FOR THE LOVE OF GOD

Scripture Reference: Titus 2:11-15

One day this present age will have run its course. When it has, our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will come again and introduce a whole new order of things. But how are to we to live in the meantime, as we wait for this great event? The grace of God in salvation and the self-giving of Christ on Calvary together point us to the answer.

The New Testament repeatedly traces our experience of salvation to its roots in the grace of God. In Paul’s second letter to Timothy, for example, Paul reminds us that “He has saved us and called us to a holy life—not because of anything we have done but because of his own purpose and grace” (2 Timothy 1:9). Then there is the succinct declaration the Apostle makes in the second chapter of Ephesians, made and then repeated as if to emphasize God’s gift of grace, “it is by grace you have been saved” (Ephesians 2:5, 8). Thus Paul repeats the thought here in Titus 2:11 as he writes that “the grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people.” It is God’s unmerited favor to which the whole experience goes back to.

The Apostle is telling the readers that God’s grace has appeared to all kinds and classes of people. God’s grace knows no barriers. It recognizes no distinctions. It brings salvation to young and old, rich and poor, male and female, slave and free, Jew and Gentile alike.

What Grace Does

This grace of God is a powerful force in our lives as believers. As Paul continues to emphasize, the grace, “it teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age.” Grace not only brings about initial change; it enables us from that point forward to live truly Christian lives.

As it does so, we may become very Christlike indeed. Nevertheless, to the end of our days, we will carry around with us hearts that are still wicked. Because of that fact, there is a constant possibility of sinning. We can still be guilty of “ungodliness.” We may at times still yield to “worldly passions,” that is, to the sinful desires that are all too prevalent in a world in rebellion against God. We aren’t of the world any longer, but we still live in a world where sin is so blatantly prevalent. The temptations are ever among us.

That being so however, we can appreciate the value of God’s saving grace. What does it do? It “teaches us to say ‘No’ to ungodliness and worldly passions.” Left to ourselves we would be no match for “the sin that so easily entangles” (Hebrews 12:1). We would fall before it like the pins in a bowling alley. Apart from the mighty influence of God’s grace in our lives, we would find ourselves constantly saying “Yes” instead of “No” and yielding to all kinds of temptations. It is by God’s grace alone that we are able to renounce such behavior and instead “live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in this present age.”

To Be Continued

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

5. Threatening

Please read Exodus 10:21-29 for the background to this section.

We don’t know how long after the locusts left Egypt that God sent the ninth plague, but the darkness over the land for three days proved that Jehovah was greater than Ra (or Re) and Horus, both of whom the Egyptians revered as sun gods. The darkness wasn’t the natural result of a sandstorm but was a miracle from the hand of the God of the Hebrews. There was light for the Israelites in the land of Goshen, just as there would be light for them as they marched out of Egypt (Exodus 14:19-20). The people of Egypt (symbolic of the world) walk in the darkness, but the people of God walk in the light (John 3:19-21; 1 John 1:5-10).

Always ready to call for help when he was in trouble, Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and made one more offer. The Jews could go on their journey to worship the Lord, but they couldn’t take their flocks and herds with them. Pharaoh’s plan was to confiscate all their livestock to replace what he had lost in the plagues, and then send his army to bring the Jews back to Egyptian slavery. Moses and Aaron rejected the offer, not only because they saw through his crafty plan, but because they knew that Israel had to obey all the will of God.

Pharaoh was a proud man, and proud people don’t like to be outwitted by those whom they consider their inferiors. Moses and Aaron had refused his four offers and had insisted that he let the Israelites go. These two humble Jews had proved themselves more powerful (through God) than the exalted Pharaoh of Egypt, a son of the gods. By His mighty judgments, the God of the Hebrews had brought the great nation of Egypt to its knees; and both the leaders and the common people in the land held Moses in high regard (Exodus 11:3).

Pharaoh was a beaten man, but he wouldn’t admit it. Instead, he used his authority to try to intimidate Moses. He warned Moses that if he came back into the palace to see Pharaoh, he would be killed. There were to be no more official audiences before Pharaoh.

But before Moses left the throne room, he delivered God’s final warning about the last plague, the death of the firstborn (Exodus 11:4). Pharaoh then threatened to kill Moses if he saw him again, but God was going to slay every firstborn son in the land of Egypt and then drown Pharaoh’s crack troops. In spite of what Pharaoh said about not seeing Moses again, on Passover night, Pharaoh would once again call for Moses and plead for his help (Exodus 12:31).

The hardening of Pharaoh’s heart is a warning to all of us. If the sinful human heart doesn’t respond by faith to God’s Word, it cannot be transformed by the grace of God (Ezekiel 36:26-27; Hebrews 8:7-13). Instead, it will become harder and harder the longer it resists God’s truth. No matter how often God may send affliction, it will only provoke more disobedience. In the last days, when God sends His terrible judgments on the world (Read Revelation Chapters 6-16), people will curse God and continue in their sins, but they will not repent (Revelation 6:15-17; 9:20-21; 16:9, 11). There will be a whole world full of men and women like Pharaoh who will behold God’s judgments and miracles and still not repent. God does give mankind the ability to choose their destiny, but the choice comes with a warning if left unheeded.

“The Holy Spirit says, ‘Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts’ ” (Hebrews 3:7-8).

“It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31).

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

4. Appealing – Continued

Please read Exodus 10:1-20 for the background to this section.

In Pharoah’s angry response to Moses’ and Aaron’s rejection of the leaders third demand, Pharaoh blasphemed the name of God. Literally, he said, “May the Lord be with you if I ever let you and your children go!” The New Living Translation (NLT) renders it, “The LORD will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones!” (Exodus 10:10). Pharaoh interpreted their request as an evil plot to secure their freedom from Egyptian bondage. If all the Jewish men left with their families and livestock, they’d never have to return!

That was the end of the interview, and Pharaoh commanded his officers to drive Moses and Aaron out of the palace. As far as he was concerned, he was finished with Moses and Aaron and would never again listen to their messages from the Lord. However, God had other plans, and before long, Pharaoh would again be appealing for deliverance and relief.

Invasion (verses 12-15). God had seen and heard the entire interview and was prepared to respond to Pharaoh’s blasphemy and disobedience. When Moses lifted his rod toward heaven, God sent an east wind that blew for the rest of that day and all through the night. It brought vast swarms of locusts into the land, and they began to devour all the vegetation that had survived the previous plague. Since the creatures attacked “all the Egyptians,” the inference is that Israel escaped this devastating plague.

If vocabulary is any indication of significance, then the locust was a significant creature in the Old Testament world, for there are at least eleven different Hebrew words in Scripture referring to it. The Jews were permitted to eat certain species of locusts (Leviticus 11:20-23; Deuteronomy 14:19-20; see also Matthew 3:1-4), but for the most part, they hated the creatures because of their ability to strip the vegetation from an area with incredible speed. The Israelites used the locust swarm to describe anything that quickly invaded and devastated their land (Judges 6:5; 7:12; Isaiah 33:4; Jeremiah 46:23; 51:14, 27), and the Prophet Joel compared the locusts to an invading army (Joel 1-2; see also Amos 7:1-3).

Intercession (verses 16-19). If Pharaoh’s officers thought that Egypt was already ruined through the previous plagues, then what was their opinion of the situation after the locusts arrived? Within a brief time, no vegetation was left anywhere in the land, and the creatures were invading the houses as well as the fields. It was the most devastating natural calamity to hit the land of Egypt in all Egyptian history. In destroying the vegetation, God not only left the land bankrupt, but He triumphed over Osiris, the Egyptian god of fertility and crops. He also proved that He had control over the wind.

Once again Pharaoh sought for relief without repentance, and God mercifully granted his request. God proved His greatness by reversing the winds and carrying all the locusts into the Red Sea. Within a short time, He would put Pharaoh’s army into the Red Sea, and then the Israelites would be free to march to their Promised Land.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved

Scripture Reference: Exodus 8:20-10:29

4. Appealing

Please read Exodus 10:1-20 for the background to this section.

When God gave Moses the instructions for his next meeting with Pharaoh, He added another reason for the great display of His wonders in the plagues: that the Jews might be able to tell the generations to come about the awesome power of their great God.

This purpose was also written into the Passover Feast (see Exodus 12:26-27; 13:8, 14-15). Whether in the family or the local church, it’s good for each new generation to learn and appreciate the way God has worked on behalf of previous generations. Recalling and giving thanks for God’s wonderful deeds is one of the basic themes of the Book of Deuteronomy, including what the Lord did to Pharaoh (Deuteronomy 4:34; 7:18-19; 26:5-8; 29:1-3).

Interrogation (verses 3-11). Three questions summarize this confrontation with Pharaoh. First, Moses and Aaron asked Pharaoh how long he was going to persist in his pride and refuse to humble himself before God. It took a great deal of courage to tell any ancient ruler that he was proud, but especially the king of Egypt who was honored as a god. However, Moses and Aaron knew that the Lord would protect them and fulfill His word. They warned Pharaoh that if he failed to obey, vast swarms of locusts would come into the land and destroy everything that hadn’t already been destroyed by the hailstorm. Moses and Aaron didn’t wait for an answer or another false promise; they delivered their message and walked out of the palace.

The second question came from Pharaoh’s officers, “How long shall this man be a snare to us?” They suggested that Pharaoh had been wrong in not letting the Jews go, and they even dared to remind him that his anti-Jewish policy had ruined the land of Egypt. The officers certainly were brave to talk this boldly to Pharaoh, but the nation was in desperate straits and somebody had to do something. What harm could come from the Jewish people temporarily leaving their work and going on their journey?

Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron back to the palace and asked the third question demanding an answer: “Tell me who will be going.” Moses made it clear that God wanted everybody to take this three-day journey. This included all the men, women, and children, the young and the old, and also the flocks and herds that would be needed to provide sacrifices for the Lord. Pharaoh offered to let only the men go on the journey, knowing that he could hold their families hostage and guarantee their return to Egypt, but it was a compromise that Moses and Aaron rejected.

To Be Continued

Adapted and modified excerpts from Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Delivered, “Be” Commentary Series.
Unless otherwise noted, Scripture taken from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®, ESV © 2016 by Crossway Bibles.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV © 2011 by Biblica, Inc.
Where noted, Scripture taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation®, NLT © 2015 by Tyndale House.
Used by permission. All rights reserved