Women of Firm Faith

Verses 1-7, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, "Thus says the Lord God of the Hebrews: 'Let My people go, that they may serve Me. For if you refuse to let them go, and still hold them, behold, the hand of the Lord will be on your cattle in the field, on the horses, on the donkeys, on the camels, on the oxen, and on the sheep—a very severe pestilence. And the Lord will make a difference between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt. So nothing shall die of all that belongs to the children of Israel.' ” ’ Then the Lord appointed a set time, saying, 'Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.' So the Lord did this thing on the next day, and all the livestock of Egypt died; but of the livestock of the children of Israel, not one died. Then Pharaoh sent, and indeed, not even one of the livestock of the Israelites was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh became hard, and he did not let the people go." God makes a di...

Verses 5-8, "Then the Lord spoke to Moses, 'Say to Aaron, "Stretch out your hand with your rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up on the land of Egypt.” ' So Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt. And the magicians did so with their enchantments, and brought up frogs on the land of Egypt. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, 'Entreat the Lord that He may take away the frogs from me and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord.' ”  The magicians were able to duplicate the miracles by the power of evil spirits.  Satan will often mimic the real thing, which is why many people will be deceived by them. Verses 12-15, "Then Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh. And Moses cried out to the Lord concerning the frogs which He had brought against Pharaoh. So the Lord did according to the word of ...

Verses 1-5, "So the Lord said to Moses: 'See, I have made you as God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother shall be your prophet. You shall speak all that I command you. And Aaron your brother shall tell Pharaoh to send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and multiply My signs and My wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh will not heed you, so that I may lay My hand on Egypt and bring My armies and My people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord , when I stretch out My hand on Egypt and bring out the children of Israel from among them.' ”  We can see that Pharaoh's heart was already wicked and unwilling to yield to God.  Exodus 5:2, "And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord , that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord , nor will I let Israel go.' ”  Therefore, God will confirm this hard heart state, giving Pharoah ex...

Verses 1-5, "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh. For with a strong hand he will let them go, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.' And God spoke to Moses and said to him: 'I am the Lord. I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them. I have also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, in which they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant.' "  Now that the conditions were right, totally impossible without a miracle, God tells Moses how He is going to display His power and might.  After Pharaoh's reaction to the message given through Moses and Aaron, it looked like the situation was worse then ever and Pharoah would never consent to releasing the Jews from captivity.  But God...

Verses 1-3, "Afterward Moses and Aaron went in and told Pharaoh, 'Thus says the Lord God of Israel: "Let My people go, that they may hold a feast to Me in the wilderness.” ' And Pharaoh said, 'Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, nor will I let Israel go.' So they said, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us. Please, let us go three days’ journey into the desert and sacrifice to the Lord our God, lest He fall upon us with pestilence or with the sword.' ”  Although it was difficult confronting Pharoah, Moses and Aaron obey God and deliver His message which claims ownership of the people and demands their release.  Pharoah served other gods, but he did not know the God. Therfore his actions confirm his words and he refuses to obey the Lord's command. Many people say they DO know God, but their actions also give them away. I John 2:3-6, "Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His com...

Verse 1-5, "Then Moses answered and said, 'But suppose they will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, "The Lord has not appeared to you." ’ So the Lord said to him, 'What is that in your hand?' He said, 'A rod.' And He said, 'Cast it on the ground.' So he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from it. Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Reach out your hand and take it by the tail' (and he reached out his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand), 'that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.' ”  Even after having witnessed God's appearance in the burning bush, Moses raises his doubts and concerns.  God graciously gives Moses the ability to perform miracles to address his concerns, and it's still not enough. Verses 10-17, "Then Moses said to the Lord, 'O my Lord, I am no...

Verses 1-3, "Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. Then Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.' ”  Moses' experience in the wilderness was very humbling, going from the royal status of Pharaoh's family, to shepherding someone else's sheep.  When the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, he was ready to take notice.  This was a miraculous sign because the fire started out of nowhere, and it did not consume the bush it was burning. Verses 4-6, "So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses!' And he said, 'Here I am.' Th...

Verses 1-4, "And a man of the house of Levi went and took as wife a daughter of Levi. So the woman conceived and bore a son. And when she saw that he was a beautiful child, she hid him three months. But when she could no longer hide him, she took an ark of bulrushes for him, daubed it with asphalt and pitch, put the child in it, and laid it in the reeds by the river’s bank. And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him."  There was something special about Moses, described by the Hebrew word towb , which is the same word used when God saw His creation in Genesis and it was "good".  Whatever it was caused his parents to hide him for the months, despite the king's command, and the action to put him in a basket in the river was a step of faith on their behalf.  Hebrews 11:23, "By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command....

Verses 1-7, "Now these are the names of the children of Israel who came to Egypt; each man and his household came with Jacob: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah; Issachar, Zebulun, and Benjamin; Dan, Naphtali, Gad, and Asher. All those who were descendants of Jacob were seventy persons (for Joseph was in Egypt already). And Joseph died, all his brothers, and all that generation. But the children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly, multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty; and the land was filled with them."  God was faithful to fulfill His promises, long after Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were gone.  They multiplied exceedingly because the Lord was blessing them.  Jacob's family began with his two wives, Rachel and Leah, and their two maidservants, Bilhah and Zilphah.  Even though your situation may not look like much, God can do a miraculous work when you are obedient. Humble beginnings often come with much resistance, but it's through these tim...

Verses 1-6, "Then Joseph fell on his father’s face, and wept over him, and kissed him. And Joseph commanded his servants the physicians to embalm his father. So the physicians embalmed Israel. Forty days were required for him, for such are the days required for those who are embalmed; and the Egyptians mourned for him seventy days. Now when the days of his mourning were past, Joseph spoke to the household of Pharaoh, saying, 'If now I have found favor in your eyes, please speak in the hearing of Pharaoh, saying, "My father made me swear, saying, 'Behold, I am dying; in my grave which I dug for myself in the land of Canaan, there you shall bury me.' Now therefore, please let me go up and bury my father, and I will come back.” ' And Pharaoh said, 'Go up and bury your father, as he made you swear.' ”  Jacob's death was mourned as one who was of high standing.  Not only will Pharoah allow Joseph and his family to go bury his father, but will send and e...

Verses 1-2, "And Jacob called his sons and said, 'Gather together, that I may tell you what shall befall you in the last days: “Gather together and hear, you sons of Jacob, And listen to Israel your father." ' "  Although he was born Jacob in the flesh, God made him spiritually "Israel".  This battle between the flesh and spirit was something he dealt with throughout his life.  Galatians 5:17, "For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish."  By referring to himself as Israel on his death bed, you get the impression that he has fully come to terms and accepted who God wanted him to be.  How about you?  Have you fully embraced who God wants you to be?  We can try to wrestle against God, but our stubbornness will get us nothing but God's chastening and correction.  We know what God requires of us...to do what is right and to disp...

Verses 1-6, "Now it came to pass after these things that Joseph was told, 'Indeed your father is sick'; and he took with him his two sons, Manasseh and Ephraim. And Jacob was told, 'Look, your son Joseph is coming to you'; and Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed. Then Jacob said to Joseph: 'God Almighty appeared to me at Luz in the land of Canaan and blessed me, and said to me, "Behold, I will make you fruitful and multiply you, and I will make of you a multitude of people, and give this land to your descendants after you as an everlasting possession." And now your two sons, Ephraim and Manasseh, who were born to you in the land of Egypt before I came to you in Egypt, are mine; as Reuben and Simeon, they shall be mine. Your offspring whom you beget after them shall be yours; they will be called by the name of their brothers in their inheritance.' " Jacob appears to be adopting Ephraim and Manasseh, considering them his own offs...

Verses 1-6, "Then Joseph went and told Pharaoh, and said, 'My father and my brothers, their flocks and their herds and all that they possess, have come from the land of Canaan; and indeed they are in the land of Goshen.' And he took five men from among his brothers and presented them to Pharaoh. Then Pharaoh said to his brothers, 'What is your occupation?' And they said to Pharaoh, 'Your servants are shepherds, both we and also our fathers.' And they said to Pharaoh, 'We have come to dwell in the land, because your servants have no pasture for their flocks, for the famine is severe in the land of Canaan. Now therefore, please let your servants dwell in the land of Goshen.' Then Pharaoh spoke to Joseph, saying, 'Your father and your brothers have come to you. The land of Egypt is before you. Have your father and brothers dwell in the best of the land; let them dwell in the land of Goshen. And if you know any competent men among them, then make th...

Verses 1-4, "So Israel took his journey with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. Then God spoke to Israel in the visions of the night, and said, 'Jacob, Jacob!' And he said, 'Here I am.' So He said, 'I am God, the God of your father; do not fear to go down to Egypt, for I will make of you a great nation there. I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up again; and Joseph will put his hand on your eyes.' ”  The Lord had promised to make Jacob into a great nation, and it probably scared him to leave the promised land.  God reassures him that He can bring him back again and still fulfill His promises.   Psalms 89:13, "You have a mighty arm; Strong is Your hand, and high is Your right hand."  I think sometimes we underestimate God and give ourselves way too much credit, trying to help Him out with His plans.  He doesn't need our help, but He desires our obedience....

Verses 1-8, "Then Joseph could not restrain himself before all those who stood by him, and he cried out, 'Make everyone go out from me!' So no one stood with him while Joseph made himself known to his brothers. And he wept aloud, and the Egyptians and the house of Pharaoh heard it. Then Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph; does my father still live?' But his brothers could not answer him, for they were dismayed in his presence. And Joseph said to his brothers, 'Please come near to me.' So they came near. Then he said: 'I am Joseph your brother, whom you sold into Egypt. But now, do not therefore be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life. For these two years the famine has  been in the land, and there  are still five years in which there  will  be neither plowing nor harvesting. And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great d...

Verses 1-5, "And he commanded the steward of his house, saying, 'Fill the men’s sacks with food, as much as they can carry, and put each man’s money in the mouth of his sack. Also put my cup, the silver cup, in the mouth of the sack of the youngest, and his grain money.' So he did according to the word that Joseph had spoken. As soon as the morning dawned, the men were sent away, they and their donkeys. When they had gone out of the city, and were not yet far off, Joseph said to his steward, 'Get up, follow the men; and when you overtake them, say to them, "Why have you repaid evil for good? Is not this the  one from which my lord drinks, and with which he indeed practices divination? You have done evil in so doing." ’ ”  Joseph, being used by God,  will test his brothers by putting his silver cup in Benjamin's sack.  After Benjamin had received preferential treatment, he will watch to see how they respond. Verses 6-10, "So he overtook them, ...

Verses 1-5, "Now the famine was severe in the land. And it came to pass, when they had eaten up the grain which they had brought from Egypt, that their father said to them, 'Go back, buy us a little food.' But Judah spoke to him, saying, 'The man solemnly warned us, saying, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you." If you send our brother with us, we will go down and buy you food. But if you will not send him, we will not go down; for the man said to us, "You shall not see my face unless your brother is with you." ’ ”  Jacob may have thought that he could outlast the famine and not return to Egypt, but God had other plans. Their lack of food would make it necessary to return with Benjamin, and face another trial.  Even when we try to avoid walking through the fire, because of God's love for us, He will not allow us to escape moving ahead.  We need to trust our Father even in the hard times, that He is always with us, and will ...