Exodus 1; Luke 4
Daily Catechism
QUESTION 25: WHO IS THE REDEEMER OF GOD’S ELECT?
Answer: The only Redeemer of God’s elect is the Lord Jesus Christ, who, being the eternal Son of God, became man, and so was and continues to be God and man, in two distinct natures and one person, forever.
Scripture: Galatians 3:13; 1 Timothy 2:5; 3:16; John 1:14; Ro- mans 9:5; Colossians 2:9.
Exodus 1
Ready:
Placement: Between Genesis and Leviticus
Chapters: 40
Verse count: 1,213
Author: Moses
Date: After the Exodus (1440 bc)
Genre: Narrative prose, history
Book Theme: God fulfills his promises to the patriarchs by delivering the great nation of Israel from bondage in Egypt and he reveals himself to them by his law and his tabernacle.
Written by Moses this book is clearly an extension of the story began in Genesis, but it picks up about 270 years later and the conditions are different. Within 80 years of the close of chapter 1, Israel will number in the millions and they are oppressed under bondage of the new Egyptian Pharaoh. The book is made up primarily of narrative (an epic adventure story) but also includes law and poetry. The huge significance and impact on the remainder of the Bible and establishes theology and history that will flow through the Bible. The following breakdown of the book may be helpful in considering it’s structure:
I. God saves Israel from Egyptian bondage (1:1-18:27)
II. God gives Israel his law (19:1-24:18)
III. God commands Israel to build the Tabernacle (25:1-40:38)
Seeing What’s There:
The first chapter sets the stage for the epic story to begin. A nation has been born within Egypt in Goshen and the Egyptian Pharaoh fears their size. He determines to put them into slavery and to limit their growth by killing the newborn males.
Key Verses:
Exodus 1:7, 8-10, 12, 16, 17, 22
Theme:
Against odds and despite oppression, the nation of Israel grows within the borders of a foreign land.
Thinking About the Message:
v1-7. The history is here linked and the storyline of Genesis is extended into the Book of Exodus. The tribes are identified and there is a formation or structure among the people of Israel. They were only 70 persons when they arrived in Egypt but by Joseph’s death 80 years later they had grown by a few generations and now 270 years from that they are within 80 years (Moses’ age at the Exodus) of exceeding 600,000 men or probably over one million people (Numbers 1:45-46). This already is fulfillment of one of God’s promises to Abraham but they are not yet in their own land and they are about to come under heavy oppression.
v8-14. The un-named Pharaoh does not remember Joseph and his help to Egypt some 270 years later and it may be that their records are biased in a way that they would not make such note of the aid of a Hebrew in saving their country in the same way that Egypt does not record the events of the Exodus. So does this new Pharaoh come against and thwart God’s intention for his people? Nope. God told Abraham (in Genesis 15:13-14), at the time of the unilateral covenant demonstration, that the people would be afflicted in a foreign land for 400 years and that this was because “the iniquities of the Amorites is not yet complete.” It seems that God intends to bring into Canaan in a certain timing that has to do with the condition of the Canaanites. God intends Israel’s occupation of the land to be a judgement upon the sin of it’s inhabitants. This makes sense considering some of his instructions that will come and some of the observation of the violent nature of their eventual conquest in the land. God is not just moving his people into a land but he is orchestrating a great judgement at the same time.
v15-22. Here the Pharaoh takes steps to limit the growth of the people since the oppression and hard work is not working. The Hebrew midwives refuse to kill their children and they clearly fear God more than Pharaoh. This too fails but an edict remains now that puts the Egyptians in a position of being expected to kill newborn males among the Israelites. The chapter closes there and the time that passes from the death of Joseph at the end of Genesis until the birth of Moses in chapter 2 of Exodus is about 270 years. Interestingly the Jews have no law or ceremonies or religious observations of any kind yet except for a pattern of building altars for animal sacrifice in thanks and acknowledgement of God, who spoke to the patriarchs to reveal himself and to make a covenant. What they have is remembrance of a promise and an identity as his chosen people by circumcision…nothing more really.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
I take the meaning of this chapter to be that God builds his people under adversity and he does so in a foreign land in order to establish himself as the source of their blessing. The implication is that there is a cultural understanding among the Jews that God built their nation among foreigners who did not fear him and he would take them out of this place and bring them into a promised land where they would receive great blessings. This shapes up as a parallel to the church (God’s chosen people) today being formed up as sojourners in a foreign land (this world) and waiting our deliverance to heaven (new promised land) where we hold true citizenship as identified by the Holy Spirit’s dwelling within us (new circumcision). The significance to me is that I am in the midst of an epic story that continues today as we march toward the New Jerusalem. I am among a people waiting deliverance and I can ignore this fact and go about my business becoming more and more attached to the foreign land or I can prepare and watch and wait eagerly and I can gather the body together as we wait for the bridegroom with whom our true allegiance rests.
Valuing the Message:
This message is valuable because it puts me in the middle of an epic story and makes my life meaningful beyond myself. I am part of a people that God is delivering.
Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
I should consider how I am living and if I am looking ahead to the promised land or if am I settling in here in this foreign land. I see that God dis not choose to built a great people by prosperity but by adversity and I might need to consider how hard I am fighting for comfort and prosperity here in this world.
Questions to ask:
Have I become comfortable in Egypt?
Am I forgetting that God is coming for us?
Where am I investing?
Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions. Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.
Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.
Luke 4
Ready:
Luke has summarized the ministry of John the Baptist and given the genealogy of Christ to indicate his ministry role as the second Adam.
Seeing What’s There:
This chapter presents the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness as the preparation/outset of his ministry and then leads into his proclamation in the synagogue at Nazareth that brings a harsh response from the Jews. It concludes with him healing and teaching across the region. What jumps out at me in this chapter is:
- The correlation of the baptism, giving of the genealogy, and the temptation
- Jesus’ demonstration of obedience of faith
- Jesus’ proclamation of the arrival of the Messiah
- Jesus demonstrates his identity and purpose
Key Verses:
Luke 4:1-2, 4, 8, 12, 13, 17-21, 31-32, 36, 40, 44
Theme:
Jesus declares and exhibits his authority as the Messiah but he is rejected by his own.
Thinking About the Message:
v1-2. Jesus was led by the Spirit and so he understood that there was a purpose to his fast and the temptation he was facing under it. It looks here like Satan came along not necessarily at the end of his fast but possibly was involved in tempting him during the whole course of the fast. This fast was not only a preparation for what he was going to face but it seems itself like it was warfare against the enemy. The Son of God is embodied with a human soul and human weaknesses and he must triumph over sin or else all humanity dies in Adam. This story if epic. There is one hero. The parallel of the forty days in the wilderness with Israel’s 40 years and the parallel of Jesus being shown as the second who is like Adam makes it clear that he is the substance of what has been long explained through the big story of the Bible. Jesus here will accomplish what Adam and what the people of Israel have failed at. Jesus will live to the glory of God by the obedience of faith.
v3-13. No time to go into the individual temptations, but this is covered in the post on Matthew 4. The big picture is that Satan is coming after the weakness of Jesus (his humanity). Satan knows that one sin breaks the entire hope of the gospel and he knows that the flesh has no allegiance to God apart from the mind that is set upon him. He looks to deceive Jesus or fool him into trusting himself or relying upon himself or taking the easy way out…each of which would be a failure to obey God by not taking him at his word and then appropriately acting upon it. Anything that does not proceed from a position of trusting God at his word is sin according to Romans 14:23. Therefore when Satan challenges Jesus to end his fast, although we do not see a law or a command of God to maintain this 40 day fast, it is clear that Jesus understands the Spirit’s lead to rely on God to sustain him during this time so to turn on that conviction would be a sin. The reality is any action or thought not in service of the glory of God, but in the service of self or anything else is sin and so Satan has a broad array of directions to go in with his temptations. Jesus makes it clear to the reader that each of the temptations amounted to Satan either explicitly or implicitly looking to get Jesus to doubt or twist the words of God to serve serve something other than God's glory.
v14-30. The biggest thing I see here is that Jesus marches into the synagogue and by his omnipotent and sovereign rule of the universe he is handed the scroll he desires and then he chooses to read (as if he couldn’t recite it from memory) a prophetic word about the Messiah coming to bring deliverance to his people. He then tells those listening that by reading this word, Jesus has fulfilled it. This is because he was not just reading it but he was indeed proclaiming in that moment that he had arrived to give the good news and to give liberty to the captives and to give sight to the blind and to free the oppressed and to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor. Jesus was performing what the scripture has prophesied! He throws down an amazing statement of his purpose and the arrival of the kingdom in a way that would have made John the Baptist rejoice in his prison cell like he did within his mother’s womb the first time he met his cousin, the Christ. Although they are initially amazed at him, the Jews soon tried to kill him after he ended up offending them with his accusations of stubbornness and unbelief that led to the rejection of previous prophets.
v31-41. In this section Jesus now teaches with authority unlike what they are accustomed to and this fits plainly with his proclamation in the synagogue to be the Messiah. He also heals with such authority and he establishes power over human bodies and demonic spirits.
v42-44. Jesus was not going to be held up in one location and he was not going to focus just on healing but his plan included traveling and his kingdom message was for the lost sheep of Israel and not just that area.
Meaning, Implications, and Significance
Jesus wins the battle and then declares the victory but those who should rejoice instead revolt because his message is one that requires humility and surrender to his reign. The implication is that regardless of the signs and wonders and amazing things God has done it is still required that, but the grace of God, I place my trust in him alone with an understanding that I contribute nothing toward my own justification before God. I need to accept my own dead condition if I will welcome the life-giver. The personal significance is that I need to sit under the authority of God’s Word and allow his truth to rebuke, exhort, train, and sanctify me. I cannot be in a self preservation of my ego mode. I must surrender and accept from the fountain of living waters without holding onto my pride that wants to accomplish something on my own.
Valuing the Message:
I value this message because it is easy to reject a message that I feel is attacking me. It is important that I understand the state of my soul and the level of my need. It is important that I understand the level of authority that God demands to have in my life if I am to be his.
Reflecting to Feel the Impact of the Message:
I need to consider my level of surrender to God’s authority over every area of my life.
Questions to ask:
- Do I give God room to train me and correct me?
- Do I put up my guard when I read or hear the Word preached in a manner that harms my reputation or ego?
- Do I keep back any areas that I want to maintain my own authority over?
Responding to God & Reacting to His Lesson:
Tell God about your observations and your thoughts and your struggles with the chapter and determine how it will change or impact your thinking and your decisions. Be sure to react in some way to the truth rather than remain silent.
Proclaiming the Truth to Others:
Decide who you can share what you have learned with and ask for God’s help in reaching out to love others.
Soli Deo Gloria!
