The Ways of God 神の方法

Numbers 13-14/民数記 13-14

   Last week, we visited the story of getting the Ten Commandments from God. Moving on in the narrative in Deuteronomy (as it also follows Number’s accounts) we come to the stories of the wanderings.  Moses writes about the need to worship the Lord in one place and not in the ways the other people did in that land. God had instructed them NOT to worship other gods, the need to eat clean food, how to deal with canceling debts (15:1, 4-6). Dealing with the Passover, the Feast of Weeks, Feast of Tabernacles. 

   Moses covers what they are to expect from the king and their duties in serving him. In Chapter 18, Moses writes how God forbids the detestable practices of killing the sons and daughters in worship (9-13). Cities of Refuge in 19 and the reasons for them.  Chapter 20 deals with their feelings about going to war and how to face the enemy. From 21 on until 26, more details of conduct and practice are covered. Chapter 27 deals with a list of curses that God forbids His people to do.  Practical every day living issue is also covered.  Then ends in Deuteronomy 28 which deals with blessings, instructions and Moses’ farewell. 

   But in Numbers 13, the spies were sent to Canaan. The Lord calls on the Jews to send out spies into the Land. 12 men, one from each tribe, were chosen to go into the New Land and spy it out.

   The story goes on but I’d like us to consider these points this morning as we look at these events.

   When God sets something before us…as the Lord did to Israel... 1. How do we understand God’s Way? わたしたちに関する主の方法を理解するには？ 2. How can we grow closer to Him as we accepting His way?  どのように近づくために成長できるのか。

     As we walk through the Old Testament, we have seen God’s footprints and His fingerprints ALL over the story—HIS Story. We have seen people believe almost impossible things—like a 90 year old woman having a child, like a slave becoming Prime Minister of Egypt, like a righteous man and his family be the only ones who’d survive a world wide flood.  Yes, God does give us many things to consider.  Sometimes, we don’t see things the way He sees them.  He has the advantage of looking at things and events from eternity.   

   But, along the way, He gives us His vision for our future—as we look to Him to bring these things to pass. A point to keep in mind, even as we wish all things to go well in our life, life has a way of bringing pain and darkness along with it.  And along with the pain and darkness—a joy of knowing the One who has it all under His Control and in His Will.

   So, what was promised the Hebrew Nation?  In short, ALL the land that their forefathers had been promised way back in Genesis. All the land, from the river of Egypt to the great river, the Euphrates.^"the land of the Kenites, Kenizzites, Kadmonites,  Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,  Amorites, Canaanites, Girgashites and Jebusites.” And that all the peoples of that area would be destroyed—not because He is a bad God but because their time of wrath was full.  They had rejected the message of God for so long, it was to be the end of their people.  They were everything negative to His people.  They would, if they could and were allowed to, corrupt the Israelites and bring the wrath of God on themselves as well. God, who knows the future, knew that the people of the land were no good for His people.  “Don’t join work with them, don’t intermarry them, don’t make treaties with them, and don’t let them live among your people.”  Completely rid these people off the face of the earth.  Not a peaceful co-existence.  No compromise.  No toleration. A complete Genocide of a major people group.

   Some would say that was unfair and that the God of the Old Testament was mean and vengeful.  I would say, that is not a problem.  These people had been rejecting God’s message for generations.  Even when they lived next to Abraham, they did not change. When Jacob’s family lived there, their vision was to over power these Israelites & gain all their possessions by having them marry into their own tribes—thus diluting this new nation.  It was to win by osmoses.  (To undergo diffusion by osmosis.) Much like the historical Han’s did in China. They had the time and they had the people.  Blend them into our culture and they—as a people group—with their teachings & customs will disappear.

   God did not want that of His People.  He would be ready for any to repent and He would give them life. But they refused. Even in the family line of Jesus, we can find non-Jews—pagan people-brought in.  The offer is there for anyone who wishes salvation, will find it. The Israelites were to be unique people, set aside for His Glory and purposes.

   But to understand His ways, what would be in store for us, when we realize that His thoughts are not our thoughts? 主の思い　私たちの思い: Isa 55:8-9. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways,” declares the LORD. ⁹ “As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts."　 イザヤ 55:8-9 わたしの思いは、あなたたちの思いと異なり／わたしの道はあなたたちの道と異なると／主は言われる。天が地を高く超えているように／わたしの道は、あなたたちの道を／わたしの思いは／あなたたちの思いを、高く超えている。 AND YET, He makes the way of salvation easy enough to understand, that a child could believe.

   God is really for us: 私たちにとっての神 Romans 8:31  What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? ローマ 8:31 では、これらのことについて何と言ったらよいだろうか。もし神がわたしたちの味方であるならば、だれがわたしたちに敵対できますか。　He is watching our back. Ready to support us because He is for us.

   We are not tempted beyond: それ以上の誘惑はない　1 Cor 10:13  No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; He will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, He will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it. 第１コリント 10:13 あなたがたを襲った試練で、人間として耐えられないようなものはなかったはずです。神は真実な方です。あなたがたを耐えられないような試練に遭わせることはなさらず、試練と共に、それに耐えられるよう、逃れる道をも備えていてくださいます。　HE WILL ALWAYS OFFER YOU A WAY OUT!

   He will sustain you: 私たちをささえる　Ps 55:22  Cast your cares on the LORD and He will sustain you; He will never let the righteous fall.　 詩篇 55:22 口は脂肪よりも滑らかに語るが／心には闘いの思いを抱き／言葉は香油よりも優しいが、抜き身の剣に等しい。 NEVER!

   Press on to know Him: Hos 6:3  Let us acknowledge the LORD; let us press on to acknowledge Him. As surely as the sun rises, He will appear; He will come to us like the winter rains, like the spring rains that water the earth.” ホセア書 / 6章 3節  我々は主を知ろう。主を知ることを追い求めよう。主は曙の光のように必ず現れ／降り注ぐ雨のように／大地を潤す春雨のように／我々を訪れてくださる。」 HAS HE EVER LET YOU DOWN? NO!

   He will never stop doing good to us:わたしたちにとって幸いをなす Jer 32:40-44   I will make an everlasting covenant with them: I will never stop doing good to them, and I will inspire them to fear Me, so that they will never turn away from Me.  I will rejoice in doing them good and will assuredly plant them in this land with all My heart and soul.

 “This is what the LORD says: As I have brought all this great calamity on this people, so I will give them all the prosperity I have promised them.  Once more fields will be bought in this land of which you say, ‘It is a desolate waste, without men or animals, for it has been handed over to the Babylonians.’ Fields will be bought for silver, and deeds will be signed, sealed and witnessed in the territory of Benjamin, in the villages around Jerusalem, in the towns of Judah and in the towns of the hill country, of the western foothills and of the Negev, because I will restore their fortunes,[ Or will bring them back from captivity] declares the LORD.” エレミヤ32:40-44 わたしは、彼らと永遠の契約を結び、彼らの子孫に恵みを与えてやまない。またわたしに従う心を彼らに与え、わたしから離れることのないようにする。41 わたしは彼らに恵みを与えることを喜びとし、心と思いを込めて確かに彼らをこの土地に植える。...44 ... わたしが彼らの繁栄を回復するからである、と主は言われる。」The Lord completely restores the broken! 110% made new!

   And yet, don’t expect an easy ride: 安逸であるとは限らない. 1 Peter 4:12-13   Dear friends, do not be surprised at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you.  But rejoice that you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed. ペトロの第一の手紙 4:12  愛する者たちよ，あなた方を試みるために臨んできた火のような試練のことで，異常なことが自分たちに生じたかのように驚いてはいけません。 Life still has to be lived and done so under the guiding Hand of the Lord.  He will be with us during these hard times.  In His Name, He has promises never to leave you nor forsake you. Now, believe it and life it out.

   #2 As way of application: How can we grow closer to Him as the result in accepting His way?

   Boats float better when they are IN the water and IN the current and moving along with His flow. When we learn from His Word where He’d move us, we might not get an invitation in the mail.

   When we look at what is going on in our passage this morning, we can see that the people not only lacked faith, they also lacked the capacity to remember what just happened to them. The pagan countries around them knew those stories and they were very afraid.  Maybe they got too close to God and this was not a good thing?  No, they chose to go after their own ways and not allow God to control their lives.  And we can read what happened to them: Numbers 14:36-37.   So the men Moses had sent to explore the land, who returned and made the whole community grumble against him by spreading a bad report about it—  these men responsible for spreading the bad report about the land were struck down and died of a plague before the LORD. Ouch! 民数記 / 14章 36節-37  36 モーセが遣わした男たちは、土地の偵察から帰ると、その土地について悪い情報を流し、共同体全体が彼に向かって不平を言うようにしたが、土地について悪い情報を流した者は、主の御前で疫病にかかって死んだ。

   How can we grow closer to Him as the result in accepting His way?  どのように近づくために成長できるのか。The way we will answer with this morning is: The ways of the Lord are just. Proverbs 10:29-30 The way of the LORD is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil. The righteous will never be uprooted, but the wicked will not remain in the land. 箴言 10:29-30 主の道は、無垢な人の力／悪を行う者にとっては滅亡。神に従う人はとこしえに揺らぐことなく／神に逆らう者は地に住まいを得ない。

   You cannot go wrong in following what He leads you to do. Want to test Him on this? Give Him something you love the most.  Let Him have your heart’s number one ‘thing’, the very thing you most desire to control.  Just give it to Him—open your hands and let Him have it.  It could be your child, your future, your money, your pride, your desires…whatever, and see how He will deal with you.  Test Him and you will see what Joshua believed and saw.  A whole country open to them which was flowing with milk and honey—God’s promised Land.  He will fill you with His Number One as the result.  You will be changed and you will be growing closer to Him.  

   That is the Way of God. 神の方法

Moses: The Ten Commandments & BEYOND

 Please read Hebrews 10:1-21

    In the Ten Commandments, God outlines a basis for morality that has lasted over 3,000 years.  It has been embraced by 2/3 of the world’s population. The most common form of these commandments is given in Exodus 20 and in Deuteronomy 5:4   

  You shall have no other gods before Me

  You shall not make unto you any graven image

  You shall not take the Name of the Lord your God in vain

  Remember the Sabbath Day and keep it holy

  Honor your father and your mother

  You shall not kill

  You shall not commit adultery

  You shall not steal

  You shall nor bear false witness against your neighbor

  You shall not covet any thing that is your neighbor’s.

These are not suggestions.  These are not to be taken lightly. These are, in fact, the building block of a society.  And any society or people in the society that takes these commands lightly WILL FALL.

   There are only two that are set in the positive (#4 and #5).  #1-3 and 6-10 are YOU SHALL NOT. It seems to be the point that we are not to do a great deal more than we are to do. Doing wrong is not just bad form; it is against the plan of God for His creation.

   For those who drive a car, ride a bike or even walk, there are road signs placed at different places along your route.  Some of them remind us where to drive, how fast you can go, where you can park or for us to stop. Are they suggestions?  If you disregard the postings, what will happen to you or others?

   These ten commands or saying concern deep matters of fundamental importance.  The largest is our obligation to worship and show respect to God. The greatest injury to a person-murder. The greatest injury to family bonds-adultery. The greatest injury to commerce and law-to bear false witness.  The biggest intergenerational obligation-honor to parents. The biggest obligation to the community-truthfulness. The greatest injury to property-theft.

   In the Old Testament, there are, as well as these ten, over 603 commandments but these are called the Great Ten. As in later Jewish traditions pointed out, they tried to keep these ten in the back seat, as it were, so that the people could also need to follow their own rules for holidays and the like. Still later, the Protestant Church pointed to two purposes for following them.  1) To personalize the Believer’s life to each person and 2) to help them realize, that through their failure to live that kind of life, they lack the ability to do this on their own.  It served the Church as a reminder that we are in need of God’s Grace.  

    Some facts to consider.  The Law DEMANDS nothing short of perfection.  See Ps 19:7-11.  Only one MAN since it was given has been able to live life that way: perfectly.  Christ not only keep the Law perfectly, He became dirty from our not being able to keep the law.  He became dirt for us! He kept the Law AND He paid the complete penalty for the broken law.  He took our place!  He suffered on the Cross so that we might be spared.  You need to look at Hebrews 9:13-15; Hebrews 10:1-22; 1 Peter 1:18-20.

    The question is asked then, why was the law given if man could not keep it? It was to show us our exceeding sinfulness and need for a Savior. The LAW shows all of us that we are indeed sinners in need of saving. Many do not agree with that assessment but it is true nonetheless. When you take a child to see a doctor at the clinic and he/she shows signs and symptoms revealing that the child has measles, we accept the doctor’s opinion and take the necessary steps to bring comfort to the child. The child gets some medicine that makes him break out. The medical person did not MAKE the child have measles, but he proved that measles was there. 

     (Galatians 4:4 But when the time had fully come, God sent His Son, born of a woman, born under law, 5 to redeem those under law, that we might receive the full rights of sons.; 

Romans 8:1 Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, 2 because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man, 4 in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit.; 

Romans 3: 19 Now we know that whatever the law says, it says to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world held accountable to God. 20 Therefore no one will be declared righteous in his sight by observing the law; rather, through the law we become conscious of sin..)

    The Law is God’s mirror that shows us our condition-that we are indeed exceedingly sinful.  (Romans 7:12 So then, the law is holy, and the commandment is holy, righteous and good..)

     As we look at Biblical history, two mountains tops stand out.  Mount Sinai, where the 10 commandments were brought down (Exodus 19). The other is found a number of miles north, in Jerusalem on the mount called Calvary. On one, there was the horror of thundering and lighting while at Calvary, the Lord Jesus took away all the fire and thunder of God’s wrath and made it possible for a meeting place to be formed between God, the Holy One and Man, the sinner.

     As we had referred to before, these commands are divided into two parts.  The Laws that concerned with Man’s attitude toward God and Laws that were concerned with Man’s attitude toward his fellow human.  Problems come in when Man takes these laws lightly or dismiss their importance.  That points to our self-centeredness.  God gave these commands to us and we are then to assume the whole responsibility of keeping them. Exodus 19:8 The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD.  

    A question had been asked: “Why did Israel accept the Law rather than cry for mercy?” The cry of the human heart has always been that we can do it ourselves.  That we can please God by our own actions.  Pride at the center will not allow us to accept His Grace. Look at how the Hebrews responded even before they got the Law: they were dancing around a golden calf and worshiping a god they made (Exodus 32:1-10, 18).

    THE Main point is found in our passage we read at the beginning; Heb 10:10 And by that will, we have been made holy through the sacrifice of the Body of Jesus Christ once for all.

      No matter of how many laws (or how few laws) we have broken (or kept), it all boils down to this.  Jesus came to die for sinners and we are the ones He came to die for.  We can be made holy. Us, in our sinful natures, can be made HOLY! How can that happen?  Through God’s Grace alone.  Not by works-or good actions--because we would boast.  But by the Blood, the eternal Blood of the Lord Jesus.  On that evening He was arrested and brought into a mocked trial, He was on the last leg of a long trip to set us free.  Made dirty, as we said before, for us BECAUSE of the plan of salvation the Father had put into motion way back in Genesis One. Adam and Eve, our parents, made a choice to sin against God and a willfully disobedience and took the forbidden fruit and died spiritually. From that point on, Man needed a Savior and the only one that could fit the bill was God’s Only Son, Jesus, the Righteous!

   The Lord Jesus’ action during His time on earth in Human form while still being totally God--the GodMan, was one of complete obedience to His Father’s will.  “Not My will be done but Yours!”  In Phil 2:8 8 And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!

     AND ALL OF THIS IS understood in light of Him becoming Incarnated, that He should suffer and die, as in the apostle’s words, “taste death for every man, that all should believe on Him and be saved from their sins”: for this is the Will of God--that none should perish and that we would become sanctified--that is, set apart for His Glory. That means we would become partakers of the Spirit of Christ. 2 Peter 1:4 Through these He has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires.

     And that is why He came.  That is why we are looking at this this morning. We need to re-look at the Good News from time to time...to get back to the basics. Keeping the Main Thing of the Gospel the Main Thing.

     And in keeping our eyes set on the basics of the historical teaching, the Ten Commandments, we can’t help rethink how these ten statements affect our every day life.  In all areas, He is the Lord God and He has given us these words to lead us to know Him better. Romans 15:4 For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.

Crossing Any Sea いかなる海も越えて

 Exodus 13-14 / 出エジプト13-14

    I have always like history and esp. war stories.  From the Early Greeks until present, a war stories interest me.  How the soldiers handled themselves before, during and after the conflict makes a great story. My Uncle Stanley told me about the battle he was in while serving with General George S. Patton at The Battle of the Bulge.  It was during this battle, my uncle would be the only one to come out alive as his tank was hit, and him-being short—was the gun man and the only one to get out of the flaming wreck. He would relive that incident many times, esp. as he became a heavy drinker. On his deathbed, he was re-living the ordeal with screams and profanity.  He left this world in fear and dread.  Looking back, I was and still am moved by his story. He saw so much and had been thru so much—he had deep personal pain. But he found no real rest from crossing that sea of trouble.

    Unlike our story this morning, when there were well over 600,000 men plus woman and children, many of them survived the ordeal and lived to tell about it another day.  They and their ancestors had been slaves in Egypt—and had been in that country for 430 years. On the very day of the total 430 years, they were allowed to go free and having been, for the later part of that time, slaves to this nation. The times were harsh, they cried out to God, He heard their cry and He sent Moses—who had grown up in the Pharaoh’s house as a Prince—to lead His People out. And they found themselves near to crossing a sea of trouble and of doubt.

    Here they were on the day of their departure from this harsh land and all of them were glad to go.  Life had been hard and now, they were going to worship their God “I AM THAT I AM” at a place He would be guiding them and they were being lead by the 80 year old Moses—with his stick.  So, come with me as we are Crossing Any Sea.

Armed for Battle; Standing Firm; Time For Action; The Big Switch.

   Exodus 13:8 “On that day tell your son, ‘I do this because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.” 出エジプト記 / 13章 8節 あなたはこの日、自分の子供に告げなければならない。『これは、わたしがエジプトから出たとき、主がわたしのために行われたことのゆえである』と。

 They NEED to know our story. Telling our children how we got to were we are with God IS SO IMPORTANT! Tell them our story.  Have you done that? Have you shared with your friends, children, grandchildren how you came to know Jesus?  They will not pick it up off the floor. You have to tell them.  Prepare them for the adventure with knowledge of the Holy One. Let them know how God touched your heart and lead you into His Love. If you don’t, who will? Will anyone else be interested in the eternal souls of your children? Don’t wait until they are old and set in their ways. Tell them now.

     God was not going to make it easy on the Hebrews. He needed to toughen them up and have them be a unit to lead. He did not sent then on the short way—through the Philistine country but the long way, via the Sea. 13:17 “For God said, “If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.” 出エジプト記 / 13章 17節 さて、ファラオが民を去らせたとき、神は彼らをペリシテ街道には導かれなかった。それは近道であったが、民が戦わねばならぬことを知って後悔し、エジプトに帰ろうとするかもしれない、と思われたからである。

 He set a Pillar of fire there. 13:21-22  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 night.  Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.

出エジプト記 / 13章 21節
主は彼らに先立って進み、昼は雲の柱をもって導き、夜は火の柱をもって彼らを照らされたので、彼らは昼も夜も行進することができた。節 昼は雲の柱が、夜は火の柱が、民の先頭を離れることはなかった。

God both protects them and guides them: The WORD of God (the Bible) does the same for us!  They needed time to become a Nation. His Nation. So He got them ready and...

 Armed for Battle. 戦いのための軍備

     So many times, God does the same with us. Something could had been done one way but He took us through another way altogether different. If we would be able to KNOW that our way would be best, we might have some solid ground to stand on BUT HIS WAY IS BEST!  He knows the beginning from the end.  He knows the middle part. The part where we would have missed the real lesson and fallen on our faces. 

    So here we have a new nation leaving the place of slavery with all sorts of gifts given to them to get them out of their country. Along with the gold, silver, silk and such also was given to them weapons of war.  They were given someone else’s armor and swords.  Gifts from the Egyptians.  They were shepherds and brick makers. And now God wanted them to wear the stuff of war without the battle—to get use to it. Testing it out.  When the tools of warfare become comfortable to you—when they feel right in your hands and on your backs, you can use them better. They became Armed For Battle.

   End of 14:4 God was messing with Pharaoh. 14:4  And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them. But I will gain glory for myself through Pharaoh and all his army, and the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.” So the Israelites did this.

14章 4節わたしはファラオの心をかたくなにし、彼らの後を追わせる。しかし、わたしはファラオとその全軍を破って栄光を現すので、エジプト人は、わたしが主であることを知るようになる。」彼らは言われたとおりにした。

14:5 When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about them and said, “What have we done? We have let the Israelites go and have lost their services!”

14章 5節 民が逃亡したとの報告を受けると、エジプト王ファラオとその家臣は、民に対する考えを一変して言った。「ああ、我々は何ということをしたのだろう。イスラエル人を労役から解放して去らせてしまったとは。」

14:5 . “So the Israelites did this.”  Good sign/ obey/believe.

14:7  He took six hundred of the best chariots, along with all the other chariots of Egypt, with officers over all of them.

出エジプト記 / 14章 7節 えり抜きの戦車六百をはじめ、エジプトの戦車すべてを動員し、それぞれに士官を乗り込ませた。

14:8 The Hebrews marched out boldly! 14章 8節 イスラエルの人々は、意気揚々と出て行ったが

All the Kings horses and all the kings’ men overtook the Hebrews near the sea.

14:10 They were terrified and cried out to the LORD. 14章 10節 いかかろうとしていた。イスラエルの人々は非常に恐れて主に向かって叫び、FEAR in the Hebrews.  What ever happened, they were terrified and cried out to the Lord.  Ever been there? How does it feel? Alone?

14:11  They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt?

14章 11節また、モーセに言った。「我々を連れ出したのは、エジプトに墓がないからですか。荒れ野で死なせるためですか。一体、何をするためにエジプトから導き出したのですか。

Moses says “Don’t be afraid!”  Easy to say but hard to live it!

14:13 Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again.

出エジプト記 / 14章 13節モーセは民に答えた。「恐れてはならない。落ち着いて、今日、あなたたちのために行われる主の救いを見なさい。あなたたちは今日、エジプト人を見ているが、もう二度と、永久に彼らを見ることはない。

STANDING FIRM 固く立つ

    And you will see the deliverance the Lord will bring.  Sit back and see!  There is neither evidence that even Moses knew nor how God was going to deliverer them. He trusted God with the outcome.  He told them: “The problem you see today, you will never see again.”

14:14  The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still. 出エジプト記 / 14章 14節主があなたたちのために戦われる。あなたたちは静かにしていなさい。」

    That is against everything human.  If you want something—fight for it!  If it is important to you—go for it! Don’t hold back.  But here, God is teaching His People/us that His way is different.  The only ‘defensive’ action done was for Moses to lift his arm and they saw the Power of the Lord.  Moses was willing to be lead this way because he had developed a close relationship with his God.  Remember earlier in Exodus? They talked to each other like they were friends.  They were.  Are you friends with God? Do you listen to His voice and do you obey Him?  Even in the little things of life. Do you have a time with God? Talk with Him? Read His Word? Share His Love with others—esp. the ones in your family? Stand Firm and be still before Him!

TIME FOR ACTION 行動の時

    God says to Moses, “Why cry to Me?”  Act!  Move it!  It is time for action and the only action done by the People of God at that time was to move.  God said to move and they moved.  They had an incentive.  Angry Egyptians at their heals ready for revenge.  They lost their oldest brothers, their fathers and all that loss of property.  Now was the time for BLOOD!  They wanted to kill a lot of  Hebrews!

    So God told Moses to raise his staff—yet again—to see the Power of God.  Good will happen, but not for the Egyptian Army. But through the Hebrew People, God would show His Power and Mighty Acts and the Egyptians WILL KNOW I AM THE Lord. 

Ready for the Big Switch. 大きな転換点

    At the 11th hour, during the last watch, when all help was fading, THEN the Lord moved. 14:19  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,

出エジプト記 / 14章 19節イスラエルの部隊に先立って進んでいた神の御使いは、移動して彼らの後ろを行き、彼らの前にあった雲の柱も移動して後ろに立ち。　He was there to both protect them and separate them from each other with the Pillar of Fire & Smoke..  

Personal Application   個人個人への適用

    If you were going into battle, wouldn’t you want good protection? Good leaders? A good workable plan to win?  Sure you would. Be prayed up. Be strengthened by His Word and in His Spirit. Be armed for battle. Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

    And now that you got a clear understanding of what He wants, stand firm in the Hope you have in Christ Jesus.

    It is indeed time for action. Move out with the promises of God rightly applied to the situation and hold on to Him!  Look for that great switch when He directs your heart with the Word of God. 

    And as you move on in LIFE, you will cross many Seas—when you do—remember—

Be Armed for Battle

Stand Firm In The Lord

Realize it is Time For Action

Look For The Big Switch

Plagues In Our Lives/わたしたちの生活における災い

  (1446 BC: Then/ 2012AD: Now) 

　   Romans 15:4 “For everything that was written to teach us, so that through endurance and the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”   

    ローマ15:4 これまでに書かれた事がらは、すべてわたしたちの教のために書かれたのであって、それは聖書の与える忍耐と慰めとによって、望みをいだかせるためである。

 Ex 7-11  出エジプト 7-11

And the Pharaoh’s heart was hardened.

1.Water to Blood-could not drink 水から血へ

7:19  The LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs’—and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in the wooden buckets and stone jars.”

   The river is turned into blood. It was the distress of the Egyptians. Here is the first of the ten plagues.  It was a righteous plague, and justly sent upon the Egyptians; for the Nile, the Great River of Egypt, was their idol. That creature which we idolize, God justly takes from us, or makes bitter to us. The Egyptians had stained the river with the blood of the Hebrews' children, and now God made that river all blood and not only the river but all water—everywhere.  When people thirsted after blood, sooner or later they had enough of it. It was a significant plague; Egypt had great dependence upon their river. Truth will find us out as Truth seeks no corners. It is sin that turns our waters into blood.

2. Frogs-slimy frogs  かえる

 8:2-4  If you refuse to let them go, I will plague your whole country with frogs. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs. The frogs will go up on you and your people and all your officials.’”

3. Gnats or Lice-on the body  ぶよ　あるいはのみ

8:16 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.”

4. Flies-filth  あぶ

8:21 If you do not let My people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies, and even the ground where they are.

5. Livestock Diseased-food 家畜の疫病

9:3 The hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses and donkeys and camels and on your cattle and sheep and goats. There was a very grievous fast-spreading disease like that of anthrax.

6. Boils-Personal   うみの出る腫物

9:8-9 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on men and animals throughout the land.”

7. Thunder and Hail 雷と雹

9:18 Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt, from the day it was founded till now.

8. Locusts-ate everything the hail missed  いなご

10:4-5 If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields.

9. Darkness-grouping without the Light of God. 暗闇

Go look at the first missionary journey of Paul when he had been set on an island-at Paphos, the false prophet named Bar-Jesus tried to keep the leader of the island from hearing the Gospel. Acts 13:11.  “Now the hand of the Lord is against you. You are going to be blind, and for a time you will be unable to see the light of the sun.”  Immediately mist and darkness came over him, and he groped about, seeking someone to lead him by the hand. Same kind of darkness BUT this one could be felt!  Not just a man made blind-but all the Egyptians!

 

10:21-23 Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness will spread over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.

10. Angel of Death-Firstborn had the birthright. 死の使い！ All the dreams for the family was in that one child.  It took the life of Pharaoh’s son as well; the hope of the Nation.

11:4-7 So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the slave girl, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.

   After all these ten plagues on the Pharaoh’s country, one condition remained.  His heart was cold and hardened.  Can you even imagine that kind of response to these events?

   All this resulted in the leader of that great land of Egypt letting the People, the Hebrews, go. His heart was hard. Difficult to understand such hardness as his country was broken, economically shot, health wise, in the grabage and with so much personal loss. And yet, the Pharaoh was not all that convinced. And you and I would need to understand that he is no different from people today. Even ourselves. What did it take before we gave into the Way of God in our lives? Some of us came kicking and screaming into the faith—while others came running into the Light.  How does this historical event in Egypt help us understand the Hand of God?  How does it help us see our need for the Almighty?  How does it help us understand our need for a Savior?  A Savior from all the idols we have placed in our lives—as the Egyptians did so many years ago.

    While all this happened to the Land and People of Egypt, how did it affect the lives and hearts of the Hebrews? Did it help them in any way? Was their Faith in their “I AM THAT I AM” God made more sure? Did it help them in their walk of faith as they stepped out into the vast unknown?  In a word: no. Both responded the same way.

We need to learn from our past. わたしたちはわたしたちの過去に学ぶ必要がある

     One fact about our past is this! We can’t change our past. What was done was done. We need to learn from the past mistakes and successes but, try as we might, we can’t change the past.  Having said that, why then do we rehearse our past mistakes? Why do we allow the Evil One room in our minds to bring up our shortcomings time and time again?

     One reason is we might believe that we can still make changes in our past. That isn’t reality, is it? Yet we try.  If only I had said … If I only had chosen the other one …  I wish I had not … Why did that happen to me…?

     You can see that this will get us nowhere, yet we try. I hear a lot of this from people. I regret …   If only I had …  What a difference it would have made if …  That kind of living is like the Hebrews wanting to go back into Egypt. Oh, life back then was great!  We had all the good foods, we had work, and we had family times!  Truth is, you were slaves back then. You were hungry for Life itself. You were over worked. And your families were in bad shape.  NOTHING about the Good Old Days were all that good!

     Seems to be a trend to try and relive the past.  Whether it is retro music or haircuts or styles in cloths, the past was not all that good. You have come so far since then. And you have seen that some of the decisions you made were made ill advised.  Some of the conversation that you were involved in did not bring Glory to the Lord BUT what can be done with them now?

We need to put our full trust in the One who has called us.　わたしたちは神に全幅の信頼を置く必要がある

     Let it go. Forgive yourself.  I know you might want to hold on to them, but let it go! Don’t allow yourself the room for reliving the past. Give it to the Lord Who will touch it in His Own way. He will bring true refreshment to our souls. The old song back in the mid 70’s went: すべてをイエスに捧げよ

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Give Them All To Jesus  by Phil Johnson and Bob Benson, Sr.

Are you tired of chasing pretty rainbows? Are you tired of spinning round and round? Wrap up all those shattered dreams of your life. And at the feet of Jesus, lay them down.

Give them all to Jesus, Shattered dreams, wounded hearts, and broken toys. Give them all to Jesus. And He will turn your sorrows into joy.

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     The Lord WILL give His Peace to us as we learn to trust Him fully. And for many of us this morning, we have already put our trust in Him who has given us New Life in His Son, Jesus.  Some of us, as well, have not moved from that decision. We need to expand our Faith. We need to exercise our faith in many ways. I will hand out  a handout that has some verses to read and meditate on during this coming week. Add to your Faith a Heart to Trust.  Give them all to Jesus. (See list of verses at the end of this message.)

   Now, we may never see the Plagues upon our lives like those in Egypt received from the Hand of the Lord. But when hard times do come—and they will—we need to be found trusting Him.  Failure to do so will not only be sad, it would be a waste of a life. Trust God. Let each of us learn to do that in community. You can depend on this fellowship to help you. I can say that because I know you are able to help each other in your trust of God.       What matters in your life?      Please read Matthew 11:28.

"Failure is achieving success in something that ultimately doesn't matter." 失敗とはどうでもよい何かに成功することである。 Dr. Dixon in Chapel at CIU 1/10/2012.

Life for something that is well worth the life He saved.  Give it ALL to Jesus.

 (From the handout- Ps 46:1-2; 84:11-12; 37:3-5; 40:4; 125:1; Proverbs 3:5-6; Luke 12:32; Mark 6:31-32; and 1 Peter 5:7.)

Walk with the King today and be a blessing!