King James Daily Bible Study: Ye Shall Be Free Indeed
Date: Wednesday January 19, 2011
Chapters: Exodus 5-7
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-january-19
Details of Today's Reading: Moses and Aaron go to Pharaoh to release the Israelites, Pharaoh tortures the Israelites, Moses complains to God, God reminds Moses of His promise, the heads of the tribes, the rods turned to serpents, and God puts stress on the Egyptians.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
The word bondage is defined as the state of being bound by or subjected to some external power or control. Sin, regardless of now or then, holds us bondage, it is what keeps us held up in the chains that Satan attaches to us the second we are born into this world. The only way to break free from that bondage is Jesus Christ, no religion, no amount of money, no amount of praying will set us free from the bondage of sin, but by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior. Jesus Himself taught this in the Temple, “Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. They answered him, We be Abraham's seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free? Jesus answered them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin. And the servant abideth not in the house for ever: but the Son abideth ever. If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.” - John 8:31-36.

The Israelites bargained themselves into bondage to the Egyptians years before the current generation were even born. The greater they increased in strength and number the more Pharaoh afflicted them. God seeing the pain that His people were in thought that it was time from them to be set free from that bondage and head back home to the land He promised them. He chose Moses and his brother Aaron to be the front runners that would get Pharaoh to release them.

“And afterward Moses and Aaron went in, and told Pharaoh, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Let my people go, that they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness. And Pharaoh said, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the LORD, neither will I let Israel go. And they said, The God of the Hebrews hath met with us: let us go, we pray thee, three days' journey into the desert, and sacrifice unto the LORD our God; lest he fall upon us with pestilence, or with the sword...And Pharaoh commanded the same day the taskmasters of the people, and their officers, saying, Ye shall no more give the people straw to make brick, as heretofore: let them go and gather straw for themselves. And the tale of the bricks, which they did make heretofore, ye shall lay upon them; ye shall not diminish ought thereof: for they be idle; therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God...And the officers of the children of Israel, which Pharaoh's taskmasters had set over them, were beaten, and demanded, Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task in making brick both yesterday and to day, as heretofore? ” -Exodus 5:1-3,6-8,14.

Pharaoh did not release them, in fact, he put more affliction upon them. Pharaoh thought himself to be a god so, when Moses and Aaron asked them to let the Israelites go worship God he afflicted them even more, saying I do not know who this God is, if they have time to worship God they need more work to do. The truth is, he knew that God was as real as he was, but he was not about to let the people have anytime to worship Him. Do you know why? Because he knew that once the people found out that God was on their side he would be powerless against the bondage he had on them. “For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.” - II Timothy 1:7.

Now, the Israelites went to Moses complaining about the affliction they caused upon them, they complained so much that even Moses went to God and asked Him why He even told them to go up to Pharaoh.

“Then the LORD said unto Moses, Now shalt thou see what I will do to Pharaoh: for with a strong hand shall he let them go, and with a strong hand shall he drive them out of his land. And God spake unto Moses, and said unto him, I am the LORD: And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty, but by my name JEHOVAH was I not known to them. And I have also established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers. And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage; and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:” - Exodus 6:1-6.

God reminded Moses I am JEHOVAH, the Almighty, and of the covenant that He had with Abraham, God never goes back on His promise. It is us who cannot see pass the afflictions and walk away from God. God allows affliction in our lives not to punish us or hurt us, but to grow us, prepare us, and show us that He is alive. Believe it or not, we are not the most appreciative people when we are just handed things to us. 90% of the world, maybe even more than that, have a me, myself, and I mentality. They want what is best for them, not thinking of the consequences it might bring to others, forgetting or ignoring that God gave it to them all along. Of course, we all want things and God wants to give them to us, but He wants us to put our faith and trust in Him, first. “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” - Matthew 6:33.

Now, after the pep talk Moses and Aaron went back to Pharaoh and tried once again. This time God brings Moses down to the level of Pharaoh, he thinks he is a god, well, God will prove Himself JEHOVAH. Moses was authorized to speak and act in God's name, and endued with a divine power, to do that which is above the ordinary course of nature. And Aaron shall be a prophet, he shall speak to Pharaoh as prophets do from God to the children of men. Thou shalt as a god inflict and remove the plagues, and Aaron as a prophet shall denounce them.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, See, I have made thee a god to Pharaoh: and Aaron thy brother shall be thy prophet. Thou shalt speak all that I command thee: and Aaron thy brother shall speak unto Pharaoh, that he send the children of Israel out of his land. And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and multiply my signs and my wonders in the land of Egypt. But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments. And the Egyptians shall know that I am the LORD, when I stretch forth mine hand upon Egypt, and bring out the children of Israel from among them.” - Exodus 7:1-5.

Whenever God is ready to do something through us to show His existence to others there is often affliction before there are rewards, yet they are all blessings from God. We can not truly be satisfied with the reward if we have not worked at receiving it. Think about it, if things are just given to you are you as excited about receiving them as you are when you receive them after working so hard to get them? If God had just let the Israelites go free do you think that they would realize that God was with them? No, because in order for us to realize that “THIS CAME FROM GOD” we have to endure some affliction. “Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf. For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?” - I Peter 4:15,17.

The amazing thing is that when Jesus sets you free Satan no longer has a hold on you. Praise God! He can drag you down, pull you along, but he will never, ever, ever, be able to send you where he is going and that is straight to hell. “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.” - Revelation 20:10. Now, that does not mean that he will not try to tempt you, or cause affliction, or get you to stop living your life for Christ, but it does mean that you have Jesus on your side, even if you have stopped living your life for Christ. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the one who would redeem them. Jesus is our Redeemer, “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” - Galatians 3:13.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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