Breaking The Covenant

Deuteronomy 28:15-68

God pronounced blessing upon blessing, if the people of Israel would remain faithful to Him.

His promises were extravagant, a reflection of His pleasure in doing good on behalf of those who love Him.

But the 14 verses describing blessings in the first part of chapter 28 are followed by 54 verses describing the most heart-rending curses imaginable.

God goes to extra lengths to warn the Israelites of the dangers of breaking the covenant.

The ravages of sin are severe!

This section of Deuteronomy sets up the next few hundred years of Israel’s history and gives the background for why the people will eventually be led into exile.

The House of Israel had broken God's Covenant!

Walk By Faith

Numbers 13:26–14:12

By nature we are sight-walkers, not faith-walkers.

We tend to have confidence in what we can see and know.

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The Israelites feared what was unseen and unknown, even though success had already been promised to them.

The whole nation, apart from Joshua and Caleb, refused to journey toward the Promised Land because they were intimidated and afraid.

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Not only did the Israelites not go forward, they wanted to return to Egypt, the place where they had been enslaved.

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We sometimes idealize our past and want to go back because we fear the future.

But that isn’t faith.

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God is always calling us forward.

He is always assuring us that He is with us for our good.

Let's Walk by Faith.

Don't Walk by Sight!

Moses Face To Face With God

Numbers 12:1–16

In the previous chapter, Moses expressed a desire for all of God’s people to be able to prophesy, a desire echoed by Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:1–5.

The ability to hear God and speak forth His thoughts and purposes was not to be limited to a select few.

But when Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ siblings, attempted to downplay Moses’ unique relationship with God and elevate themselves, they were disciplined.

In this case, there were normal prophets (Numbers 12:6), and then there was Moses, who spoke to the Lord face to face (Numbers 12: 7–8).

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Astonishingly, this is the kind of relationship we are urged to pursue.

In fact, we are offered an even better one (2 Corinthians 3:12–18).

We are being transformed into Christ’s image and given an invitation to seek the Lord’s face freely.

The Ten Plagues In Egypt

Exodus 9:1–10:29

Water turned to blood? Frogs and gnats? Boils and hail? Total darkness?

These plagues, starting in chapter 7, seem strange to us and foreign to our experience.

But they weren’t chosen at random.

Though we might not always be able to discern it, the God of omniscience does nothing without design.

In fact, as we look closer at the various plagues, we see that they struck at the heart of the many gods worshiped by the Egyptians, directly undermining the credibility of various false deities.

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Today we make into gods things like wealth, power, beauty, talent and intelligence.

There’s nothing wrong with these things, but when we worship them, they become cruel masters.

God redirects us back to love for him above all else.

Remember the ten plagues in Egypt.

Joseph Forgave His Brothers

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “Come close to me.” When they had done so, he said, “I am your brother Joseph, the one you sold into Egypt! And now, do not be distressed and do not be angry with yourselves for selling me here, because it was to save lives that God sent me ahead of you. For two years now there has been famine in the land, and for the next five years there will be no plowing and reaping. But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. “So then, it was not you who sent me here, but God. He made me father to Pharaoh, lord of his entire household and ruler of all Egypt.
(Genesis 45:4–8)

Joseph’s brothers were guilty on all counts.

They had plotted to kill their brother Joseph and then sold him as a slave.

They had cut him off from the family, ending his life as he envisioned it.

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There was no making up for it.

There were no excuses.

They were all guilty.

But they still had one hope: forgiveness.

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Joseph forgave his brothers.

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Joseph declared one of the most profound theological truths of the Bible: God had been sovereign over the whole matter.

Joseph was able to see God’s purposes and be free of bitterness.

Lesson: When we are wronged, we need to look to see how God can bring good from it. God can and He will.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.
(Romans 8:28)

Then we need to forgive and let God work out His purposes.

Joseph forgave his brothers.

Let us forgive one another.