https://esv.literalword.com/?q=exodus+11%3B+acts+17
Observations from today’s readings and today’s S-WOD, Friday, 4 March 2022:
Exodus 11:1 – Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them….
God told Moses what He was doing. God not only allows circumstances to occur for His purposes, He also reveals His purposes and plans to His servants. During situations in your life, you might not know what God is doing specifically, but you do know what He is doing ultimately – see Romans 8:28-29.
Exodus 11:3 – “And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man, Moses was very great in the land of Egypt in sight of Pharaoh’s servants and in the sight of the people.”
God can control how people treat you and can even make your enemies live at peace with you.
Listen to these comments from David Platt on Exodus 11:3: https://radical.net/podcasts/pray-the-word/312-the-lord-gave-favor-exodus-113/
Exodus 11:7 – “…the Lord makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”
The very apparent and unique blessings observed in the lives of God’s people is a testimony of the glory of God to the unbelieving world. The greatest distinction between God’s people and the world, the mark of the church, our ultimate testimony is our love and unity:
- John 17:20-26 — “I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me. Father, I desire that they also, whom you have given me, may be with me where I am, to see my glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you have sent me. I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.”
Exodus 11:10 – But he said to them, “The LORD be with you, if ever I let you and your little ones go! Look, you have some evil purpose in mind.
No matter what you say or do, some people will reject the Gospel because belief is not an evidence issue but rather a heart issue.
Acts 17:10-12 – “Paul and Silas [went] to Berea…. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so. Many of them therefore believed, with not a few Greek women of high standing as well as men.”
Acts 17 begins with Paul and Silas in Thessalonica. Paul preached there, and some believed, and some didn’t. Those who were opposed to Paul’s message just wanted to shut him up and many reacted violently. Paul and Silas were forced to leave, and they went to Berea. The Berean response to Paul’s preaching was much different.
The Bereans are described as “more noble” than those in Thessalonica because they didn’t just listen to good preaching and form an opinion based on what they heard, they ‘examin[ed] the Scriptures DAILY’ with ‘ALL EAGERNESS.’ My prayer, and the point of this Bible reading fellowship, is that more Christians would be like the Bereans. Too often Christian’s rely on preachers, commentaries, and books from well-known Christian authors as their staple diet, seasoned with the Bible, rather than using the Bible as their staple diet, seasoned by preaching and secondary sources. Overreliance on secondary sources has resulted in shallow Christianity and malnourished, weak Christians.
Daily, prayerful Bible study is a basic, essential and critical discipline of a true disciple of Christ. Daily prayer and Bible study time must be sacred and non-negotiable on your daily schedule. A good way to keep yourself consistent is vow to eat nothing (no food) and read/listen to nothing in the day until you have prayed and studied your Bible. Note that for the noble Bereans, daily Bible study was not a chore, they did it with all eagerness. Note also that it wasn’t just the Jewish men, who had grown up on God’s word and were comfortable with God’s word, who studied it eagerly; Greek women (who had not grown up with habits of Bible study) dug into God’s word too. Daily Bible study is a habit everyone can and must acquire, and the younger a person starts the better. Don’t underestimate a child’s ability to read and learn straight from the actual Bible rather than a kid’s book about the Bible.
Jesus said, “’Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” (Matthew 4:4) People live by which words from God? EVERY word from God, not just those chosen by others. Good preaching is essential, and secondary sources for Bible study are extremely helpful, but none of these are a substitute for daily Bible study. We are very blessed today through technological advances to have more access to God’s word than any other time in human history. But we also have more access to countless opinions from others on what God’s word means. Increasingly today, harried people just want the ‘answers,’ rather than paying the price of consistent study, prayer, and meditation to acquire true understanding. So, Christian resources have become a big business in America, with small-group Bible studies increasingly turning to study guides rather than the Bible itself. Also, popular Bibles sold today now include embedded commentaries so you can get ‘the main point’ as you read, as if God’s word weren’t active and the Holy Spirit weren’t there to counsel. I have met many, many Christians who have been attending church and Bible studies for years but have never read (much less studied) the whole Bible, though they have shelves full of books about the Bible. Also, I find when Christians talk with others, they often refer to and quote preachers and books more than the Bible itself. I think it is time we get back to the pure water of God’s living word.
— Ezekiel 34:18, 19 — Is it not enough for you to feed on the good pasture, that you must tread down with your feet the rest of your pasture; and to drink of clear water, that you must muddy the rest of the water with your feet? And must my sheep eat what you have trodden with your feet, and drink what you have muddied with your feet?
— Proverbs 30:5-6 — Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. Do not add to his words, lest he rebuke you and you be found a liar.
— Deuteronomy 4:2 — You shall not add to the word that I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the Lord your God that I command you.
— Revelation 22:18 — I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book,
— 2 Timothy 3:14-17 — But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.
— 1 John 4:1 — Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, for many false prophets have gone out into the world.
“Cross” Fit S-WOD (Spiritual Workout of the Day) – 4 Mar 22: Re-commit today to daily, consistent prayer and Bible study, going straight to God’s word and seeking the counsel of the Holy Spirit before turning to someone else.
Defenders Bible Reading Plan 