Thurs.’s Devo - The Mission

Read: Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14 Moses grew up in Pharaoh’s house but never forgot that he was a Hebrew. One day when he was a man, he went to visit his own people and saw an Egyptian killing one of the Hebrews. He looked around to see if anyone was watching and killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. News traveled really fast about what he had done and when it reached the Pharaoh, he tried to kill Moses. Moses flee for his life and went to Midian where he saw a well and sat beside it. The priest of Midian had seven daughters who soon arrived to water their father’s flocks. When other shepherds tried to shoo them away, Moses stood up for them and watered their flocks. When they came home that day, their father questioned why they were home so early and they told him what happened. He asked why they hadn’t asked the man who saved them to come home and eat with them. They went back and got Moses. Moses ended up staying with them and working with Jethro, the father. Jethro gave Moses his daughter, Zipporah to marry. They had a son and Moses named him Gershom meaning “A stranger there”. All through Moses’ life, he had been a stranger living among strangers. Meanwhile, back in Egypt, the Pharaoh died and a new man rose to the throne. He continued to use the Hebrews as slaves and they cried out to the Lord for help. God’s answer was Moses. He appeared to Moses in a fire in the midst of a bush. God called to him out of the bush and told him to take his shoes off because the ground he was standing on was holy. God shared with Moses that he had heard the cry of the Hebrews back in Egypt and had come down to deliver them and give them their own land which would be a good land in Canaan. It was now occupied by the Hittites, the Amorites, the Perizzites, the Hivites and the Jebusites. Moses was to go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt. Then they will come and worship God on this very mountain. Moses asked who he was to tell them had sent him. God told him to say I AM THAT I AM. I AM has sent you. Moses was to call a meeting with the elders of Israel and tell him his mission and they would hear him. Then they were to all go to the king of Egypt with their request to go three days’ journey into the wilderness to sacrifice to the Lord. The king would not let them go so God would hit them with all sorts of wonders until he let them go. When they do leave, they will leave with the wealth of Egypt . They will ask for their jewels and nice clothing and the Egyptians will give it to them. That was the mission in a nut shell but reality posed many interesting obstacles along the way. It really isn’t about the destination as much as it is about the journey. God develops our character in the process. In Matthew, the disciples asked about what the scriptures said about the fact that Elijah had to come before the Messiah came. Jesus answered that Elijah had come and no-one accepted him. The disciples realized he was referring to John the Baptist who came in the spirit of Elijah. A man brought his son to Jesus because the disciples were not able to heal him. Jesus rebuked their generation for being faithless and not interpreting the things of God rightly. Jesus rebuked the devil from the boy and he was well. The disciples asked Jesus why they had not been able to heal the boy and Jesus told them it was because of their unbelief. Their unbelief would not leave without prayer and fasting. When they came to Capernaum, the tax collectors came to get their census tax. Jesus asked Peter if kings took census tax on their citizens or strangers in their land. Peter answered, “strangers”. Jesus agreed that the citizens go free. He was making the point that the earth was theirs and they should not have to pay a tax to live on their land. But since the Romans would not understand this, he told them to pay them. He told Peter to go to the sea and cast one hook and he would catch a fish. In his mouth would be the coin to pay the tax. Jesus realized that nature is our servants and we are the rightful owners of the earth. Lord, there is so much to learn. Renew our minds to think as you do and increase our faith to believe all things are possible in You.