Exodus 15:1-18; Matthew 21:33-46; Psalms 27:2-3; Proverbs 10:27-28

OT: “Then Moses and the Israelites sang this song to the Lord. They said: I will sing to the Lord, for he is highly exalted; he has thrown the horse and its rider into the sea. The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. This is my God, and I will praise him, my father’s God, and I will exalt him… Lord, your right hand is glorious in power. Lord, your right hand shattered the enemy. You overthrew your adversaries by your great majesty. You unleashed your burning wrath; it consumed them like stubble… Lord, who is like you among the gods? Who is like you, glorious in holiness, revered with praises, performing wonders? …With your faithful love, you will lead the people you have redeemed; you will guide them to your holy dwelling with your strength… You will bring them in and plant them on the mountain of your possession; Lord, you have prepared the place for your dwelling; Lord, your hands have established the sanctuary. The Lord will reign forever and ever!” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭15:1-2, 6-7, 11, 13, 17-18‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Back in the late 70s / early 80s, my dad pastored a small Independent church, and I remember singing this song as a “praise chorus” as a kid. This was the song of celebration that Moses and the Israelites composed right on the spot after God completely and miraculously delivered them from the best that Egypt (a super power in that day) could throw at them. We talk a lot these days about being on the wrong side of history. Well, not only was Egypt on the wrong side of history, they were on the wrong side of God’s hand… siding with the kingdom of darkness and against the Kingdom of light. As is says in Acts 5:39, you don’t want to be found fighting against God, for no one is able to overthrow Him and His kingdom.

NT: “Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew he was speaking about them.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:42-45‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The passage that Jesus quoted is from Psalm 118. That entire psalm was written to give thanks for an enormous victory – much like Exodus 15.  Jesus was and is the fulfillment of that cornerstone that was rejected by the religious leaders, but established and set in place by the Lord. The Church and the Kingdom is and will be founded around this Chief Cornerstone, and will be built with people – living stones – that prostrate themselves before and obediently follow this Chief Cornerstone. And those who reject Him will eventually come under His judgement and their works will be completely shattered brought to ruin.

Psalms: “When evildoers came against me to devour my flesh, my foes and my enemies stumbled and fell. Though an army deploys against me, my heart will not be afraid; though a war breaks out against me, I will still be confident.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:2-3‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Again, when you are on the Lord’s side… when you have humbled yourself and fallen “on” the Cornerstone and come under His Kingdom, you will not ultimately fall – those who stand against the Lord and against you will stumble and fall.

Proverbs: “The fear of the Lord prolongs life, but the years of the wicked are cut short. The hope of the righteous is joy, but the expectation of the wicked will perish.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:27-28‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Just to put the finishing bow on the package – here is the same truth stated again. When we fear (respect, honor, submit to) the Lord, our Life will be prolongs and we have the hope of joy. If we reject the Lord, our years are cut short and our plans will ultimately perish. The choice is ours.

Exodus 13:17-14:31; Matthew 21:23-32; Psalms 27:1; Proverbs 10:26

OT: “When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, Pharaoh and his officials changed their minds about the people and said, “What have we done? We have released Israel from serving us.” So he got his chariot ready and took his troops with him; he took six hundred of the best chariots and all the rest of the chariots of Egypt, with officers in each one… As Pharaoh approached, the Israelites looked up and there were the Egyptians coming after them! The Israelites were terrified and cried out to the Lord for help. They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Isn’t this what we told you in Egypt: Leave us alone so that we may serve the Egyptians? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Don’t be afraid. Stand firm and see the Lord’s salvation that he will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians you see today, you will never see again. The Lord will fight for you, and you must be quiet.” …Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea. The Lord drove the sea back with a powerful east wind all that night and turned the sea into dry land. So the waters were divided, and the Israelites went through the sea on dry ground, with the waters like a wall to them on their right and their left.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭14:5-7, 10-14, 21-22‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Bible records that Israel was camped between Migdol and the Sea. Historians believe that Migdol was located at the southern most point of the Sinai Peninsula. If that is the case, then the Israelites would have been backed into a corner with no way to escape. Behind and beside them were mountains, and in front of them was the Gulf of Aqaba, part of the Red Sea. The only way out was blocked by over 600 of Pharoah’s best military warriors on chariots. It was an inevitable blood bath… a completely impossible situation. No wonder the Israelites were terrified. No wonder they were accusing Moses of leading them to their death. But Moses didn’t lead them there – the Lord let them there, and the Lord was about to make an example of the Egyptian elite. So Moses told the crowd, “Stand firm, shut your mouths, and watch what the Lord will do.” Sometimes that is what we need to do when the Lord leads us into impossible situations: we need to stand firm in faith, stop the whining and complaining, and watch the hand of the Lord make a way where there is no way.

NT: ““What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘My son, go work in the vineyard today.’ “He answered, ‘I don’t want to,’ but later he changed his mind and went. Then the man went to the other and said the same thing. ‘I will, sir,’ he answered, but he didn’t go. Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you didn’t believe him. Tax collectors and prostitutes did believe him; but you, when you saw it, didn’t even change your minds then and believe him.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:28-32‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

While Jesus was ministering in the Temple, he was surrounded by all the religious leaders and they began to try to intimidate Him by questioning His authority. But Jesus, completely secure in Who He was and the authority He had, didn’t let the intimidation threaten Him. Instead he turned their question around on them. When they refused to give Him a direct question, He told this parable. Jesus was basically telling the Pharisees that they were the son that talked a good game, said what he was supposed to say, but was rebellious in his heart. The tax collectors and prostitutes that they considered scum would be allowed into the kingdom before them, because, although they rejected God’s word at first, they were now believing it and responding to it. The Pharisees had no real authority because they were all talk. Even the tax collectors and prostitutes would be given more authority than them because of their faith and obedience. Having the right words to say means nothing if you don’t back it up with action. ”Faith” without works is dead, because without the works, its just empty words and philosophy. Jesus was not full of empty words. He backed up His words with demonstrated power and authority, and would not be backed into fear by anyone.

Psalms: “The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom should I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — whom should I dread?” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭27:1‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

If the Lord, the God of all Creation, the author of the laws of nature is your light in the midst of dark times – if He is your sure salvation in impossible situations – if He is your impenetrable fortress, then who in the world would you fear… who would you allow to intimidate you from walking out His plans and purposes? As Paul wrote in Romans 8, if God is for you, then who could possibly stand against you? If we are submitted to God and under His power and authority, then we are in the safest and most secure place on earth.

Exodus 12:40-13:16; Matthew 21:12-22; Psalms 26:9-12; Proverbs 10:24-25

NT: “Jesus went into the temple and threw out all those buying and selling. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves. He said to them, “It is written, my house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of thieves!” The blind and the lame came to him in the temple, and he healed them. When the chief priests and the scribes saw the wonders that he did and the children shouting in the temple, “ Hosanna to the Son of David!” they were indignant and said to him, “Do you hear what these children are saying?” Jesus replied, “Yes, have you never read: You have prepared praise from the mouths of infants and nursing babies?” …Early in the morning, as he was returning to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a lone fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it except leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” At once the fig tree withered… Jesus answered them, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, you will not only do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you tell this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. And if you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ 21:12-16, 18-19, 21-22‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

In this passage, Jesus passes judgement on the money changing in the temple and the fruitless fig tree. The temple was to be a place for people to offer worship to God – not a place for people to profit off the needs of others. Worship is not supposed to be an industry, it is to be an open opportunity for all to draw near to the Lord. Instead of facilitating worship, the money changers were blocking access to worship for sincere gentiles and charging them exorbitant fees. Once Jesus cleared the way, prayer, power to heal, and praise filled the temple. That is what the temple should be filled with instead of profiteering. The next day, Jesus came upon a fig tree that was fruitless. The purpose of a fig tree is to produce fruit. This particular fig tree was full of leaves and had the appearance of life – but no fruit could be found, so led by the Father (because everything He did was led by the Father), He cursed the fig tree symbolically stating that having the appearance of life is not acceptable to the Father. We can perform all the right religious behaviors and appear righteous on the outside without actually producing any fruit. The Father desires fruit. He then used that as an opportunity to teach on the power of faith. When we are full of faith in the Father, our “temples” will be full of prayer, power, and praise – and our lives will bear fruit.

Proverbs: “What the wicked dreads will come to him, but what the righteous desire will be given to them. When the whirlwind passes, the wicked are no more, but the righteous are secure forever.” (‭‭Proverbs‬ ‭10:24-25‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Interesting that this was proverb was in the reading plan the day after a “whirlwind” (also known as a tornado) hit the Nashville area. This isn’t a commentary about the tornado itself – just interesting timing. People that rely on self and don’t have faith in God tend to deal with dread. Since they rely on themselves and/or fate, they are always fearful of losing what they hold dear… that something or someone is going to come along that is greater than they are, and take everything away. Those who have faith in God shouldn’t be full of fear, but faith and hope instead. They know that their desires for life, peace, and joy are in the hands of a good God who is greater than any someone or circumstance. The whirlwind is no respecter of persons. It is the result of a fallen world that is under the sway of the evil one. The whirlwind affects the righteous and unrighteous alike. The difference between the righteous and unrighteous is revealed after the whirlwind passes. Has your life been destroyed, or is your faith and hope in One greater than the whirlwind? Is your identity built around what you have or in Who you belong to? The Lord can and will use random devastating whirlwinds to accomplish good for those who are submitted to Him – but if you aren’t submitted to Him, you are on your own and subject to fate.

Exodus 12:14-39; Matthew 20:29-21:11; Psalms 26:1-8; Proverbs 10:23

NT: “When they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage at the Mount of Olives, Jesus then sent two disciples, telling them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied there with her colt. Untie them and bring them to me…“ This took place so that what was spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: Tell Daughter Zion, “See, your King is coming to you, gentle, and mounted on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” …They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and he sat on them. A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Then the crowds who went ahead of him and those who followed shouted: Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven! When he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in an uproar, saying, “Who is this?” The crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭21:1-2, 4-5, 7-11‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Celebrity is such a dangerous temptation and distracting ruse. I never thought of this until today – but I wonder if the crazed fanaticism that occurred on that “Palm Sunday” was one of the temptations the enemy used to try and lure Jesus away from His destiny. Celebrity can be so intoxicating when it occurs – to the point that the objects of celebrity often sink into compromise to try and maintain it. I can’t say that because it may offend my fans… I can’t do that because people may stop following me… I can’t think that because what if it slipped and someone found out what I really believed. Jesus entered Jerusalem in that specific way to fulfill a generations-old prophecy, but how many of those people who were shouting Hosanna and casting their garments were truly followers of Jesus? Or were they merely hoping to benefit from who they hoped He was? So often, we equate celebrity with being right or being blessed… we get on platforms and thank God for making us celebrities. We sing songs written by “Christian celebrities” without even considering the lyrical content. We stream the messages given by “celebrity pastors” without considering the theological content of their sermons. We do this because we assume that because they are celebrities, they must be right and blessed of the Lord. That may be the case, but from what I have observed, celebrity quickly erodes into a compromised message that is designed to give the masses what they want instead of honoring the truth of the Word. Thankfully, Jesus didn’t allow celebrity to hook Him. Thankfully, He was focused on pleasing His Father and not pleasing the crowds. Lord, help me to not be concerned with being popular, but being precisely aligned with Your word, Your will, and Your ways. Help me to seek first Your kingdom and trust you to provide the platforms, however grand or humble they may be.

Exodus 11:1-12:13; Matthew 20:17-28; Psalms 25:16-22; Proverbs 10:22

OT: “Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month they must each select an animal of the flock according to their fathers’ families, one animal per family… You must have an unblemished animal, a year-old male; you may take it from either the sheep or the goats. You are to keep it until the fourteenth day of this month; then the whole assembly of the community of Israel will slaughter the animals at twilight. They must take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses where they eat them. They are to eat the meat that night; they should eat it, roasted over the fire along with unleavened bread and bitter herbs… Here is how you must eat it: You must be dressed for travel, your sandals on your feet, and your staff in your hand. You are to eat it in a hurry; it is the Lord’s Passover. “I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgments against all the gods of Egypt. The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭12:3, 5-8, 11-13‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

You can either be covered by God’s hand or uncovered by God’s hand. When you are uncovered, you are left vulnerable to the unpredictability of the world and the works of Satan. The more and more Pharaoh hardened his heart and refused to submit to God’s requests, he left his people more and more vulnerable to the erratic and destructive forces of nature and the desires of Satan. The final “plague” to hit Egypt  occurred when God fully removed His hand from the nation, opening the door for Satan to have his way… but even then, God still restrained Satan from the fullness of his evil desires, only allowing the first born to be taken. While God was removing His hand of protection from Egypt in an act of judgement, He was simultaneously providing covering for the nation of Israel. God would cover his people through the blood of a blemishless and innocent lamb. Whoever had the blood of the lamb on their door posts would be protected by God and would be passed over by the spirit of death. Ultimately, that provision foreshadowed the ultimate provision that would be made by the Lamb of God, Jesus Christ when He shed His blood for the salvation of all mankind.

NT: “While going up to Jerusalem, Jesus took the twelve disciples aside privately and said to them on the way, “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death. They will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked, flogged, and crucified, and on the third day he will be raised.” …Jesus called them over and said, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions act as tyrants over them. It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:17-19, 25-28‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Once again, Jesus foretold what was about to happen to Him in Jerusalem… that He would be tortured and killed, but would raise to life again. Oddly, right after that, James‘ and John’s mother began negotiating a position for her sons in Jesus’ kingdom – which prompted this lesson on authority. God never gives authority to a person to benefit the person. God gives authority to a person to benefit those who are covered by the authority. The person with the authority is to serve those who are under his covering – just as God serves the needs of those who are submitted to His authority. A great way to erode your authority is to lord it over people. They may do what you say because of fear, but you will lack honor and respect in their eyes. Even Jesus, the Son of Man, the person with the greatest authority under God the Father, did not come to lord His authority over His subjects, but came to lay down His life and shed every ounce of His blood to serve mankind and pay for their liberation from sin and death.

Exodus 10:1-29; Matthew 20:1-16; Psalms 25:8-15; Proverbs 10:20-21

NT: ““For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the workers on one denarius, he sent them into his vineyard for the day. When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. About noon and about three, he went out again and did the same thing. Then about five he went and found others standing around and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him. “‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’ “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’ “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭20:1-15‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

This parable is not about salvation, for we do not work to earn salvation – and it is not about the rewards we receive in the next life, for we do not all receive the same rewards. This parable is about trusting in our Father’s generosity. I read a commentary that explained that in that day, there were 2 types of workers: contract workers and non-contract workers. The contract workers would demand a contract that stipulated their wages before they agreed to work. The non-contract workers would work for whatever the employer decided to pay them. In this parable, the first workers hired were contract workers. They would not work until they were guaranteed a just day’s wages. The last workers hired were just happy to have a job and  agreed to work for whatever the landowner gave them. Because the first workers didn’t trust in the generosity of the landowner and demanded their wages, they got what they demanded. Those who trusted in the landowner’s generosity were rewarded with a generous blessing. How many times do I make demands of the Lord before I am willing to follow Him into an endeavor? How many times to I miss out on God’s greater blessing because I want to make sure my terms are met? Am I serving the Lord just for the rewards, or am I serving Him out of trust and devotion? If I just trust Him, my needs will be met, and I will be blessed with so much more.

Psalms: “The Lord is good and upright; therefore he shows sinners the way. He leads the humble in what is right and teaches them his way. All the Lord’s ways show faithful love and truth to those who keep his covenant and decrees… Who is this person who fears the Lord? He will show him the way he should choose. He will live a good life, and his descendants will inherit the land. The secret counsel of the Lord is for those who fear him, and he reveals his covenant to them.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:8-10, 12-14‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Oh how generous the Lord is to those who humble themselves before Him and honor Him in all they say and do. He leads them in what is right, He teaches them His ways, He shows them His faithful love, He blesses them and their descendants with a good life, and He shares His secrets and His plans with them. This is part of the “so much more” that comes with trusting in the Lord instead of making demands of the Lord.

Matthew 19:26-30; Proverbs 10:19

NT: “Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:28-30‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

While salvation is given to us as a gift, there is a cost to following Jesus. As sin, Satan, and the world system have to release the hold they have on you, we also must release the hold that we have on things that compete for our devotion and allegiance to Christ. We can’t stay free and still hold on to the things we were once entangled in. While we may have to lay down things and walk away from relationships as a sacrifice – in the end, we aren’t really sacrificing, we are investing. Jesus said that for those who faithfully follow Him, whatever they sacrifice on earth in order to full follow Him will be rewarded 100 times more in the life to come – and will inherit eternal life on top of that. People sacrifice for all sorts of things. Doctors sacrifice years of their life in school so that they can earn that coveted PhD. Businessmen sacrifice money and relationships to build their successful businesses. Many who sacrificed to climb the ladder of success and be first here in this life will find that they will come last in the life to come, for their sacrifices were not for eternal things. Those who humble themselves and give their lives for Kingdom purposes and appear to have so little to their name in this life will be first in the eternal life to come.

Exodus 9:1-35; Psalms 25:1-7

OT: “Then the Lord said to Moses, “Get up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh. Tell him: This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews says: Let my people go, so that they may worship me. For this time I am about to send all my plagues against you, your officials, and your people. Then you will know there is no one like me on the whole earth. By now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague, and you would have been obliterated from the earth. However, I have let you live for this purpose: to show you my power and to make my name known on the whole earth.” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭9:13-16‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I hear this question/argument sometimes: “If God is all good and all powerful, why doesn’t he just make things happen His way – why doesn’t He just get rid of evil – why do good people go through hard and challenging times?” This message from God to Pharaoh, that He delivered through Moses, gives some insight into some of the reason why. God isn’t just concerned with getting tasks done. He is much more concerned about the transformation and growth of all the people involved than just the completion of a task. The way He brings about transformation and growth in people is by drawing them to Him – and He does that by glorifying Himself. God doesn’t bring glory to Himself and make His power and name known across the earth because He is on some sort of cosmic ego trip. He wants to demonstrate how much greater He is than all the false gods and idols, so that people from every walk of life will come to Him. He allows challenges so that people will grow their faith in Him and not be tempted to place their faith in themselves. All that He does is for the good of all involved, and at anytime, any who are involved can renounce their former ways, chose to place their faith in Him, follow Him, and glorify Him instead of worshipping themselves or a false god or idol.

Psalms: “Lord, I appeal to you. My God, I trust in you. Do not let me be disgraced; do not let my enemies gloat over me. No one who waits for you will be disgraced; those who act treacherously without cause will be disgraced. Make your ways known to me, Lord; teach me your paths. Guide me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; I wait for you all day long. Remember, Lord, your compassion and your faithful love, for they have existed from antiquity. Do not remember the sins of my youth or my acts of rebellion; in keeping with your faithful love, remember me because of your goodness, Lord.” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭25:1-7‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

Long before David was elevated to King of Israel, he had decided to place his trust in and follow the Lord. Many times through the psalms, we see him before the Lord asking God to make His ways known and to teach him God’s paths. For the most part, David was concerned with glorifying God in everything – and because of that God glorified him, lifted him to the status of King, and even made him a permanent participant in His plan to redeem all of mankind. God desires us to glorify Him so that He will be able to bless and glorify us, so that we will be a sign and wonder to the rest of the world, so that they will glorify Him… and He can continue the cycle of blessing through them… until the whole earth is filled with His glory being radiated through transformed and eternally blessed people.

Exodus 8:1-32; Matthew 19:13-25; Psalms 24:7-10; Proverbs 10:18

NT: “Just then someone came up and asked him, “Teacher, what good must I do to have eternal life?” “Why do you ask me about what is good?” he said to him. “There is only one who is good. If you want to enter into life, keep the commandments.” “Which ones?” he asked him. Jesus answered: “Do not murder; do not commit adultery; do not steal; do not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother; and love your neighbor as yourself.” “I have kept all these,” the young man told him. “What do I still lack?” “If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said to him, “go, sell your belongings and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” When the young man heard that, he went away grieving, because he had many possessions.” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:16-22‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The 10 commandments were made up of two categories: commandments that had to do with honoring the Lord, and commandments that had to do with honoring people. The commandments that Jesus asked the rich young man about were the ones centered around honoring people. When the young man affirmed that he had followed those commandments, Jesus gave him a challenge to see how deeply he honored the Lord: sell everything you own, give the proceeds to the poor, and follow Me. The young man’s reaction indicated his level of honor for God. His unwillingness to part with his earthly possessions revealed that he honored his stuff more than God, and he was only willing to honor the Lord on his terms. It can be challenging to have an eternal kingdom-minded perspective on things, for humanly speaking, all we know are the limitations of time and the space we inhabit here on earth. To give up what is tangible for spiritual rewards requires great faith and trust – but it is that kind of faith and trust that pleases God… and when we please Him with our faith-filled and loving obedience, He gives us earthly blessings along with the heavenly ones… as long as we keep our eyes on the Kingdom.

Psalms: “Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, you gates! Rise up, ancient doors! Then the King of glory will come in. Who is he, this King of glory? The Lord of Armies, he is the King of glory. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:7-10‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

I love this portion of Psalm 24. What a great assurance! Don’t keep your eyes focused downward on earthly things. Lift up your head and look up… be kingdom-minded instead of earthly-minded… and the King of Glory will come into your life. Who is this King of Glory? The Lord Sabaoth… the Lord of all the hosts of heaven, Who has all the power, authority, and might of heaven at His hand. That is Who will come into your life when you lift your head and look up instead of being entangled in earthly things. And if He is the one that enters your life, what is there to be anxious over? What is there to fear?

Exodus 7:1-25; Matthew 19:1-12; Psalms 24:3-6; Proverbs 10:17

OT: “You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I will put my hand into Egypt and bring the military divisions of my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.”” (‭‭Exodus‬ ‭7:2-5‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

One thing that can be confusing is the idea of God hardening people’s hearts. God doesn’t actually harden people’s hearts – that would go completely against His just nature. God does not prevent people from hardening their hearts and will even give them over to their hardened heart – but the actual hardening is self-imposed by choice. When Moses came to Pharaoh, Pharaoh had 2 choices: 1) he could heed Moses’ request and become known as one of the greatest emancipators of all time, or 2) he could harden his heart, refuse Moses’ request, and end up being humiliated by God. Either way, the Israelites were going to be liberated. Unfortunately for Pharaoh, he chose the latter option, and God gave him over to his hardened heart, and Pharaoh’s hardened heart set up a scenario for God to be glorified over Pharaoh and the many Egyptian gods that he worshiped.

NT: “Some Pharisees approached him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife on any grounds?” “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that he who created them in the beginning made them male and female, and he also said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’? So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no one separate.” “Why then,” they asked him, “did Moses command us to give divorce papers and to send her away?” He told them, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because of the hardness of your hearts, but it was not like that from the beginning. I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another commits adultery.”” (‭‭Matthew‬ ‭19:3-9‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

The Pharisees, hoping to trap Jesus in a compromise, asked Him about divorce. Moses made provisions for divorce in Deuteronomy 24:1-4. Since then, there were 2 schools of thought that had arisen in different sects of Pharisaical thought: 1) a liberal view that said a man could divorce his wife for any reason and 2) a more conservative belief that a man could only divorce his wife for sexual indecencies. Instead of referring to the legal provision, Jesus went all the way back to the beginning to describe the original intent of marriage – that a man and a woman were to be joined together as one and that they would never be separated. However, because of hardness of heart, Moses permitted (not commanded) divorce for specific reasons. According to Moses, you didn’t have to divorce, but you were permitted to. But God’s best desire is that divorce doesn’t happen. That brings us to hardness of heart – which is the cause of so many issues in humanity. When someone hardens their heart, they resist goodness, kindness, justice, humility, selflessness, love, etc. A hard heart leads people to become abusive, to become uncaring, to become unfaithful, to become unloving… the list goes on and on. If only we could cure the heart issues, then marriages could be reconciled and divorce wouldn’t need to happen. But hardness of heart is a present reality that must be dealt with when it happens. God doesn’t force people to have softened and pure hearts any more than He causes people to have hard hearts, thus divorce is permitted – but never desired.

Psalms: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord? Who may stand in his holy place? The one who has clean hands and a pure heart, who has not appealed to what is false, and who has not sworn deceitfully. He will receive blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Such is the generation of those who inquire of him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. Selah” (‭‭Psalms‬ ‭24:3-6‬ ‭CSB‬‬)

David gets to the key issue at the center of humanities ails: the heart. Who are the ones that are allowed to stand before the Lord and enjoy His blessing and presence? Those who have clean hands and pure hearts… as opposed to corrupt and hardened hearts. How then, can a person who has sinned have hands that are clean and hearts that are pure? That is where Jesus comes in. Throughout the Old Testament, Prophets prophesied of a time when God would give His people new hearts of flesh and not of stone – hearts that were able to know and do His will. That is exactly what Jesus does when we place our faith in Him and become spiritually born again – we are made into new creations, with new hearts and clean hands… and through confession and repentance, we stay clean and pure. Heart issues dealt with if we stay submitted to Him.