Lesson 20 Part 1
ST. PAUL SCHOOL OF LEADERSHIP
“Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ”
(I Corinthians 11:1)
(With Frank Eiklor and Walter Contreras)
WINNERS AND LOSERS - THE BOOK OF EXODUS
Lesson 20 (Part 1)
INTRODUCTION
We continue our study of God’s dealings with individuals and nations during Old Testament days as we learn by examples (I Corinthians 10:6,11) how we should live today.
There are Christians who say, “If it’s not in the New Testament, I don’t take it seriously” (as if God made two Bibles, one for Christians today and the former for ancient Israel). That opens the door to Satan’s trap; that of failing to heed the examples God has allowed to be recorded in the first two-thirds of His Book. Obviously, when Jesus said, “Search the Scriptures” and Paul kept referring to “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God and is profitable…” they were referring to the Hebrew Scriptures—what Christians call the “Old Testament.”
We now look at key examples—from Exodus—of people and events that offer us lessons for today.
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EXODUS |
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| 1:9,10 |
Example of how Satan uses the world to try to defeat God by persecuting His people the Jews. |
| 1:11-17; 2:1-9, 23-25 |
Example of God frustrating the plans of the Jews’ enemies. Note His choice of Moses—a man with a compassionate sense of justice in a hardened world (2:11,12,16,17). Note also how two women feared and obeyed God—and won His favor (1:17,20). |
| 3:11,12 |
Example of God’s glorious answer to those who would be free from a sense of lack or an inferiority complex. |
| 4:10-14 |
Example—Moses’ reluctance to obey brought God’s “blazing anger.” Also see vv 24,25 where disobedience nearly brought death. |
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A LESSON FOR THE ARROGANT |
| 5:2 |
Example of an arrogant pagan about to be introduced—the hard way—to the God of Israel (see also 9:14-16; 10:3). |
| 6:3, 6-9 |
Example—God’s eight personal guarantees were not enough to dispel the discouragement of the unfaithful Israelites (see also 14:10—12) |
| 7:9-13,21,22 |
Example of how Satanic deception can appear as real as the power of God. |
| 8:11 |
Example of how God’s patience is used as a reason to keep sinning (see 9:27,34). | Jesus said many would come in His name and deceive the hearts of the simple, sinful and proud. Eastern mysticism and meditation is a big thing in the gullible West. And one day a “world leader” will appear on the scene with the persuasion of a god and the heart of a devil. Jesus warns His children to know the Scriptures, live in obedience to the Father’s will, and stay alert to the signs of the times. They laugh no more. Now God’s description of how He will destroy the old earth and create a
new one makes perfect sense. The splitting of the atom turned many skeptics into believers.
After all, look what man himself is capable of doing with the atom and hydrogen bombs. Now
the fear is that nuclear weapons are being placed in the hands of madmen who wish to annihilate
their enemies. God has blessed man with incredible genius. We stand in awe as we watch men and women in a room full of computers and high-tech instruments guiding and landing spacecraft on distant planets. At that moment, we appear invincible. But then a mammoth tornado comes—or a terrifying hurricane—or rains that flood whole regions and never listen to our shouts to “Stop!”—or the shake that removes from under our feet any confidence or pride we carry, and leaves us numb with hardly enough breath to even utter the paralyzing word “EARTHQUAKE!”. And man is helpless in the face of it all! |
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