Tues.’s Devo - God’s Signs -

Read: Exodus 4:1-5:21; Matthew 18:1-22; Psalm 22:19-31; Proverbs 5:15-21 God has already supplied us with what we need to do his work. When Moses argued with the Lord that the people would not listen to him or believe him, the Lord asked what was in his hand. It so happened to be a staff, but it wouldn’t have mattered what he had in his hand, God would have used it. When Moses threw it down, it became a symbol the Egyptians knew well - a serpent. The Egyptians both worshiped and feared the serpent. Then he told Moses to catch it by the tail - something no person would do unless he wanted to be bit. Moses obeyed, and the snake became a staff again. By this act, Moses would show that he was not afraid of the gods of Egypt, which he knew well. Moses knew that his God had power over them. God was sending Moses to take down the gods of Egypt. *** Then God told Moses to put his hand inside his coat and when he brought it out it was covered in leprosy. He told him to put it back in and pull it out. This time, his hand was totally healed. This act showed that God was the healer of man’s sins. Only God can make our flesh whole. *** Then God gave Moses a third sign if they didn’t believe the first two. He told him to take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground and it would become blood. If they didn’t believe the first two signs - they would get the plague. *** Moses showed such bravery with God in taking the serpent by the tail and not freaking out when his arm was full of leprosy, but he greatly feared his own insecurities and he feared people. He felt he was not an eloquent speaker and couldn’t trust God to use him because of his weaknesses. After arguing with God, God told him he was sending him Aaron who would be his speaker and he would do the signs. *** Moses told Jethro, his father-in-law that he wanted to go back to see if his brothers were still alive in Egypt. Jethro blessed him and sent him. Moses took Zepporah and his son, Gershom. *** God spoke to Moses again and told him to tell Pharaoh that if he didn’t let the people go, God would kill his first-born son. Then the Lord reached out to kill Moses’ first-born son. Zipporah quickly circumcised him which saved the child’s life. I don’t know if God had told them to circumcise him and Zipporah had been the one to not let him or what, but God knew that if Moses was going to go against the first-born of Egypt, then his first-born had to be covered by the blood. *** God told Aaron to go and meet Moses, he would be coming from Mt. Sinai. Moses met him and Moses shared with him everything God had told him. They met with the elders of Israel and told them what God had said and showed them the signs he had given them. The people believed that he had been sent by God and worshiped the Lord. *** Then Moses and Aaron went to meet with Pharaoh. When they told him that the Lord had told them to hold a feast for him in the wilderness and he had to let them go to do this, he wanted to know who this God was that he should obey him. Pharaoh’s believed themselves to be gods. They told Pharaoh that the God of the Hebrews met with them an told them to meet him in the wilderness to sacrifice to him. It would take them three days to get there. *** The Pharaoh wasn’t about to let his labor force leave for 7 days. He was so outraged, he told the taskmasters and foremen to tell the Israelites they would now have to gather their own straw for bricks but they still had to produce the same amount of work. The foremen were fellow Israelites. They cursed Moses and Aaron because now they had to work their brothers harder than before. *** Following God does not always make you popular, even with fellow Christians. Popularity is not the goal; obedience is. *** In Matthew, the disciples wanted to know who was the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Jesus showed them a child and told them that they had to become like a child to enter the kingdom of heaven. They must become innocent as a child, but woe to those who teach them to sin. He told them not to despise those who are innocent because their angels always see the face of God. It is not God’s will that one of his children to lose their way. *** God wants his children to get along. If a brother sins against us, we are to confront him and tray to settle things one on one. If they’re is still a problem then we need to take one or two others with us to reconcile. If he still doesn’t listen, then he is to be treated as a non-believer and a sinner. If you allow him to stay and continue with his sins, it will be allowed in heaven. If you bind the sin, it will be bound in heaven. *** Peter asked the Lord how many times we are to forgive our brother who sins against us. and he told him seventy times seven. This means we forgive them completely and perfectly, whether they deserve it or even ask for it. This will keep us in right standing with God. Jesus forgave those who crucified him; should we not forgive those who misunderstand and persecute us? *** Lord, help us to completely forgive all who have hurt us emotionally, physically, or spiritually. May our hearts be pure before you. Help us to see that what we need, you have already provided.