Despite all the hardship and struggle Joseph endured while in slavery in Egypt, he did not fail to recognize the sovereign hand of God in every event of His life. In response to his brother's repentance, Joseph responded, "As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good." This theme of providence carries over into the events recorded in the beginning of the book of Exodus. Just as Joseph's brothers intended to bring about his destruction, Pharaoh sought to destroy all the Hebrew baby boys. Instead, God used this evil edict to preserve His servant Moses and to place him in the one house in which he would have access to all the "wisdom of the Egyptians" (Acts 7:22). This first lesson in our series introduces the mediator of the old covenant and explains the historical context into which God placed him.
The views in the desert must have looked much different than the vistas Moses witnessed from the royal palaces in Egypt. By all outward appearances, Moses' fall from power and prominence to anonymity with authority over dumb beasts alone seems like a monumental downgrade. Yet, the Lord ordained both of Moses' stations, and each served to cultivate within him the capabilities and talents needed to lead God's people out of the confines of Egypt. In His wisdom, God prepared Moses with the richest learning of his time as well as equipped him with the humility and patience to guide and care for some of the most stubborn creatures on the planet.
The imagery of fire normally arouses sentiments of terror and dread. Fire possesses the capacity to destroy and wreak havoc in the worst of ways, and this reality forces us to recall these facts when we think about this powerful element. Consequently, God’s employment of fire in His manifestations may lead us to think only of His wrath and fury. While the Bible does correlate God’s judgment and condemnation with fire, this element does not carry with it only punitive aspects of God’s will. Fire also provides warmth for the cold and weary, as well as purifies mixed, heterogeneous substances. The Shekinah Glory cannot abide with sin and must consume it in its purity. Yet, Christians can take hope in the reality that Christ has borne the heat of God’s wrath and purified His people through His Spirit, exposing and giving us access to the refulgent glory of God, which we need not fear.
The tendency to ignore the work of our Trinitarian God in the Old Testament remains a real problem within Christendom. Christians sometimes attribute the great redemptive acts of history in the Old Testament to the first person of the Trinity, the Father, alone. However, as John describes in the first chapter of his gospel, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God… All things were made through him.” Both the second person and the third person of the Trinity (the Son and the Spirit, respectively) worked in conjunction with the Father to lead events to the climax of history: the incarnation of the Son of God. As this lesson demonstrates, the Shekinah Glory played an important role in these events, and the Son of God possessed a special part in the manifestation of His glory to His creation.
The New Testament teaches that Christians should not neglect gathering together as a body of believers to worship together. Although the form of worship might look different across various congregations and denominations, this principle remains the same: where the body of Christ gathers together, Christ, our sacred, holy Savior, is there. The recognition of this amazing truth should prompt us to reevaluate our preparation for crossing into the sacred realm of our deliverer as well as discourage us from possessing a flippant regard for the privilege of coming together as the body of Christ. Although we may look boldly into the face of our Deliverer because He opened His arms to us in His death and resurrection, we must demonstrate love and respect for God our Savior.
The majority of humanity maintains belief in the existence of an impersonal, amoral deity that functions in a manner similar to a force of nature. Since this being does not possess standards of morality and, therefore, impose them upon created order, attendants to this view express a freedom to live how they would without restrictions. The truth, however, is that these individuals have placed themselves in the bondage of sin and disbelief, ripping from themselves all hope of redemption from their sin and state of condemnation. The revelation of the Lord in Exodus 3 as "I AM WHO I AM," a personal, moral God, demonstrates the high demands God places upon His creation, but it also offers a hope of salvation and redemption not extant in the alternative.
Human beings like the idea of autonomy. It seems that the entire plight of humanity, as portrayed by the secular world, may be summed up in the search for freedom and independence from any attachment. This notion defies reality, and the very desire for this type of existence plunged mankind into sin at the garden of Eden. As creatures, human beings are contingent upon God for the beginning of their existences as well as their persistence. This should incite extreme joy in the hearts of God's people, for the unchanging, loving, and supremely wise Lord holds our existence in the very palm of His hand, and He is sure to work together for good all things for those who love Him.
The hypothesis of spontaneous generation circulates in the realm of scientific study as the answer to the origin of the universe. Something spontaneously generated from nothing into the nascent form of the universe we witness today. The concept smacks of absurdity, and it renders Christians shocked and incredulous at times. How can anyone adhere to such a doctrine? Yet, this ridiculous unbelief should not surprise us. Paul tells us in Romans 1 that "although they knew God, they did not honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and their foolish hearts were darkened" (1:21). We should expect unbelievers to deny the truth, and this should lead us to thank our Lord that He shined a light in the darkness of our hearts when we, too, persisted in unbelief.
Many times, Christians look at the great figures of the Old Testament and romanticize their activities and achievements. The Bible clearly lauds these individuals, such as Abraham, Moses, and David, as great men of faith and substance. Yet, it also paints complete pictures of these individuals, identifying their sin along with their obedience. In contrast, our great Deliverer, Jesus Christ, knew no sin and never strayed away from the narrow path leading to Golgotha, into the grave, and then to the right hand of the Father. As great as our spiritual forefathers were, this lesson clearly illuminates the vast superiority of our Savior, Jesus, whom death could not hold and enemies could not conquer.
The Bible contains amazing narratives about miraculous feats accomplished by the envoys and servants of the Lord. Sometimes, Christians get lost in the miraculous nature of the stories and fail to identify the purpose of the miracles themselves. Apart from aiding God's people in loving displays of grace and tenderness, miracles, more importantly, validated the individuals as servants of the Lord and gave authenticity to the Word of God that surrounded them. Jesus, the true, living Word of God, performed more miracles than all the other servants of the Lord combined, and in a span of much less time than God's other tools. It reminds us of the unique nature of our Savior, the Son of God, the Logos, in whom the fullness of God is revealed in power and majesty.