Tues.’s Devo - This is Just a Test

Read: Exodus 15:19-17-7; Matthew 22:1-33; Psalm 27:1-6; Proverbs 6:20-26 Miriam took up her tambourine and led the women in praise and dancing over their victory. Moses led the people from the Red Sea to the desert of Shur. Shur means “a point of observation.” In that desert they came to an oasis called Marah (bitter). The water was not drinkable. So what were they suppose to observe and learn there? Moses threw a piece of wood into the water and the water became good to drink. The wood represented the cross. Life is bitter until you come to the cross and put all your sin there. Then life becomes good and “drinkable.” God promised them that if they listened carefully to his voice and did what he said, they would not suffer any of the diseases he sent on the Egyptians because He is the god who heals. They next came to an oasis called Elim which means “mighty ones.” There were 12 springs and 70 palm trees. God always has mighty ones in his kingdom. He had 12 tribes, 12 disciples, and 12 apostles. He sent out 70 to do the works he did. These are God’s mighty ones. From Elim they journeyed to the wilderness of Sin and arrived the fifteenth day of the second month where the children of Israel complained…again. They were hungry and all they could think about was all the food they had in Egypt, forgetting the bondage and oppression. God told Moses he was going to rain down manna. He gave them instructions to only collect the manna for the day and whatever they collected would be enough. Then he told them on the sixth day to collect enough for two days because the seventh would be a day with no work. It would be the Sabbath. The Sabbath was God’s gift to them and to us. It would represent the seventh day of creation and the 7th millennium. The instructions were a test to see if the people would obey and not fear. This is our test today. Will we obey the Lord, trust in his good plan and choose not to fear, and most of all, not complain when things don’t happen when and how we think they should. The people were tormented by thirst and blamed Moses. God told Moses that they were not really blaming Moses but they were complaining against Him. He told Moses to take his staff and He would stand on Mt. Sinai. Moses was told to strike the rock, and when he did, water gushed out. Moses named the place “Massah which means “test” and Mariah which means “arguing.” In Matthew, Jesus tells the story of the king’s great wedding feast. I have always though it had to do with the end of the ages but I see that Jesus was talking about them right then. They were the ones who had the bridegroom with them and they were the ones who refused to come to the party and believe Jesus was who he said he was. They refused the invitation, so Jesus went to the outcast and even the Gentiles. They came. At the feast, there was a man who had refused to wear the right wedding garments. He was thrown out into darkness or hell. These were the Pharisees that kept following Jesus even though they had no intention of joining or believing. They just wanted to see what he would do. The Pharisees knew he was talking about him and plotted to trap him. They tried to trap Jesus in his political views so they asked him about taxes. He showed them a child and asked whose picture was on it. He told them to give to Caesar what belongs to him and give to God what belongs to him. They were astonished at his answers. It was the Sadducees turn to trap Jesus. Since resurrection was their pet doctrine they asked a question that would include it in a round about way. They didn’t believe in the resurrection but the Pharisees did. Jesus saw through the smoke and went straight to the real question and proved that there was resurrection. Boom! Lord, you are our light and our salvation so who is there to fear!