~
Some of Pharaoh’s Servants Feared God ~
God
does not want His children living in fear.
“Grace and peace be multiplied to you in the knowledge of God and of Jesus
our Lord, as His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life
and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue”
(2 Peter 1:2-3). However,
God does want His children to have a proper respect and reverence for Him. We are told in many places in Scripture to “fear
God.”
This Week’s Passage ~ “Then the Lord
said to Moses, ‘Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh, and
say to him, “Thus says the Lord God
of the Hebrews: ‘Let My people go, that they may serve Me, for at this time I
will send all My plagues to your very heart, and on your servants and on your
people, that you may know that there is none like Me in all the earth. Now if I had stretched out My hand and struck
you and your people with pestilence, then you would have been cut off from the
earth. But indeed for this purpose I
have raised you up, that I may show My power in you, and that My name may be
declared in all the earth. As yet you
exalt yourself against My people in that you will not let them go. Behold, tomorrow about this time I will cause
very heavy hail to rain down, such as has not been in Egypt since its founding
until now. Therefore send now and gather
your livestock and all that you have in the field, for the hail shall come down
on every man and every animal which is found in the field and is not brought
home; and they shall die.’”
“Those who feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh made his
servants and his livestock flee to the houses.
But he who did not regard the word of the Lord left his servants and his livestock in the field” (Exodus
9:13-21).
Comment ~ Once
again we see that those who truly fear God act upon their understanding of
God—it changes their behavior. In our
next post in this series we pick up this historical account where we have left
off.
Fearing God Results in Salvation ~ “It is
a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews
10:31). “A wise
person fears and departs from evil, but a fool rages and is self-confident”
(Proverbs 14:16).
This does not mean the Christian is to live a fearful life—but a life
which reverences God and seeks to do His will.
Fearing God Results in
Fearlessness ~ “The Lord
is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord
is the strength of my life; of whom shall
I be afraid?” (Psalm 27:1). The answer is: only God. With the gift of salvation comes
responsibility.
Fearing God Results in Witnessing ~ “Come and hear, all you who fear God,
and I will
declare what He has done for my soul” (Psalm 66:16).
~ Robert Lloyd Russell, ABUNDANT LIFE NOW
NOTES:
(1)
The
current
TOP 10 ALN posts are listed at the very
bottom of this home page.
(2)
There
is an INDEX of all ALN posts accessed by scrolling down the
left column.
(3)
You
may LINK to any ALN posts on your own blog or website.
(4)
You
may COPY any ALN post, but please credit ALN as the source by
prominently displaying the following statement: Reprinted from “Abundant Life Now,” a free
blog which offers inspiring moments, thought-provoking comments, and solid
Biblical insight at http://RobertLloydRussell.blogspot.com/
.
