Sat.’s Devo - No Fear!

Read: Exodus 13:17-15:18; Matthew 21:23-46; Psalm 26:1-12; Proverbs 6:16-19
The Israelites finally leave Egypt after being there for 430 years to the day. They left armed for battle, carrying the bones of Joseph to bury him in the promised land with his forefathers. God led them the long way because they were not ready to fight the Philistines. They camped between Pi Hahiroth which means “the mouth of wrath kindling” and Baal Zephon which means “watchers of Baal”. Pi Hahiroth was a place where the Egyptians worshipped Baal and I’m sure his wrath was kindling because of the great defeats he had been given by Moses. It was here that God chose to part the sea and send his people across on dry ground. When the Egyptians went across, the ground began to become muddy and their chariot wheels stuck. They realized God was fighting against them but it was too late. The waters broke from their wall and covered the Egyptians while the Israelites were safely on the other side.
I love how God told Moses to stop crying for him to do something when he was holding the staff. He just needed to use it. I wonder how many times God says that to us when we cry out to him in our distress. We are holding the Word of God in our hands and the we also have the power of the Holy Spirit in our mouth. All we have to do is proclaim what the Word says about our situation and believe.
What God did in Egypt was heard of by all the other nations of the earth so that they feared the Israelites and their God. God was preparing their way.
In Matthew, the chief religious and civil leaders came to Jesus and asked him who gave him the authority to lead the people and do all he was doing. Jesus answered them with a question. He wanted to know if John’s baptism was from God or not. They couldn’t answer it without condemning themselves so they refused to commit. So, Jesus refused to give them a direct answer. Instead he told them two parables about themselves. In the first one, they were the ones who said one thing but did another. They were the disobedient hypocrites. In the second one, they were the tenants of the law who were suppose to preserve it and teach the people. Instead, they had killed all the prophets and now would kill the son.
Jesus told them that the greatest sinner in their eyes would enter into God’s kingdom, but they will not be able to because they didn’t recognize the “Door”.
Lord, help us to use the tools you have given us against the enemy. Help us to raise our praise to you as a weapon. May the world fear you because of what we allow you to do through us.