King James Daily Bible Study: A Stranger No More

King James Daily Bible Study: A Stranger No More
Date: Friday January 21, 2011
Chapters: Exodus 11-13
Click Here to Read Them or Go to: http://www.imfollowingjesus.com/bible-january-21
Details of Today's Reading: God instructs Moses on the Passover, the Israelites observe the Passover, death upon the first born of every household that did not observe the Passover, the Israelites are freed and journey to Succoth, God enforces the observing the Passover every year, and the pillar of cloud fire.

Hello My Friend/Guest,
A stranger is defined as a person with whom one has had no personal acquaintance, an outsider, a person who is not a member of the family. The Bible says, “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ...For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;” - Ephesians 2:13,18,19. The second you accept Christ as your Savior you are no longer a stranger, but a member of God's family. Praise God!

As we have been reading through the Book of Exodus, we first learned that Pharaoh was fearful of the Israelites because of their strength and number. In order to control that number he ordered all male Hebrew babies born to be killed. Well, who would have thought that eighty years later the same thing would happen to the Egyptians, but this time the order came from God, only it was not babies that were to be killed, but the first born of every household.

“And the LORD said unto Moses, Yet will I bring one plague more upon Pharaoh, and upon Egypt; afterwards he will let you go hence: when he shall let you go, he shall surely thrust you out hence altogether... And Moses said, Thus saith the LORD, About midnight will I go out into the midst of Egypt: And all the firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the first born of Pharaoh that sitteth upon his throne, even unto the firstborn of the maidservant that is behind the mill; and all the firstborn of beasts. And there shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it, nor shall be like it any more. But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move his tongue, against man or beast: that ye may know how that the LORD doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel.” - Exodus 11:1,4-7.

God is no respecter of persons, He will cast out anyone who rejects Him, “Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile; But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile: For there is no respect of persons with God. For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;” - Romans 2:9-12.

God, gave instructions to the Israelites to follow if they wanted to be saved from this plague, “Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbour next unto his house take it according to the number of the souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And 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. And they shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it...And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the LORD's passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the LORD.” - Exodus 12:3-7,11,12.

Each male of the household was to take a perfect male lamb, kill it, take the blood and wipe it all over the door post, then roast and everyone in the house was to eat the sacrifice. It was to be just enough for all of them to eat, with nothing to be left over. The key to being saved is doing what God instructs us to do, the Israelites did as God instructed and were saved as a result.

“And the children of Israel went away, and did as the LORD had commanded Moses and Aaron, so did they. And it came to pass, that at midnight the LORD smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, from the firstborn of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the firstborn of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the firstborn of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt; for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, 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. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone; and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.” - Exodus 12:28-33.

The Israelites were not only saved from the plague they were also freed from Egypt. This became what is known as the Lord's Passover and every year at the same time they were to observe the Passover as a remembrance of this miraculous event. This is of course symbolic of Jesus Christ, He was the perfect male lamb that was sacrificed to save us from death. The only way we can be saved is if we listen to God's instructions.

“That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” - Romans 10:9-13.

God first chose the Israelites to be His family, to show the world just how blessed a nation could be by obeying His commands and allowing Him to lead them. However, just being born into the family did not automatically make them one of God's family. It was required that all males become circumcised and females be cleansed if they wanted to be a part of the family. The amazing thing was that anyone wanting to be a part of the family, regardless of whether or not they were born a Hebrew could become a part of the family.


“And the LORD said unto Moses and Aaron, This is the ordinance of the passover: There shall no stranger eat thereof: But every man's servant that is bought for money, when thou hast circumcised him, then shall he eat thereof. A foreigner and an hired servant shall not eat thereof. In one house shall it be eaten; thou shalt not carry forth ought of the flesh abroad out of the house; neither shall ye break a bone thereof. All the congregation of Israel shall keep it. And when a stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the passover to the LORD, let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no uncircumcised person shall eat thereof.” -Exodus 12:43-48.

The word circumcise means to purify spiritually, the second you call on Jesus Christ as your Savior you are circumcised spiritually. “And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power: In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ: Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;” - Colossians 2:10-13. Praise God!

Jesus Christ Revealed: Today Jesus is revealed through the sacrificial lamb. Jesus is the Lamb of God, “The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world... And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God!” - John 1:29,36.

Thanks and God Bless You, I am praying for you,
Christina

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