February 26, 2010

Exodus 9

Now, the Lord slays Apis, the bull-god worshiped by the ancient Egyptians. Apis, a reincarnation of Ptah, a creator god. should have been the protector of the Egyptian livestock. (Perhaps this is the model for the golden calf made by the Israelites at Mount Sinai.) Instead the Lord shows his greatness over their gods. He slays Apis. Note that none of the Israelite livestock is damaged.

The Egyptian priests/magicians were careful to be clean in their duties. Ashes were used to make a powerful soap to rid their bodies of uncleanliness. If you have ever made soap, you know that one of the ingredients is lye. Lye is produced by letting water filter through ashes. The lye is leached into the water as it filters through. Then it is added to rendered animal fat to produce soap. Perhaps soap was invented as part of the religious sacrificial rituals of early man. Instead of cleanliness, Moses’ ashes brought a festering skin disease. Note that the Egyptian magicians could not stand before Moses because skin disease produced by Moses’ ashes. Once again Lord slays an Egyptian god.

The sky goddess Nut was trusted upon to give the Egyptians good weather. Lord slays Nut. He rains a dead hail and fire from the sky upon the Egyptian crops and unprotected livestock. One by one the Lord slays those things upon which the Egyptians trusted. In what do you trust. If not the Lord, be careful He may slay them. He is after all the Almighty, and He will share His glory with no other. Indeed we serve a glorious King. Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor john

Mark 5:21-43

The late summer and early fall of ’78 were difficult for me emotionally. Laura and I were convinced that God had called us to join the staff of Campus Crusade for Christ for the next 3 years. We applied and received a preliminary invitation to their Institute of Biblical Studies in June and July and to their Staff training the first two weeks of August. We raised support to attend and headed off for the summer to Ft. Collins, Colorado, where these events were being held. At the end of IBS we were informed that we were no longer invited to staff training. I had shown up on the psychological test as being extremely introverted and they did not feel that I would be a good match for their style of ministry.

The problem for me was that I had been sure at the beginning of the summer that this was the direction that God was leading me. But obviously the door was shut. How could I have so misheard the Lord? Hind sight is always 20-20, as the saying goes. In the intervening years I have figured out what God was doing. God did want me in Ft. Collins, but He didn’t want me on staff with CCC. But during those first few months I didn’t understand and it seemed as if God had led me on a wild goose chase or I had not really heard God properly. God never leads on a wild goose chase. It just seems like it sometimes.

Can you imagine this synagogue official as He is waiting for the healing of His daughter? She was at the point of death. She may already be dead. He has begged the Lord to come and heal her. I can’t think of anything more emotionally wrenching than the possible death of a little child. But Jesus goes with him. There is hope. Time is of the essence. Then the unspeakable happens as He leads Jesus. Jesus stops. Come on, Jesus! She is dying. But somebody had touched Him. People were always touching Him. They were always crowding in on Him. He was the most popular man of the region at the time. Come on, Jesus, let’s go. My daughter is dying or dead! You can’t tarry here!

But somebody had touched Him! Somebody had touched Him with healing faith and He felt the healing power go out. How could it be that He did not know who it was who touched Him? Sometimes the Lord asked questions that were similar to rhetorical questions. This one was one. He wanted the one of faith to identify herself. “Come on, Jesus! We don’t have time for twenty-questions.” But Jesus took time with the woman. Time was something the daughter did not have. But while Jesus was talking with the woman, the official’s servant showed up with the dreaded news. The daughter was dead. It was too late. It indeed had been a wild goose chase.

But Jesus says, “Don’t be afraid, only believe.” Back at the house the mourners were already there, doing their job. “She is only asleep,” says Jesus. They had seen death before. There was no pulse, no breath. She was cold. She was dead. They laughed at the Lord of glory. Of course they did not know that He was the Lord of glory. Jesus raised the girl. They were astounded. What do you know? It wasn’t a wild goose chase. Jesus’ delay did not make a difference in the end result. His glory was clearly seen in His victory over death!

So, when it seems that you are on a wild goose chase, don’t be afraid, only believe. Jesus will show His glory. And by the way by having gone to Ft. Collins I was forced to live in Stillwater, Ok for the next 2.5 years. During that time the Lord led me into the Christian and Missionary Alliance, which I dearly love. Also during that time I was able to live in the same town as my parents which was a blessing that I have not been able to enjoy since. It wasn’t a wild goose chase. It was blessing. I see His glory in a greater way now. Indeed we serve a glorious King! Speak His glory to someone today!

--Pastor John