For Forty Years the Israelites Had Two Signs from God to Guide Them After spending four-hundred years in Egypt, the repressed children of God finally get a chance to leave. This comes under the leadership of Moses. We know of Moses’s meetings with Pharaoh to negotiate the Israelites’ release, of ten plagues, and the people’s […]
God Reveals the Meaning of Dreams to Joseph Joseph (son of Jacob, in the Old Testament) is in a world of hurt. His life has spiraled downward. The favorite son of his father, his jealous brothers stoop to selling him as a slave to some passing traders. Joseph ends up in Egypt, a slave to […]
Isaiah’s Shocking Prophecies about the Nation of Egypt Isaiah often mentions the nation of Egypt in his prophecies. Egypt appears in the book of Isaiah forty-three times. Many, but not all, of these mentions relate to judgment and punishment. In a surprising passage, Isaiah looks forward to the day when Egypt will openly and intentionally […]
Not Taking Responsibility for Our Actions Goes Way Back We often shake our heads in dismay over people who refuse to admit when they have done something wrong. Instead they want to blame others. They refuse to take responsibility for their mistakes. This is not a new development. Even Moses, who spoke to God face-to-face, […]
When the nation of Israel was in the desert between Egypt and the land God promised to give them, stuck in time-out, they needed something to eat. God supernaturally provided a substance called manna. It sustained them for forty years while in the Sinai Peninsula. Although the Bible describes manna, the explanation leaves me wanting. […]
After spending 430 years in Egypt, the Israelites are finally free. They head out for the Promised Land and one of the first things they do is complain. They beg to go back to Egypt. Then they spend forty years in the desert. When they finally cross the Jordan River and enter the Promised Land, […]
In earlier posts, I noted that after the Israelites left Egypt, they spent 40 years in the desert before entering the land God promised for them. I also observed that Moses waited 40 years before leading them out of Egypt. This makes for an unnecessary delay of 80 years. However, why were they in Egypt […]
The Israelites left Egypt for what should have been an eleven-day trek across the desert to the “promised land.” However, because of their disobedience, God gave them a 40-year timeout in the desert. This, however, may not have been the first delay. Prior to that, Moses sensed that his place was to rescue his people, […]
After the Israelites left Egypt, God gave them a 40-year timeout in the desert. This was because of their lack of trust in his pledge to provide for them as they entered into the land he promised. This meant that what should have been an eleven-day journey, ended up being a 40-year desert experience—which for […]
An Example of Obedience in the Life of Joseph Four times, Joseph received instructions from God: 1. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to go ahead and marry Mary (Matthew 1:20). 2. Later, an angel spoke to Joseph in a dream, warning him of the threat on Jesus’ life and […]