy 28, Derek Prince, a man of God has composed a list of seven problems indicating that a curse is at work in our life. 

1.       Mental / Emotional breakdown

2.       Repeated or Chronic sickness (especially if hereditary)

3.       Barrenness, a tendency to miscarry, or related female problems.

4.       Breakdown of marriage and family alienation

5.       Continuing financial insufficiency

6.       Being “Accident-prone”

7.       A history of suicides and unnatural or untimely deaths.

The presence of one or two of these problems would not necessarily be sufficient to establish working of a curse, but when several of the problems are present, the probability of a curse increases. However only Holy Spirit is the one who can provide an absolutely accurate diagnosis.

In our life, we better sit down and analyse that we are in the side of blessings or of curse. If you things you are in the side of curse, don’t be disappointed.

·         Confess your faith in Christ and n his sacrifice on your behalf (Romans 10:9-10)

·         Repent all your rebellion and your sins (Mathew 3:2)

·         Claim forgiveness of all sins (1 John 1:9)

·         Forgive all other people who have ever harmed you or wronged you. (Mark 11:25)

·         Renounce all contact with anything occult or Satanic (2 Corinthians 6:14-15)

·         Pray for thee release from any curse (Mark 11:24)

·         Believe that you have received and go on in God’s blessings (Ephesians 3:20)

I pray that when you read through Deuteronomy, you understand your short comings, the sins, the words which comes from your mouth, the actions, everything you are, and repent before the King of glory and inherit the blessing he has instore for your life to be a testimony. Amen.

The BOOK – Looking Up

From Deuteronomy 5, we find Moses’s second address to the people of Israel as they are about to enter the promise Land. From now on as they are going to the new land, everything would depend on their constant and intelligent obedience to God who was giving them the land. 

Moses explains God’s love towards the people and because of that love God chooses them and he will protect them. But they need to obey God for their good. Now since we, the people who believe in Christ is the chosen one, we cannot avoid these commands from God, even if it is from the Old Testament. God wants his people to walk in the world in the way that befits them, separating themselves from evil. God demands discipline. 

In Deuteronomy, God mentions about the great Prophet, Lord Jesus Christ. God showed them, the highest duty was to exhibit it the spirit of loving obedience. We see Moses heart burdened because he knew that Israel had a hard heart and the people were self-willed.

When you check the history of Israel, we can find after all these what God did for them, they went against the Lord. Whatever things God for-bided, they did. Finally God’s wrath came upon Israel and they were punished. They were severely punished, that can’t be describable, until they called him for help.

It took almost 2000 years of struggle they got their people and land in the year 1948. Even though God punished them, when they called on him, God heard their cry and protected them. Even now they are facing threats, but miraculously God is protecting them. All these history are shown for us to know who we are and what we need to do. If you have gone away from the Lord, call upon him and he will forgive you and even forget your sins against him. But there is a clause- Call upon him and repent. 

It is not all about getting 100% attendance in Church, or having positions in Church, but about personal relationship with God. It is not showing outside how spiritual you are, but showing God how you are when no one is around you. I pray that you walk closely with God in prayer and by studying his word and kick out the dark side from your life and be a role model to the ones who don’t know Christ, so that they can also see the fruits of the Spirit in you and get attracted to the living true God, Amen

The BOOK – Looking Back

As the book of Deuteronomy opens, we see Israel on the border of the land of Canaan, in a place where eleven days journey, some forty years before, could have brought them. We marvel at Israel’s slowness. We like them, are kept back by unbelief many times and because of that we lose the blessing on time. But God is a faithful teacher. He never lets us pass on to another grade until we are ready.

God never fails us when we put our trust in him, but he will not do many mighty works because of our unbelief. “And he did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith” – Mathew 13:58.

We can see, in Deuteronomy God is putting before the children of Israel the conditions of their entering and holding the land. We can see all these conditions summed up in one great word – Obedience. The children of Israel entered the Promised Land under the Conditions of Law. In the first four books if Pentateuch, God is choosing Israel. Now he is letting Israel choose him. There will be certain times in our life, when we are in pit and God will take us from that and put us in high, and gives us a chance to choose between world and him, or between lust /power/greed and him. 

Besides Moses, only Joshua and Caleb were left from the generation that had come out of Egypt. The younger generation would have suffered in wilderness, but Moses recites them the law before entering the land. Moses knew his work is done as God chose another leader to lead his people to the land. We should always know that we have our role to play in life. Once our role is over, someone else will take our role. Our role may me small or big. Instead of comparing our roles with others, better to understand ours and work hard and run our race fast to be part of the Kingdom. 

Since it was Moses farewell address to Israel, he recalls the history of Israel and their wanderings. He reminds them to be faithful and urges them to be grateful and obedient. He spoke to the people in the most earnest and eloquent way and appealed them to serve and obey God. You can study leadership from this man. He spent forty years of his life in delivering the people from bondage of Egypt, in guiding them through the many dangers that confronted them. He trained them, gave them forms of government, laws, and religious institutions and molded them into a nation. Each and every one God called is leaders and you should examine your leadership qualities with respect with that of Moses. 

For the people of Israel, it was like an adult graduating and going to enter upon their life’s work. They studied what God wants to tell them throughout this journey. Now they need to implement that faith and possess the land. This is the reason why a believer should study the word of God. You cannot claim that you know the word of God fully. But each and every time you read it and study it, you will become more mature in life and you see the world different than a worldly person sees. You will get separated from the lust and power of the world and you will work hard for the glory of God in serving others and use your talents and develop it for Gods glory.

I pray that God enables you to lead a leadership life of that of Moses in guiding the people around you to victory in life through Christ Jesus. Amen.