View from Golgotha. When we think of God on the cross. We understand His Depths.
Psalm 44:1-4
To the choirmaster. A Maskil of the Sons of Korah.
O God, we have heard with our ears,
our fathers have told us,
what deeds you performed in their days,
in the days of old
2 You with your own hand drove out the nations,
but them you planted;
you afflicted the peoples,
but them you set free
3 For not by their own sword did they win the land,
nor did their own arm save them,
but your right hand and your arm,
and the light of your face,
for you delighted in them.
4 You are my King, O God;
ordain salvation for Jacob!
God the Almighty has been accused of being partial and cruel in the Old Testament to other nations. Never mind the infants required for their life's
blood on the fields for the gods' delight and prosperity.
What happened to the Egyptians seems to say only the unrighteous offend God.
Let's look at the First Family of Israel.
Genesis 37
26 Then Judah said to his brothers, “What profit is it if we kill our brother and conceal his blood? 27 Come, let us sell him to the Ishmaelites, and let not our hand be upon him, for he is our brother, our own flesh.” And his brothers listened to him. 28 Then Midianite traders passed by. And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit, and sold him to the Ishmaelites for twenty shekels of silver. They took Joseph to Egypt.
29 When Reuben returned to the pit and saw that Joseph was not in the pit, he tore his clothes 30 and returned to his brothers and said, “The boy is gone, and I, where shall I go?” 31 Then they took Joseph's robe and slaughtered a goat and dipped the robe in the blood. 32 And they sent the robe of many colors and brought it to their father and said, “This we have found; please identify whether it is your son's robe or not.” 33 And he identified it and said, “It is my son's robe. A fierce animal has devoured him. Joseph is without doubt torn to pieces.” 34 Then Jacob tore his garments and put sackcloth on his loins and mourned for his son many days. 35 All his sons and all his daughters rose up to comfort him, but he refused to be comforted and said, “No, I shall go down to Sheol to my son, mourning.” Thus his father wept for him.
What happened to the Family of Israel for this? Famine. Starvation of the livestock and the people. Covering Israel to Egypt.
became
And the Blessings and the Woe are of God. The Scriptures tell us God disciplines His own Sons.
The Prophet Jeremiah said the people of Israel and Judea would say they never were slaves of Egypt and claim to be descended from the north. How angry was God to have this massive Work and Beloved Act of God to be cast down after years of Passover and Temple?
Jeremiah 44
44 The word that came to Jeremiah concerning all the Judeans
who lived in the land of Egypt, at Migdol, at Tahpanhes, at Memphis, and in the land of Pathros, 2 “Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You have seen all the disaster that I brought upon Jerusalem and upon all the cities of Judah. Behold, this day they are a desolation, and no one dwells in them, 3 because of the evil that they committed, provoking me to anger, in that they went to make offerings and serve other gods that they knew not, neither they, nor you, nor your fathers. 4 Yet I persistently sent to you all my servants the prophets, saying, ‘Oh, do not do this abomination that I hate!’ 5 But they did not listen or incline their ear, to turn from their evil and make no offerings to other gods. 6 Therefore my wrath and my anger were poured out and kindled in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, and they became a waste and a desolation, as at this day.
7 And now thus says the Lord God of hosts, the God of Israel: Why do you commit this great evil against yourselves, to cut off from you man and woman, infant and child, from the midst of Judah, leaving you no remnant?
8 Why do you provoke me to anger with the works of your hands, making offerings to other gods in the land of Egypt where you have come to live, so that you may be cut off and become a curse and a taunt among all the nations of the earth?
9 Have you forgotten the evil of your fathers, the evil of the kings of Judah, the evil of their wives, your own evil, and the evil of your wives, which they committed in the land of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
10 They have not humbled themselves even to this day, nor have they feared, nor walked in my law and my statutes that I set before you and before your fathers.
11 “Therefore thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Behold, I will set my face against you for harm, to cut off all Judah. 12 I will take the remnant of Judah who have set their faces to come to the land of Egypt to live, and they shall all be consumed. In the land of Egypt they shall fall; by the sword and by famine they shall be consumed. From the least to the greatest, they shall die by the sword and by famine, and they shall become an oath, a horror, a curse, and a taunt. 13 I will punish those who dwell in the land of Egypt, as I have punished Jerusalem, with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence, 14 so that none of the remnant of Judah who have come to live in the land of Egypt shall escape or survive or return to the land of Judah, to which they desire to return to dwell there. For they shall not return, except some fugitives.”
15 Then all the men who knew that their wives had made offerings to other gods, and all the women who stood by, a great assembly, all the people who lived in Pathros in the land of Egypt, answered Jeremiah: 16 “As for the word that you have spoken to us in the name of the Lord, we will not listen to you. 17 But we will do everything that we have vowed, make offerings to the queen of heaven and pour out drink offerings to her, as we did, both we and our fathers, our kings and our officials, in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem. For then we had plenty of food, and prospered, and saw no disaster. 18 But since we left off making offerings to the queen of heaven and pouring out drink offerings to her, we have lacked everything and have been consumed by the sword and by famine.” 19 And the women said, “When we made offerings to the queen of heaven and poured out drink offerings to her, was it without our husbands' approval that we made cakes for her bearing her image and poured out drink offerings to her?”
20 Then Jeremiah said to all the people, men and women, all the people who had given him this answer: 21 “As for the offerings that you offered in the cities of Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem, you and your fathers, your kings and your officials, and the people of the land, did not the Lord remember them? Did it not come into his mind? 22 The Lord could no longer bear your evil deeds and the abominations that you committed. Therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant, as it is this day. 23 It is because you made offerings and because you sinned against the Lord and did not obey the voice of the Lord or walk in his law and in his statutes and in his testimonies that this disaster has happened to you, as at this day.”
24 Jeremiah said to all the people and all the women, “Hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who are in the land of Egypt. 25 Thus says the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: You and your wives have declared with your mouths, and have fulfilled it with your hands, saying, ‘We will surely perform our vows that we have made, to make offerings to the queen of heaven and to pour out drink offerings to her.’ Then confirm your vows and perform your vows! 26 Therefore hear the word of the Lord, all you of Judah who dwell in the land of Egypt: Behold, I have sworn by my great name, says the Lord, that my name shall no more be invoked by the mouth of any man of Judah in all the land of Egypt, saying, ‘As the Lord God lives.’ 27 Behold, I am watching over them for disaster and not for good. All the men of Judah who are in the land of Egypt shall be consumed by the sword and by famine, until there is an end of them. 28 And those who escape the sword shall return from the land of Egypt to the land of Judah, few in number; and all the remnant of Judah, who came to the land of Egypt to live, shall know whose word will stand, mine or theirs. 29 This shall be the sign to you, declares the Lord, that I will punish you in this place, in order that you may know that my words will surely stand against you for harm: 30 Thus says the Lord, Behold, I will give Pharaoh Hophra king of Egypt into the hand of his enemies and into the hand of those who seek his life, as I gave Zedekiah king of Judah into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, who was his enemy and sought his life.”
Biblically we would now have the answer to the question: Why was God so opposed to Egypt? Jeremiah 44 tells us Egypt was not singled out.
After the Babylonian Exile, many stayed in the Chaldean Persian Empire. And Esther with courage and with the Power of God saved the exiles - who had always had the Freedom to Worship. And did not have Jeremiah 44 instead Psalm 44.
Disaster is much larger than mere trouble.
The Scriptures also tell us Jeremiah, although swept to the direction of Egypt by force, would be spared because God had given His Word.
Very Biblically important - Jesus was a child in Egypt.
God brings the Light of Jesus Christ to the Nations.
Link this in:
Acts 10
34 So Peter opened his mouth and said: “Truly I understand that God shows no partiality, 35 but in every nation, anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him."
Let's be real, let's be honest. Let's be frank. We love the Lord our Father God because He has first loved us. We understand the depths of His Mercy. By His Grace and Mercy, we are free.
How can Jesus say if we always pray with Hope, God will hear us if Father God shows no partiality?
Partiality means we bend the laws of God. Ignore what God says in Law. Or His Commandments are suggestions. We ignore the Spirit is freedom and we impose the Inquisition started by Pope Sixtus the IV who put in the Inquisition to help implement a Papal State covering Italy.
God explains He has no partiality as He explains the end of Kosher.
Romans 4:9
Is this blessing only on the circumcised, or also on the uncircumcised? We have been saying that Abraham's faith was credited as righteousness.
Romans 4:20
Yet he did not waver through disbelief in the promise of God, but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God,
Romans 4:22
That is why "it was credited to him as righteousness."
Galatians 3:6
So also, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness."
James 2:23
And the Scripture was fulfilled that says, "Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness," and he was called a friend of God.
Abba, Father,
We Thank You for Your Blessings. We will pray with Hope.
We ask for more Heaven on earth. Covering us, guide us and lead us. Encourage us on Your Path. Strengthen us and show us Your mercy.
Cover those we Love with all of Your Love. We pray for more Heaven on this earth and raise this so High we cover our Nation trusting in You. With all the saints of earth, the communion of saints, raising our Hopes to You in Jesus Christ, covering all Nations trusting in You surrounding Your Good Creation in the Name of Jesus. Amen.
♔ Lord Jesus Saves! †