Saturday Study

Exodus 16-20 (4-28-18)

In our reading this week in Exodus, we get to see God’s people free from Egypt and looking to make their way to the Promised Land. In this major transition, God is going to do a very important work by giving His moral law and then many positive laws by which His people are to obey and honor Him. In Exodus 20, we see Moses give the Ten Commandments, which leads us into a needed study about what they mean for us today and a better understanding of the law. With lots to cover, let’s dig in.

First, the word “law” can be a very confusing one in Scripture. It certainly is a complex topic. When looking to understand the word “law” and its synonyms in the Bible, we cannot take a concordance approach to trying to understand it. We cannot take a single use of the word and apply that to all the other occurrences we see in the text, or we would have a grave misunderstanding of God’s use of the law.

The word “law” has several synonyms in Scripture. These include commandments, statutes, rules, precepts, testimonies, etc. For example:

• The word “law” can refer to the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch is the first five books of the Bible.
• The word “law” can refer to the law system of the Mosaic Covenant.
• The word “law” can refer specifically to ceremonial laws found in the Old Covenant.
• The word “law” can refer to the moral law of God (which is a main focus of our study today).
• The word “law” can refer to the “penalty” of the law.

I want to expand briefly on this point before we move on, because when this kind of usage is not interpreted correctly, people can get into serious problems. Look at:

Romans 6:14-15 For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace.  What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means!

If someone, as some people do, takes this “law” in this passage to mean, “You are no longer called to obey moral law,” or “You no longer need to obey God because of grace,” then it will have serious, negative, unbiblical consequences.

Conversely, Paul is using the word “law” to mean penalty or condemnation.

Look at the two verses with this correct interpretation to see what Paul is saying. “For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under condemnation but under grace. What then? Are we to sin because we are not under the condemnation of the law but under grace? By no means!”

And this is what Romans 6 is all about: The saved are no longer slaves to sin–no longer condemned by sin; rather, we are saved by grace unto a life of repentance from sin and called all the more to obey the moral law of God!

That’s one example of how important it is to understand what the word “law” means in the various appearances in Scripture.

All that to say, this once again shows how handling the word of God rightly is so important.

Today our focus is on “law” as the requirements on man often expressed through commands that God has given.

One of the most important things to understand is that there are two categories of this kind of “law” in Scripture:

• Universal Moral Law (also called Natural Law) and
• Positive Law

Let’s break these down one at a time. First:

Universal Moral Law (Natural Law): Unchanging law and commands based on the right and character of God, to which man is held accountable for all of life. Universal Moral Law is written in the hearts of all people, leaving them without excuse in disobedience.

This moral law is the eternal, foundational law that has and will always exist. The Universal Moral Law exists at all times, over all of mankind. Even where it was not or is not fully communicated verbally, it exists because it’s based on the right and character of God and mankind’s relation to Him. This means this Universal Moral Law existed when Adam was in the garden, even though we don’t see God laying all of it out for him. It existed when Cain sinned by killing Abel, even though we don’t see God having laid a murder prohibition out for them by then. It existed over the Israelites before God gave a summary of the moral law in the Ten Commandments to them through Moses in our chapter of Exodus 20. It existed over the nations and peoples outside of Israel, even though we don’t see God laying all of it out for them the way He did for the Israelites. And in the same way, it exists now over the people in a backwoods tribe who have never been preached to about God and who do not have a Bible to read about the “law.” Likewise, it exists over an infant who can’t even understand words yet.

This is very important: The Universal Moral Law exists at all times, over all of mankind, because it is based on the right and character of God and our relation to Him as created creatures. And in His wisdom, God decreed that this Universal Moral Law would be placed on the conscience of all persons. The Bible tells us that Universal Moral Law is written in the hearts of all people. And this is why it is sometimes called “Natural Law.”

We see this taught in Romans 2:15-16, where Paul tells us that even those who have never heard about God’s moral requirements of man have “the work of the law written on their hearts,” and their consciences bear witness to this fact.

What that means is that all people, whether they acknowledge it or not and whether it impacts their lives significantly or not, all people have this law written in their hearts–on their consciences. That is why there can be found, to some degree, some common moral principles among people groups around the world, throughout time, even in those who haven’t communicated with others or haven’t heard God’s truths taught. This is why even your pagan friend often will still have a guilty conscience when he steals from his boss or lies to his child. The law is in the hearts of even non-believers, convicting them of their sin.

But as we know all too well, because of the deceitfulness of sin in them, this law being in their hearts is not enough to cause your friend or the various pagan people groups throughout creation to obey God fully. Because of their enslavement to sin, the Universal Moral Law written in them is ignored, denied, and disobeyed.

No person will be able to stand before God and say, “I did not know your moral expectations of me, so there is nothing to which you can hold me accountable.” The man, for example, in the backwoods tribe that never was taught God’s truths, will stand before God guilty of breaking God’s law, the very law that is in him and to whatever degree, bore on his conscience.

So, what exactly is this Universal Moral Law?

The moral law is the eternal, foundational law that has and will always exist. The Universal Moral Law exists at all times, over all of mankind. Even where it was not or is not fully communicated verbally it exists because it’s based on the right and character of God and mankind’s relation to Him.

God has chosen different ways to inform us of this law. As we saw a bit ago, one of these ways is that He has written on the heart of every human who has or will exist. From Adam, to us, to the babies in wombs, to any people who will be conceived in the future, we all have the moral law written on our hearts.

While that’s foundational, it’s not the only way God has informed us of this Universal Moral Law.

In the Old Testament, we see Him directly communicate elements of the moral law.

And the pinnacle of this is the Ten Commandments that we read about in Exodus 20.

In the Ten Commandments (sometimes called the “Ten Words” or “the Decalogue”), God was expressing a summary of the moral law. The reformers in Christian church history said, “The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments, which were delivered by the voice of God upon mount Sinai, and written by him in two tables of stone; and are recorded in the twentieth chapter of Exodus.”

“Summarily comprehended” is the phrase they used to say that the moral law was summarized and expressed by God in the Ten Commandments. This is very important. It is a summary of the Universal Moral Law; it is not the only way to summarize the Universal Moral Law, as we’ll see in a minute, but it is indeed a summary of the eternal moral law. And that’s why we can look back now to the Ten Commandments and see God’s revealed will for us in them in our time.

Briefly, let’s see how they summarize the Universal Moral Law. The Ten Commandments have two main themes:

The first four commandments are primarily vertical, towards God, and the last six commandments focus on the horizontal, towards others.

In the first four of the ten God says:

            “You shall have no other gods before me.

                         You shall not make for yourself an idol.

                         You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God.

                         Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.”

In the last six of the ten, God says:

“Honor your father and mother.

                         You shall not murder.

                         You shall not commit adultery.

                         You shall not steal.

                         You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor.

                         You shall not covet.”

Now all commands that God gives are first and foremost to be obeyed to the honor of God, to honor His name and glory. But we can see the function of the Ten Commandments have directional purpose. Each of the first four function to display that God is our highest treasure and our one true, sovereign King; while the last six function to honor God by loving others correctly. So, in this, the moral law as expressed in the Ten Commandments require us to 1) love God first, correctly, and supremely; and 2) love others correctly, out of love for God.

Hopefully you can see that the Ten Commandments are not just good principles to live by. They are an expression of the Universal Moral Law that you, and I, and every other human being are required to obey.

Some have wrongly said that the moral law was fulfilled by Christ and is no longer needed today, but this is not true, as the moral law is for all people for all time. God has communicated the Universal Moral Law in the New Testament as well. In the New Testament, we see Jesus and the Apostles teach the same moral law that man has always been under.

You’re familiar with Christ’s words in Matthew 22; look there with me:

In Matthew 22:36-40 Jesus was asked “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”

Jesus is showing us that the moral law has two main themes: vertical (towards God) and horizontal (towards others). And when He says, “On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets,” He is saying all moral law we see in the Old Testament, like the Ten Commandments for example, can also be summarized in these TWO commandments. So, the Ten Commandments summarize the moral law–that’s one way God did it–and the two commandments here spoken by Jesus summarize the moral law–this is another way God communicates a summary of it.

And that’s also what we see the Apostles teach about the moral law.

Look at one example from the Apostle Paul.

In regards to the horizontal theme of the law, man to man, Paul says it like this:

             Romans 13:8-10 Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. For the commandments, “You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,”    and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself.” Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.

See that? Paul quotes from the horizontal part of the Ten Commandments and then summarizes it in a similar way as Christ did!

Basically, Paul is saying we fulfill the man-ward requirements of the moral law when we correctly love our neighbors.

What you need to understand is that neither Christ nor the Apostles contradicted or replaced the moral law found summarized in the Ten Commandments. They did not contradict or replace Universal Moral Law.

The Ten Commandments are an accurate summary of the Universal Moral Law, Christ’s moral law teaching is an accurate summary of the Universal Moral Law, and the Apostle’s moral teaching is an accurate summary of the Universal Moral Law.

Those are some important elements to know about Universal Moral Law.

What we will see next week in our reading are examples of Positive Law. I will give you that definition here so you can know what is to come as you read next week, and then we will discuss Positive Law more in the following study.

Positive Law: Law and commands based on the will of God for a particular people, a particular purpose, and a particular time.

Next week we will read a few of the many Positive Laws that God prescribes to a particular people, a particular purpose, and a particular time, but today as we read the Ten Commandments, we must realize each of them are to be obeyed still today by us, as we honor God’s moral law and in doing so, honor God and make much of His name to the watching world.

As we close, meditate on the Ten Commandments and why they make for a better society than when we disregard these things and live selfishly. May we fight our sin to serve and honor God in these things. May we hold high the commands of God and His authority over our lives. May we live in the power Christ has given and the conviction of the Holy Spirit to live out the moral law God has given us.

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Saturday Study

Exodus 11-15 (4-21-18)

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into Exodus chapters 11-15.

My hope today is to help us put into view the larger context for the 10^th plague and the Passover. While this was a significant moment of deliverance for God’s people, it held much greater significance for all of mankind and especially for all of God’s chosen people to ever trust in Him for salvation and eternal life with God. To set the table, let’s read a few key passages in Exodus 11 and 12.

Exodus 11:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely.”

Exodus 12:1-14 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbor shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male a year old. You may take it from the sheep or from the goats, and you shall keep it until the fourteenth day of this month, when the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill their lambs at twilight. Then they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted on the fire; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it. Do not eat any of it raw or boiled in water, but roasted, its head with its legs and its inner parts. And you shall let none of it remain until the morning; anything that remains until the morning you shall burn. In this manner you shall eat it: with your belt fastened, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. And you shall eat it in haste. It is the Lord’s Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the Lord. The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you, when I strike the land of Egypt. This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast.”

Understand that this event, the Exodus and the provision of God to free Israel from Egypt’s grip, was talked about worldwide for generations and generations. It would be the most cherished gathering of the Jews and would serve to point the hearts of His people to the One who would forever set them free.

From the beginning, God has had a plan to redeem His elect from the separation and eternal wrath due them for their sin. To do this, He planned for a royal Redeemer to come and die in our place so that we could be free from the eternal penalty of sin and reconciled to God to enjoy Him forever.

God the Son, Jesus, is this promised Redeemer. The Passover not only became the most cherished Jewish practice to honor God and remember what He did to set them free, but it would be the table at which Jesus would establish a new covenant between God and His people.

The Passover that began at the Exodus would point generations to the truer and better Passover Lamb: Jesus Christ.

Turn with me now to the Gospel of John chapter 1, and look with me at verse 29:

John 1:29 The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Here we read “the forerunner of Christ” (John the Baptist) as he announces Jesus as “the Lamb of God,” not as “the Word of God,” not as “the Christ of God,” but as THE LAMB. This is so critical, because the work of the Lamb of God is the very office in which we stood in deepest need of Him.

Before we get to the official work of Jesus as the Lamb of God, let’s look back on God’s divine plan from the beginning to provide the needed Lamb. God, in His providence, uses a lamb all throughout history to make it clear that a sinful people are desperate for a lamb–a Lamb of God.

1. In Genesis 4, we have the Lamb typified, as Abel sacrifices a lamb unto the Lord.
2. We have the Lamb prophesied in Genesis 22:8, when Abraham said to Isaac, “God will provide himself a lamb.”
3. In Exodus 12, we have the lamb slain on behalf of the people and its blood applied.
4. In Isaiah 53:7, here for the first time we learn that the promised Lamb of God would be a man.
5. In John 1:29, we have the Lamb identified as Jesus.
6. In the last chapter of the Bible, in Revelation 22:1, we have the Lamb glorified, seated upon the eternal throne of God.

As Hebrews 9:22 says, “… without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness of sins.” The Bible says in Romans 6:23, “For the wages of sin is death …”

We must understand that sin earns death. In the Old Covenant system God put in place, the animal died as a substitute in the place of the sinful people at the hands of the high priest.

Now, here’s the problem: The Bible is also clear that “it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins” (Hebrews 10:4).

So, what is going on in all of the Old Testament sacrifice and the spilling of the blood of spotless lambs and goats is a foreshadow of the ultimate grace of God that would be provided in Christ alone.

God is pointing to the ultimate sacrifice–the one true Sacrifice–the perfect and satisfactory blood of the Lamb of God, who would take away the sin of the world. All throughout the Old Testament, God is making a way for Jesus–the One who would bring grace upon grace. Oh, how it was the grace of God to give His people this system to point to the fact that He would not just condemn, but He would act in amazing grace!

The whole Old Testament system was pointing forward to what would happen someday in a final sacrifice for sin. Those whom God would save of the Old Testament were putting their faith in the coming Messiah–THE LAMB OF GOD–who would pay the complete and final price for their sin and make atonement for their sin in the only way it could be paid for.

Now, turn to John chapter 2.

Here in John 2, we witness the first miracle of God in flesh. He turned water into wine at the wedding celebration. It is filled with symbolism of what Jesus has come to bring His people.

John 2:9-11 When the master of the feast tasted the water now become wine, and did not know where it came from (though the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom and said to him, “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.” This, the first of his signs, Jesus did at Cana in Galilee, and manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him.

This miracle demonstrated not only Jesus’ lordship over creation but was also a picture of what the Messiah would do in His ministry, i.e. take up common elements (like water) and transform them into something special and wonderful for the good of others.

As the wedding celebration carries on, Jesus has another cup on his mind. He has a work to do first that will make possible the true enjoyment of wine at the wedding feast, whereby He and His bride (the church) will have fellowship forever.

John 2:3-4 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”

What is on Jesus’ mind is the cup of wrath. Like God has done from the beginning of time, Jesus is continuing the predetermined rescue mission of His people for the banquet that will outdo all banquets and that will last for eternity!

Before Jesus would drink the wine at the eternal feast with His redeemed, He would have to drink of the cup of wrath on behalf of His people. Yes, as Psalm 104:15 states, God gave “wine to gladden the heart of man.” He gave it as a good gift to be enjoyed and eventually to be a part of His eternal celebration, but Jesus came to do a work that we could not do–a work that must be done.

In this, Jesus had to set aside the ceremonial wine and instead drink of the cup of wrath so that we, His chosen people, don’t have to. All of this is pointing to another wedding feast where Jesus is the eternal Bridegroom and His redeemed people are His beloved bride. Listen to the language used later in Revelation 21:

Revelation 21:9 Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.

Jesus is the true Bridegroom! So, the Lord is using the stage of His first miracle at a wedding in Cana to point to the eternal wedding by which Jesus, the Bridegroom, will be united forever with His bride: the church, the redeemed.

Praise God He finished what He came to do! It’s not without real cost that He did this, too.

Turn with me to Mark 14:32-36:

They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.” Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Praise God that Jesus was obedient to the Father to the point of death.

“Not my will but yours be done.” Do you see? He drank the cup of wrath on our behalf.

This is the gospel of “our Passover.”

2 Corinthians 5:21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin …

He took on our sin for His chosen ones! He paid our price. He atoned our sin.

Now, we must also understand, at that moment, the wrath of God due a particular people was satisfied.

The justice of God was met. The holiness of God was respected.

1 Corinthians 5:7 says “… For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.”

This is God’s amazing plan of redemption for us, His chosen people.

What the Passover meant to the Jews for generations pointed to what the Lord’s Supper means to us today.

It is our opportunity to celebrate the Passover Lamb who drank the cup of wrath on our behalf.

Only in Him do we have new freedom from the wrath of God and are reconciled to Him forever.

This brings us to the new ordinance that Jesus gave to the disciples (and now us, the Church) the night before He was betrayed. At the last Passover meal, God the Son gave His people a new tradition and a new remembrance and a new celebration and testimony to the watching world about how the Lord passed over us and all others who believe in Him for salvation.

May we faithfully practice the new ordinance of the Lord’s Supper as we remember Him and testify of what He has done to pass over His chosen people and bring us new life in God’s eternal kingdom.

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Saturday Study

Exodus 5-9 (4-14-18)

Grab your Bibles, and let’s go deeper into Exodus chapters 5-10!

Let’s do a little recap of the bigger picture here. God’s people have been in Egypt for quite some time now, and God has decided the time for their slavery to Egypt has come to an end. So God tells Moses and Aaron to inform Pharaoh that God wants His people to be allowed to travel into the wilderness and worship Him. Now at the very suggestion, Pharaoh immediately adds to the labor of the Israelite slaves and begins punishing them for not carrying out this new burden he requires. We see all of this play out in chapter 5. So how did the Israelites respond? Let’s look at the passage and see:

Exodus 5:15-16 Then the foremen of the people of Israel came and cried to Pharaoh, “Why do you treat your servants like this? No straw is given to your servants, yet they say to us, ‘Make bricks!’ And behold, your servants are beaten; but the fault is in your own people.”

So the ones representing the Israelites, their “foremen,” come to Pharaoh and ask, “What’s going on? You demand the same work from us, but you’ve made the work ten times harder. How do you expect us to do this? If you are making this change, then why are your men beating our people when we aren’t able to do the required work?” Essentially, the foremen say, “We can’t do the work because of the changes you’ve made, but you are beating us for it. What gives?”

So Pharaoh answers them in verses 17-18:

But he said, “You are idle, you are idle; that is why you say, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Go now and work. No straw will be given you, but you must still deliver the same number of bricks.”

Pharaoh responds by saying the fault falls on the Israelites, because if they have time to go worship their God, then they must not be working hard enough. (This reminded me of a line my old boss used to say: “If you have time to lean, you have time to clean.”)

This isn’t really what Pharaoh was trying to communicate to the Israelites. What Pharaoh was really saying was, “I am your god (the one in charge of you), and you will do what I want. I have the power to change your life–not this so-called God that you worship.” Pharaoh wanted the Israelites to see his power and be angry with their God and Moses. If you can divide a people against themselves, it is not hard to conquer them! We see this in their response:

Exodus 5:19-21 The foremen of the people of Israel saw that they were in trouble when they said, “You shall by no means reduce your number of bricks, your daily task each day.” They met Moses and Aaron, who were waiting for them, as they came out from Pharaoh; and they said to them, “The LORD look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

See how quickly the people turn against the very one sent to set them free. This was Pharaoh’s aim. It worked so well that even Moses blames God for the trouble.

Exodus 5:22-23 Then Moses turned to the LORD and said, “O Lord, why have you done evil to this people? Why did you ever send me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has done evil to this people, and you have not delivered your people at all.”

So Moses blames God for doing evil, because instead of delivering them from slavery, He has brought more burden to the people. Now God has an interesting answer for Moses, which we find in Exodus 6:1:

But the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

God lets Moses know that he hasn’t seen anything yet. The Lord spends most of chapter six reminding Moses who He is and what He is going to do. He tells Moses to share this reminder with the people and let them know that God is going to free them and take them as His own. The people still won’t listen because their spirits have been crushed by the burden that Pharaoh has placed on them. I’m sure many of you can relate to a crushed spirit from the burdens of this world.

When we continue in the story, God tells Moses, “Go and tell Pharaoh to let my people go.” Moses says, “But my own people wouldn’t listen to me; how in the world is Pharaoh going to listen?” Then God reminds Moses that Pharaoh won’t listen! Look at Chapter 7:

Exodus 7:1-5 And the LORD said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”

God responds by telling Moses that this is just the beginning! How defeating it must have felt to Moses to hear God say, “Oh you’re going to do even more than this, and I (God) will harden Pharaoh’s heart so that he will not listen to you!” Many times in life, we see the commands of God, and they just don’t make sense to us. Moses must have felt discouraged to know that he was right that Pharaoh wasn’t going to listen and that God was going to ensure that Pharaoh wouldn’t listen. Like Moses, I believe many times we can’t see what God is going to do, but also like Moses, that is not our job. We like to be in control, but what is glaringly obvious throughout these chapters is that no matter how much man wants to be in charge or in control of things, God is the only sovereign being.

So Moses goes to Pharaoh and he doesn’t listen. Then God bring plagues through Moses, beginning with turning the Nile to blood. The passages say that the land stunk, the fish died, and the Egyptians had to dig to find water to drink. However, Pharaoh did not let God’s people go. So God bring frogs. I remember thinking when I was younger that frogs don’t seem like that big of a deal. As I grew older, I realized that if frogs were covering the land, it would certainly cause some issues. Can you imagine so many frogs that they cover the ground and you literally are walking on them? When the frogs died, they were piled up and causing the land to stink as well. At this point, any reasonable human would have listened and realized they were not in charge; however, this was not the case for Pharaoh, so God brought gnats. I truly can’t think of something more annoying than being covered in gnats and not having relief. It would have been hard to breathe without sucking these little bugs in. In fact, though this was the smallest animal plague that God brings, it sure causes the Egyptians to respond. We see this in the magicians’ response in chapter eight, after being unable to reproduce this event:

Exodus 8:19a Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.”

So even when the people tell Pharaoh, “This is God; we should listen here,” Pharaoh’s heart is hardened, and he would not listen. This may have surprised you if it’s the first time you’ve read through this story. I remember when I had first read through this asking why was it so hard for Pharaoh to get that he was not going to win this battle. I was surprised because I didn’t see or understand what the rest of the verse had said, though.

Exodus 8:19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

What we must see is that this is not a surprise to God. The passage ends with this phrase “as the LORD had said.” So when did the LORD say this would happen? This clarity was actually given to us back in chapter 4:

Exodus 4:21-23 And the LORD said to Moses, “When you go back to Egypt, see that you do before Pharaoh all the miracles that I have put in your power. But I will harden his heart, so that he will not let the people go. Then you shall say to Pharaoh, ‘Thus says the LORD, Israel is my firstborn son, and I say to you, “Let my son go that he may serve me.” If you refuse to let him go, behold, I will kill your firstborn son.’”

I have heard this taught so many times with a focus on Pharaoh’s hardening of his own heart, which does happen according to the Scriptures. What we need to see, though, was that this was God’s plan. Even before we hear of Pharaoh hardening his own heart, God declares that He will harden Pharaoh’s heart and do so until He brings Moses to the final plague. That’s what God is mentioning when He says He will kill Pharaoh’s first born. Now we will study this more in next week’s passages, but we really can’t begin to see the bigger picture of what God is doing if we don’t see this clarity now.

When God brings the next plague, we see some more distinctions being made; namely, we see the difference between God’s people and the Egyptians. The land where God’s people lived would no longer be affected by the plagues he was bringing so that Pharaoh would have no doubt that it was God who was doing this work. So God brings flies, then pestilence upon Egypt’s livestock, then boils upon the people of Egypt, and then we see Pharaoh’s people begin to do to Pharaoh what Gods people did to Moses when Pharaoh had increased the burden upon them:

Exodus 10:7 Then Pharaoh’s servants said to him, “How long shall this man be a snare to us? Let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God. Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?”

Here’s where God turns the tables. In chapter five, Pharaoh had meant to display his power to the Israelites and make them submit to his authority by increasing their burdens and “flexing his muscles,” so to speak. Well God returns the favor through these plagues, and now it’s Pharaoh’s people who are realizing the trouble that’s brewing for them if their leader doesn’t submit to the far greater power of God. Pharaoh’s servants are now saying to him, “Your hard-heartedness is killing your land and your people”. We see this very clearly in the last part of verse 7: “Do you not yet understand that Egypt is ruined?” Pharaoh’s own people are pleading for Pharaoh to see with a clear mind what everyone else has already realized. However, Pharaoh would not listen because GOD had hardened Pharaohs heart! God said that was what He was going to do way back in chapter four, and God keeps His word! To be clear, Pharaoh is guilty for his own sin; God has not sinned in any way, and Pharaoh is not innocent. But see that all throughout these chapters, God has declared something, and He will bring it to pass. God could have ended all of this already. He says so quite plainly in chapter nine verse fifteen:

Exodus 9:15 “For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth. “

So why didn’t God just wipe them out? Let’s read on:

Exodus 9:16 “But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.”

God had a plan for Pharaoh and for his very existence. He raised Pharaoh up for this purpose: to do with Pharaoh what He (God) willed to do. He used Pharaoh to show His power so that His name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

Exodus 10:1-2 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the LORD.”

God used all of this to display His power and to make known to His people that He is LORD! Let me show you this in a way that might be more helpful:

Exodus 10:1-2 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, and that you [Moses] may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you [Moses and his offspring] may know that I am the LORD.”

God has given us plenty of reasons why He is hardening Pharaoh and carrying out all of these plagues. One of those reasons He gives here is so Moses and those who learn these truths from Moses may know that He is indeed LORD!

We see this same cycle continue through the end of chapter 10:

Exodus 10:14 The locusts came up over all the land of Egypt and settled on the whole country of Egypt, such a dense swarm of locusts as had never been before, nor ever will be again.

Exodus 10:20 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the people of Israel go.

Exodus 10:21 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.”

Exodus 10:27 But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go.

How many times in your life personally have you wondered what God was doing when things seemed out of control? Rest assured and see through this story that God is never out of control, and in all His working, He has a purpose. You and I may not always understand what that purpose is, but God is never confused. This is why it takes a real faith to trust God, and since God is sovereign over the hearts of man (just look at Pharaoh), it is God who must give you faith to trust Him!

*Special thanks to Steven Obert for his help in writing this week’s study.

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Saturday Study

Mark 16-Exodus 4 (4-7-17)

As we begin into the Exodus Era this week I am very excited to get into the testimony of God’s work in and through Israel and his servant Moses. The events of the Exodus and God’s deliverance of this small nation of Israel is historically one of the most talked about events from generation to generation.  We see this all throughout the biblical narrative and in the New Covenant as God fulfills much of his redemptive plan in Christ whereby key things were set in motion at the Exodus are fulfilled. In just the first few chapters there is so much to cover as we focus in on Moses. So with that let’s dig in..

A God ordained adoption

In Exodus 2, Moses’ story begins with his birth.  His parents had to send him down the river in order to try to keep him alive.

If they only knew what God had in store for him.  The Daughter of Pharaoh makes him her own. (v. 10)  Moses looked to use his status in Pharaoh’s house to look out for his people ( v.11).   In his defending a Hebrew man who was being beaten, he killed an Egyptian soldier and fled to Mideon to avoid the wrath of Pharaoh. (v. 12-15). He married and had a son in his time away from Egypt.  At the end of Exodus 2, we read that Pharaoh died and the Israelites cried out to God to remove them from their bondage in Egypt.  “Their cry for rescue from slavery came up to God. 24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 God saw the people of Israel—and God knew”. (Exodus 2:23-25)

An Unlikely Leader

In Exodus 3 we read about the incredible encounter Moses has with God at the burning bush.  God making himself known through this kind of encounter is what is called a Theophany.  Moses shows great reverence and righteous fear at the presence of God. God tells Moses that he has seen his people’s affliction and heard their cries and that he will deliver them to the Promised land.  Then God says something Moses would have never expected.  He says you will be my mouth piece before Pharaoh and chosen leader. Listen, to Moses’ response.

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt -Exodus 3:11

“who am I?  I am a nobody! “

Too often we get caught up in only looking at the horizontal. Meaning, we are only worried about what other people think of us, how they will respond and what we are capable of.   But realize, when we do this, we are missing something very critical.  What God thinks about us and what he can do in and through us.  This is the vertical truth we must walk in every day.  Yes, by the world’s standards, we are often very insufficient and unqualified.  But that is not how God works. He most often takes the least of these and raises them up to do mighty things so that he is the one who gets the glory.

Notice as we read on…. God doesn’t give Moses a pep talk… he doesn’t slow down and say.. “You can do it”

What God doesn’t say to us in response to our feeling defeated or ill-equipped, Is   “You just have to believe in yourself”. 

God’s response to Moses is a statement of TRUTH.. of assurance of the one who is in POWER!-   5 life shifting words…..

Exodus 3:12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.

God isn’t the guy who wants to cast you in his epic story because he is desperate for anyone who will show up.. this is the author, perfector, designer, creator, director and sustainer of all things… “I WILL BE WITH YOU!”

God has given the life shifting statement to everyday, average, unlikely people time and time again… it was those same words Jesus told his previously cowardly, failed and scared disciples.  After experiencing the risen Christ and hearing the promise that he would be with them all the way… And what did they do?  They rose up and gave all they had to their faith as they gave birth to the church.

The ? for us is:    What have I done with those words? 

God says: “I will be with you” … how did you wake up and live life this last week as a result of those words?

“Thank God… having you around will make things easier and more convenient”

OR  “Ok God, I’ll remember that when I can’t seem to do it on my own”

OR   “God, I recognize it is all from you and for you… I trust you will lead me, sustain me and use me for your purposes….let’s go!”

I AM

One of the things that helps us is to rightly know and remember who God is to understand what his name is.  In our text we get one of the most important insights into who God is as he describes to Moses his name!

Exodus 3:13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name? ’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “ I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel, ‘ I am has sent me to you. ’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people 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 thus I am to be remembered throughout 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, of Isaac, and of Jacob, has appeared to me, saying, “I have observed you and what has been done to you in Egypt, 17 and I promise that I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 And they will listen to your voice, and you and the elders of Israel shall go to the king of Egypt and say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us; and now, please let us go a three days ‘journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. ’

What you need to understand about the religious system in Egypt in that day is a belief in many gods.

These are “Little g” – little pretender gods-  a god of soil,   of fertility,     of the sun,    of death

So Moses is asking,  “How do I describe you to those who believe in many gods?  Which god will they think you are?”

Now listen to God’s answer….

¹⁴ God said to Moses,   “I am who I am . ”    Now you might be thinking,  ‘Well that just clears it up!”

But really pay attention to what he just said. “ I am who I am” is taken from a Hebrew word that means, “to exist”

What God is telling Moses is…. I exist, I am REAL!

IN this he is Totally slamming the entire religious system.   And putting to correct shame all the little g man made gods.

He makes no excuses, no explanation.  He is as straight forward and he can be.  I AM!

Whether you figure me out or not or whether you acknowledge me or not!  I AM

Next God says: This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ”

So, God’s name is I AM.

¹⁵ God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘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, the name by which I am to be remembered from generation to generation.

The LORD (all CAPS)     L   O   R    D

The LORD = Four Hebrew consonants (YHWH) This was so sacred the Jewish people wouldn’t even pronounce them

• Our modern word for God’s name is “Yahweh”
• So, anywhere you see the LORD in all caps in the bible this is a sign that it is in reference to the One true God.

This is the Name of God!  YAHWEH!

It is not a name to be taken lightly!     àIt is full of power and wonder!

It is a name describing his eternal power and unchangeable character.

*In a world where values, morals, and laws change constantly, we can find stability and security in our unchanging God.

This name is used 6800 times in the Old Testament!

Now think of the difference between knowing him as GOD verse knowing him as Yahweh–  “HE IS”!

When God’s reveals his name is not only letting us get to know him, He is proclaiming who he is

So when he says, I AM he is saying,   “I am huge,   I am it,   I am Vast,   I am who I am!”

No matter what you think or have been told.  I AM

He is surely worthy of our trust and praise!

Setting the table for what is coming next

Exodus 3:19-22 But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless compelled by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out my hand and strike Egypt with all the wonders that I will do in it; after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and when you go, you shall not go empty, 22 but each woman shall ask of her neighbor and any woman who lives in her house, for silver and gold jewelry, and for clothing. You shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.

This sets the table for all that God was about to do deliver his people from the most powerful and dominate ruler in the world at the time.  Stoked for what lies ahead of us in our reading of the Exodus.

To close, what I love about the testimony of Moses is that it is far more a testimony about God.  I want my life to be that way.  I want the people who walked with me and heard my preaching and followed me to have way more to say about all that God did in and through me in that time then what I did.    May we keep our eyes on the vertical and not just the horizontal.  May we never forget that we are utterly dependant on the great I AM who is with us always.   May we never lose our gratitude or trust in God, even when what stands before us seems insurmountable.

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church

Saturday Study

Mark 11-15 (3-31-17)

In Mark 12:1-11, we read the parable of the tenants. This is a powerful story Jesus tells.

Read this passage again, and then I want to share with you a story Pastor John Piper wrote years ago to bring a powerful illustration of the gospel application of this story. On this sobering Saturday following our remembrance of the Death of Jesus our Savior, I pray it has the same impact on you that it has had on me and brings about so much gratitude and praise for our good God. 

By John Piper:

Once there was a king who reigned over the whole earth. He was a good king and very powerful. He loved his subjects and governed the whole earth with perfect justice. No one could find fault with him. No one ever rebelled because the king was a good king. When there was rebellion, it was only because the people wanted to be kings themselves.

And it came to pass that the king decided to plant a beautiful vineyard, to grow fruit for his court and for all the earth. He supervised the work himself. He planted the vineyard, and set a hedge around it, and dug a winepress in it, and built a tower.

And then he chose one of the poorest groups of people in his realm to be the tenants of his vineyard, and he promised them all the help they needed if they would but ask him and trust him to give it.

It was an almost unbelievable privilege to be chosen by the great king to tend his vineyard.

And in the early days the tenants loved their work. They could scarcely call it work.

The king gave them all they needed, he let them eat the fruit, he guarded their borders, and sent his messengers to them often. It was as if he were doing the work.

But that became a problem. Because soon the attitudes of the tenants began to change.

They didn’t like the idea of giving the king all the credit for their produce. In fact, they didn’t like the idea of being tenants at all. They began to want to be owners. Owners get the produce; owners get the rent; owners get all the glory, especially when they do so much of the work. So deep inside the tenants wanted to be the owner. They wanted to be their own boss and not rely on the patronizing help of the king.

And so a terrible thing happened. One day the king sent his servants to receive a load of fruit from his vineyard. But they found no one at the winepress or in the barns or in the vineyard. These servants were three of the most faithful messengers of the king.

They were duly commissioned and stood in the king’s place. They became very tense at the strange silence in the vineyard. There were no birds. There had always been birds. There were no children. There had always been children. There was no music. There had always been music.

But then, suddenly from everywhere, the angry tenants emerged, and the servants of the king were surrounded. Those who didn’t have sharp pruning hooks in their hands held large jagged stones. The servants of the king were armed with nothing but the king’s words to them before they left …  He had said,

Though arrogance and rage assail,

Conspiracy will not prevail.

In death recall unerringly

That you will always reign with me.

With his words they were better armed than the wicked tenants. But not against the pruning hooks. The tenants rushed upon them and grabbed the two younger messengers and made them watch while they beheaded the faithful old man with a pruning hook.

They could hear him repeating the king’s promise until he died. He really believed it.

In death recall unerringly

That you will always reign with me.

Then they turned on the younger servants and beat one and stoned the other and sent them back to the king half dead with a message:

We’ve had enough of sovereign care,

We see no need with you to share.

You have your kingdoms, fields and towers,

Go now, rule yours, and we’ll rule ours.

When the king heard this, and how his friend and servant had been slain, he went away and took counsel with himself in the royal chamber. All the court expected him to emerge readied for battle, for they knew he was a mighty warrior and deeply loved his messengers.

But when he appeared, he did not gather an army; he called around him six of his most loyal ambassadors and asked, “Who is willing to go for me and deliver my message to the tenants of the vineyard?” The ambassadors were startled and said, “What message, my lord?”

The king opened the scroll and read,

Of me it has been said of old, It magnifies my strength to hold

In check my wrath, restrain my woes, And offer mercy to my foes.

Turn now and bend the knee to me, And I’ll forgive your treachery.

He looked up again and said, “Who is willing to go for me and deliver my word to the tenants of the vineyard?” And all six stepped forward. For there was no greater honor in the realm than to bear the message of the king. The king took each one by the hand, looked into his eyes, and said, as if he were the only person in the world,

Though arrogance and rage assail,

Conspiracy will not prevail.

In death recall unerringly

That you will always reign with me.

And with his words as their only weapon they journeyed to the king’s vineyard. When they saw guards, they paused outside the gate and renewed their vows of loyalty to the king. They entered a solemn covenant not to avenge one another, even if their hearts should break. As soon as they entered the gate, they were captured, bound, and taken before the leaders. The king’s message was read. And the tenants were enflamed with rage.

Three of the ambassadors they killed, two they stoned almost to death, and one they flogged until he passed out. They loaded the three dying ambassadors with the three mutilated bodies on a cart and sent them back to the king with this message:

If we should ever want a king,

If we should ever want to bring

Our homage to a royal seat,

Know this: we’ll stand upon our feet,

And ask no mercy, bend no knee,

We’ll build our own if need should be.

When the good king read this message and saw the bodies of his beloved ambassadors, he paused only an instant, then he turned and walked to the chamber of his son, spoke briefly, and the two of them went on a long journey into the hills, alone.

Meanwhile, the palace of the king was full of commotion and noise and planning. The mighty men were preparing for war. The blood of the martyr-messengers was screaming for justice to be done. The desecration of the king’s name was an intolerable offence to those who loved him and served him day and night. The chariots were assembled. The armor was shined, the swords and spears sharpened, and thousands upon thousands gathered at the palace of the king and waited. And at the head of the camp stood the great white stallion—the largest, strongest, most beautiful horse in the realm.

Only one person could ride the stallion and lead the king’s forces against the treacherous tenants—the son, the king’s only son. Soon the king and his son would come out of their silence arrayed for battle. Soon the strategy of the hills would be revealed. It would be an incomparable battle plan—the son upon his mighty stallion, and ten thousand warriors in his train.

Early one morning they were spotted coming down out of the hills. And a great silence fell across the armies. What they saw was utterly beyond comprehension. The king was dressed in mourning garments, leading a donkey with a hemp rope, and on the donkey sat the son dressed like a common beggar. They entered and passed through the camp, and as they passed, the warriors bowed to the ground.

What had happened in the hills? What strange plan had these two made? It had not been done in haste. And no one has been consulted. (There are no counselors in the court of this king.)  It was a strategy from the depths of the king’s love and wisdom. And the son had joyfully agreed.

They passed through the armies without a word. At the far edge of the palace grounds nearest the territory of the vineyard they stopped. The king embraced the son and whispered just for him:

Though arrogance and rage assail,

Conspiracy will not prevail.

In death recall unerringly

That you will always reign with me.

After the son rode off alone on the donkey, the king turned back to his loyal subjects.

They suspected what he was doing, but could scarcely believe it. The wicked tenants wouldn’t just kill him. They would humiliate him and torture him. It was hard enough to understand that the all-wise king would send his six beloved ambassadors to certain death. But now his son, his only son, to be toyed with and destroyed by worthless scoundrels.

The king knew the armies expected some word of explanation. So he took his stand before them in his mourning garments and simply said:

When we have given all we can

Then we will fight, but only then.

So the armies of the King kept themselves in readiness. And the king sat down on his throne.

The word spread everywhere and ran ahead of the king’s son. By the time he arrived at the gate of the vineyard, there was quite a stir. The king’s son had never left the palace. He had never visited any realm. Most of the people found it incredible—the king’s son does not dress like a beggar and ride on a donkey. He wears white and purple robes and rides a white stallion, as the old books say. But the loyal old subjects of the king, who knew him well, recognized the son. They knew when they had seen the son, they had seen the king. And they were fearful of what was about to happen.

And the children! All the children loved him. Even as he entered the gate of the vineyard, no one could stop the children. They ran and leaped and cheered and threw branches in his path. It didn’t make any difference to the children that he looked poor. Children haven’t learned yet that a person must be rich to be happy. They saw the eyes of love. They had no trouble with childlike submission to the king. So for them the visit of the son was wonderful.

“Long live the king!    Long live the king’s son!” they cried.

The wicked grown-up tenants watched from a distance. They could hardly believe that the king was so foolish. They said to each other, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and have his inheritance for ourselves.” And as they plotted the death of the king’s son, the children chanted over and over (as children do):

Great is the son!   Great is the son! Who comes in the name of the king.

He is the one!    He is the one! All homage to him we bring.

Finally the chanting faded. The children returned home. The king’s son looked out over the vineyards. The soil was rich and moist. The vines were thick and strong. The branches were heavy with the finest grapes—the king’s grapes. And he wept over the treason of the wicked tenants and the desecration of his father’s name.

When he lifted up his head, he was surrounded by armed men. He steadied himself with the king’s promise. Then, reaching into his simple cloak, he pulled out a scroll and said,

“I have a word from the king.” “And we a word for him,” the leader replied.

“Come, let us trade our messages.” The king’s son opened the scroll and read these words,

It is not seemly for a king    To beg his subjects that they bring

Him love. But I do not delight  In mustering my awesome might

To end your lives for evermore.  I send my only son, therefore,

With news that I will yet forgive    And let those who repent still live.

“Is that all?” they sneered. “No; my father said I should add this:

Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate.

For I tell you, you will not see me again, until you sing with the children,

‘Great is the son! Great is the son!   Who comes in the name of the king.'”

“And what is that supposed to mean?” they snarled.

“It means that for you mercy has almost come to an end.

Soon your houses will be empty and you will be no more.

And the vineyard will be given to a new and faithful people.

And I will return to this place on the great white stallion.

And by the magnificent mercy of my father a new generation

will welcome me with palms and grapes and love and happy submission to the king.”

The wicked tenants stopped their ears when they heard the word, “submission,” and the leader cried out, “Now, here is our message for your king.” And they rushed upon the king’s son, beat him mercilessly, dragged him out of the city to the highest hill for all to see, and nailed his hands and feet like a poster to a tree, and mocked.

If the wicked tenants had been able to read his lips, they would have known what carried him through the ordeal:

Though arrogance and rage assail,

Conspiracy will not prevail.

In death recall unerringly

That you will always reign with me.

As he died, he lifted up his eyes toward the region of the palace of his father, and he saw the armies of the king, ten thousand, with arms lifted in salute to the valor of the king’s son.

And standing alone before the myriads, the king himself, holding the golden reigns of the great white stallion,

waiting,    waiting,    waiting.

Pastor Joshua Kirstine

Disciples Church