Ruth 1:14-18

1. Separate Ways (v.14)
Naomi has been very persuasive in encouraging the girls to return home. And she has been very graphic in terms of the hopelessness of her own situation; her life is very bitter indeed. At this, both Orpah and Ruth weep. They weep for Naomi, in the tragedy of her situation. And perhaps they weep too for themselves; having lost their husbands, they're now losing the last connection with them.

The bond here is very strong but Orpah accepts what Naomi has said and begins to make the journey back to Moab. Ruth, however, doesn't. Although she too can no doubt see what Naomi is saying and can feel the weight of her arguments, she has made a decision: she is staying with Naomi and, we’re told, “clings” to her.

That word is the one that is used of a man leaving his father and mother and 'clinging' to his wife. It expresses "firm loyalty and deep affection" and it entails "leaving membership in one group...to join another" (Hubbard p.115). It has significant implications for Ruth and we'll see it developed in her speech.

We'll see shortly what lies behind Ruth's action but first we need to think of Orpah one last time. Over the years, she has suffered by way of comparison with Ruth (some have even suggested that she was a relative of Goliath's!). But it is right to see that Ruth's extraordinary action does not condemn Orpah's more ordinary choice. She obeys Naomi and heads for home. The arguments to her are reasonable and sensible.

But for Ruth, though they may be reasonable and sensible, there is something deeper at work here. This is the pivotal point in her life and her speech here tells us what she is doing and why. We may understand Orpah but must emulate Ruth.

2. All Change! (vv.15-17)
Naomi tries again to persuade her to go back, with Orpah as an example (peer pressure!). She urges her to go back with Orpah "to her people and her gods".

Naomi is in no doubt what it means to stay with her. To leave Moab means leaving behind the comfort and security of a known way of life. To leave her country means to leave her gods (in line with what other religions thought).

But Ruth has thought all this through and is ready to make her choice. Her speech leaves us in no doubt about that. What she says takes us to the heart of a real relationship with the living God. Ruth commits herself to Naomi and to Naomi's God. She makes a deliberate choice for a different God and a different way of life. Let's look at how she describes that commitment:

She is committed to Naomi: "where you go, I will go; where you stay I will stay". The strength of her commitment to Naomi is very clear and very powerful. She isn't saying that she will go with her for some of the way but all the way and for ever: "where you die, I will die".

And in committing herself to Naomi, she commits herself to Naomi's people: "your people will be my people". That's very risky. She doesn't know what kind of reception she will get in Judah. It is possible, maybe even probable, that she will be treated badly (although God's law required otherwise).

But this commitment to Naomi and her people is only part of the story. As she commits herself to Naomi and her people, so she commits herself to Naomi's God: "your God will be my God". Here is true faith in action: she is ready to leave everything behind to throw her lot in with the Lord and his people. In the Gospels, Jesus often speaks of leaving home and family for his sake. Here is someone doing just that.

For Ruth to make such a commitment is both difficult and momentous. That is the nature of faith. True faith in the one true God is not an 'easy come, easy go' kind of thing. The depth of her commitment is seen in her saying “May the LORD deal with me, be it ever so severely…” – that is a very strong figure of speech, calling down a curse upon yourself if you fail to do as you have said. This is strong stuff from Ruth; this is the stuff of faith.

For some folk, faith is vague and indistinct; it is something hard to describe and to define. In the Bible, true faith in the true God is something definite and real. Ruth knows who she is trusting in (in v.17 she speaks of “the LORD”; the God of Israel).

When the call is given for all to turn and to trust in Jesus, it isn't a fictional Jesus we speak of; it isn't a Jesus of myth or of vague tradition. It is the Jesus of the Bible who hung on a cross in our place, bearing our sin and shame. It is the Jesus who is God come in the flesh. It is the resurrected Lord Jesus, the coming King and Judge. He it is you must believe in to be saved!

Ruth hasn't 'got religion', as some might think; she's come into a new and living relationship with the one true God! And this is something that is for ever, as she makes quite plain.

To trust in the God who has loved us in Jesus is life changing in the fullest sense. It means a whole new life, committed to him and to his people. Old ways and old gods must go; new life must blossom by his grace in true commitment to him.

Is that a commitment you're ready to make?

3. God At Work!
What is it that has brought Ruth to this strong commitment to the Lord and his people? One writer suggested that "Naomi's consistent living must have so impressed her daughter-in-law to cause her to abandon her homeland and her gods" (Huey p.524). It is certainly possible that Ruth has seen Naomi's trust in the Lord during the years of grief and loss.

But it is also possible that the Lord is working despite Naomi's weakness, when her own faith is suppressed and static. And maybe it's right to see it as a combination of the two. There were times perhaps when Naomi's faith shone brightly in Moab; and times when it sank into bleak despair, as seems to be the case here.

Both scenarios give us encouragement. The first encourages us to that consistent living which commends the Lord to others as they see our trust in him even during the worst of times. And the second reminds us that even where we fail to be all that we should be, the Lord is still able to act and show his grace to others.

4. In Silence (v.18)
This scene ends with Naomi silenced by Ruth's speech. Some have suggested that you can even detect an awkward silence between them. Whether that's so or not, it is right to notice that "Ruth's presence is as much a reminder of tragedy as it is a source of potential comfort”. Ruth’s presence with Naomi raises questions and issues for Naomi: “Is Ruth to be primarily a reminder of the past or will she become a source of hope for the future? The stage is set for the next phase of the story" (Sakenfeld p.35).

But questions about the future don't preclude faith in the present. Indeed, true faith in the one true God is the only way to truly cope with those questions and uncertainties. These two women, one old in faith (in every sense), one new in it, are going into they know not what, but the God of the Covenant is with them.

And maybe they would have been happy to borrow some words from the Apostle Paul: “we know whom we have believed and we are convinced that he is able to guard what we have entrusted to him for that day.”

Have you done the same?

Ruth 1:5b-7

1. A Woman Bereft (v.5b)
Imagine you're hearing this story for the first time. You may have been surprised to hear that they had gone to Moab and were wondering what would happen next. What happens is deep tragedy.

First, Elimelech dies and Naomi is widowed. Her life then goes from bad to worse. Her boys grow up and marry Moabite girls. And then they too both die and she is left alone.

Verse 5 is very graphic in the original: her name is not used; she is simply “the woman”. Having lost both her husband and her 2 sons she has in effect lost her identity.

When Stephen Saunders, a British military attaché, was murdered in Athens, his wife Heather said this: "Stephen was my life and our lives were so deeply entwined that today I stand before you half the person I was yesterday morning...Not only have they killed my husband, they have destroyed me and my family". The same kind of desolating bitterness had visited Naomi in the fields of Moab.

Knowing how things ultimately turn out, we must make the effort to sit where Naomi is and share something of her pain. I have only seen widowhood from the sidelines; I know that some of you know it from the inside – you know the tears, the deep pain and the silent anguish and despair. That’s where we find Naomi; bereft of her family and also away from people and, maybe, from her God.

Whether we have experienced such loss ourselves or not, we can perhaps readily imagine the questions that must have run through Naomi’s tortured mind: where is God in all this? Is this punishment for coming to Moab? Is it the end of my faith?

This life can be desperately hard. Being a Christian is no safeguard against that. What matters most is how we react to such times. The rest of this book will explore that and will show us that the Lord is still there. Its answers are not slick but they are real. They show us that, not only is he there, he is active despite all indications to the contrary and he works his purposes of grace out, in and through his people.

2. A Crucial Decision
This is perhaps the most crucial time in the whole of Naomi's life. What she does next will determine the road that she takes for the rest of her days. Will she throw in her lot with the Moabites and turn her back on the one true God?

Verse 6 tells us that she made the momentous decision to go back home to Judah. The NIV translates the verse back to front; it begins by telling us that she and her daughters in law got up to return “from the fields of Moab”.

“Fields of Moab” is a way of saying the ‘country’ or ‘region’ of Moab but it is a very evocative phrase. They came to the fields of Moab because they were full and now this family is empty.

But now, in that very place of deep tragedy, the decision has been made to return. That is never an easy decision to reach. Going back is not a guaranteed option nor is it going to be without its own difficulties.

The past can be a place of hurt and failure; it has memories that are too strong to ignore and too painful to face up to. I once saw an advert for a telephone company that asked: 'What's the difference between the past and the future? You can't change the past'. The implication was that you can change the future. Don't we often feel that way, that we are shackled to our past and cannot escape it?

Yet here we see Naomi starting out to go back. Back, perhaps, to recriminations and blame. Back to very painful memories of her husband and children. Back to poverty and hardship. So what is it that is taking her back?

3. The Visit of the God of Grace
Verse 6 tells us that the people of Bethlehem, along with the rest of Judah, now have food. The town has started to live up to its name again! So is this a case of Naomi 'changing lanes' and going with the flow? Is she being guided simply by pragmatism?

This verse tells us why the land of Judah now has food and why Naomi is on her way back there: God has visited his people and has given then food.

We aren't told how it was they heard in Moab what was going on in Judah. Someone has suggested that she had kept the lines of communication open; that may be crucial to going back. But we're not told that was the case.

What we are told is that she interpreted the reality of food as a divine blessing upon the people. It was this she was responding to. The phrase translated as “had come to the aid of his people” is a very evocative phrase. It literally reads, “the LORD had visited his people”.

In the OT such visits could lead either to judgement or to blessing. In those days of chaos there was much for God to judge. But as we read the book of Judges, and here too, we see that the Lord who judges his people is also the God who blesses them with his grace by giving them food (nb: alliteration in original strikes a joyous note). He does both because he is faithful to his covenant.

Interestingly, this is the first report in the book of the Lord's direct action. The only other such report is in 4:13 referring to Ruth having conceived. Both are actions of grace and they frame this story for us. Naomi's life was framed by the grace of God and ours are too.

This giving of food marked the end of the famine; it also marks the beginning of the end of Naomi's long, bitter exile. In hearing the news, she gets ready to go back. That would seem to show that she hasn't given up on the Lord because she knows he doesn't give up on his people. There is still some faith beating in her soul.

As the God of the covenant, YHWH has promised to supply all our needs. Just how he will do so for Naomi (and Ruth) we are yet to see but it's a truth for us to take to heart. All our needs, both physical and spiritual, are provided for in the Lord Jesus.

4. On the Way
So Naomi and her two daughters-in-law set out for Bethlehem. Verse 7 makes it plain that they were only just beginning the journey; there was still a long way to go. Naomi appears to have lost 3 and gained 2 but that's an issue the journey will unfold for us.

They started out. Who knows what the future will hold and what thoughts, fears and concerns are in their minds as they left Moab? The key thing, though, is that they got up and started out. They started out because God is gracious and faithful to his covenant. And he does not change.

This morning, going back may seem impossible to you but what is impossible with man is possible with God. We may not be able to turn back the clock on some events; Naomi wasn't going to get her husband and sons back. But the advert I saw was wrong: it’s true that we can't change the past but, with God, we're not shackled to it.

It is possible to come back to God, to a living walk with him, to a life of faith and trust. It is possible to ask him to take your hand and lead you home. And it’s possible because of Jesus’ death for our sins and because the Lord is unchangeable in his holiness, justice, wisdom and love.

So why not start the journey right now?

Ruth 1:1-5a

1. The days of the judges (v.1a)
The Book of Ruth begins by telling us just when it is set: "In the days when the judges ruled". So what were those days like? It was a time of moral anarchy and spiritual apostasy. The book of Judges is shocking reading, especially when we find our own hearts mirrored there.

The refrain that recurs towards the end of the book gives us a summary of what life was like: "In those days, Israel had no king; everyone did as he saw fit" (17:6; 21:25). As you look around today, there are many parallels both outside and inside the church. What was a criticism of the time of the judges has been elevated to a virtue today and the ruling philosophy in society: do what you want.

But the book of Judges shows just what a terrible harvest is reaped from such an approach to life. There is mass slaughter and the people of Israel turning upon each other. There is repeated failure to honour the LORD and to walk in his ways.

In v.1 we're clearly expected to read Ruth against that background. But the link is even stronger than that. Read ch.17-21 of Judges and you'll notice Bethlehem gets mentioned quite a bit. In 17,18 a young Levite from there gets work as a private priest to a man named Micah (17:5ff). He's then taken on by the tribe of Dan and helps to establish a worship centre that will be a stumbling-block to the people in their relationship with the LORD.

Then in ch.19-21 a Levite from Ephraim took a girl from Bethlehem as his concubine. After she is raped by men from Gibeah, there is mass murder within the people of Israel, tribe against tribe, and Benjamite men having to get foreign wives for themselves to preserve their family line.

Now, the book of Ruth is like a brilliant gem that is found in the midst of a squalid mess. Here we have people within Israel acting as they should and even a non-Israelite too. Here we have true community and the right God-honouring way of preserving your family line.

And the story gets its points across very beautifully as the story is told with craft and care. One interesting contrast with Judges is that in Judges, the LORD often speaks and acts directly. In Ruth he is only ever spoken of and only twice is he said to have acted directly. His ways are sometimes hidden but they are nevertheless effective.

But that doesn't mean that everything in this story is sweetness and light. Just as the beauty of a pearl grows out of unwanted grit and dirt, so too this gem of a book grows out of real hardship, hard choices and a pain almost beyond our imagining.

What we see in this story is the grace of God at work in the lives of ordinary people. In the whirlpool of the Judges period, here we find ordinary Israelites living out the reality of life with God and with each other. They set us an example and act as a powerful encouragement to us that we too can do the same. You see, it is possible to live significantly in the midst of the most terrible apostasy and darkness. You don't need to be a big-time player on the stage of life; here are quite insignificant people whose lives, in God's hands, count and count greatly.

2. To Moab or Not? (vv.1b,2)
The first scene brought before us in the book is heavily ironic. In scripture, names are often extremely significant; well, here we see that there is famine in the land and that it extends to the town whose name means 'House of Bread'. Something is clearly wrong. And caught-up in this desperate situation is a man and his family and his name joyously declares 'My God is King'. There is no bread in the House of Bread and not much sign of God being King (at least not in the way you might hope if he was your God).

If you're a man in that situation, what do you do? The famine is not worldwide; other countries still have food - Moab is one of them and it's close by. Should you go there? It seems to be a straightforward choice: death in Bethlehem or life in Moab. And there are precedents in scripture for just such a choice - didn't Abraham go down to Egypt during a time of famine? And what about Joseph - might their going to Moab be a way of the Lord acting to save the whole nation?

Whilst the text is not explicitly condemnatory, we are invited to reflect and to soberly assess our own situations in the light of what Elimelech does here.

- He took his family to Moab and they survived the famine but the choice of Moab is far from straightforward. Moab was born as a result of the sordid, faithless action of Lot's daughters; as a people they were longstanding enemies of Israel (remember Balak?). In Num. 25 the men of Israel got involved in immorality with Moabite women; in Deut 23:3 we read no Moabite is to be allowed into the assembly of the LORD. Should an Israelite go to Moab of all places?

- And why is there famine in the land? This is the promised land after all. Hadn't the LORD promised to bless his people there? Yes, but he had also promised to curse them if they turned from him and his covenant (just as they did 'in the days of the Judges'). So is going to Moab running away from his discipline rather than submitting to it? The right attitude is spoken of in Ps. 33:18,19.

- And the family's actions would have a significance for the whole town. The fact that they are called “Ephrathites” shows that they were probably a long-standing family in the town, known by everyone. Their example would be seen as important and could easily have led others to make a similar move.

His actions speak of genuine desperation; even the most spiritually-calloused Israelite would have thought twice about going to Moab. But whilst we can sympathise with his plight, we need to learn hard lessons from his response to it. When we face difficult situations and hard choices, there are many things to weigh up. It's never simply about our needs, however pressing they may seem.

Before taking what seems the obvious way, we need to ask questions of ourselves and of the situation. Will this route supply my need but dull my sense of spiritual priorities? Will this way take me too far into a place where the world will try to squeeze me into its mould? Are there genuine biblical precedents or am I only seeing what I want to see? What will the impact be on others - will I cause them to stumble?

Moab was attractive because of the food but on other counts not so. They only went for a while (v.1) but we're told that they ended up staying there (v.2). Those little time details in the text are very telling and are a great warning to us - the way out is often relatively easy; the way back is far, far harder. "I don't know where we went wrong but the feeling's gone and I just can't get it back" sang Gordon Lightfoot; when that's true spiritually, it's a fearful thing.

3. A Family Lost (vv.3,4)
The choice is made; the die is cast. And then the cast of this story starts to die. Elimelech is taken. The details are very sparse but the impact on Naomi would be very great indeed; we'll think more about her situation next time.

But even though the loss of Elimelech is great, at least there are two sons left. The text twice tells us about the "two sons" (vv.2,3) and it would seem for a moment that the family's future security lies within those references - isn't that how the Lord works? Cain and Abel; Isaac and Ishmael; Jacob and Esau - surely salvation for this family wil arise through one of these boys? That's God's way isn't it?

But no. Elimelech dies and instead of one of the boys taking the initiative to move the family back into the promised land and under the covenant-shelter of the Lord, they both marry Moabite women. Their lot, their future, has been well and truly wedded to Moab and its gods.

And then, ten years after arriving in Moab, both Mahlon and Kilion also die. They went to Moab for seed and their seed is lost. They went to preserve their future and now the future is dead. The only hope for the remnants of this family can be with the LORD - yet they have forsaken him. So there can be no happy ending.

That would be true if everything depended on our faithfulness to the Lord but, mercifully, it doesn't. When we are faithless, he remains faithful because he cannot deny himself. And so, even if we didn't know this story, we ought to be on the alert for what the God of grace will do. Be alert in your own situation and in others' lives too for what he will do in mercy and kindness. Wrong choices yield a bitter harvest (as Naomi will painfully acknowledge) but this story is about the far greater, far sweeter, purposes of God.

Exodus 7:14 – 10:29 Nine Plagues

Having briefly introduced the plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt, we’re going to consider them more fully this week. It’s possible to take them one by one or in groups of three (they seem structured that way) but it strikes me that perhaps the best way to handle them and to benefit from them is to look at them together, with the exception of the final plague which we’ll consider separately – its account is more lengthy and heralds the final release of Israel from Egypt.

1. God, the Sovereign Lord
The plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt are the clearest statement of his absolute sovereignty and his utter resolve that he will indeed act to deal with sin and redeem his fallen creation. Those points are made in a host of ways in these great acts of judgement.

i) Creation moving in tandem with the Creator in his acts of judgement upon Egypt. We saw last week how the plagues were acts of uncreation, of giving to Pharaoh the fruit of his rebellion against the Lord. We ought to note in line with that the absolute control the Lord has over the creation and that the creation which is longing for its own release from bondage is, so to speak, his partner in moving that great project along.

This is perhaps underlined by the fact that, whilst the magicians of Egypt can replicate some of the plagues (the first two) they are powerless to go any further than that. The Lord is supreme.

ii) Judgement upon the gods of Egypt. In line with that, we should note that it isn’t just the magicians who are defeated but the gods of Egypt too. Many of these plagues deliberately involve aspects of creation over which Egypt’s gods were said to have power or aspects of creation that Egypt considered to be gods. But those gods are idols, worthless things with no true power. The LORD, he is God and he is God alone!

iii) That supreme control is further underscored by the continued emphasis upon the extent of the plagues – everything is affected (with some important exceptions that we’ll come to later). The whole of Egypt is condemned and judged; nothing is beyond the scope of the Lord.

iv) The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart. Pharaoh’s contribution to this dramatic reversal for his nation is truly culpable. He moves between sheer obstinacy and moments of pleading for mercy yet he never truly repents, he never takes to heart the clear message he is being given by the Lord.

And yet, while he is culpable and responsible, the text makes great play upon the fact that his heart is in the hands of the Lord (cf. Prov. 21:1). What happens, happens because the Lord purposes it to happen; he is acting in salvation and judgement with sovereign control over all that is taking place – such is his commitment to his own character and to the healing and rescue of his creation.

Now, how should all this impact us? Perhaps the most direct impact it is to have is to move us with a sense of the grandeur of God, of his majestic strength, his mighty wisdom, his inscrutable ways. In short, to lead us to worship and revere the God who is far greater than we give him credit for being, to bow before him in awe and adoration.

Here is not a God you can box up and say you have comprehended; this God, who moves in such power and for purposes of salvation, is far beyond us. We are so tiny in comparison with him. It is good to be humbled by a fresh vision of who he is and what he does.

This sequence of events should also inspire a sense of confidence within our hearts – here is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, acting to rescue, acting in fulfilment of his promises. Such passages evoke not simply awe in us but awaken trust and stimulate faith. He is worthy of our trust; we can venture for him – as William Carey so helpfully put it, “expect great things from God; attempt great things for God.”

2. God, the Particular Lord
One of the peculiar and puzzling aspects of the plagues is that fact that some of them are also experienced by the people of Israel whilst others are not (they experience the suffering caused by the first 3 plagues – blood, frogs and gnats – and also the locusts).

Given what we have seen of the absolute sovereignty of the Lord, the question has to be asked, ‘Why he does not spare his people from all the effects of every plague?’ If he could spare them some, then why not spare them all? If it isn’t a case of ‘could not’, why would he not do so?

The only answer that seems reasonable is that the Lord chose to allow his people to experience something of what the Egyptians were suffering as a result of Pharaoh’s sin in refusing to let them go. And such experiences would no doubt speak powerfully to them of the true nature of sin and its bitter harvest, as well as humbling their hearts (they were not all that different to the Egyptians).

Can we not also say the same about our experiences of the sufferings of this life? If the Lord can spare us all sickness and disaster, why does he not? In his own time, he certainly will do so – there will be no sorrow in the new heavens and earth – but in these interim times, suffering is indeed a reminder to us of the broken state of this world.

It keeps us humble; it keeps us trusting; it keeps us looking forward to the return of Jesus. And it fosters within us a sense of compassion toward those who are still far from the Lord.

3. Plagues: A call to repent
Clearly, the ten plagues that the Lord sent upon Egypt to make Pharaoh release his people (and so to further his saving purposes for the world) were a unique event. All through the OT, the people of Israel looked back to the time when the Lord acted in such power on their behalf and took great encouragement from that.

And yet, we can also see in the scriptures deliberate allusions to the plagues that show them as setting a pattern for the Lord’s dealings with the world. In particular, I think we can see this happening in the book of Revelation.

There, the apostle John sees visions of great cataclysms coming upon the world following the ascension of Jesus to his place of authority at the right hand of God.

Those events recall the plagues in Egypt but with an important qualifier in terms of the earlier events: they do not afflict the whole earth; a great stress is laid on the fact that only a third of the earth is to be afflicted. That limitation is ultimately removed when the great final acts of judgement are unveiled.

What does this linkage with the plagues of Egypt say to us? It clearly shows the continuity of the purposes of God, that what took place in Egypt was one phase of the great work of rescue that is ultimately seen as fulfilled in the book of Revelation.

But what I want to particularly mention in terms of the use of plague imagery in Revelation is the emphasis on the opportunity to repent that the plagues present – an opportunity squandered by Pharaoh, to the tragic loss of his people; and an opportunity that is also allowed to slip away by those described in John’s vision (see Rev. 9:20ff).

We live in a world of suffering and decay, a world in which the Lord speaks powerfully through his word and also through his actions in history. I want to ask you this morning: have you heard that voice, calling you to repent? Have you taken the opportunity his grace is giving you to turn back to him, now, before the ultimate tragedy befalls you?

Look around and see what is happening. See the distress and the decay; take note of the hardness and hostility which arouses God’s anger; and humble your heart to receive salvation from Jesus, the Lamb of God who died to take away sin.

I wear your ring

with memory strong
and clear;
stronger than a link
with your past,
my present
holds your life and love.

I wash my hands
and feel it there;
it sometimes seems that I am you
and that you are still.
I raise my hand
with silent shock
at the sight of your finger;
I am not you and yet
you remain
in memory and chromosome
and intangible touch.

I take and eat
the bread and wine
given by Another,
tasting and touching
beyond time,
memories brought to birth
of life before my own.
Tasting love, touching grace;
a life and grief
observed, redeemed.

I wear your ring;
I bear his name.

Exodus 7:8-13

Whatever you think of boxing as a sport, the build-up to big fights are very much a part of the action, what with press conferences, weigh-ins and so on. But for all that, when the bell goes and it’s seconds out, that’s when the real action begins.

It’s much the same here in Exodus. There has been a lot of sparring going on up to this point – Moses has been prepared by the Lord; he and Aaron have had a run-in with Pharaoh but from 7:8 it’s “seconds out, round one”.

1. Clash of the gods
When Moses and Aaron enter Pharaoh’s presence, we are seeing the clash not of two earthly civilisations but the Lord of heaven and earth addressing all the forces of sin and chaos through his servants. Pharaoh stands as the representative of the kingdom of darkness and even his garments and the whole architecture and art of his palace show whose side he is on.

But that is not simply the case in words and signs; one of the most startling aspects of this scene is the ability of the Egyptian wise men and sorcerers to replicate what has just happened to Aaron’s staff. That is something we will also see with the first two plagues of turning the water to blood and causing the land to teem with frogs.

Here is a real power; an ugly and destructive power, the power of evil, the settled opposition of evil to the will and ways of God.

When Moses and Aaron confront Pharaoh, it is not the coming together of diplomats but it is the clash of kingdoms, it is the engaging of the battle between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. This is the bedrock truth of life in this world – we are engaged in a spiritual battle between the one true God, revealed in Jesus, and all that stands opposed to him and to life itself.

Scripture beings that before us in all its clarity not to scare us but to ensure we know what we’re facing, what we’re engaging in.

Much of the reality of it may well be hidden from our view – we see flesh and blood, we don’t see the rulers, the authorities, the powers of this dark world, the spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms and we should not go looking to try to see it.

But when we see flesh and blood opposing the Lord and his gospel in all the variety of ways that can occur, we need to remember that we are not ultimately wrestling against flesh and blood but against those unseen forces.

2. Counterfeit power is real but can’t last
The power that the Egyptians possess is real and we need to accept that. But there is a real difference between Aaron and Moses and the magicians of Pharaoh: Aaron’s staff becomes a snake not through any use of ‘secret arts’ on their part but simply as they obey the Lord.

You see, there is power and there is counterfeit power; there is power and there is usurped power. Pharaoh and his men stand as symbols and representatives of all that is evil; as such, their power, although real, is counterfeit and usurped.

And the good news of this scene is that all such power, however real, is destined to be overthrown. It cannot last. Although by their secret arts these men can make a staff into a snake, their snake is immediately swallowed up by the snake that was Aaron’s staff.

The doom of the Egyptians, the doom of Satan, is writ large here, is graphically seen in the swallowing of the snakes. In fact, that term is going to be used once more in this book, in 15:12, where it is reported that the earth has swallowed the Egyptian army and the Lord’s victory is complete.

There is an important lesson for us in this scene. The power of sin is real; evil is not to be treated as though it was a minor irritation. But at the same time, it is not to be given too much attention; it is not to be given too much credence. It is doomed; it is passing. Jesus has gained the victory through his cross and resurrection. There is hope for the world, there is release from bondage through the Son of God!

That should give us great heart for our lives as Christians in a world that is hostile to the Lord. We face a powerful foe, the enemy of our souls, but Jesus is stronger, much stronger, and his victory is a complete one.

It should also give us great heart in our evangelism – the god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers but he is not the absolute ruler he’d like to be; Jesus is Lord and his gospel message is strong and powerful to save.

3. The Plagues: Creation & Uncreation; Reaping & Sowing
Now, this little section is a kind-of prologue to the plagues – the snake-swallowing is a sign to Pharaoh but the plagues that follow will go beyond signs; they will be the enactment of the Lord’s judgement on Egypt.

We won’t deal with the plagues in detail today (do I hear cheers?) but I do just want to highlight one of the issues that is going on throughout all the plagues.

Pharaoh has been oppressing the people of Israel, acting in ways that are contrary to God’s purposes in creation and opposing the Lord’s purpose to redeem Israel in order to redeem the world. As we have seen, he stands as an anti-God character in this whole story and as such is anti-creation. How will the Lord deal with him?

The plagues that the Lord sends upon Egypt show the Lord’s control over creation but they do so by bringing upon Egypt the terrors of ‘uncreation’ and chaos, of creation gone awry, of decay and death.

There is nothing accidental or random about the Lord’s choice of these plagues. This is showing Pharaoh and Egypt not only that it is the Lord who controls all creation but that the bitter fruit of rebellion against the Lord, the bitter harvest of sin and evil is that it will reap what it sows. It is bent on twisting and distorting what the Lord has made and what the Lord is doing and so it will reap the whirlwind of uncreation and chaos.

This is a principle that runs all the way through scripture – people reap what they sow. Those who do not want to know the Lord will be forever excluded from his presence; those who act against the Lord and his creation will suffer the consequences eternally. Their choice will be seen for what it is.

But it doesn’t have to be that way. Even now, Pharaoh could take note of what has just happened and change his mind, humble his heart and let the Lord’s people go. But he does not and he will not. Whilst there are issues there over the Lord working out his own saving purposes for creation through the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart, it nevertheless remains true that Pharaoh stands responsible before God for his choices. And they are deadly.

The same is true when the gospel is heard today.

Exodus 5:22 – 7:7

Moses has come in for some flak from the elders of the Hebrews (vv.20,21). They want the Lord to judge him for bringing them into such a difficult situation. It seems that they were expecting a quick and complicit response from Pharaoh, some thing that we saw Moses and Aaron also seemed to have been expecting.

What is Moses to do? In v.22 we’re told that he “returned to the LORD”. Quite what that means is not clear – did he go back out to the desert? Did he have a special place of prayer in Egypt? Perhaps more than anything what we’re seeing here is a perceived distance between Moses and the Lord (perceived by Moses). Isn’t it true that when things don’t go as we hoped they might that we perceive there to be some distance between the Lord and us?

Whether that phrase is meant to imply that kind of perception, it is certainly present in Moses’ words: he asks if this is what the Lord has intended, to bring trouble on his people. The way the Lord deals with Moses’ objections has much to teach us.


1. The LORD will act
The LORD neither chastises Moses nor defends himself; he simply affirms once more who he is and what he will do. He is Yahweh, the God who makes and keeps covenant, the God who will ever be true to his own character – the God who will be what he will be.

He tells Moses that, although he appeared to Abraham and others as El Shaddai (God Almighty) he wasn’t known to them as Yahweh. Reading Genesis seems to conflict with that, since Abraham and others used that name for him. Yet what is being said here is not about the absolute use of the name but the experience of what that name means. The patriarchs knew his name and something of his character but it will fall to this generation to experience him as the God who saves his people.

And so, both in 6:2-8 and 7:1-7, he stresses his own sovereignty and undertakes to deal with Pharaoh and redeem his people. Moses has perhaps underestimated the reality of the battle they will face but no matter: the Lord is going to act.

His words to Moses here are very much in line with what Joshua is told when he meets the commander of the Lord’s army – he has come to do battle on behalf of his people.

In all our struggles, in all the reality of the spiritual battle that we’re engaged in, we must hold onto this point. The battle is deeper than we have ever imagined; on our own, we could not stand; we would be overthrown in a moment. But the Lord has come, in person, in his Son, to defeat all the powers of darkness.

And, so, Moses is sent back out with a message of strength for the people and a message of doom for Pharaoh. It is with the essence of such words that we also go out into the world of our day – knowing that all power and authority has been given to Jesus and that he is with us always, even to the end of the age.

2. Names & Names
But if the point the LORD is making there is crystal clear, the point of the next section is not. Why all these names? Why here? Why now?

I guess it’s easy to be impatient with scripture at this point – and with preachers who insists on reading passages like this! We live in an age of readily-accessible information that we demand is presented clearly and succinctly. How do you get this sort of stuff into a power point and hold people’s attention? Make it an appendix to the main stuff, yes, but don’t make it part of the main stuff.

Maybe part of the lesson of such passages is a greater attentiveness to scripture and greater patience with it. If a passage doesn’t ‘speak to’ your heart straight away, don’t just rush on but accept that the Lord is still speaking through it and is calling you to humbly sit before the text and quietly seek his help to grasp what is being said.

So how do we do that here? In the first place, notice the way this is structured: vv.10-12 are almost identical to vv.28-30. And in terms of the genealogy itself, the focus is put on the line of Levi and on Aaron in particular, missing out some generations in order to have him at the centre-point with Phinehas at the end. So why this order and why this care to present the details in that fashion?

By taking us back to the sons of Jacob (Israel), this list impresses on us again that what is taking place here is in direct fulfilment of the promises the Lord made to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. The people of Israel have a heritage of grace and have been called to serve the purposes of God for his world.

The focus on the line of Levi, and particularly on Aaron, underscores the legitimate priesthood of both Aaron and Moses. This focus on Aaron – not just in the list but in the way the list is framed by Moses’ questions about his speaking to Moses, a job which Aaron will help him with – shows that his role was not one he took for himself but one to which the Lord called him.

Why might that need to be underscored? One of the things we need to remember is that Exodus was first read not by the generation being described in these chapters but those who grew up in the wilderness. And those who grew up in the wilderness would have been familiar with the occasion that Aaron opposed Moses and his willingness later in Exodus to cast an idol for the people.

By laying such stress now on Aaron’s credentials as a priest and the Lord’s choice of him, any undermining of his reputation later on is circumvented. God’s servants are not perfect but that does not stop them from being legitimate servants. It also serves to draw our attention to the one truly righteous servant of God, Jesus.

3. As God to Pharaoh (7:1-7)
When God calls Moses to go back to Pharaoh, he says something very potent to him: “I have made you like God to Pharaoh”; in fact, it’s even more powerful than that – it simple reads “I have made you God to Pharaoh”.

We’ve met this kind of talk before – this is how the Lord described the relationship of Moses to Aaron; Moses would tell him what to speak and Aaron would say it. But although the language is similar, the idea is being taken further. Pharaoh is not a willing participant in the great drama unfolding. Yet Moses will be God to him.

This tells us something vital, not simply about Moses but the nature of all truly Christian living in this world.

As we come to Jesus and are indwelt by his Spirit, something wonderful occurs – we begin to be remade in the image of our gracious Saviour: “And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” (2 Cor 3:18)

And in that state of being new and being made new, we are ‘God’ to the world – a letter to be read by all people that communicates the reality of his saving and judging love – the aroma of life to some and of death to others. The Lord makes his appeal through us, calling people to be reconciled to him (2 Cor 5:20). As his people, we are (in Christ) the light of the world (Mt. 5:14), holding out the word of life to all people (Phil. 2:16).

Your life is not trivial; your witness is not to be measured simply in terms of the words you speak that tell of Jesus. Rather, the potency of our witness is drawn from the fact that we are being changed into his likeness – often, perhaps, in ways that are not visible to us and yet which others see and feel the impact of.

But such transformation only occurs where we behold the Lord’s glory. And that glory is seen, as Paul so clearly reminds those to whom he is writing, in the crucified Messiah. The Corinthians were being taken in by the health & wealth crowd of their day; they saw suffering as a denial of the reality of God. And so Paul had to put them right on that: the glory of God is seen in the face of Jesus Christ – a face that was marred beyond human recognition.

We don’t need to pretend before the world that all is right with us, that becoming a Christian means no more problems and no more suffering. That is simply not true. And the reason we don’t need to pretend that is because God’s power is made perfect in our weakness, that he is glorified through our weaknesses as his Spirit of grace and glory rests upon us.

We have an amazing calling; we have an awesome God. Let’s seek to serve him well, in the power of his Spirit, for the glory of Jesus.

Images of God, Reality of God (Volf)

There is God. And there are images of God. And some people don't see any difference between the two.

A capable, good-hearted, and devout servant by the name of Felicite from Gustave Flaubert's "A Simple Heart" fell prey to this confusion between God and God's images. She was alone and unappreciated, and her parrot Loulou became "almost like a son, a lover to her", so much so that, when he died, she had him stuffed. Soon the gospel's image of the Holy Spirit as a dove began to merge with her stuffed parrot, and she fell "into the idolatrous habit of saying her prayers on her knees in front of the parrot". Finally, Flaubert wrote, as she breathed her last, "she thought she saw, as the heavens opened, a gigantic parrot hovering over her head."' Abandoned by others, she transferred her love to the parrot, transforming it into a god. An earthly image morphed into a divine reality.

Most people who fuse God's image and God's reality aren't nearly so naive. Some, like great critics of religion, argue that God is simply a projection of human ideals onto a heavenly screen; that God is, as Karl Marx thought, a reflection of the human need to be consoled in misery and to cope with weakness. For them, God doesn't exist as a reality independent of human beings. "God" is the name that the foolish, the miserable, and the weak give to what is nothing more than a useful figment of human imagination.

I will leave these critics aside here, and instead focus on what is perhaps the most troubling confusion between God's reality and God's image, which falls somewhere between the naive Felicite and the shrewd Marx. It's believers who fall prey to this confusion. We don't see them kneeling before parrots. Neither do they trumpet, "God is a human projection." They don't brazenly say, "God doesn't exist; only images of God do." To the contrary, they piously affirm, "God is a reality independent of our minds" and "God is nothing like a parrot, or any other creature."

And yet they worship idols without even knowing it. Unlike Felicite's parrot, their gods are not made of the hard matter of this world and don't sit elevated on sacred pedestals. Instead, they dwell in their worshipers' minds and are made of the soft stuff of their own cherished ideas. They simply assume that who they believe God to be and who God truly is are one and the same. God is as large (or as small) as they make the Infinite One to be, and none of the beliefs they entertain about God could possibly be wrong.

But in fact, our images of God are rather different from God's reality. We are finite beings, and God is infinitely greater than any thoughts we can contain about divine reality in our wondrous but tiny minds. We are sinful beings, and God is different from what we conceive in our selfishness and pride. Finite and self-centered as we are, we often forget God's warning through the prophet Isaiah: "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts" (55:9). When we forget that, we unwittingly reduce God's ways to our ways and God's thoughts to our thoughts. Our hearts become factories of idols in which we fashion and refashion God to fit our needs and desires.

Yet the most powerful and seductive images of God are not the ones we craft in the privacy of our hearts. They are the ones that seep into our minds as we watch TV, read books, go shopping at the mall, or socialize with our neighbors. Slowly and imperceptibly, the one true God begins acquiring the features of the gods of this world. For instance, our God simply gratifies our desires rather than reshaping them in accordance with the beauty of God's own character. Our God then kills enemies rather than dying on their behalf as God did in Jesus Christ. To use Flaubert's metaphor, the dove of the Spirit becomes the parrot whose plumage bears a striking resemblance to our culture's values.

To worship God rather than idols of our own making, we must allow God to break apart the idols we create, through the Spirit's relentless and intimate work within our lives. First, we need to know where to look for knowledge of the true God. It would be a mistake to seek that knowledge primarily in the world around us. God is not an object in this world. There's no map that says "X marks the spot." Whatever we find in the world will be ... the world, and not God. Neither can we find God in the infinity that lies beyond the cosmos. God is not an unnamed something on the other side of the temporal and spatial edges of the universe. Rather, as Christians, we find God in Jesus Christ, God's Word incarnate as witnessed in the Scriptures, God's written word.

It's not enough, however, to know where to look for God. We also need eyes and ears that can recognize the true knowledge of God when we come across it. For it could be that even as we look at Jesus Christ and read Scripture, as the prophet Isaiah put it, we "keep listening, but do not comprehend" and "keep looking, but do not understand" (6:9). Think of people who observed Jesus teach and heal and embody the life of God - and they saw nothing but a "false prophet" or a "political rebel". Our eyes and ears need a heart ready to receive the truth of God's reality rather than one that longs for the comforts of false gods.

Finally, even when we look in the right places with a ready heart, we still might miss the one true God. We need to be willing to let our very effort to know God slide out of our hands, opening them to God's continued and unexpected self-revelation. Otherwise, like the dog from Aesop's fable, we may end up dropping the real piece of meat in order to grab its reflection in the water.

(Miroslav Volf, Free Of Charge, pp.21-23)

How to Know the Truth

Jesus' words in John 8:31,32 seem to speak of an epistemology of faith and obedience:

If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free. (TNIV)

Knowing the truth is consequent to holding to his teaching, honouring him with our faith and obeying him as his disciples. Even if the kai in v.32 is simply translated as 'and' and not 'then', there still seems to be a progression in what he is saying, that knowing follows the doing of faith and obedience.

Of course, we ought to expect just this in the light of the wisdom of the Book of Proverbs, that

The fear of the LORD is the beginning of knowledge (Prov. 1:7a)

A genuine reverence for the LORD which results in changed thoughts and actions is the precondition for knowing - truly knowing.

The implications of this must surely be significant, both pastorally and evangelistically.

Sermon on Exodus 5:1-21

Everything has gone well for Moses so far on his return to Egypt, with the Lord’s commission in his heart. He has been met by Aaron and the elders and favourably received. The plans for their release from the oppression of Egypt seem ready to unfold neatly before them. But life is never straightforward, as we’ll see, and it is often true in spiritual terms that things get worse before they get better.

1. Boldness & Confrontation (vv.1-5)
Moses and Aaron go boldly in to see Pharaoh (but without the elders – see 3:18). In the light of Moses’ encounter with the Lord and the people’s warm and worshipful response, they no doubt feel confident that the Lord’s word will come to pass and quickly. Moses is displaying the spirit not of timidity but of love, power and a sound mind (2 Tim 1:7).

It is entirely right that we should be confident in the Lord, that we have assurance his word will be fulfilled and his will be done. We need have no diffidence in standing on God’s Word and acting in the light of it. Moses who began so very timidly in Midian now walks boldly into Pharaoh’s presence, strengthened in the Lord.

And, in boldness, Moses demands the release of the people, using a term that leaves Pharaoh in no doubt that they will no longer be under his rule.

But his boldness is not met by an immediate humbling of Pharaoh and the release of the people. The response is, rather, one of stark unbelief and rebellion: “Who is Yahweh?” Here is the uncovering of the essential issue in the whole storyline of the Bible – sin is the de-godding of God, the refusal to honour him. This is why the whole creation is groaning under the curse, this is why humanity knows decay and death.

And this is what we see all around us – the steadfast and persistent refusal to give God his due, to honour him with lives of grateful praise and adoration.

Moses and Aaron seem rather taken aback by Pharaoh’s response and try again in v.3, adding their own thoughts to the Lord’s clear command (the threat to strike them with plagues). They are clearly rattled by what has happened.

How should we respond to such outright rejection of the Lord and of his message? Clearly we will feel a sense of outrage that the God of glory should be so slighted, the kind of distressed anger that Paul felt when he walked around Athens and saw their idols. But how should we deal with the mixture of anger and sadness?

I think we need to be careful that we understand the situation for what it is and see where the answer lies. We should not be surprised by the sinful rejection of God that we see so clearly, nor should we think that the appropriate response is to organise social resistance (which is a tempting option in a society that was once nominally Christian).

What is the solution? Let me read you some wise words from a helpful commentator: “our reaction should be one of godliness and patience, knowing that the message belongs to the Lord and he will set things aright. We must rise above the fray, the plans and schemes of humanity, with a godly confidence that comes only from knowing God and being known by him. (Exodus, NIVAC p.167f)

Godliness and patience: just the answer that Peter gives in his first letter to an oppressed church. Let’s ask God to help us to display such attributes ourselves in difficult days.

2. Outright rejection leads to oppressive retaliation (vv.6-16)
Pharaoh is quite definite in his response. He takes his stand against the Lord and his people; he opposes the one true God, setting himself up as an anti-God figure, leading the fight for the forces of sin and evil.

In that role he immediately orders that the people be oppressed further (v.6ff). And notice that his word finds an immediate response – what he says is done and done quickly. He has real power; sin has real power.

The Lord has called Moses to lead the people out of Egypt; he has promised his presence with his people. But that reality of his presence does not remove the reality of suffering. The people who have been oppressed are further oppressed and harried by the Egyptians.

A real struggle is developing here over the release of the people from Egypt; they suffer very much at the hands of the Egyptians and that raises a troubling and important question: why does the Lord allow this? Why wasn’t Pharaoh humbled straight away? Why can’t the people be spared some of this additional burden of pain?

Those sorts of questions are never easy to answer but I think we can say at least this: sin is a real power; evil as a reality has a certain strength. We should never forget that. Satan has real power and with that power he has blinded the minds of unbelievers. He does all he can to thwart the Lord’s plans to rescue his creation from the dominion of sin and death.

This reality is something Paul was aware of in his ministry, too. In 1 Thes. 2:18 he says he had been wanting to visit the church “but Satan stopped us”.

Now, some might ask if Paul doesn’t know that the Lord is sovereign? And of course he does. But he is also working with the reality of sin and evil and it does us no good to deny that sin is a real power, that Satan has genuine power.

Yes, the Lord is sovereign and all opposition to his purposes will be overcome; that is not in doubt. But what we are seeing in this passage is that the overthrow of sin and evil will take real effort on the part of the Lord. Not because he is weak or only just sovereign but because of the real power that exists in sin.

Our perspective as we engage the world must also be a fully and truly biblical one – the all-sufficiency of the Lord and his power and the real power of sin. Holding those points together will stop us from taking wrong turns and coming to wrong conclusions. It will also prepare us to endure the sufferings of this life in the sure hope of eternal life that is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

3. The Blame Culture (vv.17-21)
One of the upshots of this kind of oppression is that it often splits apart the community it is directed against. And the germs of that are seen here in v.20 – when the Israelite foremen leave Pharaoh they meet Moses and Aaron and turn on them.

When we experience something of the difficulties of living and witnessing in a hostile world, we can all-too-easily find ourselves drawn inwards into conflict within the church and a blame culture begins to establish itself. ‘People aren’t being converted because the pastor is a poor preacher’; ‘people aren’t being saved’, says the pastor, ‘because people don’t invite their friends to the services and don’t live attractive lives before them’.

The church under pressure from the world splits into factions – and each faction blames the other for the problems: ‘if you were more with-it we’d have lots of people – young people! – coming along’. ‘Yeah, and if you were more faithful to God’s Word we’d be in a better state’. And so it goes.

How can we guard against that? How can we ensure infighting does not take place? By grasping what we have already seen here: that sin is a powerful foe, that the tactic of the enemy is to divide and rule, that we serve a God of power and might whose word will not fail.

More

wise words from Peter Enns:

It remains an inescapable fact that our world today is no more receptive to God's will than the Egypt of Pharaoh's day. Our reaction to opposition should not be outrage, as if we are the ones offended, or surprise, as if American hearts are somehow less rebellious toward God. Rather, our reaction should be one of godliness and patience, knowing that the message belongs to the Lord and he will set things aright. We must rise above the fray, the plans and schemes of humanity, with a godly confidence that comes only from knowing God and being known by him. (Exodus, NIVAC p.167f)

Sermon on Exodus 4:24-26

There are a number of passages in the Bible that perplex us and stretch our faith. We might think of them as problem passages that cast doubt upon the scriptures, but that isn’t really the case. In fact, if the Bible was merely a human document it is more likely that such passages would have been dropped from sight long ago.

But that still leaves the passages in all their strangeness. And among them is the one we’re looking at tonight. Just what are we to make of this? In v.19 Moses is told that those wanting to kill him are dead and then, in an ironic twist, it seems that the Lord is out to get him in these verses.

This almost seems like the stuff of nightmares; what’s going on?

1. The need to obey
It seems from what happens here that the Lord’s anger is directed at Moses because he has failed to circumcise his son. But is that such a big deal? Why not just gently remind him of the fact? Surely it’s got to be about more than that?

That might not seem like a big deal to us but we need to remember the significance of the rite in biblical terms: it was a sign and seal of the covenant that God had made with Abraham for the sake of the world. It was a sign that marked-out the Jews as the Lord’s people.

And, so, for Moses to fail to administer that sign was not about outward religion; it was something that went to the heart of what the Lord was doing. It was to be the sign that showed Moses and his family were dedicated to the Lord, that they belonged to him and were under his lordship.

As we read in Genesis 17, those who failed to submit to this rite were to be cut off from their people, not considered as part of the family of God. It wasn’t just about a badge that they wore but what that badge meant. To fail to circumcise was to be openly defiant of the Lord and to oppose what he was doing in the world.

In that light, it becomes a little easier to see why the Lord should act against Moses in this way here. He is to be the leader of the people that the Lord will work through to rescue the world from sin. If he is not interested in obeying the Lord, he cannot expect not to forfeit everything.

But what about us? Where does this hit home for us? The NT makes it clear that what really matters is having hearts that are circumcised, by which it means that we are made new and committed to the Lord. The only way that can happen, the only way for our past to be atoned for and for our hearts to be made new is through faith in Jesus.

In a very real sense, faith takes the place in the NT of circumcision in the OT, as that which marks out the people of God. And, as Paul wrote in Col 2, when we come to faith in Jesus our flesh is cut away, we are owned as belonging to God through being joined to Jesus in his death and resurrection.

And all who refuse to be joined to Jesus are warned in the clearest terms by God through his word that there is no other way, that although there is a way that seems right to a man it ends in death. There is only one way to life, only one saviour of all people and the only way to receive from him is through faith in him.

But the faith that receives God’s mercy is not mere intellectual assent; it is a trusting faith, a faith that demonstrates it is genuine through deeds of love. We are to be saved by faith, not works – yet the faith that saves is a faith that works.

Do you have that faith? Are you trusting in Jesus? Is that trust at work in deeds of love? If you are far from Jesus then this passage and many others warn you of your danger and you need to take that very seriously indeed.

2. Space to repent
But while it is sobering to see how serious the Lord is about our turning decisively to him in genuine faith and obeying his words, it is helpful to notice that, where the Lord deems it necessary to act in discipline, he gives room for the situation to be put right, he gives space for repentance.

We aren’t told how Zipporah knew things were amiss and that they were in danger but what is clear is that the Lord was allowing them space to act, to put the matter right; he was “about to kill him” (v.24). As someone has said, “The divine move is thus a threat, not an attempt to kill that God fails to pull off”.

It was a threat that provided an opportunity that Zipporah took with two hands (and one knife).

Her action speaks powerfully to us: if things are wrong, they need to be put right. And they can be put right; the Lord gives room for repentance and for setting things right. He is patient and is not willing that any should perish.

So whether you’re not yet a Christian or if you’ve been one for many long years, know that God is merciful and kind, even when he moves to act in severe discipline. He gives space for putting things right. When he sent Jesus into the world it wasn’t to condemn but to save and so Jesus’ ministry began with the call to repent.

What is vital is that we don’t show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience which lead us towards repentance. He wants us to sort things out; he wants us to come out of the shadows and into the light of his loving grace. The fact that Moses comes out of this alive should not be interpreted as the Lord not being serious about the need for obedient faith but rather that he is serious in giving every opportunity to repent.

Zipporah used that space wisely; will you do the same? Whatever the situation, whatever the shame, however long you may have turned from his mercy, even tonight you can come back to him, and come back for good.

3. Jesus: The Obedient Servant
The Lord is utterly sovereign, as we have seen, yet he has purposed to work through people and demands obedience from his servants. Moses is seen here to be a man whose obedience is flawed – in fact, it’s his Midianite wife, Zipporah, who displays more spiritual nouse (and, again, a woman keeps things moving forward).

Moses is going to be a great servant of God but he is a deeply-flawed man, lacking not only at times in faith but also in obedience to the commands of God. Here is a man who stands in need of large swathes of mercy.

God’s work does not depend on one person alone. He is quite prepared to remove Moses from the equation. What would have happened had Zipporah not acted so wisely and so quickly? We don’t know but we can say that the sovereign Lord would not have been hindered from achieving the rescue of his creation.

He is not dependent on one person and yet obedience is going to be essential to the progress of the Lord’s work of salvation. But as we see here, the best of men are men at best. Moses is a great hero of the faith but he is almost taken-out by God because of his lack of obedience. If obedience is going to be essential in the rescue of the human race, where will it come from?

The writer of Hebrews tells us that, just as the builder of a house has greater honour than the house itself so Jesus has been found worthy of greater honour than Moses. And the same writer stresses in many places the obedience of Jesus’ life and his sacrificial death in our place.

Zipporah interceded for Moses with blood and, in a very vivid way, points us forward to Jesus who stands in the gap for us, who was slain for us and by whose blood we can be saved.

That’s where all our hope lies: in Jesus, the Son of God, who was obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Is he your hope tonight?

Sermon on Exodus 4:18-31

Life in the in-between

Moses has had the most significant encounter with the Lord at the burning bush. He has been commissioned to go back to Egypt in order to lead the people of Israel out from there. His initial response was to raise all sorts of questions and to protest his unsuitability for the job. His final reply is to ask God to send someone else, at which the Lord’s anger burns against him and he tells him he will allow Aaron to help him.

We might imagine that the next significant moment is going to be when Moses gets to Egypt but that is far from being the case. This section is an in-between stage in the story but it is full of meaning and relevance. I think the point is clear, that the times in life that we might see as ‘in-between’ and therefore lacking in some way may very well turn out to be times of great significance for us.

We might view the next few months as being ‘in-between’ times for ourselves as a church; in some ways they clearly are. But it would be foolish and wrong to conclude that the Lord had suspended his purposes; we need to be alert to all that says to us and ready to act upon it.

1. Moses going back (vv.18-20)
The first thing that might strike you about Moses here is that, having incurred the anger of God by his pleading for the Lord to send someone else, when he speaks to Jethro he doesn’t mention anything of what the Lord has said but simply says he wants to go and see if his people are still alive.

That seems quite odd because if they weren’t alive, why would the Lord be sending him back to them? Does he distrust what the Lord has said? Is he wary of what Jethro might say? Is it another example of Moses’ insecurity and lack of confidence?

The fact is, we aren’t told – the text simply raises the question without answering it. What we can say is that Moses doesn’t come across as someone supremely sure of himself and his commission. There is something rather fragile about him here.

But the Lord hasn’t given up on him. He had told him to go back, that those who wanted to kill him were dead. And in response to that, Moses has rather uncertainly spoken to Jethro and then goes and saddles up the donkeys and sets off with his family.

And despite the sense of fragility that there is about Moses, the last sentence in v.20 is very telling: “And he took the staff of God in his hand.” That staff was a reminder of his commission and a symbol of the Lord’s power. He may seem unsure but he’s going; he may not be thinking completely straight and have all sorts of questions and concerns but he is going and he is going with the staff in his hands.

I think that says a lot about Moses and is a real example to us. Low self-esteem, lack of self-confidence and previous failures are no reasons not to follow where the Lord leads. What matters most is not our innate wisdom and abilities but his wisdom and power.

We don’t have a staff to carry but we do have a message of a cross that speaks of the wisdom and power of God, even as it seems to be just so much weakness and foolishness to the world. It is with confidence in God and in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ that we can and must go forward.

2. God at work! (vv.21-23)
Moses is on the way back to Egypt. When he gets there, he is to perform the various signs not just before his own people but before Pharaoh – that is where the action is going to be. Moses was worried about how his own people would receive him but the Lord is moving things onto a different plane.

But the terms in which he does that might be quite unsettling to some. He doesn’t say that Pharaoh will oppose Moses but that he will harden Pharaoh’s heart with the upshot that Pharaoh will not let the people go.

What this ushers us into is the relationship between the sovereignty of God and human responsibility. When we come to the chapters where Pharaoh opposes Moses, we’ll see that he hardens his heart and that is followed by the Lord hardening it also. But the emphasis here is on the Lord taking the initiative to harden Pharaoh’s heart.
How are we to understand this? Does it make the Lord the author of evil? Does it remove Pharaoh’s responsibility and guilt?

I want to read a passage from a commentary on Exodus that reflects on this issue. I’m going to read a fairly lengthy section because I think it deals with the issue in a very wise way…..

(1) We must remember that election, or sovereignty, is never an abstract notion. Common arguments against election that I have heard include, 'I guess God predestined what kind of tie I would put on today,' or, 'Are you trying to tell me that God predestined that crack in the sidewalk and that I would trip over that crack!?' As the old joke goes: What did the Calvinist say after he fell down the stairs? 'I'm glad that's over with!' Of course, most of these objections are not meant to be taken wholly seriously, but the basic thrust remains: How does God's sovereignty actually, practically, play out in the details of our lives?

This is a question that the Bible does not address. The Bible is not concerned to reveal fully the mysteries of God's dealings with his creation. The notion of God's sovereignty in the Bible is always connected specifically to one issue: the deliverance of God's people. Although this raises a host of other concerns (e.g., are we saved by God's choice without any input on our own?), understanding the salvation context of sovereignty at least puts us on the proper starting point for discussing the issue and how it might affect our lives. Burdening our hearts and minds with abstract implications of sovereignty, something the Bible itself does not entertain, will unnecessarily detract us from the focus the Bible gives to the issue.

(2) However uncomfortable we all feel from time to time with election and its implications, we must remember that the biblical writers do not seem to share that feeling of discomfort. Though the issue is mysterious, it is not presented as a burden in the Bible. This is not to say that it is easily accepted. Paul's protracted argument in Romans 9 may indicate that not only his readers but perhaps Paul himself felt the need to engage the issue more closely. For Paul, the end result of any such internal struggle with sovereignty results in praise (11:33-36). For Job, it ends in humility (Job 42:1-6). Sovereignty is a blessing rather than a hindrance. I am not saying that understanding how sovereignty works is a blessing, but that it is a blessing regardless of how little we understand.

The Lord holds us in his arms. He is the truly loving Father who cares for us, his children in Christ. Can we really hope for anything better than this? What recourse do we have? Partial sovereignty? It is good to be under the Lord's care. What such an understanding of sovereignty engenders in us is actually a sense of freedom, the knowledge that we are God's children and that we are somehow under his sovereign gaze - no matter what. Sovereignty means that in our everyday lives, we can go forth and act boldly without fear that our constant missteps or imperfections will catch the Lord by surprise and tear us away from him.

(3) However much we try to make sense of sovereignty and incorporate it into our theological systems (as I have just tried to do!), we must remember that it is ultimately a great and humbling mystery. To understand how it works is to peer into the heart of God. I remember so little of my college years, which is no one's fault but my own, but one conversation stands out in my mind. An older classmate and I were discussing the issue of sovereignty and free will and I said, "At the very least we have to accept the basic notion that either one or the other is true. Both cannot be right." My wiser friend responded, "Why?" I blurted out a comment or two about God needing to be logically consistent, or something like that, but that response seemed as shallow then as it does now. We should not forget the tension that Exodus and other portions of Scripture set up. We should not assume that God conforms to our ways of thinking.

Is this not a recurring theme in the Bible that God's ways are not our ways? Perhaps part of the value of the tension between predestination and free will is not found in solving the problem, as if it is a riddle God put in Scripture to occupy our intellectual energy, but in our standing back in awe of a God who is so much greater than we can understand. The hope is that we would go forth with this knowledge (or better, lack of knowledge) and live humble lives, trusting in the Lord all the more because of the depth of the riches of his wisdom and knowledge.
(Peter Enns, Exodus, NIVAC, p.148f)

There is a lot of helpful comment there but the one thing I want to pick up and deal with is the point that is made about the context in which God’s sovereignty is spoken about. The context here is quite clear: we are dealing with God’s action to redeem Israel. And he will act to redeem Israel in order that his saving blessing might be known in all the world.

The Lord loves Israel but he also loves Egypt. In fact, his love is for the whole of his creation. His choice of Israel is for the sake of the whole world and, thus, his action in Egypt and with Pharaoh is not to be seen as hatred of Egypt but rather is to be set within that larger context of God’s love.

In terms of Pharaoh himself, again the text here is helpful. There is a clear conflict being played out between the Lord and all that stands opposed to him, symbolised here in the person of Pharaoh. The Lord will act to redeem his firstborn and in the process will slay the firstborn of Egypt. We are dealing here not with abstract theology and philosophical questions but the concrete action of the one true God to rescue his creation from sin. Pharaoh stands opposed to that as, in a sense, the spokesman for the kingdom of darkness, and he will be dealt with in power and might.

Whilst we may not be able to sort all the issues out (and Peter Enns is right to counsel us not to think that we need to) what we must get straight here is that the Lord is God and he is in absolute control. Sin will not win; Satan will not prevail; Pharaoh will not foil God’s plans.

There is great comfort for us in knowing that because we live in a world in which the same warfare is being fought. Our confidence is to be the same as that of Moses: the Lord of hosts.

3. God at work (vv.27-31)
The focus thus far has been very much on Moses and his work as the leader of his people but, as we know, the Lord agreed that Aaron could be his mouthpiece and in vv.27,28 he enters the situation and that is quickly followed by a meeting (vv.29-31) with the leaders of the people of Israel.

Maybe there are times when situations loom that we fear very much, that we are anxious about and that we imagine will be extremely complex and perhaps lead to very difficult problems. That’s how Moses had seen his return to Egypt and his meeting with the people. He thought they wouldn’t believe him, that they would reject him for a second time and so on.

When we are afraid and concerned, we might feel that we have history on our side – we’ve been here before and it was difficult, things were tricky. No doubt Moses also felt that way. But look what happens: Aaron tells them what the Lord has said to Moses, the signs are performed and the people believe. Not only so but they bow down in worship, knowing that the Lord has seen them and heard their cries. No fuss, no arguments, no strife.

God is at work. He is taking forward his plans and, while that does not mean there will be no dark days for Moses (there will be), it does mean that what Moses feared would not necessarily come to pass and that what the Lord promised could be believed.

William Cowper speaks of the clouds we dread being full of mercy and breaking in blessing upon our heads. That’s just what Moses discovered when he followed where the Lord was leading. And that is what we can also expect as we seek to walk closely with the Lord in obedience to his call to serve him in this our day.

May he grant us grace to believe and to do, for his name’s sake.

Sermon on Exodus 3:13 - 4:17

“This is your mission, should you choose to accept it” – I think Moses must have felt a bit like the folks in Mission Impossible when he encountered the LORD in the desert. To go back to Egypt and lead Israel out of there? To win over his own people and then take on the Pharaoh, with all of Egypt’s might against him? No wonder Moses asked “Who am I?”

As we saw last time, the Lord assured him that he would be with him; Moses would not be going alone – but still he has questions and concerns. We’re going to see that Moses responded to the Lord’s call with 3 questions in the passage before us.

But before we do, let’s just notice 2 general points: firstly, the LORD is big enough to allow us to ask him questions. Some people in powerful positions can’t stand to have their instructions questioned – but not the Lord. You can dialogue with him; he’s not interested in getting us to cringe before him and to do his will in abject terror. He calls us to be his children and to serve him in that relationship. And as our Father in heaven, he can handle the questions.

Secondly, while Moses’ call was unique, we can rightly think through his situation with a view to our own. We are called by God: called to belong to Jesus Christ; called as his church to go and make disciples; and we are called personally to be servants of the Most High God, in a whole variety of ways. It may well be that, in the light of those multiple callings, we also have questions we’d like to ask.

1. Who shall I say has sent me?
The first question Moses asks in v.13 shows that he is concerned about the reception he might get from his own people: if they ask me who sent me, what shall I say?

The answer he is given has been the subject of great debate for many years now: just what does God mean? What is his name? And was this name unknown to Abraham and the other patriarchs?

While we let the scholars sort those issues out, the main point is clear: the God who is speaking to Moses declares, “I am who I am”.
He is not some local tribal deity; this is the eternal ever-living God who is sending Moses back to Egypt. This is the great I AM who is declaring his intent to rescue the Israelites from their bondage and, through them, to further his purposes for the whole world.

“I am who I am” doesn’t seem to be the name itself; that comes later and is now generally translated as Yahweh. What v.14 does is impress on Moses the being of God, the reality that the living God, the eternal I AM is the one who is sending him. No commission could come with greater intensity or authority.

It is the same God who is revealed in Jesus of Nazareth and who has also commissioned the church. We are not peddling an opinion about God as we share the gospel; we are rather taking the words of the eternal God and speaking them to needy men and women.

While that may make us feel even more unworthy, it also gives added strength to our task as the Lord’s people.

2. What if they don’t believe me?
But Moses is still not convinced: “What if they do not believe me?” (4:1). What is he to do then? The Lord’s response is to ask Moses what he has in his hand – a staff – and then to throw it to the ground. It becomes a snake! Pick it up by the tail – it turns back into a staff. Now put his hand into his cloak and take it out again – it’s turned leprous! Put it in and out again – it’s healed.

Signs – signs of power and authority. The snake was a symbol of Egypt’s power (think of those headdresses) but Moses would demonstrate a greater power. The leprosy sign would speak of the Lord’s power to afflict and to heal. And a third sign is told to Moses – he could pour out water from the Nile onto the ground and it would become blood, a foretaste of one of the plagues.

The Lord who is sending Moses is more than able to demonstrate his power and authority. Moses need have no qualms about that!

But what if your friends and colleagues don’t believe you? What signs can we expect the Lord to show to them? Let me just say 2 things on this point.
Firstly, we have in the gospel records all the evidence that we or anyone else needs. Remember what Jesus himself said in Lk 16 to the rich man who was in Hades: it isn’t more signs that they need. And when he spoke to Thomas in the upper room he tells him and us that it is possible for people to believe without seeing signs – and that it is a blessed thing when they do.

That doesn’t mean that the Lord won’t in some ways give some people various signs of his power; that is entirely up to him. But what it does say is that we can go out with his word in our hearts confident that he can and does work through the gospel message, calling people to himself. We don’t need to be hung up on the issue of signs.

Secondly, there is a sense in which our lives function as a sign to others. Paul writes to the Corinthians about their lives being like a letter that all people can read – a letter that bears clear testimony to the gracious, saving power of God. And our lives are to be that too – lives that had been marked by sin and evil now showing the forgiving and renewing grace of God.

Let’s pray that the reality of his saving power will be seen in us and indeed be a sign to others.

3. But I’m not a good speaker!
So the eternal God is sending Moses and will work powerfully by signs and wonders to confirm his status as the Lord’s messenger. But still Moses is unsure. He doesn’t really feel up to the task – “I am slow of speech and tongue” (4:10; which sounds like some kind of speech defect).

Reading Acts 7:22 it doesn’t sound like Moses had a problem with speaking but maybe this is Moses lacking confidence because of what happened in the past. And if truth be told maybe many of us have thought similar things when faced with God’s call on our lives – not necessarily in terms of our speech but simply our fitness for certain tasks. Is that a valid point to bring to the Lord?

It seems not. The Lord’s response is to remind Moses that he is the one who created Moses!

When we feel our weakness and frailty, we must remember that those things are not surprises to God; he does not call us to serve him because he thinks we’re superhuman! The one who calls us into his service will enable us to serve him, despite all our foibles and weaknesses.

Do you notice something that is common to all 3 questions that Moses raises? He constantly thinks in terms of himself going to Pharaoh and not the Lord going with him. It is all a case of ‘I’ and that’s a trap we can fall into. The battle is not ours; it’s the Lord’s – he sends, he equips, he authenticates.

Now, I said that we were going to look at the 3 ways that Moses responds to the Lord’s call in this passage but, actually, there are 4 points to notice. But the fourth isn’t a reasoned response; it is a blunt refusal to do what the Lord has said. Having asked his questions and having received such gracious responses from the Lord, Moses simply says in 4:13, “O Lord, please send someone else to do it.”

At this, the Lord is angry with Moses. Yes, we can dialogue with him and ask our questions and voice our insecurities but, having received his genuine and gracious promises of help and support, to ask him to send someone else is to refuse to trust him. It is sheer rebellion, however much its origin is in our fears.

And, yet, notice once more how gracious our God is. He is rightly angry with Moses but he doesn’t cut him off; he doesn’t dump him but rather accommodates even this response from him. He tells Moses that his brother Aaron is on the way and the Lord will make them into a team – he will give his words to Moses and Aaron will then act as spokesman.

We should not see this as letting us off the hook, as it were. It is never right to refuse our God; it is never wise to anger him through our unbelief. But even when we have done so, even when we are faithless, he remains faithful for he cannot deny himself.

What great encouragement to serve him where we are and to say with the hymn-writer, “What he says we will do, where he sends we will go, never fear, only trust and obey.”

Sermon on Exodus 3:1-12

Moses is a man who is profoundly aware of his Hebrew ancestry. Although he was brought up in the palace of Pharaoh, he has taken his stand with the oppressed Hebrews. He is also a man with a passionate concern for justice; he has shown himself to not only be willing to intervene on behalf of his people but also on behalf of others (Reuel’s daughters).

He seems like just the right sort of man to lead the Hebrews out of the oppression of Egypt, yet his initial attempt to act as a kind of leader of his people was swiftly rebuffed. And here we find him, some 40 years later, miles away from the action, living as an exile in Midian, tending his father-in-law’s sheep.

If Moses is to be a significant player in the history of his people he clearly needs to get back to Egypt. But he has an even greater need that must be met before ever he can lead his own people out of slavery: he needs to meet God. This is God’s world, God’s story, and the Hebrews are God’s people, chosen for the sake of the whole world. Moses needs to be prepared for how God will use him and he needs to directed clearly by the Lord.

That’s what we’re going to see in these verses. As we do so, our eyes will be inevitably (and wonderfully) drawn to think not only of our place before God but of the fact that while he spoke through Moses, the full unveiling of his heart and plans is seen in Jesus.

1. The presence of God
The chapter opens in a quite mundane way – Moses is looking after some of his father-in-law’s sheep and takes them “to the far side of the desert”. Nothing too significant in that – but there is: he “came to mountain of God at Horeb”. Did Moses know it at this stage as the mountain of God? Most likely not; it is probably being called that now from the perspective of hindsight. To Moses, there’s no special reason in play to explain why he chooses to go there.

But in God’s hands, the most mundane place can take on a new and special significance. And the way that happens here is through a very strange sight: Moses sees a bush on fire that isn’t burnt up.

He would often have seen bushes ablaze but they would soon have been consumed; what gets his attention here is that this one doesn’t. This is the Lord himself, getting Moses’ attention. Fire is a sign of the divine presence (and will be on the journey Israel makes from Egypt) but the Lord is not present in order to harm but to heal: the bush is not consumed.

Moses, a broken sinful man, is going to stand in the presence of God and not be consumed, because the purpose of God is to deal with sin and to reconcile humanity to himself. The means for that had not yet been revealed but we have gladly sung of how the sons of ignorance and night can dwell in the eternal light – an offering and a sacrifice, a Holy Spirit’s energies, an advocate with God.

When he calls Moses, the first thing the Lord tells him is to take off his sandals because the ground he’s standing on is holy – and it is holy for no other reason than that the Lord is there. His being there changes everything; Moses is in the presence of greatness, of the Creator, the One who has promised to heal and save. Nothing less than absolute reverence is appropriate here. Moses covers his face, afraid to look at God and he is right to do so.

The God who is appearing to Moses in this strange way then discloses to Moses who he is: “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God if Isaac and the God of Jacob.” There is a real note of continuity here and the hope that promises made long years before will now be taken up and fulfilled.

All of these points that confront Moses here converge in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. When he comes, he can tell his disciples that if they have seen him they have seen the Father; he is the personal presence of God in the world, the only one who by rights can look into the face of his Father without flinching, without irreverence.

Peter falls at his feet because he sees in Jesus something of the awesome holiness of God. Yet Jesus’ aim is not to consume Peter but to commission him. He has come so that all the promises of God might be ‘yes’ in him.

But that isn’t all. He commissions not just the 12 but all his people. We, too, are confronted in the most mundane places and on the most ordinary of days, with the startling discovery of the presence of God. He takes the initiative and calls us to faith in his Son and then service for his Son.

What qualifications do we need to serve him? What can prepare us to live for him? Strangely, a sense of our utter inability to do so, the keenly-felt sense that we are unworthy, that in the presence of genuine holiness we are, as Isaiah puts it, “undone”.

2. The concern & commission of God
But why is the Lord calling to Moses now? “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt”. That almost reads as though it is a response to an unspoken question. Maybe that’s what’s been going through Moses’ mind as he shepherded the sheep in the desert these long years: where is the Lord? What will become of his promises to Abraham?

If those questions were indeed in Moses’ mind, if they had been in his prayers, the answer is given with great clarity and strength of purpose: “I have heard…I am concerned…I have come down to rescue…and to bring them up”. Everything God promised Abraham has not been forgotten or shelved; the divine purpose was being worked out down these long years and now is the time for him to act.

Do delays indicate that the Lord is uncaring and ready to break his promise? Never; Peter reminds us that the Lord is not slow in keeping his promises but he works to his own timetable. His ways are above ours and hard for us to comprehend but what should never be in doubt is his concern for his people and for his plans to rescue this world from sin.

3. The promise of God
In the light of this extraordinary call to go back to Egypt as the Lord’s agent in the deliverance of his people, Moses’ response is to say in v.11, “Who am I?” His response may not be overflowing with faith in God but it at least shows a commendable humility – far better than if he’d said ‘Well, I’m your man!’

With his past history in Egypt no doubt in mind (both in terms of the Pharaoh and the Hebrews), Moses stands in great need of reassurance from the Lord. His question is met by a gracious and powerful promise: “I will be with you”.

The life-history of Moses shows just how fully that promise was answered. It also discloses that the sign promised here also came to pass as Moses returned to Horeb with the people when they had left Egypt.

The God who calls us to be his partners in the work of the gospel can be trusted to the full. The promise given to Moses was reiterated by the Lord Jesus Christ to his disciples (and, so, to his church) in Mt. 28:20 – “I am with you always”. Emmanuel; God with us. It’s what Moses was promised, it’s what we also discover to our delight.

If the Lord was going to be with Moses, how much more was he with Jesus in his role as Messiah. All the way through his life, Jesus was conscious of the presence of his Father. We see in him no sign of the hesitancy that Moses shows here – “I stand with the Father who sent me” (Jn. 8:16); “the Father, living in me…is doing his work” (Jn. 14:10).

But a day did come in his experience when the presence of his Father was painfully absent and Jesus felt utterly alone and forsaken. Yet, in the strange but wise purposes of God, that was the very moment when prisoners were set free, when the guilty obtained their pardon, when evil was defeated and God’s plans to save were delivered.

At the end of the day, the presence of God, his concern for his people and his promise to help are all summed up in Jesus and made real in and through him.

As we consider our call to serve God in our day, personally and collectively, it is vital that we fix our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith. He calls and he equips; he humbles and he heals; he makes real both the presence and the power of God. That is ever our greatest need and it is fully met in Jesus.