READING FOR JUNE 26, 2024: EXODUS 11, PHILIPPIANS 2, PSALM 59:1-10 EXODUS 11 God explains to Moses that this upcoming and final plague will result in permission to leave, in fact they will initially be driven out of Egypt. God tells Moses to have the Hebrews ask their Egyptian acquaintances for going-away gifts of gold and silver. Some scholars think this represents the unpaid wages owed to the Hebrews for their slave labor. Certainly, these materials will later be used in constructing objects and places of worship. Shockingly the Hebrew people and Moses in particular were respected by the Egyptian people. They set a good example of not showing ethnic bigotry, even though their own leader was evil.
Moses explains what the final plague will entail: the death of all Egyptian first-born male humans and cattle. In a primogeniture culture, nothing could be more devastating. Another key element is that this death will not touch the Hebrews. Once again, God makes a clear distinction between His covenant people and others. This is particularly offensive for contemporary Western culture, especially those identifying as Progressive Christians. Yet, hear the words of John the Baptist: “The one who believes in the Son has eternal life; but the one who does not obey the Son will not see life, but the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36).
PHILIPPIANS 2 Paul begins by implying there is encouragement in being a Christian, including experiencing God’s love and the companionship of the Holy Spirit. Then he says amazingly that believers can complete his own joy by being united in the Spirit. Likely they could also bring him sadness by being disunited. So certainly, Christianity unity is a value to which we should aspire. Seems easier said than done, but let’s read on. Here are some tips he gives that we can incorporate individually to achieve unity: 1) don’t be selfish but consider others more important than oneself; 2) intentionally look out for the interests of others; and 3) be like Jesus in not asserting our own rights but be willing to give them up sacrificially and even to suffer in order to serve others. What a church we could be if we followed these three steps.
Paul develops this last point to provide us with vital and glorious information about Jesus. We learn Jesus as God the Son is equal to God the Father but, when He came to earth as a man (i.e., incarnation), He emptied Himself of his divine prerogative like a person assuming servitude. He obeyed the Father by willingly undergoing the most painful and tragic death ever, experiencing the Father’s wrath for mankind’s collective guilt of sin which He alone bore. PLEASE READ THIS PARAGRAPH AGAIN TO REFLECT FULLY ON WHAT JESUS HAS DONE.
Is it any surprise then that God the Father exalts Jesus above every name? No other human, spirit being, or culturally constructed object of worship can equal Jesus. In fact, Paul says that at some future date, everyone one who ever lived in all nations and all eras will acknowledge
READING FOR JUNE 26, 2024 CONTINUED: PHILIPPIANS 2, PSALM 59:1-10 that Jesus is preeminent, is Lord. As we have seen repeatedly in our study of scripture; however, those who have not come to Jesus during their lifetimes, will experience God’s judgment, not His salvation. Thus, this eventual universal acknowledgment of Jesus as Lord will not bring about universal redemption, reconciliation, or eternal life. “It is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him” (Heb. 9:27-28).
Verses 12 and 13 are central to understanding the interaction between man’s freewill and God’s sovereignty. Paul is not with them in Philippi to guide them each day. Each person thus needs to assume more individual responsibility for their spiritual maturity. John Wesley puts it this way: “Work out your own salvation - Here is our duty. For it is God that worketh in you - Here is our encouragement. And O, what a glorious encouragement, to have the arm of Omnipotence stretched out for our support and our succor!”
Paul seems quite familiar with complaints within the church. He says don’t go down that route, so that we can stand out among a complaining culture. Instead, we should hold onto the Bible. It must have been the case that there was cultural pressure then as now to disregard the Bible as out of date and unnecessary for daily life. However, if we live as Paul suggests, we can have the joy of knowing our lives haven’t been pointless. Paul ends the chapter by extolling the work of colleagues in the Gospel: Timothy and Epaphroditus. Does anyone spring to mind who serves the Lord faithfully in our church? Let’s obey verse 29 and hold her/him in high regard.
PSALMS 59:1-10 Let’s first read the historical context of this Psalm, which is 1 Sam. 19:11:“Then Saul sent messengers to David’s house to watch him, in order to put him to death in the morning. But Michal, David’s wife, informed him, saying, “If you do not save your life tonight, tomorrow you will be put to death!”
Ever wonder why David had so many enemies? He was like Jesus in this respect. Maybe the better question is why do we have so few in this fallen world? We have more than we realize.What or who are our enemies from Eph. 6 that we currently face? Looking back to 6/24/24 we find these: falsehood, unrighteous behavior, no peace with God, disbelief in God, not accepting the Gospel, and not trusting the word of God. Let’s pray as does David for God to rescue us from these enemies who are setting an ambush for us. David says he committed no sin to arouse these enemies. In fact, he has them because of his obedience. Let’s expect them if we are obeying God. David sees his conflict as part of a global fight between good and evil. Can we make these same connections? Yet, David understands it is laughable to think the forces of evil can threaten the Almighty God. Let’s join David in praying against our enemies with the same total confidence that God can and will deliver us if we truly trust in Him.
