Heavenhigh

Blessings and Warnings!

# 43 2024 Dev. Isa.2. Blessings and Warnings! “Read all of chapter two first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Isaiah 1:1 “The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah.” (That is the title of this book) These four kings reigned from 792 BC to 680 BC. But Isaiah’s work started in the last year of Uzziah’s reign, 740 BC. In ch. 2 we have a different vision that goes on into ch.3 and 4. Chapter 2 is a vision of the last days,a and a vision of the Day of the Lord.

“The Mountain of the Lord.”

Vs.1-5 “This is what Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem: in the last days the mountain of the Lord’s temple will be established as the highest of the mountains; it will be exalted above the hills, and all nations will stream to it.” This certainly is Christianity being described here. God gives His people of that day, all who would listen to Isaiah and kept covenant with God a vision of the future. We understand them to be the Old Testament church that became the church of Jesus Christ by the covenant of His blood.“And all the nations will stream to it.” This will be a time of God’s grace and peace “He will teach us his ways, so that we walk in his paths.” Isaiah is addressing us as well. Here all the nations are welcome as well as the “descendants of Jacob, let (all of) us walk in the light of the Lord.”

“The Day of the Lord”

Vs.6-9 The Last day describes the blessings of the faithful. “The Day of the Lord” describes those who have abandoned the Lord. The first four verses describe the shortcomings and the Inscincerty of the people.

The prophet could be describing our society today, the superstitions, the lust for gain and for power, the idols, the graft and corruption, the crime and the unaccountability.

Vs.10-11 “the Lord alone will be exalted on that day.”

Vs.12-18 describes what will happen to “all the proud and lofty, for all that is exalted. (and will be humbled)…” This includes nature, the work of man’s hand, and all that are arrogant and proud, “the Lord alone will be exalted in that day, and all idols will totally disappear.” Idols? Yes, we have many today.

Vs.19-22 “People will flee to caves in the rocks and to holes in the ground from the fearful presence of the Lord and the splendor of his majesty, when he rises to shake the earth.” This is describing the second coming of Jesus. We are warned! Stop trusting in yourself or other humans, trust in God and Jesus, your salvation! Amen and Amen.

We Trust God!

# 42 2024 Dev. Ex.15. We Trust God! Read all of chapter fifteen first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex.15:2 “The Lord is my strength and my defense [a] he has become my salvation.”

Ex.15 Here “ Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord:” A song of praise, and describing what God has done and how He saved them from the Egyptians now intent on destroying them instead of enslaving them. Satan knew what would happen but after empowering the Egyptians he had no way to stop them. Here also they run into their second big problem, 1st the water of the sea, now, no water to drink, for 3 million people. God also brings them to a place of Refuge.

Vs.1-11 is a psalm. v.1 “I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted. Both horse and driver he has hurled into the sea.”

This is the introduction and the conclusion of the song. V.2 gives us the result of God’s actions and the reason for praising Him. “The Lord is my strength and my defense [a]he has become my salvation. He is my God, and I will praise him,my father’s God, and I will exalt him.” The rest of the Psalm continues in that same manner, what God has done interspersed with praise.

Vs.12-17 is still the song but as a positive story of their upcoming journey, culminating in verse 17 “You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your inheritance—the place, Lord, you made for your dwelling, the sanctuary, Lord, your hands established” picking up on God’s promise to the Patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

It ends in verse 18 with what we know and confess; “The Lord reigns for ever and ever.”

Vs. 19-21. tells us Miriam, Aaron’s sister and the all the women lead the singing.

“The Waters of Marah and Elim”

Vs. 22-27. Some commentators indicate Moses had a hard time to get the people to move on. That is possible, it was a great victory for them. Like us they may have been reluctant to move on to the wilderness of life, move into the unknown. “Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea and they went into the Desert of Shur,” meaning “wall”. They travelled for three days to Marah, meaning bitter. They had traveled 50 Kl. with no water and here it was undrinkable. “ So the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What are we to drink?” It seems to be a simple question but it is intensified with, “they grumbled against Moses.” This bordered on rebellion, especially after they had been saved by the mighty hand of God. “Then Moses cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a piece of wood. He threw it into the water, and the water became fit to drink.” God, of course, is faithful.

“There the Lord issued a ruling and instruction for them and put them to the test. He said, ‘If you listen carefully to the Lord your God and do what is right in his eyes, if you pay attention to his commands and keep all his decrees, I will not bring on you any of the diseases I brought on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, who heals you.”’

This is also for us, we do our best to adhere to what God tells us. Not in order to be saved but because we are already saved, we live in obedience because we are thankful to God for His love and grace to us.

“Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs and seventy palm trees, and they camped there near the water.” After Marah, God gives them a place to recover, to rest in comfort. God does that for us as well, places to recover in the wilderness of life. Thanks be to God!

God Calls for Righteousness!

# 41 2024 Dev. Isa.1. God’s Call for Righteousness! “Read all of chapter one first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Isaiah 1:1 “The vision concerning Judah and Jerusalem that Isaiah son of Amoz saw during the reigns of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.” (That is the title of this book)These four kings reigned from 792 BC to 680 BC. But Isaiah’s work started in the last year of Uzziah’s reign, 740 BC. Uzziah was a king who reigned righteously. He did a lot to fortify Jerusalem and Judah, promoted agriculture and defeated the Philistines. But he did not remove the high places of Baal and he burned incense in the temple, only the priests can do that, he was stricken with leprosy.

Isaiah “repeatedly warned the people that Jerusalem and Judah would be judged because of their wickedness. But he also held to the hope that the kingdom would be restored again. Beginning in Ch. 40 Isaiah offered comfort with these promises of God: (1) Babylonian exiles would be allowed to return to Jerusalem; (2) a righteous suffering servant would bring salvation; (3) God would set up a new righteous kingdom.” We see from God’s promises that, even though Isaiah was written 3000 years ago, this is still relevant for today. What is happening in Israel is starting to happen to our country right now. We are to apply this to our towns, cities, and to ourselves!

Vs.1-9 is the introduction to the book. It tells who, it tells us the date, it tells us what is happening to God’s people and that there is hope. Heaven and earth are called to witness, “for the Lord has spoken.”

There is rebellion and animals are smarter than the people. “They have forsaken the Lord…” The prophet asks a rhetorical question; “Why should you be beaten anymore?” You are full of open sores and there is no one to treat your pain. Not only are the people hurting the “country is desolate, your cities burned with fire.” Yet there is hope: “Unless the Lord Almighty had left us some survivors we would have become like Sodom, we would have been like Gomorrah. Isaiah, like Abraham wants to have hope. We also need hope today.

Vs.10-15 “Hear the Word of the Lord, you rulers of Sodom; listen to the instruction of our God, you people of Gomorrah!” They are equated with Gentile cities that God destroyed because of the great wickedness of the people. Abraham interceded for them but not even ten righteous people could be found. Those were gentiles but Jerusalem and Judah, these are God’s people. God says: ‘I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals.’” God hates their insincerity, in their worship and their festivals ‘they have become a burden to me… I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!”’ How is our worship today? How is your sincerity?

Vs.16-17 “Wash and make yourselves clean.” How? “Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.”

Vs.18-20 Here God’s grace gives the opportunity to repent. ‘“Come now, let us settle the matter, says the Lord ‘Though your sins are like scarlet,they shall be as white as snow; though they are red as crimson, they shall be like wool.”’ How? ‘If you are willing and obedient…”’ This goes for us as well. “For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

Vs.21-23 God calls Jerusalem to account; “See how the faithful city has become a prostitute! She once was full of justice; righteousness used to dwell in her but now murderers!”

Vs.24-26 God promises change. “Therefore the Lord… ‘I will restore your leaders as in days of old, your rulers as at the beginning Afterward you will be called the City of Righteousness, the Faithful City.”’

Vs.27-31 Hope for the righteous and punishment for the wicked. “Zion will be delivered with justice, her penitent ones with righteousness. But rebels and sinners will both be broken, and those who forsake the Lord will perish.”

The problem with the Israelites at that time was that they knew themselves to be the people of God; they knew that God had chosen them out of all the nations on the earth. His Temple was among them, therefore, God dwelt among them. He would never destroy them, would He? Is that our thinking today? Ask yourself? Does your church “ seek justice. Defend the oppressed.[a] Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.” The homeless, the poor and the disenfranchised? Think about these things! Praise be to God, there are churches and people who do.

We are Saved!

# 40 2024 Dev. Ex.14:9. We Are Saved! “Read all of chapter fourteen first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex.14:9 “The Egyptians—all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots, horsemen[a] and troops—pursued the Israelites and overtook them as they camped by the sea near Pi Hahiroth, opposite Baal Zephon.”

Ex.14 Here God tells Moses to turn the Israelites toward the sea “and encamp directly opposite Baal Zephon. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart…” That is a troubling issue to many people, how can God condemn when he hardens one’s heart? From the beginning of Moses’s work in Egypt, Pharaoh increasingly refused to listen to God’s command, He had to choose to listen to the Holy Spirit and he refused to respond. In that sense he still had free will. That is how it is with us, the Holy Spirit does not force us, He points us to Jesus again and again, if we fail to respond to Jesus’ love He leaves us. There is this tension in God’s will and our own will, we make a choice but in the end we find that the Holy Spirit was helping us to make that choice. Given many opportunities, Pharaoh did not submit to God’s will and he paid the price.

Vs.1-4 God tells Moses to move the people into a compromising position causing Pharaoh to think they were trapped between the desert sea.

Vs.5-9 “Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about” letting the Israelites go. He mustered his army to go after them. The Israelites “were marching out boldly”, but “the Egyptians …overtook them as they camped by the sea…”

Vs.10-14 When the Israelites saw them “they were terrified and cried out to the Lord.” But wouldn’t you know it, they blamed Moses for it.!“Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us out to the desert to die…It would have been better for us the serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert.” People still do that today, they make a decision to do this, to do that and when there is opposition we lash out and blame others. But Moses took no offense, a real leader, he, “stand firm…the Lord will fight for you; you only need to be still.”

Vs.15-18 “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. 16 Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the waters so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground.” Again we see; “I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians…” The Holy Spirit had left Pharaoh long ago, he was not able to respond to God’s will. He was under the control of Satan who, up to this day, wants to destroy the Israelites.

Vs.19-20 “Then the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. The pillar of cloud also moved from in front and stood behind them,” A reference to the Angel of the Lord is a reference to Jesus Christ. Jesus and the Holy Spirit (the cloud) were protecting them. No one could get near the camp that night.

Vs.21-22 “Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and all that night the Lord drove the sea back with a strong east wind and turned it into dry land.” The Israelites started to cross the sea on dry land.

Vs.23-25 “The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea.” God not only dried up the sea, when He saw the Egyptian army pursuing them He “threw it into confusion. He jammed the wheels of the chariots” to slow down the army.

Vs.26-28 “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Stretch out your hand over the sea so that the waters may flow back over the Egyptians and their chariots and horsemen.’” The entire army was destroyed.

Vs.29-31 “That day the Lord saved Israel from the hands of the Egyptians. Pharaoh, like some leaders and people today absolutely refused to see God’s hand at work in the world and that He is with the righteous, with His People. “When the Israelites saw the mighty hand of the Lord…the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him…” Do we see God’s hand at work? And do we put our trust in Him? In today’s world, I pray that we do. Amen and Amen!

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Love for a Brother!

# 39 2024 Dev. SS.8:6. Love for a Brother! Read all of chapter eight first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

SS.8:6 “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death…”

Song of Songs. For centuries this book has been controversial in terms of how to read it. Is this a literal description of human relationships or is it allegorical, a rendering of the relationship of God and Israel or for Christians, Christ and the church? We see all three aspects displayed by Spiritual sagacity!

SS.8 In this last chapter, she, the lover, dominates, she wants to establish the love affair. A love that is hot but chaste like a brother and sister.

Vs.1-4 She. This appears to be the Old Testament church speaking before the incarnation. The author is in that church but his/her desire is for a love relationship like that is described in Eph 5: 25-32. The relationship desired is like a family. “His left arm is under my head and his right arm embraces me” Dt. 33:27a. “The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms…” Love begins when it is desired.

V.5 Friends.“Who is this coming up from the wilderness leaning on her beloved?” It is the church leaning on Jesus by the power of prayer.

Vs.6-7 She. Here she uses the language of family, love, conception birth. Our God is a God of love; “Place me like a seal over your heart, like a seal on your arm; for love is as strong as death…Our God is a jealous God; “its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame.” Our God is an everlasting God, His love is forever; “Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot sweep it away.” Our God’s love is free; “If one were to give all the wealth of one’s house for love, it would be utterly scorned.”

Vs.8-9 Friends. “We have little sister,” a young and vulnerable, believer, we will protect her, we will guide her.

Vs.10-12 She. “I am a wall”… fully grown, mature, protecting the church. My lover, Jesus, is pleased with His church, like a vineyard bearing fruit. “Tenants,” not lovers must pay for their fruit. “But my own vineyard is mine to give;” My fruit, my service to the Lord is rewarded with His love.

V.13 He. “You who dwell in the gardens” my garden “let me hear your voice!” Let Me hear your praise and see your adoration!

V.14 She. “Come away, my beloved,” Let us go back to “the spice-laden mountains.” Let us go back to paradise, to our eternal home, Lord Jesus come quickly! Praise be to God!

Children are God’s Gift!

# 38 2024 Dev. Ex.13:2 Children are God’s Gift! “Read all of chapter thirteen first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex.13:1-2 “The Lord said to Moses, ‘Consecrate to me every firstborn male. The first offspring of every womb among the Israelites belong to me, human or animal.”’

Ex.13 Here Moses reintegrates the importance of the passover and the ceremony that goes along with it. Remember it when you come into the land that God promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. We of course remember Jesus and His sacrifice, remember Him as our Savior and that He is coming again, as He told us at the passover meal with His disciples.

Vs.1-16 “ On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’ This observance will be for you like a sign on your hand and a reminder on your forehead that this law of the Lord is to be on your lips. For the Lord brought you out of Egypt with his mighty hand. You must keep this ordinance at the appointed time year after year.”

“you are to give over to the Lord the first offspring of every womb. All of your firstborn males and of your livestock belong to the Lord. Today we dedicated all of our children to the Lord, He chose us and we chose Him and dedicate ourselves in the sacrament of baptism and of communion. The Exodus out of slavery, prefigures the Exodus out of the slavery of sin in Christ Jesus. Praise the Lord!

Vs.17-22 “Crossing the Sea” God did not lead them onto the kings highway, that runs from Bagdad to Egypt. Aiming to avoid attacks, “God led the people around by the desert road to the sea. The Israelites went up out of Egypt ready for battle.” They carried Joseph’s bones with them, as he had requested, at the time he said: “God will surely come to your aid… By day the Lord went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or by night.” We are looking at approximately 3 million souls. Imagine what is involved providing for all their needs, water, food, shelter, and the rest. What Joseph said, “God will surely come to your aid” rings true for the Israelites then as it does for us now. On our own we are lost, God reaches down to us by the Holy Spirit, who leads us to Jesus. When we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior we are on the way to the Promised Land, the New Heaven and the New earth. Praise the Lord!

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“A Prince’s Daughter!”

# 37 2024 Dev. SS.7: “A Prince’s Daughter!” Read all of chapter seven first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

SS.7:6 “How beautiful you are and how pleasing, my love, with your delights!”

SS.7. In ch.7 he is describing his lover. His description is more erotic than in ch.4 and ch.6. She answers by an invitation.

V.1-9a He. In his former descriptions of His lover, he begins with her head, not only her looks but her intelligence, here he begins with her feet, (Isaiah52:7) “As it is written:( Rom 10:15) ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the gospel of peace, who bring good news of good things!’” He is describing the Church, His lover, for whom Christ gives His life. He moves on to her legs, her navel, her breasts, her neck, her eyes, her nose, her head crowns her, her hair. “How beautiful you are and how pleasing, my love, with your delights!” Even the princes’ daughter is not perfect, non of us are, the church is imperfect as well. How can she be so perfect, as described, so desirable? (Vs.8-9a) By God’s grace, by His love, by His forgiveness, our love for Him and Jesus’ love for us begins on earth but goes on in heaven because Christ’s sacrifice perfects the church, the people, who follow Jesus in truth. Amen!

Vs.9b-13 She. “May the wine go straight to my beloved…” They are one by the Holy Spirit! “I belong to my beloved, and his desire is for me (the church). “Come, my beloved, let us go to the countryside… Let us go early to the vineyards to see if the vines have budded, if their blossoms have opened”. Is there church growth? We do this together, churches growth is by full dedication to Christ Jesus in the Holy Spirit “there I will give you my love”, complete dedication to Jesus. We are created in God’s Image, male and female we are created. Eph. 5:25-33 is the New Testament explanation, we quote only verse 31-32.“For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.” This moves our marital relationship into a much higher level. It reflects the love of Christ and our love for Him, giving ourselves completely! Thanks be to God.

The Passover!

# 36 2024 Dev. Ex.11-12. Passover! Read all of chapter eleven and twelve first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex. 12:33 “The Egyptians urged the people to hurry and leave the country. ‘For otherwise,’ they said, ‘we will all die!”’

Ex.11-12 This will be the last plague and more destructive than all the other plagues. We keep reading “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart”. Yes, that is because the Holy Spirit was driven from his heart by his refusal to listen, by his arrogance and his complete disregard to honor the Lord. That is going on today; Hamas will not let the hostages go, not until they are completely destroyed. Like Pharaoh they are incapable of peace, their hearts have hardened, the Spirit will not engage them again. The back story in Egypt is that Satan is behind the destruction of the Israelites still going on today. “Salvation comes from the Jews.”John 4:22. There are people and countries today still helping Satan to destroy the Jews.

Chapter 11:1-9 “Now the Lord had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.” Pharaoh is told what will happen but he did not listen and would not let God’s people go.

Chapter 12: “The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in Egypt, ‘This month is to be for you the first month, the first month of your year.’” This event of the exodus is to change much in the life of the Jews. They will have their own calendar, their own festivals, from now on it will be a unique nation. The passover has unique implications for the Jews and for us as well, it is an event of God’s grace to God’s people and to us as well. The blood on the door posts is for us the blood of Jesus’ forgiveness of our sins, set free from slavery for the people and for us, set free from the slavery of sin in our lives.

Vs.1-11 Moses is given specific instructions about the passover, the animals to sacrifice, the sprinkling of the blood, the matter of cooking the meat and unleavened bread. Only those part of the community, no uncircumcised person may eat of this meal.

Vs.12-20 “On that same night I will pass through Egypt and strike down every firstborn of people and animals, and I will bring judgment on all the gods of Egypt. Eat all the roasted meat, do not leave any of it and eat in haste. “Celebrate this day as a lasting ordinance for the generations to come. In the first month you are to eat bread made without yeast, from the evening of the fourteenth day until the evening of the twenty-first day.”

Vs.21-30 “Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, ‘Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb.’” Moses further instructed them, “Obey these instructions as a lasting ordinance for you and your descendants. When you enter the land that the Lord will give you as he promised, observe this ceremony…At midnight the Lord struck down all the firstborn in Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh, who sat on the throne, to the firstborn of the prisoner, who was in the dungeon, and the firstborn of all the livestock as well.”

The Exodus. vs.31-42 “During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, ‘Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take your flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me… The Israelites journeyed from Rameses to Sukkoth. There were about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children. Many other people went up with them, and also large droves of livestock, both flocks and herds.” It must have been an unbelievable sight, the Israelites did not lose livestock during the plagues, and six hundred thousand men, that was a mass of three million people all together. “At the end of the 430 years, to the very day, all the Lord’s divisions left Egypt.”

Vs.43-51 Here the rules and the restrictions of the passover are repeated indicating the importance of the Passover celebration. It was the founding of the Jewish nation that goes on to this day. For Christians the passover meal that Jesus had with His disciples is what we do on a regular basis as communion, we remember Jesus’ sacrifice, the Passover Lamb, we remember and celebrate until He comes again. Praise be to God!

Bright As The Sun!

# 35 2024 Dev. SS.6:10 “Bright As The Sun!” Read all of chapter six first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

SS.6:10 “Who is this that appears like the dawn, fair as the moon, bright as the sun, majestic as the stars in procession?”

SS.6. In ch. 5 she is describing her lover. But in ch 6 she is asked; “where has your beloved gone… that we may look for him with you?” She answers, and he proceeds to describe her as in ch. 4. Friends ask, “Who is this that appears like the dawn. I went down to the valley, come back, come back.”

V.1 Friends. “Where has your beloved gone…?” Christ is not obvious to this world, He is only accessed by the Holy Spirit.

Vs.2-3 She. My beloved has gone down to his garden,” the militant church is in the world, a place of refuge, a place of respite. God’s people belong to Christ and He belongs to God’s people.

Vs.4-9 He. “You are as beautiful as Tirzah, (a city of beauty) as lovely as Jerusalem, as majestic as troops with banners.” The militant church is described here. Next is the description of ch. 4, describing His lover. Perfect in every way, righteous, submissive, obedient, outstanding and unique when compared to the religions of the world, made that way by Jesus’s sacrifice and love.

V.10 Friends. “Who is this that appears like the dawn”, shining like the sun (Son), Christ in His majesty.

Vs.11-12 He. “I went down to the grove…” My people. “To look at the new growth…” in the church. Is there growth? “to see if the vines had budded… Before I realized it, my desire set me among the royal chariots of my people” I became one of them!

V.13 Friends. Come Back, come back…” that we may know you! Why? That you may know Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit! Come quickly Lord Jesus!

How Long?!

# 34 2024 Dev. Ex.10:3. “How Long?” Read all of chapter ten first. We invite you into God’s space, to read His Word, to think on and interact with. This is God’s Story. Do you believe that this may also be part of our story, in our time? All passages are taken from the NIV.

Ex. 10:3 “So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, ‘This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.’”

Ex.10 The plagues are becoming progressively more destructive and Pharaoh is progressively more stubborn. We keep reading “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart”. Yes, that is because the Holy Spirit was driven from his heart by his refusal to listen, by his arrogance and his complete disregard to honor the Lord. That is going on today; Hamas will not let the hostages go, not until they are completely destroyed. Like Pharaoh they are incapable of peace, their hearts have hardened, the Spirit will not engage them again. The back story in Egypt is that Satan was behind the destruction of the Israelites. “Salvation comes from the Jews.”John 4:22. There are people and countries today still helping Satan to destroy the Jews.

Vs.1-6 Then the Lord, “said to Moses ‘Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them… that you may know that I am the Lord.’” So Moses said to Pharaoh, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If not, I (God) will fill your land with locusts. A plague as you have never seen before.

“How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me.” That is a question that hangs over every unbeliever, as well as some nominal believers!

V.7 After Moses left “Pharaoh’s officials said to him… Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?”

Vs.8-12 So Pharaoh started to negotiate with Moses, I’ll let all your men go to worship. But Moses insisted that everyone goes to worship. Pharaoh became angry and drove Moses and Aaron from his presence.

Vs.13-15 Locusts invaded all Egypt, “they covered all the ground until it was black.”

Vs.16-20 “Pharaoh quickly summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “I have sinned against the Lord your God and against you. 17 Now forgive my sin once more and pray to the Lord your God to take this deadly plague away from me.” But as soon as the locusts were gone, Pharaoh would not let them go.

Vs.21-29 Next God told Moses to, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt -darkness that can be felt”, a darkness that is devoid of any of God’s light. Again Pharaoh negotiated with Moses, “ You may all go but leave your herds.” Moses refused and demanded they go with everything they owned. At that point Pharaoh threatened to kill Moses if he saw him again. Once a person hardens his or her heart, rational discussions and decisions are out of the question. Yet God accepts all who repent and turn to him in humility. How Long will you wait to seek God’s Love and Grace?!!!