Category Archives: Bible

Bible

You reap what you sow

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The Egyptians destroyed the lives of the Israelites. Now, in the sixth plague, the destruction comes back on themselves.

Purity was important to the Egyptians. Those who could had themselves embalmed so that the body remained intact. In Exodus 9:11 we read something important: “And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils, for the boils came upon the magicians and upon all the Egyptians.”

What a fiasco. The Egyptian ceremonies are cancelled. This is also where the magicians are mentioned the last time. The god of medicine, Imhotep, was powerless.

Six times Pharaoh hardened his own heart and resisted the signs of God. Now he is reaping what he has sown. From now on he himself is affected.

Bible

loss of income

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The cattle plague, the fifth in Egypt, results in loss of income. Without healthy animals there is no work.

The trouble for Pharaoh was that God made a distinction between the animals of the Israelites and those of the Egyptians. In Exodus 9:7 we read: “Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.”

The Egyptians regarded cattle as sacred, even as incarnations of deities. The deity Hathor, a mother deity, resembled a cow. No wonder it would have been an abomination to them if the Israelites had sacrificed in the land.

Despite the clarity of the message, the pharaoh locked his heart. No matter how clearly God speaks, if man does not want to hear, he shuts himself off to God.

Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts. Psalm 95:7-8

Bible

Losing the savings

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The fourth plague is about a fall of values. The insects destroy the stores. If you only rely on your savings, you lose what makes up your life.

From now on God separates his people Israel from Egypt. The exciting thing is that Jesus said he would take care of his children. Since from this plague onward a distinction is made between the land of Goshen and the rest of Egypt, we can see that here the gods of preservation are put to shame, such as Buto, a tutelary goddess.

After a separation has taken place between God’s people and Egypt, we see Pharaoh offering compromises. “Go, offer sacrifices to your God here in the land” (Exodus 8:21).

Moses replied, “Let us go three days’ march into the wilderness, and offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, as he commanded us” (Exodus 8:21).

What does this journey of three days mean? It is the way of death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus, who rose from the dead on the third day. This is the prerequisite for being able to serve God.

Exodus 8:22 describes why the Israelites were unable to serve God in the land of Egypt: “We must offer sacrifices to the LORD our God, which will cause offense to the Egyptians.”

The reference to the divine sacrificial lamb in Jesus is and remains a stumbling block. That someone has to die in our place is unacceptable to the man who wants to establish his own righteousness.

Bible

The message behind the frogs

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The ten plagues are a model for the apocalypse of Revelation.

For the ancient Egyptians, the frog became a symbol of life and fertility because it brought fertility and thus life to the otherwise barren land with the alleged Nile flood. The Egyptian goddess of childbirth, Heqet, was depicted as a frog or with a frog’s head.

With the second plague, the message to Pharaoh was, “I, God, give life to every house and take it away, whenever I will.” Pharaoh thought he could determine who should be born and who should die.

The truth is, life is not doable. We can do many things, but it is God who gives a yes to every life and he can end every life when he wants.

Being born and dying affects every house. What is a good divine order can cause much hardship and misery through misuse. What should be a blessing becomes a plague.

Bible

Our life depends on God

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In Egypt, all vegetation depends on the water of the Nile. God says to Pharaoh through the first plague in Exodus 7:17-18, “You are dependent. I can take your livelihood away from you at any time.”

The turning of Nile water into blood is about realizing that our life depends on God. Every moment in our life is a gift from God.

What is interesting is that Pharaoh’s people were able to take life away from them and add to the misery but were unable to heal the damage (Exodus 7:22).

Bible

The structure of the 10 plagues

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There is an interesting structure in the text. Three times Moses should go to Pharaoh early in the morning. By the first (Exodus 7:15), fourth (Exodus 8:16) and seventh plague (Exodus 9:13) God always makes a new beginning. In all three cases, Moses must appear before Pharaoh early in the morning. Each morning points a beginning of God’s calling to the Pharaoh and Egypt. Continue reading The structure of the 10 plagues →

Bible

Worship God – even in misery

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“Then the people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had taken care of the Israelites and seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped him” (Exodus 4:31).

They recognized their misery. But they had not yet heard that God had mercy on them. They were still in the midst of misery. There was still nothing to be seen of salvation. The only new thing was God’s Word – His promise. And that was enough for them. They take it in faith. That was their insurance of salvation. That bowed them down and made them worship their God!

It’s the same for us today. As humans, we are mired in misery. But then comes the Good News: Jesus wants to free us from slavery! We can entrust ourselves to Jesus. The situation itself has not changed at this moment. But Moses and Aaron assured the Israelites: God will save them. This insurance is sufficient. They bow in worship.

Those who can praise God before completion gain the strength and courage to trust in God even in the face of difficulties. Whoever invites Jesus into his life also receives the certainty that he will accomplish everything. In Philippians 1:6 Paul writes, “I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Bible

The three messianic signs from God to Moses

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(Exodus 4:1-9)

The staff that becomes a serpent and then a staff again is an image that evil can only go as far as God allows. Jesus will defeat the serpent, the devil, through love for God. Genesis 3:15 says, “He (Jesus) shall bruise your head, and you (serpent) shall bruise his heel.” When Jesus healed the mute demoniac possessed man, it became clear that he had power over the devil and his demons.

The healing of leprosy is another sign of the Messiah. When Jesus healed the leper, the question of whether he was the Messiah was raised publicly for the first time. From that point on, the scribes came to Jesus and watched him.

The transformation of water into blood is also the sequence of symbolism found by Jesus. At his first miracle at the wedding at Cana, he turned water into wine. At Passover he pointed the cup of redemption to his vicarious death on the cross, where his blood was shed for the forgiveness of all human transgressions. This sacrificial death becomes effective for everyone who gratefully accepts Jesus’ offer of forgiveness and no longer builds on their own righteousness. Life (water) is obtained by protecting the blood of God’s vicarious Lamb, is the message of Passover. Jesus says it this way in Revelation 3:20, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and eat with him, and he with me.”

Bible

Moses reacts reservedly to God’s calling

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Moses knows it’s not an easy task. Therefore, he rejects God’s commission. Once he had been a royal prince. Now he’s just a poor shepherd. That may have been embarrassing for him. Because it says in (Genesis 46:34): “Every shepherd is an abomination to the Egyptians.” He also spent the very best years of his life, from forty to eighty, in no man’s land. His best manhood was wasted with roving. Now he is old. Who will still expect much from an 80-year-old man? What a failure from a proud height!

God doesn’t make mistakes. Continue reading Moses reacts reservedly to God’s calling →

Bible, Jesus

God reveals himself in a thorn bush

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God introduces to Moses himself as the I AM. Not as the Creator. God is defined by being, not by action. This is exciting. We in the West are touched by action. In the East one defines oneself in being. It is important whose son or daughter I am and not what awards I have received. Maybe we should fix our identity more in being. If we have given ourselves to Jesus, then we are children of God and that is enough. We love God because he is and not because he does something for us.

The second thing to notice is that God does not reveal himself in a way that can be disposed of by calling his name. He doesn’t fit into our thinking box. He defines himself as a God who is related to us humans. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He spoke to all these forefathers. He promised everyone that through Israel he would bless all peoples. God keeps his promises. God keeps his word.

It is also noticeable that God reveals himself in a thorn bush. In fact, one would expect something else. Kind of like the shepherds in Bethlehem. Heaven opens and the glory of God becomes visible. Throughout the Bible it becomes clear again and again: God reveals his love in suffering. We see that by Job. Then when everything fails, then God is there. Not as a consuming fire, but as a light in the darkness. Just as he also appeared at Pentecost over the first church in tongues of fire and thus pointed out: In the midst of all your troubles I reveal myself by being with each and every one of you and enlightening you. Jesus endures our suffering and supports us in our suffering.

Exodus 3:14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 15 God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you.’