Exodus 17:11-12 “11 So it came about when Moses held his hand up, that Israel prevailed, and when he let his hand down, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands were heavy. Then they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it; and Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other. Thus his hands were steady until the sun set.” 

SOMETIMES YOU JUST NEED A LITTLE HELP

Don’t you just love this story?  I don’t mean the battle and the victory.  I mean Aaron and Hur coming to the aid of Moses.  Nowhere does it say that Moses asked for their help.  They saw Moses struggling and the obvious effect it had on the army, so they jumped in.  They rolled a rock over to Moses, sat him down and lifted his hands.  Teamwork!

Don’t you want people around you like that?  I do.  I need other men in my life who will step in and help when they see me struggling.  Men, myself included, don’t ask for help too easily. We think we can do it ourselves.  But when we try and are failing, we aren’t the only ones who suffer.  Our wives and our children do, too.

TEACHING MOMENT

Teaching our children to rely on others can be tricky.  We don’t want them to be moochers and depend on others for everything.  We don’t want them to be lone rangers and never ask for help.  There’s a delicate balance that is best taught by modeling this for them.  Make sure they know when others come to your aid.  Make sure they hear you thank them too.

Teamwork among believers is so crucial to a healthy church and church family.  Being able to call on someone when we are in a pinch is a wonderful gift.  Your children will do well to learn this early in life.  They can learn it by being that person for someone else, too.

Father, You are the ultimate team builder.  Show me those around me I can depend upon.  Help me lean on them.  And let me be that for someone else when they are in need.

 Exodus 14:13-14 “13 But Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear! Stand by and see the salvation of the Lord which He will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you have seen today, you will never see them again forever. 14 The Lord will fight for you while you keep silent.’”

 JUST STAND THERE

 Sometimes it is fun to just watch.  We can watch something good and worthwhile are something silly and a waste of time.  Whichever it is, we just watch.  Somebody else is doing all the action.  Kind of like watching a football game.  The guys on the field are doing all the running and tackling.  We just watch.

God is telling Moses to tell all the people to just watch Him work. He was going to take care of the Egyptians once and for all.  He was done warning them.  He was done with their threats towards His people.  All Moses and the people had to do was watch Him do His thing.

TEACHING MOMENT

Do your kids ever watch you work?  There is nothing they can do but watch.  You don’t expect them to help.  It is beyond their ability and skills.  You even tell them, “Don’t touch anything.  Just sit there.”

The next time this happens, remind them of this verse.  The people got to see God do an amazing thing.  They had to just watch and believe.  Just like your children watch you, they need to be taught to trust the powerful hand of our Savior Who will do amazing things if we will just trust.

Are you too busy doing to watch?  Is God wanting to work in your life, but you want to do it yourself?  Let Him work.  Let Him fight for you. He will always be victorious.  He will always fight for you.

Lord, I am thankful You want to work in my life.  I am thankful You want to show me how You are on my side.  Help me to trust You and allow You to overwhelm with Your grace.

 Exodus 11:10 “Moses and Aaron performed all these wonders before Pharaoh; yet the Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart, and he did not let the sons of Israel go out of his land.”

HARDENED

Probably one of the most asked questions about the story of the plagues is “Why did God harden Pharaoh’s heart?”  You have to understand that Pharaoh had already hardened his own heart.  In fact, in at least two of the plagues it says he did.

But long before this happened, he had hardened his heart against the Hebrew slaves.  This may have been the same Pharaoh (or at least the son) who had ordered the male babies to be killed.  This is the same Pharaoh who kept them as slaves.  His heart was hard.  God could have wiped Egypt off the face of  the earth to free His people.  Pharaoh actually was shown mercy.

TEACHING MOMENT

I bet your children think your discipline is too hard sometimes, right?  When you have to hand down consequences children can complain and whine.  Sometimes, when you discipline they get mad, but did you cause them to get mad.  No, you did what you had to do.  They chose to get mad, even though they deserved the discipline.

The next time this happens, read them this verse.  Explain that Pharaoh acted just like they are acting.  Now you are not going to send 10 plagues on them (lol), but you have to follow through on discipline.  You are trying to direct them to obey, not only you, but God.

Is your heart hard?  I read recently that the sign of a mature man is one who has moved from thin skin and hard heart to thick skin and soft heart. How about you?

Father, soften my heart.  Show me how to hear from You.  Give me the desire to follow You wherever You lead.

 Exodus 8:24a “Then the Lord did so.”

JUST LIKE HE SAID

It never ceases to amaze me how we pray for God’s Will to be done, and then when God answers, according to His Will, we don’t like the answer we got.  God ALWAYS answers prayers.  Sometimes it’s yes, sometimes it’s no and sometimes it’s wait.  But He always answers.

God had instructed Moses and Aaron in the order of the plagues.  I just love this first part of Exodus 8:24. It just says “Then the Lord did so.”  Period.  End of discussion. Done!  When God decides to do something, it’s done.  God warned Pharaoh time and time again.  He had ample opportunity to yield, but pride and arrogance always gets in the way of hearing God.

TEACHING MOMENT

It is so important that we teach our children to pray according to God’s Will.  Now that is not the easiest task.  How do you know God’s Will?  How do you help them understand God’s Will for their life?

The easiest way I have found is to seek what will give Him the most glory.  Pray that and then see what He does.  If we are willing to accept WHATEVER He does in answering our prayer, we have discovered God’s Will.  Just teach your children that God will never do anything which goes against His Word or His character.  Never!

What are you praying for right now?  Are you in need of being released from bondage, like the Hebrews?  Seek the Lord.  Ask Him what He is teaching you right now.  Ask Him to show you the way out.  Surrender to Him and allow Him to lead you to freedom.

Redeemer and Lord, You are the one who frees me from my everyday chains.  Help me surrender my will to Yours.  Help me lead my children to do the same.

 Exodus 5:2 “But Pharaoh said, ‘Who is the Lord that I should obey His voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord, and besides, I will not let Israel go.’”

LET MY PEOPLE GO

 Have you run into people with this same attitude?  “I don’t believe in God, so I don’t have to abide by His laws.”  Unbelief does not negate His existence.  Nor does it do away with the need to abide.  Pharaoh found that out the hard way, remember?  10 plagues ending with the death of the first born!  Pretty tough way to learn, huh?

Even after going through all that, Pharaoh still hardened his heart and came after the people Moses was leading out of Egypt.  Some people just don’t learn.  But before you are so harsh, think about how hard headed you are sometimes.

TEACHING MOMENT

Children can be hard headed, too.  Guess who they learn that from?  Yep, you!  We model bad behavior so often that we don’t even recognize it.  The next time Elrod or Gertrude bow up at you, stop and think, “Did I give them this example?”  You may be surprised at what you discover.

Teaching our children to abide by the Lord’s commands shouldn’t be all that difficult if we are living by them ourselves.  As we model obedience, they will learn to obey.  As we bow to His direction, they will learn to follow Him in their choices.  Teach them by leading them, not preaching to them.

Are you obeying today?  Are you abiding in Him?  Don’t be a Pharaoh with the hard heart who thinks he knows best.  Be the one who obeys without questioning because you know if the Lord gives you a command, it is always for your good.

O Lord, show me the ways I am not obedient to you.  Show me the right way to live.  Show me the truths to teach my children and others.

Exodus 1:17 “But the midwives feared God, and did not do as the king of Egypt had commanded them, but let the boys live.”

PRECIOUS LIFE

Every year at our church we celebrate Sanctity of Human Life day.  It’s usually the third Sunday of January.  Having worked with ministries who assist mothers with unplanned pregnancies, this is near and dear to my heart.  That’s why this verse today stuck out to me.

Pharaoh had basically ordered the midwives to abort the male children through what we call today, partial birth abortion.  But they refused.  They feared God more than Pharaoh.  They knew they were held to a higher law.  Understand something clearly.  They knew they could have died for their decision, but they stood firm anyway.

TEACHING MOMENT

Parents must teach their children that when man’s law clashes with God’s law, God’s law wins every time.  We are fortunate here in America that we haven’t been faced with that very often.  But I fear the day is coming when we may.  Your child may already be facing some decisions at school that come close to that.  Be ready to support them and defend them.

But you know, little Susie and Johnny are already facing those pressures to conform to a worldly standard by peers.  Hold them to the Word.  Encourage them to stand strong.  Read them this verse.  Look at the result.  Moses was saved and eventually was used by God to lead the people out of Egypt.  Stand strong!

What are you compromising right now?  When you attend that office party or company social event, are you tempted to let your standards down a little. Don’t! Don’t let the world dictate your standards.  Only the Lord can do that.  Hold true to the Word and let it guide you.

Lord, You are the Law Giver.  I know that.  But You are also the Grace Giver.  When I fail You by compromising or giving in, please forgive me.  Give me the courage to be bold in my witness and lead my children to stand tall and firm.

 Genesis 49:28 “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel, and this is what their father said to them when he blessed them. He blessed them, every one with the blessing appropriate to him.”

HEALTHY HOOD

Have you ever heard the expression “gesundheit” after someone sneezes?  Maybe you have even said it without realizing what it means.  You know that can be dangerous (that’s a whole other story, lol).  Well, “gesundheit” actually is German for “healthy (gesund) hood (heit)”.  So, you when you hear that you are actually hearing “healthy hood” or “I wish you good health.”

We commonly say in America “bless you.”  That’s is exactly what Jacob did here in chapter 49 of Genesis.  He brought in all his sons, plus Ephraim and Manasseh, whom he had claimed as his, and blessed them.  This was important in their culture.  The father’s blessing on his child was highly desired.  It should be today also.

TEACHING MOMENT

Now this verse today is more about our actions as a parent than teaching our child.  Of course, everything we DO teaches, right?  Fathers, I want to encourage you to bless your child every day.  Find some way to praise them and bless them.  Pray over them, not just for them.  Let them hear you praying God’s blessings on them. And don’t just do it for your sons.  Your daughters need to hear this, too.  They need blessing.

And Moms, you can do the same.  If you are a single mom, find a godly man who can pray over your children with you.  Children need that blessing of a father figure.  This is not to diminish your role.  There is just something a child craves from a father that can only be filled by a godly man.

So, let me ask you today to be that person, men.  Bless your child.  Bless a child.  Step in to help a single mom when you can.  Now you can only do this with the blessing of your wife and with her full knowledge.  Your integrity and reputation is important in this process.  But be that blessing to a child who needs it.

Heavenly Father, You have blessed me beyond my highest expectations.  You have delivered me.  Give me the vision to bless those around me, especially my children.

 Genesis 46:1-2 “1 So Israel set out with all that he had, and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, ‘Jacob, Jacob.’ And he said, ‘Here I am.’” 

 YES, LORD

 As far as we know from Scripture, it had been a while since the Lord had spoken to Jacob (Israel) in a dream or any other way.  Do you remember Jacob’s dream at Bethel when he fled from Esau?  God had promised to make him a great nation and to bring him back home.  Well, here’s the same voice speaking to him again.  This time the Lord says, “Go to Egypt.”

I can’t help but wonder why there was this gap in time of God speaking to Jacob.  Did Jacob get comfortable back in Canaan?  Did he get distracted with his family and flocks?  Did his grief over Rachel and Joseph drown out the voice of God?  We don’t know.  But when God spoke to him again, he recognized His voice.  Sweet!

TEACHING MOMENT

If you ever go out of town for work, do you call home and speak to your children?  Of course, you do.  Who wouldn’t do that?  I bet the second they hear your voice they know it’s you, right?  Today we have FaceTime and Skype so they can see your face too, but they know your voice.  Why?  Because you talk to them when you are home.

We need to teach our children to recognize the voice of the Lord.  We need to talk to them about listening to His call on their life.  When they feel that draw of the Spirit toward God, they need to be able to recognize it is the Lord.  That’s only possible if they know what He sounds like.  What is that?  Love!  Truth!  Obedience!  Just!  Holy!

Do you struggle hearing God?  Many of us do.  But most of the time it is because we are too busy listening to other things.  We get bombarded by life’s pressures and don’t hear what He is trying to tell us.  He will NOT force us to listen, but He is always calling.

O Lord, I know Your voice.  It always points me towards truth.  It always agrees with the Word.  Help me help others recognize and respond to Your call on their lives, especially my children.

 Genesis 43:23b “Then he brought Simeon out to them.”

 HEY, OVER HERE!

 How would you like to have been Simeon?  He was left behind in jail after the first trip to get grain.  Instead of a quick return, the brothers weren’t allowed to return with Benjamin, as requested by Joseph.  When all the grain they had brought back was gone, only then did Jacob allow them to return.

How long were they gone?  We don’t know.  We do know that each trip took at least 10 days or more. That means if they had returned immediately it would have taken 20 days.  But since the stayed until the grain was gone, it may have been months before they returned.  All that time, Simeon was in jail.  And then when they do come back, all it says is “Then he brought Simeon out to them.”  There is no mention of hugs and tears and “We missed you brother.”

TEACHING MOMENT

There will come a time when your children will feel they are invisible to their friends or someone they really like.  They may feel abandoned by someone.  What a perfect verse to share with them.  Even though Simeon may have felt abandoned, God was working out His plan.  In the end, he was restored to his family.  In the end, if little Elrod will trust the Lord, he will see God’s plan.

That doesn’t necessarily ease the pain and hurt at the time.  I know that.  But we have to show our children that God always has a plan.  He is never caught off guard.  He is always prepared.  He is never surprised.  But they must allow Him to do His will in their lives.  When they learn to accept that, life is so much easier.

How about you?  Are you struggling with some “injustices” in your life?  Do you feel you have been mistreated?  Ask the Lord to show you His purpose in all of this.  He will, in His time.  He will reveal why He has allowed you to go through the things you are facing.  Trust Him.

God, I don’t like some of the things I am having to go through right now.  I don’t care for the discomfort, but I am going to trust You.  I believe You know exactly what is happening and why.  Show me in Your time.

 Genesis 40:23 “Yet the chief cupbearer did not remember Joseph, but forgot him.”

AND FORGOTTEN

 Have you ever been used by someone to get what they want?  That feels bad enough, but what if they also forgot about you?  That’s what happened to Joseph.  He had correctly interpreted the cupbearer’s dream, but as soon as he was free from prison and back in his lofty position with Pharaoh, he forgot all about Joseph.  He had even seen the baker’s dream come true and still he didn’t mention Joseph.

I am sure, since Joseph was running the prison, he heard about all that was going on in Pharaoh’s palace.  Every big dinner would require the cupbearer to be there.  I bet Joseph thought he would surely tell Pharaoh about him today.  But days, weeks, months and even years went by before his name was mentioned.

TEACHING MOMENT

What is the lesson in all of this?  Simple – do what is right regardless of the outcome.  Joseph did what was right.  He had the gift, through God, to interpret dreams.  He used it to help others.  Our children need to learn to do the same.  If someone has a need which they can meet, they should do it without any thought of payback.

Think of all the Lord has done for us.  He doesn’t expect any payback except our love.  Children need to be directed in this by their parents.  They need to see us doing the same.  Our outward expressions of love to Christ and our efforts to come alongside a brother or sister in need speak volumes to them as they develop their own faith walk.

Won’t you do that today?  Help your children discover a way in which they can be of service to another.  Teach them to give in a way that expects no return.  And then celebrate the joy that comes from being obedient to the Lord.

Lord, show me whom You would have me bless by an act of service today.  Let me be the example for my children.  Teach me to be unselfish and undemanding of others.