Category Archives: Fear

“WOKE,” Civility, Women’s Rights, and Sexual Perversity (Deuteronomy 21; Deuteronomy 22)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading – Deuteronomy 21-22

Warning: You may find the content of today’s devotion inflammatory; however, its immediate relevance is undeniable.

Moses continued his charge to Israel in our Scripture reading. In Deuteronomy 21-22, fundamental principles establish the sanctity of human life, the basics of civil decency and human kindness, and the practical application of the command, “love thy neighbor.”

Deuteronomy 21 – Fundamentals of Civil Duty

“Thou Shalt Not Kill” (Deuteronomy 21:1-9)

In our study of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible), we have considered several passages of Scripture that explain the sanctity of human life and the sixth commandment that reads, “Thou shalt not kill” (Exodus 20:13). Capital punishment, a “life for a life,” was God’s judgment upon the man who willfully, and deliberately took the life of another (19:11-13, 21). In addition, Deuteronomy 21:1-9 addressed the loss of human life, should a victim’s body be discovered, but there are no witnesses to the murder.

Concerning Women Taken as Spoil of Wartimes (21:10-14)

Ancient cultures considered women taken as prisoners in war to be nothing more than a possession, a spoil of battle. The God of Israel, however, established laws to protect women. Should a man desire to take a female prisoner as his wife, he was to allow her head to be shaved, an outward symbol of her purification, and give her thirty days to mourn her parents’ deaths before taking her as his wife (21:12-13). Should the man later decide to reject her, he was to set her at liberty and was commanded to neither sell nor humiliate her (21:14).

The Inheritance Rights of a Firstborn Son (21:15-17)

Some propose that the reference to “two wives” (21:15) suggested polygamy; however, I believe it is not. From our study of the Book of Genesis, we know that God defined marriage as “one flesh” (Genesis 2:24), meaning the union of one man and one woman. Therefore, polygamy cannot be the intent of Deuteronomy 21:15, for the Mosaic Law did not redefine what God Himself had designed and established.

In my opinion, the explanation for the reference to “two wives” (one being described as “beloved” and the other “hated”) implied that the first wife was dead. In this example, the first wife had given birth to a son; as the firstborn son, he was the husband’s heir (21:15-16). The second wife, the stepmother of the firstborn son, would perhaps be tempted to influence her husband to disown his firstborn; thereby choosing her son to be his heir (21:16). The LORD condemned that practice. He declared that the firstborn son would be given “a double portion” of all that was his father’s (21:17).

Capital Punishment of a Rebellious Son (21:18-21)

A disobedient son, defined as “stubborn and rebellious” (21:18), refused to hear and obey his father and mother. Such a son (described as “a glutton, and a drunkard”) would be brought before the city elders, who would sit in judgment of his character (21:19-20).

I understand that stoning a rebellious son is undoubtedly offensive to our 21st-century sensibilities. Yet, given the severity of the punishment, we can conclude that it was a rare event. Indeed, such a judgment required the consent of both the father and mother (21:19-20). Yet, should the city’s elders find the son guilty, he would have been stoned to death by the “men of his city” (21:21).

Deuteronomy 22 – Having a Good Conscience

Compassion for a Neighbor’s Livestock (22:1-4)

We are reminded that God’s people were to love their neighbors. That command applied to his person and was demonstrated practically in one’s duty to his neighbor’s livestock, clothes, and possessions (22:1-3). Should a man’s ox, sheep, or donkey be astray, his neighbor was to restore them to their owner. Should the owner not be readily known, an Israelite was commanded to take the animal to his home until its rightful owner was established (22:2). Once again, we are reminded that God is benevolent. He required compassion for the animals of His creation (22:4).

An Abomination: TransgenderTransexuals (22:5)

There is much ado about the “rights” of self-declared “Queers, “Transexuals,” and “Asexuals” in 21st-century society. Such people aspire to blend and distort the natural differences between males and females in their dress and manner. It may surprise you to learn that blurring the distinctiveness in the sexes is not a “new woke” (as some would have you believe). Indeed, it was declared an “abomination unto the LORD” in the Scriptures and condemned as a practice among ancient heathen societies (22:5).

Compassion and Affection for Nature (22:6-7)

From the beginning, humanity was commanded to be the “keeper” of God’s creation (Genesis 2:15). It follows, therefore, that even the smallest of creatures should arouse in man a natural affection and compassion (22:7).

Closing thoughts:

Several other laws and guidelines are given in Deuteronomy 22, but I conclude this devotion by inviting you to notice the LORD’s protection of womankind (22:13-29).

Unlike their heathen neighbors, Israelite women were protected and shielded from abuses that are even prevalent today. For example, a woman had the right to due process should her purity and testimony be questioned. Also, should a woman be forcefully taken and raped, the severity of the law would fall upon the man, and he would forfeit his life for his sin (22:25-27).

Tragically, our nation and world have rejected the authority of God’s Word and removed itself from the divine guiding principles for life and civil society. We have become a people with laws divorced from unalterable principles. As a result, we are governed by the whims of wicked, unprincipled men and women. Indeed, the prophet Isaiah’s condemnation of the wicked is applicable and relevant when we read:

Isaiah 5:20-21 – “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter! 21  Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!”

Questions to consider:

1) How were captive, enslaved women to be treated in Israel? (21:10-14)

2) What might become of a rebellious son? (21:19-19)

3) Why would the adage “finders, keepers” not apply to God’s people? (22:1-3)

4) What was the law concerning a man dressing like a woman or a woman dressing like a man? (22:5)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

The God of Creation and Heaven has Revealed Himself (Deuteronomy 10)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading – Deuteronomy 10

Deuteronomy 10

Moses’ second oration to Israel continued in Deuteronomy 10 when he described how the LORD showed the people mercy following their idolatry at Sinai. Again, Moses reminded the people what they already knew; nevertheless, it was essential for them to recollect all that had befallen their forefathers and remember the LORD’s Covenant with them as a nation.

Israel’s Covenant: A Testimony of God’s Favor (Deuteronomy 10:1-5)

Moses recalled how, in anger because of their idolatry, he had broken the first tables of stone upon which were written the Ten Commandments. The LORD then commanded him to hew out two additional tables of stone (10:1), upon which the LORD engraved “the words [the Commandments] that were in the first tables” (10:2). The Commandments were then placed in the Ark, and served as a lasting memorial of God’s covenant with Israel (10:2b-5; Exodus 40:20).

Memorial to Aaron’s Death (Deuteronomy 10:6-7)

Continuing his remembrance of the events that had brought the nation to the edge of the Promised Land, Moses rehearsed how his brother Aaron, the first high priest, had died short of Canaan, and “Eleazar his son ministered in the priest’s office in his stead” (10:6).

The Tribe of Levi (Deuteronomy 10:8-9)

Lest any forget, the people were reminded that the LORD had chosen and “separated the tribe of Levi” to serve Him and “to bear the ark of the covenant of the LORD” (10:8). Unlike the other tribes, the Levites would have no inheritance of land assigned to them. Instead, their inheritance was a portion of that which was due the LORD, in the people’s tithes, offerings, and sacrifices (10:8-9).

Five Imperatives (Deuteronomy 10:10-13)

With the urgency of a father who loves his sons and daughters, Moses challenged the people to obey the LORDwith five imperatives (10:12-13).

Deuteronomy 10:12-13 – “And now, Israel, what doth the LORD thy God require of thee, but to fear [revere]the LORD thy God, to walk [behave] in all his ways, and to love him, and to serve the LORD thy God with all thy heart and with all thy soul, 13 To keep [keep watch; guard] the commandments of the LORD, and his statutes, which I command thee this day for thy good?”

Who Is God? (Deuteronomy 10:14-22)

Who is this God who revealed Himself as Creator, chose Israel, and covenanted with them by giving them His Law, Commandments, and Statutes?

He is the Creator and Sovereign of “the heaven of heavens…and the earth also, with all that therein is” (10:14). He is the “God of gods, and Lord of lords, a great God, a mighty, and a terrible [i.e., to be feared].” He is justand not a respecter of persons (10:17). He is merciful and the protector “of the fatherless and widow [the defenseless]” (10:18a). He is tender, and “loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment” (10:18b).

Closing thoughts: What effect should the revelation of God’s nature have had on Israel and you?

The answer to that question is found in the closing verses of Deuteronomy 10 (10:19-22). The children of Israel were to love strangers, for they could identify with the hardships of being a stranger in Egypt (10:19). They were to fear, serve, and cleave to the LORD (10:20). They were to be a people whose word, was their bond (“swear by His name,” 10:20). The hearts, thoughts, and affections of Israel were to be solely directed to the LORD (10:21). God had fulfilled His promises. Israel had increased from seventy souls (the number of Jacob’s family in Egypt, Genesis 46:27), and “the LORD [had] made [them] as the stars of heaven for multitude” (10:22).

Believer, my God is great and mighty. He is the LORD of the Scriptures, the Sovereign of Creation, and the King of heaven and earth!

Is He your God?

Questions to consider:

1) What did the LORD write on the stone tablets? (Deuteronomy 10:4)

2)  Where did Moses place the stone tablets? (Deuteronomy 10:5)

3) What was the Levitical tribe’s ministry? (Deuteronomy 10:8)

4) What did the LORD require of Israel as the nation settled in the new land? (Deuteronomy 10:12-13)

5) How many souls were in Jacob’s family when they settled in Egypt? (Deuteronomy 10:22)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

The Final Census, Women’s Rights and a New Leader (Numbers 26; Numbers 27)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture Reading – Numbers 26-27

The gross adultery and idolatry recorded in Numbers 25 had provoked God to send a plague in Israel that occasioned the deaths of 24,000 people (25:9). With the plague passed, the LORD commanded Moses to take a final census before crossing the Jordan River, “from twenty years old and upward, throughout their fathers’ house, all that are able to go to war in Israel” (26:2).

Numbers 26 

The Final Census Before the Promised Land (26:1-51)

A census of the Twelve Tribes of Israel was first taken in Numbers 1-4. Comparing that census with this later one revealed a slight decrease in the Twelve Tribes overall (the first totaling 603,500 men, and the second 601,730 men, who were twenty years or older). Some tribes had experienced a decline (Simeon declining from 59,300 men to 22,200 men, twenty years and older). Other tribes had experienced significant population growth (the men of the tribe of Manasseh had increased from 32,200 to 52,700 men, twenty years and older). The names and the numbering of the Twelve Tribes were recorded in Numbers 26:5-50.

How the Land Would be Divided (26:52-62)

The census was necessary, for it became the basis for assigning each tribe territory in the Promised Land (26:52-56). The Tribe of Levi, the priestly tribe the LORD chose to serve Him, did not inherit land in Canaan (26:62).

A Sobering Reminder of the Generation that Perished (26:62-65)

Numbers 26 concluded with a sobering reminder of God’s judgment upon Israel (26:64). The prior generation had come out of Egypt, but refused to trust the LORD and obey Him. As a result, all, twenty years and older, perished in the wilderness, save two men: “For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness. And there was not left a man of them, save Caleb the son of Jephunneh, and Joshua the son of Nun” (26:65).

Numbers 27 

Women’s Rights of Inheritance (27:1-11)

Numbers 27:1-11 is a case study regarding women’s rights and reveals the inequitable laws women protest are not God’s way, but men’s! If men followed the ethics of the Scriptures, they would realize that the ways of the LORD are wise, benevolent, and compassionate.

Five daughters of one man of the tribe of Manasseh came to Moses and Eleazar, the high priest (27:1-2). Their father had died, leaving no male heir. Therefore, the daughters could plead their case regarding their late father’s right of inheritance in the Promised Land (27:1-4). According to the law, a man’s estate was to pass to his son; however, what became of a man’s possessions when there was no son?

The daughters reasoned, “4Why should the name of our father be done away from among his family, because he hath no son?” (27:4) They pleaded that they and their father had been slighted and petitioned, “Give unto us therefore a possession among the brethren of our father” (27:4).

Rather than make a hasty, ill-advised decision, or trust men’s opinions, Moses withdrew and “brought [the] cause[of the daughters] before the LORD” (27:5). The LORD affirmed the sisters’ assertion (27:6) and answered Moses: “Thou shalt speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If a man die, and have no son, then ye shall cause his inheritance to pass unto his daughter” (27:7). To ensure a family’s possessions would remain within the tribe, it was determined that should a man die and have neither a son nor daughter, his inheritance would pass to his next of kin (27:9-11).

End of an Era: Moses’ Imminent Death (27:12-13)

The LORD then commanded Moses, “Get thee up into this mount Abarim, and see the land which I have given unto the children of Israel. 13  And when thou hast seen it, thou also shalt be gathered unto thy people, as Aaron thy brother was gathered” (27:12-13).

A Changing of the Guard: A Man of God’s Choosing (27:14-23)

Moses was then reminded that he would not enter the Land of Promise (27:14; 20:7-13). With humility, he accepted the consequence of his sin with grace. Then, like a true shepherd leader, Moses requested the LORD “set a man over the congregation” (27:16). Moses desired to ensure his successor would be a man of God’s choosing and have a shepherd’s heart (27:17).

So, God chose “Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit [of God]” (27:18).  Leaving no uncertainty that Joshua was His choice (27:18), the LORD directed Moses to confirm him before “all the congregation” (27:19-20). Moses obeyed the LORD, took Joshua, and “laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the LORD commanded” (27:23).

Closing thoughts:

Although he was one of the most extraordinary men ever to live, Moses inevitably went the way of all flesh and was “gathered unto [his] people, as Aaron [his] brother was gathered” (27:13).  Miriam was dead; Aaron was dead; and because he had disobeyed the LORD and sinned before all the people, Moses would die, without entering the Promised Land (27:14).

I am reminded that “the best of men are men at best,” and their lives are no more than “a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away” (James 4:14). Many ignore and deny the haunting fact that it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment” (Hebrews 9:27); however, godly men pray, “So teach us to number our days, That we may apply our hearts unto wisdom” (Psalm 90:12).

Make today count for eternity and “walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, 16Redeeming the time, because the days are evil” (Ephesians 5:15-16).

Questions to consider:

1) Who was to be counted in the census? (26:2)

2) How many sons did Joseph have, and what were their names? (26:28)

3) How many men were numbered in Israel before they entered the Promised Land? (26:51)

4) Why did the daughters of Zelophehad come to Moses and Eleazar? (27:3-4)

5) Understanding his death was imminent, what request did Moses bring to the LORD? (27:15-17)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

The Fearful and the Faithless (Numbers 14; Numbers 15)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture Reading – Numbers 14-15

The children of Israel were discouraged and afraid after hearing the “evil report” of the ten spies. They had reported that the land of Canaan was all God promised it would be, but was also “a land that eateth up the inhabitants…33And there we saw the giants…and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight” (13:32-33).

Numbers 14 gives a practical insight into the question:

What happens when believers turn back from stepping out in faith and trusting God?

The tragic answer to that question is found in Numbers 14. The congregation of Israel, after rejecting Caleb’s desperate call for faith (13:30), returned to their tents and “lifted up their voice, and cried; and the people wept that night” (14:1).

Fear turned to rebellion, and “the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron: and the whole congregation said unto them, Would God that we had died in the land of Egypt! or would God we had died in this wilderness!” (14:2). Their murmuring against the LORD and His leader, soon turned to an accusation that God had meant them evil, and brought Israel out of Egypt only to allow them to “fall by the sword,” and that their wives and children “should be a prey” (14:3).

Fear and murmuring turned into a plan of insurrection.

Finally, the people determined to choose a leader and “return into Egypt” (14:4). Moses and Aaron fell on their faces in an act of humiliation (14:5). Joshua and Caleb, the spies who had faith to trust God, “rent their clothes” (14:6) and pleaded with the people saying, “The land, which we passed through to search it, is an exceeding good land. 8If the Lord delight in us, then he will bring us into this land, and give it us; a land which floweth with milk and honey. 9Only rebel not ye against the Lord, neither fear ye the people of the land; for …the Lord is with us: fear them not” (14:7-9).

Then, the people rose to stone Joshua and Caleb, but the “glory of the LORD appeared in the Tabernacle” (14:10). He then threatened to afflict the people in His wrath and disinherit them (14:11-12). Moses, however, pleaded with the LORD not to give Israel’s enemies cause to say He had slain them because He could not bring them into the Promised Land (14:13-16). He appealed to the LORD and recalled His attributes, and said, “The Lord is longsuffering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and transgression, and by no means clearing the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation” (14:18). Based on His divine character, Moses prayed, “Pardon, I beseech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatness of thy mercy, and as thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even until now” (14:19).

The LORD heard and heeded Moses’ prayer.

Nevertheless, God is just and would not allow Israel’s rebellion and faithlessness to go unpunished (14:20-23). The faithless spies who had brought the “evil report” were slain (14:22-23, 36-37). God then determined that the whole congregation would be turned away from Canaan, and the people would “be wasted in the wilderness” (14:23, 25, 32-34). All Israel, twenty years and older (except Caleb and Joshua), would die in the wilderness because they had murmured against the LORD (14:24-32, 38).

Moses announced God’s judgment, “and the people mourned greatly” (14:39). With remorse, they rose early the next day and determined to go up and cross over into the Promised Land (14:40). Moses, however, warned they would “not prosper…for the LORD is not among you” (14:41-42). Israel’s presumption was doomed without the LORD’s presence, power, and protection; thus, many of Israel were slain (14:44-45).

Numbers 15

God’s Judgments for Sins Committed Out of Ignorance, and Deliberate Sins

Numbers 15 marked the beginning of Israel’s tragic forty years of wandering in the wilderness (Numbers 15-21). The sacrifices instituted were not only Israel’s obligation, but also that of the “strangers” that journeyed with Israel.  The “strangers,” people not of the lineage of Abraham, were to do as Israel, for there was “one law and one manner” (15:15-16).

There were sacrifices for sins “committed by [out of] ignorance” (15:24-29), meaning unknowingly. There was also the question of willful or presumptuous sins. The punishment for those sins was “that soul shall be cut off from among his people” (15:30-31). Soon after that law was instituted, a man willfully broke the law and gathered sticks on the Sabbath (15:32-33) as an act of public rebellion. Given the seriousness of his actions, the man was taken “in ward” (custody), and Moses and Aaron sought the mind of the LORD. The LORD then directed that all the congregation would put the sinner out of the camp and stone him (15:34-36).

Closing thoughts:

Serving as a lasting reminder, the LORD decreed that the children of Israel were to wear a blue ribbon about the fringes of their garments, bearing tassels. The tassels were a visual reminder to “remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them; and that ye seek not after your own heart and…40That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God. 41I am the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord your God” (15:39-41).

Believer, be faithful, trusting, and obedient to the LORD!

Questions to consider:

1) What did the people accuse the LORD of doing? (Numbers 14:3)

2) What was Moses and Aaron’s response to the murmuring of the people? (Numbers 14:5)

3) What were the names of the two faithful spies? (Numbers 14:6)

4) What attributes did Moses ascribe to the LORD when He prayed for Him to pardon Israel? (Numbers 14:18-19)

5) What judgment did Israel suffer because the people did not trust the LORD? (Numbers 14:29-30)

6) What was the purpose of the blue ribbon and tassels on the people’s garments? (Numbers 15:38-40)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

Complainers and Critics: The Lord Hears All! (Numbers 11; Numbers 12)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading – Numbers 11-12

Israel’s journey from Mount Sinai to the Promised Land began. The people “departed from the mount of the Lord[where they received the Law and Commandments] three days’ journey: and the ark of the covenant of the Lord [a symbol of God’s throne] went before them in the three days’ journey, to search out a resting place for them. 34 And the cloud of the Lord was upon them by day, when they went out of the camp” (10:33-34).

Numbers 11

Complainers and God’s Judgment (Numbers 11:1-3)

Having accepted the terms of their covenant with the LORD, Israel observed the Passover (9:4-5) and then set out on their journey. But, unbelievably, the people began to complain after only three days! And “it displeased the Lord: and the Lord heard it; and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and consumed them that were in the uttermost parts [outskirts] of the camp” (11:1).

How swift the judgment of the LORD fell upon the people! Why? What did their complaints reveal that the LORD’s “anger was kindled?” (11:1) Their complaints revealed their disloyalty to the LORD and ingratitude for all He provided (Psalm 106:6-14). So then, the people cried out to Moses, and he “prayed unto the Lord, [and] the fire was quenched” (11:2).

The Murmuring of the “Mixt Multitude” (Numbers 11:4-10)

Where did the fire of God’s judgment begin? “In the uttermost parts [outskirts] of the camp” (11:1). Those murmurers and complainers were far from the Tabernacle and the Ark of the LORD. They were “the mixt multitude” and were guilty of “lusting” (11:4). After what were they lusting and longing? Discontent with the LORD’s daily provision, they longed, complained, and demanded: “flesh to eat” (11:4).

Who were the “mixt multitude?” No doubt, they were the mixed marriages of Hebrews with the Egyptians and Egyptians who had faith to place the blood on their doorposts (Exodus 12:7, 12-13, 38). Indeed, many of Israel were in their number, for they had been estranged from the Lord. The Hebrews nearly lost their identity as God’s people during their extended stay in Egypt. Sadly, the “mixt multitude” were much like the mixed multitude in our churches today—living for self and despising the provision of the LORD.

They introduced a contentious spirit in the camp. They demanded, “Who shall give us flesh to eat?” (11:4), and lusted for the foods of Egypt (11:5). They despised the manna God provided (Exodus 16:15) and rejected not only the provision but also the provider Himself (11:7-9, 20).

Moses’ Exasperation (Numbers 11:10-15)

Hearing the complaints and the people weeping (11:10), Moses moaned to the LORD in a series of self-focused questions (11:11-13). Finally, exasperated and overwhelmed, he cried to the LORD, “I am not able to bear all this people alone, because it is too heavy for me” (11:14).

The LORD’s Intervention (Numbers 11:16-33)

With loving compassion, the LORD directed Moses to choose seventy leaders from among the Twelve Tribes who would share his burdens (11:16). Then, the LORD “came down in a cloud, and spake unto [Moses], and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders” (11:25a).

Provoked by bitter complaints, the LORD determined to give the people the meat they demanded (11:18-23). On the next day, He took away the manna, and for thirty days, they had nothing but meat to eat (11:18-21). In their lust for flesh, they gorged themselves and became sick, and “the LORD smote [them] with a very great plague” (11:31-33).

Numbers 12 – A Leader’s Response to Criticism

The Affront of Miriam and Aaron (Numbers 12:1-2)

While the complaints in Numbers 11 caused Moses to despair of life (11:11-15), the criticism in Numbers 12 was the most grievous. Miriam and Aaron, Moses’ sister and brother, spoke against him (12:1). Miriam was the eldest. She appeared to be the principal antagonist since she bore the consequences of murmuring against God’s leader (12:10).

The initial challenge concerned an Ethiopian woman whom Moses had married (12:1). Why they objected to him marrying an Ethiopian woman was not revealed [It may be that Zipporah, his wife was dead, Exodus 2:21. If not, Moses would have violated the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman, Genesis 2:24].

The following verses revealed the principal dispute Miriam and Aaron had with Moses. They asked, “Hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not spoken also by us? And the Lord heard it.” (12:2). Provoked by jealousy, they challenged his authority, and “the Lord heard it” (12:2c).

The Affirmation of Moses (Numbers 12:3)

Although he was a powerful and influential man in Israel, the Scriptures described Moses as “very meek above all the men which were upon the face of the earth” (12:3). [Unlike the concept of meekness in our world, the essence of a meek man is not weakness, but strength under control.]

The Accounting of God’s Displeasure (Numbers 12:4-14)

Though Moses’ response was meekness, the LORD did not allow Miriam and Aaron’s challenge to go unchecked. Suddenly He spoke to the three siblings and said, “Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation”(12:4).

Imagine that moment! The LORD summoned them and “came down in the pillar of the cloud, and stood in the door of the tabernacle” (12:5). He left no doubt that Moses was His prophet (12:7). His anger “was kindled against” Miriam and Aaron (12:9). As the LORD departed, He struck Miriam with leprosy that served as a visible sign of His displeasure. She “became leprous, white as snow” (12:10). Aaron, seeing the state of his sister, cried to Moses (12:11-12). Moses then “cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her now, O God, I beseech thee” (12:13).

Closing thoughts:

The LORD acknowledged Moses’ plea; nevertheless, He reasoned that Miriam’s sin was a cause for shame. Therefore, she would bear the reproach of leprosy for seven days and be put outside the camp (12:14). Seven days passed, “and the people journeyed not till Miriam was brought in again” and restored to the fellowship (12:15).

Questions to consider:

1) Who stirred up the children of Israel to complain? (Numbers 11:4)

2) For what did the people long? (Numbers 11:5)

3) What had the people come to despise? (Numbers 11:6-8)

4) What was Miriam and Aaron’s complaint? (Numbers 12:2)

5) What disease did Miriam suffer as a sign of the LORD’s displeasure? (Numbers 12:9-10)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

“Strange Fire” (Leviticus 10; Leviticus 11)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.

(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading – Leviticus 10-11

After consecrating Aaron as high priest, and his sons to serve as priests, the LORD affirmed the priests of Israel with “a fire…and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces” (9:24). Today’s devotion will focus entirely upon Leviticus 10.

Leviticus 10

Tragedy: The Sin and Deaths of Two Sons of Aaron (10:1-7)

Incredibly, the exhilarating moment we considered in Leviticus 9:24 was followed soon after with a great tragedy: “And Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not. 2And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord” (10:1-2).

The exact nature of Nadab and Abihu’s sin was not revealed; however, we understand it was an act of willful disobedience that the LORD would not tolerate. They had “offered strange fire…which [the LORD] commanded them not” (10:1c), and He consumed them with a fire of judgment (10:2).

I am reminded of the principle, “unto whom much is given, of him shall be much required” (Luke 12:48). The sons of Aaron had violated their privilege to serve on behalf of the people and draw near to the LORD in His sanctuary. Thus God rejected them.

Warning: Do Not Bemoan the Judgment of God nor Mourn Publicly the Death of the Wicked (10:3-7)

Imagine the sorrow that took hold of Aaron’s heart when he learned two of his sons had disobeyed the LORD and been slain by the fire of His judgment. Yet, Moses warned Aaron, “This is it that the Lord spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and before all the people I will be glorified. And Aaron held his peace” (10:3). Aaron, because he represented the people before God, was forbidden to mourn outwardly, lest his sorrow appear to contradict the LORD’s judgment (10:3c).

Moses then commanded “Mishael and Elzaphan, the sons of Uzziel the uncle of Aaron” (10:4), and cousins of Aaron’s sons, to remove their bodies from the Tabernacle and carry them outside the camp. Aaron, and his surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, were cautioned a second time that they were not to show outward signs of mourning, “lest ye die, and lest wrath come upon all the people: but let your brethren, the whole house of Israel, bewail the burning which the Lord hath kindled” (10:6b). Instead of mourning, Aaron, Eleazar, and Ithamar were reminded that they had been anointed to serve the LORD and were not to leave their duties in the Tabernacle (10:7).

A Prohibition of “Strong Drink” for the Priesthood (10:8-11)

Following the deaths of Nadab and Abihu, the LORD spoke directly to Aaron. He said, “Do not drink wine nor strong drink, thou, nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die:” (10:9a). Perhaps it was this principle the sons of Aaron violated (10:1). Knowing alcohol distorts a man’s judgment, and can compromise him morally, the priests were to “put [a] difference between holy and unholy, and between unclean and clean” (10:10).

The Perpetual Nature of the Ministry (10:12-15)

Leviticus 10:12-15 rehearsed the laws that regulated the conduct and duties of priests and the sacrifices they were to offer to the LORD for the nation.

A Sin of Omission (10:16-20)

Leviticus 10:16 found Moses diligently seeking the “goat of the sin offering” that the LORD commanded be set aside for the priests (10:16). Moses discovered that Aaron’s surviving sons, Eleazar and Ithamar, had failed to set aside and eat a portion of the offering the LORD commanded to be eaten by the priests.

Moses then confronted Eleazar and Ithamar and questioned, “17Wherefore have ye not eaten the sin offering in the holy place, seeing it is most holy, and God hath given it you to bear the iniquity of the congregation, to make atonement for them before the Lord?” (10:17) The sons of Aaron had failed the LORD (10:18) and had not treated as holy that which He required. Instead, they had taken the flesh of the sin offering and burned it outside the camp.

Aaron assumed responsibility for his sons’ failures (10:19) and bemoaned the things that had befallen him and his family (10:19). Moses, when he heard the words of his brother, sympathized with him and “was content” (10:20).

Closing thoughts: A Lesson Concerning “Strange Fire.”

Some would argue that Nadab and Abihu might have had good intentions for offering incense in the LORD’S sanctuary! However, we must remember that their intent or motivation was not the issue. Instead, they had chosen to come to the LORD apart from His command and offered a “strange fire” that He refused.

I fear a lot is done in churches under the guise of worship that is “strange fire” to the LORD. Strange doctrine, strange preachers, and strange music abound in the name of worship in the 21st century. When worship leaders aim to be amusing and entertaining instead of hallowed and holy, they are the purveyors of “strange fire.”

When believers come to the LORD, they must come not on their merit, but on His terms. We are to be imitators of Christ, not imitators of the world (1 Peter 1:14; Romans 12:2). In the words of the apostle Peter:

“But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy” (1 Peter 1:15–16).

Questions to Consider:

1) Why did the LORD slay Nadab and Abihu, the sons of Aaron? (Leviticus 10:1-2)

2) What did the LORD forbid His priests to drink? (Leviticus 10:8-9)

3) Why was Moses angry with the other sons of Aaron? (Leviticus 10:16-18)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

Jehovah-nissi: The LORD My Banner (Exodus 16-17)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.
(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading: Exodus 16-17

We have considered the faithlessness of the children of Israel who, after the miracle of the Red Sea crossing, turned from celebrating Egypt’s defeat to murmuring “against Moses, saying, What shall we drink?” (15:24).

Exodus 16

Daily Complaining, Daily Manna, and Daily Meat

In Exodus 15, the people complained about a lack of water; in Exodus 16, they complained about a lack of food. When the people left Egypt, they must have packed enough provisions for a month; however, when their supplies were exhausted, they began to murmur against Moses and Aaron. The people complained that they would have been better off dying in Egypt than following Moses into the desert only to starve and die (16:2-3). (Notice how soon they forgot God’s miraculous provision of water, Exodus 15.)

Once again, Moses cried to the LORD. God responded and promised to “rain bread from heaven” (16:4), sufficient for a day that He might “prove [the people], whether they will walk in my law, or no” (16:4). The LORD promised on the sixth day he would provide twice the daily manna, that the people might store enough for the Sabbath (16:5). Moses and Aaron encouraged the people, how the LORD would provide them bread in the morning, and “in the evening flesh to eat” (16:6-8). Moses also taught a spiritual truth all believers should understand and God’s faithful ministers should remember: “The Lord heareth your murmurings which ye murmur against him: and what are we? your murmurings are not against us, but against the Lord” (16:8b).

Faithful to His promise, quail covered the camp each evening and provided the people with meat. Each morning they found a small round bread they called “manna” (16:15). Moses then instructed the men to gather only enough for their households, “every man according to his eating” (16:18). Moses also admonished, “Let no man leave of it till the morning” (16:19).

What lesson did the LORD teach Israel by providing them daily provisions?

He taught the people to look to Him for their daily needs; yet, some failed to trust the LORD and hoarded more manna than they could eat, and “it bred worms, and stank [rotted]” (16:20). As promised, the day before the Sabbath, the LORD provided enough for the day and the day after (16:22-26). Thus, the people did not need to seek provisions for the Sabbath, “so the people rested on the seventh day” (16:30). As a reminder of God’s faithfulness, Moses directed Aaron to “take a pot” and store “manna therein, and lay it up before the LORD to be “kept” as a lasting “Testimony” (16:33-34).

Closing thought:

Thus did the LORD provide for Israel for “forty years, until they came to a land inhabited; they did eat manna, until they came unto the borders of the land of Canaan” (16:35).

Exodus 17

Israel continued her journey in the “wilderness of Sin” and encamped in Rephidim, where “there was no water for the people to drink” (17:1). Once again, the people questioned, “Is the LORD among us, or not?” (17:7). Again, they accused Moses of bringing them out of Egypt to kill them (17:3). The criticism became so vicious, that Moses feared the people were “almost ready to stone” him (17:4). The LORD then commanded Moses to take the rod he carried when the waters of the Red Sea were divided, and stand “upon the rock in Horeb; and… smite the rock, and there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink” (17:5-6).

Israel witnessed the LORD’s compassion and provision for their needs; however, the Gospel of John reveals a greater truth. While the “rock in Horeb” supplied water to Israel, it was merely a type, a prophetic picture of Jesus Christ. The water that flowed from the rock in Horeb quenched the temporal thirst of Israel. Christ, however, promised He could give water so that a soul might “never thirst,” for He was the “well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:14).

Israel’s First War (17:8-16)

After departing Egypt and crossing the Red Sea, the children of Israel encountered their first enemy when the Amalekites, descendants of Esau (Jacob’s twin brother), came to war against them (17:8). Moses summoned Joshua. He commanded him to choose men in Israel to “fight with Amalek” (17:9).

While Joshua led Israel to war in the valley, Moses stood on the “top of the hill with the rod of God in [his] hand” (17:9). When the arms of Moses were outstretched, Israel prevailed. Still, when his arms grew heavy, the battle went against the nation (17:11). Finally, sitting down on a rock, Moses’ brother steadied one arm. At the same time, a man named Hur held the other aloft (17:12). Thus, Israel prevailed, and “Joshua discomfited [defeated] Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword” (17:13).

Closing thoughts:

Israel’s first battle in the wilderness served as a reminder that the LORD was on their side. The LORD commanded Moses to write the victory in a book and exhorted him to rehearse the victory “in the ears of Joshua” (17:14). As a memorial to the victory, Moses “built an altar, and called it Jehovah-nissi,” meaning “The LORD is My Banner” (17:15).

Questions to consider:

A sinful pattern of failing to obey and trust the LORD has emerged in our study of Israel. Therefore, let me encourage you to consider that those who complain are like Israel and are given to exaggeration and accusations.

1) Of what evil did the people accuse Moses? (Exodus 16:3)

2) Why did the LORD warn the people not to hoard daily manna? (Exodus 16:4b)

3) On what day was Israel not to gather manna? (Exodus 16:23-26, 30)

4) What did God command Moses to do that the people might have water to drink? (Exodus 17:5-6)

5) What lesson was Joshua to learn from his first battle with the Amalekites? (Exodus 17:13-16)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

The Passover: “Behold the Lamb” (The Institution and Significance of the Passover, Exodus 12) – Part 2 of 2 daily devotions.

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.
(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading: Exodus 12

The Passover was instituted in Exodus 12 and took its name from the LORD, sparing His people the plague that struck the firstborn of Egypt (12:1-14, 27-28). The LORD instructed Moses and Aaron to speak to the people and say, “2This month shall be unto you the beginning of months…3In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb…5Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: 6And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening” (12:2-6).

Moses instructed the people to put the blood of the sacrifice on the side posts and lintel [top of the door facing] of the houses (12:7). The LORD promised, saying “when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt” (12:12-13).

The Sacrificial Lamb (Exodus 12:8-11, 14-19)

Specific instructions were given for the sacrificial lambs (12:8-11, 14-19). We are reminded that the lambs were a “type,” meaning a picture of the ultimate sacrifice for sin, the Messiah, whose name they did not know and who would come in the Father’s time. Israel would have to trust in the substitutionary blood on their doorposts and know by faith that it represented God’s provision, sacrifice, and covenant with Abraham. The lamb was to be roasted whole (12:8-9), and the bones were not to be broken. (Jesus Christ’s death on the cross fulfilled that condition, John 19:31-37; Psalm 34:20). He was the perfect, sinless, spotless “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” John 1:29).

A second element of the Passover was “unleavened bread” (12:15, 17-20). Leaven, the equivalent of yeast today, was not used in bread during the Passover season.  (The leaven used in ancient times was from fermented dough left over from the previous day.) Taking a pinch of fermented dough, and kneading it into a fresh batch of flour, would, in time, permeate the whole of the dough and cause the bread to rise.

The permeating nature of leaven is a symbol in the Scriptures of the nature of sin. Sin in our lives functions the same as leaven in the dough, for “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump” (Galatians 5:9). In the same way that leaven was not to be in Passover bread, a believer is not to tolerate even a “little sin” in his life.

The Night of the Passover (Exodus 12:29-34)

The night of the Passover came, and “at midnight the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh… [to] the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle” (12:29). Pharaoh and all Egypt cried in anguish, “for there was not a house where there was not one dead” (12:30).

The king then sent for Moses and Aaron and charged them, “Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. 32Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also” (12:31-32).

The same urgency took hold among the Egyptians, who urged Israel to depart “out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men” (12:33). As God had commanded, the children of Israel required “of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: 36And the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians” (12:35-36).

Delivered Israel Out of Egypt (Exodus 12:37-51)

Thus, Israel was thrust out of Egypt. The people who began the exodus numbered 600,000 men, not including women and children (12:37). We also read that a “mixed multitude” went out with them. However, they were not of the lineage of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (12:38). Those non-Hebrew people would become a curse to Israel in her wilderness journey (Numbers 11:4).

The years of Israel’s stay in Egypt had been “four hundred and thirty years” (12:40). We read, “at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt” (12:41). The sparing of the firstborn and Israel’s exodus from Egypt is memorialized in a perpetual observance of the Passover (12:43). Also, the circumcision of males was to continue as a sign of that nation’s consecration to the LORD (12:44-48). Whether Hebrew or of the mixed multitude, there would be “One Law” that would serve the people (12:49).

Closing thoughts:

In conclusion, we are reminded that God is intolerant of sin among His people. As the leaven was put out, and forbidden in the households during the Passover (Exodus 12:15, 19-20), so should our sins be addressed and confessed in our lives and homes. Drawing a parallel between leaven and sin, Paul wrote in his first epistle to the believers in Corinth:

1 Corinthians 5:6b–8 – “Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: 8Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.”

Questions to consider:

1) What conditions did God give for the Passover lamb? (Exodus 12:5)

2) What were God’s instructions for the blood of the lamb? (Exodus 12:6-7)

3) What did God say He would do on Passover night? (Exodus 12:12)

4) What did Pharoah do after his son died? (Exodus 12:30-32)

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

Spiritual Challenge: Never Ignore the Prospects of a Pandemic (Exodus 9; Exodus 10)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.
(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading assignment: Exodus 9-10

Our study in the Book of Exodus continues with the contest between Moses, God’s messenger, and Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Four judgments have befallen the nation, and each has been followed by Pharaoh hardening his heart and refusing to let the children of Israel go so that they “may serve” the LORD.

Exodus 9

The Fifth, Sixth, and Seventh Plagues (9:3-35)

The fifth plague that befell Egypt afflicted the “cattle which [was] in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep” (9:3). The disease was “a very grievous murrain,” an epidemic so severe that “all the cattle of Egypt died.” But, as a testimony of God’s sovereignty and love of His people, none of the livestock of Israel perished (9:4-7). Yet, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go” (9:7b).

The sixth plague began when Moses gathered “handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and [sprinkled] it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh” (9:8), and boils broke out on man and beast (9:8-11). The affliction of the boils was so painful that even Pharaoh’s magicians “could not stand before Moses” (9:11). And yet, “the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses” (9:12).

The seventh plague destroyed all the crops of Egypt when the LORD rained down hail upon their fields (9:13-35). This time, however, some of Pharaoh’s servants believed the warnings of Moses. They made their servants and livestock take shelter in their houses (9:20). Pharaoh confessed, “I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (9:27). The king promised to let Israel go; however, when the hail ceased, “the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses” (9:35).

Exodus 10

The Eighth and Ninth Plague (10:2-29)

Egypt’s crops and livestock losses brought the suffering of hunger and famine. Perhaps you have wondered why the LORD did not simply deliver Israel from bondage rather than judge Egypt with ten plagues. The answer is found in Exodus 10.

Exodus 10:2 – “And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and of thy son’s son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done among them; that ye may know how that I am the LORD.”

More than delivering His people from slavery, the LORD wanted Israel to know and remember through successive generations all He had done in Egypt.  His dealings with Pharaoh were to serve as a lasting testimony of God’s person, power, and presence among His chosen people.  Israel was a nation of slaves, but their God was the Creator and Sovereign of nature. He would bring the greatest ruler and the most powerful country in the ancient world to her knees.

The eighth plague of locusts devastated Egypt and devoured what was left of the nation’s vegetation (10:3-20).  Heavy darkness was the ninth plague that befell Pharaoh and Egypt (10:21-29), and the Egyptians were oppressed and frightened by the darkness. Yet, Israel was spared, and God’s people enjoyed the warmth of the light in their dwellings.

Pharaoh then sought a compromise with Moses and would have allowed the people to depart, but not with their livestock (10:24-25). Moses, however, refused (10:26), and “the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he would not let them go” (10:27). Furious with Moses, Pharaoh warned, “take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die” (10:28).

Conclusion

Strong and confident in the LORD, Moses answered the king and declared: “Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more” (10:29). The stage was set for the final judgment and the humiliation of Pharaoh.

Questions to consider:

1) What message did God send Pharaoh when the fifth plague killed all the cattle of Egypt? (Exodus 9:3-7)

2) The king confessed, “I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked” (9:27). How can we know Pharaoh had not sincerely repented? (Exodus 9:34-35)

3) What purpose did the ten plagues that befell Egypt serve? (Exodus 10:2)

4) What spiritual purpose could a plague or pandemic serve in our day?

5) According to 1 John 1:9 and 1 John 2:3-5, two things prove the sincerity of our confession and repentance of sin. What are they?

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.

The Tragedy of a Hardened Heart (Exodus 8)

Click on this link for translations of today’s devotion.
(Additional languages available upon request by emailing HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com.)

Scripture reading: Exodus 8

“And [the LORD] hardened Pharaoh’s heart, that he hearkened not unto them; as [He] had said.” (Exodus 7:13)

Throughout the contest between Pharaoh and Moses, a defiant pattern and consequences emerged in the narrative. Moses contended with the king of Egypt, Pharaoh rejected him, and the LORD hardened the king’s heart through the natural consequences of his refusal to heed God’s Word.

What is the nature of a hardened heart?

A spiritually hardened, insensitive heart rejects God’s Word so that it becomes calloused to Truth. On the other hand, a hardened heart is spiritually cold and often openly rebellious. So, when we face trials and troubles, we choose whether to humble or harden our hearts.

Pharaoh’s Heart (7:13-22)

Pharaoh’s heart was proud, stubborn, and defiant. Through each plague, Pharoah continued to bristle against Moses’ words, thereby hardening his heart to God (7:13). When God turned the fresh waters of Egypt to blood, the stench of decaying flesh filled the land (7:20-22). For seven days, the waters of the Nile were blood-red and a testimony of the power and superiority of Israel’s God, yet Pharoah did not turn his heart.

Exodus 8

Frogs Filled the Land (8:1-15)

The time between the first plague and the second contest between Moses and Pharaoh is uncertain. Finally, the day came when the LORD commanded Moses to go before Pharaoh, and should he fail to let the children of Israel go, the land would be filled with frogs (8:1-4).

When Aaron stretched forth his rod as Moses commanded, frogs came out of the rivers, streams, and ponds until all the land of Egypt was filled with frogs (8:5-7). Frogs were in the houses, on their beds, in the ovens, and in flour-kneading troughs. Pharaoh begged Moses to appeal to the LORD to remove the frogs, and he promised to “let the people go, that they may do sacrifice unto the Lord” (8:8b).

Rather than appeal to the LORD to instantly remove the frogs from the land, Moses deferred to Pharaoh and invited him to name the time when he should ask the LORD to “destroy the frogs” (8:9). Proud and stubborn, rather than seek immediate relief, the king chose the next day for the frogs to be purged from the land (8:10).

The following day, “Moses cried unto the Lord… and the frogs died…14And they gathered them together upon heaps: and the land stank” (8:13-14). Pharaoh, however, hardened his heart and would not allow Israel to go and offer sacrifices to the LORD (8:15).

Lice Infested the Land (8:16-19)

When Pharaoh failed to keep his word, Moses commanded Aaron to smite the dust of the land. Then the LORD sent “lice throughout all the land of Egypt” (perhaps some form of a gnat or other biting insect, 8:17). However, unlike other miracles, which the magicians emulated, they failed to turn dust into lice. Then they counseled Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God” (8:19a). Yet again, “Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had said” (8:19b).

Swarms of Flies Plague Egypt (8:20-31)

Harassed by flies, Pharaoh suggested a compromise to Moses. The king said he would allow Israel to offer sacrifices to “God in the land” (8:25), but not permit the people to go beyond the borders of Egypt. However, Moses refused Pharaoh’s proposal. He suggested he feared Israel’s sacrifices would be seen as an “abomination” to the Egyptians, who would then stone the people (8:26).

Moses demanded that the people be allowed to go on a three-day journey into the desert. The king accepted, and offered a compromise that the people “shall not go very far away” (8:28). Moses promised to pray for the LORD to remove the flies, but only if Pharaoh would not default on his vow to release Israel to go and sacrifice to the LORD (8:29a), yet when the flies were removed; Pharaoh “hardened his heart” and would not “let the people go” (8:32).

Closing thoughts

Pride stood in the way of Pharaoh’s failure to humble himself, and the king’s unwillingness to acknowledge Israel’s God as LORD paved the way to increasing sorrow and death. Tragically, the king of Egypt learned a proverb King Solomon would later teach his son: “Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Questions to consider:

1) Why did Pharaoh refuse to keep his promise and allow the Hebrews to go into the wilderness and worship the LORD?

2) Pharoah was proud. Can you identify areas of pride in your life?

3) Pharoah refused to hear and heed God’s Word through God’s servant Moses.  Are you resisting God’s Word in your life?

Copyright © 2023 – Travis D. Smith

* You can subscribe to the Heart of a Shepherd daily devotionals and have them sent directly to your email address. Please enter your email address in the box to the right (if using a computer) or at the bottom (if using a cell phone). You may also email your request to HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com

The Internal Revenue Service recognizes Heart of A Shepherd Inc as a 501c3 public charitable organization.

Mailing Address:
Heart of A Shepherd Inc
7853 Gunn Hwy
#131
Tampa, FL 33626-1611

You can email HeartofAShepherdInc@gmail.com for more information on this daily devotional ministry.