Day 5: Dude, are you blind?

Exodus 10:7

New Living Translation (NLT)

Moses & Aaron before Pharoah, by Benjamin West

⁷ Pharaoh’s officials now came to Pharaoh and appealed to him. “How long will you let this man hold us hostage? Let the men go to worship the Lord their God! Don’t you realize that Egypt lies in ruins?”

Moses and Aaron kept going to the Pharaoh, asking for the Israelites to be released to go worship God. Each time, Pharaoh refused, and God brought a plague upon the land. And with each plague, the king relented, and agreed to let them God if Moses would call God off. But Pharaoh was just so stubborn and hard of heart that as soon as God lifted each plague, he'd change his mind again.

So by now, the Egyptians had endured their water being turned to blood, they'd endured frogs, lice, and flies, they'd endured the death of all their livestock, nasty sores all over themselves and their animals, and a hail storm that had destroyed all the early harvest.

And now, they were facing yet another plague... locusts. We know them as grasshoppers. The grasshoppers were to destroy all remaining crops that were not yet ready for harvest... every blade of grass would be eaten, every piece of fruit, every leaf from every tree, nothing would be left.

Even Pharoah's servants could see that the king's stubborness was getting them into deeper and deeper trouble, and appealed to his better judgment... not that he had any, obviously, because he still refused, and more plagues came.

How often do we look at others who are so stubborn that they keep digging their own hole deeper? How many times do we want to tell someone we love "DUDE! Can't you see how you're making things worse?"

Better question... How many times have we been the stubborn fool, even when those around us tried to give us a reality check?

Day 4: Saving For A Rain-less Day

Genesis 41:34-36

New Living Translation (NLT)

Pharaoh puts Joseph in charge, Owen Jones 1869

34 Then Pharaoh should appoint supervisors over the land and let them collect one-fifth of all the crops during the seven good years. 35 Have them gather all the food produced in the good years that are just ahead and bring it to Pharaoh’s storehouses. Store it away, and guard it so there will be food in the cities.36 That way there will be enough to eat when the seven years of famine come to the land of Egypt. Otherwise this famine will destroy the land.”

So, Pharaoh had a couple of nightmares and couldn't find anyone who was able to interperet them for him. That is, until the king's butler remembered about Joseph, living life in the dungeons, who had once interpreted his and the baker's dreams. So at the butler's recommendation, Pharaoh had Joseph brought up to him, and spilled his guts about his nightmares.

Joseph told the king that it was God who provides the dreams, and the interpretations, and that God was showing him that there would be 7 years of plenty followed by 7 years of famine. The reason he'd dreamed twice was God's assurance that it was going to begin very soon. 

Joseph encouraged Pharaoh to appoint a wise man to be ruler over the land, and officers to ensure that enough grain was set aside to prepare for the years of famine. Pharaoh was so grateful to know what his dreams meant, and for Josephs counsel about saving a portion of the harvest, that he decided to appoint Joseph as the ruler of the lands, second only to Pharaoh himself.

Most people have a savings account, or retirement fund. I wonder how many people set aside what Joseph had recommended? not 10%, but 20%. One fifth of everything. On our income, that seems like a lot. In fact, on our income, that would be impossible. It's a struggle to give God 10% at the beginning of each week. The thought of trying to live on a meager 70% is just incomprehensible. But I can't argue the wisdom! For 7 years, Egypt stored up 1/5 of all the grain harvested... and then for 7 more years, that 20% in storage fed not only the Egyptians, but people from all the surrounding nations who were affected by the famine, who had not set anything aside.

I have a friend who would insert the phrase here "that's God's economy!" And she would be right. When we are obedient with what God provides, He blesses it more abundantly than we ever could have imagined.

Day 5, Exodus 1-15

Seventh plague by John Martin, 1823

scripture:
Exodus 5:22-6:1 (New King James Version)

Israel’s Deliverance Assured

22 So Moses returned to the LORD and said, “Lord, why have You brought trouble on this people? Why is it You have sent me? 23 For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in Your name, he has done evil to this people; neither have You delivered Your people at all.”
Exodus 6

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.”

observation:
it always surprises me, for some reason, when i read in the bible about godly people who question God in a moment of doubt or frustration. i think there's this part of me that believes that if we dare to doubt God even for a second, or question Him, that He's gonna zap us with a lightening bolt or something. i don't know why i expect that to happen, i've yet to ever be struck by lightening. shame, yes. lightening, no.

application:
God is consistent. His answer is always pretty much the same... "wait and see". it's never a "because yada yada yada", it's always "wait, and see". and sometimes, we have to wait a long time to see! but God's plan, His reasons, are always revealed. eventually.

prayer:
God, sometimes i get so frustrated and bent out of shape with impatience... i know i'm supposed to wait and see as your plan unfolds. and i know that a thousand lifetimes to me is like a split second to you, or whatever the saying is. but on my end, time just seems so maddenly slow! especially when what i'm waiting to see is your light in my husband's life. and who do i take that out on? yeah. so God, please forgive me for my impatience. and heal the hurt that my words must have caused to mark this morning. really heal it. like, undo it! help me to learn to bite my tongue, Lord!

Day 4: Genesis 41-50

Joseph Forgives His Brothers

Scripture: Genesis 50:15-21 (New King James Version)

Joseph Reassures His Brothers

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “Perhaps Joseph will hate us, and may actually repay us for all the evil which we did to him.” 16 So they sent messengers to Joseph, saying, “Before your father died he commanded, saying, 17 ‘Thus you shall say to Joseph: “I beg you, please forgive the trespass of your brothers and their sin; for they did evil to you.”’ Now, please, forgive the trespass of the servants of the God of your father.” And Joseph wept when they spoke to him.
18 Then his brothers also went and fell down before his face, and they said, “Behold, we are your servants.”
19 Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid, for am I in the place of God? 20 But as for you, you meant evil against me; but God meant it for good, in order to bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive. 21 Now therefore, do not be afraid; I will provide for you and your little ones.” And he comforted them and spoke kindly to them.

Observation:

joseph's brothers had good reason to be concerned. they pretty much deserved whatever was coming to them, at least from my point of view. but from a godly perspective, this is what total forgiveness is all about. joseph had never, not for one moment, forgotten the cruelty of his brothers, but his forgiveness was so complete, that it was his desire to help them, to provide for them, when they were down and out.

Application: 

when people have hurt me deeply, it takes a while for the healing to take place, sometimes even after the forgiveness has already happened. joseph had many years for those wounds to heal, and when his brothers came before him, those wounds opened back up, and he wept, on more than one occasion. (why does the word "wept" sound more palatable and masculine when talking about a guy? if it had been a woman, she'd have just cried!)

but even though those emotions still needed to be expressed, God was faithful to bring about total forgiveness and complete healing from the past. i've been in joseph's shoes! hard to imagine that all these thousands of years later, i could actually experience the same thing that one of the biblical patriarchs experienced. am i in a place now where, if it were necessary, could i be so gracious to those who have hurt me in my lifetime? 

yes, i believe so. i can't think of anyone off the top of my head whom i would even hesitate to help, no matter what the history was.

prayer:

Father, i thank you for all the times you have heard me cry out, and have healed my broken heart. sometimes forgiveness comes a little slow on my end, and it takes a lot of work to allow you to forgive through me, and in the future, Lord, i hope you will help me to get my pride out of the way a little quicker! there is such freedom in forgiveness!