Reformed Doctrine Daily Devotions

Today’s Scripture comes from Exodus 7:8-13.

“8 Now the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron, saying, 9 “When Pharaoh speaks to you, saying, ‘Work a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron came to Pharaoh, and thus they did just as the Lord had commanded; and Aaron threw his staff down before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh also called for the wise men and the sorcerers, and they also, the magicians of Egypt, did the same with their secret arts. 12 For each one threw down his staff and they turned into serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had said.” Exodus 7:8-13.

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When we take time and study (listen) to this first miracle, we come across some amazing Scriptures about other people and things who were swallowed up.

We start with Pharoah himself. He could have remembered, from a study of Egyptian history, the dream of a prior Pharoah and its warning: “The thin ears swallowed up the seven plump and full ears. Then Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream.” Genesis 41:7. But, Pharoah’s heart was hardened, and he did not listen to Moses and Aaron nor reasonably appreciate this first miracle.

Just a short time later, Moses and the sons of Israel sang this following song to the Lord after the LORD delivered Israel through the Red Sea but then caused the Red Sea to swallow up Pharaoh and his entire army of chariots and horsemen who were pursuing Israel.

“11 “Who is like You among the gods, O Lord?

Who is like You, majestic in holiness,

Awesome in praises, working wonders?

12 “You stretched out Your right hand,

The earth swallowed them.” Exodus 15:11-12.

More generally, all of us should fear the LORD and His awesome power to swallow up the unrighteous in His wrath.

“8 Your hand will find out all your enemies;

Your right hand will find out those who hate you.

9 You will make them as a fiery oven in the time of your anger;

The Lord will swallow them up in His wrath,

And fire will devour them.” Psalm 21:7-8.

But, there is hope!

For the righteous, there is an entirely different meaning and application of being “swallowed up”.

When Jonah was drowning, God saved him. “And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow Jonah, and Jonah was in the stomach of the fish three days and three nights.” Jonah 1:17.

More generally, for the righteous, “He will swallow up death for all time, And the Lord God will wipe tears away from all faces, And He will remove the reproach of His people from all the earth; For the Lord has spoken.” Isaiah 25:8.

“But when this perishable will have put on the imperishable, and this mortal will have put on immortality, then will come about the saying that is written, “Death is swallowed up in victory.” 1 Corinthians 15:54.

“For indeed while we are in this tent, we groan, being burdened, because we do not want to be unclothed but to be clothed, so that what is mortal will be swallowed up by life.” 2 Corinthians 5:4.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 7:1-7.

“1 Then the Lord said to Moses, “See, I make you as God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall speak to Pharaoh that he let the sons of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart that I may multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. 4 When Pharaoh does not listen to you, then I will lay My hand on Egypt and bring out My hosts, My people the sons of Israel, from the land of Egypt by great judgments. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the sons of Israel from their midst.” 6 So Moses and Aaron did it; as the Lord commanded them, thus they did. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three, when they spoke to Pharaoh.” Exodus 7:1-7.

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Egyptians did see God’s signs and wonders and knew that God is “the LORD”, but that knowledge alone did not necessarily save them. We may see God’s signs and wonders and know that God is “the LORD”, but that knowledge alone will not necessarily save us. ” And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.” The Egyptians believed that God existed but did not believe (and rightfully so) that God was going to reward them.

Israel was delivered out of the bondage of Egypt, but that delivery alone did not necessarily save them. We may be delivered out of our troubles, but that delivery alone will not necessarily save us. “But as for Israel He says, “All the day long I have stretched out My hands to a disobedient and obstinate people.” Romans 10:21.

In the bookends to the verse in Romans 9 which describes the purpose for God raising up Pharaoh, God emphasizes His “Unconditional Election” of those whom He chooses to save. “15 For He says to Moses, “I will have mercy on whom I have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I have compassion.” 16 So then it does not depend on the man who wills or the man who runs, but on God who has mercy. 17 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.” 18 So then He has mercy on whom He desires, and He hardens whom He desires.”  Romans 9:15-18.

In Psalm 105 which specifically describes God’s signs and wonders and much more of God’s history with dealing with Israel, the source and focus of these signs and wonders is God’s covenant with His chosen ones.

“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.

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 105:5-9.

In summary, we would do well to both seek to know God’s wonderful deeds represented by the first line of the concluding verse and seek to receive God’s favor represented by the next line of the concluding verse.

“Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face continually.” Psalm 105:4.

Today’s Scripture comes from Exodus 6:14-30 which covers the genealogy of Moses and Aaron starting with Levi. Levi was the father of Kohath. Kohath was the father of Amram. Amram was the father of Aaron and Moses. And, there is so much more detail about the descendants of Israel. Here is the link to this Scripture – http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Exodus+6&version=NASB

I quote the following verses.

“It was the same Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said, “Bring out the sons of Israel from the land of Egypt according to their hosts.” They were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the sons of Israel from Egypt; it was the same Moses and Aaron.

Now it came about on the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, that the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “I am the Lord; speak to Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I speak to you.” But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?” Exodus 6:26-30.

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Like Moses, we may feel like God will need to “scratch his head” and try hard to figure out how to deal with our shortcomings to perform our mission. But, today’s Scripture reminds us how nothing passes God’s attention and control. God controls every detail of our lives and even every detail of the lives of our ancestors. God controls even “sideways” to the lives of our ancestors’ cousins.

God does not need to think linearly (like a line of thread) from Point A to Point B to Point C. God does not think: “OK, how can I get from Point A to get to Point B?” God does not react and wonder: “Oh, no, how am I going to deal with the fact that Moses is unskilled in speech?!”

God planned and controls the whole beautiful tapestry of history according to His good pleasure.

“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.

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. Can not the God Who created the heavens and the earth continue to control every detail?! Of course.

Man may worry and be anxious and want freedom from God’s control, but God stays firmly in control.

“2 The kings of the earth take their stand

And the rulers take counsel together

Against the Lord and against His Anointed, saying,

3 “Let us tear their fetters apart

And cast away their cords from us!”

4 He who sits in the heavens laughs,

The Lord scoffs at them.

5 Then He will speak to them in His anger

And terrify them in His fury, saying,

6 “But as for Me, I have installed My King

Upon Zion, My holy mountain.”

7 “I will surely tell of the decree of the Lord:

He said to Me, ‘You are My Son,

Today I have begotten You.

8 ‘Ask of Me, and I will surely give the nations as Your inheritance,

And the very ends of the earth as Your possession.

9 ‘You shall break them with a rod of iron,

You shall shatter them like earthenware.’” Psalm 2:2-9.

Today’s devotion comes from Exodus 6:1-13.

“1 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.”

2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. 5 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. 6 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. 7 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. 8 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.’” 9 So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.

10 Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 11 “Go, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the sons of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” 13 Then the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and gave them a charge to the sons of Israel and to Pharaoh king of Egypt, to bring the sons of Israel out of the land of Egypt.” Exodus 6:1-13.

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God promised what He would do, and God underscored His ability to do so by declaring four times: “I am the Lord“.

“So Moses spoke thus to the sons of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses on account of their despondency and cruel bondage.” Verse 9.

We too can get so focused on ourselves, our situation, and our feelings that we do not look to God and listen to Him.

It will help us to remember that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, And the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.” Proverbs 9:10.

If we take our eyes off ourselves and focus on the LORD, then it is a start to wisdom and understanding. We will then become inclined to believe what God has promised to do.

We believe that God is not only “the LORD”, “Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth” Who can do what He promised to do; we believe that God is also our “faithful Father” Who will do the good that He promised to do for us, His children.

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.

Question 27. What dost thou mean by the providence of God?

Answer. The almighty and everywhere present power of God; whereby, as it were by his hand, he upholds and governs heaven, earth, and all creatures; so that herbs and grass, rain and drought, fruitful and barren years, meat and drink, health and sickness, riches and poverty, yea, and all things come, not by chance, but by his fatherly hand.

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.

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.

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.

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.