Posts Tagged with "Exodus"

"Far be it from me ever to say a word in disparagement of the holy, happy, heavenly exercise of prayer. But, beloved, there are times when prayer is not enough-when prayer itself is out of seasonWhen we have prayed over a matter to a certain degree, it then becomes sinful to tarry any longer; our plain duty is to carry out desires into action, and having asked God's guidan...

"Sometimes a cloud has the primary function of concealing God. But he also appearsin the cloud. Both functions match the character of God. Human beings never master God or know him exhaustively. So the cloud is a reminder of human limits. At the same time, God does draw near and establish communion with mankind. So the cloud represents drawing near. Because ordinary clouds...

"Paul calls attention to the unstoppable, spreading, disastrous influence on the nature and identity of the whole community which is out of all proportion to what those who were self-satisfied evidently imagined could spring from a "little" case of one immoral relationship, even if one of an utterly outrageous nature. Paul feared contamination of the whole community." Anth...

"God paid special attention to his people that night, and in response his people of all future generations were expected to pay special attention to him on its anniversary." Douglas Stuart "This section ends by noting that this departure night is not a night on which the Hebrews exercise great bravado. Rather it ends by focusing on the Lord of the Hebrews." Victor Hamilto...

"Why such an emphasis on commemoration? Because what is not carefully remembered by a community is very naturally and easily forgotten-and virtually completely forgotten as soon as the oldest members of that community who experienced the original event die." Douglas Stuart "Not even the huge novelty of actually, at long last, setting foot in the Promised Land could replac...

"In a way, these instructions must be terrifying to the people of Israel. God tells his people that the angel of death is going to pass through their midst, and the only way their firstborn will be saved is if they kill a lamb and put its blood prominently on their doorposts. Do you see what God is teaching his people here? First, he wants them to understand that they them...

"God's foreknowledge told him that he would stretch out his hand only to meet mighty resistance but, plainly he was in no hurry to implement the final showdown he foresaw (3:19-20). As 2 Peter 3:9 says, 'The Lord is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance'-Pharaoh included. But eventually the Lord's patience comes to an end for he...

"With one single blow he gave them a water and food shortage, a transportation shutdown, a financial disaster, and a spiritual crisis." Phil Ryken "There was a suitableness in God's choosing the frogs to humble Egypt's kings, because frogs were worshipped by that nation as emblems of the Deity. Images of a certain frog-headed goddess were placed in the catacombs, and frog...

"Magic was a main element in the Egyptian religion at this time, and those who mastered these powers were held in high esteem. The priests, belonging to the highest officials of Pharaoh, possessed secret knowledge and were skilled in all sorts of mysterious rites. By casting spells, they could allegedly overpower humans and control gods and thereby attain dominion over the...

"Pharaoh's heart was particularly important because Egyptians believed it was the all-controlling factor in both history and societyhis heart was thought to be sovereign over creation. Therefore by hardening Pharaoh's heart, God was making a theological point. He was proving that he alone is sovereign over all things. Nothing is outside the purpose of his will, not even th...

"And the people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshipped." Exodus 4:31 "The Lord look on you and judge, because you have made us stink in the sight of Pharaoh and his servants, and have put a sword in their hand to kill us" Exodus 5:21 "If only the Lord had sh...

"From beginning to end, the entire exodus was the result of God's sovereign decree. The deliverance of Israel from Egypt is entirely God's doing and under his complete control. The impending Exodus is a play in which God is the author, producer, director, and principal actor. Even when Pharaoh took his turn on the stage, God received all the applause. Like everything else ...

"It is by far the largest and most detailed of its kind. It is also unique in its description of the intimate communication between God and Moses." G. Larsson "But I will bring judgment on the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall come out with great possessions." Genesis 15:14 "Throughout this section we have seen some of the riches embraced by the divine nam...

"He (Moses) supposed that his brothers would understand that God was giving them salvation by his hand, but they did not understand." Acts 7:25 "By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter, choosing rather to be mistreated with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. He considered the reproach of Christ g...

"In short, 'fearing God' is commonly in Scripture a virtual abbreviation for 'believing in God, and therefore fearing the consequence of not pleasing him, thus being a person of moral conviction and righteous actions."Douglas Stuart "Sometimes standing against evil is more important than defeating it. The greatest heroes stand because it is right to do so, not because the...

"To a modern reader such an opening might not seem consistent with high literary style. It was, however, not only good style but entirely welcome in the ancient setting, where a group of refugees of mixed ethnic origin, many of whom were young enough to be learning their national traditions for the first time, were being reminded of God's plan through a people descended fr...

"Exodus is an epic tale of fire, sand, wind and water. The adventure takes place under the hot desert sun, just beyond the shadow of the Great Pyramids. There are two mighty nations-Israel and Egypt-led by two great men-Moses the liberating hero and Pharaoh the enslaving villain. Almost every scene is a masterpiece: the baby in the basket; the burning bush; the river of bl...