Week 5: God's Outstretched Arm

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:

• Sunday: Exodus 4:1-5:21, Matthew 18:1-20, Psalm 22:19-31, Proverbs 5:15-21
• Monday: Exodus 5:22-7:25, Matthew 18:21-19:12, Psalm 23:1-6, Proverbs 5:22-23
• Tuesday: Exodus 8:1-9:35, Matthew 19:13-30, Psalm 24:1-10, Proverbs 6:1-5
• Wednesday: Exodus 10:1-12:13, Matthew 20:1-28, Psalm 25:1-15, Proverbs 6:6-11
• Thursday: Exodus 12:14-13:16, Matthew 20:29-21:22, Psalm 25:16-22, Proverbs 6:12-15
• Friday: Exodus 13:17-15:18, Matthew 21:23-46, Psalm 26:1-12, Proverbs 6:16-19
• Saturday: Exodus 15:19-17:7, Matthew 22:1-33, Psalm 27:1-6, Proverbs 6:20-26

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Exodus, Chapter 6:

Scripture: Exodus 6:6-7

6 "Therefore, say to the Israelites: 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians.

Observation:
At the end of Exodus Chapter 5, Moses got rather desperate. He had finally mustered enough courage to meet with Pharaoh, but his first encounter with him was even worse than he anticipated: Pharaoh shouts at Moses & Aaron (5:4), dismisses the request to let the Israelite people go, dismisses God, and increases the workload for the Israelite slaves. Now Pharaoh is angry, the leaders of the Israelites and the foremen are angry (5:21), yet the LORD still wants Moses to go back to Pharaoh to tell him to let his people go. We read about Moses' desperation in Chapter 5 verse 22 & 23:

22 Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all."

It is in this state of despair that God answers Moses in Chapter 6. He reassures Moses that the moment has now arrived that the LORD will show himself to Pharaoh. He will deliver his people and remember the promise He made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Moses will need to have faith now. I love verses 6 and 7, which is why I chose those as main verses for today's SOAP. God is a God who redeems. His outstretched arm enacts judgment on those who oppress his people, and brings deliverance to those who trust in Him.

Application:
These verses out of Exodus were written for God's people under the Old Covenant, but they apply to his people under the New Covenant as well. Slavery in Egypt can be seen as a picture of 'slavery to sin". If you replace 'the Egyptians' with 'sin', those verses in Exodus 6 read like this:

6 ... 'I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of sin. I will free you from being slaves to sin, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment.7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of sin.

See how these verses are relevant to us? God has redeemed us from the yoke of sin. We are his own people. We live in a time where these words have all come true. Read Jeremiah 31:33-34 for yourself, and see how these verses connect with these verses here in Exodus. God has given us a new heart, so that we can know him from the inside out. Jesus Christ has redeemed us from eternal death and has given us eternal life that we will spend with him and the Father, in the power of the Holy Spirit. At times we may feel like Moses: desperate. It is at those times especially that God reminds us that we are his people, and that his outstretched arm is there to save us.

Prayer:
Thank you, Lord, for redeeming us from slavery to sin. Thank you, Lord Jesus, that you have bought us with your own blood. We are no longer of our own, but we are your people. You have ransomed us, and we are yours. Help us to live our lives for you, that we may honor you in all we do. In Jesus Name. Amen.

Have a great week of reading through the scriptures.

In Christ,

Dick

Week 4: Different in all the Right Ways

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows: 

• Sunday: Genesis 41:17-42:17; Matthew 13:24-46; Psalm 18:1-15; Proverbs 4:1-6
• Monday: Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10
• Tuesday: Genesis 44:1-45:28; Matthew 14:13-36; Psalm 18:37-50; Proverbs 4:11-13
• Wednesday: Genesis 46:1-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19
• Thursday: Genesis 48:1-49:33; Matthew 15:29-16:12; Psalm 20:1-9; Proverbs 4:20-27
• Friday: Genesis 50:1 - Exodus 2:10; Matthew 16:13-17:9; Psalm 21:1-13; Proverbs 5:1-6
• Saturday: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Matthew: 

Scripture: Matthew 13:24-26
"Here is another story Jesus told: 'The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who planted good seed in his field. But that night as the workers slept, his enemy came and planted weeds among the wheat, then slipped away. When the crop began to grow and produce grain, the weeds also grew.'"

Observation:
Jesus later explained to his disciples that this parable of the weeds among the wheat depicts ungodly people living among godly people. What strikes me about this is that Jesus envisions the people of his Kingdom living in close proximity to those who are not members of the Kingdom. In other words, we are living in the period of Salvation History in which weeds and wheat, Christ-followers and non-Christ-followers, coexist in the same place.

Those of us who follow Jesus live in the world but we are not of the world. We shop at the same grocery stores, wear the many of the same clothes, enjoy some of the same music, and eat the same foods. But we are fundamentally different.

Application:
The struggle I face is discerning how best to be different. That is to say, I want to be different in the ways that God wants me to be different. I want to be different in all the ways that matter for the Kingdom of God. I want my differentness to have redeeming value for the sake of Jesus Christ and his work in the world.

There are appropriate ways to be different from non-Kingdom people and there are appropriate ways to be like non-Kingdom people. The Apostle John in 1 John 2:15 says, "Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you." But when he says that we are not supposed to love the world, he is not talking about everything in the world.

Elsewhere in Scripture, for example, the Apostle Paul points out that God richly gives us everything for our enjoyment (1 Timothy 6:17). God loves to see us enjoy the beauty of a sunrise, the sweetness of Honey-Crisp apples, the thrill of roller coaster rides, and the soothing warmth of a hot bath on a cold night. There are millions of pleasures that God created for us to experience...and to enjoy these blessings the way he intended is the highest form of gratitude.

God does not want us to be different from non-Kingdom people in our enjoyment of the many pleasures he created for us to experience. He wants us to be different in terms of our core cravings. Rather than being driven by the lust for money, (immoral) sex, and power (see 1 John 2:16), we are to seek after a relationship with God as our number-one priority.

Put simply, I want to make it my aim in life to be different in all the right ways.

Prayer:
Heavenly Father, please help me be enough like non-Kingdom people to be a redeeming presence while at the same time being different enough to have something of value to offer them. I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.

Have a great week!

Faithfully,
Chuck

Week 3: God's Discipline

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows: 

• Sunday: Genesis 28:1-29:35; Matthew 9:18-38; Psalm 11:1-7; Proverbs 3:11-12
• Monday: Genesis 30:1-31:16; Matthew 10:1-23; Psalm 12:1-8; Proverbs 3:13-15
• Tuesday: Genesis 31:17-32:12; Matthew 10:24-11:6; Psalm 13:1-6; Proverbs 3:16-18
• Wednesday: Genesis 32:13-34:31; Matthew 11:7-30; Psalm 14:1-7; Proverbs 3:19-20
• Thursday: Genesis 35:1-36:43; Matthew 12:1-21; Psalm 15:1-5; Proverbs 3:21-26
• Friday: Genesis 37:1-38:30; Matthew 12:22-45; Psalm 16:1-11; Proverbs 3:27-32
• Saturday: Genesis 39:1-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Proverbs:

Scripture: Proverbs 3:11, 12
"My child, don’t reject the Lord's discipline,
and don't be upset when he corrects you.
For the Lord corrects those he loves,
just as a father corrects a child in whom he delights."

Observation:
This is a scary passage! I find myself at once drawn to this; at once recoiling. I don't want to be disciplined. I want to live above reproach so that discipline is not necessary. Perhaps, however, even those who keep themselves unspotted from the world need God's discipline – maybe even more so than those whose bad choices turn out to be punishment enough!

After all, even Jesus, the author of our salvation, was "made perfect" through the things he suffered. "Even though Jesus was God's Son, he learned obedience from the things he suffered' (Hebrews 5:8). The Father made "Jesus, through his suffering, a perfect leader, fit to bring them into their salvation" (Hebrews 2:10). If Jesus did not escape the Father's discipline, how can I think I will ever be exempt?

Application:
I want to be able to recognize the Father's discipline when it comes, so that I don't have to face the harsher punishments reserved for the hardheaded. I want to remain soft clay in the Father's hands so that when he attempts to form me, I won’t resist and crumble. I want the Father's discipline to be sweet medicine.

Once when I was very young, 3 or 4 years old, my sister, Colleen, and I rebelled against our Aunt Rosemary, who was watching us for the day. We were disrespectful and mischievous. At one point, we took the backyard hose, filled up the Radio Flyer wagon with water, stripped naked and took a bath. When Aunt Rosemary reported our behavior to Mom, we each took our turn over her lap to get a strong spanking on our rear ends. Mom didn't pull her slaps. They hurt! But I'll never forget what I did right afterwards: Even though I was sobbing, I wrapped my arms around her neck, kissed her on the cheek, and said, 'I love you Mommy!'

Prayer:
O Lord, I pray that I have a willing, submissive spirit when I encounter your discipline. I have no idea what forms your acts of correction will take going forward, but I pray that I can easily recognize them as expressions of your love, and that I will immediately turn to you and embrace you, saying, "I love you, Abba!" I pray in Jesus' name.  Amen!

Have a great week!

Faithfully,
Chuck 

Week 2: Light in a thick and dreadful darkness

This week's Bible reading plan is as follows:

• Sunday: Genesis 13:5-15:21, Matthew 5:27-48, Psalm 6:1-10, Proverbs 1:29-33
• Monday: Genesis 16:1-18:15, Matthew 6:1-24, Psalm 7:1-17, Proverbs 2:1-5
• Tuesday: Genesis 18:16-19:38, Matthew 6:25-7:14, Psalm 8:1-9, Proverbs 2:6-15
• Wednesday: Genesis 20:1-22:24, Matthew 7:15-29, Psalm 9:1-12, Proverbs 2:16-22
• Thursday: Genesis 23:1-24:51, Matthew 8:1-17, Psalm 9:13-20, Proverbs 3:1-6
• Friday: Genesis 24:52-26:16, Matthew 8:18-34. Psalm 10:1-15, Proverbs 3:7-8
• Saturday: Genesis 26:17-27:46, Matthew 9:1-17, Psalm 10:16-18, Proverbs 3:9-10

Our S.O.A.P. this week is from the book of Genesis, Chapter 15:

Scripture: Genesis 15:12-13

12 As the sun was setting, Abram fell into a deep sleep, and a thick and dreadful darkness came over him. 13 Then the LORD said to him, "Know for certain that for four hundred years your descendants will be strangers in a country not their own and that they will be enslaved and mistreated there.

Observation:
Chapter 15 of Genesis is a famous chapter for more than one reason. First, verse 6 is quoted by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Galatians (Gal.3:6), where Paul talks about the promise that God made to Abraham based on Abraham's faith, not based on Abraham's good deeds. Then James quotes the same verse to prove that Abraham did not just possess faith, but also acted according to his faith!

Second, the end of Genesis 15 shows us a beautiful covenant ritual. It is too much to describe all the details here, but what I'd like to point out, is that -- similar to the New Covenant -- this covenant with Abraham is a one-side covenant that God upholds by himself. God was the one committing himself to this covenant, and Abraham only watched as God made this promise to him. The promise that God made was to give the land of Canaan to Abraham's descendants. Is it any wonder that after nearly 2000 years of dispersion, the people of Israel are back in their country again? This happened in 1948, and it shows that God is a God who keeps his promises.

The verses that caught my eye for today's SOAP though, are verses 12 and 13. Abraham fell into a deep sleep and was overcome by a thick and dreadful darkness. When I read that, for the first time I realized that it was God who brought that thick and dreadful darkness upon Abraham. The reason is given in verse 13, where God says Know for certain. The LORD wanted Abraham to know that his descendants would be oppressed for 400 years in a foreign country (Egypt). In effect, he gave Abraham a preview of the pain and suffering that his descendants would experience. Hence the 'thick and dreadful darkness' that came over Abraham.

Application:
Just recently, I experienced a time that felt like a 'thick and dreadful darkness'. It was a time where I had to wrestle with God to find answers. At times it felt like 'spiritual oppression' that I experienced -- and it might have been -- however, this passage made me realize that God most likely allowed this experience in my life. Sometimes God allows the darkness to come over our lives, so that we better understand the light that He brings. If you read last week's SOAP, you know that at the very end of times, there will be NO MORE darkness, but only light. God and the Lamb will be the light in the new Jerusalem.

Prayer:
Dear Heavenly Father, I thank you for periods of darkness that you allow to happen in our lives. I pray for those who experience a darkness this very moment, that you will give them the assurance that you are there in the midst of it all. Shine your light in their lives and in our lives. In Jesus name, the Light of the world.

Have a great week!

In Christ,

Dick