Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 2:1-10.

“Now a man from the house of Levi went and married a daughter of Levi.  The woman conceived and bore a son; and when she saw that he was beautiful, she hid him for three months.  But when she could hide him no longer, she got him a wicker basket and covered it over with tar and pitch.  Then she put the child into it and set it among the reeds by the bank of the Nile.  His sister stood at a distance to find out what would happen to him.

The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the Nile, with her maidens walking alongside the Nile;  and she saw the basket among the reeds and sent her maid, and she brought it to her.  When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the boy was crying.  And she had pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.”  Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call a nurse for you from the Hebrew women that she may nurse the child for you?”  Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go ahead.”  So the girl went and called the child’s mother.  Then Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me and I will give you your wages.”  So the woman took the child and nursed him.  The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son.  And she named him Moses, and said, “Because I drew him out of the water.”  Exodus 2:1-10.

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Today’s Scripture leads us to meditate on all the points of “TULIP”.  “TULIP” is a nutshell summary of the Reformed Doctrine of Salvation as more fully taught in the Reformed confession of faith called Canons of Dordt.  “TULIP” is an acronym for “Total Depravity”, “Unconditional Election”, “Limited Atonement”, “Irresistible Grace”, and “Preservation of the Saints” (also known as “Perseverance of the Saints”), the “T”, “U”, “L”, “I”, and “P” of “TULIP”.

We have heard the expression “dead in the water”.  Moses was “dead in the water”.  Scripture teaches that the other exposed babies did not survive.  “It was he (the king of Egypt) who took shrewd advantage of our race and mistreated our fathers so that they would expose their infants and they would not survive.”  Acts 7:19.  This leads us to meditate our natural condition of “Total Depravity”.  We were dead in sin.  

We are saved like Moses, because, so to speak, we were drawn out of the water.  Beware of thinking that we were drawn out of the water, because we were beautiful!  Notice it was Moses’ mother who thought Moses was beautiful;  every mother thinks their baby is beautiful.  Moses was drawn out of the water by Pharaoh’s daughter, because “she had pity on him”.  This leads us to meditate on God’s “Unconditional Election” of us.

“No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him;  …”  John 6:44.

“The LORD did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than any of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,”  Deuteronomy 7:7.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved),”  Ephesians 1:4.

And, this leads us to the next point.  For all those and only those whom God elected, Christ’s sacrificial death obtained and provided all the saving gifts necessary for the salvation of the elect.  “…;  and I will raise him up on the last day.”  John 6:44.  This leads us to meditate on Christ’s “Limited Atonement”.

“… Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing;  but that she would be holy and blameless.”  

Christ cleansed and washed us by water;  we were baptized by water;  we were baptized by the Holy Spirit.  We are saved, because like Moses, so to speak, we were drawn through the water.  

Christ said:  “It is the Spirit who gives life;  the flesh profits nothing;  the words that I have spoken to you are spirit and are life.”  John 6:63. 

And, this leads us to the next point.  Christ has given us His Spirit, the Holy Spirit.  This leads us to meditate on the Holy Spirit’s “Irresistible Grace”.    

We are saved, because like Moses, so to speak, we were given a new life.  “The child grew, and she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter and he became her son.  …”  Verse 10.  Moses did not choose his new life, to become Pharaoh daughter’s son and be raised by her.  “Irresistible Grace” was shown to Moses and was also shown to us.      

Consider the following from the Canons of Dordt in the section titled THIRD AND FOURTH HEADS OF DOCTRINE Of the Corruption of Man, His Conversion to God, and the Manner Thereof. 

Article 11.  But when God accomplishes his good pleasure in the elect, or works in them true conversion, he not only causes the gospel to be externally preached to them, and powerfully illumines their minds by his Holy Spirit, that they may rightly understand and discern the things of the Spirit of God;  but by the efficacy of the same regenerating Spirit, pervades the inmost recesses of the man;  he opens the closed, and softens the hardened heart, and circumcises that which was uncircumcised, infuses new qualities into the will, which though heretofore dead, he quickens;  from being evil, disobedient and refractory, he renders it good, obedient, and pliable;  actuates and strengthens it, that like a good tree, it may bring forth the fruits of good actions.

Article 12.  And this is the regeneration so highly celebrated in Scripture, and denominated a new creation:  a resurrection from the dead, a making alive, which God works in us without our aid.  But this is in no wise effected merely by the external preaching of the gospel, by moral suasion, or such a mode of operation, that after God has performed his part, it still remains in the power of man to be regenerated or not, to be converted, or to continue unconverted;  but it is evidently a supernatural work, most powerful, and at the same time most delightful, astonishing, mysterious, and ineffable;  not inferior in efficacy to creation, or the resurrection from the dead, as the Scripture inspired by the author of this work declares;  so that all in whose heart God works in this marvelous manner, are certainly, infallibly, and effectually regenerated, and do actually believe.  – Whereupon the will thus renewed, is not only actuated and influenced by God, but in consequence of this influence, becomes itself active.  Wherefore also, man is himself rightly said to believe and repent, by virtue of that grace received.

And, this leads us to the next point.  We are saved, because like Moses, we became the son.  This leads us to meditate on God’s “Preservation of the Saints”.  Moses was safe and preserved,  because he became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter.  Verse 10.  We are safe and preserved, because we became the son of God. 

“…  In love He predestined us to adoption as sons through Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the kind intention of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, which He freely bestowed on us in the Beloved.  In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace which He lavished on us. …”  Ephesians 1:4-8.