Leadership
Today, the United States of America swears Donald J. Trump back into the White House as the forty-seventh president. The implications sparked furious reactions from some. Others were thrilled.
We read Exodus 12-14 today, and we can see a similar situation.
God chose Moses to lead His people out of Egypt. He had Aaron do the talking, but it was through the signs and wonders we read about that Pharaoh drives the Israelites out.
Cleansing
First, we see the people of Israel are to use hyssop to put blood around their doorposts. This is very symbolic.
The hyssop is a plant that was used in those days for cleansing. People used it in exorcisms and other ritual cleansing.
Here it is used to paint the blood of the lambs. They are to slaughter lambs and put the blood around the entries of their homes.
When a Christian confesses faith in Jesus, they have His blood, the Lamb of God’s blood, covering their heart. The heart is the doorway to the soul.
We also see that soldiers used it at the crucifixion when they lifted a drink to Jesus on a hyssop branch.
Protection
In Exodus 12, we see they place it on their doors so that when God comes through to slay all the first-born males in Egypt, he will see the blood and will pass by those houses.
God will judge you when you do not have the blood of Christ covering your heart and the consequence of sin is death.
For the Israelite, not having the blood of the lamb on their threshold would mean death would come to their firstborn male child.
Even before God brings this great destruction into the land, He provides a way to avoid it. For everyone, He provided that way before establishing the world. The plan from the start was for salvation to be available for all who would believe.
Of course, the Egyptians don’t know this and they suffer a death in every house.
The weight of darkness
One of the saddest times I can recall in my lifetime was when Covid-19 first hit. Despite the inclusion of many flu and other disease deaths in the statistics, I know several members of my church died. Within my extended family were several more.
I do not believe in the vaccine, but I know that over the last five years, I have lost more friends and associates than I ever had before.
There was a permeating depression hanging in the air throughout the year 2020. The prayer meetings at church were a constant reminder of our shared vulnerability and mortality.
I could not even imagine the darkness that must have engulfed Egypt, as every house suffered at least one death. Adults if they were the firstborn in their family, children, pets and livestock.
So they drove the Israelites from their land, hoping to rid themselves of this curse.
Misplaced priorities
But then they realized that most of their labor force was leaving. So they pursued them.
The saying is that if God brings you to something, He will bring you through it. There are a couple of ways we see that play out.
First, he leads the Israelites with a fire at night and a pillar of rain during the day.
How often do we seek God’s will for our lives? Knowing there is something He wants us to do, but feeling uncertainty. Oh, how magnificent simply following a guiding pillar would be!
The Word of God is that pillar, but it needs interpreting. This leaves room for doubts.
Then, as the Egyptian army catches up to the two-three million Jews wandering toward the Red Sea, the pillar moves and places itself between them.
Even with that comfort, knowing that God was leading them and protecting them. Some people responded with fear and anxiety.
Just like the people today. Many believe that God had protected and lead Donald Trump to the victory he had in November. More than one assassination attempt failed. These people continue to follow him.
But many others are so inflamed that they are carrying on like the Israelites, who were questioning why Moses had taken them out to the wilderness to die.
I am not claiming Donald Trump is Moses, but I believe God is in control. I believe God appoints leaders. Therefore, I believe this was what God wants for America.
The problem is that throughout the Old Testament; we see God appoint rulers who did not walk in the ways of their fathers and did wrong in His sight. We all need to be praying that President Trump seeks God in all that He does.
These could be the best of times, or the worst. It all rests in God’s hands. Let us all pray we find His favor.
