Look to God

A Psalm of David.

1 To you, O Lord, I lift up my soul.
2 O my God, in you I trust;
    let me not be put to shame;
    let not my enemies exult over me.
3 Indeed, none who wait for you shall be put to shame;
    they shall be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.

4 Make me to know your ways, O Lord;
    teach me your paths.
5 Lead me in your truth and teach me,
    for you are the God of my salvation;
    for you I wait all the day long.

6 Remember your mercy, O Lord, and your steadfast love,
    for they have been from of old.
7 Remember not the sins of my youth or my transgressions;
    according to your steadfast love remember me,
    for the sake of your goodness, O Lord!

8 Good and upright is the Lord;
    therefore he instructs sinners in the way.
9 He leads the humble in what is right,
    and teaches the humble his way.
10 All the paths of the Lord are steadfast love and faithfulness,
    for those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.

11 For your name's sake, O Lord,
    pardon my guilt, for it is great.
12 Who is the man who fears the Lord?
    Him will he instruct in the way that he should choose.
13 His soul shall abide in well-being,
    and his offspring shall inherit the land.
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him,
    and he makes known to them his covenant.
15 My eyes are ever toward the Lord,
    for he will pluck my feet out of the net.

16 Turn to me and be gracious to me,
    for I am lonely and afflicted.
17 The troubles of my heart are enlarged;
    bring me out of my distresses.
18 Consider my affliction and my trouble,
    and forgive all my sins.

19 Consider how many are my foes,
    and with what violent hatred they hate me.
20 Oh, guard my soul, and deliver me!
    Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in you.
21 May integrity and uprightness preserve me,
    for I wait for you.

22 Redeem Israel, O God,
    out of all his troubles. – Psalm 25:1-22 ESV

In this amazing Psalm, David repeatedly reminds us that there is only one place we are to look for help, hope, healing, deliverance, direction, instruction, inspiration, mercy, forgiveness, and love. Whether things are going great or life has taken a turn for the worse, David tells us that, from his experience, God is worth trusting. In fact, throughout this Psalm, David uses the Hebrew word qavah, which means “to wait for, hope for, and to look eagerly for.”

There is a sense of anticipation and expectation built into that word. This is not about hopeless resignation or a pessimistic determination that nothing else can be done. It is an eager expectation based on God’s reputation for righteousness, mercy, love, power, forgiveness, and salvation. David doesn’t just pray for God’s deliverance; he fully expects it.

No one who trusts in you will ever be disgraced… – Psalm 25:3 NLT

…you are the God who saves me. All day long I put my hope in you. – Psalm 25:5 NLT

…you are merciful, O LORD. – Psalm 25:7 NLT

The Lord is good and does what is right; he shows the proper path to those who go astray. – Psalm 25:8 NLT

The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness… – Psalm 25:10 NLT

David had a long-term perspective. He did not let current circumstances cloud or influence his understanding of God’s faithful love and ability to deliver at just the right moment. He knew he could trust God to come through and deliver him from trouble. But he viewed God as more than just a divine deliverer. He had experienced God's direction and guidance, providing him with a clear understanding of what path to take in life. David’s God didn’t just protect his life; He pointed out how to live a full and meaningful life.

David had grown to depend on God’s guidance, which is why he says, “show me the right path” (Psalm 25:4 NLT). He isn’t just asking God to point out the path but to make it known clearly and decisively so there’s no chance of taking a wrong turn. David asks God, “Lead me by your truth and teach me” (Psalm 25:5 NLT). The word translated as “lead” carries the idea of God showing David where to place each footstep along the way, and David knows that God’s direction comes from God’s Word.

David asks God to teach him. The Hebrew word lamad means to strike with a rod or to chastise. It was a word used when referring to the training or discipline of cattle. David invites God to train him, even if God has to use a little physical discipline. When was the last time you asked God to teach you and not spare the pain?

David could dare to make such a request because he knew that God was holy, just, righteous, and good. “The Lord is good and does what is right” (Psalm 25:8 NLT). He “leads with unfailing love and faithfulness” (Psalm 25:10 NLT). David knew that God always had his best interest in mind. Even in his darkest moments, David knew he could turn to God, and God would understand, empathize, rescue, restore, teach, guide, discipline, and love him through it all.

This Psalm reminds us that God is all-powerful, all-knowing, faithful, righteous, merciful, personal, forgiving, and worthy of our trust. David looked to God. He kept his eyes focused on God. But we live in a world filled with distractions and doubt-producing alternatives that try to substitute themselves as replacements for God. It is easy to focus our attention elsewhere. We can quickly look to someone or something else to bring us peace, escape from pain, hope, happiness, wisdom, and protection. But none of those things will deliver. None of them can provide what we’re looking for because they offer empty promises and always leave us with unfulfilled desires. Yet, God always delivers. He always comes through. He always shows up. So, David kept looking up.

My eyes are always on the Lord,
    for he rescues me from the traps of my enemies. – Psalm 25:15 NLT)

These are not the glass-half-full rants of a wide-eyed optimist. David could whine with the best of them. In fact, he declares his not-so-pleasant circumstances in no uncertain terms. 

I am alone and in deep distress. My problems go from bad to worse. – Psalm 25:16-17 NLT

He asks God to feel his pain and see his trouble. He begs God to forgive his sins, especially those to which he may be blind. He doesn’t know why he’s suffering or what he has done to make his enemies despise him, but he knows his only hope is God.

Protect me! Rescue my life from them!
    Do not let me be disgraced, for in you I take refuge. – Psalm 25:20 NLT

When all is said and done, David must trust that God sees and knows the truth behind his circumstances. His all-knowing God will avenge him because he is a man of integrity and honesty. David is not claiming to be a man of moral perfection or sinlessness. He fully knows his capacity to commit sin and his need for God’s forgiveness. But he trusts that God knows the true nature of his heart and will not only forgive but vindicate him.

When things looked down, David looked up. He put his faith in God, believing that justice would be served, protection would be forthcoming, and restoration was inevitable. Where are you looking today? Why not look up and eagerly wait for God to show up? He is “a friend to those who fear him” (Psalm 25:14 NLT).

Father, this Psalm is so rich and jam-packed with insights into Your character. Make them come alive in my life and experience. I want to look to You, rely on You, rest in You, wait on You, and eagerly hope in You. Because You are my God and my friend. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

When All Else Fails, Turn to God

A Prayer of David.

1 Hear a just cause, O Lord; attend to my cry!
    Give ear to my prayer from lips free of deceit!
2 From your presence let my vindication come!
    Let your eyes behold the right!

3 You have tried my heart, you have visited me by night,
    you have tested me, and you will find nothing;
    I have purposed that my mouth will not transgress.
4 With regard to the works of man, by the word of your lips
    I have avoided the ways of the violent.
5 My steps have held fast to your paths;
    my feet have not slipped.

6 I call upon you, for you will answer me, O God;
    incline your ear to me; hear my words.
7 Wondrously show your steadfast love,
    O Savior of those who seek refuge
    from their adversaries at your right hand.

8 Keep me as the apple of your eye;
    hide me in the shadow of your wings,
9 from the wicked who do me violence,
    my deadly enemies who surround me.

10 They close their hearts to pity;
    with their mouths they speak arrogantly.
11 They have now surrounded our steps;
    they set their eyes to cast us to the ground.
12 He is like a lion eager to tear,
    as a young lion lurking in ambush.

13 Arise, O LORD! Confront him, subdue him!
    Deliver my soul from the wicked by your sword,
14 from men by your hand, O LORD,
    from men of the world whose portion is in this life.
You fill their womb with treasure;
    they are satisfied with children,
    and they leave their abundance to their infants.

15 As for me, I shall behold your face in righteousness;
    when I awake, I shall be satisfied with your likeness. – Psalm 17:1-15 ESV

In this Psalm of lament, David cries out to Yahweh (the LORD), begging Him to show mercy and dispense justice. David was going through an undisclosed difficulty that required Yahweh’s intervention. No details given as to the cause of David’s distress, but he clearly viewed his predicament as worthy of Yahweh’s attention.

Protect me from wicked people who attack me,
    from murderous enemies who surround me.
They are without pity. – Psalm 17:9-10 NLT

David begins his petition by declaring his innocence, claiming his lips are free from deceit. He is not duplicitous or hypocritical. In fact, he believes that Yahweh knows the condition of his heart and will affirm that his enemies are treating him unjustly.

You have tested my thoughts and examined my heart in the night.
    You have scrutinized me and found nothing wrong.
    I am determined not to sin in what I say.
I have followed your commands,
    which keep me from following cruel and evil people.
My steps have stayed on your path;
    I have not wavered from following you. – Psalm 17:3-5 NLT

David’s words have a hint of hubris to them. He seems a bit too self-confident and self-assured of his own righteousness. But David is not boasting of his own moral purity or declaring himself to be free from sin. He is simply stating that he had done nothing to deserve the unjust treatment of his antagonists.

David was a deeply flawed man who was well aware of his own shortcomings. He was all too familiar with his sinful predispositions but he remained firmly committed to Yahweh. That is why he invites Yahweh to examine his heart.

“. . . he requests God to ‘test’ his ‘heart’ (see 7:7), i.e., to put him through every conceivable examination. The probing (bahan, see 7:9) of ‘the heart’ (v. 3a) is a determination of the purity and integrity of the heart. Even as silver and gold underwent a refining process and were tested until the smith was satisfied with the purity of these precious metals, so the psalmist asks for an examination of his purity of devotion to God.” – Willem A. VanGemeren, "Psalms." In Psalms-Song of Songs. Vol. 5 of
The Expositor's Bible Commentary

David knew he couldn’t hide anything from Yahweh, for whom his heart was an open book. In Psalm 139, David discloses his awareness of Yahweh’s uncanny ability to see into the depths of his soul.

O Lord, you have examined my heart
    and know everything about me.
You know when I sit down or stand up.
    You know my thoughts even when I’m far away.
You see me when I travel
    and when I rest at home.
    You know everything I do.
You know what I am going to say
    even before I say it, Lord. – Psalm 139:1-4 NLT

Yahweh knew David’s thoughts before he could form them into words. Nothing remained hidden from the Almighty’s all-seeing eyes. In fact, David was so confident in Yahweh’s investigative skills that he begged to have his life examined so any secret sins could be exposed.

Search me, O God, and know my heart;
    test me and know my anxious thoughts.
Point out anything in me that offends you,
    and lead me along the path of everlasting life. – Psalm 139:23-24 NLT

David was not a self-deluded do-gooder blind to his own shortcomings. He was a pragmatic and practical man who understood the state of his own heart. In another Psalm, written not long after his elicit affair with Bathsheba and the murder of her husband, David wrote, “Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being, and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart” (Psalm 51:5-6 ESV). 

So, Psalm 17 is not David’s attempt to whitewash over his sinfulness or to diminish his capacity to offend a holy and just God. He simply declares that his current conditions were not tied to his actions. He was innocent and the attacks of his enemies were undeserved and unrelenting.

They track me down and surround me,
    watching for the chance to throw me to the ground.
They are like hungry lions, eager to tear me apart—
    like young lions hiding in ambush. – Psalm 17:11-12 NLT

It’s important to remember that David was the king and had the power and authority to vindicate himself against any and all foes. With a word, David could call on the Israelite army and send his enemies running. He could have his enemies arrested, tried, and executed. But instead, David calls on God.

Arise, O Lord!
    Stand against them, and bring them to their knees!
    Rescue me from the wicked with your sword!
By the power of your hand, O Lord,
    destroy those who look to this world for their reward. – Psalm 17:13-14 NLT

David would have been familiar with the words spoken by Yahweh and recorded by Moses in the Book of Deuteronomy.

“Vengeance is mine, and recompense,
    for the time when their foot shall slip;
for the day of their calamity is at hand,
    and their doom comes swiftly.” – Deuteronomy 32:25 ESV

David viewed the attacks against him as an assault on Yahweh’s authority. While David was the recipient of their anger, Yahweh was the ultimate target. That’s why David called on Yahweh to intervene. David describes his opponents as those “who look to this world for their reward” (Psalm 17:14 NLT). They were worldly and godless. 

This doesn't mean these people were pagans or idolators. In fact, they could have been faithful Hebrews who viewed themselves as law-abiding Yahweh followers. Yet their actions disclosed the true condition of their hearts. The apostle Paul describes a similar problem when writing to the church in Philippi. There were those in the local congregation who claimed to be Christ-followers but whose actions disclosed something quite different.

For I have told you often before, and I say it again with tears in my eyes, that there are many whose conduct shows they are really enemies of the cross of Christ. They are headed for destruction. Their god is their appetite, they brag about shameful things, and they think only about this life here on earth. – Philippians 3:18-19 NLT

David knew that only Yahweh could tell the difference because He could see into the heart and disclose its condition. In the conflict he faced, David was willing to allow Yahweh to step in and adjudicate the outcome. He remained confident in his own innocence and Yahweh’s justice.

Because I am righteous, I will see you.
    When I awake, I will see you face to face and be satisfied. – Psalm 17:15 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

How Long?

To the choirmaster: A Psalm of David.

1 How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever?
    How long will you hide your face from me?
2 How long must I take counsel in my soul
    and have sorrow in my heart all the day?
How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?

3 Consider and answer me, O Lord my God;
    light up my eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death,
4 lest my enemy say, “I have prevailed over him,”
    lest my foes rejoice because I am shaken.

5 But I have trusted in your steadfast love;
    my heart shall rejoice in your salvation.
6 I will sing to the Lord,
    because he has dealt bountifully with me. – Psalm 13:1-6 ESV

Reading David's Psalms can be confusing. It’s almost as if he suffers from a multiple personality disorder. In some of his writings, he comes across as a faithful and fully committed follower of God who boldly declares his allegiance and trust in the Almighty. But there are other times when David seems doubtful about their relationship, questioning God’s presence and seeming apathy or disinterest in his circumstances. But David isn’t schizophrenic, he’s simply being realistic and honest.

As a human being, David suffers from a limited perspective. He is neither omnipresent nor omniscient. Unable to see into the future, David cannot know the outcome of his present circumstances. Incapable of seeing into the throne room of God, he can only guess what the Almighty is doing at any given moment, leaving him to wonder and worry whether his predicament has gone unnoticed. In the heat of the moment, when the pressures of life begin to overwhelm him, David does what every other man does, he begins to question the goodness and greatness of God. He doesn’t stop believing, but he does start to have serious doubts about God’s intentions and seeming lack of activity.

David opens this Psalm with four rapid-fire questions.

O LORD, how long will you forget me? Forever?

How long will you look the other way?

How long must I struggle with anguish in my soul, with sorrow in my heart every day?

How long will my enemy have the upper hand?

David isn’t accusing God of being AWOL. These are not questions about God’s nearness but about His seeming delay in providing deliverance. David isn’t denying God’s presence or power; he just wants to know what is taking so long. He is expressing his frustration with God’s promptness.

Four times in the first two verses of Psalm 13, David repeats that question, “How long?” He pleads with God to answer him, to give him some glimmer of hope in the darkness. He desperately wants to see God act so his enemies will stop gloating over his situation. From David’s perspective, their boasting over his defeat is nothing less than a mockery of God’s power. He is grieved that his loss has given them a false sense of superiority because they have bested the LORD’s anointed one.

David cared deeply about God’s reputation. Having been anointed the king of Israel by the prophet of God, David knew his life was meant to reflect God’s glory. He served at God’s behest and had been tasked with the responsibility of shepherding the flock of God.

“I took you from the pasture, from following the sheep, that you should be prince over my people Israel.” – 2 Samuel 7:8 ESV

He chose David his servant
    and took him from the sheepfolds;
from following the nursing ewes he brought him
    to shepherd Jacob his people,
    Israel his inheritance.
With upright heart he shepherded them
    and guided them with his skillful hand. – Psalm 78:70-72 ESV

David felt a profound responsibility to honor God with his life, and when his enemies got the upper hand, he felt like he had let God down. His failures reflected poorly on God’s name. That’s why he wanted to know why God wasn’t stepping in to remedy the problem. What was keeping Yahweh from proving His power by providing deliverance?

But then David makes a profound admission: “But I trust in your unfailing love” (Psalm 13:5 NLT). Actually, the tense of the verb he uses speaks of a past event, a completed action. In a sense, David says, “But I have trusted in your unfailing love.” David has continually lived his life by placing his confidence in the kindness and mercy of God. That’s why he can say, “I will rejoice in your salvation.”

Because David had trusted God in the past, he knew he could trust God for the future. He knew there was a day coming when God would bring salvation. He didn’t know how or when, but he knew it was coming. He was fully confident that he would have reason to rejoice one day. He would sing for joy. Why? Because God had a proven track record of faithfulness.

The best translation of verse 6 is, “I will sing to the LORD, for he has been good to me.” God's past provision was the basis for David’s future joy. He knew God would come through for him because he had experienced it repeatedly. David’s God was a faithful, consistent, and unchanging God. His God always delivered, always came through, never abandoned, gave up, walked out, or disappointed.

What more does God have to do for you to begin to trust Him? What is it going to take for you to really believe that He knows what is going on in your life and will provide for and protect you, regardless of what you see happening around you? That is the recurring theme of so many of David’s Psalms. David was a man who had his own share of trials and troubles. He may have been a king who enjoyed great wealth and wielded tremendous power, but he was not immune to problems. He faced various difficult circumstances in his lifetime, including the constant threat of enemies, both within and without his kingdom.

At one point, his own father-in-law, Saul, launched a crusade to have David killed. Later on in his life, David would watch as his own son, Absalom, led a rebellion against him and took over his kingdom. The Philistines never forgave him for killing their champion, Goliath. There were times when David felt all alone and alienated from God. He was human and prone to look at his circumstances and question whether God knew what was happening to him. Amid his suffering and struggles, he would ask the same questions we all ask of God: How long? When is this going to stop, God? When will you do something about this situation in my life? Why the delay? What are You doing? Why are You waiting?

From David’s perspective, only a fool would conclude that there is no God (Psalm 14:1). Only a fool would decide that God was not there or did not care. David had seen the hand of God in the past and knew he would see the hand of God in the future. Because of God’s past provision in the face of problems, David knew he would sing, rejoice, and praise God some day – despite all that was going on at the moment.

Father, You have never failed to be faithful to me. So let me trust in Your past deliverance and there find hope for my future restoration. You are always faithful, always loving, and always powerful. Because You have, I can trust that you will. Your character is consistent,  constant, and never changing. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

No Odds Too Great For God

To the choirmaster: according to The Sheminith. A Psalm of David.

1 Save, O Lord, for the godly one is gone;
    for the faithful have vanished from among the children of man.
2 Everyone utters lies to his neighbor;
    with flattering lips and a double heart they speak.

3 May the Lord cut off all flattering lips,
    the tongue that makes great boasts,
4 those who say, “With our tongue we will prevail,
    our lips are with us; who is master over us?”

5 “Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan,
    I will now arise,” says the Lord;
    “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.”
6 The words of the Lord are pure words,
    like silver refined in a furnace on the ground,
    purified seven times.

7 You, O Lord, will keep them;
    you will guard us from this generation forever.
8 On every side the wicked prowl,
    as vileness is exalted among the children of man. – Psalm 12:1-8 ESV

David opens this Psalm using obviously hyperbolic language. He asserts that “the godly are fast disappearing” and “he faithful have vanished from the earth!” (Psalm 12:1 NLT). In an attempt to paint the worst possible case, David portrays the plight of the godly as running on fumes. Under the relentless assault of the wicked, the righteous are quickly becoming extinct. They are going the way of the dinosaurs. 

Whatever situation caused David to pen these words, he was far from optimistic about the future of the faithful. Even among the godly, he noticed a downward trend in their treatment of one another.

Neighbors lie to each other,
    speaking with flattering lips and deceitful hearts. – Psalm 12:2 NLT

Wickedness was contagious and the pressure to conform to society’s moral standards was relentless. He sensed a slow but steady decline in the spiritual well-being of the nation of Israel. Over the years, the reality of living in a fallen world surrounded by godless enemies had taken a toll on the chosen people of God. The relativistic lifestyles of these pagan nations had influenced the behavior of the Israelites, just as God had said it would.

Long before the Israelites crossed the Jordan River and began their conquest of the land of Canaan, Moses had warned them about the dangers of assimilating the ways of the wicked.

“When the LORD your God brings you into the land you are about to enter and occupy, he will clear away many nations ahead of you: the Hittites, Girgashites, Amorites, Canaanites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. These seven nations are greater and more numerous than you. When the LORD your God hands these nations over to you and you conquer them, you must completely destroy them. Make no treaties with them and show them no mercy. You must not intermarry with them. Do not let your daughters and sons marry their sons and daughters, for they will lead your children away from me to worship other gods. Then the anger of the LORD will burn against you, and he will quickly destroy you. This is what you must do. You must break down their pagan altars and shatter their sacred pillars. Cut down their Asherah poles and burn their idols. For you are a holy people, who belong to the LORD your God. Of all the people on earth, the Lord your God has chosen you to be his own special treasure.” – Deuteronomy 7:1-6 NLT

Now, centuries later, David witnessed the consequences of their failure to heed God’s warning. Joshua and the people of Israel had successfully conquered Canaan but had refused to purge the land of its pagan occupants. The Book of Judges opens with a less-than-flattering assessment of Israel’s efforts to eliminate the competition.

The tribe of Manasseh failed to drive out the people living in Beth-shan, Taanach, Dor, Ibleam, Megiddo, and all their surrounding settlements, because the Canaanites were determined to stay in that region. When the Israelites grew stronger, they forced the Canaanites to work as slaves, but they never did drive them completely out of the land. – Judges 1:27-28 NLT

The tribe of Zebulun failed to drive out the residents of Kitron and Nahalol, so the Canaanites continued to live among them. – Judges 1:30 NLT

…the people of Asher moved in among the Canaanites, who controlled the land, for they failed to drive them out. – Judges 1:32 NLT

This failure to comply with God’s commands was a nationwide problem. Virtually every tribe of Israel refused to carry out God’s instructions and chose to compromise with the Canaanites instead. Their disobedience did not go unnoticed by God.

“For your part, you were not to make any covenants with the people living in this land; instead, you were to destroy their altars. But you disobeyed my command. Why did you do this? So now I declare that I will no longer drive out the people living in your land. They will be thorns in your sides, and their gods will be a constant temptation to you.” – Judges 2:2-3 NLT

David was witnessing the fruits of Israel’s failure to comply. Over time, the persistent presence of these godless nations had worn down the resolve of God’s people. Like the proverbial frog being boiled alive in a pot, the Israelites had not noticed the danger, and now it was too late. David seemed to believe that the righteous were already in the minority and quickly losing the battle with the wicked. He sensed among his people a growing disregard for God's ways. Any fear of God they may have had was being replaced by a prideful and arrogant sense of autonomy.

“We will lie to our hearts’ content.
    Our lips are our own—who can stop us?” – Psalm 12:4 NLT

David felt abandoned and alone. Looking around, he saw just a handful of faithful God-followers willing to hold their ground against the enemy's relentless onslaught. His words echo those of the prophet Elijah, when he felt that he was the last man standing in Israel.

“I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” – 1 Kings 19:10 NLT

When living in a fallen world, it is easy to feel lost and alone. The people of God have always been in the minority and that can create a sense of isolation that leads to despair. Elijah had experienced a rousing victory over the prophets of Baal, but found himself running from the wrath of Queen Jezebel, who had issued a warrant for his death. Gripped by fear and loneliness, the prophet declared his plight to God.

“I have zealously served the LORD God Almighty. But the people of Israel have broken their covenant with you, torn down your altars, and killed every one of your prophets. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me, too.” – 1 Kings 19:14 NLT

But God assured Elijah that things were not as bad as they seemed. He was not alone. In fact, God revealed that He would raise up an army of faithful men to stand alongside the beleaguered prophet.

“I will preserve 7,000 others in Israel who have never bowed down to Baal or kissed him!” – 1 Kings 19: 18 NLT

This is the message of Psalm 12. Despite his dark assessment of the situation, David knew God was in control and could turn the tables. He knew that Yahweh was well aware of the current conditions in Israel and had a plan to remedy the situation.

It would appear that David received a message from the Lord. No explanation is provided for how this oracle from God was communicated, but its content is clear and concise.

“I have seen violence done to the helpless,
    and I have heard the groans of the poor.
Now I will rise up to rescue them,
    as they have longed for me to do.” – Psalm 12:5 NLT

Whether David received this news in a vision or from a prophet of God, he knew it was reliable and trustworthy. He had no doubt that God would keep His word because, “The LORD’s promises are pure, like silver refined in a furnace, purified seven times over” (Psalm 12:8 NLT). God wasn’t concerned about the odds or the shrinking numbers of the faithful. He had always worked with a remnant. God didn’t need a mighty army to rack up victories over the enemy. His power wasn’t dependent upon man’s resources — either physical or spiritual. 

Years later, King Jehoshaphat of Judah received a disturbing message.

“A vast army from Edom is marching against you from beyond the Dead Sea.” – 2 Chronicles 20:2 NLT

A coalition of Ammonite and Moabite forces was headed his way, and “Jehoshaphat was terrified by this news and begged the Lord for guidance” (2 Chronicles 20:3 NLT). The message he received was unmistakable.

“Listen, all you people of Judah and Jerusalem! Listen, King Jehoshaphat! This is what the Lord says: Do not be afraid! Don’t be discouraged by this mighty army, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” – 2 Chronicles 20:15 NLT

This was the same message Moses delivered to the people of Israel as they stood on the banks of the Red Sea with the army of Pharaoh barrelling toward them.

“Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm.” – Exodus 14:13-14 NLT

It was the same message Moses gave to the people of Israel as they prepared to enter the promised land for the first time.

“When you go out to fight your enemies and you face horses and chariots and an army greater than your own, do not be afraid. The Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, is with you! When you prepare for battle, the priest must come forward to speak to the troops. He will say to them, ‘Listen to me, all you men of Israel! Do not be afraid as you go out to fight your enemies today! Do not lose heart or panic or tremble before them. For the Lord your God is going with you! He will fight for you against your enemies, and he will give you victory!’” – Deuteronomy 20:1-4 NLT

David was familiar with these stories but, more importantly, he had experienced the reality of God’s deliverance in his own life. That is why he could write, “LORD, we know you will protect the oppressed, preserving them forever from this lying generation,
even though the wicked strut about, and evil is praised throughout the land” (Psalm 12:7-8 NLT).

Despite the disturbing trend toward apostasy and spiritual apathy, David knew he could trust God to rescue the helpless. No battle was too great for God, and no enemy could stand toe-to-toe with the Almighty. When David looked around him, he quickly became distraught and disheartened. But when he looked up, he remembered that God was on His throne and in complete control at all times. This is what allowed David to later write:

Now I know that the Lord saves his anointed;
    he will answer him from his holy heaven
    with the saving might of his right hand.
Some trust in chariots and some in horses,
    but we trust in the name of the Lord our God.
They collapse and fall,
    but we rise and stand upright. – Psalm 20:6-8 NLT

Father, it’s so easy to allow our circumstances to weaken our faith. Like David, we sometimes feel isolated and alone, like we are the last saint standing. But with You on our side, we are never alone. The odds are never in the enemy’s favor. The victory is never in question. The number of the faithful has nothing to do with the outcome of the battle. You are our hope. You are the Jehovah-Sabaoth, the LORD of Hosts, the Commander of Armies. The battle is yours and the victory is ours. Help me to never forget that reality. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

If God Is For Us

To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments. A Psalm of David.

1 Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer!

2 O men, how long shall my honor be turned into shame?
    How long will you love vain words and seek after lies? Selah
3 But know that the Lord has set apart the godly for himself;
    the Lord hears when I call to him.

4 Be angry, and do not sin;
    ponder in your own hearts on your beds, and be silent. Selah
5 Offer right sacrifices,
    and put your trust in the Lord.

6 There are many who say, “Who will show us some good?
    Lift up the light of your face upon us, O Lord!”
7 You have put more joy in my heart
    than they have when their grain and wine abound.

8 In peace I will both lie down and sleep;
    for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety. – Psalm 4:1-8 ESV

This Psalm bears striking similarities with Psalm 3, causing some scholars to speculate that it was written by David at about the same time. David found himself in an unexpected dilemma, having fled the capital city of Jerusalem because of a coup led by his son Absalom. Deposed from his throne, David is hiding somewhere in the wilderness outside Jerusalem.

This predicament was preceded by Absalom's four-year-long character assassination strategy. David’s son had conducted an aggressive PR campaign designed to build up his own reputation by questioning his father’s judgment and leadership skills.

Absalom bought a chariot and horses, and he hired fifty bodyguards to run ahead of him. He got up early every morning and went out to the gate of the city. When people brought a case to the king for judgment, Absalom would ask where in Israel they were from, and they would tell him their tribe. Then Absalom would say, “You’ve really got a strong case here! It’s too bad the king doesn’t have anyone to hear it. I wish I were the judge. Then everyone could bring their cases to me for judgment, and I would give them justice!”

When people tried to bow before him, Absalom wouldn’t let them. Instead, he took them by the hand and kissed them. Absalom did this with everyone who came to the king for judgment, and so he stole the hearts of all the people of Israel. – 1 Samuel 15:1-6 NLT

While living as a fugitive, David had to deal with the fact that his own son had ruined his reputation by defaming his character. These were difficult days for David. He was facing one of the most challenging moments of his life. He had been placed on the throne by God, but now he was a deposed and discredited former king living like a convicted criminal somewhere in the outskirts of his former capital. 

But rather than launch a vindictive slander campaign against his conniving son, David took the matter to God. This Psalm opens with a prayer.

Answer me when I call, O God of my righteousness!
    You have given me relief when I was in distress.
    Be gracious to me and hear my prayer! – Psalm 4:1 ESV

He refers to God as “my righteousness” (Psalm 4:1 ESV). With all the false accusations leveled against him, David was willing to leave his guilt or innocence up to God. David didn’t fully understand his circumstances and must have had a thousand questions for God. But rather than demanding answers, he simply asks God to hear his prayer and deliver him from his predicament. This was not the first time David found himself in a difficult situation, and he knew from personal experience that God could be trusted to always do what is right and just. 

The Lord is good and does what is right;
    he shows the proper path to those who go astray.
He leads the humble in doing right,
    teaching them his way.
The Lord leads with unfailing love and faithfulness
    all who keep his covenant and obey his demands. – Psalm 25:8-10 NLT

Despire the circumstances, David knew that God was still on his side. While it appeared that everyone else had turned their back on him, David was confident of God’s abiding presence and sovereign control over his life. As if addressing his detractors, David confidently asserts, “You can be sure of this: The Lord set apart the godly for himself. The Lord will answer when I call to him” (Psalm 4:3 NLT).

The Hebrew word translated “set apart” is pālâ, which means “to separate,” “to distinguish,” or “to show special favor.” David knew that he had been set apart by God to serve as the king of Israel. He could recall the moment when Samuel, the prophet of God, appeared at his home in Bethlehem. David had been summoned from caring for his father’s sheep and stood before his family as Samuel anointed him with oil.

So as David stood there among his brothers, Samuel took the flask of olive oil he had brought and anointed David with the oil. And the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David from that day on. – 1 Samuel 16:13 NLT

That fateful day had begun a long and circuitous path to the throne, including another period of isolation in the wilderness as King Saul sought to take David’s life. As a young man, David had been anointed the next king of Israel, but Saul would not relinquish the throne without a fight. During those difficult days, David learned to trust God for the future. It was during that time that David wrote another Psalm expressing his dependence upon the Lord.

Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy!
    I look to you for protection.
I will hide beneath the shadow of your wings
    until the danger passes by.
I cry out to God Most High,
    to God who will fulfill his purpose for me.
He will send help from heaven to rescue me,
    disgracing those who hound me. Interlude
My God will send forth his unfailing love and faithfulness. – Psalm 57:1-3 NLT

David had been here before. He was well acquainted with caves and more than familiar with adversity. Experience had taught him to judge his circumstances through the faithfulness of God and not the other way around. David knew God would deal with him differently because he belonged to God. He even refers to himself as “godly.” That word simply means “faithful one.” David was declaring his faithfulness to God. He wasn’t claiming perfection or sinlessness, but only that he had not abandoned God. He continued to trust in and rely upon God. He belonged to God, so he knew God would hear him when he called.

The people who accompanied David when he fled Jerusalem were asking, “Who will show us better times?” (Psalm 4:6 NLT). They were distraught and wondering what the future held. They wanted to know what plans David had to rectify the situation. He was their leader and they depended on him to solve their problem. But David knew that God was the key to their hope. He knew through experience that God was the source of joy. God had provided David with more joy than any amount of success or affluence could bring.

You have given me greater joy
    than those who have abundant harvests of grain and new wine. – Psalm 4:7 NLT

David knew that God alone could hear him when he called, declare him innocent, free him from his troubles, show him mercy, and keep him safe even in his sleep. No matter what was going on around him and to him, David knew that his God could be trusted to do the just and right thing. His fate was in God’s hands, not Absalom’s. That confident assurance had been forged in the fires of his earlier adversities.

My heart is confident in you, O God;
    my heart is confident.
    No wonder I can sing your praises!
Wake up, my heart!
    Wake up, O lyre and harp!
    I will wake the dawn with my song.
 I will thank you, Lord, among all the people.
    I will sing your praises among the nations.
For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens.
    Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. – Psalm 57:7-10 NLT

God had proven Himself faithful to David time and time again. He had a stellar track record for reliability. In another one of his earlier predicaments, David had written: “This I know: God is on my side! I praise God for what he has promised; yes, I praise the Lord for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?” (Psalm 56:9-11 NLT). David’s words reflect his familiarity with another anonymous Psalm.

In my distress I prayed to the Lord,
    and the Lord answered me and set me free.
The Lord is for me, so I will have no fear.
    What can mere people do to me?
Yes, the Lord is for me; he will help me.
    I will look in triumph at those who hate me.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in people.
It is better to take refuge in the Lord
    than to trust in princes. – Psalm 118:5-9 NLT

But David’s confidence in God doesn’t mean he had no questions. Psalm 4 reflects his confusion over the circumstances surrounding his son’s actions, but he doesn’t direct his uncertainties to God. He addresses his adversaries with a string of disquieted queries that demand an explanation for their actions.

How long will you people ruin my reputation?
    How long will you make groundless accusations?
    How long will you continue your lies? – Psalm 4:2 NLT

But rather than wait for an answer, David turns his attention to God.

You can be sure of this:
    The Lord set apart the godly for himself.
    The Lord will answer when I call to him. – Psalm 4:3 NLT

Their continued attacks would prove powerless before God, and David was willing to allow the Almighty to defend and avenge him. He didn’t fully comprehend the nature of his fall or the timing of his rescue, but David was willing to trust God with the outcome. So much so, that he encouraged his disgruntled companions, “Don’t sin by letting anger control you.  Think about it overnight and remain silent. Offer sacrifices in the right spirit, and trust the Lord” (Psalm 4:4-5 NLT).

For David, difficult circumstances were not an indication of God’s absence or anger; they were an invitation to see Him work. His son’s opposition was actually a divinely-ordained opportunity to display God’s glory and goodness. That is why David was able to say, “In peace I will lie down and sleep, for you alone, O Lord, will keep me safe” (Psalm 4:8 NLT).

Father, I want to trust You more. I want to have the came degree of confidence in You that David expressed. He had found You to be faithful in the past, so he could confidently trust You for the future. He didn’t let the conditions around him determine His faith in You. He trusted in Your character, not his circumstances. He recalled all the wonderful things You had done for him and realized that You had set him apart for Yourself. David belonged to You, so he knew he could trust You. And I want to trust you, too. Amen

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Jehovah-Nissi

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.” 10 So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword.

14 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” 15 And Moses built an altar and called the name of it, The Lord Is My Banner, 16 saying, “A hand upon the throne of the Lord! The Lord will have war with Amalek from generation to generation.” – Exodus 17;8-16 ESV

YHWH-Nissi – the LORD is my Banner. Like many of the other names of God, this one was coined by one of His servants; in this case, it was Moses. While this is one of the more familiar names of God, its meaning is sometimes difficult to grasp. Yet the context of the story recorded in Exodus provides insight into what prompted Moses had in mind when he built an altar to God and named it “The LORD is my banner.

On this occasion, Moses is leading the people of Israel to the land of Canaan. He had been used by God to deliver them from their captivity in Egypt and was in the process of guiding them across the barren Sinai peninsula to the land that God had promised to them as their inheritance. While their escape from Egypt had been divinely orchestrated by God and inaugurated with their miraculous crossing of the Red Sea on dry ground, the rest of journey had not been easy or trouble-free.

One month after leaving Egypt, this rag-tag group of former slaves arrived at the wilderness of Sin, hungry and tired. It is estimated that there were as many as one and a half million men, women, and children under Moses’ direction and this large entourage would have consumed massive quantities of food and water. Moses was likely forced to ration their resources to ensure they could make it to Canaan without starving to death. So when they arrived at Sin, the people expressed their frustration with Moses, saying, “Would that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the meat pots and ate bread to the full, for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger” (Exodus 16:2-3 ESV).

As the saying goes, they were not happy campers. Their excitement at leaving Egypt had long worn off and they had run out of patience with their newfound leader. Weariness and hunger clouded their collective memory and caused them to long for the “good old days” in Egypt. Somehow they forgot that they had been slaves laboring under the heavy hand of Pharaoh. But Moses took their complaint to God, who appeared to them and said, “At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. Then you shall know that I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 16:12 ESV). And God delivered on His word. The next morning, the people woke up to find the ground covered in “a fine, flake-like thing, fine as frost on the ground” (Exodus 16:14 ESV). They were commanded to gather only as much as they needed to feed their family; no hoarding was allowed. Any excess they gathered would spoil before they could eat it. God was letting them know that He would be their provider and care for their needs all the way to the land of Canaan, and He did so for more than 40 years.

The people of Israel ate the manna forty years, till they came to a habitable land. They ate the manna till they came to the border of the land of Canaan. – Exodus 16:35 ESV

Eventually, the people moved on from the wilderness of Sin and traveled to a place called Rephidim, where they ran into another problem: There was no water for them to drink (Exodus 17:1). Once again, the people voiced their frustration to Moses.

“Why did you bring us up out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and our livestock with thirst?” – Exodus 17:3 ESV

They were not being melodramatic or speaking in hyperbole; they feared for their lives. Moses recognized the extent of their anger and expressed his concern to God, stating, “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exodus 17:4 ESV). As their leader, he knew he would be the one to bear the brunt of their anger and frustration but, once again, God intervened.

And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” – Exodus 17:5-6 ESV

This point in the story is critical to understanding what happens next. God gave Moses specific instructions. He was to use the staff of Aaron to strike a rock so that it would produce fresh water. This was the same staff that God used to turn the water of the Nile into blood (Exodus 7). This time, rather than transforming the source of life into death, God caused a barren rock to produce life-giving water to nourish his people.

But Moses adds an important addendum to this story, stating, “they tested the Lord by saying, ‘Is the Lord among us or not?’ (Exodus 17:7 ESV). The people didn’t just complain, they doubted God’s presence. They questioned His faithfulness and provision. Even though He had continued to provide them with manna every morning, they doubted His willingness or ability to care for their needs.

What happens next is important. Moses used Aaron’s rod to strike the rock and a stream of fresh water poured out. God came through in a big way. But after having their thirst miraculously quenched by God, another faith-testing trial took place. With the rock continuing to provide all the water they needed, the people enjoyed their respite in Rephidim. But their comfortable oasis in the wilderness was about to get uncomfortably crowded.

Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. – Exodus 17:8 ESV

This time, the problem was not a lack of food or water, but the presence of a formidable enemy. This would be their first real exposure to what the future held in store for them. Their destiny was Canaan, and when they arrived, they would find it filled with nations who would oppose their presence and resist their efforts to take up residence. If they couldn’t handle hunger and thirst, how would survive the many battles that lay ahead?

Faced with a formidable enemy, Moses instructed Joshua to form a militia. It is important to recognize that the Israelites were not a well-organized fighting force. Up until a month ago, they had been indentured servants and slaves. They would have had no weapons and little to no experience in warfare. But Joshua obeyed Moses and conscripted enough men to go into battle against the Amalekites. At the same time, Moses climbed a nearby hill carrying Aaron’s staff. The text doesn’t explain where Moses got the idea to do what he did, simply states, “Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed” (Exodus 17:11 ESV). The staff that turned the water of the Nile into blood and produced water from a rock was used to bring victory in battle. As long as Moses held the staff aloft, the battle went in favor of the Israelites. But as soon as he grew weary and let his hands drop, the enemy prevailed.

Seeing the back-and-forth nature of the conflict and the obvious impact that staff was having, Aaron and Hur stepped in to provide assistance to their weary friend.

Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. And Joshua overwhelmed Amalek and his people with the sword. – Exodus 17:12-13 ESV

Joshua and the people fought valiantly. Moses struggled to hold up the staff. Aaron and Hur provided much-needed support and encouragement. But God brought the victory. That’s the point of the story and the meaning behind the name YHWH-Nissi. Immediately after the battle, God gave Moses a message.

“Write this as a memorial in a book and recite it in the ears of Joshua, that I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” – Exodus 17:14 ESV

This would not be a one-time battle with a single victorious outcome, but it would result in the eventual eradication of the Amalekites. They would show up again and would continue to dog the steps of the Israelites all along the way to Canaan. Just prior to their entry into the land of Canaan, God would command the Israelites to wipe out the Amalekites once and for all.

“Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you came out of Egypt, how he attacked you on the way when you were faint and weary, and cut off your tail, those who were lagging behind you, and he did not fear God. Therefore when the Lord your God has given you rest from all your enemies around you, in the land that the Lord your God is giving you for an inheritance to possess, you shall blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven; you shall not forget.” – Deuteronomy 25:17-19 ESV

God didn’t wipe out the Amalekites at Rephidim, but He did prove to the Israelites that, with His help, they could be victorious. When Moses named the altar The LORD our Banner, he was making a statement about the ongoing presence and power of God. The staff he held in his hand throughout the battle was a symbol of God’s leadership, power, and provision. It had turned water into blood, produced water from a rock, and victory over the Amalekites.

The Hebrew word translated as “banner” is nēs and it can mean “something lifted up.” It was used to refer to a standard or banner that served to rally troops in the middle of a battle. In the case of the battle at Rephidim, Moses was lifting up the staff of Aaron that was to serve as a reminder of God’s power and provision. He was with them and He was providing for them. Whether they needed a sign to convince Pharaoh to let them go or water to help them keep going on, God could and would provide. When they needed a victory over their enemy, all they needed to do was look up and God showed up.

There is another point in the story of the Israelites when God forced the people to look up so that they could see His deliverance. On this occasion, they resorted to grumbling and complaining again, communicating their dissatisfaction with the manna and the lack of water. Angered by their lack of gratitude and absence of faith, God sent a plague of serpents to punish them. When Moses interceded on their behalf, God instructed him, “Make a fiery serpent and set it on a pole, and everyone who is bitten, when he sees it, shall live” (Numbers 21:8 ESV). Moses did as God instructed and when anyone was bit, all they had to do was look at the bronze serpent on the pole and they would be healed. This is a strange story that raises all kinds of questions until you read the commentary of Jesus, spoken centuries later.

“And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.” – John 3:14-15 ESV

The serpent was simply a sign or symbol of a future and greater source of healing. But in both cases, something had to be lifted up. The bronze serpent became the standard for healing. In the same way, as Jesus was lifted up on the cross, he became the standard for spiritual restoration and redemption. Later in John’s gospel he records the promise that Jesus offered to all who looked to Him for salvation from sin and deliverance from death.

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.” He said this to show by what kind of death he was going to die. – John 12:32-33 ESV

YHWH-Nissi – the LORD is my Banner. He is my standard, the one to whom I look in my time of greatest need; for salvation, daily sustenance, victory in battle, and the provision of my future inheritance.

So Jesus said to them, “When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me. And he who sent me is with me. He has not left me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to him.” As he was saying these things, many believed in him. – John 8:28-30 ESV

Look up and let YHWH-Nissi lift you up.

English Standard Version (ESV)
The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT)
Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

An Attitude of Ingratitude

19 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said, “Let me run and carry news to the king that the Lord has delivered him from the hand of his enemies.” 20 And Joab said to him, “You are not to carry news today. You may carry news another day, but today you shall carry no news, because the king’s son is dead.” 21 Then Joab said to the Cushite, “Go, tell the king what you have seen.” The Cushite bowed before Joab, and ran. 22 Then Ahimaaz the son of Zadok said again to Joab, “Come what may, let me also run after the Cushite.” And Joab said, “Why will you run, my son, seeing that you will have no reward for the news?” 23 “Come what may,” he said, “I will run.” So he said to him, “Run.” Then Ahimaaz ran by the way of the plain, and outran the Cushite.

24 Now David was sitting between the two gates, and the watchman went up to the roof of the gate by the wall, and when he lifted up his eyes and looked, he saw a man running alone. 25 The watchman called out and told the king. And the king said, “If he is alone, there is news in his mouth.” And he drew nearer and nearer. 26 The watchman saw another man running. And the watchman called to the gate and said, “See, another man running alone!” The king said, “He also brings news.” 27 The watchman said, “I think the running of the first is like the running of Ahimaaz the son of Zadok.” And the king said, “He is a good man and comes with good news.”

28 Then Ahimaaz cried out to the king, “All is well.” And he bowed before the king with his face to the earth and said, “Blessed be the Lord your God, who has delivered up the men who raised their hand against my lord the king.” 29 And the king said, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” Ahimaaz answered, “When Joab sent the king’s servant, your servant, I saw a great commotion, but I do not know what it was.” 30 And the king said, “Turn aside and stand here.” So he turned aside and stood still.

31 And behold, the Cushite came, and the Cushite said, “Good news for my lord the king! For the Lord has delivered you this day from the hand of all who rose up against you.” 32 The king said to the Cushite, “Is it well with the young man Absalom?” And the Cushite answered, “May the enemies of my lord the king and all who rise up against you for evil be like that young man.” 33  And the king was deeply moved and went up to the chamber over the gate and wept. And as he went, he said, “O my son Absalom, my son, my son Absalom! Would I had died instead of you, O Absalom, my son, my son!” – 2 Samuel 18:19-33 ESV

While David’s army had marched off to do battle with the superior forces of his son, Absalom, he had remained behind. As the day wore on and the battle raged, he could do nothing but wonder about the outcome of the conflict. This was a winner-takes-all battle that would determine whether David would regain his throne, spend his life in exile, or lose his life to his own son. So, when Joab and his troops had won a great victory and done away with Absalom, they sent word to David. But Joab knew David well and anticipated how the king would respond to the news of his son’s death. Joab had been fully aware of David’s command to spare the life of Absalom but had disobeyed. When he discovered David’s rebellious son hanging helplessly from a tree, his hair long hair caught in its branches, Joab drove three spears into Absalom’s body, effectively ending the coup and saving David’s kingdom.

Before the battle, David had chosen Ahimaaz, the son of Zadok the priest, to serve as a courier, keeping the king informed about everything taking place within the walls of Jerusalem. So, when Ahimaaz heard of the victory, he jumped at the chance to let David know what had happened. But Joab denied him the opportunity, knowing that David would not receive the news well. He recalled how David treated the Amalakite who claimed to have taken the life of King Saul (2 Samuel 1:1-16). Rather than rewarding the man for eliminating his arch-enemy, David had him killed.

So, on this occasion, Joab refused to risk the lives of one of his own men, choosing instead to send a Cushite mercenary to break the news to David. Yet, Ahimaaz, likely driven by pride and the thought of earning David’s favor, begged Joab to allow him to accompany the Cushite. In his eagerness to tell the king about the great victory, Ahimaaz outran the Cushite and was the first to arrive at David’s camp. Still breathless from his long run, Ahimaaz fell before the king and declared, “Everything is all right! Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king” (2 Samuel 18:28 NLT).

But Ahimaaz’s news failed to bring a smile to David’s face. Instead, the anxious king asked, “What about young Absalom? Is he all right?” (2 Samuel 18:29 NLT). This response must have confused Ahimaaz. Why was the king more concerned about the well-being of his rebellious son than he was about the news of the failed coup attempt? Wisely, Ahimaaz pleaded ignorance, stating, “When Joab told me to come, there was a lot of commotion. But I didn’t know what was happening” (2 Samuel 18:29 NLT). It is unclear whether Ahimaaz was lying or was simply unaware that Joab had killed Absalom. But before David could press for more details, the Cushite arrived on the scene and reiterated the words of Ahimaaz. Once again, David brushed aside the news of the victory and demanded to know what had happened to his son. Breathlessly, the Cushite delivered what he believed would be the good news of Absalom’s death.

“May all of your enemies, my lord the king, both now and in the future, share the fate of that young man!” – 2 Samuel 18:32 NLT

But both Ahimaaz and the Cushite must have been shocked by David’s reaction. Rather than rejoicing at the news of the great victory and the deliverance of his kingdom, David walked away in sorrow.

The king was overcome with emotion. He went up to the room over the gateway and burst into tears. And as he went, he cried, “O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom! If only I had died instead of you! O Absalom, my son, my son.” – 2 Samuel 18:33 NLT

David didn’t utter a word of thanks to the two men or display any excitement over the news that the rebellion had been put down. Both Ahimaaz and the Cushite had recognized the impact of the day’s events. Ahimaaz had eagerly declared, “Praise to the Lord your God, who has handed over the rebels who dared to stand against my lord the king” (2 Samuel 18:28 NLT). The Cushite had echoed that sentiment, stating, “I have good news for my lord the king. Today the Lord has rescued you from all those who rebelled against you” (2 Samuel 18:31 NLT). But David didn’t share their enthusiasm.

There is a passage in the book of Isaiah that reflects the perspective David should have had when he received the news of God’s miraculous deliverance of his kingdom.

How beautiful on the mountains are the feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns! – Isaiah 52:7 NLT

But rather than celebrate God’s miraculous deliverance of his kingdom, David mourned the loss of his son. He even wished that he had died in Absalom’s place. While we can certainly understand a grieving father’s response to the loss of his son’s life, it must not be overlooked that David was the God-appointed shepherd of Israel. As king, he was responsible for the well-being of the entire nation, not just his own household. David’s reaction to his son’s death not only displayed a disregard for God’s divine involvement in the victory, but it dismissed the devastating reality that 20,000 Israelites had died that day – all as a result of his son’s selfish and sinful actions.

But more importantly, David’s response displayed an ingratitude toward God that was evident to all those around him. His actions shocked and surprised them. Rather than rejoicing at what God had done, he took the divine deliverance of God and treated it with disdain. As the God-anointed king of Israel, David was to lead his people by example. This was to be a day of celebration, not mourning. The kingdom needed to be unified and that required David to put aside his personal issues and begin the process of restoring the faith of his people by leading well. Absalom undermined David’s integrity and caused the people to reject him as king. Now that he had his throne back, he needed to win back the hearts of the people. But David was too busy mourning.

Sadly, this was not a short-term response on David’s part. His melancholy and mournful state would become a lingering problem that infected the entire nation. The opening lines of the next chapter reveal the devastating consequences of David’s self-absorbed pity party.

Word soon reached Joab that the king was weeping and mourning for Absalom. As all the people heard of the king’s deep grief for his son, the joy of that day’s victory was turned into deep sadness. They crept back into the town that day as though they were ashamed and had deserted in battle. The king covered his face with his hands and kept on crying, “O my son Absalom! O Absalom, my son, my son!” – 2 Samuel 19:1-4 NLT

David’s demeanor cast a pall over the entire nation. Rather than a joyful spirit of celebration, the people were overcome with somberness and sadness. They were afraid to express joy because their king was despondent and depressed. And David’s lingering languidness would not have elicited confidence in his troops. They would have resented how the king had turned their great victory into a national day of mourning. These men had risked their lives and watched as their comrades fell by their sides, just so David might be restored to his throne. Now, all he could do was weep over the death of his rebellious son.

The prophet Isaiah describes how the king and the nation should have responded to the news of the victory over their enemy.

The watchmen shout and sing with joy,
    for before their very eyes
    they see the Lord returning to Jerusalem.
Let the ruins of Jerusalem break into joyful song,
    for the Lord has comforted his people.
    He has redeemed Jerusalem.
The Lord has demonstrated his holy power
    before the eyes of all the nations.
All the ends of the earth will see
    the victory of our God. – Isaiah 52:8-10 NLT

How easy it is for us to view life from our limited perspective and to selfishly place our desires over those of God. David had wanted to spare Absalom and believed that he could somehow return things back to the way they had been before. But God, in His justice, had determined to punish Absalom for what he had done. The king’s son deserved death for his murder of Amnon and God saw that justice was done. Had David gotten his wish and been able to spare Absalom, the kingdom would have remained in a state of flux. His unrepentant and ambitious son would have proven to be a constant threat, so God intervened and graciously restored David’s kingdom. But rather than responding with gratitude and joy, David returned God’s undeserved favor with self-pity and an infectious spirit of sorrow.

David, who would go on to write his fair share of Psalms, could have benefited from the advice of another unnamed psalmist.

Give thanks to the Lord and proclaim his greatness.
    Let the whole world know what he has done.
Sing to him; yes, sing his praises.
    Tell everyone about his wonderful deeds.
Exult in his holy name;
    rejoice, you who worship the Lord. – Psalm 105:1-3 NLT

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Wanted: A Divine Deliverer

22 Now Eli was very old, and he kept hearing all that his sons were doing to all Israel, and how they lay with the women who were serving at the entrance to the tent of meeting. 23 And he said to them, “Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings from all these people. 24 No, my sons; it is no good report that I hear the people of the Lord spreading abroad. 25 If someone sins against a man, God will mediate for him, but if someone sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.

26 Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man. – 1 Samuel 2:22-26 ESV

It’s interesting to note that this short section is bookended by two verses that provide a stark contrast to the scene going on in and around the Tabernacle. We’ve already been given an unflattering glimpse into the spiritual state of the priestly caste of Israel. Now Samuel records the dysfunctional relationship between Eli and his two wicked sons. These three men represent the spiritual elite of Israel. They were to be the keepers of the flame of faith, instructing the people in the ways of God and helping them maintain a right relationship with Him through the faithful administration of the sacrificial system.

But Hophni and Phinehas were “worthless men” who “did not know the Lord” (1 Samuel 2:12 ESV). Their personal relationships with God were not what He had intended them to be. Rather than faithfully executing their duties as the teachers of God’s statutes and the mediators of His grace-based sacrificial system, these men had become icons for vice rather than virtue.  Yet, despite their flawed faith and penchant for wickedness, “Samuel grew in the presence of the Lord” (Samuel 2:21 ESV). Even while growing up in a less-than-ideal environment with Hophni and Phinehas as his spiritual mentors and advisors, Samuel managed to maintain his faith in God. Verse 26 states that “the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (1 Samuel 2:26 ESV).

That rather matter-of-fact statement conveys a powerful message about God’s sovereignty and power. That Samuel could experience even a modicum of spiritual growth in an atmosphere of such wickedness is nothing short of a miracle. God was personally overseeing this young boy’s spiritual journey and protecting him from the evil influence of his two older mentors.

It should not be overlooked that Samuel was spending all his waking moments with these two men. Ever since his mother handed him over to Eli in fulfillment of her vow, Samuel had been immersed in a household of moral corruption and parental dysfunction. That is not to say that Eli himself was guilty of the same wickedness as his two sons or complicit in their immoral activities. The text seems to indicate that he was either clueless about their X-rated exploits or had decided to turn a blind eye to all that was going on in his household.

Eli was an old man who had lived a long life and was ready to turn over the priestly responsibilities to his two sons. Yet, he kept hearing rumors about their activities that should have provided him with ample evidence that his sons were unqualified for their roles.

…he would hear about everything that his sons used to do to all the people of Israel and how they used to go to bed with the women who were stationed at the entrance to the tent of meeting. – 1 Samuel 2:22 NLT

It seems obvious from the text that this news disturbed Eli because he confronted his sons about it. As the high priest, he knew they were in direct violation of God’s commands.

“They [the priests] must be set apart as holy to their God and must never bring shame on the name of God. They must be holy, for they are the ones who present the special gifts to the Lord, gifts of food for their God.” – Leviticus 21:6 NLT

“The high priest may marry only a virgin. He may not marry a widow, a woman who is divorced, or a woman who has defiled herself by prostitution. She must be a virgin from his own clan, so that he will not dishonor his descendants among his clan, for I am the Lord who makes him holy.” – Leviticus 21:13-15 NLT

“Tell Aaron and his sons to be very careful with the sacred gifts that the Israelites set apart for me, so they do not bring shame on my holy name. I am the Lord. 3 Give them the following instructions.” – Leviticus 22:2 NLT

Hophni and Phinehas had broken every one of these commands, and Eli knew their actions were worthy of death. God had clearly stipulated the punishment for priestly disobedience.

“The priests must follow my instructions carefully. Otherwise they will be punished for their sin and will die for violating my instructions. I am the Lord who makes them holy.” – Leviticus 22:9 NLT

But rather than mete out God’s justice, Eli took a more passive approach, he tried to reason with his sons. Desperate to see his sons change the error of their ways, Eli pleaded, “Why do you do these things, these evil things that I hear about from all these people?  No, my sons! For the report that I hear circulating among the Lord’s people is not good” (1 Samuel 2:23-24 NLT).

Talk about a gross understatement. Eli doesn’t seem to doubt the rumors about his sons’s activities, but he diminishes the weight of their actions by describing them as “not good.” But he knew better. He even warned his sons that, if even half of what the rumors said was true, God would be forced to act.

“…if a man sins against the Lord, who can intercede for him?” – 1 Samuel 2:25 NLT

To be fair, Eli did warn his sons but he refused to take action. As the high priest, he was obligated to step in and preserve the sanctity of God’s house. His two sons had committed sins against God that were worthy of death but he refused to do the right thing. As a father, he kept hoping they would change their ways. But the text states that they were unwilling to repent.

“But they would not listen to the voice of their father, for it was the will of the Lord to put them to death.” – 1 Samuel 2:25 ESV

That last line is somewhat disconcerting because it paints a rather disturbing picture of God. It conveys the idea that God prevented their repentance because He had preordained their deaths. It is reminiscent of an interaction between Moses and Pharaoh. The Book of Exodus states the following: “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and just as the LORD had predicted to Moses, Pharaoh refused to listen” (Exodus 9:12 NLT).

God had just brought a plague of debilitating boils on the people of Egypt in an attempt to persuade Pharaoh to release the people of Israel from their enslavement. But Pharaoh refused to comply with God’s command because God had hardened his heart. This is one of several occasions when God is said to have stepped in and prevented Pharaoh from changing his mind. But the fact is that Pharaoh already had a hardened heart and he had demonstrated his obstinance repeatedly. Any chance of Pharaoh changing his mind was completely dependent upon the grace and mercy of God. The only hope Pharaoh had of repenting was if God had softened his already-hardened heart. So, when it states that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart, it is best to understand it as a statement of inaction. He refused to intervene and empower Pharaoh to do the right thing. Why? Because God had a plan that included ten plagues and the ultimate release of His enslaved people. 

God had a plan for Hophni and Phinehas as well. Their hearts were wicked and the only chance they had of changing the error of their ways was if God intervened and transformed them from the inside out. But their fate was sealed. They had repeatedly violated God’s commands, desecrated His Tabernacle, and defamed His name. Now they would suffer the consequences.

The sinful actions of Hophni and Phinehas were nothing new. Likely, these men were well into their 50s by the time this story unfolds. So, they were not impulsive young men who lacked understanding or maturity. They were seasoned veterans who had developed a lifelong habit of violating God’s commands, and He had seen enough. It was time to clean house and start again.

That’s why this passage ends with the statement: “Now the boy Samuel continued to grow both in stature and in favor with the Lord and also with man” (1 Samuel 2:26 ESV). God already had a plan in place that included judgment on the house of Eli and the elevation of Samuel to the dual roles of priest and prophet of Israel. All that has happened in the story thus far has been the result of God’s sovereign plan. Despite the unfaithfulness of Hophni and Phinehas and the inaction of Eli, God was faithfully implementing His plan to restore order to the chaos. He was acting, not reacting. He was implementing His plan, not impulsively but strategically.

As the following verses will make clear, God had plans for Eli and his sons. But He also had plans for Samuel and the people of Israel. Long before the need arose, God determined a solution to Israel’s leadership crisis. He miraculously ordained the birth of a baby who would grow to be Israel’s deliverer. Just as He had done with Moses, God would raise up and preserve a man who would serve as His messenger and mediator. In a time when the people of God were desperate for deliverance, God provided a divinely ordained deliverer to do the job.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Stark Contrast of Two Suffering Saints

25 “My days are swifter than a runner;
    they flee away; they see no good.
26 They go by like skiffs of reed,
    like an eagle swooping on the prey.
27 If I say, ‘I will forget my complaint,
    I will put off my sad face, and be of good cheer,’
28 I become afraid of all my suffering,
    for I know you will not hold me innocent.
29 I shall be condemned;
    why then do I labor in vain?
30 If I wash myself with snow
    and cleanse my hands with lye,
31 yet you will plunge me into a pit,
    and my own clothes will abhor me.
32 For he is not a man, as I am, that I might answer him,
    that we should come to trial together.
33 There is no arbiter between us,
    who might lay his hand on us both.
34 Let him take his rod away from me,
    and let not dread of him terrify me.
35 Then I would speak without fear of him,
    for I am not so in myself.” – Job 9:25-35 ESV

Job has reached the end of his rope. His persistent pain and sorrow have left him in a hopeless state with no sign of relief in sight. He can’t imagine a brighter tomorrow or any hope of a reversal of his misfortunes. The days come and go, “swifter than a runner” (Job 9:25 ESV), and leave Job in an increasingly more depressed and defeated state. To make matters worse, Job has determined that God is behind it all, and he believes there is nothing he can do about it. 

“If I decided to forget my complaints,
    to put away my sad face and be cheerful,
I would still dread all the pain,
    for I know you will not find me innocent, O God.
Whatever happens, I will be found guilty.” – Job 9:27-29 NLT

Even if Job could force himself to put on a happy face, he doesn’t believe his lot in life will change. A forced smile won’t change anything unless God is willing to pronounce him innocent, and Job doesn’t think that is going to happen. For whatever reason, Job has convinced himself that God is against him. His unresolved circumstances have forced him to conclude that the Creator of the universe has it in for him, and Job feels ill-equipped to defend himself before such an august and powerful judge. The die has been cast, the verdict has been determined, and there is nothing Job can do to alter the pre-ordained outcome of an omnipotent God. But is he right, or is there a chance that Job has misjudged the Judge of the universe?

Job pessimistically states, “Whatever happens, I will be found guilty. So what’s the use of trying?” (Job 9:29 NLT). Even if he could find someone to mediate his case before God, Job doesn’t believe the outcome will be any different. He can try to clean up his act, improve his disposition, and put on a happy face, but he honestly believes that God will not relent or renounce His guilty verdict.

Job’s sorrowful state and gloomy outlook are not unique to him. There are countless others who have reached similar conclusions when faced with comparable circumstances. It was King David who wrote:

My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
    Why are you so far away when I groan for help?
Every day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer.
    Every night I lift my voice, but I find no relief. – Psalm 22:1-2 NLT

In a similar fashion, Heman the Ezrahite declared his dissatisfaction with God.

O Lord, God of my salvation,
    I cry out to you by day.
    I come to you at night.
Now hear my prayer;
    listen to my cry.
For my life is full of troubles,
    and death draws near.
I am as good as dead,
    like a strong man with no strength left.
They have left me among the dead,
    and I lie like a corpse in a grave.
I am forgotten,
    cut off from your care.
You have thrown me into the lowest pit,
    into the darkest depths.
Your anger weighs me down;
    with wave after wave you have engulfed me. – Psalm 88:1-7 NLT

Heman went on to accuse God of driving away all his friends, placing him in an inescapable trap, and repeatedly rejecting him. He found himself in a place of utter darkness and despair and could not understand why God would not respond to his cries for mercy and help. At no point in Heman’s psalm does he acknowledge the goodness and grace of God. But King David is different.

David’s grief is just as palpable and his despair is unrelenting and virtually unresolvable. Yet, he manages to catch glimpses of the goodness of God amid all the sorrow and pain. He is able to look back on his life and remember the many times that God had poured out His undeserved blessings.

Yet you brought me safely from my mother’s womb
    and led me to trust you at my mother’s breast.
I was thrust into your arms at my birth.
    You have been my God from the moment I was born. – Psalm 22:9-10 NLT

David understood his birth to be a gift from God. He had been raised by a godly mother who introduced him to Yahweh at an early age and, for that, David was grateful. His pain was real and his sense of despair and desperation was great, but David remained persistent in his belief that God would hear and deliver him.

O Lord, do not stay far away!
    You are my strength; come quickly to my aid!
Save me from the sword;
    spare my precious life from these dogs.
Snatch me from the lion’s jaws
    and from the horns of these wild oxen. – Psalm 22:19-21 NLT 

David doesn’t declare his innocence or accuse God of injustice. He simply appeals to God’s mercy and grace, and he promises to praise God among the assembly when deliverance inevitably comes.

I will praise you in the great assembly.
    I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who worship you. – Psalm 22:25 NLT

Though David’s suffering was no less intense than that of Job and Heman, his outlook on God was markedly different. His pain was just as real and his despair was just as intense, but he remained hopeful. He maintained His trust in the goodness of God. Even with all that was going on in his life, he was able to speak in optimistic and hopeful terms regarding God.

Praise the Lord, all you who fear him!
    Honor him, all you descendants of Jacob!
    Show him reverence, all you descendants of Israel!
For he has not ignored or belittled the suffering of the needy.
    He has not turned his back on them,
    but has listened to their cries for help. – Psalm 22:23-24 NLT

David was down but not defeated. He was suffering but was still willing to find solace in the goodness of God. He was able to maintain a hint of optimism in the midst of all the sorrow because he believed that God would ultimately deliver him. He maintained a strong belief in the faithfulness of God, so he would continue to cry out and wait for God’s deliverance. David had full assurance that God hears the cries of His children and responds, and it was that belief in God’s goodness that prompted David to write: “His righteous acts will be told to those not yet born. They will hear about everything he has done” (Psalm 22:31 NLT).

Job will end up saying something that gives the impression of faith but it is actually a declaration of resignation.

God might kill me, but I have no other hope.
    I am going to argue my case with him. – Job 13:15 NLT

For Job, God was a last resort. He firmly believed that God might strike him dead, but he was willing to take that risk in order to defend his innocence. There is a stark difference between the theology of Job and that of David. One viewed God as his only source of hope and his ultimate executioner. The other viewed God as honorable, worthy of worship, and the ultimate source of his deliverance. David was down but not out. He was in despair but had not lost his faith in God. He cried out to God for help and promised to shout His praises when deliverance came.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Faith Is Simple, But Never Easy

32 And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets— 33 who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, 34 quenched the power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, were made strong out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. 35 Women received back their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, so that they might rise again to a better life. 36 Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. – Hebrews 11:32-38 ESV

The list goes on. The author of Hebrews draws this chapter to a close, but can’t help but add a few more names to his growing list of the faithful. He mentions Gideon, who lived in Israel during a time of spiritual apathy and moral depravity. As a result of their rebellious behavior, God gave the Israelites over to the hands of the Midians as punishment.

For whenever the Israelites planted crops, the Midianites and the Amalekites and the people of the East would come up against them. They would encamp against them and devour the produce of the land, as far as Gaza, and leave no sustenance in Israel and no sheep or ox or donkey. – Judges 6:3-4 ESV

But when the people cried out to God, He sent them Gideon as a judge to deliver them. But Gideon was a reluctant deliverer. When God called him, his response was less than enthusiastic.

“Please, Lord, how can I save Israel? Behold, my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.” – Judges 6:15 ESV

And God’s response to him was simple and direct: “But I will be with you, and you shall strike the Midianites as one man” (Judges 6:16 ESV). Gideon would go on to accomplish great things for God, delivering His people from the oppression of the Midianites and, according to the book of Hebrews, he did so by faith. Each step of the way, Gideon had to believe God’s promise that He would be with him.

This is true of each of the individuals listed in the verses above. Barak had to face the overwhelmingly superior armies of Sisera on the words of Deborah, a prophetess. The odds were against him, but He obeyed the word of the Lord and God gave Israel a great victory.

Then there was Samson, a somewhat surprising addition to the list. His story is a sad one and does not end well. He was driven by his desires and eventually defeated by them. But on the final day of his life, having been blinded by the Philistines and chained between two pillars, he called out to God in faith.

“O Lord God, please remember me and please strengthen me only this once, O God, that I may be avenged on the Philistines for my two eyes.” – Judges 16:28 ESV

That prayer of faith lifted up in his vulnerable and weak condition was answered by God.

Then he bowed with all his strength, and the house fell upon the lords and upon all the people who were in it. So the dead whom he killed at his death were more than those whom he had killed during his life. – Judges 16:30 ESV

He died in faith, trusting in His God and giving the last minutes of his life to destroy the enemies of God.

What about Jephthah? He had been born as a result of his father’s immoral affair with a prostitute, and when he became an adult, Jephthah was thrown out of the family by his brothers. He ended up living in exile from his family and found himself in the companionship of “worthless men.” But when the Ammonites began to oppress the Israelites, they sought out Jephthah to deliver them because he was a mighty warrior. In his newfound position as the judge of Israel, Jephthah turned to the Lord, and he made a vow to God.

“If you will give the Ammonites into my hand, then whatever comes out from the doors of my house to meet me when I return in peace from the Ammonites shall be the Lord's, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering.” – Judges 11:30-31 ESV

Jephthah believed that God could and would deliver His people. But he wrongly assumed that God would want something in return, so he bargained with God. I suggest that Jephthah fully believed that God would come through and that he would be required to follow through on his vow. But little did he know that after God had given him the victory over the Ammonites, it would be his own daughter who came out of the house to greet him, and he would go on to keep his rash vow and sacrifice his daughter.

This is a bizarre and disturbing story, and it seems a bit strange to include the “hero” of the story in the great “Hall of Faith.” But while Jephthah’s understanding of God was somewhat flawed, he did believe in the power and deliverance of God. He trusted that Yahweh could and would come through. His problem was that his faith in God was marred by a faulty comprehension of God’s nature.

In the case of David, the stories that exemplify his faith in God are many. The psalms he wrote echo his belief in God and his unwavering faith that God was his savior and sustainer. From the moment David was anointed the next king of Israel, he had to live a life of faith in God, spending years trusting in the promise of God while running for his life from the wrath of King Saul. He had been anointed king by the prophet of God, but Saul was still on the throne. David learned to wait on God, believe in God, trust in God, and rely on God. And his life reflects that faith.

From his earliest days as a young boy serving in the house of the Lord under the watchful eye of Eli the priest, Samuel developed a growing faith in God. He would become a prophet for God, speaking on his behalf and leading the people of Israel to obey the will and word of God. Samuel would eventually be called on by God to anoint Israel’s first king. And while he was reluctant to do so, he obeyed. Throughout his life, Samuel would learn to trust God. He had to believe that God knew what He was doing, even when it seemed to make no sense. His faith is best seen in his unwavering obedience to the will of God. What God said, he would do. What God declared, he would believe. Trusting that God knows what He is doing even when you can’t comprehend it or completely appreciate it is a hallmark of faith.

The author of Hebrews goes on to illustrate that faith is oftentimes accompanied by rousing success, including great military victories. Faith is often illustrated by strength in the midst of weakness, deliverance by the hand of God, and mind-blowing miracles. But just as often, faith can be accompanied by less-than-ideal circumstances. He mentions torture, mocking, flogging, chains, imprisonment, stoning, destitution, and even death.

Faith doesn’t always result in a happy ending. Samson died under the very rubble that destroyed the Philistines. David died never getting to build the temple he dreamed of constructing for God. Jephthah would see the accolades for the victory over the Ammonites go to a woman.

The focus of our faith should always be God. Faith is trusting Him regardless of what we see happening or not happening around us. The presence of difficulty does not mean the absence of God. The lack of an answer is not proof of God’s lack of power or interest. Faith that is God-focused is willing to wait and comfortable accepting seemingly unacceptable outcomes knowing that God is not yet done.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

A Holy Convocation

1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.

3 “Six days shall work be done, but on the seventh day is a Sabbath of solemn rest, a holy convocation. You shall do no work. It is a Sabbath to the Lord in all your dwelling places.

4 “These are the appointed feasts of the Lord, the holy convocations, which you shall proclaim at the time appointed for them. 5 In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at twilight, is the Lord's Passover. 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the Feast of Unleavened Bread to the Lord; for seven days you shall eat unleavened bread. 7 On the first day you shall have a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work. 8 But you shall present a food offering to the Lord for seven days. On the seventh day is a holy convocation; you shall not do any ordinary work.” – Leviticus 23:1-8 ESV

In this chapter, God begins to explain the various feasts or holy festivals the Israelites would be required to celebrate each year. Five times in the first eight verses of this chapter, God refers to these communal events as “holy convocations,” a Hebrew phrase (מִקְרָא קֹדֶשׁ – miqrā'-qōḏeš) that could literally be translated as “a set apart calling together.” It was a “summoning” of the called-out ones – God’s holy people.

Because God was decreeing these events they were, by their very nature, holy or set apart. These were not manmade occasions, but divinely sanctioned holy days that God had established and that He expected to be honored by His people. They were to be considered holy days, a term from which the English term “holiday” is derived. In Old English “holy day” was rendered hāligdæg, and referred to “a day of festivity or recreation when no work is done” (The Oxford English Dictionary). Notice now the more modern definition emphasizes recreation and the cessation of work. The holy nature of the occasion has been lost in translation and in practice.

Yet, from the very beginning, God placed the focus on holiness. These special dates on the Hebrew calendar were to be treated with reverence and reserved for the worship of Yahweh. Along with all the various sacrificial ceremonies the Israelites were expected to keep, they were to set apart a series of days and weeks that would be dedicated to remembering and commemorating their good and gracious God. And to set the tone for these holy convocations, God began by reiterating His call to Sabbath rest.

“You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of complete rest, an official day for holy assembly. It is the Lord’s Sabbath day, and it must be observed wherever you live.” – Leviticus 23:3 NLT

This was not new information to the Israelites. They were already fully aware of God’s commands concerning the Sabbath. When Moses received God’s law on top of Mount Sinai, it included a regulation concerning the Sabbath.

“Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God. On that day no one in your household may do any work. This includes you, your sons and daughters, your male and female servants, your livestock, and any foreigners living among you.For in six days the Lord made the heavens, the earth, the sea, and everything in them; but on the seventh day he rested. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and set it apart as holy.” – Exodus 20:8-11 NLT

Now, when preparing to articulate the various holy assemblies the Israelites would be required to keep, God began by restating His call for Sabbath rest. This weekly calling to rest and rely upon Him would form the basis for all the other holy days, and it all pointed back to the creation account.

Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.– Genesis 2:1-3 NLT

God completed all that He had set out to accomplish. In six days, He created the entire universe and all it contained, and He deemed it all to be “very good.”

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! And evening passed and morning came, marking the sixth day. – Genesis 1:31 NLT

There was no more work to be done because God’s intentions for His creation had been realized – perfectly and completely. So, on the seventh day, God rested; not because He was tired or worn out from the effort He had expended. He reveled in the beauty and perfection of all that He had made. The universe reflected His own glory. Everything He had made honored Him by serving as proof of His power, majesty, creativity, and sovereignty. Centuries later, David would wax eloquent when describing creation’s God-honoring capacity.

The heavens proclaim the glory of God.
The skies display his craftsmanship.
Day after day they continue to speak;
night after night they make him known.
They speak without a sound or word;
their voice is never heard.
Yet their message has gone throughout the earth,
and their words to all the world.– Psalm 19:1-4 NLT

As God surveyed all that He had made, He rested in the glory of it all. Every facet of His creation pointed back to His greatness and declared His glory. And the Sabbath was meant to be a perpetual day of commemorating the greatness and glory of God. It was to be a day of complete rest – not just cessation from work – but a celebration of all that God has done. It was to be a time for His creation to honor Him by proclaiming His glory. One day a week, the Israelites were to stop everything they were doing and focus all their attention and adoration on the holy, gracious, and generous God. While all the other nations were busy working, the Israelites were to busy themselves with the worship of Yahweh, their creator and sustainer.

And that same attitude of sold-out adulation and adoration was to permeate all the other holy days that God prescribed. He began with the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. This was not two holy convocations, but one. And when God established the first Passover back in Egypt, He had declared that this event would begin a new calendar year for the people of Israel.

While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household.” – Exodus 12:1-3 NLT

With the inauguration of the Passover, the Israelites began a new year. From that point forward, they would live their lives based on a different calendar than all the other nations of the earth. And that calendar would include sacred assemblies and holy days that no other people group on the planet were required to keep. This new holy calendar served as a constant reminder to the Israelites that time belonged to God and so did they. Every day, week, month, and year was a gift from God Almighty. God expected His people to live the entirety of their lives with a constant awareness of His law that permeated every second of their lives. He later emphasized the 24/7 nature of their commitment to Him.

“Listen, O Israel! The LORD is our God, the LORD alone. And you must love the LORD your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your strength. And you must commit yourselves wholeheartedly to these commands that I am giving you today. Repeat them again and again to your children. Talk about them when you are at home and when you are on the road, when you are going to bed and when you are getting up. Tie them to your hands and wear them on your forehead as reminders. Write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.” – Deuteronomy 6:4-9 NLT

These holy festivals were intended to serve as signposts throughout the year, directing the Israelites’ attention back to God and reminding them that, without Him, they were hopeless and helpless. The Passover was to serve as a vivid reminder of how God had graciously and miraculously delivered them from their captivity in Egypt. In a sense, the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread served as powerful reminders of God’s salvation and sanctification. In the Passover, the Israelites recalled His deliverance. In the Feast of Unleavened Bread, they demonstrated their commitment to live set-apart lives. He had saved them to sanctify them. Getting the Israelites out of Egypt had been easy. Getting Egypt out of Israel was another matter altogether.

As the name of the feast suggests, leaven or yeast was to be avoided at all costs.

“…you must begin celebrating the Festival of Unleavened Bread. This festival to the Lord continues for seven days, and during that time the bread you eat must be made without yeast.” – Leviticus 23:6 NLT

And the apostle Paul provides a clear explanation for why God forbade the eating of yeast during this weeklong festival. In writing to the believers in Corinth, Paul used the Jewish festival of unleavened bread as an illustration of the power of sin among God’s people.

Don’t you realize that this sin is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough? Get rid of the old “yeast” by removing this wicked person from among you. Then you will be like a fresh batch of dough made without yeast, which is what you really are. Christ, our Passover Lamb, has been sacrificed for us. So let us celebrate the festival, not with the old bread of wickedness and evil, but with the new bread of sincerity and truth. – 1 Corinthians 5:6-8 NLT

When God set apart this feast as a holy convocation, He demanded the removal of all yeast from their homes. It was a not-so-subtle reminder to purge their lives of their old ways. They were expected to leave anything associated with Egypt behind. God demanded that they do a clean sweep of their lives and begin anew. God miraculously delivered them from their captivity in Egypt. Now, He was expecting them to free their lives from any residual effects from that previous phase of their lives. They were no longer in Egypt, but the lingering traces of Egypt were still evident in their lives.

Throughout the week of Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the people of Israel were to purge their lives of sin and focus their attention on their Savior. Anything and everything that might distract or deter them from their dependence upon God was to be removed – at all costs. Complete rest in and reliance upon God was to become their sole focus.

“For seven days you must present special gifts to the Lord. On the seventh day the people must again stop all their ordinary work to observe an official day for holy assembly.” – Leviticus 23:8 NLT

The same God who saved them was the God who wanted to sanctify them. He longed for His people to live in total dependence upon His will so that their lives might glorify Him. And these holy convocations were intended to declare His greatness as His chosen people demonstrated their reliance upon Him.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Practical Laws For Real Life

1 “Now these are the rules that you shall set before them. 2 When you buy a Hebrew slave, he shall serve six years, and in the seventh he shall go out free, for nothing. 3 If he comes in single, he shall go out single; if he comes in married, then his wife shall go out with him. 4 If his master gives him a wife and she bears him sons or daughters, the wife and her children shall be her master's, and he shall go out alone. 5 But if the slave plainly says, ‘I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free,’ 6 then his master shall bring him to God, and he shall bring him to the door or the doorpost. And his master shall bore his ear through with an awl, and he shall be his slave forever.” – Exodus 21:1-6 ESV

Beginning with chapter 21 and running through the 19th verse of chapter 23, Moses delivers the expanded version of God’s law to His people. He later refers to it as “the Book of the Covenant” (Exodus 24:7 ESV. This more comprehensive collection of commands was intended to be an extension of the Decalogue. It is “an application of the Decalogue to the specific social context of Israel as a nation” (John D. Currid, A Study Commentary on Exodus).

The Decalogue and the Book of the Covenant were not given in a complete moral or legal vacuum. By the time of the exodus, various ancient societies had developed legal codes to help regulate human behavior and interaction. Many of these codes contain prohibitions similar to those found in the Book of the Covenant. These include the Laws of Esnunna, created by the Akkadian civilization located in Mesopotamia. The Sumerian civilization had the Code of Lipit-Istar. And centuries later, the Babylonians would come up with the more familiar Code of Hammurabi.

It is important to note that the Israelites had not been living in a lawless state. Even in Egypt, their lives had been governed by a series of written and oral legal codes. God created humanity with a basic understanding of His righteous standards. The apostle Paul wrote about how God has placed within all men an instinctive understanding of His law.

Even Gentiles, who do not have God’s written law, show that they know his law when they instinctively obey it, even without having heard it. They demonstrate that God’s law is written in their hearts, for their own conscience and thoughts either accuse them or tell them they are doing right. – Romans 2:13-15 NLT

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, they violated a clear command of God.

“You may surely eat of every tree of the garden, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” – Genesis 2:16-17 ESV

And their motivation for breaking that command was their desire to “be like God, knowing good and evil” (Genesis 3:5 ESV). As soon as they chose to disobey God’s prohibition, “the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked” (Genesis 3:7 ESV). They gained an immediate awareness of their sinful state. In that moment, their innocence was replaced with guilt, as they considered the ramifications of their actions.

From the very beginning, God’s moral law permeated His creation. And despite the sin of Adam and Eve, mankind maintained a rudimentary understanding of God’s will concerning human behavior. Cain knew murder was wrong, and he understood that there were painful consequences for those who took the life of the innocent.

Cain said to the Lord, “My punishment is greater than I can bear.” – Exodus 4:13 ESV

But all the legal codes in the world could not correct mankind’s moral spiral into disobedience and decadence. By the time we get to chapter six of Genesis, the moral state of human society had hit an all-time low.

The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. – Genesis 6:5 NLT

Their problem was not a lack of laws, but a general unwillingness and inability to obey those laws. Things had deteriorated so badly, that the text indicates there was only one righteous man left on the earth.

Noah was a righteous man, the only blameless person living on earth at the time, and he walked in close fellowship with God. – Genesis 6:9 NLT

This led God to begin again, providing Noah and his extended family with a means of escaping His judgment against the rest of human society. And post-flood, God’s unwritten law continued to hold sway, dictating the behavior of all those who descended from Noah’s three sons. But the generations that followed proved to be no different than their pre-flood ancestors. They also willingly and regularly violated God’s righteous standards.

This led God to begin again with a man named Abram, an elderly pagan from the land of Ur in Mesopotamia. God chose this obscure individual to carry out His divine plan for restoring sinful mankind to a right relationship with Himself. And long before Abram and his barren wife, Sarai, had ever conceived their first child, God made a covenant with them. This legal agreement was intended to set apart Abram and his descendants as a special people, who would enjoy a one-of-a-kind relationship with God Almighty.

“As for you, you shall keep my covenant, you and your offspring after you throughout their generations. This is my covenant, which you shall keep, between me and you and your offspring after you: Every male among you shall be circumcised. You shall be circumcised in the flesh of your foreskins, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and you.” – Genesis 17:9-11 ESV

Circumcision was a sign of the covenant. It was a legal requirement mandated by God that was intended to signify their unwavering commitment to their newfound status as His chosen people. God had promised to produce from Abram and his barren wife a great and mighty nation. And that promise was passed down from Abram to his son, Isaac, and then from Isaac to Jacob. And the Israelites whom God redeemed out of captivity in Egypt were the direct descendants of Jacob. They were the great nation that God had promised and they were to be His treasured possession, a kingdom of priests, and a holy nation (Exodus 19:5-6).

But after 400 years of living in Egypt, separated from God and influenced by the idolatry and immorality of that land, the people of Israel needed a more concrete and comprehensive understanding of God’s expectations of them. So, He gave them His law. The Ten Commandments were the summary statement of His moral requirements. The Book of the Covenant provided the application of those “ten words” to everyday life situations. These practical and highly specific laws were given to the people of Israel. They were intended to govern their conduct and set them apart from every other people group on the earth. These laws were not to be universally applied or mandated for all cultures but were designed to differentiate the people of God from everyone else.

In a sense, the Ten Commandments are timeless and universal in their application. But the Book of the Covenant was meant to apply to a specific people group living at a particular time in human history.

“…the Book of the Covenant was never intended to address every possible situation. It was more a guide to cases than a statutory code. Whereas the Ten Commandments were expressed as universal absolutes, the laws in the Book of the Covenant dealt with specific situations. They provided a series of legal precedents that wise elders could use in settling disputes. While these case laws could not possibly cover every new situation that might arise, they illustrated basic legal principles for living in community with the people of God.” – Philip Graham Ryken, Exodus: Saved For God’s Glory

But why does God begin his Book of the Covenant with laws concerning slavery? The answer is found in the prologue that God gave before delivering the Decalogue to Moses.

And God spoke all these words, saying,

“I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.” – Exodus 20:1-2 ESV

The Israelites had just been delivered from slavery in Egypt. They had spent several centuries under the heavy hand of the Pharaohs, toiling as indentured servants and enduring unrelenting persecution and suffering at the hands of their masters. But now, they were free. And God wanted them to use their newfound freedom as an incentive to treat others with greater dignity and respect.

It can’t be overlooked that, in His giving of the law, God does not abolish the practice of slavery. Instead, He provides moral guidelines for the treatment of those who find themselves enslaved. In a world where slavery was ubiquitous and universal, God provided a new way of regulating this institution that was of human origin. Slavery, like adultery, murder, incest, lying, and idolatry, was never God’s intention. They are all the result of sin’s entrance into the world. And slavery, as an institution and practice, became a symbol of mankind’s relationship with sin.

Jesus understood this undeniable link between mankind and sin. He described its vice-like grip on humanity in a statement He made to the Pharisees.

“Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who practices sin is a slave to sin.” – John 8:34 ESV

The apostle Paul would later declare the remarkable significance of Jesus’ death on the cross, which provided the only means of being delivered from slavery to sin.

We know that our old self was crucified with him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin. – Romans 6:6-7 ESV

God had delivered Israel from their slavery in Egypt. And when they exited that land, they brought with them a “mixed multitude” (Exodus 12:38) that most likely included their own personal slaves. In fact, when God instituted the Passover, He gave strict instructions concerning those slaves.

“…every slave that is bought for money may eat of it after you have circumcised him.” – Exodus 12:44 ESV

God knew that slavery was going to be a permanent part of human society, in one form or another. And it would provide a glaring and ongoing illustration of mankind’s hopeless relationship with sin. Just as there were those who were born into slavery, every human being is born into a state of sin. And just as there were those who sold themselves into slavery to satisfy a debt, there are those who willfully choose a life of sin in the hopes of finding relief from their guilt and shame.

From our current cultural vantage point, it is difficult for us to comprehend these verses. We struggle with the idea of God somehow condoning a practice our society knows to be abhorrent and has worked hard to abolish. But these passages are dealing with a subject that was woven into the social fabric of the times. Indentured servitude was a way of life. Every nation practiced it. And God wanted His people to exhibit a completely different approach to this painful and pervasive part of the human condition. So, He provided His chosen people with binding laws that were to govern their interactions with everyone in their community, including slaves.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

First Stanza in the Song of Victory

1 Then Moses and the people of Israel sang this song to the Lord, saying,

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.
2 The Lord is my strength and my song,
    and he has become my salvation;
this is my God, and I will praise him,
    my father’s God, and I will exalt him.
3 The Lord is a man of war;
    the Lord is his name.

4 “Pharaoh’s chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
5 The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.
6 Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power,
    your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.
7 In the greatness of your majesty you overthrow your adversaries;
    you send out your fury; it consumes them like stubble.
8 At the blast of your nostrils the waters piled up;
    the floods stood up in a heap;
    the deeps congealed in the heart of the sea.
9 The enemy said, ‘I will pursue, I will overtake,
    I will divide the spoil, my desire shall have its fill of them.
    I will draw my sword; my hand shall destroy them.’
10 You blew with your wind; the sea covered them;
    they sank like lead in the mighty waters.

11 “Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods?
    Who is like you, majestic in holiness,
    awesome in glorious deeds, doing wonders?
12 You stretched out your right hand;
    the earth swallowed them.

13 “You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.
14 The peoples have heard; they tremble;
    pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
15 Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;
    trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
    all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
16 Terror and dread fall upon them;
    because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
    till the people pass by whom you have purchased.
17 You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
    the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.
18 The Lord will reign forever and ever.”

19 For when the horses of Pharaoh with his chariots and his horsemen went into the sea, the Lord brought back the waters of the sea upon them, but the people of Israel walked on dry ground in the midst of the sea. 20 Then Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women went out after her with tambourines and dancing. 21 And Miriam sang to them:

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” – Exodus 15:1-21 ESV

Chapter 14 ends with the uplifting statement: “Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses” (Exodus 14:31 ESV).

God had kept His word. He had promised Abraham that Pharaoh”s 600 chariots would not be a problem. In fact, God had confidently asserted that His handling of Pharaoh’s army would end up bringing glory to His name.

“I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.” – Exodus 14:17-18 ESV

God’s lopsided victory over the Egyptian forces proved to be a wake-up call to Pharaoh and any of the troops that he had held in reserve. It seems unlikely that he committed all his chariots to the pursuit of the Israelites. The defenseless Israelites would have been no match for the faster and more mobile Egyptian chariots. Armed with swords, spears, bows, and arrows, a relatively small contingent of Egyptians could have made short order of the fleeing mass of Hebrew peasants as they made their way to the eastern shore of the Red Sea.

But as Pharaoh watched on in horror, he witnessed the complete annihilation of his crack troops. Weighted down by the chariots to which they were tethered, the horses drowned. In the days ahead, the lifeless bodies of the Egyptian soldiers would wash up on both shores, presenting a grisly scene of catastrophic loss. Pharaoh had been humiliated by the all-powerful God of Israel. And this glorious event caused Moses and the people to break out in a song of victory.

It seems likely that Moses was the one who penned the words to this celebratory song and taught it to the people of Israel. In it, he recounts the mighty acts of Yahweh that brought about the Egyptians’ defeat and the Israelites’ salvation.

“I will sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;
    the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea.” – Exodus 15:1 ESV

Moses appears to use terminology that echoes an earlier edict decreed by Pharaoh that had ordered the deaths of all male babies born among the Hebrews.

Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile…” – Exodus 1:22 ESV

God was giving Pharaoh a taste of his own medicine. He “cast” Pharaoh’s elite troops into the sea, where they drowned like helpless infants. Moses even repeated this refrain, emphasizing the overwhelming nature of God’s victory.

“Pharaoh's chariots and his host he cast into the sea,
    and his chosen officers were sunk in the Red Sea.
The floods covered them;
    they went down into the depths like a stone.” – Exodus 15:5 ESV

Throughout this song, Moses stresses God’s glory, greatness, power, strength, and fury. But, at the same time, he celebrates God’s love.

“You have led in your steadfast love the people whom you have redeemed;
    you have guided them by your strength to your holy abode.” – Exodus 15:13 ESV

The Egyptians were the recipients of God’s righteous indignation, while the Israelites were the undeserving beneficiaries of His steadfast and unfailing love. That love was manifested through God’s decisive display of power over the Israelites’ enemy and His glorious demonstration of providential protection for His people. And Moses adds a line that reflects God’s ultimate promise to safely deliver them into the land of their inheritance.

“You will bring them in and plant them on your own mountain,
    the place, O Lord, which you have made for your abode,
    the sanctuary, O Lord, which your hands have established.” – Exodus 15:17 ESV

Moses knew that this victory was just the first of many the people of Israel would experience. The eastern shore of the Red Sea was not their final destination. And His defeat of the Egyptians would not be the last victory the Israelites celebrated. This led Moses to add several lines to the lyrics of his song that reflect the impact this event would have on their future enemies.

“The peoples have heard; they tremble;
    pangs have seized the inhabitants of Philistia.
Now are the chiefs of Edom dismayed;
    trembling seizes the leaders of Moab;
    all the inhabitants of Canaan have melted away.
Terror and dread fall upon them;
    because of the greatness of your arm, they are still as a stone,
till your people, O Lord, pass by,
    till the people pass by whom you have purchased…” – Exodus 15:14-16 ESV

Word was going to get out. The news of this miraculous victory over the Egyptians would quickly spread and even reach the nations that occupied the land of Canaan. Upon hearing of Yahweh’s devastating defeat of the Egyptian army, these future enemies of Israel would be terror-stricken. God’s reputation for greatness, glory, and power would be permanently associated with the people of Israel. This ragtag, but rather large and relatively unknown people group was protected by a formidable deity who had deftly handled one of the most powerful armies on earth. And this wandering horde of homeless Hebrews was headed their way.

Somehow, Moses knew that God was using the Red Sea victory to prepare the way for the Israelites’ arrival in the land of Canaan. With each passing day and each display of God’s providential care for His people, the rumors concerning Israel’s God would make their way to the nations occupying the land of Canaan. It became readily apparent that this great host of people, protected by a great and powerful God, were slowly crossing the wilderness and had their sights set on making Canaan their own.

This victory song, prophetically penned by Moses, is referred to in the book of Revelation. In one of his visions, the apostle John reported hearing a song emanating from the throne room of heaven. It was sung by “all the people who had been victorious over the beast and his statue and the number representing his name” (Revelation 15:2 NLT). Accompanied by harps, they were singing what John describes as “the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb” (Revelation 15:2-3 NLT). And while the lyrics they sang are different from those penned by Moses, they reflect a continuation of the same theme.

“Great and marvelous are your works,
    O Lord God, the Almighty.
Just and true are your ways,
    O King of the nations.
Who will not fear you, Lord,
    and glorify your name?
    For you alone are holy.
All nations will come and worship before you,
    for your righteous deeds have been revealed.” – Revelation 15:3-4 NLT

God’s victory at the Red Sea was just a foreshadow of a greater victory to come. He is not done rescuing His covenant people. While He would eventually deliver the people of Israel to the land of Canaan and assist them in conquering and capturing all the territory He had promised as their inheritance, their stay would be impermanent. Eventually, their own rebellion against God would result in their defeat at the hands of their enemies and their eviction from the land. But as John heard in his vision, another great deliverance is coming. God will one day glorify His name again by providing one final victory over His enemies and restoring His covenant people to their former status as His prized possession.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Against All Odds

15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

19 Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them, 20 coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

21 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided. 22 And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. 23 The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh’s horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. 24 And in the morning watch the Lord in the pillar of fire and of cloud looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic, 25 clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

26 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.” 27 So Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea. 28 The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained. 29 But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

30 Thus the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore. 31 Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses. – Exodus 14:15-31 ESV

The victory parade that Moses led out of Egypt had quickly turned into a nasty mob scene when the Israelites realized that Pharaoh and his army were bearing down on them. All hope of leaving Egypt had faded as soon as they caught sight of 600 chariots headed their way. Now all they could think about was certain death at the hands of their former captors.

“…it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” – Exodus 14:12 ESV

The people were in full-blown panic, and Moses put up an impressive show of confidence in the face of a very difficult situation. He encouraged the people to “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord” (Exodus 14:13 ESV). But he must have had reservations about exactly how God was going to get them out of this precarious situation. While the people screamed their questions at Moses, he must have issued a quick call for help to the Lord, because Yahweh responded to Moses with a question of His own.

“Why do you cry to me?” – Exodus 14:15 ESV

This inquiry was directed at Moses and was accompanied by a set of instructions that the beleaguered spokesman was to carry out. Rather than stand around waiting for God to do something, Moses was to get busy and do his part in bringing about the very salvation he had assured the Israelites was coming.

“Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground.” – Exodus 14:15-16 ESV

These instructions must have hit Moses like a brick to the forehead. While he and Aaron had been a part of some spectacular signs in Egypt, this was taking things to another level. God was demanding that Moses use his staff to divide the Red Sea so that the people could pass through it on dry ground. And all the while, the people continued to voice their disapproval of his leadership.

But before Moses could play his part in God’s divine drama of deliverance, the Egyptians had to be stopped. So, God had His guiding angel move to the rear of the Israelite camp, closest to the Egyptian forces. Then the pillar of cloud, the symbol of God’s presence, repositioned itself between the Israelites and their enemy. 

Then the angel of God, who had been leading the people of Israel, moved to the rear of the camp. The pillar of cloud also moved from the front and stood behind them. The cloud settled between the Egyptian and Israelite camps. As darkness fell, the cloud turned to fire, lighting up the night. But the Egyptians and Israelites did not approach each other all night. –  Exodus 14:19-20 NLT

At the sight of this cosmic apparition, the Egyptians were stopped in their tracks. They could see the Israelite camp but were afraid to advance against them. Their most recent encounters with the power of the Israelites’ God had left them reluctant to take any chances. So, as dusk turned to dark, the pillar of cloud transformed into a pillar of fire that lit up the night sky.

And as God held off the Egyptians, Moses “raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind” (Exodus 14:21 NLT). Yahweh, the God of creation, sent a powerful wind that caused the waters of the sea to stand up like transparent walls, exposing the sea bed underneath. And this wind blew throughout the night, simultaneously holding back the walls of water and drying out the sea bed so that it would provide firm footing for the Israelites. Then at just the right moment, God ordered Moses to lead the people across.

So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! – Exodus 14:22 NLT

Stunned by what they witnessed, but motivated by a strong desire to distance themselves from the Egyptians, the Israelites formed into ranks and began their journey across the perfectly dry sea floor. And while they made their way through this divine detour, the angel of God and the pillar of fire kept the Egyptians at bay. Pharoah and his soldiers could only stand back and watch in stupefied wonder as the Israelites escaped across this massive causeway that had suddenly appeared in the middle of the sea.

But when the last Israelite’s sandal had cleared the path and was standing firm on the eastern bank of the sea, the barrier provided by the angel and the pillar of fire was removed. And within minutes, Pharaoh ordered his troops to pursue the fleeing Israelites. But God was not yet done.

…just before dawn the Lord looked down on the Egyptian army from the pillar of fire and cloud, and he threw their forces into total confusion. – Exodus 14:24 NLT

As Pharoah’s troops entered the pathway the Israelites had just vacated, the Lord of Hosts got in on the action. Somehow, these seasoned charioteers became confused and unable to make their way to the other shore. Perhaps their horses became frightened by the sound of the wind and the sight of the walls of water standing up on either side of them. It seems that the dry sea bed was suddenly transformed into a muddy morass in which the chariot wheels became stuck. Before long the entire Egyptian force found itself logjammed between the walls of water. Sensing the hand of Yahweh, they cried out, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians” (Exodus 14:25 ESV).

But they never made it out. As the sun began to rise in the eastern sky, “Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the water rushed back into its usual place” (Exodus 14:27 NLT). Within minutes, every single Egyptian who had entered the pathway had been drowned by the sudden deluge as the walls of water collapsed.

And the Israelites, standing high and dry on the eastern shore, watched the whole thing take place right before their eyes. Not a single chariot made it across and the only Egyptians the Israelites saw on the eastern shore were lifeless and powerless to do them any harm. And Moses chronicles the impact this spectacular event had on the people of God.

When the people of Israel saw the mighty power that the Lord had unleashed against the Egyptians, they were filled with awe before him. They put their faith in the Lord and in his servant Moses. – Exodus 14:31 NLT

When the odds were stacked against them and all seemed lost, the Israelites were delivered by their all-powerful, promise-keeping God. He had stepped into their reality and provided a one-of-a-kind miracle. And as the water of the Red Sea slowly settled back into its normal state, it was as if God had closed a door behind His people. There would be no turning back. That pathway was closed forever and the only way left for them to go was forward. With the enemy defeated, the angel of the Lord and the pillar of cloud took their places at the head of the column once again, and the people set out for their final destination: the land of promise.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

The Lord Will Fight For You

5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done, that we have let Israel go from serving us?” 6 So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him, 7 and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 8 And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly. 9 The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

10 When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord. 11 They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt? 12 Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” 13 And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. 14 The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” – Exodus 14:5-14 ESV

At some point, it dawned on Pharaoh that the Israelites had no intentions of returning from their 3-day trek into the wilderness. Verse 5 states that “word reached the king of Egypt that the Israelites had fled.” The Hebrew word translated as “fled” is בָּרַח (bāraḥ), which carries the idea of running away. It seems likely that Pharoah had sent spies to keep an eye on the Israelites and to ensure that they kept their end of the bargain and returned after worshiping their God in the wilderness. Instead, Pharaoh was informed that the Israelites were attempting to make a break for it but had become lost and confused in the process.

Upon receiving the news of the somewhat circuitous route the Israelites had taken, Pharaoh concluded that they had become lost. He immediately regretted his previous decision to allow them to leave and was determined to do everything in his power to get them back.

So Pharaoh harnessed his chariot and called up his troops. He took with him 600 of Egypt’s best chariots, along with the rest of the chariots of Egypt, each with its commander. – Exodus 14:6-7 NLT

Twice, Moses emphasizes that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart. Once again, this is meant to emphasize God’s sovereignty over all that was taking place. But it does not absolve Pharaoh of guilt in the matter. He was not being forced to do what he did. This arrogant king was being motivated by the wickedness of his own heart but all according to the divine plan of God.

The very fact that God had ordered Moses to have the Israelites begin their journey out of Egypt headed in one direction and then had them reverse their course, is a clear indication that God had something else He had planned to do. He was not yet done humiliating Pharaoh and was about to enact one more irrefutable demonstration of His superior power and authority.

God had told Moses in advance exactly what He was going to do and why.

“…once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you. I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” – Exodus 14:4 NLT

The Lord of Hosts(Jehovah Sabaoth) was about to do battle with the elite troops of Egypt. One of the most powerful and feared armies in the world was going to find itself going up against God Almighty.

As the Israelites sat in their makeshift camp along the shore of the Red Sea, waiting for directions from Moses, they were unaware that Pharaoh and his troops were headed their way. And Pharaoh was motivated by what he believed to be was a blatant display of arrogance on the part of the Israelites.

…he chased after the people of Israel, who had left with fists raised in defiance. – Exodus 14:8 NLT

He had been given time to reconsider his earlier decision and came to the conclusion that the Israelites needed a healthy serving of humble pie. So, mounted in his royal chariot, Pharaoh led his crack troops in hasty pursuit of a fleeing mob of confused and defenseless Israelites. But the Israelites weren’t running; they were sitting quietly by the shores of the Red Sea awaiting instructions from Moses. The pillar of cloud, a manifestation of God’s presence, still hovered nearby, and they had been instructed not to break camp until the cloud began to move. By all indications, they were right where God wanted them to be. 

But, in time, the Israelites heard the sound of the approaching army and could see the large sandstorm stirred up by the horses’ hooves and the chariot wheels. And as the Israelites watched in horror, the 600 chariots of the Egyptian army came into view, barrelling toward them with unbridled abandon. And the hearts of the Israelites sank in despair.

Almost as if in unison, the people cried out to God for help. Others directed their fear and anger at Moses, shouting, “Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren’t there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt?” (Exodus 14:11 NLT). These questions, among others, poured out in a torrent of rage and abject terror as the people considered their doomed fate. They began to hurl accusations against Moses and Aaron, questioning their leadership an demeaning the failed nature of their strategy. From their perspective, Moses and Aaron had blown it. Their promise of deliverance had turned into a guarantee of certain destruction. And the Israelites began to regret having ever left Egypt in the first place.

“It’s better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!” – Exodus 14:12 NLT

As far as they could tell, listening to Moses and Aaron had been a huge mistake. And as they vented their frustration, fears, and anger at these two elderly men, the Israelites failed to notice that the pillar of cloud had never stirred or left their sight. It remained right where it had been all along, signifying that God was still with them.

But Moses must have seen the cloud and gained renewed confidence. He withstood the verbal onslaught and responded with a powerful call to faith.

“Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.” – Exodus 14:13-14 ESV

While the eyes of the Israelites were fixated on the 600 chariots headed their way, Moses must have fixed his sight on the pillar of cloud, remembering the words of the Lord.

“I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army.” – Exodus 14:4 NLT

Moses gave the people three simple instructions.

Fear not – he encouraged them to cease fearing because he knew that uncontrolled fear can turn to flight. If they ran, they were as good as dead. They could not outrun chariots.

Stand firm – rather then run, they were to stand their ground because God had them right where He wanted them. He had led them to this very spot, and it would be on this ground that they would see the deliverance of God.

See the salvation of the Lord – whether they realized it or not, they had ringside seats to what would be the greatest show on earth. Moses was inviting them to stand back and watch their God perform a miracle of epic proportions. When they thought all was lost and their lives were in the balance, God was ready to provide them with salvation.

The army bearing down on them looked formidable. The fate awaiting them appeared to be unavoidable. Though they greatly out-numbered the Egyptians, they were no match for chariots, swords, and spears. Yet, God wanted them to trust Him. The army they feared would soon be gone. The deadly outcome they expected would not be forthcoming. All because Jehovah Sabaoth was on their side and He was about to display His omnipotence on their behalf.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Will You Trust Me?

17 When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.” 18 But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle. 19 Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.” 20 And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness. 21 And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. 22 The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people. 

1 Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea. 3 For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’ 4 And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. – Exodus 13:17-14:4 ESV

The day of deliverance had finally arrived. After a series of divinely-ordained plagues had devastated the Egyptian economy and taken the lives of thousands of its citizens, Pharaoh finally relented and gave his permission for the Israelites to go into the adjacent wilderness to worship their God. His understanding of the agreement was that Moses would lead his people on a three-day journey outside the borders of Egypt, where they would conduct their worship service, and then return.

…Moses and Aaron went and said to Pharaoh, “Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘Let my people go, that they may hold a feast to me in the wilderness.’” – Exodus 5:2 ESV

Then they said, “The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please let us go a three days' journey into the wilderness that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest he fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.” – Exodus 5:3 ESV

Pharaoh never agreed to a permanent departure that would free the Israelites from their role as his virtual slaves. These people had become his unpaid workforce and he could not afford to give them up. They had become a vital source of labor and were critical to building the Egyptian infrastructure.

…they ruthlessly made the people of Israel work as slaves and made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and brick, and in all kinds of work in the field. In all their work they ruthlessly made them work as slaves. – Exodus 1:13-14 ESV

Yet, God had other plans for His people. They would not be returning to Egypt but instead, would be traveling all the way to the land of Canaan. The most logical and shortest route for this journey would have taken the Israelites along the southern shore of the Mediterranean Sea. Moses refers to it as the “way of the land of the Philistines” (Exodus 13:17 ESV). This region of western Canaan was occupied by a variety of warring nations collectively referred to as Philistines. Some of these people groups were of Semitic lineage, while others had migrated from Crete and Greece.

Had the Israelites taken this much shorter and easier route, they would have encountered stiff resistance upon their arrival in the land of Canaan. And it is likely that this well-traveled northern trade route was fortified and protected by an Egyptian military presence. God knew that the people of Israel would become disheartened at the first sign of conflict, so He instructed Moses to lead the Israelites in a different direction.  

So God led them in a roundabout way through the wilderness toward the Red Sea. Thus the Israelites left Egypt like an army ready for battle. – Exodus 13:18 NLT

The English Standard Version states that the people of Israel “went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle” (Exodus 13:18 ESV). The Hebrew word is חָמַשׁ (ḥāmaš) and it can be translated as “in battle array.” It is not suggesting that the Israelites were a well-armed militia but that they were leaving in an orderly manner. It is estimated that the Israelites may have numbered in the millions by the time they left Egypt, so Moses would have needed to arrange them in an orderly fashion just to maintain crowd control.

Moses provides a parenthetical statement that reveals his knowledge of his own people’s rich heritage. He somehow knew that the patriarch, Joseph, who had died more than four centuries earlier, had made his brothers swear an oath that they would bring his bones back to Canaan when the eventually returned.

Joseph made the sons of Israel swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.” So Joseph died, being 110 years old. They embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt. – Genesis 50:25-26 ESV

So, Moses arranged to have Joseph’s body exhumed and prepared for transport to Canaan.

As this mass of people made their way south toward the wilderness, the Egyptians must have watched with a mixture of relief and awe. They were glad to see the Israelites go because they had been the reason for all the disasters that had overtaken their land. But they must have been shocked at the sheer size of the multitude that was making its way out of Egypt; a group that included some of their own people. And they would have been dumbfounded at the sight of the pillar of cloud that seemed to be leading the procession.

Little did the Egyptians know that this atmospheric apparition was a sign of Yahweh’s presence and power. The God of Israel was leading His people as they made their way out of Egypt. There would be no doubt as to which direction they should go because God was directing their path. During the daylight hours, He would appear as a pillar of cloud, and during the dark of night, He would manifest His presence as a pillar of fire. At no point along the way would the people of Israel run the risk of taking a wrong turn or losing their way because “The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people” (Exodus 13:22 ESV).

So, when God instructed Moses to have the people backtrack and reverse their course, the pillar of cloud would have led the way.

“Order the Israelites to turn back and camp by Pi-hahiroth between Migdol and the sea. Camp there along the shore, across from Baal-zephon.” – Exodus 14:2 NLT

This abrupt change in direction was God-ordered and God-led. He wanted Moses to lead the people back toward Egypt, knowing full well that the Egyptians would interpret their actions as a sign of confusion. It was all intentional and part of God’s overall strategy for assuring Israel’s full and final release from Egyptian domination.

“Pharaoh will think, ‘The Israelites are confused. They are trapped in the wilderness!’ And once again I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will chase after you.” – Exodus 14:3-4 NLT

God had one last judgment He was going to pour out on Pharaoh. Yahweh was not yet done displaying His power and authority over this self-consumed and overly confident sovereign of the Egyptian people. To his own people, Pharaoh was more than a king who wielded great power; he was a god who was worshiped and revered. They believed that he possessed divine power and god-like attributes that made him invincible and worthy of their adoration and complete allegiance. And while the ten plagues had shaken their faith in the reliability of their gods, they still had Pharaoh at the helm of the national ship of state. But God was about to expose Pharaoh for the fraud he really was.

“I have planned this in order to display my glory through Pharaoh and his whole army. After this the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord!” – Exodus 14:4 NLT

The sudden change of course must have left the Israelites a bit confused. It would have left them wondering what Moses was thinking. But they couldn’t argue with the fact that the pillar of cloud was still out front, leading them to their next destination. God was with them, so they obeyed. But as they made camp for the night, they had no way of knowing what was about to happen next. Their little excursion into the wilderness was going to become a living nightmare and a test of their faith in Yahweh.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Redemption Comes With a Price

1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Consecrate to me all the firstborn. Whatever is the first to open the womb among the people of Israel, both of man and of beast, is mine.”

3 Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten. 4 Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out. 5 And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month. 6 Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord. 7 Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory. 8 You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ 9 And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt. 10 You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

11 “When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you, 12 you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord’s. 13 Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem. 14 And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery. 15 For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’ 16 It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.” – Exodus 13:1-16 ESV

As the people of Israel prepared to make their long-awaited exit from Egypt, God reminded them that their escape from death during the tenth plague was going to come with a cost. When the death angel had passed over their homes on that fateful night, their firstborn sons had been spared. They had obeyed His command and sprinkled the blood of the unblemished lambs on the doorpost and lintels of their homes and, as a result, God redeemed the firstborn males “both of man and of beast” (Exodus 13:1 ESV). But the Egyptians experienced no such deliverance from the hand of God.

…that night at midnight, the Lord struck down all the firstborn sons in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sat on his throne, to the firstborn son of the prisoner in the dungeon. Even the firstborn of their livestock were killed. – Exodus 12:29 NLT

Now, God reminded the Israelites that His sparing of their firstborns would have long-term implications.

“Dedicate to me every firstborn among the Israelites. The first offspring to be born, of both humans and animals, belongs to me.” – Exodus 13:1 NLT

Like the newly inaugurated Passover meal and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the dedication of the firstborn was to be a perpetual rite among the Israelites. Every spring, when God’s people found themselves surrounded by the signs of new life, they were to remember His deliverance of the firstborn and dedicate all those born into their homes over the last year. 

Evidently, this dedication ceremony would not go into effect until the people of Israel reached the promised land and took possession of it. It was to be implemented once God fulfilled His end of the covenant commitment and had them safely ensconced in their new homeland.

“This is what you must do when the Lord fulfills the promise he swore to you and to your ancestors. When he gives you the land where the Canaanites now live, you must present all firstborn sons and firstborn male animals to the Lord, for they belong to him.” – Exodus 13:11-12 NLT

God had redeemed them. The Hebrew word for redeem is פָּדָה (pāḏâ) and it carries the idea of paying a ransom for something or someone. This redemption came with a cost – a life for a life. God had spared the lives of the firstborn, so they now belonged to Him. But the Israelites could redeem them back – for a price.

“A firstborn donkey may be bought back from the Lord by presenting a lamb or young goat in its place. But if you do not buy it back, you must break its neck. However, you must buy back every firstborn son.” – Exodus 13:13 NLT

The firstborn among their flocks and herds were no longer theirs to use at their discretion. They belonged to God. But He provided a way for the Israelites to redeem back their firstborn animals by allowing them to offer a substitute. To redeem back a donkey, the price was a lamb or young goat. An offering was required to buy back a firstborn male animal. Until this sacrifice was made, the animal was off-limits to the Israelites and unavailable for their use. And God would later reiterate His command regarding the dedication of the firstborn.

“You shall not delay to offer from the fullness of your harvest and from the outflow of your presses. The firstborn of your sons you shall give to me. You shall do the same with your oxen and with your sheep: seven days it shall be with its mother; on the eighth day you shall give it to me.” – Exodus 22:29-30 ESV

But the terms of this agreement would later change. When the people of Israel reached Mount Sinai, Moses went to the top of the mountain where he received the Ten Commandments from God. But meanwhile, down in the valley, the people had coerced Aaron to make for them an idol in the form of a golden calf. They had grown impatient waiting on Moses to return and decided to return to their worship of the false gods of Egypt.

…they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.” – Exodus 32:1 NLT

Aaron caved into their demands and crafted a calf out of the gold that the Egyptians had given them before they left Egypt.

When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!” – Exodus 32:4 NLT

But this blatant abandonment of Yahweh would cost them dearly. When Moses returned from the mountaintop, he “saw the calf and the dancing, and he burned with anger. He threw the stone tablets to the ground, smashing them at the foot of the mountain. He took the calf they had made and burned it. Then he ground it into powder, threw it into the water, and forced the people to drink it” (Exodus 32:19-20 NLT). Then Moses stood at the entrance of the camp and called for any who remained committed to Yahweh and “all the Levites gathered around him” (Exodus 32:26 NLT).

Moses ordered the men of the tribe of Levi to take their swords and join him in cleansing the camp of all those who had joined in the decadent display of debauchery and apostasy.

“Each of you, take your swords and go back and forth from one end of the camp to the other. Kill everyone—even your brothers, friends, and neighbors.” The Levites obeyed Moses’ command, and about 3,000 people died that day. – Exodus 32:27-28 NLT

As a result of their efforts, the Levites were rewarded for their service and faithfulness.

“Today you have ordained yourselves for the service of the Lord, for you obeyed him even though it meant killing your own sons and brothers. Today you have earned a blessing.” – Exodus 32:29 NLT

God would eventually reward the Levites with the honor of serving Him as priests and caretakers of the tabernacle. Their role at Sinai earned them the right to become substitutes for all the firstborn males born to the rest of the tribes.

“Look, I have chosen the Levites from among the Israelites to serve as substitutes for all the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me, for all the firstborn males are mine. On the day I struck down all the firstborn sons of the Egyptians, I set apart for myself all the firstborn in Israel, both of people and of animals. They are mine; I am the Lord.” – Numbers 3:12-13 NLT

But because there were not enough Levites to serve as substitutes for every male son among the rest of the tribes, God came up with another form of redemption.

“Take the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn sons of the people of Israel. And take the livestock of the Levites as substitutes for the firstborn livestock of the people of Israel. The Levites belong to me; I am the Lord. There are 273 more firstborn sons of Israel than there are Levites. To redeem these extra firstborn sons, collect five pieces of silver for each of them (each piece weighing the same as the sanctuary shekel, which equals twenty gerahs). Give the silver to Aaron and his sons as the redemption price for the extra firstborn sons.” – Numbers 3:45-48 NLT

The Israelites would be required to pay five pieces of silver as a redemption price for their sons. So, even when the firstborns were no longer required to serve out their dedication to God, they were expected to pay the redemption price. Their lives belonged to God.

This dedication of the firstborn was to be an annual rite among the Hebrews. Performed alongside Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, it was intended to serve as a perpetual reminder of God’s gracious deliverance. He had provided a way of salvation so that the firstborn among the Israelites might be spared from death. And the apostle Peter would remind Christ-followers that God sent His Son as the ultimate form of redemption for rebellious mankind.

For you know that God paid a ransom to save you from the empty life you inherited from your ancestors. And it was not paid with mere gold or silver, which lose their value. It was the precious blood of Christ, the sinless, spotless Lamb of God. God chose him as your ransom long before the world began, but now in these last days he has been revealed for your sake. – 1 Peter 1:18-20 NLT

God had redeemed the Israelites from their captivity in Egypt. The sacrifice of the innocent lambs was a foreshadowing of the consummate sacrifice of the spotless Lamb of God. He would be the ultimate ransom paid so that men might be set free from slavery to sin and death. Like the Levites who remained unstained by the sins of their brothers and were able to appease the wrath of God, so Christ became the sinless one who defeated sin and death by offering Himself as the sacrificial substitute.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Plague Number Six

8 And the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from the kiln, and let Moses throw them in the air in the sight of Pharaoh. 9 It shall become fine dust over all the land of Egypt, and become boils breaking out in sores on man and beast throughout all the land of Egypt.” 10 So they took soot from the kiln and stood before Pharaoh. And Moses threw it in the air, and it became boils breaking out in sores on man and beast. 11 And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians. 12 But the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses. – Exodus 9:8-12 ESV

Following Pharaoh’s latest demonstration of hard-heartedness, Moses and Aaron are given further instructions from God. This time, the judgment that God brings upon the Egyptians will be unannounced and bring with it an increased level of physical pain and suffering. With each successive plague, God was upping the ante and revealing yet another aspect of His power and authority over kings, nations, creation, and all the mythical, man-made gods of humanity.

These assignments would have served as tests for Moses and Aaron, determining the depth of their faith and the level of their faithfulness. It must not have been easy to stand before one of the most powerful men in the world and issue demands from an unseen God. And many of the things God commanded Moses and Aaron to do were outside the pale of human reason and required a great deal of trust. Each new directive from Jehovah took them into unexplored territory and required them to exhibit an increased level of faith in His ability to do the impossible.

In this case, God commanded His two servants to take ash from a kiln and disperse it into the air. And for some reason, it was Moses who was to take the lead in carrying out this latest supernatural sign. When Moses tossed the ash into the air, it would turn into a fine dust that would spread throughout the land of Egypt, “causing festering boils to break out on people and animals throughout the land” (Exodus 9:9 NLT).

It’s likely that this “kiln” or furnace was used in the manufacture of bricks. This would have tied the ashes to the suffering of the Israelites.

…the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy. They made their lives bitter, forcing them to mix mortar and make bricks and do all the work in the fields. They were ruthless in all their demands. – Exodus 1:13-14 NLT

Pharaoh sent this order to the Egyptian slave drivers and the Israelite foremen: “Do not supply any more straw for making bricks. Make the people get it themselves! But still require them to make the same number of bricks as before. Don’t reduce the quota.” – Exodus 5:6-8 NLT

These massive kilns would have been located all over the land of Egypt, wherever there was a state-sanctioned construction site. These furnaces would have contained the ashes of the straw that the Israelites had been forced to scavenge and knead into the clay that they formed into the bricks used to build edifices to Pharaoh’s glory. It is almost as if God was taking the unjust pain and suffering of His people and spreading it among their Egyptian overlords. And no one was spared. The rich and the poor alike would suffer the debilitating effects of this plague as the dust settled on their skin and produced boils (šiḥîn) or inflamed spots on the skin that erupted and became festering sores ('ăḇaʿbuʿōṯ). There is no way to determine the identity of this skin disease, but it must have been extremely painful and left its suffering unable to perform even the most simple tasks. The text indicates that Pharaoh’s magicians were completely incapacitated and “unable to stand before Moses, because the boils had broken out on them and all the Egyptians” (Exodus 9:11 NLT).

These men had been able to replicate some of the previous signs that Moses and Aaron performed, but not in this case. And it seems highly unlikely that they would have wanted to reproduce this particular sign, even if they could.

As Pharaoh looked on, Moses carried out the command of God, and the king and his royal officials watched the ash turn to dust, miraculously spread over the land, and then settle back down on their own skin. But it appears that Pharaoh was exempted from the effects of this plague. Moses indicates that “the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians” (Exodus 9:11 ESV), but he doesn't mention Pharaoh. It seems that God was sparing Pharaoh and preparing him for the final plague that was designed to bring judgment right to his doorstep. God had reserved something far more painful and personal for Pharaoh. He even foreshadowed this final plague when He spoke to Moses in Midian.

“When you arrive back in Egypt, go to Pharaoh and perform all the miracles I have empowered you to do. But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go. Then you will tell him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son. I commanded you, “Let my son go, so he can worship me.” But since you have refused, I will now kill your firstborn son!’” – Exodus 4:21-23 NLT

But for now, Pharaoh was forced to stand back and watch the God of Israel demonstrate His sovereign power through a nationwide pandemic that brought intense pain but not death. And like all the other plagues, this one was a direct attack on the gods of the Egyptians. It only makes sense that those suffering from this disease would have called out to their gods for deliverance and healing. They would have sought relief from one of their many deities.

In the Egyptian pantheon of gods, Serapis was a lord of healing and of fertility. Interestingly enough, this god’s cult was celebrated in association with that of the sacred Egyptian bull Apis, which we looked at with the last plague. The priests and priestesses associated with Serapis would have been expected to call upon their god for healing. But, like the magicians, they would have found themselves unable to perform their priestly duties because of the very malady they were hoping to eliminate.

They called out, but no one answered. They begged for relief, but none came. The sores erupted on their skin but no miracle was forthcoming. It was as if their gods had grown silent or apathetic about their plight. But It is simply a demonstration of the truth that the psalmist would later articulate.

Our God is in the heavens,
    and he does as he wishes.
Their idols are merely things of silver and gold,
    shaped by human hands.
They have mouths but cannot speak,
    and eyes but cannot see.
They have ears but cannot hear,
    and noses but cannot smell.
They have hands but cannot feel,
    and feet but cannot walk,
    and throats but cannot make a sound.
And those who make idols are just like them,
    as are all who trust in them. – Psalm 115:3-8 NLT

When Separis proved impotent, they must have turned to Imhotep, the god of medicine and the guardian of healing sciences. This particular god had actually been a man who had served as the second king of Egypt’s third dynasty. After his death, he was deified and worshiped by the Egyptians as the god of medicine.

But he too proved helpless before the God of Israel because he was a fraud and a fake. None of their gods were real and, therefore, they had no hope of delivering the people of Egypt from their pain and suffering. These so-called gods were the figments of men’s imaginations, just as Jeremiah the prophet later wrote.

“Their gods are like
    helpless scarecrows in a cucumber field!
They cannot speak,
    and they need to be carried because they cannot walk.
Do not be afraid of such gods,
    for they can neither harm you nor do you any good.” – Jeremiah 10:5 NLT

So the ash went up, the dust rained down, the boils broke open, and the people cried out. But no relief was in sight. And Pharaoh remained unmoved by what he saw. At this point, he stood aloof and distant from the pain of his people. He was not having to share in their suffering, so he was unmoved by their plight. Moses indicates that “he did not listen to them, as the Lord had spoken to Moses” (Exodus 9:12 ESV). But this time, it was God who hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

Anywhere along the way, God could have miraculously moved in Pharaoh’s life and softened the hardened condition of his heart. But He continued to allow the king to display the natural evidence of his sinful disposition. Rather than intervene, God allowed Pharaoh’s inherent wickedness to take its normal course. This demonstrates the way that God has always worked with fallen mankind. Paul describes it well in his letter to the Romans.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping things.

Therefore God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the dishonoring of their bodies among themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God for a lie and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever! – Romans 1:22-25 ESV

Pharaoh stood his ground. But he was up against far greater and more powerful than he could ever imagine. All the plagues should have served as a wake-up call but God exactly what it was going to take to open Pharaoh’s eyes and break the hardened callouses of his heart. But the time for that plague had not yet come.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God’s Plan and God’s Man

14 These are the heads of their fathers’ houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben. 15 The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon. 16 These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. 17 The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans. 18 The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years. 19 The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations. 20 Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father’s sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years. 21 The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri. 22 The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri. 23 Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. 24 The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites. 25 Eleazar, Aaron’s son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers’ houses of the Levites by their clans.

26 These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.” 27 It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.

28 On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, 29 the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.” 30 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?” – Exodus 6:14-30 ESV

In the second half of Genesis 6, Moses includes his own genealogy. This listing of obscure and difficult-to-pronounce names seems out of place and unnecessary, but it provides the reader with validation of Moses’ role as Israel’s deliverer. In it, Moses traces his ancestry back to Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob, who himself was a grandson of Abraham. This direct line back to the patriarch of the Hebrew people provides an essential link to the covenant promises made to Abraham by God.

Not long after Abraham had arrived in the land of Canaan from Haran, God had made a covenant commitment to him. He promised to produce from Abraham a great nation. But there was one problem; Moses was childless and his wife was barren. And this apparent setback prompted Moses to ask God to accept Eliezer, his man-servant, as his heir. But God had other plans.

“This man shall not be your heir; your very own son shall be your heir.” And he brought him outside and said, “Look toward heaven, and number the stars, if you are able to number them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring be.” – Genesis 15:4-5 ESV

God was not going to accomplish His covenant promises through Eliezer. He would produce a long line of descendants through a son of Abraham who would be born through Sarah, the patriarch’s barren wife. 

But this promise of a miraculous provision of a son and numberless descendants was accompanied by a rather dire prediction of future suffering.

“Know for certain that your offspring will be sojourners in a land that is not theirs and will be servants there, and they will be afflicted for four hundred years. – Genesis 15:13 ESV

Abraham’s progeny would end up spending four centuries living in a foreign land where they would suffer great affliction and pain. In time, Abraham’s yet-to-be-born son, Isaac, would bear a son named Jacob, whose own 12 sons and their families would be forced to relocate to the land of Egypt in order to escape the devastating effects of a worldwide famine. Once there, their number would increase greatly and strike fear into the heart of the Pharaoh, causing him to institute a systematic program of persecution and extermination of the Hebrew people. But God promised Abraham that this period of suffering had an end date. There would be a time of great deliverance.

But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions. As for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age. And they shall come back here in the fourth generation…” – Genesis 15:14-16 ESV

And though, at the time, God did not reveal the nature of this deliverance, Moses provides the evidence that the long-awaited release from bondage would take place through another descendant of Abraham: Himself.

This book, like the other four books of the Pentateuch, was written by Moses long after the events it records took place. Its content was originally intended for the benefit of the second generation of Israelites who were preparing to enter Canaan, the land promised to them by God as their inheritance. These were the sons and daughters of the very people that Moses and Aaron were trying to convince to leave Egypt.

When Moses showed up in Egypt with a message declaring Yahweh’s intentions to deliver His people out of bondage, he was originally met with eager excitement. But when he floated the idea by Pharaoh, he got a rather icy reception. The king of Egypt was unwilling to let the Israelites go, even for a few days. Instead, he intensified their workload and increased their suffering. And this unexpected reaction from Pharaoh caused the people of Israel to turn on Moses and his brother.  Little did they know at the time, that Moses was a direct descendant of Abraham and God’s chosen instrument of deliverance.

But this genealogical record, placed as it is rather awkwardly in the middle of the historical narrative, is meant to remind the reader that this entire episode is the work of God. Moses is not some arrogant, self-appointed savior who assigned himself the responsibility of delivering the people of Israel from bondage. He is God’s preordained, hand-picked deliverer who just happens to be a descendant of Levi, one of the 12 sons of Jacob. His entire life story is a testimony to the sovereign hand of God. The author of the book of Hebrews reveals God’s providential plan for this man’s life and the role that faith played all along the way.

By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden for three months by his parents, because they saw that the child was beautiful, and they were not afraid of the king's edict. By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. – Hebrews 11:23-25 ESV

And Moses follows up his own family tree with the summary statement: “These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: ‘Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.’ It was they who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron” (Exodus 6:26-27 ESV).

These men were destined for their roles. Their lives were the divinely ordained outcome of God’s predetermined will and their arrival in Egypt was in direct fulfillment of God’s sovereign plan. He had a job for them to do.

But when Moses and his brother were attempting to carry out the assignment God had given them, things were not looking up. Their impressive genealogical background was not providing them with confidence or assurance that their task was going to work. Being a legitimate descendant of Abraham was all well and good, but Pharaoh couldn’t care less. And the people of Israel, suffering under the oppressive hand of this powerful despot, had a lot more to worry about than the genealogy of Moses. And, at the time, even Moses was less than impressed with his own pedigree. His good genes and stellar ancestral roots were proving to be of no use in his confrontations with Pharaoh.

“Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?” – Genesis 6:30 ESV

Moses was living out his greatest fear. He had warned God that he was a lousy speaker and had no business serving as a mouthpiece for the Almighty. His reference to “uncircumcised lips” was a rather clever way of claiming that his words were unacceptable and unworthy. The message may have been God’s, but it was coming out of the mouth of a man who was unworthy to speak on God’s behalf. At least, that was Moses’ take on it, and this is the second time he has used this excuse (Exodus 6:12).

But as the genealogy was meant to prove, God had not made a mistake. Moses had been born for this role and would be used by God to accomplish His sovereign will for the descendants of Israel. One of Abraham’s offspring would become the designated savior who would redeem God’s people from slavery and lead them to freedom. But that role would not be easy and those whose lives he had come to deliver would prove to be less than receptive to his message. But, in time, God would harden the heart of Pharaoh and soften the hearts of His chosen people. His will would be done and His deliverer would be successful. All in God’s own time.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

God Knows Best

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.”

2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. 4 I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they lived as sojourners. 5 Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant. 6 Say therefore to the people of Israel, ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from slavery to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment. 7 I will take you to be my people, and I will be your God, and you shall know that I am the Lord your God, who has brought you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. 8 I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession. I am the Lord.’” 9 Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.

10 So the Lord said to Moses, 11 “Go in, tell Pharaoh king of Egypt to let the people of Israel go out of his land.” 12 But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, the people of Israel have not listened to me. How then shall Pharaoh listen to me, for I am of uncircumcised lips?” 13 But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them a charge about the people of Israel and about Pharaoh king of Egypt: to bring the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt. – Exodus 6:1-13 ESV

Verse one appears to contain God’s immediate response to Moses’ little diatribe recorded in the closing verses of chapter five.

“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.” – Exodus 5:22-23 ESV

After allowing Moses to vent his frustration, God simply stated, “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” (Exodus 6:1 NLT).

God feels no obligation to defend Himself to Moses. So, rather than answer His messenger's accusations, God states His intentions. But this ESV translation seems to give Pharaoh a bit too much credit in the unfolding of God’s plan. At first glance, it appears as if Pharaoh is wielding all the power and authority. It will be Pharaoh’s strong hand that sends them out. It will be Pharaoh’s strong hand that drives them from his land. But the NET Bible translates this verse differently. 

“Now you will see what I will do to Pharaoh, for compelled by my strong hand he will release them, and by my strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” – Exodus 6:1 NET

Notice how this translation puts all the focus on God. It better conveys the idea of God’s sovereignty and Pharaoh’s role as an instrument in His all-powerful hands. While either translation could be used, the second makes more sense considering the context. 

The expression “with a strong hand” (וּבְיָד חֲזָקָה, uvyad khazaqah) could refer (1) to God’s powerful intervention (“compelled by my strong hand”) or (2) to Pharaoh’s forceful pursuit (“he will forcefully drive them out”). In Exodus 3:20 God has summarized what his hand would do in Egypt, and that is probably what is intended here, as he promises that Moses will see what God will do.– NET Bible Study Notes

It is likely that a time gap exists between verse one and verse two. It records another conversation between Moses and God that took place at a later date. In this encounter, God introduces Himself to Moses by a new name: Yahweh.

“I am Yahweh—‘the Lord.’ I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty’—but I did not reveal my name, Yahweh, to them. And I reaffirmed my covenant with them. Under its terms, I promised to give them the land of Canaan, where they were living as foreigners.” – Exodus 6:2-4 NLT

Up to this point in the history of God’s people, God had revealed Himself by the name of El-Shaddai, which can be translated as “God Almighty.” When He spoke to the patriarch Abraham, God used this appellation to identify Himself. 

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to him and said, “I am El-Shaddai—‘God Almighty.’” – Genesis 17:1 NET

Now, centuries later, God was letting Moses know that He wanted to be referred to by a different name; a name Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had never used. When God appeared to Moses at the scene of the burning bush, He revealed His name as,  “I AM who I am” (Exodus 3:14 NLT).  Then He added, “Say this to the people of Israel: I AM has sent me to you” (Exodus 3:14 NLT).  But then God provided further clarification.

“Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.

This is my eternal name,
    my name to remember for all generations.” – Exodus 3:15 NLT

The Hebrew word that is translated as “I am” is hāyâ. It can mean “to be.” In a sense, God was telling Moses, “I am the One who is.” He is the always-existing or eternal one. And from hāyâ, the name Yahweh was derived. This name speaks of God’s self-existence and self-sufficiency. He is dependent upon no one and yet, everyone and everything is completely dependent upon Him.

In future generations, the scribes would hold the name of God in such high esteem that they refused to write it. Instead, they replaced it with the term, “the LORD.”  This would become the most common designation when transcribing the name Yahweh in Scripture.  In this passage, God is letting His disgruntled messenger know that the self-existent Lord over all things was speaking to him. The same Yawheh who had established a covenant with Abraham and all his descendants was the one who was sovereignty ordaining every phase of Moses’ assignment.

The same God who made the covenant with Abraham was getting ready to fulfill the covenant through Moses.

“I have heard the groaning of the people of Israel whom the Egyptians hold as slaves, and I have remembered my covenant.” – Exodus 6:5 ESV

God heard and God remembered. This doesn’t suggest that God had somehow forgotten about His people. It simply means that He chose this point in time to fulfill the promises tied to His covenant with Abraham. Notice how many times God states, “I will.”

“I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians…” – vs 6

“I will deliver you from slavery to them…” – vs 6

“I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with great acts of judgment…” – vs 7

“I will take you to be my people…” – vs 7

“I will be your God…” – vs 7

“I will bring you into the land that I swore to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob. I will give it to you for a possession…” – vs 8

God was not declaring his intentions or sharing He hoped to accomplish. He was assuring Moses that each of these things was guaranteed to take place because He had ordained them and would bring them to fruition. He would do what He had promised to do – down to the last detail.

God commanded Moses to deliver these incredible promises to the people, which he did, but they didn’t receive them with open arms.

…they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery. – Exodus 6:9 ESV

Faced with the prospect of making bricks without straw and having to endure increasingly more intense persecution from the Egyptians, the people of Israel viewed all this as little more than empty rhetoric. They had listened to Moses once and were not about to do it again. They were demoralized and devoid of hope. And all these lofty promises from Yahweh were of little use when there were brick quotas to meet and more harsh treatment to expect. What good were the promises of future deliverance and a land of their own if they were all going to die at the hands of the Egyptians?

Fully aware of the people’s rejection of His promises, God ordered Moses to appear before Pharaoh again and reiterate his previous request.

“…let the people of Israel go out of his land.” – Exodus 6:10 ESV

But Moses wasn’t too excited about reliving that experience. After all, he explained, “If my own people won’t listen to what I have to say, what hope do I have of persuading Pharaoh to change his mind?” He broke out his “I’m a lousy speaker” excuse in the hopes of convincing God to change His mind.

But the Lord spoke to Moses and Aaron and gave them orders for the Israelites and for Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. The Lord commanded Moses and Aaron to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt. – Exodus 6:13 NLT

God wasn’t accepting excuses or changing His mind. His plan was set in stone and His promises were guaranteed. While Moses may not have liked the way God’s plan was unfolding, he would eventually learn that everything was happening according to God’s sovereign will and according to God’s perfect timeline.

English Standard Version (ESV) The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Permanent Text Edition® (2016). Copyright © 2001

New Living Translation (NLT) Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.