He is Not Here!

“When the Sabbath was past, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. And they were saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance of the tomb?" And looking up, they saw that the stone had been rolled back—it was very large. And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed. And he said to them, "Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen; he is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going before you to Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you." And they went out and fled from the tomb, for trembling and astonishment had seized them, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. (Mark 16:1-8 ESV)

“When the Sabbath was past...” They had time to grieve. They had time to worry. The disciples were full of fear, expecting at any moment the soldiers would come for them. They had failed. When Jesus had asked for them to pray, they had slept. When the soldiers had come, they had fled. And Peter, he had denied he even knew Him. They spent a long Sabbath, mourning and lamenting all that had happened, a couple of sleepless, tormented nights.

Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices. These women had supported Jesus’ ministry from its early days. They were some of His most faithful followers. Now, in a final act of devotion, they came to the tomb to anoint His body.

“Very early on the first day of the week...” Even before the sun was up, these ladies were arriving at the site of the tomb. Why not? They couldn’t sleep.

“They were saying to one another, ‘Who will roll away the stone?’” It was a huge stone. They were trying to figure out how they would overcome such an obstacle, but when they got there, the stone was rolled back. The women did not know what to think, but they entered the tomb. “And entering the tomb, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, dressed in a white robe, and they were alarmed.” Their trembling and astonishment started immediately as an electric shock of fright shot through their bodies. The young man said to them, “Do not be alarmed.” Yes, they needed reassurance and calming. He even knew what they were doing. He said, “You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified.” Yes, He was crucified. That was their sorrow, their loss. They sought Him in the place of the dead, the graveyard. All their hopes had died with Him.

Let us pause and consider the darkness of the hour. Until we give up all hope of saving ourselves, until we buy spices and go to the tomb of our own righteousness, we can never experience the true glory of the resurrection.

The women went to the place of the dead to find the living Lord. So, the young man told them, “He is risen. He is not here.”

I love the early morning. I take my walks early in the morning. I avoid the heat of the day, and during certain times of the year get to see the first light of the sun as it begins to brighten the eastern sky. As the stars start to fade and the darkness flees, anticipation builds for the new day. The air is fresh and crisp, and the weariness and fatigue of yesterday have been washed away by a night of rest.

Resurrection life is not found in the new day.

Spring comes, and flowers bloom. Resurrection life is not found in the Spring.

The Easter bunny is a symbol of fertility. Resurrection life is not found in offspring or children.

The words, “He is not here” are posted over so many pursuits. The empty tomb is a reminder of where our life is found.

Resurrection life, eternal life, abundant life is found only in Jesus Christ. The tomb is empty. He is risen, and in Him we have life.

Go

'Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, "Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, 'The Lord needs them,' and he will send them at once." This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. Most of the crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, "Who is this?" And the crowds said, "This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth of Galilee." '

Matthew 21:1-11, ESV

As the disciples approached Jerusalem, along with Jesus, things were tense among Jesus’ inner circle.

James and John, the sons of Zebedee, went to Jesus, along with their mother and made an audacious request. Their mother kneeled in front of Jesus and said, “In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left.” (Matthew 20:21 NLT) Of course, when the other 10 heard about this they were seriously perturbed.

Naturally, James and John made their request just after Jesus predicted His death for the third time. Jesus told His disciples:

“Listen,” he said, “we’re going up to Jerusalem, where the Son of Man will be betrayed to the leading priests and the teachers of religious law. They will sentence him to die. Then they will hand him over to the Romans to be mocked, flogged with a whip, and crucified. But on the third day he will be raised from the dead.” (Matthew 20:18-19 NLT)

Jesus’ words troubled His disciples. Jesus comforted them with more words, and so we have sayings like “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.” (John 14:27 ESV) But, the disciples were not confident. They had trouble trusting. Their hearts were still troubled. As an example of where their hearts were, we have the words of Thomas. When Jesus was going to Jerusalem to raise Lazarus from the dead, just a short time before this, Thomas said, "Let us also go, that we may die with him." (John 11:16 ESV) Before this, Peter had rebuked Jesus for saying He was to be crucified saying, "Far be it from you, Lord! This shall never happen to you." (Matthew 16:22 ESV)

The disciples had seriously mixed feelings. They could not accept Jesus’ words that He had to die. They could not understand what He meant about being raised from the dead. And at the same time, they were competing with each other for the places of honor in the Kingdom they expected the Messiah to establish.

They knew something was about to happen. Jesus warned them that when they got to Jerusalem He would be handed over to the Gentiles. Jesus had recently fled Jerusalem because the Jews tried to kill Him with rocks. At the present time, He had His face set resolutely on going to Jerusalem.

On His way to Jerusalem, Jesus passed through Jericho. Matthew tells us that a great crowd followed Jesus as He left Jericho. (Matthew 20:29) Just as He left the city, two blind men yelled for His attention. Jesus healed them. The blind men joined the crowd following Jesus.

John 12 tells us that 6 days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, the town where Mary, Martha and Lazarus lived. Jesus and His inner circle stopped and had dinner there. Martha served; of course, Martha served. And Mary poured very expensive perfume on Jesus’ feet and wiped His feet with her hair.

Judas was pushed a little closer to the moment of betrayal as he expressed outrage over such a waste of costly perfume.

The next day, as a large crowd gathered and Jesus set out for Jerusalem, fear, dread, anticipation and excitement were all mixed together in the hearts of Jesus’ inner circle. They had two miles to go to be in Jerusalem, and Jesus turned to two of His disciples and said, “Go into the village in front of you...” (Matthew 21:1 ESV)

Jesus had a plan. He received the plan from His Father. He said:

“For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me.” (John 6:38 ESV)

Jesus had told His disciples the outline of His plan. He was to be crucified and rise the third day, but He did not tell them the specifics. At this time, His command involved only the next steps. One senses the immediacy of the command in that He told them “Go to the village that is in front of you.”

In one sense, this would have been an intimate moment with Jesus, as much as one could have in a crowd. Jesus singled out two disciples.  He pulled them aside. He motioned to them. None of the accounts tell us how He signaled to get their attention. However, these two were chosen for this task. In the midst of all the excitement of what was happening, these two had a task to complete, a job to do and a role to fill.

We have been singled out. Jesus says that no one comes to Him unless the Father draws him. (John 6:44) Jesus has called us aside and given us a job to do. In the New Testament, the word that we translate “Church” is “ἐκκλησίαν” (ekklesian). This word is a compound word made up of the word “ek” which means “out of,” “from” or “to,” and the word “kaleo” which means “to call.” The English word “Church” comes from the Greek word “kyriakos” meaning “belonging to the Lord.” From our beginning, the Church has been identified as those who are called out by the Lord to be separated from the world. Just as He singled out the two disciples and gave them a job to do, He has singled us out and given us a job to do. To them He said, “Go.” To us He says, “Go.”

He also gave them a basic outline of His plan. He told them more than once that He was going to Jerusalem, that He would be crucified, and that He would rise from the dead after three days. He has given us a basic outline of His plan as well. He has told us that He will come again. He has told us that there will be a 7 year period known as the great tribulation, and after that He will imprison the devil and his angels and will set up His kingdom on earth and reign for a thousand years. At the end of the thousand years, the devil will be released and lead a great rebellion. Then the end will come, and God will make a new heaven and a new earth.

We do not know the specifics of the plan.

When Jesus rode into Jerusalem with the crowd singing praises and shouting “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord,” many thought that was the time He would set up His kingdom. In our day, when the stars line up or the political landscape changes, we wonder if this could be the time of His promised return. Those that thought Jesus was the Messiah were right, and those that thought His entry into Jerusalem was significant were right. However, those that thought He would set up His kingdom were wrong. They were only half right. Matthew tells us:

This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet, saying, "Say to the daughter of Zion, 'Behold, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.'" (Matthew 21:4-5 ESV)

The believers recognized the King, but they did not understand the death and resurrection part. They did not understand the bringing salvation to the nations part. The unbelievers saw a huge problem that was getting out of hand and needed to be reined in and brought under control. Everybody had their own agenda. Peter had his agenda. He was going to fight and die next to his Lord. James and John had their agenda. They were going to find a way to sit in the places of honor in the coming kingdom. Judas had his agenda. He was going to be rich, rich, rich when the kingdom was set up. The Jews had their agenda. They were going to keep the place and their country.

God’s plan was accomplished. When the disciples went to get the donkey and her colt, they found them just as Jesus said they would be. When someone asked them why they were untying the donkey and her colt, things happened just as Jesus said they would. All the two disciples had to do was go to where Jesus said to go and do what He said to do. The hymn writer got it right, “Trust and obey for there’s no other way to be happy in Jesus but to trust and obey.”

When we come to the Lord, we accept Him as Lord. This means we give up our agenda and accept His agenda. That is what Lord means.

We do not know what is coming next. Today’s crowd waving palm branches may be tomorrow’s crowd shouting, “Crucify Him!”

Jesus told the two disciples to “Go into the village in front of you.” He told us to “Go into all the world and make disciples.”

The disciples had a rough outline of what was going to happen, but they did not know quite what. But, that was okay because Jesus knew. They did know and expect that great things were happening. We have a rough outline of what is going to happen, but we do not know the details. But, that is okay because Jesus knows. We do know and expect that great things are happening. The important thing is for us to trust and obey.

He has said, “Go!”

Are we going?

Perhaps the village in front of you involves giving more for the advancement of kingdom work. Or, perhaps the village in front of you means inviting your neighbor to Easter Sunrise and breakfast. Or, perhaps the village in front of you involves accepting from the hand of a loving Heavenly Father the suffering that He has allowed in your life.

Obedience is not bringing my agenda to God and expecting Him to bless it. That day, Jerusalem sang the praises of the King and paved the way before Him with cloaks and palm branches, but they failed to bow before the King. It is not enough to sing Hosanna. We must also bow before the King. We must go when He says go and do what He says.

We are privileged to sing Hosanna. It is a great blessing to sing Hosanna. It is an even greater blessing to do His will and be given a job and a place in what He is doing. He has called us aside. He has singled us out. He has told us, “Go into the village in front of you.”

Extermination

Exodus 1:15-22

The King of Egypt decided to deal shrewdly with the children of Israel. This meant enslaving them and afflicting them with heavy labor. The Egyptians worked the Israelites ruthlessly.

However, the scheme did not work. No matter what burdens the Egyptians laid on the Israelites, the Israelites continued to thrive, growing ever stronger and more numerous. In turn, the Egyptians’ fear of the Israelites increased. Exodus 1:12 says:

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. (Exodus 1:12 ESV)

In this verse, it speaks of the Egyptians being in dread of the people of Israel. The Hebrew word translated dread in this context means: “to feel a loathing, abhorrence, or sickening dread.”1 The Egyptians were literally living in terror of the people of Israel. Every day, when they saw the Hebrew people laboring about them, they felt sick in the pit of their stomachs. Their fear foreshadowed the Egyptians’ destruction.

This hate, loathing and dread of God’s people is satanic. From the beginning, Satan has sought to destroy the people of God. If he could succeed in destroying God’s chosen people, he could prevent the Messiah’s birth.

Revelation 12 speaks of the dragon trying to devour the child to be born.

And the dragon stood before the woman who was about to give birth, so that when she bore her child he might devour it. (Revelation 12:4 ESV)

Herod killed all the children age two years and under in an effort to destroy God’s anointed. The fact that men carried out Herod’s order also points out the evil at work in our world.

The evil of Herod’s attack and Egypt’s attack is compounded by the target. Both targeted the most helpless and innocent.

Exodus 1:15-16 says:

Then the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, "When you serve as midwife to the Hebrew women and see them on the birthstool, if it is a son, you shall kill him, but if it is a daughter, she shall live." (Exodus 1:15-16 ESV)

The plan was to kill the male babies.

The king first tries subterfuge. He calls in Shiphrah and Puah and tells them, “If it is a boy, kill it. If it is a girl, you can let it live.”

We assume these two women were not the only midwives serving the Hebrews. Rather, Shiphrah and Puah were the supervisors or administrators of whatever system was in place to assist in the birthing process. In other words, the Egyptian healthcare system was hijacked to reduce the population of the Israelites.

Infanticide probably did not begin with the Egyptians, and it continues to this day. The healthcare system worldwide is employed in population reduction.

China has a one child per family policy, so parents kill the babies they do not want, which usually means they kill the girls, so they can have a boy. Doing it in a hospital and calling it abortion, does not change what is happening. In America, we are not trying to exterminate a people group or limit the number of children per family. However, we kill our babies for a variety of reasons, and it is as satanic today as it was in ancient Egypt.

Pharaoh, king of Egypt, justified it on the grounds of national interest. National security and prosperity were at risk. We justify it in much the same way. For example, some say we should not bring unwanted children into the world.

However, let me ask a question. Should unwanted children be allowed to stay in the world? Or, should we kill all the unwanted children? The question is not whether or not the child is wanted. The question is whether or not the child can be disposed of. The baby in the womb is already in the world.

Notice with me what the Bible says about the midwives. Exodus 1:17 says:

But the midwives feared God and did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but let the male children live. (Exodus 1:17 ESV)

Because the midwives feared God, they let the male children live. The Bible tells us the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Proverbs 16:6 says:

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. (Proverbs 16:6 ESV)

The fear of the Lord turned Shiphrah and Puah away from evil. Also, their steadfast love and faithfulness stopped the evil. Steadfast love is a translation of a Hebrew word which also can be translated “mercy.” They had mercy on the Israelites.  

Unspeakable evil is in our world. Many of you have been victims of horrible crimes. To say, “Bad stuff happens,” misses the point that evil things are done, done by people motivated by evil passions and desires. Romans 3:15-16 says:

They rush to commit murder. Destruction and misery always follow them. (Romans 3:15-16 NLT)

The Bible does not ignore or gloss over the evil in the world. We are uncomfortable with evil and the misery it brings, so we try to ignore or gloss over it. We tell the victim, “You must forgive and forget,” before we understand the depth of their injury and pain. We avoid the reality of evil because we are uncomfortable with human misery and suffering.

Exodus is about to take us deeper into the possibilities of evil. When Shiphrah and Puah did not do as Pharaoh commanded, he issued an edict. Exodus 1:22 says:

Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, "Every son that is born to the Hebrews you shall cast into the Nile, but you shall let every daughter live." (Exodus 1:22 ESV)

Secrecy and subtlety were gone. The command of the king was “Kill every boy born to the Hebrews.” Pharaoh is now openly ordering the extermination of the Hebrews. The Israelites had no hope and were powerless.

Powerless to avoid the command of the king, Moses’ mother put him into a basket and set her baby boy in the Nile.

Imagine with me the heart of the mother as she set that basket in the water. Powerlessness, heartache, despair, guilt and even shame must have filled her that day.

The command of the king brought Israel to a place from which only divine intervention could save them.

This is a picture of redemption. Our world is in a place from which only divine intervention can save us. Before we met Jesus, each of us was in a place from which only divine intervention could save us. Sin and evil have put every human being and collectively all of humanity in a place where the only hope is God.

God raised up a deliverer for Israel, and He has raised up a deliverer for you and me.

The Bible tells us that the wages of sin is death, and we are all sinners. We are all under the sentence of death. But God has delivered us through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Dr. Dan Allender has devoted his life to helping those who have suffered childhood sexual abuse. He helps people work through the aftermath of evil. I want to let him speak to us. In his book, The Wounded Heart, he says:

True hope never minimizes a problem in order to make it more palatable and easily managed. For the Christian, hope begins by recognizing the utter hopelessness of our condition and the necessity of divine intervention, if we are to experience true joy. Any personal change that can be achieved solely through human, in contrast to supernatural, intervention will neither satisfy nor change our heart.2

Earlier, I mentioned Proverbs 16:6. Let’s go back and consider those words again.

By steadfast love and faithfulness iniquity is atoned for, and by the fear of the Lord one turns away from evil. (Proverbs 16:6 ESV)

Steadfast love and faithfulness are found in the Lord Jesus. The King James Version translates this verse:

By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil. (Proverbs 16:6 KJV)

And Young’s Literal Translation says:

In kindness and truth pardoned is iniquity, And in the fear of Jehovah Turn thou aside from evil. (Proverbs 16:6 YLT)

Jesus defined kindness and truth by giving Himself in our place on the cross.

Some of us live with the same boot on our necks that the Israelites had on theirs. Satan has us in slavery to our appetites or past hurts. Jesus died and rose again to set us free. Some are in slavery and do not even realize it, because the Bible teaches that if you have not accepted Jesus as your Savior, you are a slave to sin.

Ask Jesus to set you free, because He can and He will.

___________________________________________

1. https://biblehub.com/hebrew/6973.htm, accessed April 3, 2019.

2. Allender, Dan B. The Wounded Heart, NavPress 1990, 1995, 2008. pg 105.

Ruthless

Exodus 1:8-14

The people of Israel were in Egypt long enough for a king to arise who did not know Joseph. They also were fruitful. Exodus 1:7 says:

But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. (Exodus 1:7 ESV)

“They multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them.” In other words, they were mighty, and they had become a great nation. Also, “the land was filled with them.” They had become very numerous and spread throughout the land of Egypt. However, they did not assimilate. They did not become one people with the Egyptians. They still had their Israelite identity.

As time passed, a new king came to power who did not know Joseph. He either did not know the history or did not consider it relevant. Whatever the case, he no longer respected nor honored the special place the descendants of Israel held in Egypt. Therefore, Exodus 1:9-10 says:

And he said to his people, "Behold, the people of Israel are too many and too mighty for us. Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land." (Exodus 1:9-10 ESV)

Let’s consider the motives he expresses. He says, “Lest they multiply, and, if war breaks out, they join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” In this statement, two motives are expressed. First, the Egyptians feared defeat at the hand of their enemies. Second, they feared economic loss. They feared the power and numbers of the Israelites.

The Egyptians’ solution to the Israelites’ power and numbers was to deal shrewdly with them. “Come, let us deal shrewdly with them.” Fear of loss and fear of imagined dangers were the stated motives for plotting against the people of God. If Pharaoh had remembered Joseph, he might have been saved from making this mistake. When Joseph interpreted the king of Egypt’s dream, he started out by telling Pharaoh, “It is beyond my power to do this, but God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.” (Genesis 41:16 NLT) From that point on, it is evident that Joseph talked about God a lot. He explained to Pharaoh that his dreams were from God. He told his brothers that God was at work when Joseph was sold as a slave in Egypt.

The Egyptians were the descendants of Ham (Genesis 10:6, Psalm 105:23) As mixed up as their religious practices were, they still had in their collective memory the account of the flood and the notion of the one true God. Joseph preserved life by his deeds in Egypt and by his presence and life gave testimony to the one true God. His descendants and people, the Israelites, continued to give testimony to the one true God. So, in essence, the Egyptians were setting themselves up to oppose God, because in the Israelites’ cultural narrative, they were God’s chosen people. Opposition similar to the Egyptians’ is common and is still the case. Psalm 2 says:

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against his Anointed. (Psalms 2:1-2 ESV)

When Jesus was handed over to be crucified, it was the same power at work in the hearts of men. John 13:2 says, “During supper, when the devil had already put it into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him…” (John 13:2 ESV) The Jewish leaders were jealous of Jesus’ popularity, and the Roman leaders were fearful of uprising and rebellion. These different powers colluded together to crucify the Son of God, but behind it all was the prince and power of the air.

Psalms 2 asks why the nations rage and plot against the Lord’s anointed. This question is fit for any age. Egypt is a good example. They thought they were dealing shrewdly or wisely, but they were motivated by their fear and their greed and so they acted very foolishly.

Consider, with me, what the text says they did. Three verses explain what the Egyptians did. Exodus 1:11, 13-14.

Therefore they set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens. They built for Pharaoh store cities, Pithom and Raamses.

So 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 1:11, 13-14 ESV)

Two things stand out because of their repetition in these verses, “ruthlessly” and “work as slaves.”

The phrase “work as slaves” is one word in the Hebrew text, which means to labor and also has the meaning of slavery or serving. God created work, and labor is not a bad thing. However, Exodus 1:11 says, “They set taskmasters over them to afflict them with heavy burdens.” The purpose of the taskmasters was to afflict them. They were forced to labor, and they were forced to work for the benefit of others or to serve. Service can mean labor for the benefit of another. Voluntary service is a good thing, but slavery or forced service is thievery. Egypt boasted of its mighty cities Pithom and Raamses, but whose labor were they? We said they feared economic loss and were motivated by greed and the result is seen in the evil of slavery and theft.

The other word that stands out because of repetition in these verses is “ruthlessly.” Strongs explains the Hebrew word used as:

cruelty, rigor

From an unused root meaning to break apart; fracture, i.e. Severity -- cruelty.

I want to bring up a few verses related to this subject. I think of Psalms 18:25 that says, “With the merciful you show yourself merciful.” (Psalms 18:25 ESV) Our Lord Jesus also said, “"Blessed are the merciful, for they shall receive mercy.” (Matthew 5:7 ESV) Ruthlessness, severity or cruelty are not virtues, and God does not speak kindly about such practices. James 2:13 is a case in point. “For judgment is without mercy to one who has shown no mercy.” (James 2:13 ESV) To be in power or authority over another person is an awesome responsibility and not to be treated lightly.

The Egyptians seized power and control because they feared the Israelites were too strong for them. They ruthlessly used the Israelites out of fear. But, look at what Exodus 1:12 says.

But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. (Exodus 1:12 ESV)

You will notice that the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel. Their fear led them to actions that only increased their dread.

They desired gain, so they enslaved the Israelites. They were afraid, so they were ruthless. The results will be shown as the Israelites leave a country decimated by plagues. However, the effect on the Israelites is outlined in Exodus 1:12. “But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad.”

Stress and challenges are necessary for all living things to grow. If you want to grow big muscles, you must lift heavy things. This is why exercise is both necessary and effective.

Consider with me the spiritual principle involved. It is expressed succinctly in James 1:2-4.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. (James 1:2-4 ESV)

God’s purpose is that we might be lacking in nothing. However, the route to this state lies through trials of various kinds. This principle also is taught in Hebrews 12:5-7.

And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? "My son, do not regard lightly the discipline of the Lord, nor be weary when reproved by him. For the Lord disciplines the one he loves, and chastises every son whom he receives." It is for discipline that you have to endure. God is treating you as sons. For what son is there whom his father does not discipline? (Hebrews 12:5-7 ESV)

God does not allow testing because He hates us, or is angry with us. He allows testing because He loves us.

At times, it seems as if the testing we are going through is more than we can endure. We will see this in the book of Exodus as the Egyptians ratchet up their persecution of the Israelites. Another important spiritual principle is involved here. The Scriptures say:

The temptations in your life are no different from what others experience. And God is faithful. He will not allow the temptation to be more than you can stand. When you are tempted, he will show you a way out so that you can endure. (1 Corinthians 10:13 NLT)

God will not allow the temptation to be more than you can endure. There is an important point to be made here. Tests and trials come. Tests and trials differ from the consequences of sin. God warns us not to sin and tells us that sin leads to death. Testing and trials will strengthen us. Consequences can destroy us.

In today’s text, the Israelites are experiencing testing and trials; The Egyptians are ruthless, and they are looking at consequences. Trials usually come in a way that leaves us wondering what the reasons for the testing might be, but consequences are clear. God warned the Egyptians, “Let my people go, or I am going to bring plagues on you.” The problem with consequences is that they are always greater than we understand and affect way more than we ever expect. If we ignore God’s warnings like we will see the Egyptians do, the consequences will go way beyond what we anticipate.

Testing, unlike consequences, only serves to make us stronger. The more the Israelites were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread. This is true also of the history of the Church. The more the Church has been persecuted, the more it has multiplied and spread.

Consider with me what Psalm 105 says about the events in Exodus.

And the Lord multiplied the people of Israel until they became too mighty for their enemies. Then he turned the Egyptians against the Israelites, and they plotted against the Lord’s servants. (Psalms 105:24-25 NLT)

The Psalmist says the Lord turned the Egyptians against the Israelites. The Bible tells us that the Lord cannot be tempted by evil nor does He tempt anyone (James 1:13). Therefore, God is allowing something that is in the hearts of people to grow and lead them to the natural conclusion. This is also what happened with our salvation, as the believers prayed in Acts concerning the events in Jerusalem:

…for truly in this city there were gathered together against your holy servant Jesus, whom you anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, along with the Gentiles and the peoples of Israel, to do whatever your hand and your plan had predestined to take place. (Acts 4:27-28 ESV)

Jesus willingly gave His life. From the human side, He was betrayed. Judas was responsible for that. He was brought to trial. The Jewish leaders were responsible for that. He was condemned. Pilate was responsible for that. However, God’s hand and plan had predestined these things to take place. Greed was a motive. Fear was a motive. And, along with other motives, people were moved to ruthlessly persecute the Lord of Glory. God caused these things to work together for our salvation.

In Exodus, God was working things towards the deliverance of His people from Egypt.

In our day, God is working things toward the consummation of the ages. He is working things toward the day when Jesus returns. Greed and fear and human folly will play a great role. The world and the devil are ruthless, and consequences will be without mercy, but the trial of believers will only serve to multiply and spread them.

In your life, greed and fear have consequences. Those that fear you will persecute you. Those controlled by greed will take advantage of you. However, God will keep the trial from ever being more than you can handle, and in the end will bring you to glory with all His children. Because He is at work so that you will be perfect and complete lacking in nothing.

Joseph, Slave in Egypt

Exodus 1:8

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. (Exodus 1:8 ESV)

As we enter into the book of Exodus, we encounter Joseph. Exodus 1:5 says:

All the descendants of Jacob were seventy persons; Joseph was already in Egypt. (Exodus 1:5 ESV)

After telling us that Joseph was already in Egypt, the author then tells us:

Now there arose a new king over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. (Exodus 1:8 ESV)

Can we assume that we know who Joseph is? He is the one who received the “technicolor dream coat” from his father. But, do we really know Joseph? Do we understand what he lived for and what his ambitions were? What made him great? Was he great?

I think of our own country. We all know the name of Abraham Lincoln, but do we know him? Was he a great man? What did he stand for? I think of his Gettysburg address where at the conclusion he said:

-that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom, and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

Freedom and government of the people, by the people, for the people were the principles that he espoused and lived and died for. However, although we know some details of his life, we know only a small portion of what he said and did. Even so, his influence continues to affect us today.

The same can be said of Joseph. Although he passed away millennia ago, his influence affects us even today.

Joseph started out as the favorite of his father. He was born 12th out of 13. However, what made him special in his father’s eyes was the fact that he was the son of the woman that Jacob loved. Jacob had four wives. However, when he spoke of what grieved him most in life he said:

Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left me, and I said, "Surely he has been torn to pieces," and I have never seen him since. (Genesis 44:27-28 ESV)

I am looking at this statement right now because this is Jacob’s fourth son, Judah, speaking. Judah was born through Jacob’s wife Leah. This statement by Jacob does not even recognize his other wives and children. What does Jacob mean by “two sons” when he has 12, and what does he mean by “my wife” when he has four wives? We can explain this away as just a matter of speech and the moment, but this is a picture of how Jacob lived. Joseph was his father’s favorite just as his mother, Rachel, was his father’s favorite, and his father demonstrated it in extreme ways. This is why the colorful robe is so significant. Jacob was literally dressing his favorite boy up as royalty and in the face of all his brothers.

Jacob’s extreme behavior and favoritism of his young son was the root of great bitterness among Joseph’s older brothers. This set Joseph apart from his earliest days. It also set him up to be hated by his brothers. Joseph was a special child and a blessing, but so were each of Jacob’s children. Of each one, it is said that God gave them. Each of Jacob’s children was a gift from God, and each needed to be loved.

As parents, we must see that every child is honored for the treasure that he or she is. I am not talking about favoritism or worship like Joseph experienced. And we all know that Proverb 13:24 says:

Whoever spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is diligent to discipline him. (Proverbs 13:24 ESV)

We discipline and train our children carefully and thoughtfully because we love them. It seems to go without saying that if we are to love our neighbor as ourself, we should at least count our children as a neighbor. I think of the principle of 1 Timothy 5:8.

But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever. (1 Timothy 5:8 ESV)

It should be clear that to love and care for each person is an essential part of providing. God has singled out each of us and communicated His love by giving His only Son to die for us. This is the love of a father. God provides everything we need. How much are we as fathers focused on what our children need? Jacob was focused on his own needs and not those of his sons, and this seems to be a problem in many households.

Joseph was special.  He knew he was special and it became a problem.

Genesis relates the story of Joseph’s two dreams. In his first dream, he and his brothers were working in the field, tying up bundles of grain. Joseph’s bundle stood up, and all his brothers’ bundles bowed to his bundle. Joseph should have kept this to himself, but he told it to his brothers. His brothers hated him before this because of their father’s favoritism. They hated him even more for his arrogance. They were wounded by their father’s comparative treatment of Joseph and angered by Joseph’s flaunting of his preferred position. Then Joseph shared a second dream. This time the Sun, Moon and 11 stars bowed low before him. Again, God’s message was for Joseph, and yet Joseph told it to brothers who already hated him.

Things got so bad in the family that 11 men plotted together to kill their 17-year-old little brother. These were men. We are not talking about children doing childish things. Joseph was spared when Judah suggested they sell him as a slave.

Having been purchased by a high government official, Joseph served his master faithfully for years and ended up as the manager of the household. Everything he did was successful. However, his master’s wife had a thing for Joseph. Joseph refused her advances day after day. Then finally she got angry and accused him of rape. Thus, Joseph ended up in jail.

Genesis tells us that Joseph served the other prisoners so well that the jailer put him in charge of the jail. However, if we look in the Psalms, we find more information about his imprisonment.  Psalm 105:16-19 says:

When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron; until what he had said came to pass, the word of the Lord tested him. (Psalms 105:16-19 ESV)

These verses tell us a great deal about Joseph’s sufferings. I want to consider with you what verse 18 says. The ESV translates this verse as:

His feet were hurt with fetters; his neck was put in a collar of iron (Psalms 105:18 ESV)

This is not a mistranslation, but it is not precisely what is written. Young’s Literal Translation says,

They have afflicted with fetters his feet, Iron hath entered his soul, (Psalms 105:18 YLT)

The word translated as soul by Young is “nephesh,” and it means:

a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire, passion, appetite, emotion

In other words, Psalm 105:18 is saying that the iron made its way down into Joseph’s very person. According to Ellicott’s commentary, the Latin Vulgate translates this phrase, “the iron passed through his soul.”^[1]

Iron passing through the soul is not a reference to Joseph being as strong as iron. Instead, it is a reference to his great, deep suffering. More than the physical suffering was the anguish of his soul.

A.W. Tozer said, “It is doubtful whether God can bless a man greatly until he has hurt him deeply.”^[2]

As Psalm 105:19 says, Joseph’s imprisonment was the word of God testing Joseph. It seems apparent that as brilliant as Joseph was, he needed to get over his privileged upbringing.

The same can be said of many of God’s servants. Let’s just consider two others, Moses and David. Moses knew he was called but ended up watching sheep in the wilderness for 40 years. David was anointed king but spent approximately 8 years running from Saul in the wilderness. When we examine the lives of great men of God, we find this pattern of suffering and testing.

Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn in his book, The Gulag Archipelago, says:

In the intoxication of youthful successes I had felt myself to be infallible, and I was therefore cruel. In the surfeit of power I was a murderer, and an oppressor. In my most evil moments I was convinced that I was doing good, and I was well supplied with systematic arguments. And it was only when I lay there on rotting prison straw that I sensed within myself the first stirrings of good. Gradually it was disclosed to me that the line separating good and evil passes not through states, nor between classes, nor between political parties either—but right through every human heart—and through all human hearts... So, bless you, prison, for having been in my life.^[3]

Joseph could have said, “In the intoxication of youthful successes I had felt myself to be infallible.” However, because of God’s work in his life, he said to his brothers,

“As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good, to bring it about that many people should be kept alive, as they are today. So do not fear; I will provide for you and your little ones.” Thus he comforted them and spoke kindly to them. (Genesis 50:20-21 ESV)

Joseph was a great man, but his road there was through suffering and hardship. After his time in prison, Joseph was elevated to ruler of Egypt, second only to Pharaoh. He built cities and saved the lives of the Egyptians as well as the Hebrews. In his statement to his brothers, we see that for Joseph it was about what God was doing and it was about keeping many people alive. He had learned humility, forgiveness and kindness. He spoke kindly to his brothers. He comforted them.

Let’s consider Psalm 105:16-17. It says,

When he summoned a famine on the land and broke all supply of bread, he had sent a man ahead of them, Joseph, who was sold as a slave. (ESV)

You will notice that the Psalmist says that God summoned the famine and that it was God who sent Joseph ahead. This echoes the words of Joseph to his brothers where he says “God meant it for good.” Joseph had unshakable confidence in both God’s goodness and God’s sovereignty. This is something we all must learn. At one point, God told a king named Ahaz,

If you do not stand firm in your faith, you will not stand at all. (Isaiah 7:9 NIV)

This is true of all of us. It is not that we do not ever doubt. However, we must have a firm foundation fixed on the word of God so that we can stand in the day of testing.

The day of testing comes for all of us. Ephesians 6:13 tells us:

Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. (Ephesians 6:13 NIV)

This verse does not say “if the day of evil comes.” It says, “when the day of evil comes.” The day of evil will come, but it comes under the control of God and with his loving care. It comes only to consume our dross and refine our gold. When the iron passes through your soul, it comes to make you strong in faith.

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^[1]https://biblehub.com/psalms/105-18.htm accessed March 22, 2019

^[2] https://www.goodreads.com/quotes/700558 accessed March 22, 2019

^[3] Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, The Gulag Archipelago: 1918-1956. Quoted in Joseph, Charles R. Swindon. Word Publishing, 1998. pg. 41.

The Sons of Israel

Exodus 1:1-7

These are the names of the sons of Israel who came to Egypt with Jacob, each with his household: (Exodus 1:1 ESV)

Who are these “sons of Israel” who moved to Egypt, and from where did they move to Egypt?

Israel is the name given by God to Isaac’s son Jacob.

Isaac was the son of Abraham. Abraham was from Ur of the Chaldeans. Chaldean is another name for Babylonian. Babylonia got its name from the Tower of Babel, which was built on the plains of Shinar, which is where Ur was located.

Genesis 12:1-2 tells us:

Now the Lord said to Abram, "Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you. And I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. (Genesis 12:1-2 ESV)

God was calling Abraham out from his country and even family to be a separate and distinct nation and people. Abraham took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother’s son, and all their possessions and moved, settling in the land of Canaan, which is now called Palestine, and includes Israel, and parts of Jordan, Lebanon and Syria. Abraham and Sarai were two people, and Lot was a possible heir since Abraham did not have any children. Abraham was 75, which is late for starting a distinct people group.

In Genesis 15, God reiterated His promise of the land of Canaan to Abraham, defining boundaries that have yet to be fully realized. Genesis 15:18 says:

On that day the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying, "To your offspring I give this land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the river Euphrates, (Genesis 15:18 ESV)

In a time of famine, Abraham took his wife and moved to Egypt. (Genesis 12:10, Now there was a famine in the land. So Abram went down to Egypt to sojourn there, for the famine was severe in the land.) Perhaps Abraham doubted God’s promise, or maybe he planned to wait out the famine. However, a problem developed. Abraham was afraid of the people of the land. His wife was beautiful, and he feared they would kill him and take her. Because of his fear, Abraham lied saying Sarai was his sister. This ended up with Abraham being asked to leave the country along with his sister/wife. (“Why did you say, 'She is my sister,' so that I took her for my wife? Now then, here is your wife; take her, and go.” Genesis 12:19 ESV) Because of this incident, Abraham ended up back in the land of Canaan.

Finally, in his old age, Abraham had a son, Isaac. Isaac was not much more fruitful than Abraham, having only two sons. During Isaac’s life, there was another famine. However, this time God appeared to Isaac and said: “Do not go down to Egypt.” (Genesis 26:2)

Jacob grew up in a family where he heard that God promised the land to Abraham and his descendants. He also learned that trips down to Egypt did not end well, and God had forbidden his father Isaac from going down to Egypt.

Jacob traveled outside of Canaan. He lied to his father and received the blessing meant for his brother. In response, his brother swore to kill him. So, Jacob fled to Paddan-aram, or toward Haran, and spent over 20 years with his mother’s brother, Laban. While in the area of Paddan-aram, Jacob had a bunch of children. By the time he left Paddan-aram, he had 12 children, 11 boys and one girl. Family troubles with his father-in-law drove him back to Canaan. Jacob was a schemer, which caused a lot of trouble.

For this family, Canaan was the promised land, and Egypt was to be avoided.

Having settled in Canaan, Jacob’s family grew, but they stuck together. They also had a lot of what we might call drama. Jacob’s youngest son, Benjamin, was the only son born to Jacob in Canaan. Here is the list of the sons of Jacob, also known as Israel, from Exodus 1.

Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin, Dan and Naphtali, Gad and Asher. (Exodus 1:2-4 ESV)

This list is interesting for its order. Here is a chart or family tree of Jacob with the birth order listed. 

From this, we get the birth order: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph, Benjamin.

Let’s compare the two lists side by side.

Reuben	Reuben
Simeon	Simeon
Levi	Levi
Judah	Judah
Issachar	Dan
Zebulun	Naphtali
Benjamin	Gad
Dan	Asher
Naphtali	Issachar
Gad	Zebulun
Asher	Joseph
	Benjamin

The difference in these two lists is: one is birth order, and the other is the birth order of each particular wife, and as Exodus 1:5 points out, Joseph was already in Egypt. Birth order was not nearly as important as the fact that daddy had favorites, favorite wives and favorite sons.

This family was messed up. That is why Joseph was already down in Egypt. His brothers had planned on killing him but had sold him into slavery as an alternative to murder. Selling your brother as a slave does not represent brotherly love. This list of names brings to mind the dysfunction of this family.

We all are the products of dysfunctional families, and all our families are dysfunctional to some degree. Dysfunction is the result of sin, and not one of us is free of sin. Everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.

Exodus is about God delivering His people out of slavery. The strongest parallel we have in our lives today is God delivering us out of our slavery to sin. However, God does not deliver the one who does not call on Him for deliverance. In other words, we must recognize our slavery before we can be delivered from our slavery. What we are looking at today in Exodus 1 are the sons of Israel before they realized their need for a deliverer.

These people, this family, is very quickly coming to the extinction point. It is about to explode. They all are about to go their separate ways, driven apart by infighting, backbiting, lust, selfishness and sin. In addition, 200 years have passed since God promised Abraham to make them into a great nation, and they only number 70 people. This does not represent significant growth.

Let’s consider these sons of Israel, starting with Reuben: Guilty of incest, he slept with his father’s concubine, Rachel’s servant Bilhah. (Genesis 35:22) Jacob said he would not put confidence in his firstborn.

"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, and the firstfruits of my strength, preeminent in dignity and preeminent in power. Unstable as water, you shall not have preeminence, because you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it—he went up to my couch!” (Genesis 49:3-4 ESV)

Wow, talk about sexual issues in a family! We do not talk about it, but nearly 1 in 3 women have experienced sexual abuse of some sort. The National Domestic Violence Hotline reports:

Nearly 3 in 10 women (29%) and 1 in 10 men (10%) in the US have experienced rape, physical violence and/or stalking by a partner and report a related impact on their functioning.^[1]

My point is that this family was facing issues that face our families today. Hopefully, these things are not in your family, but I know better. These things have touched many of our lives.

As we continue through the list of names we will not spend time on everyone but will hit the highlights. Simeon and Levi are worth noting because although they did it in the name of defending their sister’s honor, they were mass murderers. When their sister Dinah was raped, they murdered everyone in the city of Shechem. They killed the rapist, his father, his neighbors and every male in his town. The women and children were spared because they were worth money. Here is what Jacob said about them:

Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their swords. Let my soul come not into their council; O my glory, be not joined to their company. For in their anger they killed men, and in their willfulness they hamstrung oxen. Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce, and their wrath, for it is cruel! I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel. (Genesis 49:5-7 ESV)

Judah had twins by the widow of one of his sons. It is a long story, but his daughter-in-law knew that if she sat out by the road dressed as a prostitute, Judah would be sure to make a stop. Family has a way of knowing our habits. Nowadays Judah would have a pornography addiction.

These people were not that different from people today. We all come from dysfunctional families. Families are all affected by sin.

As we continue with the story of the leader of this family, Jacob, we see that he grew old, which is the way all of us go if we do not die. Now, Jacob thought his favorite son, Joseph, was dead, because of lies his other sons had told him. Then there was a famine. Unlike the famines in Abraham and Isaac’s lives, this famine extended down into Egypt. However, Jacob heard there was food in Egypt, and that is when he learned that his boys had been lying to him and Joseph was still alive.

Israel mourned and wept and complained at different points about his hard lot in life. Now, at the end of his life, he was faced with going down to Egypt.

Have you ever felt like your life is going down the tubes?

I mean, you can almost hear the giant flush as everything falls apart. Not only do you come from a dysfunctional family, but bills, problems and difficulties keep piling up.

Listen to how Jacob talked as he worked through the difficulties leading up to the trip to Egypt. This is taken from Judah’s words to Joseph:

“Then your servant my father said to us, 'You know that my wife bore me two sons. One left me, and I said, "Surely he has been torn to pieces," and I have never seen him since. If you take this one also from me, and harm happens to him, you will bring down my gray hairs in evil to Sheol.'” (Genesis 44:27-29 ESV)

This is Jacob whining. We all whine, some more than others. Jacob felt like his life was falling apart, and that nothing was working out as he had planned. When he gave an account of his life, he said:

Few and evil have been the days of the years of my life, (Genesis 47:9 ESV)

Jacob was 130 years old when he said this. The oldest person alive today is a 116 year old woman in Japan. I guess “few” is a relative term.

At the point that Jacob felt like his life was coming apart, God appeared to him and said:

"I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes." (Genesis 46:3-4 ESV)

Look at how God spoke to Jacob. He comforted him. Poor weak Jacob, “don’t be afraid.”

How many of us are afraid?

All of us are afraid of something. Fear is why we must learn to cast all our anxiety on Him because He cares for us.

Look again at the promise.  God says, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt.”

In our messed up world, it does not seem like it, but God is with us. He is near to all who call on Him. If you have not called on Him, if you make yourself His enemy, consider changing your course, because you cannot win until you surrender.

So, everything fell apart and what Jacob feared came about. He and his family moved to Egypt. How did it work out?

Exodus 1:7 says:

But the people of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly; they multiplied and grew exceedingly strong, so that the land was filled with them. (Exodus 1:7 ESV)

God kept His promise, and they became a great nation.

We are going to see this more in the book of Exodus. We understand that God uses all the circumstances of life, both good and evil, to accomplish His purposes.

We see this in the message of Romans 8:28.

And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28 ESV)

Each of us has a vision of what the good should look like, but I want us to consider that what we want is not what God has in mind. He tells us in Romans 8:29 what is good and what he is doing.  He says:

For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. (Romans 8:29 ESV)

God has predestined us to be conformed to the image of His son, and that is what is going to happen. It may not be what we expect, and it may not be comfortable. It might mean a trip down to Egypt, but God will do what He has promised.

Cast all your anxiety (fear) onto Him, because He cares for you.

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^[1] https://www.thehotline.org/resources/statistics. Accessed March 16, 2019.