Beating a Dead Horse?
The LORD said, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people who are in Egypt, and have given heed to their cry because of their taskmasters, for I am aware of their sufferings. So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians,” Exodus 3:7-8a NASB
Deliver – Did God see you in Egypt? Has He seen you afflicted by taskmasters? The typology of bondage to sin is a powerful theme woven into the reality of an historical exodus. The words chosen to express this event on both levels are important. God has “surely seen.” In Hebrew, He has raoh raeeti (seen seen). He has looked twice and found misery and torment. He is aware (yada’). He knows their pain intimately. He is not the transcendent overseer of a mechanical universe. He is the God who suffers, who is heartbroken, who grieves with His people. And so God chooses to act on their behalf. “I have come down to deliver,” – ered lehatzilo – “to deliver him.” Yes, it’s singular. God comes to the aid of His people, His soon-to-be nation, as one all together. The root is natsal. This verb expresses the power of one entity to overcome another. God enters into a cosmic war with the gods of the Egyptians and defeats every one of them (each of the plagues is about a battle with an Egyptian god, including Pharaoh). That’s why God prevents the exodus on more than one occasion. The full victory of every false deity must be completed before there is real redemption from bondage. You and I can apply the same theme in our lives. One small god in the back closet prevents true redemption. They must all go. They must all be crushed, all destroyed, all ground to powder and urinated on the ground. Deliverance requires extermination.
We know the story. At least we know the historical narrative, modified to conform to Hollywood sensibilities. Now step back from this seminal event and recognize it for what it truly is – the greatest display of hesed in the Tanakh. Why do I say that? Because one of the essential elements of hesed is the fulfillment of a need of the recipient that he is unable to do for himself. If there is any possibility that the beneficiary of the deed is capable of self-deliverance, hesed does not apply. Hesed is freely given benevolence on behalf of the truly helpless. Israel had no way out. Moses, the next-in-line Pharaoh, failed in his human effort to deliver his people. Only God could provide what Israel needed. And when only God can provide, divine hesed comes into play.
Consider your noble intentions to show charity to another. In order to act as God would act, you must do for another what he is incapable of doing for himself. You must do this without any motivation of recompense, even the reward of being recognized as a charitable person. You must act in a way that delivers another because of your obligation, not to the beneficiary but to God Himself. You must be entirely free not to act, but to act anyway. Then you will experience coming down to deliver. Then you will know the heart, the broken heart, of God.
Topical Index: hesed, natsal, deliver, Exodus 3:7-8
you must do for another what he is incapable of doing for himself.
Hi Skip, thank you, thank you! I am definitely going to try and make this my motto concerning all relationships, whether its my family, friends, community or charities.
As you know, the opportunities for showing some kind of charity in South Africa is endless with the thousands of Aids orphans and others being homeless, jobless and shack dwellers…. Their “wants” as well as their needs are endless and most of the time you just don’t know where to start and it never stops. This principle seems like a good way to keep one’s focus.
You are a blessing to many, Luzette, including me!
If only YHWH would send a Deliverer to us who are under the bondage of sin. If only a Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Judea to deliver His own people from their sins. If only we served a Sovereign Shepherd, a living Christ who is intimately and intricately involved in every detail of each of our lives including our breaths and our bloods. If only we had Someone who cared enough to give us what we need on a daily basis. Someone to give us our daily bread. If only G-d would provide Himself a Lamb to take away the sin of the world. If only Love could be demonstrated (in the flesh) so we would see and know compassion and mercy revealed.
~ Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? ~ Yes, Rabbi Shaul- “Who?” What is His name? For according to the instructions of Elohim- Salvation (deliverance) is found in no one else, for there is no other Name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved ~ What is this Name? Whose very Name is Salvation? for He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all- how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Who is this Man? Who is our Deliverer? Who is our Savior?
Who has come to seek and to save (to the uttermost) those who are lost? Who was it that revealed unto the talmudim all things in Scripture concerning Himself? Who is now seated upon the very throne of G-d?
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain.. the Lamb? the Passover Lamb? that Lamb? the Lamb of G-d who takes away the sin of the world? Who is this Lamb who was slain? -Who is this King of glory? What is His name?
One small god in the back closet prevents true redemption.
……so I thought I’d take a quick look into that closet – and besides the recognizable in-my-face-gods that jumped right out, at the bottom, covered in dust, I found the following:
unforgiveness – (unforgiveness causes me to constantly accuse others and myself – how many times have you accused yourself?)
resentment – (resentment constantly reminds me of the past, stirring up negative sentiments
causing marriages families, churches or communities to split up)
retaliation – ( I don’t forgive, I just get even” – attitude)
anger – (the outward expression and voice of unforgiveness, resentment and retaliation)
hatred – (have you ever seek to eliminate someone – not enough space for both of us ?)
violence – violence is anger and hatred set into motion- and yes, I actually hit someone on purpose
1John 3:15 – seems I am guilty of murder – and all of these are part of BITTERNESS –
Heb 12:14-15
I also found some self-bitterness, the result of:
the inability forgive myself
self-resentment – can I ever do anything right?
self- retaliation – now the fighting starts
self-anger – if perfectionism(thats me!!) self-accusation and self-condemnation comes together, it triggers anger
(self-hatred, self-violence and self-murder follow next – scary, sick thoughts, but very common: ” nobody would care if I died” – or any other way we put ourselves down in thoughts, words or deeds)
self-bitterness also include: self -pity, self rejection, self-enthronement, self-exaltation, excessive talkativeness, excessive eating, binging, self-comparison, self-doubt, unbelief.
– Matt 22:39 – Next to God, shouldn’t i be my own best friend?
I also found some rejection – rejection tells me that I am unwanted, put aside and refused – its the feeling of being unloved – rejection judges facial expressions and body language or evaluates nuances – looking for a reason to feel more rejected!
rejection makes me pick a fight with the one who wants to love me
rejection tells me that I will never belong
rejection produces double-mindedness – I know that God loves me, but I don’t feel His love –
James 1:8
and then I found some fear –
fear of death
fear of lack
fear of failure
fear of a wasted life
fear of man
fear of change
fear of rejection
fear of not being thin enough
fear of not being a good parent or wife
– Job3:25
and now, since it is deliverance I want and need, all must go!
Hi Luzette,
I identify and empathize with your list! I’m finding freedom in Christ in an unusual way. Check out this link about recovering from what the world labels as codependency:
http://www.coda.org/tools4recovery/Patterns2-2011.htm
Also, here is a quote from one of my (other) favorite Bible teachers, Bill Johnson, of Bethel Church in CA:
“Faith doesn’t deny a problem’s existence. It denies it a place of influence.”
Praying that you are extending grace to yourself in a manner of acceptance and realization that we CANNOT live a victorious Christian life without divine assistance!
Be blessed with strength and peace from our LORD today!
Hi Cyndee
Thank you for your kindness and caring.
All it takes to be fine is to recognize the small gods in your life as sin, renounce them, repent to the One true God and don’t bow down to them any more.
The point I wanted to make: deceiving little small gods turn into monsters and then create monsters. The reason for all the detail is that we tend to forget where they begin,what they consist of and have the attitude of: me harboring bitterness, rejection and fear(not Godly fear)? Never! Btw this is also how I believe to stay healthy. Repent and be healed – Lev 26:14-16
I totally agree with you that REPENTANCE is key! It is the action the WE take in turning TO G-d and away FROM our own selves, yet G-d is the One Who grants it to us as a gift.
2 Timothy 2:22-26 (NIV): “22 Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart. 23 Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. 24 And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. 25 Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, 26 and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will.”
IT IS SO WONDERFUL TO SEE PEOPLE COME TO THEIR SENSES & GET FREE…♥♥ JAN
What God was associated with plague? Can you expand on this?
Thanks
Look here
http://inthedoghouse.hubpages.com/hub/Ten-Plagues-For-Ten-Gods
Those of you who visit the link that Skip just gave, please be aware that it is a site provided by, and written by, a Mormon. Below is an excerpt of some of what Mormons believe, and a link to the site I took it from:
Mormon
“As man now is, God once was…As God now is, man can become.” Is a saying that accurately describes Mormon view of Jesus. Mormons believe that Jesus was created by God and is a “brother” to Satan. Like H.W. Armstrong, they teach divine progression. Jesus was once just a man who lived on another planet. He eventually progressed to be equal to God and came to colonize planet earth with “gods to be” or humans. Unforeseen to Christ, Satan (Jesus’ brother) put a kink in this plan when he deceived Adam and Eve. Jesus was then required to die for fallen man, His creation. Jesus therefore is a model for us and one day we will be equal to God and colonize other planets too. There are millions of other planets being colonized right now in the same way in other galaxies. What makes earth’s colonizing process unique is Satan’s deception of Adam. Jesus is the God of planet earth. The Mormon hope is to marry, through a Mormon Temple ceremony, as many earth women as possible for eternal celestial marriage. In the resurrection all good Mormon men will call from the dead those women they married in a temple ceremony. They will then fly off to some uninhabited planet with their many polygamous wives and populate that planet.
http://www.bible.ca/su-deity-christ.htm
Because I care,
Helen
Thank you for pointing this out for those who are concerned, but frankly, history is history and whether it is written by a Mormon or not is completely irrelevant to the material provided. If it were a theological piece, then we might have some reservations, but since this deals with Egyptian gods, I have no worries at all about the source. We don’t worry when atheists tell us about the rotation of the moons of Jupiter. Why should we worry about the fact that a Mormon did the research on the history of the Exodus.
You are most welcome, Skip! Oh well, if nothing else is of any value to you or to your students here,
at least the door may have been opened for some to investigate the religion of Mormonism. There are two of them contending for the Republican presidential office.