When Your Children Ask You… Exodus 13.

God is greatly interested in the way we teach our children. Are you? Have you ever thought about how important that is? President Ronald Reagan put the idea into words:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

The same is true for the gospel. If parents fail, the truth of the gospel could be lost in one generation. Can you imagine the heartache and the hopelessness of being a grandparent and worrying that your grandchildren will die in their sins—that you will never see them in Heaven?

Throughout the story of the founding of Israel, God speaks about how to raise children. He expects a great deal from parents. Parenthood is so much more than providing food and shelter. You must teach your kids EVERYTHING. Schools and schoolteachers are a bonus. The church is an added blessing. But the parents bear the duty. That duty is serious enough that God often tells parents exactly how to teach their children, even what to say:

Ex. 12:26— “When your children ask you about the Passover, you are to say…”

Ex. 13:8— “Explain to your son…”

Ex. 13:14— “When your son asks you what this means, say to him…”

Deut. 4:9— “Make these things known to your sons and grandsons…”

Deut. 6:20— “When your children ask you…, then you shall say….”

Joshua 4:6— “When your children ask you later, ‘What do these stones mean?,’ then you shall say to them…”

Joshua 4:21— “When the children ask their fathers…, they shall teach them, saying…”

More than once, my wife and I have heard our children protest that we were giving them “a Bible lesson” or “Sunday school answers.” But that complaint indicates a misunderstanding. It is not as though we listen to a conversation and search our brains for “Bible answers.” It is much more organic: when we hear kids’ problems, we process them through our own minds. The answers we come up with are the things we naturally think of. And having studied the Bible for thirty years, Bible passages SHOULD come to mind when we consider problems—whether our own or someone else’s. Honestly, we would be pretty sorry students of the Bible if it did not cross our minds when someone we love comes to us with a struggle.

The Bible endorses this view. We should know the word, and as parents, we should incorporate the word into our family’s conversations ALL THE TIME. Consider Deuteronomy 11:19—

“You shall teach these things to your children, talking of them when you sit in your house and when you walk along the road and when you lie down and when you rise up.”

Or to paraphrase: You must teach the word to your kids, talking about it when you sit at home, when you drive the car, when you go to bed at night, and when you wake up in the morning. It should be a natural part of your day and of all your conversations.

Pray with me. Dear God, make us great parents, whether we have kids now or will have them in the future. Help us love your word and teach it to our children. May your word be the first thing that comes to mind when we face obstacles. May we teach it to the next generation. Give them a great hunger to know you and to love your word. Make us the best teachers of the Bible that we can be.

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Tell Your Son and Grandson. Exodus 10:1-2.

Who is responsible for teaching children about God—parents, grandparents, brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, teachers, preachers, reporters, writers, actors, celebrities, sports stars? 

Perhaps all of the above are responsible to one degree or another. But parents have primary responsibility—and grandparents may come in second.  God repeatedly tells the Israelites to talk to their children and grandchildren about his word and his commands. He told Moses and Aaron that while they were dealing with Pharaoh: 

“Go to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart … so that I may do these miraculous signs of Mine among them, and SO THAT YOU MAY TELL YOUR SON AND GRANDSON how severely I dealt with the Egyptians and performed miraculous signs among them” Exodus 10:1-2.

In passages that follow, the message is repeated:  “When your children ask you… you are to reply…” 12:26-27.  “On that day, EXPLAIN TO YOUR SON…” 13:8.  “When your son asks… say to him…” 13:14.

God gave Moses not only rules and lessons to share but also stories to tell to his children and grandchildren. God gives us stories too.  Some are just fun stories, little adventures or comedies that happen in life. But when you walk with God, you will see him at work around you—and those are stories you need to rehearse and remember so that you can tell them to your children and grandchildren. 

What has God done in your life that you will share with your children or grandchildren?

God, help us to be aware of the future, to make decisions today that we can be proud of decades from now when we share our stories with children and grandchildren. Help us to honor you in all our decisions—and to rehearse and remember everything that you do in our lives.

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Trying to Change? Ask God to Change Your Heart.

It is hard to change on your own, to muster up will power and just CHANGE.  It is tough.  That’s why people like New Year’s Resolutions: the idea of a new year easily coincides with the idea of a new habit.  But dates are arbitrary—a week later, January 7 feels just like the year before.  What you need is a change of heart. Can you give up smoking?  Your heart better be in it. Can you take up jogging? You better have the heart for it.  Lasting change begins on the inside. 

But how?

The God who made the universe—He can change your heart.  The biggest changes in my life began when God changed my heart. (Not at salvation; years later.)  He changed me ON THE INSIDE.  Following that, I walked in the new change every day, driven forward as though I had an engine inside pushing me toward the goals God had chosen for me.  I reached those goals, but only because God changed my heart first.  And in some cases, that change came only after much prayer.

God can turn your heart toward Him—or away from Him.  When it served God’s purposes, He turned Pharaoh’s heart AGAINST the Israelites. 

“The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart and he did not let the Israelites go” Exodus 10:20.

But God gave the Israelites favor with the Egyptian people and they showered the Jews with gold and jewelry, begging them to leave the nation where they had been enslaved for 400 years.  God turned the Pharaoh’s heart one way, but He turned the hearts of the Egyptian people the other.  God can do anything—even in people’s hearts. 

“The king’s heart is like channels of water in the hands of the Lord.  He turns it wherever He wishes” Proverbs 21:1.

Does something in your life need to change?  Ask God—BEG God—to change your heart.  Everything else flows from there.

Dear God, CHANGE OUR HEARTS.  Give us the dreams and passions that You want us to have. 

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Copycat. Exodus 7:11.

One strategy of the enemy is to copy everything God does. If Jesus travels town-to-town talking about self-denial, the devil will create false religions based on itinerate “holy men” who promote self-denial (see Buddhism). If God provides a book of ancient scriptures, the devil will push false religions based on revered ancient writings such as the Koran or the Book of Mormon.

During the Great Tribulation, the devil will raise up the “Anti-Christ” who will mimic some traits of Jesus. Tim LaHaye argues the Anti-Christ will be killed, but will appear to be “resurrected,” causing many to believe, according to Revelation 13:3-4. Why would the enemy bother with this bizarre bit of plagiarism or parody?

A faith that says ‘I can do nothing to save myself’ is difficult. It can be hard to swallow, and some search desperately for a way out. If the devil can muddy the water with “similar” stories, it is easy to ignore the voice of truth ringing in your ears. And that is true, even when the copycat stories do not hold up to scrutiny. In fact, if three or four false religions are proven false, a skeptic may say, ‘Okay, all faiths are false,’ thus dismissing the one true gospel.

But ‘WHO WOULD DO THAT?’ you ask?

Consider Pharaoh. After Moses performed several miracles, Pharaoh’s magicians copied them. When Aaron threw down his rod, it became a serpent. Pharaoh’s sorcerers “did likewise with their enchantments” Exodus 7:11. So Pharaoh hardened his heart. When Aaron’s serpent then swallowed the magicians’ serpents, did Pharaoh doubt? No. He was satisfied by the copy, even though it was proven false, a “false religion” if you will. When Moses turned all the water in Egypt to blood, the magicians did the same. And Pharaoh’s heart was hardened. When Moses covered the nation in frogs, the magicians “did likewise,” and Pharaoh ignored what God was showing him.

False religions and false prophets will increase in the last days. Do not be deceived. Do not let your friends be deceived—Jesus is the only way. No one else died for you.

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There is Nothing Harder Than Turning Over a New Leaf. Exodus 7-12.

Haven’t we all had this experience? You swear off sweets, then arrive at work and it’s the boss’s birthday party and you have to accept a piece of cake?  Or you join a gym and suddenly your work responsibilities double and you feel like you’ll never be able to work out and you might as well quit? Or you have a plan for daily Bible reading but suddenly you are too sick to read, and when you finally feel better, you are overwhelmed with your to-do list, and reading the Bible feels like a luxury you cannot afford?

Change is hard.  Big change is really hard.

America’s founders wanted a divorce from the Mother Country.  They declared their independence citing 27 grievances against King George III.  What happened?  All-out war.  But Americans maintained their RESOLVE and built the greatest nation of independence and representative democracy in history.

But on one issue, the founders punted: slavery.  It was a problem they could not address while also battling England and establishing a fledgling nation.  Eighty years (four score) later, their descendants ended the evil practice of slavery—and the nation paid for it in a bloodbath resulting in more deaths than all other US wars combined.

Ancient Egypt also enshrined an evil system of slavery—and that nation paid a price too: the ten plagues so greatly crippled Egypt that it never again achieved the prominence it once had.  The fish were destroyed, crops destroyed, livestock destroyed (what’s left to eat?), first-born males destroyed, the army destroyed.

Change is hard.  Really big change is REALLY HARD.

“Though youths grow weary and tired, and vigorous young men STUMBLE BADLY, yet those who wait on the Lord will gain new strength.  They will mount up with wings like eagles, they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary” Isaiah 40:30-31.

It is hard to change. EXPECT resistance and problems.  Sometimes you will STUMBLE BADLY.  Hang in there! Change anyway.  It is worth it!

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Child Sacrifice is Not a “Trade-off.”

Cultures around the world have been killing children longer than there has been recorded history, including the Aztecs, the Incas, the Mayans, the Carthaginians (who worshipped Moloch), the Phoenicians, non-Muslim Arabians, Ugandans, South Africans, and more.

Why? What could motivate loving parents to toss their children into fires and volcanoes? I believe the devil is behind it. He hates God, and to hurt God, he attacks the most vulnerable and innocent—children. Consequently, through one deception or another, our enemy has been convincing people to kill children for centuries. Is your city having a plague? Kill more children. Is an army going to attack at dawn? Sacrifice your children to your pagan gods. Bargain with your idols—maybe if you bring death to your children, the “gods” of wood and stone that you worship will stop sending death to your family. It’s a bargain, right? A trade-off. Have earthquakes been destroying your village? Throw some children into the crevasse. Appease the gods of the earth by giving them the thing that you love most. Are you pregnant and the baby is going to mess up your plans for college or a career? Make a deal with your fate, make a bargain. Terminate your child so you can have a great career. It’s just another trade-off right?

When the Hebrew people began to outnumber the Egyptians (400 years after Joseph), the Pharaoh told the mid-wives to kill all the male children. The mid-wives refused, and God blessed them with families of their own. The Pharaoh then commanded the Egyptians to kill all the male children born to the Hebrews. The Bible does not say how many Hebrew boys were killed, but the rule was serious enough that Jochebed, the mother of Moses, kept him hidden for three months, then put him in a basket at the riverbank, hoping (I believe) that the Pharaoh’s daughter would have mercy on the child. God greatly blessed Moses and through him, his mother, Jochebed. God rewarded her faith and obedience.

Years later, Herod was so afraid of Jesus, whom he considered a rival king, that he told his soldiers to slaughter every male child two years of age and under. Satan continues to attack children around the globe, through whatever means. I believe, as do many Christians, that the evil of abortion is the modern world’s equivalent of child sacrifice. People in our culture cannot stomach the idea of killing babies. But if you back the timeline up two or three months, many find it quick and painless. After all, they have not seen or held their child yet, so they have less sense of loss. On top of that, people who get abortions have already begun to think of the child as a problem, an inconvenience, and they want that problem to go away. An abortion seems like an easy way to solve a huge problem. Moms and dads and abortionists see it as a trade-off, a “victimless crime.” Mom “terminates” a pregnancy today and “gets on with her life,” and then later she will have a baby at a time that better fits her plans.

God does not see it that way. It is NOT a trade-off, and it is certainly not a “victimless crime.” The child is a victim, and so are the parents. The loss is huge and painful and leaves scars that will trouble the parents for years to come. And what does God say about those who kill their children, sacrificing them to idols?

“I will set my face against that man, and will cut him off from the nation, because he has given his child to Moloch. He shall surely be put to death. [Sacrificing children] never came into My mind, that they should do this abomination!” Leviticus 20:3,2; Jeremiah 32:35.

God pronounces a penalty of death to those who kill their own children. He takes this sin seriously!

But what about those who do not choose abortion? God will bless them. They probably got pregnant out of wedlock. Their actions were immoral and wrong, a sin as serious as adultery. But God will bless them for NOT choosing abortion—for not murdering their child. Consider the story of the Hebrew mid-wives.

“So the king of Egypt called for the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this thing, and let the boys live?” The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not as the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife can get to them.” So God was good to the midwives, and the people multiplied, and became very mighty. Because the midwives feared God, He gave them families and children of their own.”

Exodus 1: 18-21. 

The Hebrew mid-wives obeyed God, honored children, and God gave them children of their own. Isn’t that a perfect reward for their obedience?

How are you obeying God today? What are you doing right? Think about an area where you consistently obey God. He will bless you in that area. Just as the mid-wives took care of the babies and were blessed with babies of their own, when you are obedient, God will bless you in that very area, in that same realm. If you are faithful about schoolwork, God will make you a successful student. If you are a good friend to others, God will reward you with more friends. If you honor God with your money, He may bless you with money.

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Anticipating What God Might Do.

God prepares us before he calls us.  Often we are born with the gifts we will need, and our experience births in us a desire to work in the area of those gifts.  Some of us will have an overwhelming desire to DO the work, but no idea HOW to do it.  Have you ever had a desire to do something great for the Lord, but no idea HOW?

At 40, Moses knew he was in a good position to help the enslaved Hebrews.  He was one of them by blood and birth, but had all the advantages of having been raised in the Egyptian palace: he spoke the language, knew the religion, the food, the customs.  He was a perfect liaison to work with the two sides to free the Hebrews. 

So he got involved.  First, he interfered with an Egyptian and a Hebrew fighting. He killed the Egyptian.  The next day, he found two Hebrews fighting and tried to get them to work it out. They turned on him:

“Who made you a ruler and judge over us?” Exodus 2:14. 

(Answer? NO ONE.) 

The men called Moses a murderer, and he fled the nation.  For the next FORTY YEARS, he must have felt his life was a waste.  The would-be international diplomat was now a fugitive shepherd in the middle of nowhere.

But God was not finished with Moses. The forty years in the wilderness were critical. God was preparing him.  He was teaching him humility, servanthood, and devotion to the God he may not have grown up worshipping. Then God came to Moses at the burning bush. At 80, God officially made him “a ruler and judge” over His people—forty years after the question was first asked.

Do you have passions and talents you yearn to use for the Lord? Be patient. Trust God’s timing. “Be faithful in the small things” and God will make you ruler over big things, Matthew 25:23.

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God Heard Their Groaning. He Saw. He Took Notice.

When the Egyptians enslaved the Hebrews and treated them cruelly, God paid attention. It must have seemed to go on forever. But God was not ignoring the problem. The Hebrews cried out to God and He was already busily at work raising up a leader who would deliver God’s people. (You know who that was, right?)

Exodus 2:23-25 sums it up:

After a long time, the king of Egypt died. The Israelites groaned because of their difficult labor, and they cried out; and their cry for help rose to God. So God HEARD their groaning, and He REMEMBERED His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. God SAW the Israelites, and He TOOK NOTICE.

Do you ever feel like God does not see your struggles? Do you ever feel like He is just not aware of how bad it hurts? Do you ever feel like He has forgotten you? Or that He is not hearing your prayers? Do you ever wonder how God can let you struggle with the same problems for years and years? (That has been an interesting journey for me; I have struggled with certain problems longer than I ever imagined, longer than I have even been a parent. Finances have been a challenge since I was a young, unmarried teacher.) So I do know it is easy to feel discouraged. But God never misses our pain. The Bible says He captures your tears—every tear—in a bottle. He sees and understands your suffering.

You may have noticed I capitalized each letter of the key verbs in the verses above. What did God do when His people cried out to Him?

He HEARD.

He REMEMBERED His covenant and His promises.

He SAW their suffering.

He TOOK NOTICE.

Amen! Isn’t that great? God saw their pain, heard their prayers, and He TOOK NOTICE. Amen. And consider this—the people were probably enslaved for more than a generation or two—God allowed them to suffer for a long time. But look at the amazing, miraculous, historic events that followed. When the Israelites walked out of Egypt, and when God drowned the entire Egyptian army and its chariots, the entire known world heard about it. All the nations were struck with the fear of God. All of them heard the news of all ten plagues, the death of the first-born sons, and the drowning of the world’s greatest army. Everyone knew about it and gave God the glory. And in the four thousand years since, the world continues to respect the amazing story of the Exodus.

My point? If we endure lengthy struggles, it may be so that God can do something amazing. In the end, the amazing deliverance will make the struggle seem small by comparison. Paul says that “the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared to the glory that is to be revealed to us” Romans 8:18. God is going to do something so amazing that the glory to come will cause the struggle to seem insignificant by comparison.

God hears you. God sees your struggles. God hears your prayers. He takes notice. Be excited about that. The Hebrews were. When they heard that God had sent Moses, they were thankful.

The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped. Exodus 4:31.

Dear God, thank you that you hear our prayers! Thank you that you see our problems and you take notice of our suffering. Help us to be encouraged, and to have the faith and hope to know that You are doing something great in our lives, even through our problems. Thank you that you notice, and that you never miss anything. We love you and we trust you. Thank you for the comfort and peace that you give us every day.

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Have You Been Desperate for Rescue?

The people of Israel were desperate. Pharaoh was cracking the whip, forcing them to do hard work for long hours. Those who resisted endured the lashings—and then had to get back to work anyway.  Pharaoh put cruel slave drivers in charge.  The usual rule: be as cruel as you have to be, but don’t injure slaves to the point it slows down productivity.  Still, you make an example out of the worst ones now and then. 

“They worked them RUTHLESSLY and made their lives bitter with difficult labor in brick and mortar and in all kinds of fieldwork. They RUTHLESSLY imposed all this work on them” Exodus 1:13-14.

Israel was DESPERATE.  The people begged God for relief.  And God sent Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron. When the two spoke to the elders and showed them miracles, the Hebrews were encouraged.

“The people believed, and when they heard that the Lord had paid attention to them and that He had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshipped” Exodus 4:31.

The elders of Israel did not simply pray for relief.  They BELIEVED.  That is a key factor, though easy to overlook: when God sends relief and rescue, you must BELIEVE and ACCEPT IT.  These people knew little about Moses (except that he was 80 years old and had left Egypt 40 years earlier under the cloud of scandal), and Aaron, even older, was nobody. 

But the leaders recognized the Hand of God.  They BELIEVED and they bowed down and worshipped.

When God sends you relief, when He delivers you from that desperate situation, when He encourages your broken heart, when He sends hope when you feel hopeless—BELIEVE GOD and accept what He is offering.  Embrace it.  Even if it is not the relief you had in mind.  When you see the Hand of God at work, accept it, be encouraged, and worship God.

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The School of Hard Knocks.

As a child, I broke rules and tested boundaries. I considered rules challenges to be overcome.  How do you think that worked out? Poorly, I can assure you. I spent most of my time in trouble, learning everything the hard way. My younger brother, on the other hand, employed keen powers of observation: he learned by watching my mistakes. He did not enroll in the SCHOOL OF HARD KNOCKS. Instead, he gained wisdom by watching the trouble I got into. That is a much easier path to wisdom.

You can learn wisdom by experience; it is both the slowest and most painful route.  Or you can learn by watching the experiences of others—a painless, but slow process.  Finally, you can learn wisdom by accepting good advice, i.e., WISE COUNSEL—that is the fastest and easiest route to wisdom.

So where do you find wise counsel?  The best sources are: OTHER PEOPLE (parents, teachers, mentors, bosses), THE CHURCH (preachers, teachers, peers, even lyrics to hymns and worship songs), and PRAYER (James 1:5 says God will generously give wisdom to those who ask). 

But the best source of wise counsel is THE BIBLE itself.  THE BIBLE is LOADED with wisdom, absolutely loaded.

“The instruction of the Lord is perfect, renewing one’s life. The testimony of the Lord is trustworthy MAKING THE INEXPERIENCED WISE” Psalm 19:7.

Being young means being inexperienced, correct?  There are many things—many problems—you have not yet encountered.  You LACK experience.  HOWEVER, if you know the Bible, if you study it every day, it will give you the wisdom that most people only gain from spending years in the School of Hard Knocks.  The Bible will ‘make the inexperienced wise.’ What a great promise!  Would you rather learn everything the hard way, or the easy way?  Learning from the Word of God is so much better than learning through a constant string of failures! 

God, make us better students of your Word, and give us wisdom generously!

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