Who is King, Pharaoh or Yahweh? (or You?)

“I perform these miraculous signs of mine among them that you may tell you children and your grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them and that you may know that I am the Lord” (Exodus 10:2-3). The purpose of the plagues is clear - to show us who the real God is. We are tempted throughout life to trust in something other than Him.

I traveled to Egypt two years ago and saw all of the symbols for Egyptian gods worshipped at the time. All of the Biblical plagues were meant to show that the Egyptian gods were not gods to be depended on, but Jehovah was.

All the plagues corresponded with an Egyptian god. For example, turning the river to blood. The Egyptians believed the Nile was a gift from the gods. Turning its waters into blood not only struck directly at the life-giving nature of the river, it was also an assault on the gods themselves (Exodus 7:17–21).

Secondly, when a vast plague of frogs emerged from the Nile and covered the land (Exodus 8:2–6) it addressed the goddess Heqet, who took the form of a frog and was the goddess of fertility. At that time, killing frogs was a crime punishable by death. And then, hail came and this plague destroyed anything - vegetation, man or beast - left out in the open, yet the Israelites escaped completely (Exodus 9:18–26). Because the Egyptians believed that agriculture, and all forces of nature, were governed by the Osiris, such a destructive hailstorm would have been seen as another failure on the part of this god.

The plague of darkness God sent was three days of impenetrable darkness (Exodus 10:21–23), and several gods were identified with or depicted by the sun, principal among them being Ra. Egyptians venerated this national god for his consistent provision of life-giving light and warmth, yet even he couldn’t prevent the ninth plague.

Lastly, the death of the firstborn was the final plague. It meant death for every Egyptian firstborn, animal as well as human (Exodus 11:4–7; 12:29–30). Not even Pharaoh’s so-called divine nature was sufficient to prevent the death of his own son.

Pharaoh himself was thought to embody all the gods and acted as their representative. Thereby, the God of Israel was exalted over the gods of fertility, of procreation, and of protection over the Egyptians’ homes. Taken together, the 10 plagues provided a comprehensive defeat of the pharaoh and the entire Egyptian pantheon, just as God had promised.

But, the key to all of this is the Passover. The importance of this event cannot be overestimated. It signaled not only the release of the Israelites from slavery, but the dawning of a new covenant with their Redeemer. At the same time, it constituted a picture; guilty people face death and the only way to escape that sentence is if a lamb dies instead of those who are sentence to die. A millennium and a half later, Paul would remind believers in Corinth that Jesus was their Passover lamb who started a new covenant. This story ultimately shows us who God is and points toward new life.

Tips for Reading- (Observation tip # 9)

Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It will be building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over last week to get the whole picture.

When did this happen?

We are making our way through the “W’s.” Let’s deal with the question of time by asking, WHEN:
• When did this event take place?
• When did it occur in relation to other events in Scripture?
• When was the writer recording the event?
• In short, always try to determine what time it is.

The Passover is a good example of why we need to look at time. How long were the Israelites enslaved? We know that some of Israel’s darkest days came when they were enslaved. God used these tough times to make them ready to be rescued.

Speaking of time, what was it like for people listening to Paul in I Corinthians as he told them the original Passover was pointing to Christ all along?

We can learn so much by simply asking “when?” It takes a little time and investigation, but the return in understanding is well worth it.


Notes from David’s Journal

The Passover is the culmination of God defeating all the Egyptian gods through the plagues. Passover was instituted by the Jews as an everlasting remembrance of what God did to free His people from captivity. Passover shows God’s power and grace for His children. To this day, Jewish people remember and celebrate this meal annually.

Some Christians actually see Jesus in the Passover meal:
• the pierced bread (His pierced body on the Cross)
• the Lamb broken (Jesus, the Lamb of God, broken for our sins)
• the captivity representing our captivity to sin and God’s miraculous deliverance equaling the Resurrection.

Please remember that it was a Passover meal Jesus celebrated with His disciples the night before He went to the Cross. The meal lasted from 6pm to 10pm. It’s longevity gave all a chance to ponder the deep meaning of what God had done years earlier. One can’t help but wonder if Jesus may have referred to Himself in the Passover meal.

Obviously, and finally, this Passover meal is the precursor for the Christian Lord’s Supper. At our table, we too remember our deliverance from the bondage of sin through the death and resurrection of Jesus. We confess our sins and ingest God’s very special grace in our lives.

This Passover meal is to be pondered greatly. It’s significance for the Jew and Christian cannot be overstated. It’s the foundation of our own life in Jesus.

The Holy God comes near and Calls

You know the commercial where the girl is talking to her mom and the phone signal goes dead, and there is silence on the other end? I’m sure we’ve all experienced this many times. Silence is hard. When we want to hear an important response to our question and all we hear is silence from the other end.

When the book of Exodus begins it has been 430 years since the end of Genesis and God’s people are in bondage. They have been enslaved, almost twice as long as the United States has been a nation. And they have not heard from God. This seems to be a parallel to the period between the Old and New Testaments right before Christ came to earth. Silence. But God has not forgotten them. In both cases, he sends a deliverer.

The big story in the Scriptures is that God absolutely listens to the stories of the poor, the broken and the enslaved. He is always in the process of restoring their hearts and their situations. “The Israelites groaned in their slavery and cried out, and their cry for help because of their slavery went up to God…So God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.” (2:23-25)

And so, God sent a deliverer, Moses. But look closely to what he says to Moses, because I believe he communicates to us, the Church and his agents of restoration, with a similar message. “Go now, I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt. But Moses said to God, Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt? And God said, I will be with you.”

This could be an entire month’s worth of devotions! However, simply note this, God does not flatter Moses by telling him how good he is or how great it will be, God just reassures him of His presence.

Author, Max Lucado describes this as a father building a swing set for his son, but allowing the child to turn the last screw so he can say he helped his dad build it. The presence of God is enough to tell the entire story. It’s not about Moses’ ability, but God does call him to be available for use. The God who is holy (3:5-7) promises to walk closely to Moses through this rescue. Jesus calls us to the same type of rescues daily and He promises His presence to us. (Matthew 28:18-20)


Tips for Reading- (Observation tip # 8)

Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It will be building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over last week to get the whole picture.


The question “Where” gives a location perspective. Last week, we looked at the family of faith moving to Egypt. So where is this narrative-taking place? Where are the people in the story? Where are they coming from or going to? Where is the writer? Where were the original readers of this test?

The question “where” is the reason we have maps in the back of the Bible or in a Bible Atlas. “Where” shows you in what location the biblical events took place. You can trace on the map all the places we have seen the characters of the Bible visit. Most of us have never traveled to any of these places, so it’s beneficial to take time and examine the maps. The more you understand the geography of a story, the more you will get out of it.

Notes from David’s Journal

As you read about the condition of the Israelites in Egyptian captivity, I want you to think about your own personal life situation. Though you are not in captivity in a foreign country, under the hideous persecution of an evil ruler, you are in a similar situation personally. How? We ARE under the bondage of the captivity of sin. We DO have a merciless taskmaster over our sin called Satan. That's why we all need a Savior, a Mediator, a Person called to free us from this bondage. God called Moses as that person for the Jews. He sent Jesus as that person for us.

The Jews were as hopeless as we are to free themselves. They needed an outside power invading their inside world to be set free. So do we. There's nothing we can do by our works to free ourselves from our sin. God has to come to us, invading our hearts, giving us a miraculous power within to set us free. As we read the miracles God performed against the Egyptians to set the Israelites free, we too see His miraculous power in the Cross and Resurrection for us.

Notice too that each one of the plagues represented an Egyptian idol. God was personally destroying any and all graven images that stood against Him. It's a constant call to all of us: Is there any graven image, something of this world, that we love more than God Himself? They must be crucified, destroyed, if we ever desire to be set free from our bondages to sin.

Galatians 5:1 says, "It is for freedom that Christ has set us free." Jesus wants to set us all free from the bondages that so easily enslave us. That's the narrative of Egypt that should intrigue us all. We are all there, with the Jews in their captivity. May we all receive the power of Jesus' resurrection life, a power meant to set us free!

You’ve gotta give Him credit: God is always at work

I recently read the biography of Harry S. Truman by David McCullough. Truman is quoted as saying, “It is amazing how much can be accomplished as long as no one cares who get the credit.” Truman had an opportunity to live this out after World War II with the Restoration of Europe. The Marshall Plan (officially the European Recovery Program), was the primary plan of the United States for rebuilding and creating a stronger foundation for the countries of Western Europe, and repelling communism after World War II. The initiative was named for Secretary of State George Marshall and was largely the creation of State Department officials.

You probably knew all of that, but the rest of the story (as Paul Harvey used to say) is that a plan with such historic significance generally carries the Presidents name, not a Secretary of State. However, President Truman chose to have it carry Marshall’s name. What wisdom, to give credit where credit is due.

At the end of Genesis, we find a man, Joseph, who knew this truth as well. His brothers had sold him into slavery and yet he forgives his brothers for what they have done. I think Joseph is able to forgive because he sees the process as a good plan carried out by God.
Joseph says to his brothers, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children. And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.” (Genesis 50:19-20)

The selling of Joseph into slavery had two quite different intentions. Joseph’s brothers had evil intentions, and God had good intentions. In other words, though we are morally responsible for our poor actions, God is sovereign and ultimately tells the story the way He wants. He gets the credit.

Notice the positives that happened in Joseph’s life when he gave God the credit. He was able to not hold sins against his brothers, because he knew God was still in control. He did not take the place of judgment, because he knew someone was already there.

Surely, the lesson we can take home is to remember God is the one at work, the King we can trust. This will give us a graciousness toward others who are just as broken as we are.

Tips for Reading- (Observation tip # 7)

Note: This section is help for Bible Reading in general. It will be building throughout the year under the topics of Observation (what the Scripture says), Interpretation (what it means) and Application (what it means to your life). Feel free to look back over last week to get the whole picture.

Why?

We’ve asked the question “who?” and explored some of the “what.” Now, lets look at “why?” which really gets to the heart of things. We may not be able to come up with a definite answer every time, but asking WHY helps us to see purpose behind the actions we are reading about.

Sometimes I will even write “WHY?” in the margin of my Bible and allow God to unpack an answer as I continue reading.

One of my big why’s in this week’s reading is, “why does Joseph show mercy to his brothers who have wronged him?” It seems that Joseph is sure God sent him to Egypt and his feelings lose significance in comparison to his call.

Here is another why? “Why does Judah show such care for his father and protection for his youngest brother Benjamin after he has not done this before with Joseph?” (44:32) What changed in Judah’s life? Is he carrying guilt around from what happened to Joseph? All of the brothers seem to think God is catching up with them.

Ready for something really in depth? When Joseph rescues his brothers, he is actually saving the lineage of Jesus Christ. Jesus is connected to the family through Judah, the fourth born. Isn’t it amazing that when Joseph forgives his family, he is rescuing their eternity as well? Maybe Joseph’s heart change is connected to his inclusion of the genealogy of Jesus.

Lastly, “Why does Joseph choose the younger grandson instead of the older one? (48:18-20) What is God trying to tell us through this story?”

Notes from David’s Journal

Spend some time this week in Genesis 49. You will see an aged Jacob looking over his sons and pronouncing a blessing over each one. Two points especially stand out for me as I read and reread Genesis 49:

1) All us Dads need to have some time in our kids' lives when we speak blessings over our children. Literally, I think, like Jacob did we need to place our hands on their heads and speak blessings and dreams we have for each one of them. I think our kids yearn to have a Dad's blessing over them. They desperately want our words of affirmation and hope for their lives. I've done this with all three of mine at the time they became adolescents. I hope all Dads reading this will do the same with their kids. Seek God and His will for your kids. Write down what you hear. Then speak these words over them! It's a powerful moment of grace for you and them. I promise you'll never regret it, and they'll never forget it.

2) Look specifically at Jacob's blessing over Judah. In this moment, you see a prophecy of Jesus coming into the world. Jesus comes from the lineage of Judah. Also, he is called "the Lion" (any of you who are Chronicle of Narnia fans see Aslan here? C.S. Lewis did). All throughout the Scripture, from Genesis 3:15 onward, we see repeated Scriptures forcing us to look forward to One who is to come to meet the deepest longings of our heart. Yes, Jesus was from the lineage of Judah. Yes, He is the great Lion over all, the King of all our "jungles."

I really love Genesis 49. I think you will too, for many different reasons, especially the two I mentioned.

Meeting God in Jail

There is an amazing book I love called “The Screwtape Letters,” by C.S. Lewis. The book contains fabulous insights to how the devil manipulates situations to depress and disillusion, and how God uses those same situations for some of the most meaningful connections with Himself. The quote from a demon in the book says, “our cause is never more in danger than when a human, no longer desiring, but still intending, to do our Enemy’s will (that would be God from his perspective), looks round upon a universe from which every trace of Him seems to have vanished, and asks why he has been forsaken, and still obeys.” (Letter 8)

Doesn’t that describe the amazing story of Joseph? Look at Genesis 39:2, “the Lord was with Joseph and He prospered.” If you didn’t know the context, you might think Joseph did well in business, or has a great family and the future is bright. Actually, he is headed to prison and alone. Genesis 39:20, “Joseph’s master took him and put him in prison, the place where the King’s prisoners were confined.” His family has forsaken him. He was a servant in a foreign land, framed for a crime he did not commit, and he is forgotten in jail. Or so it seems.

It is very clear in Scripture that God is at work in Joseph and through Joseph. At the time it would seem God is most distant, is actually the time God is drawing near. I wonder what Joseph’s conversations were like with God during this imprisonment? God is right in the midst, working all of this craziness for good and telling a great story. God chooses to bless Joseph and make him a man of integrity in the midst of a horrible circumstance, rather than actually change his circumstance. “The Lord was with him, and he showed kindness and granted him favor in the eyes of the prison warden.” (Vs. 21)

Are you in a hard situation today? If so, look to God for a remarkable work in your heart and character in the midst of the struggle.

Key People doing WHAT?

Hopefully this idea of observation is becoming second nature to you. We’ll work on observation a few more weeks before moving to interpretation. In the meantime, we are building our detective skills.

Last week, we focused on looking at the people in the text. Moving on to this week, our next observation question is What?

• What is happening in this text (plot)?
• What is the order of the plot (sequence)?
• What happens to the characters (character development)?

Note: Isn’t it interesting that Judah is a free and prosperous man. However, when his wife dies he ends up sleeping with his daughter in law?
Joseph is a slave and yet he keeps his sexual purity and his integrity. Which one is happier in the eyes of the world? Which one is happier in light of eternity? What is God trying to communicate to us through these two characters?

Ask yourself: If a passage argues a point; what is the argument? What is the point? If there is a problem, what is the issue? What’s missing? And the biggest question of all; what is the writer trying to communicate?

All of these are just observations. You have to see what’s there before you can even answer the question. Use a journal to bombard the text with these questions and you will find amazing answers that you never dreamed of at the end of the process. Take time to answer some of these questions about Joseph’s time in jail, especially in Genesis 39. Talk to someone else about what you saw. That is the fun of doing this together.


Notes from David’s Journal

You have to love Joseph. He's one of the Biblical characters we most admire. Several insights make him one of my personal favorites:

1) He received the promise of ruling over his brothers when he was 17. Yes, he was a bit arrogant and cocky and that's what cost him some time in the pit and prison. Yet, he was also a man of great faith. The promise wasn't fulfilled until he was 39. Once again, we get this point from God's Word: there is no great person of faith that God uses mightily who isn't forced into God's waiting room. Waiting is one of God's chief instruments in developing faith.

2) It's this faith that is refined in the pit and prison. Can you imagine Joseph's feelings versus his faith in God's promise while he waited and waited and waited...especially in prison!?! It looked hopeless, but he was forced to cling to what he knew was God's promise.

3) In prison, he learned to be so close to God he could hear God’s voice and interpret dreams. It was this intimacy with God that ultimately got him out of jail!

4) Finally, and we're jumping ahead here, but you need to go to Genesis 50:20. When Joseph finally was placed in the position of authority over his brothers, when the promise was finally fulfilled, look how he treated them. He could have thrown his brothers into prison for their unjust treatment of him. But, he didn't. His faith and his love of God wouldn't allow it. He simply looked at them and said, "You meant it for evil, but God meant it for good." He trusted God's sovereign hand over all circumstances for His children - yes, even the bad ones.

These four points make Joseph so attractive to many of us, myself especially!