Day 33, February 2, 2021
Scriptures: Exodus 6, Matthew 27 “I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob as God Almighty, but by name the Lord I did not make myself known to them. I also established my covenant with them to give them the land of Canaan, where they resided as foreigners. Moreover, I have heard the groaning of the Israelites, whom the Egyptians are enslaving, and I have remembered my covenant.” God said those words to Moses. God hears the groaning of the Israelites, and He remembers His covenant with them. God hears our cries, and remembers us. What an important encouragement to us, as we face trials and struggles. Our turn to the New Testament, and the connecting passage of Matthew 27, brings us to the betrayal and crucifixion of Jesus. Moses struggles to find the words to Pharaoh. Jesus, he certainly could speak to Pilate, but chooses very little words at all. He could try to defend himself, talk his way out, release himself from captivity. But he doesn’t advocate for himself. Instead of talking His way out of it, Jesus will enter into captivity. He will become a servant, obedient all the way to death. God will tell Moses, “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the Lord, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord.” Jesus, with outstretched arm, and with the mighty acts of taking on the judgment of all sin, will take us as His own people, and He will be our God. He will bring us out from the yoke of slavery to sin and death, and set us free. He will bring us into His family, under His reign, and we will enter in His Kingdom. Moses shared the hope of God with the Israelites, “they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and harsh labor.” Jesus is standing in front of us, sharing the same encouragement of Moses. He is ready to set us free, and like the sower in the field, we struggle to have ears to hear. The discouragement of today, leads us to struggled to properly hear of the hope of life in the kingdom. It’s choked out of us, one worry, one struggle at a time. The hope of the message of God, brought to us in Jesus struggles to take root. Hear the Gospel today, and believe and know that Jesus is one to set us free. Like all Egypt would soon realize, that the Lord God of Moses and Israel is Lord over all. The soldiers who participated in the crucifixion, following the earthquake, they realized and testified, “Surely, he was the Son of God!” Discouragement, harsh labor, worries of our life, they all have a way of choking out the seed of God’s Word, the Good News of Jesus and His Kingdom. Cultivate a heart of listening and gratitude today, so we can once again hear the Good News. There is freedom from sin and death in Jesus Christ. The Lord Jesus himself says to each of us, “I will be your God and you will be my people.” You have a place in the family of God. He hears your grumbling and hurt, and he remembers his covenant with you. Jordan
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AuthorJordan Ickes, Minister of Etna Green Church of Christ. Archives
December 2022
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