Feeling God’s Peace

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

There have been so many nights where fear has kept me awake. Sometimes it’s fear of something that might happen the next day, or fear of the consequences for something that’s already happened. But many, many times, I find myself lying awake with a fast-beating heart simply because fear and paranoia seek to steal my sleep. They drive into me, drawing my attention to every little thing that could cause my heart and mind to race, and I’m left waiting for sunrise with my light on so I can feel safe enough to close my eyes. 

On nights like these, it can be so hard to find God’s peace. Sometimes I have to force myself to remember that God is with me, that He is King over everything. Isaiah 41:10 says, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God has His hand on me, and I am not alone. But the paranoia still creeps in, seeking to drag my attention back to things that are either in my head, or that are much smaller than fear wants me to think. 

This is when I hum.  

Say the Name of Jesus Out Loud

I don’t always sing aloud because fear keeps my mouth shut, but out loud is best. Sing out loud, or pray out loud, or even better—do both. If you can’t bring yourself to do this, or if you don’t want to disturb or wake anybody, then try humming, singing in your head, praying in your head, and when you feel brave enough, whisper Jesus’ name.  

Pray Scripture

This fear and paranoia that seeks to steal your sleep feeds on that which isn’t real, but God is real, Jesus is real. Cast His name over every fear, every paranoia, every anxiety that plagues you. Whisper His name, and envision it as a battle cry, because I’m telling you, that’s exactly what it is. Whisper the name of Jesus and pray, pray, pray.

Pray Paul’s benediction from 2 Thessalonians 3:16, “Now may the Lord of peace himself give you peace at all times in every way. The Lord be with you all.”  

Pray David’s psalm from Psalm 4:8, “In peace I will both lie down and sleep; for you alone, O Lord, make me dwell in safety.”   

Pray the Lord’s blessing on His people from Numbers 6:24-26, “May the Lord bless you and protect you. May the Lord smile on you and be gracious to you. May the Lord show you his favor and give you his peace.”  

Whether out loud or in your head, prayer is so powerful. God hears you, eager to give you His peace and rest. God wants you to sleep, and to find good rest in it. He will be with you as you battle the fear and paranoia constantly trying to rob you of it. He gave you His Son, Jesus, and Jesus’ name is enough to bring you His comfort. God is oh so close to you.

Speak Jesus Over Every Thought and Feeling

Speak Jesus over your heart which beats so fast, whose rhythm falters when fear strikes.  

Speak Jesus over your mind which runs rampant as it clings to any reason to feel fright and cause unrest.  

Speak Jesus over your body which longs to slumber, but which twists and turns as anxiety sinks into its bones.  

Speak Jesus over your eyes that might see that which isn’t there, over your ears that may cause the slightest sound to be so loud, and over every clenching muscle.  

Speak Jesus over your home, over your room, over your neighborhood, over every loved one.  

Seek peace in Jesus’ name.

A Prayer for Protection

Now, if I may pray for you. “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. Lord bless and protect this reader. Grant them Your peace as they lie down seeking Your rest so they can finally drift into sleep. Help them to remember Your love and protection, which blankets them at every moment, day or night. Let them take their fears, their anxieties, their paranoia, and give them all to You. Give their heart and mind the peace of God the Father, and Jesus the Son, Amen.”

The originator of this work is…

Morgan Reeves

Persian Kings, the Jews, and Purim

By Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

“[Where is a good place to read about and clarify all the different Xerxes, Artaxerxes, Ahasuerus, Cyrus, (etc) characters?

There are several issues that come up when trying to align the timing and order of the Persian kings with their Old Testament references and interactions with the Jews. 

There’s a problem between using the Anglicized Hebrew names for these monarchs, as in the story of Esther, and the more commonly used Anglicized versions of Greek names [from Herodotus’ History] for the Athenians’ hated enemy rulers.  Especially since Anglicization of Hebrew is inconsistent [e.g., do we use “ch” or “kh” for the guttural, back of the throat sound of the Hebrew letters khes and khuf]. 

• Ancient and modern historical sources disagree, attributing different Persian kings as being the kings described in Daniel, Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esther, originally in Aramaic, but in modern English translations Greek names are used, which may or may not properly correspond to the Aramaic or original Persian.
• There is also a difference between familial names of at least some of these kings and their “official” reign names, which were usually “revivals” of the names of famous, successful earlier monarchs [e.g., Darius II & III]. 

Based upon Halley’s Bible Handbook [25th edition, Zondervan] & The Timetables of History [3rd ed., Touchstone-Simon&Schuster], I came up with this:

~539-530 BC — Cyrus [Daniel, Azariah, Hananiah, Mishael; Zerubbabel leads the first Aliyah to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem about 538BC;]

530-522 BC — Cambyses [possibly the Artaxerxes who stopped work on the Temple]

522-486 BC — Darius I  (Doryawesh – Hebrew/Aramaic] reauthorized completion of the Temple.

485-464 BC — Xerxes (Greek)  [Akhaseurous / Ahasuerus Aramaic/Hebrew]

 Mordecai & Esther (~479-472BC) about 15 yrs before Ezra’s Aliyah to Jerusalem, about 28 years before Nehemiah’s Aliyah]

464~423 BC — Artaxerxes I [Longimanus]  [Nehemiah]

423-405 BC — Darius II 

405-359 BC — Artaxerxes II

359-331 BC — Darius III, last Achmenaed king of Persia, who was overthrown by Alexander of Macedon [“the Great].  

Conclusion

Some additional background.  Haman is described as an Agagite; many modern scholars identify the Agagites as the descendants of the scattered survivors of the Amalekites, the semi-nomadic tribe living in the area east and south of the Dead Sea and westward into Sinai and the Negev that repeatedly attacked the Israelites on their exodus from Egypt and after their settlement in the Promised Land [see Exodus 17:8-16; also Numbers 14, Judges 6-7, I Samuel 15, 27, 30].  In Exodus 17, we read that God swore to annihilate Amalek, and Moses prophesied that Israel would war on Amalek from generation to generation.  The prophesy was finally completed in the time of Mordecai and Esther, during the Persian Empire’s dominance of the Near and Middle East.

Several Persian “king of kings” during this era were friendly towards the Jewish people, beginning with the first Medeo-Persian king Cyrus, who after defeating the Neo-Babylonian Empire and conquering Babylon, encouraged the Jews [who had been enslaved there] to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Holy Temple.  He even gave them money and provisions, all of the remaining Temple artefacts that could be found in Babylon, and letters of authorization requiring local governors west of the Euphrates River to assist the Jews.  Nevertheless, when Esther was called to enter the contest to become successor to Queen Vashti, her uncle Mordecai urged her to hide her Jewish identity [Est 2:20].  This was all part of God’s sovereign plan to protect His chosen people and to finish the elimination of Amalek.

What Else Can We Learn from the Story of Esther?

God was there then, just as He is here now. Even when He isn’t named or acknowledged, He is there, a Rock of constancy, the Light of Truth. He is sovereign, and the seemingly “coincidental” or “lucky” ISN’T.

Not all of God’s people are as bold and openly loyal to him when living among non-believers as Daniel, Shadrakh, Medrakh, Abed-Nego, Nehemiah, and Ezra had been.

The Jewish people, even when assimilated and hiding their faith and heritage, remain under God’s protection, because His covenants are eternal, and His mind does not change. Mordekhai was, as my grandfather would have said, “a good Jew.” Yet, he encouraged his niece to compete to replace Queen Vashti even though as a non-Persian she was not eligible to compete, and as a Jew, she should not have sought to marry a Gentile — even if he was the King of the Medes and Persians. But God remained true to His covenant, and is still true to His covenant to this very day, to ensure the survival and salvation of the Jewish people (not all of them, but a Remnant from every generation, and not without Messiah, but through Him).

Violent Acts Against Churches Increasing

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

A new analysis by the Family Research Council (FRC) finds acts of violence against churches in the United States are rapidly heading upward, “vandalism, arson, gun-related incidents, bomb threats, and more.”

According to the analysis reported by FRC’s Arielle Del Turco, there were at least 436 acts of hostility against churches in the 11 months of 2023 from January through the end of November.

Incidents Per Year, January 2018 – November 2023.

“This was more than double the number of incidents in all 12 months of 2022, which was 195. It also marked the second consecutive year that saw more than twice the number of incidents of the year before.

“There were at least 96 incidents in 2021, 55 in 2020, 83 in 2019, and 50 in 2018. Over the entire reporting period for this report, from 2018 to 2023, acts Data Says—Violent Acts vs Churches Spiraling Upward in US Page 1 of 2 of hostility appear to have increased in frequency over time,” Del Turco reported.

“Although the motivations for many of these incidents remain unknown, the rise in crimes against churches is taking place in a context in which American culture appears increasingly hostile to Christianity. Criminal acts of vandalism and destruction of church property may be symptomatic of a collapse in societal reverence and respect for houses of worship and religion —in this case, churches and Christianity,” Del Turco continued.

“Americans appear increasingly comfortable lashing out against church buildings, pointing to a larger societal problem of marginalizing core Christian beliefs, including those that touch on hot-button political issues related to human dignity and sexuality,” she writes.

Most of the hostile acts involved vandalism of church property.

“To conduct this research, FRC analyzed open-source documents, reports, and media outlets to assess the number of acts of hostility against churches that have taken place since 2018. We looked at incidents of vandalism (including the destruction, defacement, ransacking, and theft of property), arson, and arson attempts. Gun-related incidents that took place on church property and bomb threats (including false ones) made against churches were also included. Most of the incidents identified were acts of vandalism.

“From January 2018 to November 2023, there were at least 709 occurrences of vandalism, 135 arson attacks or attempts, 22 gun-related incidents, 32 bomb threats, and 61 other incidents (assault, threats, interruption of worship services, etc.). In 39 cases, multiple types of hostility occurred (e.g., vandalism and arson).”

The originator of this work is…

HillFaith.org

In the Dark–a Message of Hope

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

Psalm 11 starts with a problem and ends with a promise. In between, it addresses three questions about our times of troubling darkness and the assaults coming at us. Our first question is “Where is God when we’re in the dark?” The second is “How do we call on God when we’re in the dark?” The third is “What is God’s commitment to us when we’re in the dark?”

It is one thing to suffer through times of darkness when we bring it on ourselves through a lifestyle of sinful behaviors. In that case, we should expect arrows to come. For the upright in heart, however, endlessly suffering in the dark is troubling to the soul.

This is the point when things get tough for people of faith. As our situation gets worse – when our pain increases and suffering seem to multiply – we get confused. Our expectation is to see the light of God’s face shining on us, but instead we remain helpless in the troubling dark. Moreover, as David said, the enemy fires arrows at us that we can’t see coming.

When we are in need, we seek the light of the Lord’s countenance to show us a way forward. He is our only reliable source when we’re confused, drained and overwhelmed. David attested to this when opened Psalm 11, “In the Lord I take refuge” (Psalm 11:1, ESV). David was telling us that we have hope of escape in our time of difficulty and that the Lord is the safe one to whom we can bring our cries.

A beloved member of my family suffered a long season of darkness that was forced on her. My maternal grandmother was the sort of person anyone would want as a grandparent. A picture of kindness, she sat on her porch in a rocking chair, sweetly awaiting our arrival before starting her endless baking of cookies. She spent hours praying for her children and grandchildren. Many times, I found her in the living room on her knees, praying.

Anyone looking in from the outside would never have guessed that this lovely, holy woman was stuck in a dark season that never seemed to end. My grandfather had a serious alcohol problem, and at his worst, he abused my grandmother terribly. He screamed at her, accused her of things she didn’t do and struck her. My grandmother prayed and hoped for a turnaround, but the abuse and pain went on for decades. Finally, my grandfather came to Christ, and things changed. Through all the preceding years, though, my grandmother never knew whether she would ever see a joyful day again.

As I mentioned, David opened Psalm 11 by stating, “In the Lord I take refuge” (Psalm 11:1). He sought a haven of safety in God. In the previous psalm, David called out, “Lord, these trials never end. I long to fulfill your purposes in my life, but those dreams seem to have died. When will you deliver me to fulfill the things you have planned for me?”

Our need for relief in dark times is heightened as our troubles continue. As our pain intensifies and we don’t feel God is responding, we might seek a source to numb that pain. Some seek relief in alcohol, porn, spending, overeating, sexual immorality or other supposed pleasures, anything that might distract from the unending pain.

All of these take a terrible toll, and none of them work. In fact, they give us a false sense of fulfillment. As the fleeting pleasure dissipates, we’re left not just empty but guilty. We have piled another type of anguish on top of our pain, weighing down our soul, and the enemy’s arrows become worse. Our longings can only be met in the Lord.

I love David’s strong response to this crushing cycle. The phrase “In the Lord I take refuge” tells us that he was determined to look to no source other than God himself. There, in the safe haven of the Lord’s presence, David understood that he would continue to have dark times.

David cried to whoever was advising him, “How can you say to my soul,

‘Flee like a bird to your mountain’” (Psalm 11:1-2). He seemed to be saying, “I can’t run away from my problems. How can I possibly escape to other things?” David was resolute to trust the Lord rather than fleeing. He showed us how it is possible for us to worship in the midst of our unending dark. Even in our worst moments, as my grandmother exemplified, it is possible to worship if we run to the Lord’s incredible refuge.

David asked, “If the foundations are destroyed, what can the righteous do?” (Psalm 11:3). He knew that as long as our foundations remain in place, the upright have no need to fear.

Throughout the years, church leaders have used this verse to speak to national and political concerns. They see societal foundations being destroyed as immoral practices are upheld as good. The context of this verse, however, makes clear that its application is much more personal than political or national. David was saying, “If the foundations of my life are threatened, if my faith is torn down and my hope is crushed, where is it possible to flee?”

In verses 4 and 5, David gave us a reason for hope. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see, his eyelids test the children of man. The Lord tests the righteous, but his soul hates the wicked and the one who loves violence” (Psalm 11:4-5, my emphasis). Here we see God’s response to two kinds of people. One type of person is tested while the other type is terrified. The latter is terrified because God’s “soul hates the wicked” (Psalm 11:5). This is a fearful thing for evildoers.

Meanwhile, God’s people are tested by the arrows fired at them in the dark. Of what value are these tests? Our enemies mean them to break us, but God uses them to prove his protection and power. In short, our tests teach us how to run through enemy troops and leap over walls (see Psalm 18:29). David wanted us to know, “God will test you but not so that you fail. Your test will be one that ultimately leads to victory.”

Our tests also reveal God’s power, and this terrifies our enemies. David wrote, “Let him rain coals on the wicked; fire and sulfur and a scorching wind shall be the portion of their cup” (Psalm 11:6). This is God’s judgment, plain and simple; and it will come upon the wicked rapidly like a wildfire, consuming their corrupted lives. They may have triumphed for a short season, but their end is pain, sorrow and self-loathing. That is the cup of judgment they have to drink unless they turn and repent.

Sometimes the tests that befall us lead to something glorious. God’s grace has unlimited power to redeem and transform any life, no matter how damaged. We can flee to him because he sees all that we go through. “The Lord is in his holy temple; the Lord’s throne is in heaven; his eyes see…” (Psalm 11:4). God is sovereign, omnipotent and unchanging, and that means his refuge is a foundational security to us.

Those who are not being tested, that is the wicked and ungodly, become terrified. They will not triumph but instead will see their works overturned. Hot coals of conviction will rain down on their heads, and their lot will be scorching destruction. The lives of the upright are a different story. “For the Lord is righteous; he loves righteous deeds; the upright shall behold his face” (Psalm 11:7).

When I consider my grandmother, I see someone who went through dark times and was shown the powerful light of God’s countenance. She did not let her tests defeat her. She emerged triumphant, entering the victory that the Lord had for her. When she needed help, she ran to the refuge of God’s presence, and that renewed her strength. It was not apparent to the naked eye, but over time, my grandmother was granted unlimited power over the arrows fired at her. In the end, she passed her tests with flying colors.

You and I have been promised the power to pass our tests too. We can face our season of darkness and time of trouble as arrows fly at us from all directions. At times, we’ll be alarmed by everything that comes at us, causing us to wonder, “Why am I in this place? I can’t handle all of this at one time. Whenever I pray for relief, more arrows fly at me.”

God has a purpose for you, and your testing will bring you out of the darkness with great glory to him and great joy to your soul. When you refuse to give up, turning to him at your most difficult time, you accomplish more for his kingdom than ever. “He loves righteous deeds” (Psalm 11:7).

In those times, we find ourselves encompassed by God’s protecting hand. He points and says, “See my servant in the midst of the dark. That arrow flew at her, but she stood strong. She had faith, and she fled to me to draw on my strength. She shall see my face.”

No matter what test you’re enduring, no matter what dark valley you find yourself in, you will not fall. Seek his refuge, and your reward will be his countenance, its light piercing the darkness you’ve been through. To all who suffer and despair, his joy will come; his hope will sustain, and his grace will cover and carry you. You will emerge from the dark with the strength of victory to his great glory. Amen.

Conclusion by Steve Daskal

God allows trials or tests of His church, His people, to draw them to rely upon Him more and themselves and worldly systems and remedies less. God does not want us to fail, any more than a loving parent or an excellent teacher, coach, or commander wants their children, students, players, or troops to fail.  Rather, they want them to grow, but they know that growth requires a balance between preparation and training in basics, teaching concepts and strategies, and testing to allow the leader and the led to evaluate their progress and identify areas where more growth is needed.  Victory over trials builds confidence in the leader and those they lead that they are ready… for the next test.

The originator of this work is…

Gary Wilkerson; World Challenge

Reading the Signs of the Times

By Joe Butta

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

When you look at this world what do you see? Is everything just as it has been before? Is there any cause for alarm? Do you see yourself as a good person and have concluded that culpability for anything that is wrong resides elsewhere? Are you a participant in trying to make things better or are you just an “innocent” bystander?

Let’s take a realistic look at our world. As we do, perhaps we may learn something about ourselves, too.

QUESTION: Are we approaching or living in the days of Noah and Lot that Jesus spoke about in Luke 17:26-33?  Do these descriptions by Apostles Paul and Peter from their epistles [letters] fit our day and this world more than previous generations?

2Timothy 3:1-4 [Paul]: “But understand this, that in the last days there will come times of difficulty. ² For people will be lovers of self, lovers of money, proud, arrogant, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ heartless, unappeasable, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not loving good, ⁴ treacherous, reckless, swollen with conceit, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, ⁵ having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power.” (ESV)

2Peter 3:2-3 “You should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles, ³ knowing this first of all, that scoffers will come in the last days with scoffing, following their own sinful desires.” (ESV) 

QUESTION: Do you perceive an infiltration into our society of dark spiritual and humanly selfish forces that are leading toward the demise of Western Civilization?  Do you sense a rebellion against things considered holy according to God’s revealed Truth, the Bible, such as God Himself, His creation, marriage and sexuality, the traditional family as the basic building block of society, justice and integrity, public behavior, and even life itself? Has Satan inspired some ideologies/false religions like Islamism [from Islam] and Hindutva [from Hinduism]?

In Islamism the Muslim god calls for universal submission of all to the dominant interpretation of Qur’an, and asserts that the proper responsibility of religious and socio-political leaders is to enforce Qur’an as interpreted through sharia law, with those failing to comply being condemned as heretics or apostates worthy of death.  Islamists assert that imposing this rule on non-Muslims by force, at any cost, is the calling of jihad, which is deemed mandatory on all Muslims.  The result is an ideology that promotes loving death more than life. The annihilation of the Jewish people and the destruction of Christianity are its highest priorities, as the Jews claim seniority over Muslims as keepers of God’s original revelation, and Christianity promotes the Bible, not Muhammad’s Qur’an, as the source of ultimate Truth.

In Hindutva, the adherents seek to eliminate the distinction between Hindu religious and cult practices and Indian nationality — asserting that to be Indian is to be Hindu and to be Hindu is to be Indian, and that non-Hindus in India are at best second-class citizens, and in reality should be treated as aliens without rights, encouraged to convert [back] to Hinduism or emigrate.   Hinduism is a pagan religion, worshipping many gods in diverse ways, but there are basic beliefs common to most if not all Hindus, and Christians, Jews, and Muslims cannot adhere to those beliefs.  Hindutva, like Islamism, treats apostasy as a capital offense. 

Beginning in the late 18th century and expanding in the 19th to a full flowering in the 20th and 21st centuries, secular humanist Western civilization has created its own ideologies as a replacement for God-centered religion.  Rather than acknowledging their Creator and His wise, benevolent direction for human society, ever-rebellious humanity in its fallen state has developed these “isms” that grew out of fleshly needs and desires [greed, sloth, fear/desire for control]. While some of these ideologies begin as “liberal” and tolerant, they all eventually demand ideological uniformity that tolerates no opposition. This of course usually puts Christ-followers in the crosshairs.

These religious or secular humanist belief systems seek to:

1. Eliminate the Jewish people, either by annihilating them [the Islamist response] or subverting them and luring them into secularism and assimilation.
2. Subvert, corrupt, divide, and ultimately neutralize the Church, through a combination of:
   • Direct persecution of Christians [violence against believers, especially pastors and lay leaders, and destruction of churches, believers’ property, and Bibles];
   • Promoting negative images about God, the Bible, and Christianity and discouraging people from seeking the truth about God, His Word, and His church;
   • Deceiving, distracting, confusing, and dissuading people from Biblical truth in favor of secular humanist “inclusion, equity, and diversity” that denies the grim reality of sin, denies the certainty of judgment for sin, and rejects the need for humble confession and repentance as essential precursors to receiving divine grace unto salvation and adoption as children of God, which makes these confused nominal Christians and their churches indistinguishable from the Progressives and social service groups.

CONCLUSION:

This essay started with a series of questions. Where are you? Is the world getting better or is night descending? What are you going to do about it? From our perspective, only libertarianism and conservatism are compatible with a biblical worldview. Devout Roman Catholics, Orthodox Christians, and evangelical and non-denominational Protestants who share a biblical worldview need to start seeing each other as brothers and sisters in a common Bible-based faith. To do this, each group needs to focus on what we have in common [belief in the inspiration of the Bible and its infallibility in leading serious readers to an understanding of the nature of God, the fallen nature of Mankind, the reality of sin and Mankind’s inability to redeem itself from sin, and God’s gracious, loving provision of a remedy for sin in His Son, Jesus Christ.  We must focus on the common, fundamental truths of Christian faith laid out in the ancient creeds such as the Apostles Creed, and avoid divisive disputes over areas of disagreement and interpretations of Biblical details not central to understanding God’s holiness, human sinfulness, and the path to salvation.

Our ideological enemies do not care which church or denomination we belong to — if you are not following their belief system, you are their enemy. So, if you are on the sidelines, kindly consider putting on the spiritual armor as described by Apostle Paul in the 6th chapter of his letter to the Ephesians*, and become a warrior for Christ. Did our Lord want his Apostles and disciples to be observers or participants? The staff at CMAA prays that this work helps motivate His Church to do the good work each and every one of us was called to do. “In the essentials unity. In the non-essentials liberty and in all things love.”

 Ephesians 6:1-10 (ESV) — Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints….

God is For Us

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am being tempted by God,” for God cannot be tempted with evil, and he himself tempts no one.  [James 1:13]

When we come to faith in Jesus Christ and the bonds of sin are broken, a number of things become true of us immediately.  We are transferred from death to life and indwelt by God’s Spirit.  We’re placed within His family.  We are redeemed, changed, and born again. 

Sin no longer reigns in our lives. It does, however, remain. 

In trusting Christ, we are not living a life of ease whereby we are exempt from attacks from the Evil One or the subtle tendencies of our own hearts.  Instead, from the point of conversion through to the point of seeing Christ and being made like Him, the Christian is involved in “a continual and irreconcilable war” against temptation. 

Scripture is full of warnings about temptation:  that enticement to sin and evil that we all experience.  Temptation is not simply the lure of things which are wild and unthinkable, but the impulse to take good things which God has given us and use (or misuse) them in a way that sins against God.  In The Screwtape Letters, C. S. Lewis alludes to this subtlety of sin when Screwtape urges his apprentice devil to “encourage the humans to take the pleasures which our Enemy [namely, God] has produced, at times, or in ways, or in degrees, which He has forbidden.”

Scripture is clear that God is never and cannot be the source of temptation.   When James says that “God… tempts no one,” he has built his statement on God’s character.  God is incapable of tempting others to evil because He Himself is insusceptible to it.  Tempting others to evil would require a delight in evil which God does not possess. 

The word translated “tempt” can also be rendered “test.”  So what our fallen nature might turn into a temptation to sin is also a test that can strengthen our faith.  When we face a time of testing, which God allows, we should remember that His purpose is not our failure but our benefit.  The devil longs for us to fail, but God longs for us to succeed.  He is for us, and He is working all things, even trials and temptations, for our good.

So what temptations are you regularly doing battle with (or giving in to)?  Learn to see those as temptations but also as opportunities — as moments to choose obedience, to please your Father, to grow to be more like Christ — to gain a victory in your ongoing war.  “Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” (James 4:7). 

Conclusion by Steve Daskal

So many of us regularly face trials/tests/temptations, and sometimes they are persistent “retests” of the same temptation, and in our humanity we become frustrated, fatalistic, depressed, angry at God, convinced we’re failures, or some combination of these.  But God, who loves us so much that the Father asked the Son to die for us, even while we were in rebellion against His righteous authority, and the Son willingly and obediently went knowing in every detail the cost, is NOT setting us up to fail or be defeated, but to become spiritually stronger, wiser, more discerning, and able to help our brothers and sisters in Christ to endure their own trials/tests. 

The originator of this work is…

Alistair Begg

The Conquering Lion

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

I began to weep loudly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it. And one of the elders said to me, “Weep no more; behold, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has conquered, so that he can open the scroll and its seven seals.”

And between the throne and the four living creatures and among the elders I saw a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain, with seven horns and with seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 

[Rev 5:4-6].

As children, many of us heard our parents say, “Did you remember to…?”  One example that I remember hearing often when I returned from someone’s house was, “Did you remember to say thank you?”  I didn’t need a fresh revelation; I simply needed to remember. 

As he watched the vision Jesus gave him of heavenly reality, the apostle John was brought to tears when confronted by the fear that there was no one who could look into the secrets of the world and explain the troubles of his first-century experience.  But John did not need new information.  He needed to be reminded of what he already knew.  He had erred by forgetting the basics. 

John was told not to weep but to look to the one who could open the scroll.  When he turned, he saw “a Lamb standing, as though it had been slain.”  The Lamb’s wounds were a reminder of Christ’s death, by which He had achieved salvation [for humanity].  But this Lamb was standing, representing the triumph of His resurrection.  Here, in this vision, we see Jesus, the all-merciful and all-powerful one.  He is the Lamb, and He is the Lion.  He deserves and demands the worship and obedience of all the world, and He will have it. 

Jesus was the solution to John’s tears, just as He is to our own tears of fearfulness when we feel the world pressing in against us-when we feel worn down, small, weak, and marginalized, and when we are tempted to believe that this world, rather than being under control, is governed only by chaos. 

None of us know what a day will bring or what will happen during a night.  These secrets belong to God alone.  But what great grace we experience when God gives us a tap on the shoulder and turns us to our Bibles, saying, Are you forgetting that the Lion of the tribe of Judah has actually triumphed, that He is in charge, that He oversees the future, that He is King?  “Fear not,” Jesus had already told John:  “I am the first and the last, and the living one.  I died, and behold I am alive forever more and I have the keys of Death and Hades” (Rev 1:17-18). 

So when you feel discouraged or defeated or troubled by the present or the future, the call is simply this”  remember what you already know.  Look to the Lion of Judah, who is for us the slain Lamb. He is worthy and able to open the scrolls and direct the history of this world to its end:  to His return and our entry into glory. 

Conclusion by Steve Daskal

This is a reminder of the reality of God’s promises to us in Jesus Christ, the promises of an eternal living hope of genuine spiritual prosperity.  The Father, who gave His only begotten Son for our salvation even while we were rebellious sinners denying His authority and His love, is also the one who sustains every believer who trusts in Him, through the power of His Holy Spirit.  Our journey usually won’t be easy — Jesus’ wasn’t, nor were those of His Apostles, nor those of disciples from the 1st century to the 21st.  BUT… He has promised that His Holy Spirit — our Comforter, our Helper — will be by our side as we cross every dark valley, cross every wasteland, battle every temptation, because His desire is for us to persevere and grow and be sanctified through testing until we have the likeness of Christ. 

The originator of this work is…

Alistair Begg

Is Repentance a Change of Mind?

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

—Matthew 3:2 ESV

So begins the ministry of Jesus in the Gospel of Matthew. And this theme, repentance, occurs frequently in the early chapters of all the Synoptic Gospels. In fact, the ministry of John the Baptist is so closely tied to the teaching of repentance that systematic theologian Millard Erickson says, “Repentance was virtually the entirety of John the Baptist’s message.”

Far from receding after the Gospels, the theme of repentance continues throughout the book of Acts. When a guilty crowd asked how they should respond to their complicity in the death of Jesus, their Messiah, Peter commanded them, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38).

Later, Paul, preaching to Greeks in Athens, confirmed that repentance is necessary for all humanity: “Now he commands all people everywhere to repent” (Acts 17:30b; cf. Acts 26:20).

Though less in number than those of the Gospels and Acts, the references to repentance in the New Testament epistolary literature are also impressive. For example, Paul highlights that God’s patience in withholding deserved judgment derives from mercy and a desire to see his enemies repent and be spared judgment (Rom 2:4). And in 2 Corinthians, Paul distinguishes a type of sorrow from true repentance, revealing that “godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (7:10a). Near the end of his ministry, Paul instructs Timothy how to respond to enemies with grace, resting in “hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth” and thereby “escape from the trap of the devil” (2 Tim 2:25).

Finally, the book of Revelation unveils that throughout the judgments of God, the sin of humanity was multiplied in that “they did not repent” (Rev 9:20, 21; 16:9, 11).

This brief overview of repentance in the New Testament literature shows the significance of the concept. Repentance is central to the teaching of Jesus, the salvation Jesus offered, the reception of the Holy Spirit, and the judgment to come. Considering its importance, it is critical that we understand the meaning of “repentance.”

Getting specific

Some readers might wonder why I have chosen to start our consideration of repentance in the New Testament instead of the Old. Surely, the concept exists in the Hebrew Bible: Psalm 51 may be the best expression of repentance in all of Scripture.

Of course, this is merely a short article and cannot encompass all that could be said about repentance. (Those desiring a fuller treatment should see Mark Boda’s excellent work, Return to Me: A Biblical Theology of Repentance.) So I am aiming at something narrower: I want to examine the meaning of the specific Greek word most often translated “repentance.” That would be μετάνοια (metanoia).2

It is important to note that we are seeking here to understand the use of this Greek word, not the broader theological concept of “repentance,” which in English may have various senses based on the theological tradition of the reader.3 In other words, I wanted to get to the essence not of what English speakers may mean by “repentance,” but what the biblical authors meant when they spoke of repentance (i.e., μετάνοια [metanoia]).4

The essence of repentance

One of the historic debates over repentance concerns what exactly it includes. Some have suggested it is merely mental assent, a change of mind. Consulting an authoritative Koine Greek dictionary, we have reason to think this is a good initial definition, for BDAG says that μετάνοια refers “primarily to a change of mind.” Nevertheless, BDAG goes on to note that the New Testament use focuses more on

“the need for change in view of responsibility to deity.”

Defining repentance in the New Testament

The following is my own attempt to define the concept of repentance: repentance is the result of encountering truth that leads to a changed mind, an affected heart, and a revolutionized life.11

The above definition seeks to express the reality that repentance touches on all three aspects of our humanity: intellectual, affectional, and volitional.12

The two elements that are generally debated are the latter two. But all three are a triad that cannot successfully be separated.13

That repentance is an intellectual event hardly needs to be defended. As was noted above, this is the classic sense of the Greek words we are considering. It is also assumed each time the Scripture calls for repentance (Matt 4:17; Acts 2:38, 17:30; Rev 2:16). The assumption is that with the reception of divine teaching, the listener must embrace this knowledge. That this repentance is an affectional event is more debated, yet it is borne out by the biblical data. By “affections,” I speak of “strong inclinations of the soul that are manifested in thinking, feeling and acting.”14

When Jesus was chastising Chorazin and Bethsaida for their lack of repentance, he noted that Tyre and Sidon, had they seen the same works, would have “repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes” (Matt 11:21; Luke 10:13). A perusal of the Old Testament indicates the use of sackcloth (Gen 37:34; Ps 30:11; Jer 4:8) especially when combined with ashes (Esth 4:1) is a sign of deep internal grief.

Paul’s most extended consideration of repentance verifies the place of the affections within the concept. In 2 Corinthians 7, Paul is speaking of a difficult matter he had to address in the church. Their repentant response gladdened Paul’s heart. What interests us is Paul’s two statements: “Sorrow led you to repentance,” and, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation” (2 Cor 7:9–10).15 Thus, the Corinthians were brought to repentance by godly sorrow, a deeply affective experience.16 The response of the Corinthians leads us to the volitional element of repentance. Paul knew that their repentance was genuine since it sprang from a godly sorrow, which produced a life change: “See what this godly sorrow has produced in you: what earnestness, what eagerness to clear yourselves … At every point you have proved yourselves to be innocent in this matter” (2 Cor 7:11).

Elsewhere, the New Testament calls for a repentance that leads to a changed life.

John the Baptist appeals to his listeners to “bear fruit in keeping with repentance” (Matt 3:8; Luke 3:8). Paul adds that he told Gentiles that “they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds” (Acts 26:20).

So, is repentance a change of mind or something different? In light of the above, this question is equivalent to the following: Is water hydrogen or something different? Well, yes of course it is hydrogen, but it is also more. In fact, if you only allowed hydrogen (and no oxygen) you would not have water. In the same way, if you only allow a change of mind in your definition of repentance, then you would not have biblical repentance. Repentance, biblically defined, is the result of encountering truth that leads to a changed mind, an affected heart, and a revolutionized life.

Conclusion by Steve Daskal

I agree with the author’s understanding of repentance as being deeper than just an intellectual recognition of a fact, but rather requires a change of heart and a commitment of the will to implement that change.  To me, repentance is the central of the three steps to salvation:  confess [say with God] that one is a sinner by nature; repent [think again, and implicitly, think differently] of our sinful rebellion against God and His loving righteousness; and accept that only through the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the promised Messiah of Israel and Son of God, can one be truly cleansed from a sinful nature and adopted as a child of God.

The originator of this work is…

Timothy Miller

Word by Word — LOGOS

Unfair Grace

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

^{Jonah 3: 3b}Now Nineveh was an exceedingly great city, three days’ journey in breadth. ⁴ Jonah began to go into the city, going a day’s journey. And he called out, “Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown!” ⁵ And the people of Nineveh believed God. They called for a fast and put on sackcloth, from the greatest of them to the least of them.

⁶ The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes. ⁷ And he issued a proclamation and published through Nineveh, “By the decree of the king and his nobles: Let neither man nor beast, herd nor flock, taste anything.

Let them not feed or drink water, ⁸ but let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them call out mightily to God. Let everyone turn from his evil way and from the violence that is in his hands. ⁹ Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.”

¹⁰ When God saw what they did, how they turned from their evil way, God relented of the disaster that he had said he would do to them, and he did not do it.  

GOD DELIGHTFULLY RESPONDS TO REPENTANCE WITH MERCY. 

THE PEOPLE’S RESPONSE

What a beautiful story of mercy and grace.  “And the people of Nineveh believed God.”  The people of Nineveh repented in their thinking.  They redirected their worship.  They redefined their personal worth.  They took off their Gucci, their Versace, their Armani, and they put on sackcloth.  They renounced their privilege from the greatest to the least and were all equal — all sinners and all in need of mercy. 

THE KING’S RESPONSE

“The word reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, removed his robe, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  And he issued a proclamation and published it throughout Nineveh, ‘By the decree of the king and his nobles…” (Jonah 3:6-7).  The king responded to God.  He redefined his personal worth and laid aside his robe.  He repented, covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.  Finally, he used his position and influence to redirect worship to God (he published a decree).  We’ve got a whole city now ready to accept the Gospel and turn in repentance to God.  That’s a leadership call to righteousness. 

God has positioned you for influence.  God has given you position.   He’s given you a robe and a throne.  Each and every one of you is influential in one way or another. 

A MESSAGE OF MERCY

There are people who, before I give them the Bible and before I share the Gospel, they are wondering, “Is mercy available? If I repent, will God forgive my sin and wash me clean?  Will he take me back?” 

It’s covered with arrogance.  It’s covered with “Oh, I don’t believe there is a God.” It’s covered with atheism, scholastic arguments, and science, but deep down, every heart wants to know, “God will you forgive me?”  Every time we share the Gospel, we are declaring that our God is a merciful God. 

Who are you convinced is not going to believe?  Your spouse, cousin, brother, sister, or colleague?  God the Father is drawing people, and He knows that when the Gospel is given, they will repent.  The Gospel is that God is willing to show mercy. 

1. Mercy is something that must be asked for.  It is also something that’s available in abundance.  God is willing to show mercy to those who ask in humility. 
2. The preaching of the Gospel requires an accurate message.   the preaching of the Gospel requires a call to turn, to repent, to change, to forsake, to stop, to give up.  A Gospel that doesn’t call people to right standing with God and right living with men is a false Gospel. 
3. The love of God is not how God feels about us.  It’s that He values us despite our sin.  You and I value ourselves by our sin, by the use and abuse of this life.  God values us despite the sin.  He will show mercy to cover your sin so that He may bring back what is valuable to Himself, and that is you.  That is the Gospel. 
4. The Gospel is not your testimony.  Your testimony is evidence that the Gospel is real.  We value testimonies because we want to see the Gospel at work. 
5. It takes deep faith.  It takes deep faith to believe the message of God’s love draws repentant hearts, and it takes deep faith to believe God responds with mercy to repentant hearts.  You know this verse, “Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?  He retaineth not his anger for ever, because he delighteth in mercy” (Micah 7:18, KJV).  My father delights in mercy.  Repentance will be met with mercy.  The Gospel is that when people repent, God shows mercy. 
6. God has called you to be a witness.  With every Scripture … [you share] … you are declaring, “My God is a merciful God.  He wants you back.  Repent of your sin.  Forsake the violence of your hands.  Jesus wants you back.”  There is mercy to be had if it is sought after.  

A leader must be courageous, secure, founded in God…not a Jonah who runs, but a Jonah who obeys. 

Let’s look again at the king.  It takes leadership to set an example and command change.  You don’t bring change from the bottom up.  You bring change from the top down.  It takes leadership, and we talk about nations, we talk about governments, we talk about families, we talk about churches — it’s got to be the leadership that changes.  A leader must be courageous, secure, founded in God… not a Jonah who runs, but a Jonah who obeys. 

REAL MEN

My heart bleeds for real men, especially in this culture.  Have a burden for men.  Everyone will follow suit because a man will take his family with him.  He will take his nation with him.  He will take a city with him.  Let me tell you about real men: 

1. Real men take responsibility.  The king heard the words of Jonah.  He took charge.  He did something. 
2. Real men give God the throne of their lives.  They surrender power easily knowing it was never theirs in the first place.  They know it’s not theirs to keep.  They also know it’s not about them.  They are worshippers. 
3. Real men find their identities in Jesus Christ. They’re not identified by their accessories, their clothes, their name plates, their cabins, or their appearance in the eyes of other men or women.  Jesus is not their friend.  Jesus is their Commander-in-Chief.  Men have a different way of relating to God.  Every morning, men get their orders from their Commander-in-Chief. 
4. Real men speak up.  The king said, let us turn, give up, cry out so that we will not perish. 
5. Real men lead from humility.  they will be the first to say sorry, the first to make amends, the first to show remorse.  It’s not weakness, it is strength.  When you admit you are wrong, people will forever respect you.  When you are proven wrong, people will forever dishonor you. 
6. Real men use their influence to redirect worship to God.  The king of Nineveh said, “Let everyone turn from his evil way.”   He didn’t take a vote.  How many of you identify with this?  That’s leadership, and that’s what the world needs today.  It’s what churches and families need today.  They will lead their sons in masculine spirituality (give up the violence that is in their hands).  They will command worship. 
7. Real men will lead in prayer.  Come on men, cry out to God.  He will listen. 
8. Real men will bring everything that is under their influence, under the influence of God.  If it’s under me, it’s going to be ruled by Jesus.  If it’s my family, Jesus is king.  If it’s my church, Jesus rules here.  If it’s under my influence, I’m going to bring it under the influence of God.  That is the kind of influence God backs you up with.  Angels, power, wisdom, finances, God will go to town to back you up when you are ready to exalt Jesus. 
9. Real men must set an example.  You want to take the Gospel to your city?  Imagine if the church, the families, the leaders, all said, “Let us repent; let us get right; and let us get mercy from the Lord, and let Him turn from His desire to punish.  Let Him show mercy on my city.”  Imagine churches abandoning their little silos of self-help and praying for the city to be saved.  Imagine if governments had believers walking through the corridors of power, praying for people to be saved. 

What if we all stood for our city and made our churches and ministry about the city?  What if we became shepherds over our city and prayer warriors over our city, strategically working through the city?  We have to believe that our God responds to repentance with mercy. 

Who are you convinced will not believe? 

It is not what you say when you … [share the Gospel] that turns a life around, it is that you … [share the Scriptures] that turns a life around. 

God will work through His Word.  His Word will bring them back.  

God is merciful, but most of us… we are like Jonah.  We believe in hell and heaven, but we want hell for certain people and we want heaven for certain people.  We have a greater faith that many are going to hell, but we don’t have enough faith that many are going to heaven.  The Father desires that all should be saved, “And this gospel of the kingdom will be proclaimed throughout the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come (Matthew24:14).”   

Faith begins with us, not with the unbeliever.  We’ve got to believe that God is more interested in getting people into heaven than sending people to an eternal, Christless place.  There are people who will believe… they will respond, and they’re waiting for you to tell them.  They’re waiting for a Bible.  They’re waiting for a moment with God.  They’re waiting to hear. 

Nineveh was waiting while Jonah was swimming.  Nineveh was waiting while Jonah was getting his act together with God.  The whole world is waiting for us to get our act together.  Today, are you wondering which chapter of Jonah you are in?  There are two directions you can go:  Tarshish or Nineveh.  Which will you choose? 

Conclusion by Steve Daskal

Which chapter in Jonah does your life and ministry resemble more?  Jonah chapter 1, where Jonah hears God’s call, believes God’s call, but runs away because he KNOWS God is merciful but he doesn’t care about the people of Nineveh — he doesn’t want them to be saved?  Or chapter 3, where, after his three days submerged in the belly of the “great fish,” his heart and will transformed, he follows his calling and brings a dire warning of doom to Nineveh, and Nineveh is transformed, from the king down to the slaves, and is saved for a generation?  ** God created humanity “in Our own image” so that He could have loving personal relationships with us.  It was the rebel Satan’s will, not God’s, that human beings would rebel against God and be driven from a loving relationship in His presence, as Satan himself had been.  It is not God’s desire that any should perish “in the outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth,” but rather that all would be redeemed, restored to relationship with Him — so much so that He sacrificed His beloved Son to redeem those who would trust in Him. 

The originator of this work is…

Rev. Jeremy Dawson

Passover Plagues

Provided by Steve Daskal

Christian Messianic Analysis and Apologetics

Day One: Moses the Messenger

Moses has been specially preserved and prepared by God for eighty years to be His instrument of deliverance. But that deliverance will come at a cost, with an important lesson in the process. Pharaoh’s question flaunts his fundamental unwillingness to acknowledge the all-powerful God. God unleashes a series of plagues that show His power over all the so-called gods of Egypt. Moses announces the plagues to demonstrate who God is and why Pharaoh should obey Him at the banks of the Nile River, which the Egyptians worshiped and revered as their source of life and power.

We encounter people on a daily basis who are asking pretty much the same questions as Pharaoh asked. Whether they are religious pluralists like the Egyptians, atheists or agnostics like many in the Western world or just “too busy” to pay attention to God, we are called to be God’s messengers to them. Not the easiest task.

I’ve sometimes made excuses (like Moses did when God first commanded him to speak) but I realize that my mandate is not based on my skill and I’m not released from it because of my own “poor speaking.” It’s all about God’s promises and His power.

As followers of the mighty God, we are mandated to share God’s redemption story with a world of people who have hardened their hearts against Him. We need God’s empowerment as Moses did. We have His Spirit to enable us in this task. God continues to confront the gods of our day with His unique power and sovereignty. He has chosen us as His messengers to introduce people we encounter to the Creator of life and light.

Day Two: Let My People Go and Worship

God’s desire to free His people to worship Him is the focus of the Exodus story. While the plagues God brought upon Egypt might be seen simply as agents of destruction, it’s important to remember that their purpose was to save His people. God is in the business of redemption.

Why frogs? They were considered sacred, a symbol of fertility, by the Egyptians. God is still answering Pharaoh’s question, so that he will know that there is no one like Him. With the addition of the gnats without warning, Pharaoh’s magicians recognized that “God has done this” yet Pharaoh still reneged on his promise to let Israel worship the Creator.

If this story were aired on prominent news channels today, the emphasis would be on the injustice of slavery, and indeed, slavery is unjust. But the focus of God’s story is redemption.  God saved Israel out of slavery to worship Him. How free are we to worship today? There are many ways to be entangled by the “gods” of our day, though we’re not so likely to idolize a river or a particular animal. But what about the seemingly sacred idea that real freedom is doing whatever we want? Not only is that a false idea, for many it is a false god. People worship the ability to do as they please, as though there is no higher good. But God has designed us to journey with Him in obedience. He does not want us to be enslaved by our own agenda and desires, which keep us from freely following Him. He bought us back with a price that we could never repay. He releases us into true freedom, peace and power.

Day Three: God Preserves His People

A pattern emerges as God releases the fourth plague. We see a symmetrical, unfolding scheme. The first nine plagues are a series of three plagues each. The first is announced by Moses at the Nile, the second by Moses at the palace and the third without warning. As swarms of flies are released into Egypt, God makes a distinction between His people and the Egyptians. He does this with other plagues as well but this is our first glimpse of the distinct preservation of God’s people in the midst of these plagues.

This is a vivid reminder that God is a covenant-keeper. God’s judgment was a reminder to the Hebrews of God’s calling. Their exemption from Egypt’s calamities affirmed that God had set them apart for His purposes and an emphatic display of His character. We can take similar comfort in the knowledge that we are children of Israel’s God.

Day Four: A Hard Heart

Through every warning from Moses, every blow to Egypt, and despite his own suffering and that of his people, Pharaoh remained recalcitrant. Even when he tried to negotiate with God, or made promises he didn’t keep, Pharaoh’s heart was unyielding. Pharaoh’s path was chosen and his hard heart was a consequence and culmination of all his decisions up to that point.

This plague against the livestock of Egypt is a direct hit to their worship of sacred cattle, and possibly to their mother-god Hathor, portrayed with a cow’s head. We read that the Israelites knew the sacrifices they would offer to God would be abhorrent to Egyptians. And yet the loss and suffering experienced throughout Egypt does not penetrate Pharaoh’s stony heart. The affront to his gods does not sway him. The painful boils in his body do not bring true repentance. In the next chapter, Pharaoh confesses his sin and wickedness to Moses and Aaron but he still does not fear the Lord.

I read about this ruler of Egypt and shake my head in disbelief—but then I realize I do myself a disservice if I don’t see any of my own flaws reflected in him. How can we avoid the stubbornness of Pharaoh in our lives today? How do we respond to the nudge of God’s Spirit in our hearts? Do we say one thing and then do another? We can know God’s story and fail to participate in it. It takes effort to keep my heart soft to the Lord and to accept His grace. Pharaoh’s arrogance can remind me to strive to keep myself pliable, open to God’s lessons, corrections, and directions.

Day Five: For This Purpose

In the desert land of Egypt, God sends a wildly destructive hailstorm. The Egyptians worshiped fire and water so God used both to judge them. The Lord’s purpose is clear:  to show His power and bring honor to Himself using imagery the Egyptians understood. The Lord tells Pharaoh that He could have wiped the people out completely but He wants them to know who He is. His goal is to save, not destroy. The Apostle Paul repeats this lesson in Romans 9:10 to emphasize God’s power, justice and mercy.

The purpose of God’s story is being realized in this passage. The Egyptians are now beginning to fear the God of Israel and obey Him. Those who believed Moses’ message sheltered their servants and livestock and were spared the worst of the destruction. Those who did not know Him and saw His character displayed in acts of power could choose to turn and believe. God’s justice is married to His mercy and that divine partnership is displayed here.

I visited a Jewish woman several years ago who did not believe in Jesus. I offered to pray for her and she said that if God answered her request for a job in Jesus’ name, she would be open to faith. God responded miraculously to her prayer; she then explored the Bible and put her trust in the Messiah of Israel. Often in the midst of suffering and uncomfortable circumstances, God’s purpose is to bring us closer to Him. Well-known 20th century author C.S. Lewis writes, “Pain . . . is his megaphone to rouse a deaf world.”⁽  When life’s hailstorms threaten to overwhelm us, we can take shelter in our Lord.

Day Six: Tell Your Children

Pharaoh is being disciplined and humbled as he continues to contend with God, although his efforts are frustrated and fruitless.  As Pharaoh attempts to negotiate with the Creator, he is confronted with the reality of who is actually in charge of Egypt. Ancient civilizations dreaded locusts, so the Egyptians surely saw their arrival as divine judgment. This swarming army of voracious insects toppled false belief in the Egyptian god Set who was thought to protect Egypt’s crops. As the plagues increase in severity, Pharaoh still refuses to recognize who holds his world together, and it spins out of control.

The Lord tells Moses that Pharaoh’s stubbornness and the resulting plagues will be a lesson for his (Moses’) children, their children and generations to come. This is emphasized repeatedly in Exodus, as the memory of God’s promises kept must be passed down from generation to generation. (More than 400 years later, the Philistines remembered the Lord God of Israel as the one who plagued the Egyptians.) This incident was sung repeatedly in the Psalms as a reminder of Yahweh’s power. This story is regularly heard on the lips of Jewish people worldwide to mark God’s faithfulness to His covenant. Memorializing what He’s done through the generations is a foundation for our faith. God wants this story repeated to Israel’s children for centuries to come so all will know that He is the Lord.

My children know when I’m teaching them a lesson that I have deeply learned in my own life. Their alert antennae are quick to pick up any insincerity and hypocrisy. When I talk to them about the Lord, they see I speak from experience and not just from a book I’ve read. When we celebrate the Passover meal annually, it’s not a story that is removed from them. The God who showed His mighty power in delivering us out of Egypt is the same God that is meeting them at our table today.

Day Seven: Creation Undone

In the beginning of the creation account in Genesis, God makes the formless and dark world light. This ninth plague unravels God’s creation and returns the land to chaos. It attacks Egypt’s most potent religious symbol, the sun god Ra, and Pharaoh himself who was considered the incarnation of AmonRa. In the Bible, God is characterized as light, but when He withdraws His presence there is a supernatural darkness that can be felt. That darkness symbolizes evil, chaos and judgment. Yet the people of Goshen were not touched by this tangible darkness, but were bathed in light. Pharaoh is exasperated beyond reason as he ironically banishes Moses from “seeing” him again.

Throughout God’s story, those who follow Him are portrayed as walking in the light. John’s Gospel often uses the image of light to refer to Jesus and to those who believe in Him. Yet some choose to live in darkness and to enjoy, even flaunt, that darkness. And that darkness presses in around us as boundaries of what is considered acceptable are continually pushed in our culture. Television shows that were once considered controversial and on the edge of what’s appropriate are now considered laughably tame and outdated. Our culture seems to demand tolerance, yet in reality has no tolerance for the idea that God created the universe, including us, for His purpose.

Well-known pastor Tim Keller notes that, “Jesus is the Maker who was willing to be unmade so that we might be remade. “ This story shows elements of that unmaking in order to remake. Disobedience to the unique God of Israel results in chaos and darkness. Without God’s gift of redemption, we could not be children of light. May we be like the people of Goshen living in the light even if the world surrounding us is plunged into the darkness.

Day Eight: A Price to Pay

Pharaoh refused to release Israel, God’s firstborn son, and now God will take his firstborn son. This tenth plague cannot be reversed by Pharaoh’s insincere confession of sin—there is a price to pay. It dealt a final blow to the Egyptian false gods and undermined Osiris, the Egyptian giver of life. The entire community was being judged from the lowest to the highest. The death of Pharaoh’s firstborn wiped out the future divine king over the land.

Some might respond to this passage by pumping a fist with glee over God’s great judgment of the “bad guy” while others might shake their heads in disbelief over a God whose judgment is so deadly. But either response would be missing the point. God has made Himself known through these mighty miracles. Where He pronounces judgment, He provides a way of escape, even to the final and most deadly plague. Without God’s provision, no one would be spared from that plague; the death of the firstborn included the children of Israel as well as the Egyptians. All would pay the penalty unless they were sealed by the blood of the lamb on the door.

God’s justice and mercy are inextricably linked. All people are under God’s judgment for sin, yet all can be spared by grace through faith in His provision. There were those with the Hebrews who listened to God and took hold of His escape plan, as seen in the next chapter. The Lord chose Israel to teach all nations about Him. He did this to show His love and faithfulness. This final plague is a disturbingly graphic yet comforting picture of the Redeemer who was to come.

Day Nine: The Passover Lamb

The Passover event is so important that it will mark the beginning of the Jewish calendar from now on. God is painting an eternal picture of redemption in this chapter. It is to be a memorial forever, imprinted, not only in scrolls, but in yearly celebrations, for every generation to follow.

The first Passover meal was part of the redemption story. Subsequently, we commemorate that redemption story.  From the bitter herbs to the unleavened bread to the lamb, the children of Israel are to re-enact all that God did for them in bringing them out of Egypt. Many traditions have since been added, all for the same purpose. In all the Jewish people prepare for, in all they see on the table, the food they touch, taste and smell, the words they hear – every sense is engaged as they participate in the story. Every element is loaded with meaning.

God’s lamb is a central part of His story just as it was when He provided a lamb for Abraham as a substitute for his only son Isaac. The lamb’s blood protected the Israelites from death. John beheld Jesus as the Lamb of God who takes away sin. Jesus identified Himself as the provided Lamb as He instituted the new covenant in His blood at His last Passover meal with His disciples.

All of us, Jewish or not, are invited to participate in God’s story. We are invited to place the blood of Jesus on the doorposts of our hearts so that death would pass over us. Through the Messiah, we have the gift of eternal life. And those of us who know Jesus are invited to remember what He’s done for us as we take the bread and cup to remember His body and blood, given for us. When we agree with God about our sin, and receive His forgiveness through the blood of the Lamb, Jesus, death passes over us. This is the provision we need to share with others. This is the miracle that all believers need to commemorate, and pass on from one generation to the next.

Day Ten: Deliverance

To recap our reflections over these ten days: God definitively answered Pharaoh’s question, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice . . .?” and Pharaoh finally let the Israelites go! The Lord displays His nature, defeats the gods of Egypt and delivers His people from bondage. God is the director and producer of this dramatic documentary. The Israelites were obedient and ready to be freed to worship God. This is the reason for the plagues. His people were saved through judgment, not destroyed and left in the darkness. Many others came out of Egypt with the Hebrews because God’s invitation to be saved under the blood of the lamb is open to all.

At Passover, we drink four cups of wine. The second is the cup of plagues. Before we drink it, we pour out ten drops from the cup to show that our joy is diminished due to the destruction of the Egyptians. For those who participate in this story, we are not to gloat over of the consequences of Pharaoh’s disobedience. We should be mindful of our own propensity to disobey.

As believers in Jesus, we understand that the consequences of our own disobedience have resulted in far more than whatever short term consequences we may suffer. The Son of God bore our judgment on the cross. He took the plagues on Himself, He experienced the darkness for us. God didn’t just talk about His love, He demonstrated it by dying for us. And because He rose from the grave, we can know that we are no longer slaves to sin. We are free to be who He created us to be and to worship Him. In disobedience, we will lose our purpose and identity. Instead, let us find deliverance and discover that there is no one like Him!

The originator of this work is…

Laura Barron

Jews for Jesus