July 2

Journey-through-the-Bible-with-us

READING FOR JULY 2, 2024: EXODUS 15, COLOSSIANS 2, PSALM 62                                                 EXODUS 15 After winning a major sporting event, often a victory parade is held, or the players go to Disney World, or maybe the White House. The first act of Moses and the people after witnessing the enemy's destruction was to sing a song to the Lord. How appropriate and what a good example for us as God’s people for responding to victories God gives. This is the first song mentioned in Israel’s history. It is mentioned again in Psalm 106:12 and will be sung again in heaven (Rev. 15:3). The first verses (1-3) praise the Lord and identify Him in multiple ways: highly exulted, my strength, my song, my salvation, my God, my father’s God, a warrior, and the Lord. Consider everything God is for us. Let’s praise Him for being all this and more. 

The next verses (4-8) reflect on the ways He defeated Israel’s enemy: threw them in the sea, covered them with water, destroyed them with His right hand, and consumed them with His anger. Praise God for already defeating our enemy: “Therefore, since the children share in flesh and blood, He [Jesus] Himself likewise also partook of the same, so that through death He might destroy the one who has the power of death, that is, the devil, and free those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives” (Heb. 2:14-15).

Verses 9-13 give more details about the attitude of the enemy: confident of their own victory; and give more details of God’s victory for His people: led by God to a place of safety. 1 Cor. 15: 26 tells about our final enemy: “The last enemy that will be abolished is death.” The result will be God raising us to an imperishable existence: “For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we will be changed” (1 Cor. 15:52). Are we singing yet?

The rest of the song deals with future enemies becoming fearful about this victory of God for His people. We see this with Rahab at Jericho many years later: “[Rahab] said to the men [Hebrew spies], “I know that the Lord has given you the land, and that the terror of you has fallen on us, and that all the inhabitants of the land have despaired because of you. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red Sea before you when you came out of Egypt” (Joshua 2:9-10). 

Moses’s song inspired Miriam, Moses’s sister, to lead the women in song, dance, and tambourine-playing on the same theme. Authentic praise is contagious and should prompt us not to be spectators but to sing, play, and dance along. Will this happen this Sunday at YMC?

Moses then leads the people into the desert for three days without water. Water was found at Marah but was undrinkable. Often after a great victory a great trial emerges. Moses, however, cried out God who made the water drinkable. God then promised health to the people if they remained obedient. God took on yet another identifier: Healer. He remains so today.

READING FOR JULY 2, 2024 CONTINUED: COLOSSIANS 2, PSALM 62                                COLOSSIANS 2 Paul wants the Colossians to know he struggles in powerful ways for them, for those in Laodicea, and for believers he has never visited. We know the reason he struggled: so that they would be unified, knowledgeable, and wise in their faith in Jesus—not susceptible to false, but persuasive, teachings. Do these concerns cause us to struggle over our church at all? The world is currently saturated with nice-sounding statements that at root deny the Gospel. Pray that we will remain secure in the truth God has given us in His word.                           Paul’s advice to them was to live their faith as they had received their faith. How do all people receive faith? Romans 10:9 says: “if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.”  In other words, we need to keep focusing on what Jesus did for us on the cross to pay for our sins and then keep confessing Him as Lord by obeying His word. We don’t ever graduate from these truths: “For this reason we must pay much closer attention to what we have heard, so that we do not drift away from it... How will we escape if we neglect so great a salvation?” (Heb. 2:1-3).                                                                    Paul again warns that there are deceptive philosophies that teach that man alone is sufficient, and not totally helpless without trusting in Jesus. Here are three popular such views:

  • Humanism stresses the potential value and goodness of human beings, emphasizes common human needs, and seeks solely rational ways of solving human problems.
  • Progressive Christianity promotes practices and teaching leading to greater concern for the way people treat each other more than the way people express their beliefs, the acceptance of all people, and a respect for other religious traditions.
  • Buddhism teaches human life is one of suffering caused by desire and that meditation, spiritual and physical labor, and good behavior are the ways to achieve detachment, enlightenment, or nirvana.

The rest of chapter two focuses on the full divinity of Christ, His redemptive work on the cross, and our faith in that work (confirmed by baptism) as the only way to receive God’s forgiveness. As emphasized in Galatians, doing works of the law are not part of that way!

PSALM 62 This chapter resembles a ping pong game. Powerful statements of faith in God alone for salvation alternate with descriptions of murderous and lying men who trust in evil. David accurately presents the way of God as the best choice by far. His last statement, “For You reward a person according to his work” is worth more study than space allows. It occurs throughout both testaments but doesn’t mean we are saved by our works. Here is a summary: Judgment Seat of Christ. “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive compensation for his deeds done through the body, in accordance with what he has done, whether good or bad” (2 Cor. 5:10). This judgment is for those who are saved to be given their heavenly rewards.    Great White Throne Judgment. “Then I saw a great white throne... they were judged, each one of them according to their deeds...anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.” This judgment is for those who didn’t believe in Jesus as Saviour and Lord while on earth.