Exodus 8:1 – That They May Serve Me

Exodus 7:16
16 And thou shalt say unto him, The LORD God of the Hebrews hath sent me unto thee, saying, Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness: and, behold, hitherto thou wouldest not hear.

Exodus 8:1
1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, Go unto Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

-In an act of Divine love that defies explanation, God Himself provided a way for us to be free from the burden of sin. What does He expect us to do with that freedom? Look at the Lord’s command to Pharaoh here in Exodus; He demanded that the Hebrew people be freed so that they could serve the Lord in the wilderness. As it was with the Hebrew, so it is with us today.  God will never give you freedom and then turn you loose; if He has called you out, that means He’s taking you somewhere else and rule number one on God’s path is to serve Him.

Proverbs 21:30 – Wisdom, So Called

Proverbs 21:30
30 There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord.

-There is no truth out there that can contradict the Lord.  As the Creator of all things, it is impossible that there would exist “a thing” that wouldn’t in some way reflect back on the Lord’s existence and goodness.  Now, of course, the Lord is very aware that we humans are a prideful and egocentric bunch, and so, there are all sorts of things that we think and hear and say that may be contrary to the Lord and yet the truth of Proverbs 21:30 still stands.  What does that tell us about the things that we think and hear and say that may be contrary to the Lord?  It tells us that all such wisdom is not really wisdom, all such understanding is not really understanding, and all such counsel is not really counsel.  Simply put, all these are really not anything at all.  When Solomon observed them, he called them “vanity of vanities.”  However you choose to phrase it, anything contrary to the Lord is an empty promise, an empty nothing; it is simply empty.

Psalm 107 – Praise the Lord

Psalm 107:8
8 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:15
15 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:21
21 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Psalm 107:31
31Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

-Four times in this Psalm the Bible implores mankind to praise the Lord for His goodness and wonderful works.  This is not unique to this Psalm either as the whole of scripture continuously reinforces the idea of magnifying the Lord.  How often in Church, or Sunday School, or your own bible study does the Word of God attest to the Lord’s greatness?  How often in our everyday lives do we see the evidence of that greatness?  Now out of all that, how often do we actually render unto the Lord the praise that is due?  If we are honest with ourselves, I believe we would say not often enough.  Why is that?  Is there something wrong with our God, or is there something wrong with us?

Isaiah 26:3 – Perfect Peace

Isaiah 26:3
3 Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee.

-The phrase “perfect peace” here is actually the Hebrew word “shalom” repeated- “shalom, shalom“.  However you choose to identify it, (peace-peace, double-peace, perfect peace) this complete peace sounds like something that is sorely lacking in the world today.  How can we achieve this peace beyond peace?  Notice the condition given in the verse, “whose mind is stayed on thee“.  Perfect peace is out there waiting for everyone; the promise has been given and the Lord is able to deliver, but it is only promised to those whose minds are fixed on the Lord.  How many of us can truly make such a claim?   When your plans fail, or troubles come, or things just don’t turn out the way you planned, what’s your first reaction?  Do you fall into a state of panic or do you offer up those burdens in prayer?  Does bad news force you to mourn what’s been lost or does it make you thankful to God for what remains?  The answers to these questions will determine if your mind is fixed on the Lord or on the circumstances of life.  One is the promise of perfect peace, the other can only bring fear and uncertainty.

Luke 17:12-19 – Where Are The Nine?

Luke 17:12-19
12And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.

-Notice Jesus’ reaction when the 1 (former) leper returns to give thanks to God.  Before recognizing the gratitude of the one, Jesus first calls attention to the ingratitude of the other nine.  The Lord does so much for us: He provides continual mercy that keeps us from destruction (Lamentations 3:22-23), He gives sunshine and rain for everyone (Matthew 5:45), He gave His only Son for the sins of mankind (John 3:16).  In all of this, God expects us to give Him thanks (Psalm 100:4), He commands us to give Him thanks (1 Thessalonians 5:18), and as we learn here, He watches as so many turn away without giving Him thanks. “Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!”  (Psalm 107:31)

Proverbs 19:11 – Anger and Glory

Proverbs 19:11
11 The discretion of a man deferreth his anger; and it is his glory to pass over a transgression.

-If there’s one biblical teaching that’s bound to quiet even the loudest-shouting Christian, it’s the idea of turning the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).  If we feel like we’ve genuinely been wronged, it opens a door to all manner of wicked thoughts, emotions and even actions that we find ways to justify.  It may seem impossible to let go of anger sometimes, but let’s consider what the Bible is telling us in this Proverb.  The word glory used here is the Hebrew word “tipharah” and here are some of the English words associated with it: beautiful, brave, comely, fair, glorious, honor, and majesty.  We may feel as though we are missing out on something if we don’t get back at someone, but considering what’s at stake it’s actually the other way around.  For what is a person profiting, if they gain a moment’s vengeful satisfaction but lose out on the chance to be beautiful, brave, comely, fair, glorious, honorable, and majestic?

1 Kings 12:26-28 – Easy Religion vs. Truth

1 Kings 12:26-28
26 And Jeroboam said in his heart, Now shall the kingdom return to the house of David:
27 If this people go up to do sacrifice in the house of the Lord at Jerusalem, then shall the heart of this people turn again unto their lord, even unto Rehoboam king of Judah, and they shall kill me, and go again to Rehoboam king of Judah.
28 Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

-At this point is Israel’s history, the nation has been split; the nation of Israel under King Jeroboam and Judah under King Rehoboam.  Jeroboam is afraid that if the people go back to Jerusalem to worship the Lord, they will decide not to return.  Look how he decided to deal with that possibility.  He creates a false religion in the form of two idols and tells the people that it is okay to stay in Israel to worship.  This is the same problem we have in the modern age.  Blind leaders have peddled countless false religions out to the people under the premise that “it is too hard to worship the Lord”.  They say His laws are too strict and His standards too high.  That may be true; Jesus Himself taught us that “unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48), so you may find many other “religions” that are easier to follow.  But think about what you are getting.  If you can have the God of all creation, how could you ever be happy with anything less?

Philippians 2:12-16 – God Worketh In You

Philippians 2:12-16
12 Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.
13 For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure.
14 Do all things without murmurings and disputings:
15 That ye may be blameless and harmless, the sons of God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world;
16 Holding forth the word of life; that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I have not run in vain, neither laboured in vain.

-It’s easy to confuse verse 12 for a teaching that works have some merit towards salvation.  This is an excellent example of why Bible verses need to be kept in context.  In this case, verse 13 holds the key to understanding verse 12.  God is doing a work inside of us that will leave us able to carry out his will.  His work is the remedy to Paul’s teaching in Romans 7 that sin reigns in our members.  God gives us the power to exercise His authority in our members which leads us back to verse 12; instead of sin dictating our actions, we can now use our members for God’s good pleasure.  To further elaborate look at verse 16; we should be “holding forth the Word of life.”  What is “holding forth”?  It is the opposite of holding back; the opposite of keeping it to ourselves.  God put’s something beautiful inside His children and it is our duty to push that out to the world around us.  We don’t have to work to achieve salvation, but upon receiving salvation, it becomes obvious that the work is too important to be left undone.

Job 1:7-8 -Hast Thou Considered…

Job 1:7-8
7 And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said, From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it.
8 And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil?

-Why was Satan walking up and down in the earth?  Satan knew, God knew, and thanks to Peter, we know as well; “the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” (1 Peter 5:8)  What did the Lord do when confronted with Satan here in Job 1?  The Lord directed Satan to one that He knew would be able to withstand Satan’s assault.  Of course, the Lord did this so that His name would be honored, but consider another reason.  What kind of prey will a lion inevitably seek after?  The weakest kind.  There could have been any number of “weaker prey” out there who perhaps would have fainted under Satan’s attack.  The Lord in His mercy steered this evil lion away from them and instead pointed him toward someone that the Lord knew would stay close to Him and so “be able to withstand in the evil day”. (Ephesians 6:13) The Bible teaches that those who “are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please [themselves].”  (Romans 15:1)   Remember that the next time you face a trial; you may be under attack so that someone else can be spared.

John 8:44 – The Father of Lies

John 8:44
44 Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.

-Jesus identifies Satan here as the father of lies; that means that lying didn’t exist until Satan started it.  What was the first lie?  Satan told Eve that if she disobeyed God, “ye shall not surely die.” (Genesis 3:4)  That’s the same lie that Satan is still telling us to this very hour.  Every day, Satan convinces a multitude that they can disobey God without consequence and the greatest lie Satan tells us is that we can reject Jesus Christ and still live.  The only way to combat a lie is with truth and Jesus gave us the truth when He said that “God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.  He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.” (John 3:17-18)