The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States for Sunday, 14 August 2016 - “Prayer Tip: A Fearful Pharaoh, Four Courageous Women and the Providence of God"
Daily Scripture: Exodus 1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9 but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10 Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses.
15 Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16 “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live.
2:1 A man from the family of Levi took a woman also descended from Levi as his wife. 2 When she conceived and had a son, upon seeing what a fine child he was, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. 6 She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.”
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Prayer Tip:
I often hear people say they wish God would give them a sign about what they should do in all manner of situations – employment, relationships, housing, serving, etc – and I wish that too. But I wonder how often we’re honestly seeking God’s guidance versus just trying to find an easy answer? Or worse, how often do we get an answer we don’t like, so we pretend we’re not hearing from God?
Sometimes we have to be patient in receiving an answer. We have to turn off the distractions in our lives to spend a little uninterrupted quiet time with God in prayer and in Scripture so that when God speaks, we are better equipped to understand what God is saying. And when we do get an answer, whether it’s what we were hoping to hear or something completely unexpected, we need to be willing to submit to the answer we asked for and trust that God will lead us to where we need to be.
Moses wasn’t thrilled with what God called him to do and even tried to get out of leading the Israelites, but he knew he needed to do what God asked of him. It reminds me of an old Hymn I grew up singing, “Trust and Obey.” As an adult, the lyrics hold so much greater meaning to me than when I was a child. Let it be our prayer today:
Trust and Obey by John H. Sammis, 1887
1. When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.
Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
2. Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
3. Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.
Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
4. But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.
Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.
4. Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet.
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way.
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.
Refrain: Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.[Angela LaVallie Tinsley, Funeral and Prayer Ministry]
Join us for worship today - click here for information on worship times and locations. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream at rezonline.org.
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Sunday, August 14, 2016 – Journey in the Footsteps of Moses “A Fearful Pharaoh, Four Courageous Women and the Providence of God”
Scripture: Exodus 1:8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9 but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10 Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses.
15 Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16 “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live.
2:1 A man from the family of Levi took a woman also descended from Levi as his wife. 2 When she conceived and had a son, upon seeing what a fine child he was, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. 6 She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.”
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Monday, 15 August 2016 Genesis 41:33 “Therefore, Pharaoh should look for a man both discreet and wise to put in charge of the land of Egypt. 34 Pharaoh should do this, and he should appoint supervisors over the land to receive a twenty percent tax on the produce of the land of Egypt during the seven years of abundance. 35 They should gather all the food produced during these good years coming up and set aside grain under the supervision of Pharaoh to be used for food in the cities, and they should store it. 36 This will be the land’s food supply for the seven years of famine that will come over the land of Egypt, so that the land will not perish as a result of the famine.”
37 The proposal seemed good both to Pharaoh and to all his officials. 38 Pharaoh said to his officials, “Can we find anyone else like him? The Spirit of God lives in him!”
(iii) 39 So Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Since God has shown you all this — there is no one as discerning and wise as you — 40 you will be in charge of my household; all my people will be ruled by what you say. Only when I rule from my throne will I be greater than you.” 41 Pharaoh said to Yosef, “Here, I place you in charge of the whole land of Egypt.” 42 Pharaoh took his signet ring off his hand and put it on Yosef’s hand, had him clothed in fine linen with a gold chain around his neck 43 and had him ride in his second best chariot; and they cried before him, “Bow down!” Thus he placed him in charge of the whole land of Egypt.
46:31 Yosef said to his brothers and his father’s family, “I’m going up to tell Pharaoh. I’ll say to him, ‘My brothers and my father’s family, who were in the land of Kena‘an, have come to me. 32 The men are shepherds and keepers of livestock; they have brought their flocks, their herds and all their possessions.’ 33 Now when Pharaoh summons you and asks, ‘What is your occupation?’ 34 tell him, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth until now, both we and our ancestors.’ This will ensure that you will live in the land of Goshen — for any shepherd is abhorrent to the Egyptians.”
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We learned in the recent “Joseph” sermons (July 10-17, 2016—you can view the sermons at
www.cor.org/sermons) that Joseph rose from slavery to become the second-in-command in
Egypt. His wise management saved Egypt, and many nearby areas, from famine. He was able
to feed his own family, and moved them all to Egypt. That was not a stand-alone story—it
formed a crucial background for the story of Moses and the Exodus.
• In some other Scriptural stories (e.g. Daniel 6), we see Israelites given high office by nonIsraelite kings facing jealousy and resistance. Do you suppose that no ambitious Egyptian officials were at first unhappy to see Joseph literally moved from prison to Pharaoh’s second-in-command? Based on what you know of Joseph’s character, how would you expect him to have dealt with any such people?
• Despite Joseph’s power, he drew on Egyptian prejudice against “shepherds” to ensure his
family a chance to live in the fertile land of Goshen. It gave Israel a place in which to thrive. It may also have foreshadowed the hatred and oppression they would face decades in the future. The Egyptians thought all shepherds were “beneath their dignity.” Which people might you see in a similar way? What spiritual dangers does that attitude carry?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, guide me, like Joseph, to use whatever gifts and talents I have in ways
that bless others. And give me a compassionate dignity like yours, not the kind the Egyptians had that looks down on others. Amen.
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"Joseph counted on Israel leaving Egypt"
Tuesday, 16 August 2016
Genesis 50:22 Yosef continued living in Egypt, he and his father’s household. Yosef lived 110 years. (Maftir) 23 Yosef lived to see Efrayim’s great-grandchildren, and the children of M’nasheh’s son Makhir were born on Yosef’s knees.
24 Yosef said to his brothers, “I am dying. But God will surely remember you and bring you up out of this land to the land which he swore to Avraham, Yitz’chak and Ya‘akov.” 25 Then Yosef took an oath from the sons of Isra’el: “God will surely remember you, and you are to carry my bones up from here.” 26 So Yosef died at the age of 110, and they embalmed him and put him in a coffin in Egypt.
Be strong, be strong, and let us be strengthened!
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Egyptian history seems to indicate that, during Joseph’s life, the Hyksos, a Semitic people who were “cousins” to the Israelites, ruled the country. But despite the success and shelter Joseph and his family found in Egypt, Joseph was confident that someday Israel would leave to return to the land God promised to Abraham. He made his confidence concrete by specifying that, when that day came, Israel was to take his bones with them.
• As best we can tell, it’s unlikely that Joseph and his family had anything like our hope for God’s eternal heavenly kingdom. But Joseph made it clear that his vision reached far beyond the horizon of his own lifetime. In what ways do your vision and hope extend
beyond your own lifetime? How do you share that with those who are important to you?
• The Israelites took Joseph’s dying command very seriously. Many decades after he died,
they carried out his wishes (cf. Exodus 13:19, Joshua 24:32). In what ways do you, in your family or your church, honor and live out the wishes of those who have gone before you in the faith? Do you believe it’s possible to do that without getting “stuck in the past”?
Prayer: Lord God, Joseph died in the confidence that you could and would work in ways that he had never personally seen. Let his faith and hope infuse my inner life, teaching me to trust you more deeply. Amen.
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"A superpower acted on 'disgust and dread'”
Wednesday, 17 August 2016
Exodus 1:6 Yosef died, as did all his brothers and all that generation. 7 The descendants of Isra’el were fruitful, increased abundantly, multiplied and grew very powerful; the land became filled with them.
8 Now there arose a new king over Egypt. He knew nothing about Yosef 9 but said to his people, “Look, the descendants of Isra’el have become a people too numerous and powerful for us. 10 Come, let’s use wisdom in dealing with them. Otherwise, they’ll continue to multiply; and in the event of war they might ally themselves with our enemies, fight against us and leave the land altogether.”
11 So they put slavemasters over them to oppress them with forced labor, and they built for Pharaoh the storage cities of Pitom and Ra‘amses. 12 But the more the Egyptians oppressed them, the more they multiplied and expanded, until the Egyptians came to dread the people of Isra’el 13 and worked them relentlessly, 14 making their lives bitter with hard labor — digging clay, making bricks, all kinds of field work; and in all this toil they were shown no mercy.
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Around 1550 BCE the Egyptians overthrew their Hyksos rulers and placed Egyptian kings on
the throne. That’s probably reflected in the ominous phrase that a king came to power “who
didn’t know Joseph.” Ruling one of the most powerful kingdoms on earth at that time, this king nevertheless reacted to the presence of these “foreign” people with fear, which quickly turned to hatred and oppression.
• This story shows us a human tendency seen repeatedly in history. We describe our drive
for power and wealth with the word “security”—yet, many times, the more power and wealth we acquire, the more insecure we become. In what does your security reside? Is there any dimension of your security that, in truth, tends simply to make you feel less secure?
• Also sadly familiar is the fact that the Pharaoh and many Egyptians feared the Israelites, in part, just because they were different. There’s no sign that any Israelite had acted against Egypt. When the Japanese air force bombed Pearl Harbor, the United States swiftly began interning Japanese Americans in camps, even if they’d been here for generations, and without requiring any evidence that they were disloyal. How can you help your family, your church and your nation to resist unreasoned fear of those who are different in some way?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, in 1 John I read, “Perfect love drives out fear.” In these days, when so much in the news can make me feel afraid, I ask that you will continue to plant your perfect love in my heart and mind. Amen.
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"Brave midwives: more powerful than an obsessively fearful king"
Thursday, 18 August 2016
Exodus 1:15 Moreover, the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was called Shifrah and the other Pu‘ah. 16 “When you attend the Hebrew women and see them giving birth,” he said, “if it’s a boy, kill him; but if it’s a girl, let her live.” 17 However, the midwives were God-fearing women, so they didn’t do as the king of Egypt ordered but let the boys live. (ii) 18 The king of Egypt summoned the midwives and demanded of them, “Why have you done this and let the boys live?” 19 The midwives answered Pharaoh, “It’s because the Hebrew women aren’t like the Egyptian women — they go into labor and give birth before the midwife arrives.” 20 Therefore God prospered the midwives, and the people continued to multiply and grow very powerful. 21 Indeed, because the midwives feared God, he made them founders of families. 22 Then Pharaoh gave this order to all his people: “Every boy that is born, throw in the river; but let all the girls live.”
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We read New Testament stories in which poor rabbis like the apostle Paul or Jesus himself
faced powerful Roman rulers—and we realize the durable power was with the person who
seemed weaker. Exodus did the same thing. Pharaoh was a title—Exodus didn’t even name
the fear-crazed, genocidal man who held it. But Shiphrah and Puah, two powerless midwives, “respected God.” In the end, their courage defeated the most powerful man in their world.
• Our world still tends to think in terms of “power.” Too often “might makes right,” it seems. Think of news stories you’ve heard in which some elected leader or celebrity, challenged for doing something wrong, responded with “Do you know who I am?” Can you imagine Pharaoh asking Shiphrah and Puah that question? How can you, however powerful or lowly your status, avoid dealing with others from a “Do you know who I am?” stance?
• Honesty is a virtue the Bible praised (e.g. Proverbs 12:19). Yet, faced with this extreme
situation, the midwives Shiphrah and Puah told Pharaoh what we might describe as a
“white lie,” or at least an evasive answer. (They did not say, “Your order is wrong, and we refuse to obey it.”) Are there times when one value (in this case, saving innocent lives) takes precedence over another value (telling the absolute truth)? If so, how can you avoid using that reasoning to excuse destructive behavior?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, give me the moral courage to do what’s right. Keep me from abusing any
great or small power I have in was that hurt others. And give me discernment to sense the
highest value in challenging situations. Amen.
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"Desperate mother, compassionate princess"
Friday, 19 August 2016
Exodus 2:1 A man from the family of Levi took a woman also descended from Levi as his wife. 2 When she conceived and had a son, upon seeing what a fine child he was, she hid him for three months. 3 When she could no longer hide him, she took a papyrus basket, coated it with clay and tar, put the child in it and placed it among the reeds on the riverbank. 4 His sister stood at a distance to see what would happen to him.
5 The daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe in the river while her maids-in-attendance walked along the riverside. Spotting the basket among the reeds, she sent her slave-girl to get it. 6 She opened it and looked inside, and there in front of her was a crying baby boy! Moved with pity, she said, “This must be one of the Hebrews’ children.” 7 At this point, his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Would you like me to go and find you one of the Hebrew women to nurse the baby for you?” 8 Pharaoh’s daughter answered, “Yes, go.” So the girl went and called the baby’s own mother. 9 Pharaoh’s daughter told her, “Take this child away, and nurse it for me, and I will pay you for doing it.” So the woman took the child and nursed it. 10 Then, when the child had grown some, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter; and she began to raise him as her son. She called him Moshe [pull out], explaining, “Because I pulled him out of the water.”
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Against the backdrop of oppression and hatred, Exodus recorded a close-up of one Hebrew woman’s response. She had a “healthy and beautiful” baby boy. But babies are hard to keep secret. In desperation, she placed him in a basket, and placed it in an area of reeds where (it seems) she knew one of Pharaoh’s daughters often bathed. The princess recognized the child as a Hebrew, but felt compassion and ignored her father’s vicious orders. God cared for Moses and his birth mother—Pharaoh's daughter even paid his own mother to nurse him!
• Focus first on Moses’ mother and sister. Even when trapped in dreadful circumstances not of their own making, how did they show initiative and ingenuity instead of throwing up their hands in despair? When they placed their precious baby among the reeds, do you believe they had any guarantee that the baby would be safe? Imagine the range of emotions
Moses’ mother must have felt when she received the job offer from the Egyptian princess!
• If you were “casting” this story, do you think you would have chosen Pharaoh's daughter as the most likely person to save Moses from the river? What qualities of character did she show when she spotted the strange basket floating among the reeds? Are you aware of other times in history when good character qualities thwarted tyrants who ordered people to set aside curiosity or compassion?
Prayer: Lord God, when life gets hard (as, sooner or later, it always does), help me to have the determination to keep trying that Moses’ mother showed. And keep my heart always open and compassionate, like Pharaoh’s daughter. Amen.
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"Moses: Anger in Egypt, a refuge in Midian"
Saturday, 20 2016
Exodus 2:(iii) 11 One day, when Moshe was a grown man, he went out to visit his kinsmen; and he watched them struggling at forced labor. He saw an Egyptian strike a Hebrew, one of his kinsmen. 12 He looked this way and that; and when he saw that no one was around, he killed the Egyptian and hid his body in the sand. 13 The next day, he went out and saw two Hebrew men fighting with each other. To the one in the wrong he said, “Why are you hitting your companion?” 14 He retorted, “Who appointed you ruler and judge over us? Do you intend to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian?” Moshe became frightened. “Clearly,” he thought, “the matter has become known.” 15 When Pharaoh heard of it, he tried to have Moshe put to death. But Moshe fled from Pharaoh to live in the land of Midyan.
One day, as he was sitting by a well, 16 the seven daughters of the priest of Midyan came to draw water. They had filled the troughs to water their father’s sheep, 17 when the shepherds came and tried to drive them away. But Moshe got up and defended them; then he watered their sheep. 18 When they came to Re‘u’el their father, he said, “How come you’re back so soon today?” 19 They answered, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds; more than that, he drew water for us and watered the sheep.” 20 He asked his daughters, “Where is he? Why did you leave the man there? Invite him to have something to eat.”
21 Moshe was glad to stay on with the man, and he gave Moshe his daughter Tzipporah in marriage. 22 She gave birth to a son, and he named him Gershom [foreigner there], for he said, “I have been a foreigner in a foreign land.”
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Exodus did not specify the age at which Pharaoh’s daughter adopted Moses—it just said it happened after he “had grown up.” In this reading, he “had become an adult,” strong enough to kill a cruel Egyptian slave driver. His compassion for another Hebrew was admirable. His action, on the other hand, drew negative reactions from other Hebrews as well as from the Egyptians. He fled to Midian, which lay outside Egyptian territory, east of what we today call the Gulf of Aqaba. He showed his compassion again in protecting the women shepherds, and as a result found a home and a family.
• What do you believe motivated Moses to kill the Egyptian? What did the story of Moses'
care for Reuel’s daughters reveal about Moses? What positive sides of his character did both stories highlight? What made his choices in the story about Reuel’s daughters wiser and more productive than his killing of the Egyptian slave master? When have you seen an unjust act or situation that made you angry? What, if anything, did you do about it? What can this part of Moses’ story teach you about how to deal with those situations?
Prayer: Lord Jesus, as the song by Hillsong asks, “Break my heart for what breaks yours.”
Grow in me a keen sensitivity to evil and injustice, and an equally keen sense of what I can do about it that will actually help. Amen.
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Family Activity: Research the women in Bible, particularly those connected with the story of Moses found in the book of Exodus. With younger children, use a Bible storybook and discover how many stories of women are told. With older kids, use a concordance or the Internet to explore the stories of women. You may also want to discover how many names of women are mentioned whose stories are not told. Read a few of the stories and describe the qualities of the women mentioned. Discuss what their stories teach us about God. Think of the women in your life today and compare Biblical women with them. Write a note to a woman who displays God-like qualities. Thank her for sharing her faith. As a family, commit to praying for the special women in your life.
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Prayer Requests – cor.org/prayer
Prayers for Peace & Comfort for:• Family and friends of Ben Craig on his death, 8/5
• Jerry and Vivian Cox on the death of their daughter Andrea “Andy” Stanley, 8/4
• Richard Cox and family on the death of his sister Andrea “Andy” Stanley, 8/4
• Larry Wallace and family on the death of his father Jackie Junior Wallace, 8/4
• Patricia Sanders-Hall and family on the death of her mother Marguerite Sanders, 8/4
• Sandy Lewis and family on the death of her brother Bruce Crockett, 7/29
• Michele Newman and family on the death of her mother Hila “Dutch” Newman, 7/27
• Michele Newman and family on the death of her mother Hila “Dutch” Newman, 7/27-------
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