Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 22, 2013

“Patient in Adversity”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus Chapter 5. Here is a link to that chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+5&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“6 So the same day Pharaoh commanded the taskmasters over the people and their foremen, saying, 7 “You are no longer to give the people straw to make brick as previously; let them go and gather straw for themselves. 8 But the quota of bricks which they were making previously, you shall impose on them; you are not to reduce any of it. Because they are lazy, therefore they cry out, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to our God.’ 9 Let the labor be heavier on the men, and let them work at it so that they will pay no attention to false words.” …

“19 The foremen of the sons of Israel saw that they were in trouble because they were told, “You must not reduce your daily amount of bricks.” 20 When they left Pharaoh’s presence, they met Moses and Aaron as they were waiting for them. 21 They said to them, “May the Lord look upon you and judge you, for you have made us odious in Pharaoh’s sight and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

22 Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “O Lord, why have You brought harm to this people? Why did You ever send me? 23 Ever since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done harm to this people, and You have not delivered Your people at all.”

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Question 28. What advantage is it to us to know that God has created, and by his providence doth still uphold all things?

Answer. That we may be patient in adversity; thankful in prosperity; and that in all things, which may hereafter befall us, we place our firm trust in our faithful God and Father, that nothing shall separate us from his love; since all creatures are so in his hand, that without his will they cannot so much as move. Heidelberg Catechism.

“For God is not unjust so as to forget your work and the love which you have shown toward His name, in having ministered and in still ministering to the saints. And we desire that each one of you show the same diligence so as to realize the full assurance of hope until the end, so that you will not be sluggish, but imitators of those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

For when God made the promise to Abraham, since He could swear by no one greater, He swore by Himself, saying, “I will surely bless you and I will surely multiply you.” Hebrews 6:10-13.

Today’s Scripture comes from Exodus 4:27-31.

“27 Now the Lord said to Aaron, “Go to meet Moses in the wilderness.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which He had sent him, and all the signs that He had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and assembled all the elders of the sons of Israel; 30 and Aaron spoke all the words which the Lord had spoken to Moses. He then performed the signs in the sight of the people. 31 So the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord was concerned about the sons of Israel and that He had seen their affliction, then they bowed low and worshiped.” Exodus 4:27-31.

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You saw the affliction of our fathers in Egypt,

And heard their cry by the Red Sea.

“Then You performed signs and wonders against Pharaoh,

Against all his servants and all the people of his land;

For You knew that they acted arrogantly toward them,

And made a name for Yourself as it is this day.” Nehemiah 9:9-10.

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“22 I will tell of Your name to my brethren;

In the midst of the assembly I will praise You.

23 You who fear the Lord, praise Him;

All you descendants of Jacob, glorify Him,

And stand in awe of Him, all you descendants of Israel.

24 For He has not despised nor abhorred the affliction of the afflicted;

Nor has He hidden His face from him;

But when he cried to Him for help, He heard.

25 From You comes my praise in the great assembly;

I shall pay my vows before those who fear Him.

26 The afflicted will eat and be satisfied;

Those who seek Him will praise the Lord.

Let your heart live forever!

27 All the ends of the earth will remember and turn to the Lord,

And all the families of the nations will worship before You.

28 For the kingdom is the Lord’s

And He rules over the nations.

29 All the prosperous of the earth will eat and worship,

All those who go down to the dust will bow before Him,

Even he who cannot keep his soul alive.

30 Posterity will serve Him;

It will be told of the Lord to the coming generation.

31 They will come and will declare His righteousness

To a people who will be born, that He has performed it.” Psalm 22:22-31.

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 20, 2013

Shocking! Scary! Bloody!

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 4:24-26.

“Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death. Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.” So He let him alone. At that time she said, “You are a bridegroom of blood”—because of the circumcision.” Exodus 4:24-26.

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Shocking! In the middle of a developing adventure, a noble mission of God sending Moses with an array of miracles to deliver the sons of Israel out of the bondage of Egypt, we read this horror story. At first thought, it seems so out of place. We are shocked like the intrusion of horror into a peaceful neighborhood at night that may happen in a fiction horror story.

Scary! “Now it came about at the lodging place on the way that the Lord met him and sought to put him to death.” It is scary enough to face enemies, but even the thought of the trusted ally, the LORD, seeking to put Moses to death can scare us out of our wits.

Bloody! “Then Zipporah took a flint and cut off her son’s foreskin and threw it at Moses’ feet, and she said, “You are indeed a bridegroom of blood to me.”

We tend to take God for granted. We think that because we are the elect or that we serve God, that we can be careless. This may be what Moses experienced. Moses may have been so caught up in the thoughts of the miracles and the mission that he forgot or neglected to perform circumcision on his son as required by God.

God is holy and demands perfection. From our sinful human perspective, we think that Moses had reasonable excuses of more important things to consider (his mission) and the inconvenience of performing the circumcision “on the road”. But, God does not tolerate sin.

We remember the story of Uzza and the bringing of the ark home. “David and all Israel were celebrating before God with all their might, even with songs and with lyres, harps, tambourines, cymbals and with trumpets. When they came to the threshing floor of Chidon, Uzza put out his hand to hold the ark, because the oxen nearly upset it. The anger of the Lord burned against Uzza, so He struck him down because he put out his hand to the ark; and he died there before God.” 1 Chronicles 13:8-10. From our sinful human perspective, we think that Uzza had reasonable excuses of helping to bring the ark home and even preventing the ark from falling. But, God does not tolerate sin.

But, there is hope!

Moses’ wife Zipporah intervened and performed the circumcision. It may be bloody, but her action saved Moses’ life.

Like Zipporah, Christ intervened and performed the circumcision of our hearts from sin. It may be bloody, but His action saved our lives.

Christ comes to us a “bridegroom of blood”.

“3 He was despised and forsaken of men,

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;

And like one from whom men hide their face

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

4 Surely our griefs He Himself bore,

And our sorrows He carried;

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,

Smitten of God, and afflicted.

5 But He was pierced through for our transgressions,

He was crushed for our iniquities;

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,

And by His scourging we are healed.” Isaiah 53:3-5.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 4:18-23.

“18 Then Moses departed and returned to Jethro his father-in-law and said to him, “Please, let me go, that I may return to my brethren who are in Egypt, and see if they are still alive.” And Jethro said to Moses, “Go in peace.” 19 Now the Lord said to Moses in Midian, “Go back to Egypt, for all the men who were seeking your life are dead.” 20 So Moses took his wife and his sons and mounted them on a donkey, and returned to the land of Egypt. Moses also took the staff of God in his hand.

21 The Lord said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt see that you perform before Pharaoh all the wonders which I have put in your power; but I will harden his heart so that he will not let the people go. 22 Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Israel is My son, My firstborn. 23 So I said to you, ‘Let My son go that he may serve Me’; but you have refused to let him go. Behold, I will kill your son, your firstborn.”’”

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“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may perform these signs of Mine among them,” Exodus 10:1.

“Thus I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after them; and I will be honored through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.” Exodus 14:4.

“For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” Romans 9:17.

God is a truly sovereign God. There is no free-will of man effective against God’s total control. God predestines and controls man’s destiny.

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord;

He turns it wherever He wishes.” Proverbs 21:1.

“And not only this, but there was Rebekah also, when she had conceived twins by one man, our father Isaac; for though the twins were not yet born and had not done anything good or bad, so that God’s purpose according to His choice would stand, not because of works but because of Him who calls, it was said to her, “The older will serve the younger.” Just as it is written, “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated.” Romans 9:10-13.

“For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. For the Scripture says to Pharaoh, “For this very purpose I raised you up, to demonstrate My power in you, and that My name might be proclaimed throughout the whole earth.” So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.” Romans 9:15-18.

“You will say to me then, “Why does He still find fault? For who resists His will?” On the contrary, who are you, O man, who answers back to God? The thing molded will not say to the molder, “Why did you make me like this,” will it? Or does not the potter have a right over the clay, to make from the same lump one vessel for honorable use and another for common use?” Romans 9:19-21.

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 17, 2013

A Good Word

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 4:10-17 which covers Aaron being Moses’ mouthpiece.

“Then Moses said to the Lord, “Please, Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither recently nor in time past, nor since You have spoken to Your servant; for I am slow of speech and slow of tongue.” The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.” But he said, “Please, Lord, now send the message by whomever You will.”

Then the anger of the Lord burned against Moses, and He said, “Is there not your brother Aaron the Levite? I know that he speaks fluently. And moreover, behold, he is coming out to meet you; when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. You are to speak to him and put the words in his mouth; and I, even I, will be with your mouth and his mouth, and I will teach you what you are to do. Moreover, he shall speak for you to the people; and he will be as a mouth for you and you will be as God to him. You shall take in your hand this staff, with which you shall perform the signs.”  Exodus 4:10-17.

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Like Moses, we may be shy or slow to speak or not sure of what to say.

But, there is hope!

“The Lord said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes him mute or deaf, or seeing or blind? Is it not I, the Lord? Now then go, and I, even I, will be with your mouth, and teach you what you are to say.”  Verses 11-12.

“But when they hand you over, do not worry about how or what you are to say; for it will be given you in that hour what you are to say. For it is not you who speak, but it is the Spirit of your Father who speaks in you.” Matthew 10:19-20.

God made each of us unique and placed each of us in different situations. Not everyone is a preacher. Some are intended to speak more than others. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.” Ephesians 2:10. “All are not apostles, are they? All are not prophets, are they? All are not teachers, are they? …” 1 Corinthians 12:29. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” 1 Corinthians 12:4. “But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. ” 1 Corinthians 12:18.

We may not be called to be a preacher. But, we may be called to teach children in Sunday School.

We may not be called to give a long speech. But, we may be called to give an encouraging word to a friend.

“Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs it down,

But a good word makes it glad.” Proverbs 12:25.

“Like apples of gold in settings of silver

Is a word spoken in right circumstances.” Proverbs 25:11.

“Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” Ephesians 4:29.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 4:1-9.

“1 Then Moses said, “What if they will not believe me or listen to what I say? For they may say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you.’” 2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” And he said, “A staff.” 3 Then He said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand and grasp it by its tail”—so he stretched out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

6 The Lord furthermore said to him, “Now put your hand into your bosom.” So he put his hand into his bosom, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. 7 Then He said, “Put your hand into your bosom again.” So he put his hand into his bosom again, and when he took it out of his bosom, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh. 8 “If they will not believe you or heed the witness of the first sign, they may believe the witness of the last sign. 9 But if they will not believe even these two signs or heed what you say, then you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground; and the water which you take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.” Exodus 4:1-9.

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One of the purposes of these miraculous signs that Moses did was that the sons of Israel would believe Moses. And, one of the purposes of the miraculous signs that Jesus did was that people would believe Jesus.

Today, we do not have such miraculous signs so that people will believe us. God has provided us with something better, the Holy Spirit: “but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” Acts 1:8.

“I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.” 1 Corinthians 2:2-5.

Today, and every day, we go forward to preach, teach, and live our lives in “demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God” with full confidence that God will work within us to accomplish His good pleasure: “for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” Philippians 2:13.

This power working within us is the awesome resurrection power of God! God can and will show His “Irresistible Grace” to others through your witness just as “… you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him (Christ) from the dead. When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions,” Colossians 2:12-13.

Today’s Scripture comes from Exodus 3:13-22.

“13 Then Moses said to God, “Behold, I am going to the sons of Israel, and I will say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you.’ Now they may say to me, ‘What is His name?’ What shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 God, furthermore, said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’ This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations. 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together and say to them, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I am indeed concerned about you and what has been done to you in Egypt. 17 So I said, I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 They will pay heed to what you say; and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor and the woman who lives in her house, articles of silver and articles of gold, and clothing; and you will put them on your sons and daughters. Thus you will plunder the Egyptians.” Exodus 3:13-22.

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God’s words in today’s Scripture helped Moses, the sons of Israel, and even us today, believe that God can and will help us.

God can help us.

God is the One and Only Almighty “LORD, the God”. “I AM WHO I AM”. “This is My name forever, and this is My memorial-name to all generations.”

God can do miracles. “I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go.

God will help us.

God is our Father, “the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.”

God cares about us. “I am indeed concerned about you”. “I will bring you up out of the affliction”.

God even gives us plunder and splendor, silver and gold and good land, “you will not go empty-handed”. “I will bring you … to a land flowing with milk and honey.”

The Heidelberg Catechism reminds us that when we confess in the Apostle’s Creed that we “believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”, we confess that He is not only Almighty God, but that He is also our Faithful Father Who “will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body: and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage”.

Question 26. What believest thou when thou sayest, “I believe in God the Father, Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth”?

Answer. That the eternal Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (who of nothing made heaven and earth, with all that is in them; who likewise upholds and governs the same by his eternal counsel and providence) is for the sake of Christ his Son, my God and my Father; on whom I rely so entirely, that I have no doubt, but he will provide me with all things necessary for soul and body: and further, that he will make whatever evils he sends upon me, in this valley of tears turn out to my advantage; for he is able to do it, being Almighty God, and willing, being a faithful Father. Heidelberg Catechism.

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 14, 2013

“Certainly I will be with you … it is I who have sent you”.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 3:10-12.

“Therefore, come now, and I will send you to Pharaoh, so that you may bring My people, the sons of Israel, out of Egypt.” But Moses said to God, “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the sons of Israel out of Egypt?” And He said, “Certainly I will be with you, and this shall be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God at this mountain.” Exodus 3:10-12.

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Generally, we may wonder too: “Who am I, that I should … (do my mission, assignment, or job)?” Specifically, on this Monday morning, we may feel weak and unprepared.

But, as God assured Moses, God assures us today: “Certainly I will be with you … it is I who have sent you”.

For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”  Ephesians 2:10.

for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”  Philippians 2:13.

“Certainly I will be with you”

Genesis 26:24

The Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of your father Abraham; Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bless you, and multiply your descendants, For the sake of My servant Abraham.”

Genesis 28:15

Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Isaiah 41:10

‘Do not fear, for I am with you; Do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, surely I will help you, Surely I will uphold you with My righteous right hand.’

Isaiah 43:5

“Do not fear, for I am with you; I will bring your offspring from the east, And gather you from the west.

Jeremiah 1:8

“Do not be afraid of them, For I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 1:19

They will fight against you, but they will not overcome you, for I am with you to deliver you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 15:20

“Then I will make you to this people A fortified wall of bronze; And though they fight against you, They will not prevail over you; For I am with you to save you And deliver you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 42:11

Do not be afraid of the king of Babylon, whom you are now fearing; do not be afraid of him,’ declares the Lord, ‘for I am with you to save you and deliver you from his hand.

Haggai 2:4

But now take courage, Zerubbabel,’ declares the Lord, ‘take courage also, Joshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and all you people of the land take courage,’ declares the Lord, ‘and work; for I am with you,’ declares the Lord of hosts.

Matthew 28:20

teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

Acts 18:10

for I am with you, and no man will attack you in order to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

“it is I who have sent you”

Genesis 45:7

God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.

Numbers 16:28

Moses said, “By this you shall know that the Lord has sent me to do all these deeds; for this is not my doing.

Judges 6:14

The Lord looked at him and said, “Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?”

Zechariah 2:11

“Many nations will join themselves to the Lord in that day and will become My people. Then I will dwell in your midst, and you will know that the Lord of hosts has sent Me to you.

Luke 22:35

And He said to them, “When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?” They said, “No, nothing.”

John 4:38

I sent you to reap that for which you have not labored; others have labored and you have entered into their labor.”

John 17:18

As You sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world.

John 20:21

So Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you; as the Father has sent Me, I also send you.”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 3:1-9.

“1 Now Moses was pasturing the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 The angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. 3 So Moses said, “I must turn aside now and see this marvelous sight, why the bush is not burned up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not come near here; remove your sandals from your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 He said also, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” Then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

7 The Lord said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. 8 So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanite and the Hittite and the Amorite and the Perizzite and the Hivite and the Jebusite. 9 Now, behold, the cry of the sons of Israel has come to Me; furthermore, I have seen the oppression with which the Egyptians are oppressing them.” Exodus 3:1-9.

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If we read this Scripture alone, we may think of God as the great reactor. Man acts, then God reacts. Man cries for help, then God helps.

But, in a parallel Scripture which soon follows, we understand that God initiates.  God is sovereign and controls all events.  God specifically established his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob before the bondage of Israel to Egypt.  God planned and promised to give them the land of Canaan, and God controlled all events to accomplish His plan and promise.

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for under compulsion he will let them go, and under compulsion he will drive them out of his land.”

God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. Say, therefore, to the sons of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage. I will also redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great judgments. Then I will take you for My people, and I will be your God; and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. I will bring you to the land which I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and I will give it to you for a possession; I am the Lord.’” Exodus 6:1-8.

Remember the former things long past,

For I am God, and there is no other;

I am God, and there is no one like Me,

Declaring the end from the beginning,

And from ancient times things which have not been done,

Saying, ‘My purpose will be established,

And I will accomplish all My good pleasure‘;

Calling a bird of prey from the east,

The man of My purpose from a far country.

Truly I have spoken; truly I will bring it to pass.

I have planned it, surely I will do it.” Isaiah 46:9-11.

 

God accomplishes all of His good pleasure. Total Perfect Triumph.

Posted by: Bill Hornbeck | October 11, 2013

“He has remembered His covenant forever”

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 2:11-25 which covers Moses killing an Egyptian whom he saw beating a Hebrew, one of his brethren, and it covers his subsequent escape to the land of Midian (and his sojourn there) after Pharaoh tried to kill him. Here is a link to the chapter – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+2&version=NASB

“Now it came about in the course of those many days that the king of Egypt died. And the sons of Israel sighed because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry for help because of their bondage rose up to God. So God heard their groaning; and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God saw the sons of Israel, and God took notice of them.” Exodus 2:23-25.

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God does not forget His covenant. God does not need to be reminded of His covenant.

“8 He has remembered His covenant forever,

The word which He commanded to a thousand generations,

9 The covenant which He made with Abraham,

And His oath to Isaac.” Psalm 105:8-9.

Psalm Chapter 105 then reminds us of the wonderful deeds that God did for Israel.

“1 Oh give thanks to the Lord, call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples.

2 Sing to Him, sing praises to Him;

Speak of all His wonders.

3 Glory in His holy name;

Let the heart of those who seek the Lord be glad.

4 Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.

5 Remember His wonders which He has done,

His marvels and the judgments uttered by His mouth,

6 O seed of Abraham, His servant,

O sons of Jacob, His chosen ones!

7 He is the Lord our God;

His judgments are in all the earth.” Psalm 105:1-7.

And, verse 6 above reminds us that His covenant is with “His chosen ones”.

Some may bristle against God’s covenant being with His chosen ones. They may think God’s blessing should be upon the strong self-made ones in wisdom or works or faith, “but God has chosen the foolish things of the world to shame the wise, and God has chosen the weak things of the world to shame the things which are strong, and the base things of the world and the despised God has chosen, the things that are not, so that He may nullify the things that are, so that no man may boast before God. But by His doing you are in Christ Jesus, who became to us wisdom from God, and righteousness and sanctification, and redemption, so that, just as it is written, “Let him who boasts, boast in the Lord.”. 1 Corinthians 1:27-31.

“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, but because the Lord loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your forefathers, the Lord brought you out by a mighty hand and redeemed you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.” Deuteronomy 7:7-8.

In today’s Scripture, the sons of Israel brought nothing to the table in terms of their own strength. They cried out. They cried for help. They groaned. But, even those cries did not merit God’s deliverance. God delivered Israel, because “God remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.” Verse 24.

Throughout history, many cry out to God for help, but God does not necessarily save and deliver them.

“So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.” Isaiah 1:15.

“Therefore thus says the Lord, “Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.” Jeremiah 11:11.

God saves and delivers those within His covenant, His people, His chosen ones.

“42 For He remembered His holy word

With Abraham His servant;

43 And He brought forth His people with joy,

His chosen ones with a joyful shout.” Psalm 105:42-43.

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