Lessons for Today - Part 2
Exodus 8:16-19
03/05/2024
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Say to Aaron,
`Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the
earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land
of Egypt.'''
17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with
his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and
there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of
the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
18 The magicians tried by their secret arts to
produce gnats, but they could not. So there were
gnats on man and beast.
19 Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, ``This is the
finger of God.'' But Pharaoh's heart was
hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the
LORD had said. (ESV)
We find recorded in Exodus:
Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Say to Aaron, `Stretch
out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so
that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'''
And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his
staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were
gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth
became gnats in all the land of Egypt. The magicians
tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they
could not. So there were gnats on man and beast. Then
the magicians said to Pharaoh, ``This is the finger of
God.'' But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would
not listen to them, as the LORD had said.
The plagues inflicted on Egypt before the Passover had two
purposes. First, the plagues showed the children of Israel that
God was in their midst and desired to deliver them from slavery.
He would act with power to bring them back to the land once
promised to their father Abraham. Second, the plagues showed the
Egyptians that He is the one true God, that their pantheon of
deities were of no avail.
Egyptian magicians were able to produce the same effects of
the first two plagues. When the water of the Nile River turned
into blood, the Egyptian magicians did the same through their
secret arts. So too, the magicians were able to bring frogs up
from the water, the second plague.
The lesson for today, although we may seem to have power
over nature, yet that power is limited. God, who created the
heavens and the earth, can and does those things at which we can
only marvel, including creating and sustaining life.
May we have the wisdom to acknowledge that God has power
over all things. Amen.Category: Moments of Meditation
Daily devotions as heard on KJOE 106.1 FM
Lessons for Today — Part 1: 03/04/2024
Lessons for Today - Part 1
Exodus 8:16-17
03/04/2024
16 Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Say to Aaron,
`Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the
earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land
of Egypt.'''
17 And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with
his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and
there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of
the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
(ESV)
The historic Collect for the Word says:
Blessed Lord, who hast caused all Holy Scriptures to be
written for our learning, grant that we may in such
wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest
them, that by patience and comfort of Thy holy Word we
may embrace, and ever hold fast, the blessed hope of
everlasting life, which Thou hast given us in our
Savior Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee
and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end.[1]
What do we learn from the Old Testament lesson for the Third
Sunday in Lent? This is the account of the third and fourth
plagues which struck Egypt before Pharaoh let the children of
Israel leave the land. Is this merely history, or can we draw a
lesson for today from this account?
We know that the entire Passover account, including the ten
plagues, point us to the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of
the world. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of the Passover, as
John the Baptizer confessed. Pharaoh's reaction to the plagues
certainly give us a reason to pause, to consider how God is
greater than all of our human powers.
Then the LORD said to Moses, ``Say to Aaron, `Stretch
out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so
that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.'''
And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his
staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were
gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth
became gnats in all the land of Egypt.
May our Lord grant you His richest blessings as we learn of
His love, grace, and mercy. Amen.
____________________
1. The Lutheran Hymnal, p. 14Wrestling with God — Part 5: 03/01/2024
Wrestling With God - Part 5
Genesis 32:30
03/01/2024
30 So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel,
saying, ``For I have seen God face to face, and
yet my life has been delivered.'' (ESV)
Thus Jacob wrestled with God and man, yet prevailed. In
faith he went forward to meet his estranged brother, to reconcile
with him, and to raise his family. ``So Jacob called the name of
the place Peniel, saying, `For I have seen God face to face, and
yet my life has been delivered.'''
In faith, as we struggle with the crosses of life, we learn
to recognize and experience God properly. We call upon Him in
every trouble, knowing that He will bless and keep us. Although
His answer may not agree with our desires, we know He will do
that which leads us to eternal life with Him. One commentary
says:
Alone and faced with danger, Jacob finds God to be his
adversary. Yet faithful Jacob wrestles and receives a
new name and God's blessing. It does not always seem
that God is on our side. Sometimes He causes
Christians to bear trials, temptations, and suffering
-- the cross. Yet, this is not to destroy us, but to
strengthen us and finally bless us. Christian faith
clings to God's Word of mercy in Jesus Christ.[3]
Please join us at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday morning
at 9:00 a.m. to learn more of God's rich love, grace, and favor.
Amen.
____________________
3. Lutheran Study Bible, p. 68Wrestling with God — Part 4: 02/29/2024
Wrestling With God - Part 4
Genesis 32:26-28
02/29/2024
29 Then Jacob asked him, ``Please tell me your
name.'' But he said, ``Why is it that you ask my
name?'' And there he blessed him. (ESV)
Through the long, dark night, Jacob wrestled with God and
prevailed. As dawn broke, the two ceased their contest, with
Jacob demanding a blessing. God gave Jacob a new name, Israel,
which means ``one who wrestles with God.'' ``Then Jacob asked
him, `Please tell me your name.' But he said, `Why is it that you
ask my name?' And there he blessed him.''
Jacob wanted absolute proof that he was indeed wrestling
with God. However, we should not ask nor seek the hidden name of
God, but we should only rely on that which is revealed in the
Bible. Although we desire to know more than that which is given
to us, speculation on God's hidden will is doomed to failure. We
know His revealed will, that all people be saved and come to the
knowledge of the truth of salvation by grace alone through faith
alone for the sake of Christ alone.
God repeated the blessing given to Jacob earlier.
I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father and the
God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to
you and to your offspring. Your offspring shall be
like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad
to the west and to the east and to the north and to the
south, and in you and your offspring shall all the
families of the earth be blessed. Behold, I am with
you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring
you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I
have done what I have promised you.[2]
May our Lord richly bless us with the sure and certain hope
of life everlasting for the sake of His Son. Amen.
____________________
2. Genesis 28:13-15 (ESV)Wrestling with God — Part 3: 02/28/2024
Wrestling With God - Part 3
Genesis 32:26-28
02/28/2024
26 Then he said, ``Let me go, for the day has
broken.'' But Jacob said, ``I will not let you go
unless you bless me.''
27 And he said to him, ``What is your name?'' And he
said, ``Jacob.''
28 Then he said, ``Your name shall no longer be
called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven
with God and with men, and have prevailed.''
(ESV)
Dawn was breaking. Jacob and an unnamed man had wrestled
through the night.
Then he said, ``Let me go, for the day has broken.''
But Jacob said, ``I will not let you go unless you
bless me.'' And he said to him, ``What is your name?''
And he said, ``Jacob.'' Then he said, ``Your name
shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you
have striven with God and with men, and have
prevailed.''
Jacob refused to give in, to stop wrestling, unless his
opponent gave a blessing. In asking for the blessing, Jacob
recognized that this was no mere man with whom he had been
wrestling, but God, Himself.
The blessing came in the form of a new name, Israel. Jacob,
whose name meant ``the holder of the heel,'' was recognized as
the ``one who wrestled with God.'' His faith remained strong, As
one who prevailed over God and man, Jacob could face meeting his
brother, Esau, that day.
As we struggle with the problems of life, as our prayers are
not answered as quickly as we desire, or not in the way we
desire, our faith wrestles with God and man. Our Lord promises
to be with us, not to remove all obstacles in our way. We may be
injured as we strive to remain faithful, but we will be blessed.
May our Lord strengthen our faith to wrestle against the
problems of this life, giving us faith in God's rich grace and
love. Amen.Wrestling with God — Part 2: 02/27/2024
Wrestling With God - Part 2
Genesis 32:24-25
02/27/2024
24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with
him until the breaking of the day.
25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against
Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip
was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
(ESV)
Jacob, the grandson of Abraham and the son of Issac, was
returning to the land of his birth. Because he had cheated his
brother, Esau, out of his inheritance and birthright, Jacob
feared the retribution which could happen. He sent his wives and
possessions into safety across the Jabbok River while intending
to spend time alone in repentance and prayer.
``And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him
until the breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not
prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip
was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.''
Jacob may have thought that his rival was Esau, but it was
indeed the LORD God. The physical wrestling match mirrored the
spiritual wrestling match, the perseverance of prayer, which
Jacob offered. Repenting of his sin against his brother, Jacob
was asking God for His grace. Jacob did not deserve forgiveness
and God's protection, but knew of God's love. No matter what
happened, Jacob was certain of God's mercy.
All that night Jacob wrestled with the unknown man,
overcoming even physical injury. As the day broke, Jacob, though
injured, was not defeated. His physical and spiritual wrestling,
his faith, was still firm.
May our Lord grant us a firm faith in Him as we wrestle with
the problems and chances of this life. Amen.Wrestling with God — Part 1: 02/26/2024
Wrestling With God - Part 1
Genesis 32:24-25
02/26/2024
24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with
him until the breaking of the day.
25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against
Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip
was put out of joint as he wrestled with him.
(ESV)
Shortly after Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity in
313, the bishops of the Church published a list of readings for
each Sunday. The Gospel for the Second Sunday in Lent was the
story of the Syrophoenecian woman who sought Jesus' help for her
daughter. For a while, Jesus ignored her prayer. He said ``it
is not good to take the children's bread and feed it to the
dogs.'' Yet the woman replied, ``Yes, Lord, but the dogs eat the
crumbs which fall from the master's table.''[1]
The faithful followers of God persevere in their prayers in
spite of God's seeming silence. Jacob, the third Patriarch of
the Jewish religion, fled from his father-in-law, and was
approaching his hostile brother. He had sent his wives and
possessions across the Jabbok River and waited for the dawn.
``And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the
breaking of the day. When the man saw that he did not prevail
against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put
out of joint as he wrestled with him.''
While fervently praying to God for forgiveness and
deliverance, Jacob also wrestled with a stranger. We will see in
the coming days that Jacob physically wrestled with God, even as
he spiritually wrestled with Him in prayer.
May our Lord give us the perseverance of faith to firmly
trust in God for all things. Amen.
____________________
1. See Matthew 15:21-28The Fall — Part 5: 02/23/2024
The Fall - Part 5
Genesis 3:14-15
02/22/2024
14 The LORD God said to the serpent, ``Because you
have done this, cursed are you above all livestock
and above all beasts of the field; on your belly
you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days
of your life.
15 I will put enmity between you and the woman, and
between your offspring and her offspring; he shall
bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.''
(ESV)
The LORD God said to the serpent, ``Because you have
done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above
all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go,
and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. I
will put enmity between you and the woman, and between
your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your
head, and you shall bruise his heel.''
The day that Adam and Eve defied God, sin and death entered
the world. All the world was cursed, from the serpent who would
crawl in the dust, to the ground that brought forth thorns and
thistles, to the sweat of labor, and the problems in
relationships between people. Creation, which God had declared
as very good, lay in ruins.
Yet echoing in the curse is the word of hope. The serpent's
fate is our redemption from sin, death, and the power of the
devil. The ``Seed of the woman'' foretells the virgin birth of
Jesus. His bruised heel is the pain of crucifixion, that He
would not lie in the grave eternally, but would rise, thus
crushing the head of the serpent.
Two minutes a day is not enough time to speak of God's Word,
of God's love, of our redemption through the death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ. Join us at Trinity Lutheran Church
on Sunday morning 9:00 a.m., especially if you disagree with what
you have heard this morning. We would love to discuss this in
more detail.
May our Lord grant you the peace of knowing that Jesus is
our Redeemer. Amen.The Fall — Part 4: 02/22/2024
The Fall - Part 4
Genesis 3:11-13
02/22/2024
11 He said, ``Who told you that you were naked? Have
you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not
to eat?''
12 The man said, ``The woman whom you gave to be with
me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.''
13 Then the Lord God said to the woman, ``What is
this that you have done?'' The woman said, ``The
serpent deceived me, and I ate.'' (ESV)
When God confronted Adam and Eve with their sin, neither one
took responsibility. Adam tried to place the blame on God for
giving him the gift of marriage. The woman blamed the serpent.
He said, ``Who told you that you were naked? Have you
eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to
eat?'' The man said, ``The woman whom you gave to be
with me, she gave me fruit of the tree, and I ate.''
Then the Lord God said to the woman, ``What is this
that you have done?'' The woman said, ``The serpent
deceived me, and I ate.''
Immediately the desire to be like God, the desire to be in
control, the desire to be perfect in our own eyes was evident.
``I am innocent, it is Your fault, God, for giving me this woman.
If you didn't do that, I would not have eaten from the tree. I
am innocent.'' And Eve said, ``Don't blame me, I am a poor
innocent bystander who was deceived by the serpent. I am
innocent.''
Thus sin entered the world. Every child is conceived in
sin. How do we know this? God said, ``If you sin, you will
surely die.'' Saint Paul wrote, ``For the wages of sin is death,
but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our
Lord.''1 Only sinners die, and children die, therefore children
are sinners.
But God, in cursing the serpent, gave hope to Adam, Eve, and
all people. The gift of eternal life is found in Jesus.
May our Lord comfort you with this gift of life. Amen.The Fall — Part 3: 02/21/2024
The Fall - Part 3
Genesis 3:6-7
02/21/2024
6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for
food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and
that the tree was to be desired to make one wise,
she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave
some to her husband who was with her, and he ate.
7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew
that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves
together and made themselves loincloths. (ESV)
As we doubt God's Word, we are open to any suggestion. The
woman did not believe or did not understand that God said, ``You
shall not eat of the tree that is in the midst of the garden.''
Adam, who had been given this commandment, stood idly by as the
bone of his bone, the flesh of his flesh, willingly defied God.
So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food,
and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the
tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of
its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her
husband who was with her, and he ate. Then the eyes of
both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.
And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves
loincloths.
The innocence of creation was shattered. They knew the
devil was right, they now knew both good and evil. In
acknowledging that they were naked, they acknowledged the sin
which they had committed. Sewing fig leaves together to make a
loincloth did not cover their sin, did not remove the punishment
of death.
In Lent, we acknowledge that we have inherited the same sin
from Adam. We also confess that we have sinned against God and
neighbor by our thoughts, words, and deeds. The loincloth of our
good works cannot cover our sin, cannot fix that which we have
done.
Fortunately for Adam and Eve, fortunately for us, God does
not desire the death of a sinner. Therefore, He promised a
Redeemer who would crush the head of the serpent and restore
creation.
May our Lord grant that we believe in Him, that we trust in
the death and resurrection of Jesus for our salvation. Amen.