Experience The Direction Of God

The only navigation equipment Israel needed was the Lord's presence.

Numbers 9:23 So they camped or traveled at the LORD's command, and they did whatever the LORD told them through Moses.

Numbers 10:11-12 In the second year after Israel's departure from Egypt-on the twentieth day of the second month-the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle of the Covenant.

12 So the Israelites set out from the wilderness of Sinai and traveled on from place to place until the cloud stopped in the wilderness of Paran.

13 When the people set out for the first time, following the instructions the LORD had given through Moses,

Numbers 10:33-36 They marched for three days after leaving the mountain of the LORD, with the Ark of the LORD's Covenant moving ahead of them to show them where to stop and rest. 34 As they moved on each day, the cloud of the LORD hovered over them.

35 And whenever the Ark set out, Moses would shout, "Arise, O LORD, and let your enemies be scattered! Let them flee before you!" 36 And when the Ark was set down, he would say, "Return, O LORD, to the countless thousands of Israel!"

It has been a busy year since God redeemed his people from Egypt and took them to Mount Sinai to meet with them. Sinai would be the place where God would help his new people adjust to their new life. As we will see, getting his people out of Egypt was easier than getting Egypt out of his people.

God's people had a lot to learn about him and about the kind of people that he wanted them to be. God wanted his people to became a nation that looked very different, they would worship different, they would eat different and they would be governed different. The only way they could enjoy this special relationship between a governor and his people is for them to know the rules. 

The big bonus that should have motivated them was that knowing and obeying God's rules was the only way that they were going to be able to make it to the Promised Land. They are going to need God's presence to guide and protect on the way and the only way to have that is to live his way.

God's Itinerary 

God's people had to do what their forefather Abraham had done hundreds of years before when he left home. Once again God is asking for blind faith as he tells his people to take the next step without the details.

God didn't give Moses a brochure with an itinerary about the trip and he didn't share an online calendar or GPS coordinates to help them know the way. The way to the Promised Land is God's way and the only way to know his way is to have a relationship with him.

God's people obeyed his orders that he gave in the beginning of the book of Numbers, as a result they moved out in the formation that God demanded and they walked for three days following God.

Watching The Cloud

They didn't have any doubt about what the cloud looked like, this is the same cloud that led them away from Egypt, from the very beginning of this trip God's presence was manifest in the cloud to show them the way.

Even in darkness the presence of God could be seen and enjoyed. The light of God in the cloud overcame the darkness, it revealed the next step of the path when they traveled and it gave them protection when they camped.

Watching a cloud and paying attention to the details about where it is going is something that you probably would not do for very long. We don't pay much attention to clouds before we lose our focus and get distracted.

Listen For Trumpets

To ensure that everyone was ready to break camp and move, God's people also had an audible warning, the trumpets got the attention of anyone that didn't know that the cloud moved. I have to wonder about the size of the cloud, maybe the entire nation could not see the cloud so maybe that is the reason that God told them to use the trumpets. 

It seems that God loves trumpets, after the nation moved into Canaan the trumpet was used as the signal for special days on God's calendar. Don't forget that God has promised us that another very special day is on the way that will include the blast of a trumpet.

Matthew 24:31 And he will send out his angels with the mighty blast of a trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from all over the world-from the farthest ends of the earth and heaven.

The most anticipated trumpet blast is the one that will lead us to the Promised Land that Jesus said that he is preparing.  The trumpet sound we are waiting for will not be a signal for war, when this trumpet sounds the Promised Land will be ours, the only war that will be started is the final battle between God and Satan. 

VIDEO: Promised Land by TobyMac

Just like God's pilgrim children in the wilderness, we are also pilgrims, just passing through as we wait for God's signal to move to our heavenly home. Until that day we have the Holy Spirit in us as our guide, the Word of God before us to light the way and our Savior above us interceding before God's throne on our behalf. 

The entire trinity is at work to keep me safe and guide me as I travel this wilderness waiting for my Promised Land.

Experience The Goodness Of God

Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

1 Chronicles 16:34 Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good! His faithful love endures forever.

Psalm 23:6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me all the days of my life, and I will live in the house of the LORD forever.

Romans 2:4  Don’t you see how wonderfully kind, tolerant, and patient God is with you? Does this mean nothing to you? Can’t you see that his kindness is intended to turn you from your sin?

Every one of us has experienced God's goodness in their life to some degree and most of us have experienced a very high level of God's goodness in comparison to thousands of other people that have lived. But despite how good he is God's people always need to be reminded of this fact.

We have a difficult time appreciating the goodness of God, it goes all the way back to the garden of Eden, no matter how good we have it we always think there is more that we should have. Living in the garden was the greatest experience of God's goodness that mankind has ever known but that didn't guarantee the best outcome. 

If Adam and Eve can feel that there is something that they were missing then we are surely guaranteed to doubt the vast amount of God's goodness as well. In our social media world we have the ability to compare ourselves and the stuff that we have with a multitude of other people. We need a way to stay focused when we have the fear of missing out that causes us to doubt God's goodness.

Taste

Psalm 34:8 Taste and see that the LORD is good. Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!

To focus on God's goodness you need to taste it and taste it again just like you would taste again and again a delicious food. Don't be satisfied with just the aroma, don't walk by the kitchen and catch a whiff, step in and grab a plate and have a taste!

The joy of tasting is a personal experience, somebody else can help you know a little bit about the taste but you must have your own taste. The flavor is something that you can know only through your own experience. A taste this good should motivate you to taste it again and again.

Trust

Nahum 1:7 The LORD is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him.

Thankfully the most powerful being is also the most good! Very few people with power are very kind, if you or I were powerful we would probably do like everybody else and use it for our own advantage, but thankfully the most powerful is perfectly good. 

If the most powerful was any less good we couldn't trust him enough to draw near, we wouldn't have a strong refuge that we can trust and draw close to.

We need to remember that we cannot measure the goodness of God with problem free living. The person with the most trouble in this life may be living the most in God's will. Just like the religious leaders that Jesus rebuked, we cannot accurately discern why they have the trouble so we should not blame them for their situation. Nobody in the Bible was rewarded with an easy life as a reward for obedience.

Isaiah 48:10  I have refined you, but not as silver is refined. Rather, I have refined you in the furnace of suffering.

The goodness of God is always there, even in suffering, our holiness is usually becoming more perfect in difficulty. This is a reality that will change your perspective of "good" and "bad" circemstances. 

How can anything be bad if God is using all things for my good? (Romans 8:28, Hebrews 12:10) We all want the easy life but the most important thing to God is for us to be like him. 

A more difficult truth to accept is maybe the hard time you are going through has nothing to do with you?  Just maybe your country, your church or your family is being disciplined and you are affected by what God is doing in others. How much did good people suffer in the Old Testament because the rest of the group was being punished by God? 

A great example of this is Joseph in an Egyptian prison or Daniel and his friends in Babylon. We focus everything on ourselves but God's story is not all about us.

Treasure

Ephesians 1:7-8  He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.  8  He has showered his kindness on us, along with all wisdom and understanding.

To remember God's goodness we need to treasure the most important gift ever! God made the most extravagant purchase ever, what an incredibly high price for such lowly, undeserving creatures.

You may be so kind that you would die for your family or a small group of friends but God showed us perfect kindness by taking his perfect wrath upon himself, through his perfect son. God's awesome goodness could stop there and we should be eternally grateful but there is more goodness coming our way eternally if we accept Jesus sacrifice. (Romans 8:32)

1 John 4:9-10  God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him.  10  This is real love—not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins.

The greatest gift, the one that I really needed the most, is the reason we celebrate Christmas but his arrival was just the beginning of the story of God's plan to destroy the work of Satan so that everything bad can be made good. Don't take his kindness for granted.

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Perfect Gifts Series (diggingtheword.blogspot.com)

God With Us: Looking For A People

God has always wanted to tabernacle with his chosen people.

Exodus 25:8-9 “Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. 9 You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.

Hebrews 8:1-2,5 Here is the main point: We have a High Priest who sat down in the place of honor beside the throne of the majestic God in heaven. 2 There he ministers in the heavenly Tabernacle, the true place of worship that was built by the Lord and not by human hands. 

5 They serve in a system of worship that is only a copy, a shadow of the real one in heaven. For when Moses was getting ready to build the Tabernacle, God gave him this warning: “Be sure that you make everything according to the pattern I have shown you here on the mountain.”

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In the beginning God created a place where he could be Emmanuel, God with us, but it didn't take long for Satan's rebellion to become our rebellion. We took Satan's advice and now we are guilty of the same sin, wanting to be God instead of serving God, but thankfully we don't have to get the same punishment that he will receive.

If you think about their circumstances in the garden it appears that Adam and Eve existed in a priestly manner. Priests are special representatives who can go into God's presence and since they were made in God's image they were ideal representatives of God. They had God given jobs to serve him by caring for his creation and filling the earth with other people that would also represent God and make him known.

God could walk his garden and fellowship with them, without sin there wasn't any fear and there wasn't any need for a special place to meet with God, the entire garden was a holy place where God could be Emmanuel.

(Video: Royal Priest of Eden on bibleproject.com)

If Adam and Eve are priest then the garden where they worked would be a foreshadow of the Tabernacle which foreshadows the Temple which ultimately foreshadows Heaven. In each of these locations God is making a way for him to be Emmanuel.

The tabernacle, like the garden of Eden, is where God dwells, and various details of the tabernacle suggest it is a mini-Eden. These parallels include the east-facing entrance guarded by cherubim, the gold, the tree of life (lampstand), and the tree of knowledge (the law). Thus God’s dwelling in the tabernacle was a step toward the restoration of paradise, which is to be completed in the new heaven and earth.

-ESV Study Bible

To get us back to God with us, God chose a people, ordinary people with hurts, habits and hang ups. God called them out from the kingdom of darkness to be his people, he called them to give up their false gods to be a kingdom of priest that would represent the true God and make him know to the rest of the world.

The priest job is most vividly seen in the way that Moses related to God and his people. Moses was God's representative, he would speak to God in intercession for the people and he would speak to the people on God's behalf.

Even with all of the miraculous events that have taken place since they left Egypt and with God's presence so visible on the mountain in the wilderness, God's people still turned on him. Israel would disobey God so much that God would leave the sacred places where he chose to meet his people and be Emmanuel, God with us. 

Jeremiah 7:4 But don’t be fooled by those who promise you safety simply because the LORD’s Temple is here. They chant, “The LORD’s Temple is here! The LORD’s Temple is here!”

Unfortunately the Tabernacle and the temple became a good luck charm. They thought that they would always have God's presence just because they had God's house. They became like the pagans by making an idol of the sacred places and believing that God would always be with them regardless of their behavior.

God left the temple but he never left his people, he has always been Emmanuel, God with us for those that truly seek him. We can see that God was with his people even when they didn't have a physical, sacred place for corporate worship and even when they were in exile because of their national sins. We can see that in the lives of people like Daniel, Ezekiel, Esther, and many other believing exiles.

The Son Of God Has Come To Dwell

Matthew 1:23 “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”

John 1:14 So the Word became human and made his home among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the Father’s one and only Son.

God's plan to dwell with man has gone to the next level with the arrival of Jesus. God came to us as a simple man, an average Jewish baby, grew up in an average Jewish home, he was God yet he was fully approachable and touchable, God became more with us than man had ever know before. (John 1:1-4, Romans 1:3-4, Colossians 1:15-17)

It sounds really exciting to see so many Old Testament prophecies being fulfilled but most people didn't even take notice. God became touchable and accessible even while the priest were still working in the temple following the Old Testament rules. They didn't know that they could have Emmanuel if they would have listened to the shepherds.

Those priest didn't know it yet but they will soon be out of work. After his baptism Jesus priestly ministry began and instead of working in a temple he went to the people. Jesus priesthood looked totally different as he did God's work seeking people that needed to be restored, healing their imperfections and forgiving their sins so that they could approach God. 

(Video: The Royal Priesthood on bibleproject.com)

The New Priest And The New Temple

1 John 4:14-15  Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  15  All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

Jesus came to be our High Priest, he is in Heaven interceding for us, we then have the right to be priest that do God's work and intercede for others down here. Jesus perfect sacrifice makes us acceptable to God so that we can become priest that show God to the rest of the world. (1 Peter 2:9, Hebrews 8:1-2) 

And now, thanks to Jesus, we can have Emmanuel, God with us living within us, you can't get any closer than that. The barrier has been removed because our sin has been forgiven and we have God's spirit living in us. The Jews at the Western Wall don't realize that they are closest to God when they are standing at the wall next to a believer. (Romans 8:10-11, 1Corinthians 3:16, Galatians 2:20)

As God's chosen people and his royal priest we can only please God when we are living by the rules that his priest should obey. We should be famous for love without boundaries, for turning the other cheek and treating others much better than we think they deserve. When we do these things we fulfill our role as a royal priest and a peculiar people. (Leviticus 19:16-18, 33-34 / 1 John 3:11-18 / Romans 12:9-21)

Revelation 21:1-3  Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the old heaven and the old earth had disappeared. And the sea was also gone.  2  And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven like a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.  3  I heard a loud shout from the throne, saying, “Look, God’s home is now among his people! He will live with them, and they will be his people. God himself will be with them.

Throughout scripture you can see over and over again that one of the ultimate themes of the Bible is to have a people that chose him so that he can dwell with them so that their lives will point to him. I need to fulfill my role as a royal priest and live a peculiar life that shows the people around me that I have found the source of all goodness, love and mercy.

God Is Looking For A People
Old Testament (biblegateway.com) New Testament (biblegateway.com)

History will end just as it started, with God dwelling with his people but this time it will be for eternity. God has created a place where he will be Emmanuel, God with us, without the effects of sin on our relationship with him. We will enjoy the unlimited goodness of God for an unlimited amount of time!

Are you ready to leave the bondage of the kingdom of darkness to spend eternity in the promised land? Find out how you can have peace with God so that you can dwell with him forever.

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God With Us (discovertheword.org)

God Leaves the Temple (ligonier.org)

31 Reasons Why Jesus Came (kevinhalloran.net)

Redeemed To Live A New Way

God's children obey their father's commands for their good and his glory.

Exodus 20:1 Then God gave the people all these instructions.

Exodus 20:20 “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

 

Deuteronomy 8:5-6 Think about it: Just as a parent disciplines a child, the LORD your God disciplines you for your own good. 6 “So obey the commands of the LORD your God by walking in his ways and fearing him.

1 Peter 1:15 But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God who chose you is holy.

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In the previous post God's people learned about his holiness which affects everything about him. It is the supreme quality that affects how that he does but it also affects us as well. And since God is holy he cannot have a personal relationship with people that are unholy. the people that want to have a peaceful relationship with him must be holy as well.

Our world doesn't like to hear about a God that makes demands, the gods that are popular today allow you to make your own rules, you get to be the "truth" police. That may work for you before you die but the real God and his version are truth will ultimately take over.

God is holy and he tells us to strive to live up to a higher standard, the "you be you" generation sounds kind and loving but you don't get the final say, we have been told to imitate our father in our attitudes and our lifestyle. Like it or not, we will submit to his rules and authority, it is your choice to do it now or later on after it is too late.

God's rules are for our benefit, he is just like any loving parent that sets boundaries, God wants the best for his children and he wants them to obey some basic instructions to keep them from trouble, he saves us from evil and doesn't want us to continue our lives in it. 

God gave us 10 basic commands:

How to love God:

1. Worship no god but the Lord.

2. Make no images to worship.

3. Do not use God’s name for evil purposes.

4. Observe God’s day of rest.

How to love your neighbor:

5. Respect your father and mother.

6. Do not commit murder.

7. Do not commit adultery.

8. Do not steal.

9. Do not accuse anyone falsely.

10. Do not desire another man’s wife or what he owns.

We should love God and others extravagantly 

Looking at the theme of the Ten Commandments, it is clear that we were made for love, both giving love and receiving love to God and to the people we interact with. The first four commands tell us to relate to God and the other six tells us how to live with our neighbors.

1 John 4:9  God showed how much he loved us by sending his one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. 

1 John 4:11  Dear friends, since God loved us that much, we surely ought to love each other.

God didn't just demand love as a way of life for his children, he also gave us the ultimate example of how extreme we are too love. I was his enemy and with just cause, I was rotten to the core, the most unholy and undeserving of his affection but that didn't stop him from loving me extravagantly.

If I love God then it should show in how I live, Jesus told us that one of the ways to prove that we have experienced God's love is that we will love our neighbors, that's how the world will know who God's children really are and that's how he will get the glory he deserves.

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Christ Died for Our Sins That We Might Die to Sin (desiringgod.org)

Where's My Promised Land

God's children are still waiting for a better country.

Video: TobyMac "Promised Land"

Head down as I punch this clock

The hours roll, they never stop

And I can't ever seem to get ahead

Always tryin' to do what's right

Straight and narrow, it's gettin' tight

Don't know how much longer I can stand

And I'm wonderin'

Yeah, I'm wonderin'

Where's my promised land?

Out here on this desert road

It's hot as fire but I've grown cold

Circlin' like a plane that never lands

And even though the questions change

The answers always stay the same

Maybe someday I will understand

Well, I've run this Earth for many years

If there's one thing I know

There's nowhere on this side o' Heaven

Where streets are made o' gold

I've long laid tell my grand illusions

Lookin' toward the day that I'll be home

I won't give up on this race

Broken but I still have faith

That this old life is all part of a plan

And I can feel it in my soul

One day, I'll stand before the throne

With nothin' left but hope and these two hands

Through all these seasons

I'm still believin'

You're my promised land

In all my grievin'

I'm still believin'

You're my promised land

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God's people want to see results and when it doesn't appear that God is at work we get discouraged. A lot of the time we fail to realize that God's timeline is much bigger than the span of our lifetime. Generations of God's people have lived and died crying out to God to see his plan come to pass without any indication that he had listened to their prayers.

Hebrews 11:13,16 All these people died still believing what God had promised them. They did not receive what was promised, but they saw it all from a distance and welcomed it. They agreed that they were foreigners and nomads here on earth. 16 But they were looking for a better place, a heavenly homeland. That is why God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.

God's people have been saved and sent out to show the world the glory of God. We are called to live in enemy territory to be ambassadors for our new homeland. This world will resist us as it did God's people on the way to Canaan, the route to the Promised Land is long and hard, but the promise is still true.

Special Babies

When God wants to do something big he usually sends something small.

Isaiah 9:6-7  For a child is born to us, a son is given to us. The government will rest on his shoulders. And he will be called: Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.  7  His government and its peace will never end. He will rule with fairness and justice from the throne of his ancestor David for all eternity. The passionate commitment of the LORD of Heaven’s Armies will make this happen!

Galatians 4:4 But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law.

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Most of us have heard that the best gifts come in small packages, we know that the smallest gifts are usually the most valuable, but this is especially true when the small package is a baby. We are usually drawn toward the baby with a desire to nurture it, protect it and celebrate it.

Unfortunately there have been too many babies that have been anything but good news and they have not been treasured as a gift from God. We will never know how much good may have been accomplished by a baby that was unwanted and therefore it was unprotected. 

The Bible has a lot of stories about babies that were sent to do something special. I cannot imagine how different the world would be if any of these babies had been destroyed.

Special babies that were sent by God:

• Moses - Born under an evil dictator that sought to kill every Jewish baby. His life had to be preserved so that 80 years later he would rescue God's people.
• Samuel - A barren mother promises to give her child to God, the baby grows up in the temple, and he becomes Israel's first prophet.
• John the Baptist - Elderly parents that are unable to have a child, his dad's unbelief caused him to be unable to speak, Jesus says he is the greatest man.
• Jesus - Virgin birth, born under an evil dictator that sought to kill him, called out of Egypt, came to be the perfect Passover lamb.

One of the most difficult things to understand is why God loves to send a baby to do a man's job. Why can't a full grown man arrive on the scene and take care of things right away? We want someone with strength, know how and determination but God prefers to send someone that doesn't even know that we need him yet.

God's special babies come in his timing to unlikely moms. The proof that God is in control can be seen many times by using ladies that couldn't get pregnant for a long time. Many of the important mom's in the Bible were barren until God was ready to send the special baby that his people needed.

Waiting for God's special babies to be born is difficult, but then when they finally arrive they are vulnerable and must be protected, then they have to grow up physically and then sometimes God still doesn't use them until they are old and they have had time to grow up spiritually.

Meanwhile generations of God's people live and die without seeing God's mercy and generations of worldly people live and die without seeing God's judgment. That's what happened in Moses' day, the Canaanites continued to live in sin without suffering the consequences that God promised would come someday and God's people suffered and many of them died in Egypt without the fulfillment of the promise to save them.

1 John 4:14-15  Furthermore, we have seen with our own eyes and now testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world.  15  All who declare that Jesus is the Son of God have God living in them, and they live in God.

It doesn't seem fair to us, God doesn't satisfy our desire to fix things right away, all of Israel waited for hundreds of years for the greatest baby that was ever promised. Meanwhile it seemed that God wasn't paying attention or he didn't care. 

Our idea of being in control doesn't look like God's, he was aware of our plight and he was still on track with his original plan to send his son to be "God with us." In the midst of the chaos of political and economic woes he sent Jesus as a baby to eventually grow up to be the man that would save us.

The day is coming when "God with us" will happen again, God will send his son back to earth, but don't expect him to be the sweet baby that they saw the first time and don't expect him to be a humble servant either. 

We all need to learn about the greatest gift ever that comes through Jesus but the only way to experience a gift is to receive it. Have you received the only gift that can give you peace with God?

Faithfulness In Adversity

Government programs quickly prove that they are no match against God's people.

Exodus 1:8-10 Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the people of Israel now outnumber us and are stronger than we are. 10 We must make a plan to keep them from growing even more. If we don’t, and if war breaks out, they will join our enemies and fight against us. Then they will escape from the country. ”

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We saw in the previous post that it looks like God is blessing his people as they settle down in Egypt but it didn't take very long for all of that to change. The appreciation for Joseph was gone as the Egyptians and the Pharaoh's attitude changed from thankfulness to fear. We will see today that Godless people can quickly become capable of outrageous and cruel behavior. 

All of a sudden the Hebrews went from freedom to slavery in the land that they called home for hundreds of years. This generation was born in Egypt and this is the only home that they have ever known so it was incredible to them to suddenly become slaves. It's pretty amazing that the government decided the majority of the people living in Egypt were dangerous to the minority so somehow they transitioned the majority into slaves.

Exodus 1:11 So the Egyptians made the Israelites their slaves. They appointed brutal slave drivers over them, hoping to wear them down with crushing labor. They forced them to build the cities of Pithom and Rameses as supply centers for the king.

We are not talking about making them become household servants of the ruling class, this was full on abusive slavery that took away all of their rights, this harsh treatment was probably an attempt to downsize the population by survival of the fittest.

Government Programs 

Ill conceived government programs quickly prove that they are no match against God's purpose for his people. The oppression didn't slow down the growth of the Hebrew population despite the demands of the new government program. 

Exodus 1:13 So the Egyptians worked the people of Israel without mercy.

Pharaoh's godless actions cannot change the fearful situation that he is trying to fix. Instead of admitting they were wrong the government program was expanded and became more harsh as he extends the government program to include infanticide.

Civil Disobedience

It seems incredible that such an important government leader of one of the greatest nations in the world is not named in our Bibles but we do know two of the midwives by name. We don't know which Pharaoh was in charge at the time but the Bible tells us about Shiphrah and Puah.

The irony of it all is that God chose to bless the midwives by giving them children, so instead of them killing Hebrew boys, they probably gave birth to their own boys. The man with the political and military power didn't stand a chance of being successful against lowly women with God on their side.

Pharaoh's Servant or God's Servant

Your government leaders and their programs may change and you may find yourself threatened as a result but we have the only God that is truly powerful and in complete control of our destiny. Pharaoh's plans that were meant for evil are going to be used for God's good purpose, does that sound familiar? (Genesis 45:5, 50:20)

We have a choice to make everyday, we can serve God and be a part of his purpose and plans that cannot fail or we can serve any number of other choices that Satan has to offer. We need to keep in mind that the decision will be more difficult on days when Satan seeks to intimidate us.

The perspective of the Hebrew midwives should be our model. While they did not understand all that was going on, they did fear God, and they refused to obey the orders of Pharaoh when they were contrary to the will of God.

 

The midwives were obedient at a time when God's silence didn't give them a boost in their faith. Their faithfulness in adversity should inspire us to follow their example even as our world becomes more oppressive to God's people.

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Pharaoh’s Fears and Israel’s Faith (bible.org)

The Way Of Cain

There are two kinds of people in this world and they rarely get along. 

Genesis 4:3-7 When it was time for the harvest, Cain presented some of his crops as a gift to the LORD. 4 Abel also brought a gift--the best of the firstborn lambs from his flock. The LORD accepted Abel and his gift, 5 but He did not accept Cain and his gift. This made Cain very angry, and he looked dejected.

6 "Why are you so angry?" the LORD asked Cain. "Why do you look so dejected? 7 You will be accepted if you do what is right. But if you refuse to do what is right, then watch out! Sin is crouching at the door, eager to control you. But you must subdue it and be its master."

Jude 1:11 What sorrow awaits them! For they follow in the footsteps of Cain.

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If you are following my study through Genesis you should know by now that sin is the root cause of every breakdown on this planet. We like to think that the issues are very complex but God has made it crystal clear that every breakdown, every unrighteousness and every injustice is a direct result of sin.

The only reason the issues are complicated is because man is too arrogant to admit the problem and seek the help that we need from the only person that has the cure. We prefer to ignore God's rules and do things our own way.

When Adam and Eve sinned we see the shame and remorse that they had, they admitted their sin and they willingly accepted their punishment without arguing with God. But that is not true of every sinner. Their first born son wasn't concerned at all about what God thought about his sin.

Cain's attitude toward sin was self centered and indifferent to the ways of God. Cain was obsessed with what he thought was fair and just and he thought he should be able to be his own god and make his own rules. Cain may have thought: Why should Abel get God's favor? Doesn't God know what Abel did to me?

Cain was probably warned by his parents, surely the boys heard stories about the good old days back in the garden, the devastating consequences of their sin must have been talked about at home, especially when the boys were misbehaving.

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifice You desire is a broken spirit. You will not reject a broken and repentant heart, O God.

God warned Cain that sin is powerful, it desires to have you, and it crouches down low so you won't know how big it is. Sin will stalk you and if you give it an opportunity it will not let you go without a struggle. The smallest little grudge wants to be murder if it isn't controlled.

God showed grace to Cain and let him know why he wasn't pleased with him, God could have been a harsh judge but he came in love. Cain hated God and he couldn't bear the thought that his brother had God's approval.

Cain deserved death but he didn't worry about God killing him, he was pretty sure that one of his relatives would try to get revenge for God, so God protected him from physical death but it was up to Cain to decide his spiritual condition.

Most of the sermons preached on Genesis four focus on murder, fake worship and the power of sin in Cain's life. All of those are great points but if you look at chapter four through seven as a whole there is a message that is even more important.

1 John 3:12 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. 

Cain and Abel show us that there are only two kinds of people in our world, there are people that belong to God and all of the rest of mankind belong to Satan. We all decide for ourselves: Will I try to be God or will I be happy to be under God?

Cain is the prototype for everybody that does not belong to God, just look at his family tree in the next few chapters of Genesis. The list includes a lot of accomplished men that achieved great things and contributed to society and to culture but there isn't anything spiritual mentioned about the people in Cain's lineage.

1 John 3:12-13 We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the evil one and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? Because Cain had been doing what was evil, and his brother had been doing what was righteous. 13 So don’t be surprised, dear brothers and sisters, if the world hates you.

It's only the beginning of God's book and already the ungodly seem to be in control, as quick as sin ruined Cain it also ruined the culture, we can see today very clearly where the mess all around us came from.

Cain and his ungodly offspring would defy God's definition of marriage and take more than one wife. They would be known as unforgiving and violent people. Sure, they were religious but they would like to make the rules and decide how God should be worshiped.

Man has made a quick mess of God's perfect creation, it looks bad, much like it does today but the promise remains. The promise that someone from the woman's offspring will strike the head of Satan. The plan to kill Abel was Satan's first attempt to prohibit the fulfillment of the promised Messiah.

God has a remnant in Seth's lineage, in the midst of a world full of ungodly people there are only eight people, Noah, his sons and their wives that God can use to fulfill his promise. Take note that the lineage of Seth doesn't have any cultural acclaim like Cain's offspring, the people of Seth were famous for what really mattered, they worshiped God correctly. (Genesis 4:26)

The Bible is quick to show us that there are two kinds of people in this world and they will have a hard time accepting each other. It seems like the problem is getting worse everyday as various groups of people attempt to change our values and force us to accept their deviation from God's original design.

The world will always be angry because God's children are favored, we must be careful that we don't join them and give them our anger, we need to be known for our amazing ability to show love to people that do not love us.

The most important message to learn from Cain is that he belonged to the evil one, Cain and his descendants never did love God and they all died in the flood. You can find favor with God and avoid judgement if you accept his offer of salvation.