"Let My people Go"...can be Dramatic (Exo 7-10)

"Let my People Go" the History story of how God brought the people of Israel out of Egypt was made even more popular by the famous 1956 movie "The Ten Commandments" starring Charlton Heston as Moses. Some have argued that this story never really happened but this blog is not the place to present such evidence. However I wish to present the evidence that the Jewish people till this day have a feast called Passover to remember this true story that happened on our earth so long ago. A God who entered into our physical world as He has done many times before and does still, to show how He is able to answer the frustrating cries for help from His people Israel. The full account of how God's rescue plan unfolds we read in Exo 7-15. Instead of narrating this story I have chosen to direct you to this YouTube video shown in many Passover Seders celebrated in Jewish homes and gatherings around the world. If the bible is not evidence enough that this really happened in history, may the Jewish passover celebration which falls this year 2013 on Monday March 25th quiet your sceptic mind.
10 Plagues of Egypt (Use this link if you have a weaker internet connection)

This dramatic Story can be played when God rescues again, this time not one people but the world. As He comes down in the person of Jesus Christ and dies on a cross and resurrects and acts as the payment of Divine Justice and the expression of Divine love for you (John 3:16). If you believe this story in Exodus would you believe this other more dramatic story found in the New Testament?  Believe in Jesus Christ and you will be saved, that is God's rescue plan for Mankind...the details of How God accomplishes that, is our journey through all of the pages of the Bible. There is more to this story....Keep reading.

If you have doubts about Jesus being the only way to God and hence eternal life (Johns 3:16), I encourage you to keep reading the Bible and blog posts as we journey step by step through the pages of His-tory. I think it is better to wrestle with Truth so as to come into a place of understanding than not to even ask the question. So my earnest prayer for you is that you will come to the place of God's rest by the enablement of God's Spirit.
If you believe in God's rescue plan for you, then be comforted that you have perfect rest in Him and though you face momentary troubles in your world, the hope to come is more than you can imagine (2 Cor 4:16-18). Remember He is still alive today to help you in your current time of need...So yes God has a plan...a plan not only for the world or a particular people group but for you today...now this is true comfort for the soul.

That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won’t last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don’t look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever.(2 Cor.4:16-18)

"Does God have a Plan?" Exo 5-6

 Moses returned to the Lord, and said, “Lord, why have you caused trouble for this people? Why did you ever send me? From the time I went to speak to Pharaoh in your name, he has caused trouble for this people, and you have certainly not rescued them!” (Exo 5:22-23)

God the creator begins to execute his plan on earth first by choosing one man and out from him a people called Israel is born. Now Israel has been in Egypt for over 400 years and have been made slaves by the Egyptians. As slaves they built all of Egypt's infrastructure under cruel oppression. The Egyptian leadership (Pharaoh) even killed their first born males as an attempt to oppress and control Israel's growth and power. The more cruel the Egyptians were to the Israelites the more insecure Egypt felt. It was a vicious cycle which left the people of Israel in great pain and torment without any visible hope.  They cried out continuously in prayer to a God they were not sure existed anymore, a God they felt had abandoned them into this cesspool of evil and pain.

Even in the Stress of your Life God has a Plan for you

I know we can all relate to this story because life deals us a hand or two of pain at one time or another and it seems unfair that if there is an all good and all Knowing God, He will allow us to suffer so much or for so long. Sometimes it feels like He is absent or punishing us for our past. Although pain exist in our world because of our choices and the choices others make, I hope you will glean understand as this story unfolds that God is never absent and always in tune with your situation, He cares about every detail that concerns you. He always has a plan and his plans are always perfect (Ps 18:30).

God’s way is perfect. All the Lord’s promises prove true. He is a shield for all who look to him for protection (Ps 18:30)

In the midst of this painful story in Exo 5 God is working behind the scenes to execute a rescue plan for the Israelites out of Egypt. He chooses one man Moses and calls him from the desert mountain Horeb to be the one who executes his rescue plan. He had a simple but difficult mission, the simple part-"Go to Pharaoh in Egypt and tell him to let the people of Israel go, leaving the land of Egypt, to be slaves to them no more". The difficult part was providing a compelling reason why Pharaoh will give up his source of economic wealth and power and actually let the people of Israel out of Egypt. So as Moses lays out God's plan to Pharaoh, Pharaoh is not going to give in without a fight. He begins to fight by making life even more miserable for the people of Israel. Although their lives seemed like it was spinning even more out of control, God had a plan in the midst of it all. The people cry out in frustration to Moses and Moses cries out in frustration to God, "...why have you caused trouble for this people...and you have certainly not rescued them!"(Exo 5:22-23).

...How does God answer this frustrated cry? How does God provide a compelling reason for Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go? ..answers to these questions and more... next week as we continue this incredible story.
For now remember this, your present pain might seem unbearable or without hope but God has a plan to bring you into a place of perfect rest in Him (Mat 11:28-30), hold on, cry out to God and open your heart to accept His answer. it might not be when or what you expect, it might not be what you want but His plan is perfect for you. May your heart be comforted because He is alive and able to come to your rescue if you would believe.

God is too wise to be mistaken, God is too good to be unkind. When you don't understand, when you can't trace his hand. Trust His heart.(First Baptist Church Choir Conroa)

Bible LessonGod’s Plan: God continues to unveil His plan to reconcile mankind to Himself by choosing one man, one nation. Out of this nation God makes provision for the entire world to have a personal relationship with Him and to make this world perfect again (Rom 5:12, 15-19,Rev 21:1-8)…we will see how this unfolds as we keep reading to the end of the story. 

Do you like History? (Exo 1-2)

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. ⁹ And he said to his people, “Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. ¹⁰ Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” ¹¹ Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. 

As a kid growing up I hated History, what was the use for dates and events...I asked the "so what question" in order to connect History's significance to my current existence. Some say a good History teacher is able to connect those dots so that we see how our whole existence from our culture, government, language to our faith or values are tied to History. From the History we learn in our schools to that which looms in the structures of our family home, they all tell a Story that informs our today.

Studying the pages of History has great reward

The Books of History

The book of Exodus opens with this incredible story of a King who needed a good History lesson. Joseph the big hero of Egypt's history is forgotten several generations later by this King, "Who did not know Joseph", and because of his inability to connect the dots of History to his current survival, he established slavery in his land over the people whose descendants generations before had saved the lives of all of Egypt, how stupid is that?

How quickly we forget the things of the past, the victories won or the lessons we have been taught. How can we cultivate within our lives or in our families the culture of "Remembrance"? How can we intentional connect the dots of History from generation to generation so that it may never be said of us that..."we did not remember?".

I suggest we learn from the Jewish people.....

who celebrate feasts today to remember critical events in their history some of which took place over 3000 years ago as God had asked them to do. God as a good teacher and Father institutes specific feasts among the Jewish people to help them remember and teach their children about His powerful hand of deliverance and blessing through their history and His faithfulness to them forever. These feasts were to be a rehearsal of Israel's History and her future with God (Lev 23: 4, Numb 10:10, Deu 6:4-9).
Some of them include-http://www.menorahministries.com/Scriptorium/MeaningOfHolidays.htm;

Passover (Pesach,Feast of unleavened bread and Celebration of First Fruits)-Remembering how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt (Exo 12, Lev 23:4-5)

Shuvout (Pentecost or feast of weeks)-Remembering the giving of the law at Mount Sinai and God's faithfulness from moving Israel from Slavery to freedom (Exo 20, Lev 23:15-22)

Rosh Hashanah (Jewish New Year)-The day of remembrance and Memorial of the blowing of the trumpets celebrating God's faithfulness to His covenant promises, His righteousness and justice (Lev 23:23-25)

Hanukah-Maccabees Victory 165 B.C, a miraculous victory which led to the clensing and redecication of the Temple after Syrian ruler Antiochus defile it and turned it into a Heathen shrine.

Yom Kipur-The most solemn day, a time of introspection and repentance.Remembering the "substitute sacrifice" that is killed for the forgiveness of the sins of the people (Lev23:26-32)

Purim-Remembering God's deliverance of the Jews in the land of Persia through the hands of Esther the queen from Haman the Agagite (Esth 9-10).

Shabbat-A day of rest remembering that God rested from all His work on the 7th day and God commanded Israel to rest from all their work as well (Exo 31:15-17)

So just like the Jewish people today use feasts to re-tell their history and glean comfort and hope for the future, you too should find a way to chronicle your own journey with God. You will be encouraged by God's faithfulness through history in light of your current situation. As I spring this challenge to you, my hope is that you draw strength as you recall His blessings past in your life and glean hope for a great bright future in God's economy. Like the Jewish People may you see through their feasts that God will cause everything to happen just like He has revealed in the words of the Bible even though it currently seems unlikely. Like the Jewish people today, pass these words on to your children, pass on the His-Story of God's Plan, His Love, faithfulness and deliverance so that you and generations to come may glean comfort for the soul. Meditate on the Shema the first lesson every Orthodox Jew receives, affirming Judiasm and their faith in God.

The Shema (Deu 6:4-9)

“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates

"You're Beautiful" A Summary of Genesis

The beginning of every story holds our interest because it is not only interesting but critical in understanding the rest of the story. So as we look back through post past, we see a few colorful threads weaved through the tapestry of Genesis.

     

• God created the world perfect and made mankind in His image to reveal His perfect beauty on earth (Gen 1-2).
• Sin came into the world by the free will choice of mankind which...(Gen 3)
• Alienated mankind from God (Broken relationship)
• Corrupted the perfect world which God made (Evil)
• Brought death
• Gave authority to Satan and his angels

(These themes will become increasingly evident as we read the bible and see its reality in our world today)...But

• God had and has a plan to fix the broken relationship with mankind  and to eradicate completely evil, death and Satan (Gen 3:15)....But How?
• He begins by choosing one man Abraham and out from him God unveils his plan (Gen 12)

How does God Fix the problem of reconciling Himself a Holy God to sinful mankind and completely remove from this world Evil, Death & Satan through one Man?...

The answer to this question is unveiled rather extensively through the pages of the rest of the Bible. God's plan starts unfolding from Gen 3:15 and comes to completion in Rev 22:21. I must warn you that you may get lost in the midst of many stories some seemingly unrelated to one another. You may get discouraged from the increasing evil you see in the pages of the Bible and even what you see in your world or distracted by the laws and culture that are foreign to your own. Or the future exposed in extensive metaphor and increasing terror may cause anxiety. But hang with me,  you are not alone, just like The Beginning is critical to any story so is the End.

I pray you will stay till the End, I promise this story is a beautiful story for you who believes. God's plan is not meant to be a tragedy but one that calls for rejoicing. You may want to run ahead to read...that will be wonderful!!! but if you need some company as you wrestle with the Truth...come along with me...let us walk together as we walk with God through His story and find out first hand how God Himself makes all things new. I promise God's plan is worth the read...it will exceed your expectation...It is a beautiful story because He is a beautiful God . 

So as we journey together to the next book called Exodus, let us see what our God is up to this time...the story continues... I leave you with one of my favorite songs called "You're beautiful" by Phil Wickham the lyrics give us a glimpse of the story of the bible and God's plan for all mankind. Wet your appetite, relax and be comforted....join in again next week as we continue the journey right here at comfortnotes.org
Your Beautiful by Phil Wickham (Use this link if you have a weaker internet connection)