Title: God's Calculation Method (Ex 16:13-20)
Contents How much God loves Israel The 10 plagues that fell on Egypt prove it. Think of the plagues that God brought upon Egypt. Each of them has a deep connection with the idolatry of the Egyptians. Thus, through this discipline, they developed hatred toward their gods. But what of God toward Israel?
I made a clear distinction from the Egyptians (8:22). In that day I will separate the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, and there will be no swarms of flies. This was also the case in times of poisoning and hail. A truly beautiful scene is when darkness abounded throughout Egypt. God gave bright sunlight to the land of Goshen, where the Israelites lived. God loved his people.
In 11:7 there is a saying, 'You shall know that the LORD makes a distinction between the Egyptians and the Israelites.' Judging from these various words, God must have had a special plan for the people of Israel. At first, the Israelites did not know this God's plan. That is why Israel's path is full of mistakes.
① I wandered for 40 years on a road that could only be reached in a week.
② During those 40 years, all those who had the Canaanite dream died.
③ The reason they died is, in a word, disobedience.
As we read the Bible today, we discover countless mistakes of the people of Israel. In fact, we hope that you will discover 'God's plan and how to put it into practice' in the book of Exodus. Today's text shows how God calculates.
1. God does not look at the number of heads of the Lamb, but at its blood.
- He commanded everyone to take the Lamb.
- If the family is small, they were asked to hang out with neighbors.
- The sacrificial sheep had to be one year old, without blemish and pure.
-This was an offering at the Passover ceremony held once a year. Are we free to choose what we want from God's command? In other words, we can't neglect to honor our parents while knowing how to keep the Sabbath. It is impossible to take this commandment seriously and neglect that commandment.
God sees the heart.
It's not about how much you caught. He sees whether the blood of the sheep is applied to the doorposts and lintels. Jesus is the gate of the sheep in John 10. If anyone enters through me, he will be saved, or go in and go out and find pasture. said Just as the blood of the Lamb saved everyone in the house during the first Passover, so today, the blood of the Lamb, Jesus Christ, is able to save all who believe in it. 'It doesn't matter how many people there were in the house.' 'Even if you are a foreigner, you are saved.' “If the blood of a goat or a heifer purifies the unclean, how much more can the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish, cleanse your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”
2. God counts gratitude rather than resentment.
The resentment of the Israelites began when brick making became difficult. After that, until they met the Egyptian army in front of the Red Sea, it was like sailing in the wind, but the resentment started pouring out again. As we can see in Exodus 14:10-11, on the one hand, they cry out to the Lord, and on the other hand, they want to be dragged into the wilderness to be killed because there are no burial places in Egypt.
- Even after crossing the Red Sea, in the wilderness of Sur, you can still water for three days in a place called Marah.
I couldn't drink and I complained again.
- When I couldn't get food, I complained again.
-I used to live next to a meat kiln and now I complained that I had forgotten the smell of meat.
Moses spoke of this resentment. Why do we grumble against us, for your grumbling is not against us, but against the Lord (Exodus 16:8).
One day, an angel of God came down to the world with a basket to contain the prayers of the people. 1) Basket of grievances 2) Basket of gratitude However, within an hour, the basket of grievances was full. But the basket of gratitude remains empty even after going all day. I couldn't go back with an empty basket, so I did a little more... and brought it up with only a couple of people's thanks. See 1 Corinthians 10:10! Some of them grumbled and perished with the destroyer; do not grumble like them.
3. God counts obedience rather than disobedience.
God requires Israel's obedience. In Exodus 15:-16, there are two tests that God performed. Chapter 15: He made statutes and ordinances, and tested them. It happened next to Marasam in the Wilderness of Sur. God said that Israel would not bring any disease to Egypt if they obeyed the word of the Lord ① did it do what was right in my opinion ③ did it listen to my commandments ④ kept all my ordinances. He is the Lord who heals them (15:26).
Chapter 16: Whether they walk in my law or not, I will test. God has given us our daily bread. 'Manna' ... What is this? God has commanded that each person gather one homer. He allowed each to gather for those in the tent.
One Homer = 10 Eva. 1 eva = 36:44 liters, so it is about two doo. Therefore, one homel is equivalent to about two horses.
When I went north of Jericho
ⓐ Together with my fellow pastor, I saw the area so dry, and the plants, as tall as a single tree, seemed to have withered and withered.
ⓑ The other is a plant abundant in Sinai Peninsula. It is a type of tamarisk tree. It is said to be a yellowish sap that comes out at night around June or July and hardens in the morning and melts when exposed to the sun. It was also sold to passers-by.
What the writer of the Bible wrote was not a natural plant.
① Manna for 600,000 people fell.
② The manna they harvested met people's taste.
③ The food on the Sabbath was harvested in advance, but it was not spoiled.
He ate this manna for a while, but he did not gather as a greedy man had commanded, but more and more. He left it until morning. But unfortunately, it was not eaten because of the bugs and the smell.
The surprising truth found in 16:18 is that...the people have been omer, and those who have gathered much have left no one left, and those who have gathered little have found no lack. God provided for the people according to their needs. Other than God, who can fill it all?
① When will farming be possible in the 40-year march?
② What kind of tree is there on the road in the wilderness to pick it from?
③ Even if you save it, wouldn't it be difficult for 40 years?
④ Moreover, excluding children and women, there are 600,000 men and women alone.
This is where God's calculation method is needed. God prepared manna. He brought down quails. The quail still shows a similar fact. It is said that a quail that flew well suddenly fell from the sky like hail for rain.
God's thoughts are different from our human thoughts. It is as if a son cannot follow his father's thoughts. The prophet Isaiah compared this difference between God and us, 'As the heavens are high on the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts higher than your thoughts' (Isaiah 55:8-).
1. Do not think about the number or amount of sacrifices. Let us trust deeply in the blood of the Lamb Jesus.
2. Let's not get stained by resentment that is easy to fall into. Find something to be grateful for.
3. Let's not defy God's will and commands cleverly. It's just digging your own grave. obey To obey God's demands is to stand firm on the path of God's promised blessings.