Waves, Wind, and Dry Ground9/14/2019 The book of Exodus is full of miracle after miracle. Between the Ten Plagues of Egypt and what God did during the Israelites wilderness wanderings, it can be easy to become accustomed to the amazing things God did. However, we should never let the miraculous become ordinary; never allow the amazing to become commonplace. God performed these signs and wonders for a reason—to show that He is God. Therefore, let’s not forget or lose sight of the awesomeness of our great God!
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God Orders the Way9/7/2019 Do you ever feel like the direction of your life is a bit roundabout? Like the journey you’re on is a bit meandering and not going in the direction you feel God is calling you? Take heart, God orders our way and leads us even when it feels like we’re going in circles. He knows the best way and sometimes it might not be the most direct route.
The Firstborn Are the Lord's8/31/2019 The children of Israel had finally left Egypt and are beginning a new chapter in their lives. No longer are they slaves to a fearful tyrant. However, before they can get too far in their newfound freedom, the Lord gives Moses this new command. “The LORD said to Moses, ‘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.’”
~Exodus 13:1-2 The Exodus8/24/2019 After ten devastating plagues and 430 years of cohabitation, the children of Israel are finally allowed to return to their homeland. Was it a happy parting? Depends on who you ask. The Egyptians were desperate to get these troublesome people out of their midst, and the Israelites were just as anxious to leave. So I guess you could so that both parties saw the benefit of separating. However, the Egyptians definitely got the short end of the stick.
Sin Doesn't Just Affect You8/10/2019 Ten plagues. Some harmless but annoying, while others were deadly and destructive, and all of them wreaked havoc on everyday life. We know that God brought them as a judgment against the gods of Egypt. However, let’s step back and consider one thing: what if Pharaoh hadn’t hardened his heart at the very beginning? What if he had conceded and let the Israelites go after one or two plagues?
Passover: God's Mercy at Work7/27/2019 Over the past month or so, we’ve been studying the people and events surrounding the Ten Plagues of Egypt—everything from the great and powerful to the small and slightly hilarious. We’ve seen magic men try to replicate God and simply fall short and make the situation worse, and we’ve watched Moses’ rise from outlawry to greatness. But most of all, we’ve witnessed God’s awesome power and glory, His intense judgment on the people of Egypt, and His goodness and kindness towards His chosen people.
As we near the end of the plagues of Egypt, we come to one of the most beautiful pictures in the Old Testament—the Passover. Its institution was in the land of Egypt before the Israelites were free, and it has been carried on over the past six thousand years. One of the most important events in the Jewish year, thousands continue gather to celebrate the Passover to this day. Moses' Rise to Greatness7/20/2019 Moses. So far, his life has been one epic drama, full of highs and lows. However, all these things were molding him into the man God needed him to be for the task ahead. And eventually, when he was completely following the Lord and carrying out his mission, Moses rose to greatness among all the people, Egyptian and Israelite alike.
Israel's Three Plagues7/13/2019 “Let my people go, that they may serve me. Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand. But on that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth. Thus I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen.” ~Exodus 8:20b-23 Egypt was afflicted with ten plagues, and while you may think that Israel got away scot-free, they didn’t. They had a few plagues to deal with too. It wasn’t until the fourth plague—flies—that God began to spare His people the suffering to come. Therefore, the Israelites had to deal with the water turning to blood, frogs, and gnats.
As with all stories and dramas there are the good guys and the bad guys—the protagonist and the antagonist. For the drama of the Exodus the good guys are easy to find, Moses and Aaron, and the antagonist is obvious, Pharaoh. However, there are a few other bad guys that are not so easy to pick out. But that’s their mode of operation. They prefer being secretive, hidden, and under the radar. Their craft was magic and their methods were top secret. Some might say they were powerful, however, before the power of God their actions became pathetic. These men were the magicians of Egypt.
The Ten Plagues of Egypt6/29/2019 The stage was set for one of the most epic dramas to unfold in human history. All the players were in place. From Pharaoh who stubbornly sat on his royal throne in Egypt greedily unwilling to let free labor go without a fight, to the people of Israel who were broken-hearted and hardened by years of tough and painful slavery. While things looked bad and all hope seemed lost, it was merely a setup for some of the most dramatic accounts in Scripture—the Ten Plagues of Egypt.
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Kristin RenferView the About page for more info on the author. Receive Posts via EmailArchives
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