From: January 30, 2024
“and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD” (Exodus 12:12 ESV).
Egypt worshiped a multitude of false gods. They had a god for everything. For instance, “Hapi” was their god of the Nile, yet the Lord turned it into blood. “Hekket” was their goddess of fertility and had the face of a frog. Yet it was the Lord who sent a plague of frogs upon Egypt and wouldn’t cause them to retreat until Moses gave the word. “Ra” was the Egyptian sun god, yet the Lord sent three days of darkness upon Egypt that the sun could not penetrate. Each of the ten plagues can be similarly attributed to being a judgment against a specific Egyptian god. In this way, the Lord was showing Himself the only true God, both to the Hebrews as well as the Egyptians.
The idolatrous ways of modern humanity may be less obvious, but no less true. For though they have different names and faces, they still are given the worship that belongs to God alone. And God will not abide this forever. For the first of the Ten Commandments that He has given His people says, “Thou shalt have no other gods before me.”
Be careful of the thing that you depend on, the thing that you work for and plan for and glory in, be careful. For the Lord may cause that very thing to crumble from beneath you, so that you recognize it as a frail and false god. Instead let us pull our affections and our dependence off of our idols and put them on the Lord.
PRAYER: Dear Lord, we repent of our idolatrous dependence on temporary and worldly things. We cast our care upon You, knowing that You alone are God. Help us to grow in our dependence and trust. We love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
From: January 30, 2023
“But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you” (Exodus 12:13 NLT).
The Lord instructed Moses to have each household choose a male lamb without blemish to sacrifice and to spread its blood on their doorposts, so that the angel of death would pass over them. For the angel of death would strike down every firstborn in every house in Egypt that did not have the blood of the lamb on its doorposts. This was the tenth plague on Egypt. After this, the Pharoah would let the people of Israel go.
From that day forward the people of Israel were to keep “The Passover” as an on-going remembrance of how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Passover clearly prepared them for its fulfillment in Christ, who is the Lamb of God without blemish and whose blood was shed, so that we might be delivered from sin’s slavery and from death unto eternal life. The Passover meal pointed forward to Christ in preparation, just as the Lord’s Supper now points back to Him in remembrance.
Jesus is our Passover Lamb. We are saved by His blood. I am reminded of that wonderful hymn by Robert Lowry:
What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
O precious is the flow
That makes me white as snow;
No other fount I know;
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
PRAYER: Dear Father, thank You for the Lamb, whose coming was so certain that Your Word says He was “slain from the foundation of the world,” so that we might have our names written in the Lamb’s Book of Life. We have received Jesus as Lord and Savior and His blood is spread upon our hearts. We are Your children and You are our Father. Thank You for such a wonderful salvation. In Jesus’ name, amen.
From: January 30, 2017
Solomon gives an example from nature to teach the discipline of living beneath your means and managing God-given resources according to the seasons of life. Stop being lazy with the time, talent and treasure that God has entrusted to you. Even the ant knows to save a surplus to get through the dry season and to gather during the harvest. Live on less than you make. Work with wisdom and diligence. Remember God’s ownership and your stewardship.
From: January 30, 2016
The Lord instructed Moses to have the people kill a male lamb without blemish and spread its blood on their doorposts, so that the angel of death would pass-over them. The Passover was to be an on-going remembrance of how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Passover clearly prepared them for its fulfillment in Christ, who is the Lamb of God without blemish and whose blood was shed, so that we might be delivered from sin’s slavery and from death unto eternal life. The Passover meal pointed forward to Christ, as the Lord’s Supper now points back to Him. Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
From: January 30, 2015
The Lord instructed Moses to have the people kill a male lamb without blemish and spread its blood on their doorposts, so that the angel of death would pass-over them. The Passover was to be an on-going remembrance of how God delivered Israel from slavery in Egypt. The Passover clearly prepared them for its fulfillment in Christ, who is the Lamb of God without blemish and whose blood was shed, so that we might be delivered from sin’s slavery and from death unto eternal life. The Passover meal pointed forward to Christ, as the Lord’s Supper now points back to Him. Jesus is our Passover Lamb.
From: January 30, 2014
Jesus described the new Kingdom economy to His disciples. He modeled the new servant-leader paradigm by washing His disciples feet and then dying on the cross for our sins. To James and John, who aspired to leadership, He didn’t rebuke them, He showed them a better way. Jesus radically changed the leadership model. He descended to greatness.