The Man Moses #5

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Man Moses #5

J. C. Sheridan, II

When Moses was sent to Pharaoh by God for the release of the Hebrew people - Pharaoh refused the request. God then through Moses began to unleash His wrath by way of several plagues.

We discussed the first two plagues in the previous edition. The first affliction was all the water of Egypt was turned to blood. The second was a plague of frogs. No matter where the Egyptians went there were frogs. After each plague Pharaoh’s heart was hardened as he failed to meet the conditions Moses delivered to him.

Plague Number 3: The infestation of lice, gnats and mosquitoes covered the country. It is all described for us in Exodus 8:16-19.

Plague Number 4: Large numbers of flies caused great discomfort and wrought destructive damage to people and animals. Exodus 8:20-32.

Plague Number 5: The plague that destroyed large numbers of cattle The mortality rate was frequent and wide spread. Exodus 19:19,21.

Plague Number 6: God told Moses to strike Egypt with an epidemic of boils  Exodus 9:8-17 gives the whole story. Any one who has suffered with a boil knows the severe pain and discomfort that accompanies such an affliction.

Plague Number 7: The seventh plague which Pharaoh’s hardened heart provoked was that of hail, a phenomenon which must have produced the greatest astonishment and consternation in Egypt as rain and hailstones, accompanied by thunder and lightning, were very rare occurrences.1  Exodus 9:18-39.

Plague Number 8: The Plague—Locusts  Exodus 10:1 (GW) Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh. I have made him and his officials stubborn so that I can do these miraculous signs among them. These insects were doubled-winged grasshoppers about 3’’ or less in length. Their numbers darkened the land and they were very destructive.

Plague Number 9: The Plague—Darkness Exodus 10:21–22 (GW) 21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Lift your hand toward the sky, and a darkness ⌊so thick⌋ that it can be felt will come over Egypt.” 22 Moses lifted his hand toward the sky, and throughout Egypt there was total darkness for three days.The sun was an object of Egyptian idolatry what God did through Moses this was a colossal blow to these pagans. Exodus 10:27–29 (GW) 27 But the Lord made Pharaoh stubborn, so he refused to let them go. 28 Pharaoh said to Moses, “Get out of my sight! Don’t ever let me see your face again. The day I do, you will die.”29 “You’re right!” Moses answered. “You’ll never see my face again.”

Plague Number 10: The Death of the Firstborn. Exodus 12:12 (NKJV) 12 ‘For I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night, and will strike 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. smite … gods of Egypt—perhaps used here for princes and grandees. But, according to Jewish tradition, the idols of Egypt were all on that night broken in pieces (see Nu 33:4; Is 19:1).2

It is UNBELIEVABLE  that Pharaoh could resist what God was attempting to achieve through His servant Moses.

The Man Moses #4

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB) 

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ. 

The Man Moses #4

Clayt Sheridan

We have reached the point in our account where God uses Moses to unleash some incredible and miraculous plagues upon the willful Egyptian king and his people. Moses begins his passionate appeals to Pharaoh for the release of the Hebrews. As Pharaoh’s heart hardens and he resisted the the pleas of Moses unspeakable event begin to unfold. 

 Number One: Water changed to blood. Exodus 7:19 (NKJV) Then the Lord spoke to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your rod and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their streams, over their rivers, over their ponds, and over all their pools of water, that they may become blood. And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in buckets of wood and pitchers of stone.’ ” GOD said to Moses: "Pharaoh is a stubborn man. He refuses to release the people. First thing in the morning, go and meet Pharaoh as he goes down to the river. At the shore of the Nile take the staff that turned into a snake and say to him, 'GOD, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you with this message, "Release my people so that they can worship me in the wilderness." So far you haven't listened. This is how you'll know that I am GOD. I am going to take this staff that I'm holding and strike this Nile River water: The water will turn to blood; the fish in the Nile will die; the Nile will stink; and the Egyptians won't be able to drink the Nile water.'" 
 

GOD said to Moses, "Tell Aaron, 'Take your staff and wave it over the waters of Egypt—over its rivers, its canals, its ponds, all its bodies of water—so that they turn to blood.' There'll be blood everywhere in Egypt—even in the pots and pans." Moses and Aaron did exactly as GOD commanded them. Aaron raised his staff and hit the water in the Nile with Pharaoh and his servants watching. All the water in the Nile turned into blood. The fish in the Nile died; the Nile stank; and the Egyptians couldn't drink the Nile water. The blood was everywhere in Egypt. But the magicians of Egypt did the same thing with their incantations. Still Pharaoh remained stubborn. He wouldn't listen to them as GOD had said. He turned on his heel and went home, never giving it a second thought. But all the Egyptians had to dig inland from the river for water because they couldn't drink the Nile water. Seven days went by after GOD had struck the Nile. 
 

Number Two: Frogs. Exodus 8:1–2 (NKJV) And the Lord spoke to Moses, “Go to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Let My people go, that they may serve Me. 2 But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will smite all your territory with frogs. The duration of the first plague was for a whole week. As a judgment of God, however, it produced no good effect, and Moses was commanded to wait on the king and threaten him, in the event of his continued rejection, with the infliction of a new and different plague. As Pharaoh’s answer is not given, it may be inferred to have been unfavorable, for the rod was again raised. I will smite all thy borders with frogs—Those animals, though the natural spawn of the river, will be miraculously multiplied to an amazing extent. It is probable that the ova of the frogs, which had been previously deposited in the mire and marshes, were miraculously brought to perfection at once.

The Man Moses #3

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Man Moses #3

Clayt  II

Announcement of Deliverance: GOD spoke to Aaron, "Go and meet Moses in the wilderness." He followed the instructions and met him at the mountain of God. Moses told Aaron the message that GOD had sent him to speak and the wonders he had commanded him to do. The two men proceeded to gather together all the leaders of Israel. Aaron shared everything that GOD had told Moses and demonstrated the wonders before the people. And the people trusted and listened and believed that GOD was concerned with what was going on with the Israelites and knew all about their affliction. They bowed low and they worshiped. 

God, having spoken to Moses, allows him also a liberty of speech, which he here improves; I. He objects his own insufficiency for the service he was called to (v. 11): Who am I? He thinks himself unworthy of the honor, and not equal to the task. He thinks he wants courage, and therefore cannot go to Pharaoh, to make a demand which might cost the his head: he thinks he wants skill, and therefore cannot bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt; they are unarmed, undisciplined, quite dispirited, utterly unable to help themselves; it is morally impossible to bring them out.

1. Moses was incomparably the fittest of any man living for this work, eminent for learning, wisdom, experience, valor, faith, holiness; and yet he says, Who am I? Note, The more fit any person is for service commonly the less opinion he has of himself: see Judge. 9:8, etc.
2. The difficulties of the work were indeed very great, enough to startle the courage and stagger the faith of Moses himself. Note, Even wise and faithful instruments may be much discouraged at the difficulties that lie in the way of the church’s salvation.
3. Moses had formerly been very courageous when he slew the Egyptian, but now his heart failed him; for good men are not always alike bold and zealous.
4. Yet Moses is the man that does it at last; for God gives grace to the lowly. Modest beginnings are very good presages.1

Pharaoh's Opposition: Moses and Aaron presented their plea to Pharaoh to let God’s people go. Pharaoh said, "And who is GOD that I should listen to him and send Israel off? I know nothing of this so-called 'GOD' and I'm certainly not going to send Israel off."  Moses continued, Let us take a three-day journey into the wilderness so we can worship our GOD lest he strike us with either disease or death."  But the king of Egypt replied, "Why would you suggest the people be given a holiday? Get back to work!"  Pharaoh took immediate action. He sent down orders to the slave-drivers and their underlings: 


Israel's Task Increase: Pharaoh changed the rules mid-stream. His word was "Don't provide straw for the people for making bricks as you have been doing. Make them get their own straw. And make them produce the same number of bricks—no reduction in their daily quotas! They're going around saying, 'Give us time off so we can worship our God.'  ( You can read the story in Exodus 4:29-31; 5:2;5:7-9).

The next edition we’ll discuss The Plagues.


The Man Moses #2

The Lord said to me,.."I will test my people with a plumbline. Amos 7:8 (TLB)

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Man Moses #2
 


Clayt Sheridan, II

Quick Review: When Moses killed the Egyptian in an attempt help his Hebrew brothers his own people turned against him he fled to Midian. When he realized that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian.  During the years of exile, two sons were born to him and Zipporah the daughter of Jethro.


Forty years later, an angel appeared to him in a burning bush. Moses was tending the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. He led the flock to the west end of the wilderness and came to the mountain of God, Horeb. The angel of GOD appeared to him in flames of fire. He looked. The bush was blazing away but it didn't burn up. Moses said, "What's happening here? I can't believe this! Amazing! Why doesn't the bush burn up? God called to him from out of the bush, "Moses! Moses!" He said, "Yes? I'm right here!" God said, "Don't come any closer. Remove your sandals from your feet. You're standing on holy ground." Wow! This is a defining moment in the life Moses!


The Great I Am Speaks:  Then he said, "I am the God of your father: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, the God of Jacob." Moses hid his face, afraid to look at God. GOD said, "I've taken a look at the affliction of my people in Egypt. I've heard their cries for deliverance from their slave masters; I know all about their pain. And now I have come down to help them, set them free from the grip of Egypt, get them out of that country and bring them to a good land with wide-open spaces, a land lush with milk and honey, the land of the Canaanite, the Hittite, the Amorite, the Perizzite, the Hivite, and the Jebusite. "The Israelite cry for help has come to me, and I've seen for myself how cruelly they're being treated by the Egyptians. (Adapted from Exodus. 3:1-9)

Moses Pleads for Relief: He offers God four excuses why he was not the right choice, He told God how unfit he was; he was fearful of the people; he lacked eloquence; please send someone else. God told him  "I'll be with you,". "And this will be the proof that I am the one who sent you: When you have brought my people out of Egypt, you will worship God right here at this very mountain."

I AM Speaks To Moses: Then Moses said to God, "Suppose I go to the People of Israel and I tell them, 'The God of your fathers sent me to you'; and they ask me, 'What is his name?' What do I tell them?" God said to Moses, "I-AM-WHO-I-AM. Tell the People of Israel, 'I-AM sent me to you.' 


 "Don't you have a brother? He's good with words, I know he is. He speaks very well. In fact, at this very moment he's on his way to meet you. When he sees you he's going to be glad. You'll speak to him and tell him what to say. I'll be right there with you as you speak and with him as he speaks, teaching you step by step. He will speak to the people for you. He'll act as your mouth, but you'll decide what comes out of it. Now take this staff in your hand; you'll use it to perform signs and wonders to the people and he Egyptians." 


Look for the next edition  Announcement of Deliverance

The Man Moses #1

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

The Man Moses #1

Clayt Sheridan, II

The Beginning: Amram married his aunt Jochebed and she had two sons Aaron and Moses. Amram lived to be 137 ears old. Jochebed was the daughter of a Levite. When Moses was born  she saw there was something special about him and hid him. The Pharaoh became so fearful of the growing Jewish population that he issued a edict ordering all Hebrew  boy babied under two had to be slaughtered.  Because of this law she hid baby Moses for three months. When she couldn't hide him any longer she got a little basket-boat made of papyrus, waterproofed it with tar and pitch, and placed the child in it. Then she set it afloat in the reeds at the edge of the Nile. 

The baby's older sister found a safe hiding place and watched to see what would happen to her baby brother. Divine providence brought Pharaoh's daughter came to the Nile to bathe. She saw the basket-boat floating in the reeds and sent her maid to get it. She opened it and saw the child—a baby crying! Her heart went out to him. She said, "This must be one of the Hebrew babies."

Then, Miriam,  his sister appeared and offered  "Do you want me to go and get a nursing mother from the Hebrews so she can nurse the baby for you?" Pharaoh's daughter said, "Yes. Go." Miriam went and called the child's mother. Pharaoh's daughter told her, "Take this baby and nurse him for me. I'll pay you." The woman took the child and nursed him. After the child was weaned, she presented him to Pharaoh's daughter who adopted him as her son. She named him Moses (Pulled-Out), saying, "I pulled him out of the water."

Time Goes By: Moses grew up. He was educated in the best schools in Egypt. He was equally impressive as a thinker and an athlete. "When he was forty years old, he wondered how everything was going with his Hebrew kin and went out to look things over. He saw an Egyptian abusing one of he them and stepped in, avenging his underdog brother by knocking the Egyptian flat. He thought his brothers would be glad that he was on their side, and even see him as an instrument of God to deliver them. But they didn't see it that way. The next day two of them were fighting and he tried to break it up, told them to shake hands and get along with each other: 'Friends, you are brothers, why are you beating up on each other?' "The one who had started the fight said, 'Who put you in charge of us? Are you going to kill me like you killed that Egyptian yesterday?' When Moses heard that, realizing that the word was out, he ran for his life and lived in exile over in Midian. During the years of exile, two sons were born to him. 
(Gleaned from Acts 7:22-28)

The next edition explores Moses’ Exile in Midian.

Global Warming and Climate Change - Fact or Fiction: #2

                             Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32. 
                                               The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Global Warming and Climate Change - Fact or Fiction: #2

J. C. Sheridan, II

A Quick Review: The United Nations has sponsored global talks, known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. An attempt to blame the USA and other industrial countries  for the global climate change. 

Criticism has also come from a growing number of scientists along with many other vocal climate-change skeptics, many of them sitting members of the United States Congress, who doubt the existence of human influence on the climate and ridicule international efforts to deal with it. (Adapted from Environment - New York Times).

The basic premise of the global warming advocates is that humans are the cause of the potential disaster. Their theory is that human kind of the industrial nations are the nasty producers of greenhouse gases.

• A theory is a supposition that is; an uncertain belief: i.e. they were working on the supposition that his death was murder | their outrage was based on supposition and hearsay.

To put it bluntly, these “experts” really don’t know if their theories regarding global warming are factual. Man kind cannot, will not  destroy the earth to the point that life, as we know it, will be a reality. The thrust of their supposition is that the earth will be destroyed by heat or perhaps burn-up.

The TRUTH: There is going to be a day when global warming will be a fact. However, man’s use of fossil fuels producing so called, greenhouse gases will not  be the cause. God has first right of refusal so to speak, for Himself.

Man kind has rejected God’s great gift in the person of Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten son. God has manifested great grace toward man kind, but many have refused to accept Jesus as the only way to heaven. Jesus said, “I am the way, the truth, and the life no man comes to the father except through me..” John 14:6.The following verses establish God’s plan for all who will believe. If theses provisions are rejected in the day of judgment God will have the final word.

• Romans 3:23 (NKJV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 


• Romans 5:8 (NKJV) 8 But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 


• Romans 5:13 (NKJV) 13 (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 


• Romans 6:23 (NKJV) 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 


• Romans 10:13 (NKJV) For "whoever calls on the name of the LORD shall be saved."

• Romans 10:9-10 (NKJV) 9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.

• 2 Peter 3:10 (NKJV) 10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. 


The Day of the Lord Jesus. That is, the day in which he will be manifested. It is called HIS Day, because he will then be the grand and prominent object as the Judge of all. He will come as a thief in the night. Unexpectedly, suddenly, 1 Thessalonians 5:2.

At that time the heavens shall pass away with a great noise. That is, what seems to us to be the heavens.

And the elements shall melt with fervent heat. “The elements being burned, or  burning, shall be dissolved.” The idea is, that the cause of being “dissolved” shall be fire; the earth, and all the works that are therein, shall be burned up. What I mean is, everything including all the works of man, all vegetation, all animal life, every town, all the productions of genius, like art work, books, sculpture which man has made will be destroyed by fire.

The word translated “burned up”, like the word rendered “fervent heat” each translated from the same root origin. This language indicates the earth and heavens will undergo a fiery  change. If the earth is ever to be destroyed entirely, it must be by the immediate power of God, for only He who created can destroy.

Global Warming and Climate Change - Fact or Fiction: #1

Jesus said to his disciples, I have  food to eat you know nothing about John 4:32.

The Plumbline is a blog to encourage the Body of Christ.

Global Warming and Climate Change - Fact or Fiction: #1

Clayt Sheridan, 2nd

Global warming has become perhaps the most controversial issue facing world leaders. Warnings from some of the scientific community are becoming louder, as an increasing body of science points to rising dangers from the ongoing buildup of human-related greenhouse gases — produced mainly by the burning of fossil fuels and forests.

However, the technological, economic and political issues that have to be resolved before a concerted worldwide effort to reduce emissions can begin have gotten no simpler, particularly in the face of a global economic slowdown.

The United Nations has sponsored global talks, known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. An attempt to blame the USA and other industrial countries  for the global climate change.

The conferences operate on the principle of consensus, meaning that any of the participating nations can hold up an agreement. In recent years, the meetings have often ended in disillusionment.

The negotiating process itself has been under fire from some quarters, including the poorest nations who believe their needs are being neglected in the fight among the major economic powers. Criticism has also come from a growing number of scientists along with many other vocal climate-change skeptics, many of them sitting members of the United States Congress, who doubt the existence of human influence on the climate and ridicule international efforts to deal with it. (Adapted from Environment - New York Times).

The basic premise of the global warming advocates is that humans are the cause of the potential disaster. Their theory is that human kind of the industrial nations are the nasty producers of greenhouse gases.

• The dictionary meaning of theory is; a supposition or a system of ideas intended to explain something, esp. one based on general principles independent of the thing to be explained: • an idea used to account for a situation or justify a course of action: my theory would be that the place has been seriously mismanaged. PHRASES in theory used in describing what is supposed to happen or be possible, usually with the implication that it does not in-fact happen: in theory, things can only get better; in practice, they may well become a lot worse.

• A theory is a supposition that is; an uncertain belief: i.e. they were working on the supposition that his death was murder | their outrage was based on supposition and hearsay.

To put it bluntly, these “experts” really don’t know if their theories regarding global warming are factual. Man kind cannot, will not  destroy the earth to the point that life, as we know it, will be a reality. The thrust of their supposition is that the earth will be destroyed by heat or perhaps burn-up.

We’ll discuss the REAL  FACTS in our next edition of The Plumbline.