Who Is On The Lord’s Side?

Listen to Today’s Passage – Exodus 30 – 32 

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Exodus 30

(Second Milers also read – Luke 15 – 16; Proverbs 30; Psalms 146 – 150

Listen to this morning’s Scripture song – Psalm 55:17

Read the “0130 Evening and Morning” devotion for today by Charles Spurgeon.

Read a previous post from this passage – “Called, Equipped, and Filled.“

Today’s Scripture Focus: Exodus 32

“And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” – (Exodus 32:11-14)

“And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf, and the dancing: and Moses’ anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. And he took the calf which they had made, and burnt it in the fire, and ground it to powder, and strawed it upon the water, and made the children of Israel drink of it. … And when Moses saw that the people were naked; (for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies:) Then Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and said, Who is on the LORD’S side? let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.” – (Exodus 32:19-20, 25-26)

“And Moses returned unto the LORD, and said, Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin–; and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written.” – (Exodus 32:31-32)

The Golden Calf Incident

Moses was a great leader; a strong leader. He not only had to obey God and implement His laws, but he also had to work with a congregation that often resisted those laws and would often complain about every decision that was made. Moses was often blamed for any problems that Israel faced as they wandered through the wilderness those forty years. Though Moses struggled at times, he never stopped loving and obeying His Lord, and He never quit serving the people that He was called to serve, even when it was very difficult.

In our story, we learn that Moses was up on Mt. Sinai with the Lord receiving the Word of God. Moses was with Lord and away from the congregation for a long time, and because the people thought that he possibly was never coming back, they began to put the pressure on Aaron (Moses’ brother) to lead them in Moses’ absence. The problem was that Aaron was not the strong leader that Moses was, and he gave in to all of the whims and wishes of the people. The people literally “heaped to themselves” a leader that would give them what they wanted rather than what was right. So, in just a few short weeks after Moses left the congregation to meet with God, we see the congregation of Israel abandoning all of the principles that they had learned from God through Moses. The people were now creating their own god – a golden calf.

Moses’ Leadership in the Crisis

When God reveals to Moses what is going on with the people down in the valley, Moses immediately begins to intercede on behalf of the people. He begs God not to destroy the people. It would have been very easy for Moses to irrationally desire that God get rid of the people and start over again, but Moses loved the people that God had entrusted to his care, and he did not want to see any harm come to them. However, when Moses finally gets down to the people, he literally throws a fit of righteous indignation and he takes the hard steps that were necessary to root the evil out of the congregation. Ultimately, 3,000 people were put to death. I am sure that Moses had some friends and maybe even family members among the group that were killed as a result of his order, but he did what he had to do in order to save the entire congregation. That is leadership. Leaders are not always popular, but they are willing to do what is right at the risk of losing some people.

Notice in vv. 31 – 32, after Moses dealt with the people, he is back with God interceding for the people he loved. He even goes as far as to tell God that if He wouldn’t forgive the people then God should blot Moses out of “thy book that thou hast written.”  That is love, and that is leadership. Leaders are not only brave, willing to stand for what they believe, but they are also compassionate and patient.

Joshua faced similar battles and also proved to be a strong leader. He drew a line in the sand and offered his congregation the same choice:

“14 Now therefore fear the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in truth: and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the flood, and in Egypt; and serve ye the LORD. “15 And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.” (Josh 24:14–15)

Our Lord, Jesus, was also a very strong leader. Though He loved people and was full of compassion for them when they fell into sin, He also had to fight against a religious culture that was very resistant to changes in their extra-biblical traditions and extremely intolerant to anyone who dared violate or even question them. 

Application for Today

Unfortunately, there is a serious famine of strong leadership in our culture today. Moses, Joshua, and Jesus risked unpopularity to confront sin and resist the challenges from those who attempted to lead the people away from the will of God. Modern leaders must also sometimes say “no” to cultural pressures, even if it costs them followers or approval. They must also be willing to stand against those who would attempt to promote their own agenda. We need more of this type of strong leadership in our country today. We need it in our churches, and we need it in our families. Too many leaders today are politicians like Aaron that only want to score points with people. They don’t want to risk their popularity by standing on principle.

“God, give us some men and women that will be willing to make the hard decisions that need to be made in order to do what is right. Give us men that will fight evil and will stand on the principles of the Word of God. God, give us some strong leaders.”

  • Have you faced pressure to compromise your faith?

  • Have you been forced to biblically re-examine issues and make unpopular decisions in light of a changing culture?

  • How can you lead with Moses-like courage this week?


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Judah – The Saturday Morning Post by Pastor Ted Stahl

Listen to today’s passage – Genesis 43 – 44

Follow along on Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 43

(Second Milers also read – Mark 5 – 6; Proverbs 17; Psalms 81 – 85)

Listen to this morning’s Scripture Song – Psalm 92:1 – 4

Read the “0117 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by the late Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

Good Morning! In Genesis 44, Joseph tests his brothers by planting his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, leading to Benjamin’s accusation of theft. When the brothers return to Egypt, Judah steps forward to plead on Benjamin’s behalf…

“Then Judah came near unto him, and said, Oh my lord, let thy servant, I pray thee, speak a word in my lord’s ears, and let not thine anger burn against thy servant: for thou art even as Pharaoh. … Now therefore, I pray thee, let thy servant abide instead of the lad a bondman to my lord; and let the lad go up with his brethren.” (Genesis 44:18 & 33)

In chapter 44 of Genesis, we find that Joseph tested his brothers by secretly placing his silver cup in Benjamin’s sack, resulting in Benjamin being accused of theft. Judah stepped forward and made intercession for Benjamin. Reading this caused me to remember another member of the tribe of Judah – the Lion of the Tribe of Judah – the Lord Jesus Christ.

Judah interceded for his brother; Jesus intercedes for us.

Judah’s selfless plea points us forward to a greater Intercessor from his own tribe—the Lion of the Tribe of Judah, our Lord Jesus Christ—who intercedes and substitutes Himself for us in an infinitely greater way.

“Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.” (Romans 8:34)

Judah’s mind was on his father and brother; Jesus’ mind was on us.

When Judah stepped forward, his mind was on his father, Israel, and his brother Benjamin. When Jesus went to the cross, His mind was on us…

“Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.” (Hebrews 12:2)

Judah was willing to become a slave to free Benjamin; Jesus tasted death to free us.

Judah was willing to leave his wife, family, everything he had to set Benjamin free…

“But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.” (Hebrews 2:9-10)

“These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:1-5)

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John3:16)

Just as Judah’s plea moved Joseph’s heart, Jesus’ finished work moves the Father’s heart on our behalf. Have you thanked God and praised Him for this amazing grace yet today?

Peace!

We would love to hear your thoughts – Leave a comment !


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A Friend’s Prayer for a Friend: The Power of Intercession

Today’s Passage – Listen to Genesis 17 – 19 (Audio link).

Read along at Blue Letter Bible – Genesis 17

(Second Milers also read – Matthew 11 – 12; Proverbs 6; Psalms 26 – 30)

Listen to today’s Scripture Song – Psalm 25

Read the “0106 Evening and Morning“ devotion for today, by Charles Haddon Spurgeon.

“And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteousness: and he was called the Friend of God.“ (Jas 2:23)

“And said, My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant:” (Gen 18:3)

In our text today, we read about Abraham, the friend of God, interceding on behalf of his own friend and nephew, Lot.

Sweet Fellowship with the Lord

Genesis 18 is a wonderful account which tells of the communion that Abraham had with his God. In the passage, three “men” appear at the tent of Abraham. We are not sure who all of these “men” are. Some have concluded that one of them was the Lord, and the other two were angels, which is certainly a good possibility because the very next chapter begins with two angels going to rescue Lot from the destruction of Sodom. Others believe, however, that these three men were physical manifestations of the three members of the Trinity. I tend to agree with the former opinion but it is interesting that though there were three men, Abraham always only addresses them in the singular form as one. Nevertheless, the Lord and Abraham enjoy a sweet time of fellowship during this time. You get the feeling from the passage that they were not rushing to conclude their time together. A meal was prepared while the Lord waited.

Speaking of Waiting – God Reaffirms His Promise to Abraham

During this time, God, no doubt, spoke to Abraham about many things; but one thing that he told Abraham was that he would, in fact, have a son that would be born to Sarah. The miraculous thing about all of this is that Sarah and Abraham both are well beyond the childbearing years. Abraham and Sarah waited 25 years from the time that God first promised them a child to the time when their son, Isaac, was finally born (see Gen 12:4 & 21:5). God is faithful to do all that He says that He will do in His time. During this afternoon of fellowship with Abraham, God reassures him again of the promise.

Abraham’s Concern for Lot

God reveals something else to Abraham during their time together. As Abraham was walking with the Lord as He was leaving, God shares with Abraham his planned destruction of the city of Sodom. God didn’t have to tell him, but He did. Of course, this got Abraham’s attention because he had a nephew in Sodom that he cared for. Abraham interceded for the city of Sodom, particularly for Lot and his family. He is begging God to spare the city, but his concern is really about Lot. The Bible tells us that Abraham was the friend of God, but here we see that he was also a good friend to Lot. God never promises to spare the city and interestingly, He never promises to spare Lot; but He did say that He would spare the city if He found ten righteous people there, which he did not find. However, God does spare Lot and the family members that were willing to listen to Lot’s warning of the coming destruction.

God Remembered Abraham

I want you to notice something very important, however:

“And it came to pass, when God destroyed the cities of the plain, that God remembered Abraham, and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow, when he overthrew the cities in the which Lot dwelt.” (Gen 19:29)

Did you catch it? It does not say that God spared Lot because he was righteous, though we know that the New Testament speaks of him as being “just” (justified – 2 Pe 2:7). It also does not say that God remembered Lot. It does say that God remembered Abraham. What did God remember about Abraham? He remembered Abraham’s intercession on behalf of his nephew, Lot. God spared Lot and his family because of the prayer of Abraham.

The Power of Intercessory Prayer

What a wonderful picture we have here of prayer. God communing in sweet fellowship with his child. God revealing something to that child that would be of concern to him. God giving that child an opportunity to intercede, to pray for that very concern. And then the best part: God answering the request of the child: not exactly the way he wanted it; but a wonderful answer none the less. Kind of causes you to want to spend a little time in prayer yourself, doesn’t it?

Questions for Reflection
  1. Have you ever experienced that kind of sweet, unhurried fellowship with God—like Abraham lingering with the Lord?
  2. What promises from God are you still waiting on, and how does Abraham’s 25-year journey encourage you today?
  3. Who in your life is a “Lot”—someone you care about who needs God’s mercy—and how is the Lord prompting you to intercede for them?
  4. When has God answered your prayers in a way you didn’t exactly expect, yet it was even better?
  5. If God “remembers” the prayers of His friends, what concern will you bring to Him in prayer right now?

Take a moment to pray for a friend today.

Read related previous posts from this passage – “Don’t Look Back,” “Abraham Did a Little Walking With God, Too,” “Walk Thou Before Me and Be Thou Perfect” and “God Knows You.”


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