Browsing Tag

Moses

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Two Lawgivers…One Amazing Plan for My Soul.

Posted on October 28, 2021

My Digging Deep book got something spilled on it. Something from nowhere. Can’t EVEN figure out. Glenn’s checked the car, the table, the counter…to try and clean up whatever it is. (Who even cares about any of those surfaces? This is my DIGGING DEEP BOOK!) I cannot clean up the damage. I have spilled things on my DD book before (every year, basically); it makes the book ripply, and fat. But this spill  TOOK  AWAY my answers…on multiple pages…the notes that have been especially difficult in this schedule-challenged autumn. That spill took away hours and hours of work. I guess I was writing with a water soluble pen, or something. My good boots broke, the guitar I was counting on for Ezra’s costume is not the right instrument, at all (of course not!) I have luggage and clothing all over my bedroom floor from the past three trips and another trip tomorrow, my leggings under this dress are too short for my boots, I was just going to wear this big black ring for a few minutes and now I will wear it till someone cuts it off, and Glenn informed me yesterday that he will not be wearing the costume I made for him to be Ezra’s sidekick…that instead he will be preaching in another state the night of Trunk or Treat (guess I will be Gru), and he has taken the doors off of my almost explosive kitchen pantry for an indefinite period of time, for repairs. And I am not even writing about any of the bigger problems that are on the horizon right now.

Some days are like that. But you and I both know that, with all these first-world problems comes the blessing trail. For every problem you can think up or experience, there’s a much bigger and more lasting blessing. (I still have the Word in many places in my home and heart, Some people don’t have feet, much less boots. I have a husband who WANTS to trunk-or-treat with children and who is able to preach the gospel, etc…etc…) I love the blessing trail!

Today, in this vein, let’s take a minute to compare Moses and Jesus and marvel at the amazing trail of His providence that gives us in 2021, not the image of the deliverer (Moses), but THE deliverer (Jesus). If you are a digger, this is question 13, Month 2. Here are my top ten comparisons.

  1. Both were raised up from among their own people (Deuteronomy 18:15) .
  2. Both were perfect intercessors, having lived with both the enslaved and the royalty (Hebrews 11: 24,25; Phil. 2:5,6).
  3. Both had the words of God in their mouths (Deuteronomy 18:15).
  4. Both lives were threatened by kings when they were babies (Exodus 2, Matthew 2).
  5. Both dealt with lack of faith in their brothers (Exodus 32; John 7:5).
  6. Both provided food miraculously (Exodus 16; John 6).
  7. Both were lawgivers (Deuteronomy 31:24; Galatians 6:2).
  8. Both controlled waters (Mark 7:19; Exodus 14:26, 27) .
  9. Both were shepherds. Jesus still is (Exodus 3, John 10).
  10. Both were leading to a promised land (Deuteronomy 6:3; 2 Peter 3:13).

And, when I think of this amazing encompassing, providential, telescopic power of my God, none of the little messes matter. My God, who sees Sinai and Calvary through the same lens, has got my blood-covered life figured out, too. I praise Him.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

Q and A: About the Scope of the Ten Plagues…

Posted on April 15, 2020

Question: Which, if any, of the plagues were experienced in the land of Goshen, too?

Answer:

I’m not sure that we can definitively know. But I believe there are some strong scriptural indicators of the precise moment when God partitioned off Goshen in divine providence and protection.

It seems to me that the first plague rendered the Nile River, all across the land (which would include Goshen), a river of blood.  The text indicates that the magicians of Pharaoh did turn water into blood to try to downplay the power of God at work in this plague (7:22), but I do not believe, as some scholars do, that the magicians turned the localized Goshen part of the Nile into blood, so the Egyptians would suffer as well. I believe the entire Nile had already been rendered non-potable. After all, God had said “…the fish that are in the river shall die and the river shall stink, and the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river…” I also believe that God could have provided pure water from any rock or well that he chose over in Goshen, during this time, for His people. I believe he cared for Israel.  I do not believe they were digging trenches, to no avail, around the Nile. While I would not be dogmatic about this,  I also believe that the Israelites woke up to a red river, just as did the Egyptians. The difference was that Israel had a prophet in Moses, to explain to them the purpose and the hope that lay in the river of blood. He was  somewhat like our prophet, Jesus the Christ who explained our hope in the blood. 

Similarly, the second plague of frogs was to be a plague for all the borders of Egypt. I believe this plague effectively shut down the economy of Egypt, just as the water-to-blood plague had done for seven days. Though the scripture says the magicians “made” frogs, too, I think, to believe that they could make frogs populate Goshen would be a gross overstatement of the power of tricksters. I believe that there were already frogs in Goshen. I believe Israel was witnessing the power of God, even as their leaders (Moses and Aaron) were being raised up for their deliverance. Goshen was situated right in the fertile delta of the Nile, in Egypt, and it seems a sure thing to me that these first two plagues were affecting all of Egypt. 

And so, it would seem from the text, the Israelites also experienced the lice, as well. In all of these first three plagues, God could have done whatever he wanted to provide cleansing, solace and healing, but it is my judgment, because of what is about to happen in plague number four, that they witnessed in Goshen, the destructive power of Jehovah, along with His protection. Work in Egypt would have been effectively shut down, during all of these first three plagues. I think it was a divine benefit to the people of Israel, for them to see these first three plagues, from the windows of their own homes, from their fields, and even perhaps in their homes, as Moses was leading them to trust in the delivering power of God. 

But then God did an amazing thing. 

And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there, in order that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the land. I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be. (8:22).

For the fourth plague of flies, God partitioned off his people, making a distinction. Can you just imagine the amazement of a man looking out to see a massive swarm of flies—a swarm that just had a miraculous  boundary and could not pass over into Goshen? Can you imagine the “talk” that God’s people had that day with Moses, who was speaking for God to them at this time? I think it’s possible even that God was humbling the people of Israel in the first three plagues, urging them to stop the groaning and the bitterness against God and look around at what He was doing. Then, in plague four, He just showed them a vivid distinction. I do think it is important to remember that they had a liaison in Moses who was speaking with God and who was also appearing in the palace of Egypt. He knew what was going on with all those flies in the palace and he could have been relating this disparity back in Goshen. I believe Moses, the one who relays this information to us through inspiration, could surely have been relaying it to the Israelites. I believe God drew a line in plague four that he had not drawn prior. 

Similarly , we have an explicit statement about the safety of the cattle in Israel. None of their cows died, while those cows that were considered sacred in a land of idolatry were destroyed. What a powerful lesson for the Israelites, who were, a short time later, to build a calf and worship it. Surely, in their punishment of Exodus, they were called on to remember the disparity between the cows for food and the cows of Egypt which, while a source of food and leather, were also idolized and worshipped. 

The boils were on the magicians and on all the Egyptians (9:11). This specific statement lends itself  strongly to our assumption that the boils were not affecting God’s people. In fact, the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils (9:11). But Moses had no trouble going to bed and getting up early to stand before Pharaoh (9:13) What a distinction!

The hail, interestingly, did not harm the cattle or personage of even the Egyptians who feared God. Verses 17-20 of Exodus 9 says that the Egyptians who did not exalt themselves against Jehovah, but rather feared God (and I bet there were getting to be a lot by now) were given warning and brought their cattle into the shelter before the hail came. In this plague, we see God providing for all who obeyed. (This seems a bit prophetic of the way that Gentiles will be given access to the warning and the saving place as the gospel would finally be revealed to us, as well.) 

Next, in the account of the locusts, there’s no definitive statement about the limit of the plague. The Scripture does say, though, that the locusts were going to finish up the crops that had not been destroyed by the hail (10:5). Since the hail had not even fallen in Goshen (9:26), we may assume that there was no damage in Goshen to “finish off.” Simply put, I think Goshen was protected fully from the time of the clear distinction God made in 8:22. He made a difference there, a distinction, a “setting-apart” that would be so faith-inducing that it would be a powerful preparation for the trust it was going to take to get out of that land of Goshen and be a different, a distinctive,  and a set-apart people of God through which the Messiah could come. 

Then there was darkness. In the darkness, we have a specific statement that there was light in all the dwellings of Israel, while the Egyptians could not see one another (10:23). I think Family Bible time must have been very powerful in those homes in Israel on the first day of this blackness. Imagine teaching your children the power of God in a pitch black environment where you were able to see each other in brightness and declare His glory in His specially provided light. I’m glad we can teach our children about the specially-provided Light, too, while the world around us is tripping all over itself in darkness (John 8:12). (I hope we are all being sure, during the great pandemic of 2020, that we are using this great trial to put into our children’s hearts that we are not stumbling around the darkness. Whether the world takes anything from this dark time or not, we, as Christians, take that we are totally dependent on our God and that true health and wealth and success can never be taken from His people! We are still walking in the light! Even if the pandemic should take our physical lives, it cannot keep us from leaving the slavery and entering the promised land!)

Of course, the last plague was reserved for those who disobeyed, too. The power of the blood on the doorposts was to begin an everlasting memorial that still occurs with God’s people each Lord’s Day. When we take the Lord’s supper we should remember that the Passover lamb distinguishes us from those who are in that spiritual darkness without the Lamb that takes away the sins of the world ( John 1:29).We’re rejoicing when we eat it, because of a great deliverance from slavery. 

While I cannot be absolutely sure about this answer, it seems most reasonable and verifiable from the Scriptures to me. I do not know all the answers But this one thing I know: He is glorious, even in the plagues. He is glorious, even in a pandemic. And I am glad that he has set us apart. 

Keep praising Him. 

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

For the Diggers: Addendum for Question 13–The Song of Moses

Posted on December 11, 2018

For Month 4, question 13, Let’s rephrase the part of the question about the heart of Moses. Let’s notice that God asked Moses to write this song in chapter 31, verses 19-21 and that this song, written by Moses, was to be a testimony against Israel when they would later encounter evils and troubles because of faithlessness and rebellion. Moses was called on to write this even as Moses knew his life was ending in a way that was utterly disappointing, personally, for himself. This song was among the last of the words of God given to the people of Israel through Moses. We know, also from chapter 34, verse 7 that Moses was not weak and sickly when he died. He COULD have lived on to see the promised land, had he not failed to sanctify God at the waters of Meribah (32:51) when the children of Israel clearly had provoked Moses by their rebellion (Numbers 20:10). Now look at Deuteronomy 32: 1-19. Notice that Moses, in these first 19 verses, is talking through inspiration ABOUT God and his disappointment with a rebellious people. (God doesn’t start speaking, in the song, until verse 20.) With all of this in mind, look at chapter 31:24-30 and describe what was in the heart of Moses as he got ready to die. As we describe his heart, let’s be painfully aware that rebellion, on the part of the people was the burden Moses was carrying to his grave. It was the factor that had tempted him to sin at Meribah. It was behind the sin that kept him from entering Canaan. Let’s also be thankfully aware that he was going to a place where all frustration and provocation by a rebellious people was gloriously absent. When we meet Moses next on the mount of transfiguration in Matthew 17, he was talking to the One who is victorious over all enemies who would rebel (Acts 2: 32-36). Finally, notice the words of another song– the joint song of Moses and this victorious Lamb in Revelation 15:3,4. Putting all of these passages together, in your own words, describe how you believe Moses was feeling as he penned the song in Deuteronomy 32. This is a thought question and all of our answers will be different, but we surely get a flavor of his frustration from the words of the song that are contained in verses 16-19 of Deuteronomy 32.

Bless Your Heart by Cindy Colley

For Scripture Sleuths Only! (By Request from Digging Deep)

Posted on January 12, 2017

The Digging Deep study in the previous month included a comparison of the baptism in the Red Sea (Exodus 10) and the baptism of a sinner today. This comparison is made by the Spirit in I Corinthians 10. Here’s a partial list of components of that comparison. The scenarios surrounding the journey through the Red Sea are in the opening chapters of Exodus. Scriptures about the New Testament counterpart are included below.

  1. Both candidates of “baptism” had a former master (Romans 6:16-18). Pharaoh was a cruel, murderous liar. The devil, our former master, is a cruel (I Peter 5:8), murderous (Romans 6:23), liar (Rev. 12:9).
  2. The Israelites  were committed to the new leadership of Moses to travel toward the promised land. We yield to the new leadership of Jesus Christ. These two leaders have many likenesses. Among them are these:
    1. They were both Hebrews (Exodus 2; Luke 2:4).
    2. They were both born under rule of cruel Kings (Pharaoh and Herod, Exodus 1,2; Matt. 2:1-13)
    3. Both were hidden in Egypt (Exodus 2; Matt. 2:1-15).
    4. Both were hiding from cruel kings who wanted to kill them (Exodus 2; Matt. 2:1-15).
    5. Both turned water to another substance (Exodus 4; John 2:1-12).
    6. Both fasted forty days (Ex. 34:28; Matt. 4:2).
    7. Both were mediators (Ex. 32:11-14; I Timothy 2:5).
    8. Both were lawgivers (Exodus 24:12; Romans 8:1,2).
    9. Both chose twelve men to send out (Numbers 13; Matt. 10:1-5).
    10. Both were/are leading to a promised land (Dt. 8:7,8; John 14:1-4; I Peter 1:3-9).
    11. Both were victims of attempted stoning by their own people (Exodus. 17:1-4; John 8:59).
    12. Both offered people water from a Rock (Exodus. 17:6; John 4:1-14; I Cor. 10:4).
    13. Both of their faces shone (Exodus 34:35, Matt 17:2).
    14. Both were shepherds (Exodus 3;John 10:10,11).
    15. Both have victory songs (Exodus 15; Rev. 15:2,3).
    16. Both had missions of redemption (Deut. 7:8; I Peter 1:18,19)
  3. The escape through the Red Sea elicited a great rejoicing among the subjects as is evidenced in Exodus 15. Our baptism should and does elicit great joy (Acts 8: 39).
  4. Both baptisms preceded the giving of a new law. The first was given from Mount Sinai in Exodus 20. Our new law was given from the mountain of Jerusalem (Luke 24:47).
  5. Food was given after the passage through the Red Sea. It was manna and quail in the wilderness. Our new food is the bread of life (John 6:35).
  6. People died at the Red Sea baptism (the Egyptians, rebelling against God). The man of sin (the rebellious man) dies in baptism today (Romans 6:5,6)
  7. The Red Sea was the beginning of a trip to an inheritance in a promised land (Deut. 8:7,8). Our baptism is the beginning of our trek to our inherited promised land  (I Peter 1:1-5, Rev. 21:7).

If you love God and His Word, you have to love this list. If you are not involved in the Digging Deep study. you should still take time before you die to study this list. It will stop you in your spiritual tracks and make you more in awe of Him.