Today Jesus prayed…woke friends…prayed…woke friends…
Got kissed…arrested…heals an ear…demeaned by some Jews leaders…denied by a friend...
Interrogated by Pilate…mocked by King Herod…shuffled back to Pilate…condemned by the crowd…given a sentence…took the place of a murderer…
Shouted at…stripped naked…whipped…beaten…flogged…spat at…given a crown made of thorns…
Led through streets...carried a log…through town…naked…in front of spectators…in front of His mother…
Three nails driven in His body…lifted above the onlookers…clothes gambled over…gasped for air…lungs burning…thirsty...
Fatigued…physically…mentally…spiritually…
Collected all sin…past…present…future…
Forsaken by His Father…fulfilled all prophecies…body systems fail…
Cried “It is Finished!”
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 10
Finally the end of the plagues. We have made it to number ten. This may be the finale of this bloody, smelly and messy adventure but it definitely not the end of the story. Let’s open our Bibles and see how God completes the task of getting the Israelites out of Egypt and gets Pharaoh to “let His people go!”
The Plague on the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-9)
“Now the LORD had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.” (v 1)
That had to be good news to Moses’ ears. It wasn’t until now that Moses knew how long these catastrophes would continue. Moses had to simply be relieved.
God continues talking to Moses…“Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” (v 2)
Their neighbors? Yes, they are to ask their Egyptian neighbors for money. Why in the world would an Egyptian that has had to suffer through all of these disasters give anything to these Israelites? Fortunately for us, God tells us why…
“(The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)” (v 3)
God make the Egyptians want to give the Israelites money. Even Moses himself was “highly regarded”. Can you imagine? This man comes into the land and brings all of this disasters and problems and now they highly regard him. But not Pharaoh. No, he is still being stubborn and chooses to not let them leave.
“So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.” (v 4-8)
Well, now we know what it is called the “Plague of the Firstborn.” That’s what makes this plague hit home. My husband is a first born. I am a first born. We, obviously, have a first born. Many friends and family (but evidently no siblings) are first borns. And I know that Pharaoh had a first born. I have always wondered why he didn’t take this warning more seriously. Surely he had to know that this plague would also come just like the previous nine did. But he didn’t.
“The LORD had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.” (v 9-10)
This is undoubtedly the most eventful plague. It is also the plague that takes the most amount of preparation, money and effort. Tonight we will be celebrating with a Passover meal known as a Seder. We will hunt for leaven (yeast) and toss it out. We will partake in the same “Last Supper” that Jesus shared with His disciples in the Upper Room. Or at least do our best in participating with a similar meal. We will focus on the retelling of Christ’s last hours. The hours He was with His disciples on Mount Olive. Why He was in Jerusalem. Why He was having this meal. We will put the kids to bed with the story found in Matthew 26: 36-56 about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane as His disciples fell asleep.
Tomorrow we will get up to a very somber house. It will be, ironically, “Good” Friday.
The Plague on the Firstborn (Exodus 11:1-9)
“Now the LORD had said to Moses, “I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely.” (v 1)
That had to be good news to Moses’ ears. It wasn’t until now that Moses knew how long these catastrophes would continue. Moses had to simply be relieved.
God continues talking to Moses…“Tell the people that men and women alike are to ask their neighbors for articles of silver and gold.” (v 2)
Their neighbors? Yes, they are to ask their Egyptian neighbors for money. Why in the world would an Egyptian that has had to suffer through all of these disasters give anything to these Israelites? Fortunately for us, God tells us why…
“(The LORD made the Egyptians favorably disposed toward the people, and Moses himself was highly regarded in Egypt by Pharaoh’s officials and by the people.)” (v 3)
God make the Egyptians want to give the Israelites money. Even Moses himself was “highly regarded”. Can you imagine? This man comes into the land and brings all of this disasters and problems and now they highly regard him. But not Pharaoh. No, he is still being stubborn and chooses to not let them leave.
“So Moses said, “This is what the LORD says: ‘About midnight I will go throughout Egypt. Every firstborn son in Egypt will die, from the firstborn son of Pharaoh, who sits on the throne, to the firstborn son of the female slave, who is at her hand mill, and all the firstborn of the cattle as well. There will be loud wailing throughout Egypt—worse than there has ever been or ever will be again. But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any person or animal.’ Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel. All these officials of yours will come to me, bowing down before me and saying, ‘Go, you and all the people who follow you!’ After that I will leave.” Then Moses, hot with anger, left Pharaoh.” (v 4-8)
Well, now we know what it is called the “Plague of the Firstborn.” That’s what makes this plague hit home. My husband is a first born. I am a first born. We, obviously, have a first born. Many friends and family (but evidently no siblings) are first borns. And I know that Pharaoh had a first born. I have always wondered why he didn’t take this warning more seriously. Surely he had to know that this plague would also come just like the previous nine did. But he didn’t.
“The LORD had said to Moses, “Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you—so that my wonders may be multiplied in Egypt.” Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh, but the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go out of his country.” (v 9-10)
This is undoubtedly the most eventful plague. It is also the plague that takes the most amount of preparation, money and effort. Tonight we will be celebrating with a Passover meal known as a Seder. We will hunt for leaven (yeast) and toss it out. We will partake in the same “Last Supper” that Jesus shared with His disciples in the Upper Room. Or at least do our best in participating with a similar meal. We will focus on the retelling of Christ’s last hours. The hours He was with His disciples on Mount Olive. Why He was in Jerusalem. Why He was having this meal. We will put the kids to bed with the story found in Matthew 26: 36-56 about Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane as His disciples fell asleep.
Tomorrow we will get up to a very somber house. It will be, ironically, “Good” Friday.
Passover Plagues--Day 9
On one of our vacations we went spelunking in Mammoth Caves. When we were finally in the inner most parts of the hallow the tour guide turned off all the lights. It was dark. Not middle-of-the-night dark. Not back-alley dark. It was pitch black. I could not even see my hand inches from my face. Quite honestly, I was a little nervous. Only a minute later the guide illuminated the room again. But that minute seemed quite longer. So can you just imagine what the Egyptians went through during this ninth plague?
The Plague of Darkness (Exodus 10: 21-29)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.” (v 21-22)
A darkness that can be felt? Wow, now that is dark. And we aren’t talking for a minute or two. Nope not even an hour. It was downright dark for three days.
“No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” (v 23)
Can you imagine what that looked like? Complete and utter darkness on one side of town and daylight on the other. That’s amazing. That’s an amazing God.
But Pharaoh finally came to his senses (even though he was lacking one.) Remember yesterday he wouldn’t let the women and children leave with the men. Today he said, “Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.” (v24)
But still not good enough. You see, God wanted the men, the women, the children and all the animals. He wanted everything that was His. Nothing was to be left behind. Nothing. (Similar to our current situation and how He wants everything, everyone, that is His. “That no one should perish.” But I will save that thought for another posting.)
“But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD.” (v25-26)
Although Pharaoh may have been the man with the most power. he was not the man with the most wisdom. The rest of the Egyptians, even his own servants and magicians, at this point, after the other eight plagues, had figured out that God is God and can do whatever he wants. And will do whatever He wants.
“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.” (v 27)
He even furthers my point about lacking wisdom in the irony of his next sentence: “Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! …
Now, that’s funny! Pharaoh has not been able to see anything--anything--for three days and he says, “Get out of my sight!”. I just love the contradiction here. You laughed too. Didn't you?
…Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.” (v 28-29)
Because Easter is so late this year coupled with Daylight Savings, this plague was harder to do than in the past. I closed all the blinds. Drew all the curtains. Turned off all the lights. Then I had the kids wear handkerchiefs over their eyes during dinner. It was nothing like what was experienced in Egypt or even what we experienced in the caves. However, the kids did have a new experience and this ninth plague is not one they will forget soon.
The Plague of Darkness (Exodus 10: 21-29)“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward the sky so that darkness spreads over Egypt—darkness that can be felt.” So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days.” (v 21-22)
A darkness that can be felt? Wow, now that is dark. And we aren’t talking for a minute or two. Nope not even an hour. It was downright dark for three days.
“No one could see anyone else or move about for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.” (v 23)
Can you imagine what that looked like? Complete and utter darkness on one side of town and daylight on the other. That’s amazing. That’s an amazing God.
But Pharaoh finally came to his senses (even though he was lacking one.) Remember yesterday he wouldn’t let the women and children leave with the men. Today he said, “Then Pharaoh summoned Moses and said, “Go, worship the LORD. Even your women and children may go with you; only leave your flocks and herds behind.” (v24)
But still not good enough. You see, God wanted the men, the women, the children and all the animals. He wanted everything that was His. Nothing was to be left behind. Nothing. (Similar to our current situation and how He wants everything, everyone, that is His. “That no one should perish.” But I will save that thought for another posting.)
“But Moses said, “You must allow us to have sacrifices and burnt offerings to present to the LORD our God. Our livestock too must go with us; not a hoof is to be left behind. We have to use some of them in worshiping the LORD our God, and until we get there we will not know what we are to use to worship the LORD.” (v25-26)
Although Pharaoh may have been the man with the most power. he was not the man with the most wisdom. The rest of the Egyptians, even his own servants and magicians, at this point, after the other eight plagues, had figured out that God is God and can do whatever he wants. And will do whatever He wants.
“But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he was not willing to let them go.” (v 27)
He even furthers my point about lacking wisdom in the irony of his next sentence: “Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! …
Now, that’s funny! Pharaoh has not been able to see anything--anything--for three days and he says, “Get out of my sight!”. I just love the contradiction here. You laughed too. Didn't you?
…Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” “Just as you say,” Moses replied. “I will never appear before you again.” (v 28-29)
Because Easter is so late this year coupled with Daylight Savings, this plague was harder to do than in the past. I closed all the blinds. Drew all the curtains. Turned off all the lights. Then I had the kids wear handkerchiefs over their eyes during dinner. It was nothing like what was experienced in Egypt or even what we experienced in the caves. However, the kids did have a new experience and this ninth plague is not one they will forget soon.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 8
The Plague of Locusts (Exodus 10:1-20)
"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD.” (v 1-2)
Tell your children and grandchildren? I think this story has way outlived that prediction. We are still telling it today--thousands of generations later!
“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me." (v 3)
Come on Pharaoh! Just let them go already! All they want to do is go out into the wilderness and worship their God. How much can we endure? What do we even have left for Him to destroy?
“If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.” (v 4-6)
Finally Pharaoh gives in and allows the men to go and worship.
“Pharaoh said, “The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. No! Have only the men go and worship the LORD, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.” (v 10-11)
But I guess that wasn’t good enough for God.
“And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.” (v 12)
Moses did what he was told. The locusts came.
“The locusts covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.” (v15)
But Pharaoh lied again and begged Moses to make it all go away. Moses prayed to God and…
“And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.” (v 19)
…and the same thing happens again. “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” (v 20)
So God sends another plague...
"Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the hearts of his officials so that I may perform these signs of mine among them that you may tell your children and grandchildren how I dealt harshly with the Egyptians and how I performed my signs among them, and that you may know that I am the LORD.” (v 1-2)
Tell your children and grandchildren? I think this story has way outlived that prediction. We are still telling it today--thousands of generations later!
“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me." (v 3)
Come on Pharaoh! Just let them go already! All they want to do is go out into the wilderness and worship their God. How much can we endure? What do we even have left for Him to destroy?
“If you refuse to let them go, I will bring locusts into your country tomorrow. They will cover the face of the ground so that it cannot be seen. They will devour what little you have left after the hail, including every tree that is growing in your fields. They will fill your houses and those of all your officials and all the Egyptians—something neither your parents nor your ancestors have ever seen from the day they settled in this land till now.’” Then Moses turned and left Pharaoh.” (v 4-6)
Finally Pharaoh gives in and allows the men to go and worship.
“Pharaoh said, “The LORD be with you—if I let you go, along with your women and children! Clearly you are bent on evil. No! Have only the men go and worship the LORD, since that’s what you have been asking for.” Then Moses and Aaron were driven out of Pharaoh’s presence.” (v 10-11)
But I guess that wasn’t good enough for God.
“And the LORD said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over Egypt so that locusts swarm over the land and devour everything growing in the fields, everything left by the hail.” (v 12)
Moses did what he was told. The locusts came.
“The locusts covered all the ground until it was black. They devoured all that was left after the hail—everything growing in the fields and the fruit on the trees. Nothing green remained on tree or plant in all the land of Egypt.” (v15)
But Pharaoh lied again and begged Moses to make it all go away. Moses prayed to God and…
“And the LORD changed the wind to a very strong west wind, which caught up the locusts and carried them into the Red Sea. Not a locust was left anywhere in Egypt.” (v 19)
…and the same thing happens again. “But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let the Israelites go.” (v 20)
So God sends another plague...
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 7
Subtitled: What the hail?!
The Plague of Hail (Exodus 9: 13-35)
‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me, or this time I will send the full force of my plagues against you and against your officials and your people, so you may know that there is no one like me in all the earth." (v13-14)
The full force of plagues? Are you kidding me? Like the previous six plagues weren’t enough? Blood everywhere, dead animals, sores covering your body? That’s not enough? What else could God possibly send to convince these stubborn minded people?
God even informs Pharaoh and the rest of the Egyptians why He is sending all of these horrible calamities.
“For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth.” (v 15-16)
Oh trust me! He has shown His power! And His name is proclaimed in all the earth!
Then in the next couple of verses, He tells us what’s coming next. “Therefore, at this time tomorrow I will send the worst hailstorm that has ever fallen on Egypt…Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every person and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.’” (v18-19)
Well, I guess the Egyptians didn’t have to worry about getting any of their animals in before the storm. They haven’t had any since day five. And by now some of them are actually starting to pay attention and realize you don’t mess with the Big Guy.
“Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. But those who ignored the word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field." (v20-21)
There is even more to this part of the story. Go grab your Bible and read it. It’s just a couple more verses. Exodus 9:22-35. Because right now I have to go scrunch up a several sheets of scrap paper and make some spit wads to use for hail. But maybe this year (because is later than normal and a little warmer than normal) we will go outside and toss crushed ice at each other. But if any of you ever see ping pong balls on sale I could use about 100 or so.
Passover Plagues--Day 6
Check out what our trio are up to toady:
The Plague of Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
“Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
Now, before any of you go and call Child Protective Services, we do not give our children boils or harm them in any way. The best way that I have been able to describe boils to the children is to tell them that they are really hurtful sores or “oueys”. Because of this description, day six is usually referred to as the “day of boo-boos“.
Even though the Egyptians were suffering the worst of the plagues to date. This one is another one of my favorites. First we get some soot from a friend that has a wood burning fireplace. Then we take the ashes outside and toss the it in the air. To represent the actual boils, we cover ourselves literally with band-aids. We have bandages around our heads. We have wraps around our hands and fingers with gauze. We have even sometimes put some band-aids covering our mouths (but those don’t last long). We suffer through eating while not being about to use all of our appendages. By the end of the night we suffer through the agonizing pain of taking all the sticky bandages off.
But we have no idea what excruciating pain Pharaoh and his people were enduring. The only thing we do know is that even physical torture was not enough for him to get the message and listen to Moses. He still chose to keep a hard heart and keep the slaves form leaving.
The Plague of Boils (Exodus 9:8-12)
“Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, “Take handfuls of soot from a furnace and have Moses toss it into the air in the presence of Pharaoh. It will become fine dust over the whole land of Egypt, and festering boils will break out on people and animals throughout the land.”
So they took soot from a furnace and stood before Pharaoh. Moses tossed it into the air, and festering boils broke out on people and animals. The magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils that were on them and on all the Egyptians. But the LORD hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said to Moses.
Now, before any of you go and call Child Protective Services, we do not give our children boils or harm them in any way. The best way that I have been able to describe boils to the children is to tell them that they are really hurtful sores or “oueys”. Because of this description, day six is usually referred to as the “day of boo-boos“.
Even though the Egyptians were suffering the worst of the plagues to date. This one is another one of my favorites. First we get some soot from a friend that has a wood burning fireplace. Then we take the ashes outside and toss the it in the air. To represent the actual boils, we cover ourselves literally with band-aids. We have bandages around our heads. We have wraps around our hands and fingers with gauze. We have even sometimes put some band-aids covering our mouths (but those don’t last long). We suffer through eating while not being about to use all of our appendages. By the end of the night we suffer through the agonizing pain of taking all the sticky bandages off.
But we have no idea what excruciating pain Pharaoh and his people were enduring. The only thing we do know is that even physical torture was not enough for him to get the message and listen to Moses. He still chose to keep a hard heart and keep the slaves form leaving.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 5
This plague is one of my favorites. Don’t get me wrong--I am sure I would not enjoy it if I actually had to live through the “real deal” but the reenactment is quite entertaining. It is more than likely my favorite because it is the easiest. Although it is also the one that makes the kids suffer the most.
Today all of our children’s stuffed animals, plastic animals and all other play animals are lying all over the floor on purpose. The tricky part--the sacrificial part--is that they are not allowed to play with them because the are “dead”. And it is Saturday, no less!!
The Plague on Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats.
And as Matt summarized it this morning at breakfast, God said to Pharaoh, “I am sending a plague on your ass!” (I couldn’t resist. That was funny.)
The verse continues…“But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’ The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.” And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.”
No, I probably would not be able to handle this plague had it actually happened in my life time. The stench alone would have done me in. One thing that I am sure the Egyptians were thankful for was that the flies came before the all of the dead animals and their carcasses. Man, that would have been a horrible retched mess! And this has already been a stinky and smelly adventure.
And if the mess and smell of their dead animals wasn’t enough, what would they have for supper for the next month or so? (Something I had not thought about until reading it this year.)
Well at least none of the plagues have hurt us physically…well, at least not yet. Who knows what tomorrow holds.
Today all of our children’s stuffed animals, plastic animals and all other play animals are lying all over the floor on purpose. The tricky part--the sacrificial part--is that they are not allowed to play with them because the are “dead”. And it is Saturday, no less!!
The Plague on Livestock (Exodus 9:1-7)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: “Let my people go, so that they may worship me.” If you refuse to let them go and continue to hold them back, the hand of the LORD will bring a terrible plague on your livestock in the field—on your horses, donkeys and camels and on your cattle, sheep and goats.
And as Matt summarized it this morning at breakfast, God said to Pharaoh, “I am sending a plague on your ass!” (I couldn’t resist. That was funny.)
The verse continues…“But the LORD will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and that of Egypt, so that no animal belonging to the Israelites will die.’ The LORD set a time and said, “Tomorrow the LORD will do this in the land.” And the next day the LORD did it: All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one animal belonging to the Israelites died. Pharaoh investigated and found that not even one of the animals of the Israelites had died. Yet his heart was unyielding and he would not let the people go.”
No, I probably would not be able to handle this plague had it actually happened in my life time. The stench alone would have done me in. One thing that I am sure the Egyptians were thankful for was that the flies came before the all of the dead animals and their carcasses. Man, that would have been a horrible retched mess! And this has already been a stinky and smelly adventure.
And if the mess and smell of their dead animals wasn’t enough, what would they have for supper for the next month or so? (Something I had not thought about until reading it this year.)
Well at least none of the plagues have hurt us physically…well, at least not yet. Who knows what tomorrow holds.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 4
Have you ever had a fly buzzing around your head. It’s annoying. You spend the next half of an hour thwacking at it with your fly swatter. Finally you kill the pesky sucker only to have his best friend show up and start bothering you all over again. So can just you imagine an entire swarm of them overtaking your house? Inside and out. Flies everywhere. Talk about irritating.
However, it must not have bothered Pharaoh as much as it would bother most of us because on day four of this adventure he got a taste of these bothersome bugs:
The Plague of Flies (Exodus 8: 20-32)
‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.” (v 20-21)
OK… at this point if I were living in Egypt I would simply be upset. I am not sure I would be able to remain calm if, for reason unbeknownst to me, my bathtub was full of blood, frogs were in my bed and gnats were everywhere else. Thankfully for the Israelites, God’s chosen people, this particular plague did not invade their land.
Look at what the LORD says through Moses to the ruler of the land. God is going to seperate the good guys from the bad guys. “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people…’ And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.” (v 22-24)
Did you catch that? “Dense swarms of flies poured…” It did not say, “some random flies landed on his face while he was sleeping.” Nor did it read, “ a couple of flies were floating in his Coke.” No, God sent a swarm of flies. And only sent them to the Egy[tians. I am sure the slaves were relieved.
So at our house…well we didn’t quite get the entire house covered with a horde of flies. We did, however, try and reenact the plague to the best of our ability. We found some really disguising looking plastic ones. They were squishy and gross. I had them covering the dining room table during dinner. They may have not been flying around our heads but we were slightly disturbed. I am sure it was nothing like what the Egyptians suffered through.
But yet again, as if out of habit, Pharaoh lied. He asked Moses to make the flies go away and “Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.” (v 30-32)
Which takes us to the next plague…
However, it must not have bothered Pharaoh as much as it would bother most of us because on day four of this adventure he got a taste of these bothersome bugs:
The Plague of Flies (Exodus 8: 20-32)
‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you do not let my people go, I will send swarms of flies on you and your officials, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians will be full of flies; even the ground will be covered with them.” (v 20-21)
OK… at this point if I were living in Egypt I would simply be upset. I am not sure I would be able to remain calm if, for reason unbeknownst to me, my bathtub was full of blood, frogs were in my bed and gnats were everywhere else. Thankfully for the Israelites, God’s chosen people, this particular plague did not invade their land.
Look at what the LORD says through Moses to the ruler of the land. God is going to seperate the good guys from the bad guys. “‘But on that day I will deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the LORD, am in this land. I will make a distinction between my people and your people…’ And the LORD did this. Dense swarms of flies poured into Pharaoh’s palace and into the houses of his officials; throughout Egypt the land was ruined by the flies.” (v 22-24)
Did you catch that? “Dense swarms of flies poured…” It did not say, “some random flies landed on his face while he was sleeping.” Nor did it read, “ a couple of flies were floating in his Coke.” No, God sent a swarm of flies. And only sent them to the Egy[tians. I am sure the slaves were relieved.
So at our house…well we didn’t quite get the entire house covered with a horde of flies. We did, however, try and reenact the plague to the best of our ability. We found some really disguising looking plastic ones. They were squishy and gross. I had them covering the dining room table during dinner. They may have not been flying around our heads but we were slightly disturbed. I am sure it was nothing like what the Egyptians suffered through.
But yet again, as if out of habit, Pharaoh lied. He asked Moses to make the flies go away and “Then Moses left Pharaoh and prayed to the LORD, and the LORD did what Moses asked. The flies left Pharaoh and his officials and his people; not a fly remained. But this time also Pharaoh hardened his heart and would not let the people go.” (v 30-32)
Which takes us to the next plague…
Passover Plagues--Day 3
This is the hardest of the plagues to reproduce. Making cherry kool-aid for everyone to drink, filling strawberry Jell-o with rats and filling the tub with ketchup wasn’t too difficult. Spreading plastic frogs all over the house was actually kind of fun. But today’s plague wasn’t quite as easy. Here’s why:
The Plague of Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.” (v 16-17)
As you can the problem is actually reproducing gnats. How can I imitate swarms of them in the house so that they were bothering us all night? In the past year we have shown these pesky insects to the children when we come upon them in the summer. However, I wasn’t quite sure how I have going to recreate this particular plague. Then my brilliant husband came up with the idea to call them “Can’t See ‘Ems”. We simply open up our empty hands and scream like little girls. The children think there is some sort of tiny something in our palms. We tell them it is skein of gnats. It works.
So this year, to represent that they have taken over our house, we even hung brown paper bags from the ceiling “full” of gnats. They aren’t disturbing us as much as they would have been disturbing the Egyptians. But we have a visual nonetheless.
And check out the scripture to see that yet again Pharaoh’s “wise” men tried to outsmart God again. Will they ever learn? “But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.” (v 18)
Seriously? They tried again? Thank goodness they failed! If I were either an Egyptian or an Israelite I would be rather pleased that they couldn’t reproduce more of these bothersome bugs. And for the first time in this story these “wise” men actually show some wisdom: “Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God…”
The magicians finally came to their senses. However, Pharaoh did not. “…But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said. (v 19)
He still would not let the Israelites go. God had no other choice but to send yet another plague…
The Plague of Gnats (Exodus 8:16-19)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Tell Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the ground,’ and throughout the land of Egypt the dust will become gnats.” They did this, and when Aaron stretched out his hand with the staff and struck the dust of the ground, gnats came on people and animals. All the dust throughout the land of Egypt became gnats.” (v 16-17)
As you can the problem is actually reproducing gnats. How can I imitate swarms of them in the house so that they were bothering us all night? In the past year we have shown these pesky insects to the children when we come upon them in the summer. However, I wasn’t quite sure how I have going to recreate this particular plague. Then my brilliant husband came up with the idea to call them “Can’t See ‘Ems”. We simply open up our empty hands and scream like little girls. The children think there is some sort of tiny something in our palms. We tell them it is skein of gnats. It works.
So this year, to represent that they have taken over our house, we even hung brown paper bags from the ceiling “full” of gnats. They aren’t disturbing us as much as they would have been disturbing the Egyptians. But we have a visual nonetheless.
And check out the scripture to see that yet again Pharaoh’s “wise” men tried to outsmart God again. Will they ever learn? “But when the magicians tried to produce gnats by their secret arts, they could not.” (v 18)
Seriously? They tried again? Thank goodness they failed! If I were either an Egyptian or an Israelite I would be rather pleased that they couldn’t reproduce more of these bothersome bugs. And for the first time in this story these “wise” men actually show some wisdom: “Since the gnats were on people and animals everywhere, the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God…”
The magicians finally came to their senses. However, Pharaoh did not. “…But Pharaoh’s heart was hard and he would not listen, just as the LORD had said. (v 19)
He still would not let the Israelites go. God had no other choice but to send yet another plague…
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 2
As if all the water turning to blood and the smell of dead fish wasn’t enough, Pharaoh still didn’t let the Israelites leave Egypt. Today we will observe the second day of plagues. Today frogs --lots of frogs--will invade our home. This is why:
The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.” (v 1-3)
I have frogs everywhere. Maybe not as many as God sent into Eygpt. Maybe not teems of them. The house isn't quite jam packed with them but we have several. Some are on the table, the floor, the stairs. Some are on the windows, in the cabinets, under pillows. Frogs are in the casserole for dinner. They are in the cup with the toothbrushes. I even found some that stick to the ceiling. Yes, we are literally surrounded by the green amphibians.
But, let's look what happened in the scriptures. For a second time, Pharaoh and his “wise” men weren’t very wise. Look what they did AGAIN! “But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” (v7) Really? Again? Are you joking?
Then, to make matters worse, Pharaoh lied. “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD” …After Moses and Aaron left... Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” (v 8, 12, 15)
So what is God's payback for his lies? What does He do to the country whose leader went back on his word and would not let them leave? This is great. “The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.” (v 13-14)
Surely that will teach them! I know it would have made me want to rent a bus and drive the Israelites out of town myself. Now Eygpt is full of the smell of yesterday's dead fish and today’s dead frogs.
What could God do after this? What is going to die next? What odors will we have to endure? What does tomorrow have in store?
The Plague of Frogs (Exodus 8:1-15)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘This is what the LORD says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs on your whole country. The Nile will teem with frogs. They will come up into your palace and your bedroom and onto your bed, into the houses of your officials and on your people, and into your ovens and kneading troughs.” (v 1-3)
I have frogs everywhere. Maybe not as many as God sent into Eygpt. Maybe not teems of them. The house isn't quite jam packed with them but we have several. Some are on the table, the floor, the stairs. Some are on the windows, in the cabinets, under pillows. Frogs are in the casserole for dinner. They are in the cup with the toothbrushes. I even found some that stick to the ceiling. Yes, we are literally surrounded by the green amphibians.
But, let's look what happened in the scriptures. For a second time, Pharaoh and his “wise” men weren’t very wise. Look what they did AGAIN! “But the magicians did the same things by their secret arts; they also made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.” (v7) Really? Again? Are you joking?
Then, to make matters worse, Pharaoh lied. “Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, “Pray to the LORD to take the frogs away from me and my people, and I will let your people go to offer sacrifices to the LORD” …After Moses and Aaron left... Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said.” (v 8, 12, 15)
So what is God's payback for his lies? What does He do to the country whose leader went back on his word and would not let them leave? This is great. “The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields. They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them.” (v 13-14)
Surely that will teach them! I know it would have made me want to rent a bus and drive the Israelites out of town myself. Now Eygpt is full of the smell of yesterday's dead fish and today’s dead frogs.
What could God do after this? What is going to die next? What odors will we have to endure? What does tomorrow have in store?
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
Passover Plagues--Day 1
Tonight is the first of the plagues in invade our home. From the time the children get home from school until they go to bed all of the water in the house will be red kool-aid,. We are having chili for dinner with dead fish and rats. I have made red Jell-o (with more dead rats) for dessert. And the piece de resistance is a bath tub full of blood (that looks very similar to watered down ketchup)!! Here’s why:
The Plague of Blood (Exodus 7: 14-24)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, …Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded… He struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.”
That would have been enough to get my attention. It wouldn’t have taken nine more plagues to get me to want these people out of my country. Just the smell of dead fish alone would have done it. Never mind the fact that they had to bathe in blood also. Yuck!
But Pharaoh wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. Look what he did next: “Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts.” (v 22) Are you kidding me? Like there wasn’t enough blood everywhere. He made them make even more! If their magic could make blood why didn't they use it to UNmake it? Just a thought.
Pharaoh’s heart was hard. He wasn’t about to let this entire nation of slaves leave. He didn’t care if there was nothing to drink or clean water to bathe in. He wanted to keep his indentured servants and that was final. So God sent more plagues. Tomorrow He sends…
The Plague of Blood (Exodus 7: 14-24)
“Then the LORD said to Moses, “Pharaoh’s heart is unyielding; he refuses to let the people go. Go to Pharaoh in the morning as he goes out to the river. Confront him on the bank of the Nile, …Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt—over the streams and canals, over the ponds and all the reservoirs—and they will turn to blood. Blood will be everywhere in Egypt, even in vessels of wood and stone.” Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded… He struck the water of the Nile, and all the water was changed into blood. The fish in the Nile died, and the river smelled so bad that the Egyptians could not drink its water. Blood was everywhere in Egypt.”
That would have been enough to get my attention. It wouldn’t have taken nine more plagues to get me to want these people out of my country. Just the smell of dead fish alone would have done it. Never mind the fact that they had to bathe in blood also. Yuck!
But Pharaoh wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box. Look what he did next: “Blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the Egyptian magicians did the same things by their secret arts.” (v 22) Are you kidding me? Like there wasn’t enough blood everywhere. He made them make even more! If their magic could make blood why didn't they use it to UNmake it? Just a thought.
Pharaoh’s heart was hard. He wasn’t about to let this entire nation of slaves leave. He didn’t care if there was nothing to drink or clean water to bathe in. He wanted to keep his indentured servants and that was final. So God sent more plagues. Tomorrow He sends…
Monday, April 11, 2011
The Plagues are Coming!!
Have you ever wondered why Jesus was even Jerusalem when He was crucified? Why would He head to the capital of Judea instead of remain in country where it was safe? I understand that He knew He was going to have to die…
“(Jesus Predicts His Death)…Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
…but I wonder if His self-preservation would have kicked in and told Him to stay clear of the area.
But why this particular town? Why was He headed to Jerusalem? Why choose a town with the largest church and the most priests that want you dead?
Simple. He had to. It was time to celebrate one of the Feasts…
“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:14-15)
The verse in Exodus is not referring to the time Jesus was in Egypt. God is commanding the Israelites to annually celebrate the time He freed them from slavery under a strict ruler, Pharaoh. Every year, Jews were to return to the temple and make sacrifices and party. They were to read the scriptures concerning the plagues that invaded Egypt when Moses told Pharaoh to “let my people go.” (Remember Charlton Heston's Ten Commandents?)
Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the time when God sent an angel of death to kill all the firstborns so that the Israelites could finally leave Egypt.
Therefore, to get ready for Easter, we partake in a “Last Supper” the Thursday before Easter just like Jesus did. Unfortunately, though, we don’t get to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. However, we make it memorable nonetheless. You see, in our house we reenact (well, the best we can) the ten plagues that invaded Egypt that lead up to the Passover.
And this year I wanted to share that journey with you. For the next two weeks we will look at the scriptures about the plagues. Then you can see what we do to “walk like an Egyptian” or at least in their shoes. Join us for the journey, won’t you? Who knows maybe you will learn something along the way. Or, at the very least, you can give some suggestions on how we can make the activities better next year. Your comments are always welcome.
Shalom!
“(Jesus Predicts His Death)…Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” (Matthew 16:21)
…but I wonder if His self-preservation would have kicked in and told Him to stay clear of the area.
But why this particular town? Why was He headed to Jerusalem? Why choose a town with the largest church and the most priests that want you dead?
Simple. He had to. It was time to celebrate one of the Feasts…
“Three times a year you are to celebrate a festival to me. Celebrate the Festival of Unleavened Bread; for seven days eat bread made without yeast, as I commanded you. Do this at the appointed time in the month of Aviv, for in that month you came out of Egypt.” (Exodus 23:14-15)
The verse in Exodus is not referring to the time Jesus was in Egypt. God is commanding the Israelites to annually celebrate the time He freed them from slavery under a strict ruler, Pharaoh. Every year, Jews were to return to the temple and make sacrifices and party. They were to read the scriptures concerning the plagues that invaded Egypt when Moses told Pharaoh to “let my people go.” (Remember Charlton Heston's Ten Commandents?)
Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, the time when God sent an angel of death to kill all the firstborns so that the Israelites could finally leave Egypt.
Therefore, to get ready for Easter, we partake in a “Last Supper” the Thursday before Easter just like Jesus did. Unfortunately, though, we don’t get to go to Jerusalem to celebrate. However, we make it memorable nonetheless. You see, in our house we reenact (well, the best we can) the ten plagues that invaded Egypt that lead up to the Passover.
And this year I wanted to share that journey with you. For the next two weeks we will look at the scriptures about the plagues. Then you can see what we do to “walk like an Egyptian” or at least in their shoes. Join us for the journey, won’t you? Who knows maybe you will learn something along the way. Or, at the very least, you can give some suggestions on how we can make the activities better next year. Your comments are always welcome.
Shalom!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
June 2010
Four little monkies all lined up in a row!