Elisha and the Syrian Soldiers

                                                                                                                 

Aloha Dearest Family,

 

                Today we will study a remarkable record of a mighty prophet, a mighty vision and one more example of God’s mighty compassion.

 

                In II Kings 6 we read that the kingdom of Syria is at war with Israel. But the King of Israel has a “secret weapon” -  Elisha the prophet of God. It seems that whenever the King of Syria came up with a battle strategy to come against Israel, God would tell Elisha, who would in turn tell the King of Israel what Syria was about to do. In this way the king of Israel would be able to counter the moves of the king of Syria. This happened time and time again and the king of Syria was getting more and more frustrated. Surely, he must have a spy in his midst that was relaying his battle plans to the enemy.

 

                “Therefore the heart of the king of Syria was sore troubled for this thing; and he called his servants, and said unto them, Will ye not shew me which of us is for the king of Israel?” (II Kings 6:11)

But one of his servants told the king the real reason why his plans were continually being thwarted.

 

                “And one of his servants said, None, my lord, O king: but Elisha, the prophet that is in Israel, tells the king of Israel the words that thou speak in thy bedchamber.” (Verse 12)         

 

This prophet seems to know the deepest secrets of the king, even what he speaks about in his bedroom. This prophet must be stopped. So, when they found that Elisha was staying in the town of Dothan, the king sent a band of soldiers to capture him.

 

                The following morning, Elisha’s servant wakes up and finds that the city is surrounded by soldiers. His master must be warned! But God had already shown Elisha how the Lord was protecting them.

 

                “And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. And Elisha prayed, and said, LORD, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the LORD opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.” (Verses 15-17)

 

The servant’s jaw must have hit the ground when he saw this magnificent sight. It is wonderful to see how God protects His faithful men and women when they love and obey Him.

 

                God then tells Elisha what He plans on doing with the Syrian soldiers. This is a lesson that they would never forget.

 

                “And when they came down to him, Elisha prayed unto the LORD, and said, Smite this people, I pray thee, with blindness. And he smote them with blindness according to the word of Elisha. And Elisha said unto them, This is not the way, neither is this the city: follow me, and I will bring you to the man whom ye seek. But he led them to Samaria.” (Verses 18 and 19)

 

We are not certain how big the city of Dothan was, but we can assume that there are at least a couple hundred soldiers surrounding the city. But all at once, they had all become blind. Can you imagine the fear and the confusion among the soldiers? Then imagine Elisha leading these blind men to Samaria with their chariots and horses; a trip of about 10 to 12 miles. You can add the word spectacular to the list of God’s attributes.

 

                “And it came to pass, when they were come into Samaria, that Elisha said, LORD, open the eyes of these men, that they may see. And the LORD opened their eyes, and they saw; and, behold, they were in the midst of Samaria.” (Verse 20)

 

If you were wondering about these soldiers’ state of mind when they were blind, what do you think they thought when they could see again and they were in the midst of their enemy’s capitol city, Samaria? I’m sure they thought they would surely be killed. But what happens next is not what anyone expected.

 

                “And the king of Israel said unto Elisha, when he saw them, My father, shall I smite them? shall I smite them? And he answered, Thou shalt not smite them: wouldest thou smite those whom thou hast taken captive with thy sword and with thy bow? set bread and water before them, that they may eat and drink, and go to their master. And he prepared great provision for them: and when they had eaten and drunk, he sent them away, and they went to their master. So the bands (raiding parties) of Syria came no more into the land of Israel.“ (Verses 21-23)

 

                The raiding bands of Syria never bothered Israel after this. The kindness showed to these soldiers from Israel, their enemy, changed the hearts and minds of the enemy. This is a tale that these soldiers would tell their grandkids for years afterwards, I’m sure.

 

                In our world today, division among people seems to permeate every category of life. If you listen to the news media (which you should NEVER do), they will tell you that hatred is everywhere and if someone does not agree with your opinion, they are your enemy. But this is man’s way, not God’s way. God’s way is love and man’s way is to manufacture strife. Maybe it’s time to start taking Elisha’s example to heart and start treating others with kindness and compassion. Even people who disagree with us and hate us. God’s Word tells us the attitude we should have towards others.

 

                “Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” (Romans 12:17-21) 

 

                “Heaping burning coals on his head” doesn’t mean we want to “burn” our enemies. This refers to an oriental custom that was understood at the time the Bible was written. What this verse is saying is that when we give food and drink to our enemies, we will warm them with compassion. We can clearly see this from the record of Elisha and the soldiers.

 

                As God’s children we should endeavor to imitate our Father. Our Father’s ways are above our ways and are not like the ways of people in the world. God does not treat others by what they deserve, but by His unconditional love for them. We should treat others this way same.

 

                “Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbor, and hate thine enemy. But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven…” (Matthew 5:43-45a)

 

                                                    Love Always, Ray 

Led by the Spirit

                                                                                                           

Aloha Dearest Family,

                 “The great work of the spirit is to direct the mind”

I heard this phrase years ago but I didn’t grasp it’s full meaning until just recently. We as God’s sons and daughters have been given His spirit to communicate with our Heavenly Father. We can enjoy continual and close fellowship with Him and we can also ask for His direction in our lives.

                “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” (Proverbs 3:6)

Solomon wrote this proverb many years ago, probably from personal experience. When we ask Him to, God, by way of His spirit within us, will direct our paths. He’ll show us the way to go and teach us what we are to do. You can find this all through scripture.

       Whenever David would go out to battle, he would first ask for God’s direction.

“And the Philistines came and spread themselves in the valley of Rephaim. And David inquired of God, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? and wilt thou deliver them into mine hand? And the LORD said unto him, Go up; for I will deliver them into thine hand. So they came up to Baalperazim; and David smote them there... (I Chronicles 14:9-11a)

God also instructed David when NOT to go.

“And the Philistines yet again spread themselves abroad in the valley. Therefore David inquired again of God; and God said unto him, Go not up after them; turn away from them, and come upon them over against the mulberry trees.” (Verses 13 and 14)

Because he was obedient to God’s guidance David was able to achieve victory over the Philistines.

               “David therefore did as God commanded him: and they smote the host of the Philistines from Gibeon even to Gazer.” (Verse 16)

We also find this spirit-directed life in Paul’s ministry. When he and his companions were traveling from town to town spreading the gospel, he followed the spirit’s direction.

  “Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, After they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not (did not permit them to go). And they passing by Mysia came down to Troas.” (Acts 16:6-8)

Even though Paul knew that he was sent to preach to other towns and regions, when the spirit instructed him NOT to go, he obeyed. But Paul did not stop. He kept traveling and God gave him a vision in a dream to go into Macedonia. This was the direction he’d been looking for. Also, God knew that Paul would obey because he had a heart of service. Paul listened and obeyed the direction from God.

                When the apostles were commanded to go into all the world and make disciples of every nation, they wouldn’t have to figure out HOW to accomplish this for the spirit would be with them and in them to direct them. They went with a willing heart to listen and, again, obey.

                 “And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them, and confirming the word with signs following.” (Mark 16:20)

How was the Lord working with them? By way of his spirit that was in them, directing them. This was the secret of their success.

                We are ALL members of the greatest club of all time – the body of Christ. We are Christ’s body but HE is our head. The way God set up the working of the human body, the brain is the organ that gives direction to the rest of the parts of the body. If the brain says, “lift the arm”, the arm lifts. Why? Because the arm is taking direction from the brain. This happens in a nanosecond; no thinking is required. The brain sends off millions of signals to other parts of the body to perform and the body responds.

                Likewise, the same is true in the body of Christ. As members of his body, we don’t operate independently without first receiving direction from Christ. We wait for his direction, then we move. Maybe we have made operating our church functions too complicated. He will not only instruct us when to go to work, but he will also teach us HOW to operate our ministry. Cool stuff.

                 “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.” (Galatians 5:25)

“Walking in the spirit” means we take our cues from the spirit what we are to do and what we are to say. Whether we recognize it or not, the Lord is always leading, but are we following? If we love God and want to do His Will, we will follow the spirit’s direction. So, I ask you, what has He been leading you to do?  

                Love Always, Ray

                “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” (Romans 8:14)

Confession of Belief

                                                                                                                                 

Aloha Dearest Family,

 

                “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.” (Proverbs 18:21)

 

As Christians, we know that life has many trials and challenges. It is important to NOT CONFESS our present situation but confess the victory that God has for us. It may be challenging because many of us listen to the people around us and tend to repeat their negative language. God has given us many promises in His Word for us to claim so that we can always be victorious, no matter the situation we may be facing. One such situation is recorded in Exodus chapter 14.

           After more than 400 years, God’s people, Israel, are finally leaving Egypt. After 10 devastating plagues, the Pharaoh had finally ordered Israel to leave the country. Israel wasted no time and left in haste. This was God’s orchestration and He directed the people exactly where to go. They ended up stopped at the Red Sea, not able to go any further.

               

“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp before Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. You are to encamp by the sea, directly opposite Baal-zephon.” (Exodus 14:1 and 2)

 

                Meanwhile, Pharaoh and his advisors realized what they had done in letting their slaves go and decided to go after them. (One needs to wonder about the sanity of Pharaoh at this point. The plagues had decimated his country and the first-born of every household had been killed – including his own).

               

                “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” So Pharaoh prepared his chariot and took his army with him. He took 600 of the best chariots, and all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them. And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt* so that he pursued the Israelites, who were marching out defiantly. The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi-hahiroth, opposite Baal-zephon.” (Verses 5-9 )

                *(It is important to understand that God always gives us free will to make our own decisions. God never forces His Wil upon us. In this verse the figure of speech of “permission” is employed. It is more accurate to say that God ALLOWED Pharaoh’s heart to be hardened).

                Pharaoh called together his army with his chariots and best soldiers to bring back their slaves. Israel was now hemmed in and capture seemed imminent. When the people saw Pharaoh’s mighty army on the hill, all hope was lost and they told Moses this.

               

                “As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and saw the Egyptians marching after them, and they were terrified and cried out to the LORD. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us into the wilderness to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Did we not say to you in Egypt, ‘Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” (verses 10-12)

Moses could have been swayed by their words but Moses refused to be moved by their fear and unbelief. God had promised that He would bring His people out of Egypt and Moses would stand firm on this promise. The situation was most desperate and Moses knew that the only way out now was for God to perform a miracle. Moses believed that God would stay true to His promise so instead of confessing defeat, he confessed total victory.

 

“But Moses told the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the LORD’s salvation, which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.” (Verses 13 and 14)

Moses wasn’t sure WHAT God would do, but he was convinced that God WOULD deliver His people this day. Moses told the people to “stand still”, but God said, “Don’t stand still-GET GOING!” God told Moses to lift his staff over the Red Sea and as he did, the Red Sea parted. The scope of such an event is almost beyond imagining. It’s only because of movies like The Ten Commandments that I can even picturing it happening. But our God is a God of the impossible. Also on this day, Pharaoh would lose his entire army - drown in the Red Sea.  

 

When you know that God is on your side, the impossible becomes possible. So why not confess victorious thoughts instead of thoughts that will limit God? God wants to go to work in our lives, but it is us who limit Him. When we confess our own words or thoughts, we will remain defeated in life. But when our words “mirror” God’s words, we will be confessing what God has already declared as true. If we confess that our sins have been forgiven, we are just confessing what God has already told us. When we believe God’s Words and confess them, we are confessing the victory that God already says is ours. It’s simple.

God has promised the believer:

    Health

    Prosperity

    Peace

    Guidance

    Love

    Spiritual Power

    Wisdom

    And much more

God can promise these to us because of the finished work of His son Jesus Christ. God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings. Why not confess some of them in our lives today.  

                We have been conditioned to confess what we feel and declare what we are seeing. But this will never change our situation. Let’s re-train ourselves to always confess God’s words of power instead of our own words of lack. Let’s introduce “words of truth” in our lives and see things change.

What you confess in your life is what you will see.

                          Love Always, Ray

 

          “Confession of belief equals receipt of confession.”

What a Loving Dad Owes His Child

                                                                                             

Years ago when our sons graduated from high school, my wife gave them each a personal heartfelt letter of blessing, instruction and detailing their future responsibilities toward God in their lives.                 Recently, after they had started their own families and started having children, she sent this letter to them.

 What a Loving Dad Owes His Child:

Remember that your daughter or son knows nothing. In fact, God tells us in Proverbs 22:15 “Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.” A child’s brain is perfect for keeping all of their necessary bodily functions going but as far as learning or practicing self-control it is a slooooowww but fun process that you teach. Also remember that a “rod of correction” signifies more of the unbending will of the parent not to allow their child to become a menace or an irritant to polite society. Good behavior is not only pleasing to God but it allows your child to observe life and learn and make beautiful memories. Once a child thinks they are the center of everyone’s universe, they squelch the opportunity to learn and become productive.

1. Always lead with love and the wisdom from God’s Word. Teach your child that God is their Father and Jesus Christ is their brother.

2. Good behavior must be practiced inside the home. If they are not polite inside, they will not be polite outside.

3. Teach them respect. They need to respect the things you give them and then they’ll respect the things of others. Teach them what it is to be a good steward of all God has given them and you. You show them what thankfulness is and how it leads to praising God.

4. No screeching inside the house. No biting. No pushing. No hitting. No sassing. Once again, if they do it inside the house, they will do it outside the house. No one and I repeat no one thinks these behaviors are cute or pleasant. People walk away from your home judging you and them and it won’t be positive. All negative opinions someone has of your child will come from you not teaching your child right behavior. Never give others a chance to cast aspersions on your child because it will be your fault. You dropped the ball and now your child will pay for your lack of commitment to them.

5. Continue to encourage the adage “Always do what’s right”. Say it to your child frequently and explain why they should do the right thing. If they want success in school - do what is right. If they want success in sports - do what is right. If they want a productive relationship with people (including their parents) – do the right thing. You know and I know that what you’re encouraging your child to do is all that God commanded them to do. Obedience to God and their parents breeds success and will always save their lives.

6. Lessons are taught in 2 ways. You are either giving the example of ‘how to do things’ or ‘things you should not do’. Jesus Christ never taught from the latter category and you shouldn’t either. Most of my early lessons in life came from the latter category but God is tender and merciful and made sure I learned valuable lessons anyway. Your child watches everything you do and whether they want to or not they will follow, for the most part, your actions. Set an example worthy of following.

7. There will be many times in their lives where you will have to teach your child about the sniveling, cowardly, ugly but powerful and relentless enemy they have (the devil). Right now, and for a very long time, that responsibility falls on your shoulders and if you are wise and loving you will bring the grace of God and the intercession Jesus Christ makes for all God’s children into every moment of the life of your child. Teach your child about their Father and brother. Pray for them continually. Teach them to pray and seek the things of God. Be observant. Ask God to help you keep your child safe and He will. Say no. Say yes. Timing is important. Many times, I could see the road to destruction in families when the parents thought the child was smarter that they actually were. That is a trick of the evil one. God tells you all about your child – believe Him.

8. Love and obey. I’m not talking about your child here. I’m talking to and about you. You will always be God’s child. As you walk with your Father, you take your child with you and teach her or him to do the same. It’s beautiful and it’s love and light. We don’t cease to hold you and your lovely families up to the Father and neither does Jesus Christ. Rejoice and be thankful!!

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” Deut. 6: 4-9

“Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” Matthew 6: 31-33

Martial Arts

                                                   

      

Aloha Dearest Family,

            Lately I’ve been watching video clips of Martial Arts movies. It’s fun to watch the hero “Kung-Fu” artists like Bruce Lee, Steven Segal, Jean-Claude Van Damme or Donnie Yen playing Ip Man, kicking butt. And it seems that everyone else in the fight also knows some form of Martial Arts. But no matter how badly the bad guys get beat, they always go back for more punishment.

            But I’ve also noticed that the hero wins (eventually) because of his own unmatched skill. It’s obvious that he or she had learned more fighting techniques, had more expert training or spent some time in a Shaolin temple, so he or she has more skill than the thugs that they are fighting. But that’s what makes these movies fun.

            However, when God calls us, He knows that we are not trained for the calling. He didn’t call us because of our skill, talent or natural ability (or Kung Fu moves). When God called us to the faith, He looked upon our heart and saw someone He could work with; someone who was teachable and would obey Him. God knows that HE is all that we would ever need; and with Him, we could accomplish what He has called us to do.

            I think of Joshua and Caleb after they had helped spy out the Promised Land. Ten men came back with a dire report about the inhabitants of the land which made the people afraid. But Joshua and Caleb had a different attitude. They were excited about going in and taking the land at once.

             “Then Caleb silenced the people before Moses and said, “We should go up and take possession of the land, for we can certainly do it.” (Numbers 13:30)

             “..and (Joshua) said to the entire Israelite assembly, “The land we passed through and explored is exceedingly good. If the Lord is pleased with us, he will lead us into that land, a land flowing with milk and honey, and will give it to us. Only do not rebel against the Lord. And do not be afraid of the people of the land, because we will devour them. Their protection is gone, but the Lord is with us. Do not be afraid of them.” (Numbers 14:7-9)

 How could they be so confidant? Was it because Joshua and Caleb were experienced soldiers and great fighters? Had they worked out an unbeatable strategy of how to take the land? Remember that 11 days earlier they were slaves in Egypt. It must have been that they recognized that God was with them and would fight with them. They would certainly win any battle if God was involved. But as the Bible records, Joshua and Caleb were ignored and the people believed the report of the 10 who were afraid to go. Israel then spent the next 40 years in the wilderness because of it.

            If you look at all the men and women in the Bible that God called, NONE of them had the natural abilities to do what He called them to do.

        Joseph, Moses and David were shepherds.

Jeremiah was the son of a priest.

Nehemiah was the king’s cup-bearer.

Peter, Andrew, James and John were fishermen.

Paul was a saddle-maker by trade.

 God worked with these individuals and helped them grow in their believing and their trust in the one who called them. This makes all the difference. God would equip them and be their helper in whatever He called them to do.

           “Now may the God of peace.. equip you with everything good for doing his will, and may he work in us what is pleasing to him, through Jesus Christ, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.“ (Hebrews 13:20a-21)

             God has not changed. He still works the same way today. We ALL have a calling but we do not need to be concerned accomplishing it in OUR OWN ability. He equips us with His strength and wisdom and we rely on HIS ability. HE is our sufficiency. He is a Creator that specializes in bringing the impossible to pass. He is all we will ever need.               

       “Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God;” (II Corinthians 3:5)

                       Love Always, Ray

             “God doesn’t call the equipped. He equips the called.” 

The Earnest of the Spirit

                                                                                                      

Aloha Dearest Family,

                In the King James Version of the Bible there is a phrase that is not easily understood. In fact, for many years, I skimmed over these words not really understanding what they meant. The phrase “earnest of the Spirit” remained a mystery to me until someone opened my eyes to the complete meaning. This phrase is used only three times in the New Testament and when understood they are very exciting for the Christian believer.

         “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.” (II Corinthians 7:22)

         “Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit.” (II Corinthians 5:55)

            "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.”  (Ephesians 1:13 and 14)

                 If you are still confused, maybe you first need to understand the word “earnest.”  This word simply means a pledge.  In the times when the Bible was written, when someone wanted to purchase a piece of land, they would need to put down a deposit or earnest money for the land. This earnest money is similar to a down payment, guaranteeing that one day you would possess what you are purchasing. The idea of having an item in earnest means that this is just the first installment. I found a good definition: “A foretaste, installment, pledge, of anything afterwards to be received in greater abundance.” In spiritual terms, it refers to the spirit we received from God when we confessed Jesus Christ as our Lord and believed that God raised him from the dead, as being the first installment of something greater to come. When we were born again, God placed in us His gift of holy spirit. This spirit is a deposit, our guarantee that we will absolutely have a greater inheritance to come. This is the greatness of the word “earnest”. It is a little taste of the inheritance that is ours.

              I would now like to go back to the scriptures I used earlier, but this time from the New International Version. These give a better translation of the guarantee we have because of God’s spirit within us.

        “(God) set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.”  (II Corinthians 1:22)

         “Now the one who has fashioned us for this very purpose is God, who has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come.” (II Corinthians 5:5)

           “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, that is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession--to the praise of his glory.” (Ephesians 1:13 and 14)

 This is very exciting! Because the spirit within us, we have a deposit guaranteeing us an inheritance in God’s kingdom. YIPEE!! This inheritance cannot perish, spoil or fade away.

                 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you,..” (I Peter 1:3 and 4)

          Insert your own name into the word “you” because one day when Christ returns for us, we (you and I) will share in the inheritance that we didn’t earn. It was earned by Jesus Christ. He is the heir. But God says that WE are joint heirs with him.

         “The spirit itself bearing witness with our spirit that we are the children of God. And if children, their heirs of God, and joint-hears with Christ…” (Romans 8:16 and 17a)

 There’s no time to be down-hearted or discouraged today. God has given us His spirit and made us heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ. This truth will never, ever change because it is God Almighty who declared it. 

                               

Love Always, Ray

Plagues and Passover

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 

Aloha Dearest Family,

                About 5,000 years ago, Israel, God’s chosen people were slaves in Egypt. But it was now time to make the trip to the Promised Land. There was only one problem; the Egyptian Pharaoh would not them go.

                God had foreseen Pharaoh’s stubbornness so He sent the one man He knew would do His Will; Moses. Through Moses and his staff God would do whatever it took to get Pharaoh to let Israel go. God instructed Moses to tell Pharaoh the ultimate consequence of his refusal.

 

                “Then say to Pharaoh, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, “Let my son go, so he may worship me.” But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son.’ ” (Exodus 4:22 and 23)

Little did he know the truthfulness of this statement.  God would give Pharaoh every chance He could before He resorted to such drastic measures. But Pharaoh had no regard for the God of the Hebrews and he would never let his slaves go free.

 

                Because of Pharaoh’s stubbornness, God send’s plagues upon Egypt in an effort to persuade him to let His people go. So you may ask, why didn’t Pharaoh change his mind after all the destruction upon his country? There are two possibilities. 1) Pharaoh considered himself a god himself since he had conquered all of the other god’s of his slaves, so he must be a greater god. 2) He may have considered Moses’ signs as a magician’s trick. If you recall when Moses cast down his staff and it became a serpent, Pharaoh’s Magician’s did the same. Moses’ God would have to better than that.

               

The following is a summary of the plagues that befell Egypt.

 

-Water turning to Blood. When Moses struck the Nile with his staff, the water became blood, as did all the water in Egypt. The fish all died and the river began to stink. The plague lasted for 7 days but Pharaoh’s magicians also could water to blood and Pharaoh would not let the people go.  (Exodus 7:14-24)

-Frogs. God then commanded Moses and Aaron to wave their staff over all the streams, ponds and canals and frogs came up and covered all the land of Egypt. The magicians also made frogs come up into the land. Pharaoh then said that he would let the people to go so they could worship the Lord and he asked Moses and Aaron to take away the frogs from the land. So Moses prayed to the Lord and the next day all the frogs died. (Exodus 8:1-15) 

-Lice (Gnats). But Pharaoh did not let God’s people go as he said he would, so God told Aaron to strike the dust of the ground and gnats came on all the people and animals in Egypt. The magicians tried to replicate this plague but could not and told Pharaoh that this must be the “finger of God” but Pharaoh still refuses to let God’s people go. (Exodus 8:16-19)

-Flies. Since Pharaoh. still refused to let Israel go, god sent flies to cover the land. But this time God would make a distinction between the land of Goshen (the piece of land that was set aside for Israel to live) and the rest of Egypt. No further plagues would touch God’s people. So flies swarmed into the land of Egypt and into Pharaoh’s palace. This plague was very grievous, insomuch that the Bible says that the land was ruined. Only in the land Goshen were there no flies. Pharaoh then bargains with Moses about letting God’s people go and worship if he would get rid of the flies. Moses prays to God and the next day there was not one fly left in Egypt, but Pharaoh still refuses to let Israel go. (Exodus 8:20-23). By now you might be thinking that the Pharaoh is a madman-and you would be right.     

-Disease on Livestock. Next God sends a disease that would affect all animals throughout the land. All donkeys, camels, all cattle, goats and sheep died. But not one animal that belonged to Israel died (Pharaoh checked). Yet this was not enough to turn Pharaoh’s heart. He still refused God’s command. (Exodus 9:1-7)

-Boils. God then tells Moses to take soot from the furnace and toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. This caused festering boils upon every people and animal throughout the land. But even this was not enough to cause Pharaoh to relent. (Exodus 9:8-12)

-Hail. God then tells Pharaoh, “Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth. For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth.”  God is telling Pharaoh, you haven’t seen anything yet. “You still set yourself against my people and will not let them go. Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.” God even goes onto to advise Pharaoh to shelter everything he has because of the storm coming. God then sent thunder, lightning and hail that killed everything that was in the field, man or beast, and ruined crops and even tore the bark off of trees. Only in Goshen was the storm not felt. Would this finally be enough for Pharaoh? Pharaoh in distress calls Moses and admits that he has sinned against the Lord and that he will let His people go. But Pharaoh changes his mind. (Exodus 9:13-35) (What is wrong with this guy?)  

-Locusts. Moses then goes in to talk to Pharaoh and told him that if he didn’t let God’s people go, that God would send locusts upon the land. Even the Egyptian officials pleaded with Pharaoh and said, “Let the people go, so that they may worship the Lord their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”  Pharaoh still did not want to let the people go and he bargained with Moses and said that he would only let the men go.  Not good enough. So God sent locusts upon the land in such an abundance that the ground looked black. The locusts ate up anything that was left from the plague of hail. Pharaoh immediately called for Moses and Aron and begged him to ask God to take away the locusts. The next day the locusts were gone, but Pharaoh still refused to let God’s people go. (Exodus 10:1-18)

-Darkness. God then sent a penetrating darkness upon Egypt and no one moved from his place for three days (but there was light in the land of Goshen). Pharaoh then says that he would let God’s people go but that they were to leave their livestock behind. Not good enough. The cattle must go too. At this point Pharaoh has finally had enough of Moses and Aaron and their God. “Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.” (Exodus 10:21-29) What happens next would shake Egypt to it’s core.

 

The First Passover

                This next and final plague would be the most terrible of all. All of the firstborn of every family in Egypt will die. From the royal prince to the child of the lowliest servant, no family in Egypt would be spared. To prepare Israel for this plague, God instructed each family in Israel to select a male lamb. At sunset they were to kill the lamb and smear the blood on the mantels and door posts of each dwelling place. This was done so that when the “angel of death” passed through the land, he would see the blood on the doorposts and he would pass over those houses. The blood of the lamb would save them from death.

                After the lamb was slain, each family would roast the body of the animal and eat the lamb whole as one family. In doing this the ones who partook of the body of the lamb would be healed. These were the two important aspects of the Passover meal; the blood and body of the lamb. Furthermore, this first Passover meal would be an annual feast that would commemorate this final plague upon Egypt and how God saved Israel, freeing them from slavery.

 

The Death of the Firstborn.

                Because of the stubbornness of Pharaoh, God fulfilled His earlier promise that Pharaoh’s son would die. Pharaoh would finally learn that he himself was not a god and he was not mightier than God Almighty. God gave him every chance to get him to change his mind, but in the end his hard heartedness would not only cost him the life of his firstborn child but cause Egypt to be decimated.

               

        True to His Word, on the night following the Passover meal, death passed through the land killing every first born in Egypt. There was a great cry of anguish in Egypt and Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron and told them to take all that they had and leave Egypt at once. This they did with haste. But not long after Israel departed, Pharaoh realized what he had done and sent the entire army after the fleeing Israelites. I guess Pharaoh had not learned his lesson yet, even after his firstborn child died. This final insane action by Pharaoh would cost him his entire army, because they would all be drowned in the Red Sea.

               

                You may now ask yourself, apart from being a great story, what does it have to do with my Christian life today?

 

Jesus Christ Our Passover

                So many feasts, customs and traditions that Israel practiced were just “shadows” of the greatness of what was to come. For instance, some of the dictates of the yearly Passover meal practiced by Israel were:

          -The Passover lambs were to be perfect, without any spot or blemish.

-The Passover meal was to be eaten on the 14th day of the Jewish month called Nissan.

-No bones of the Passover lamb were to be broken.

-All of the Passover lambs were to be killed at 3:00 PM

 

If you look carefully at the death of Jesus Christ, we find that he died on the 14th of Nissan at 3:00. None of his bones were broken and he was truly without sin (without spot or blemish). These phenomenal truths can also be summed up in the following verse, “Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, since you truly are unleavened. For indeed Christ, our Passover, was sacrificed for us.” (I Corinthians 5:7)

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

                                                                                                   

Communion

                Before he was arrested Jesus Christ did something very significant. In the book of Luke it tells of a new memorial being instituted.

 

                “And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” (Luke 22:19 and 20)

 

Even though we may have read these verses many times, few have read them in the light of Jesus Christ himself being the ultimate (and last) Passover lamb. As we have learned, during the first Passover, the two important elements were the blood and the body of the lamb. 1) The blood spread upon the doorposts of each household in Israel saved them from physical death. Likewise, the blood (represented by the wine) would be realized when Jesus’ blood would be shed for us. This would save us from spiritual death. 2) The body of the Passover lamb which was consumed by each family member was for their physical healing. Likewise, the body (which was represented by the bread), would be realized when Jesus was scourged and beaten. His broken body was given for our healing. Whenever we take communion, both aspects of the ceremony must be recognized. This was all done for OUR benefit.

                

                We were once slaves to sin under a cruel ruler (the devil). We were trapped with no way to escape. But God stepped in and provided a way out - He chose the perfect Passover lamb. Through his own blood and body he would save us from death and provide us with physical healing. All we had to do was to believe on the lamb. We needed to confess him as our Lord and believe in our heart that God raised him from the dead. When we did this we were transferred from the devil’s kingdom, the kingdom of darkness, to God’s kingdom.

 

                “For he has rescued us from the kingdom of darkness and transferred us into the Kingdom of his dear Son,” (Colossians 1:13 New Living Translation)

 

                Jesus Christ was the perfect Passover lamb for us all.

 

                                   Love Always, Ray