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Awesome Hands - part 156: "Called by the name of the Lord" - Discussion

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Awesome Hands – Part 156

“Called by the name of the Lord”

October 19, 2019

Last study we covered the curses of the Lord, and for this study we will be blessed to cover the blessings of the Lord.

The verses for consideration today are found in Deuteronomy 28. There are two times that the word “hand” is mentioned here, though they are a few verses apart, so we will cover a few verses in-between as well.

Deu 28:8  The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto; and he shall bless thee in the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee.
Deu 28:9  The LORD shall establish thee an holy people unto himself, as he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the commandments of the LORD thy God, and walk in his ways.
Deu 28:10  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee.
Deu 28:11  And the LORD shall make thee plenteous in goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, in the land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers to give thee.
Deu 28:12  The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give the rain unto thy land in his season, and to bless all the work of thine hand: and thou shalt lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not borrow.

Obviously, there is a lot being said here, and while going into depth would take several studies, I am going to focus on a few points of interest as I am led of the Lord to do so.

The first verse tells us the Lord’s blessing will be upon our storehouses, as well as all that we set our hand, i.e. work, to do. Likewise, He will bless us in the “land” which the LORD gives to us.

I looked up the word storehouse to make sure it was what I thought it was, and it is indeed a 'barn'. However, it is only mentioned one other time in Hebrews, so I thought I would read that as well to give us some context on what the Lord thinks about “storehouses”.

H618

'âsâm

Total KJV Occurrences: 2

barns, 1

Pro_3:10

storehouses, 1

Deu_28:8

Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

I also read the entire section of Proverbs 3, but the verses that caught my attention during this study are Pro 3:3-10.

Pro 3:3  Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:
Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man.
Pro 3:5  Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
Pro 3:6  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
Pro 3:7  Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil.
Pro 3:8  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones.
Pro 3:9  Honour the LORD with thy substance, and with the firstfruits of all thine increase:
Pro 3:10  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with new wine.

I know there is a lot packed into this set of verses as well, but there are some profound things being said in these verses which lead up to “thy barns shall be filled with plenty”.

Writing mercy and truth upon the tables of your heart, thereby finding favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man, is something we don’t often talk about.

While we do talk about trusting the Lord with all of our heart, and not leaning to our own understanding, is this something we do all the time as is required?

Acknowledging the Lord 'in ALL WAYS' seems to be VERY important to our paths being directed by the Lord. When I emphasize our it seems to that there is a difference between our goals and the Lords from the perspective of us.

The Lord works all things after the counsel of His own will; yet, we live that will from our perspective and under the rule of living in the bounds of time. The Lord isn’t restricted by time.

Being not wise in our own eyes and fearing the Lord is HUGE when you clearly grasp the implications to your spiritual health. When you are not wise in your own eyes and you FEAR the LORD, you have HEALTH to your NAVEL/belly and to the very CORE of your bones.

Examine that statement for a second. Look at your life, and examine what it is YOU are WISE in your own eyes about.

Are you wealthy and have some savings? Are you wise in your own eyes for having built up that savings? Are you healthy as an ox, as the saying goes, and you somehow are wise in your own eyes that you alone accomplished that?

Do you have a healthy marriage which gives you wisdom in your own eyes?

Do you take pride in being “down to earth” because you are not so wealthy, but you are rich in spirit from the Lord?

Do you have a great story of how you are where you are now, but if circumstances would have been slightly different, you might be some where else in this point in your life?

Do you have children who love you, lots of friends, admiration from co-workers and peers, etc.?

I could go on and on, but what is it in your life that can cause you to be WISE in your OWN BLIND EYES?

The Truth is, without the Lord we can do NOTHING.

Joh 15:5  I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing.

Php 4:13  I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Isa 64:6  But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf; and our iniquities, like the wind, have taken us away.

Rom 1:16  For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.
Rom 1:17  For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.

Rom 3:23  For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;

Rom 13:8  Owe no man any thing, but to love one another: for he that loveth another hath fulfilled the law.

Joh 5:19  Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these  also doeth the Son likewise.

If Jesus Christ can do NOTHING of Himself, then what chance do we have of somehow being more powerful than Jesus in doing something of ourselves?

Likewise, Jesus told us in John 15:5 that without Him we can DO NOTHING. Therefore, we can do nothing without Jesus, and Jesus cannot do anything of Himself and tells us we can do NOTHING without God the Father.

Putting this all together, we see that we can do nothing of ourselves, but we obviously  ….. do stuff in life.

Notice the Lord tells us in Deuteronomy 28:15, “The LORD shall command the blessing upon thee in thy storehouses, and in all that thou settest thine hand unto”.

What are we setting our hands to do? The answer is: everything we do, we are setting our hands to do. However, what is the purpose of the thing we are doing? Are we “doing all that we do to the glory of God” or are we just getting by?

Deu 28:10  And all people of the earth shall see that thou art called by the name of the LORD; and they shall be afraid of thee

The name of the Lord is a specific thing to be named by; yet, how can all the people of the earth SEE if we are not among all the people of the earth? The answer is that we are in the presence of “all the earth” when we interact in any way with anyone we encounter in our lives, whether they be a stranger, foe or friend.

Proverbs 3:4 told us that we will find favor and good understanding in the sight of God and man, but how can that happen with the “in sight of man” part if we are not in the sight of man?

Pro 3:4  So shalt thou find favour and good understanding in the sight of God and man

Mat 5:13  Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

Brothers and sisters, this world needs a lot of light to shine into it. We are the ambassadors of Christ to the WORLD and to the EARTH.

With all that I have just said, I am not saying that in this ambassadorship we can do anything on our own to be this ambassador. However, that is what and who we are. We cannot be hidden.

Whatever we are doing has an impact on a future son of God, and everyone will be a future son of God. We need to be presenting ourselves in the ways we have learned to be “the light of the world”.

If we be afraid, let it be FEAR of the Lord and not of men. Our ideas, thoughts, emotions, actions and reactions should all be a reflection of the Light that is in US.

I am in front of a lot of people all the time. I interact with customers and people I work with. I see strangers at the store. I interact with people online through texting, websites, web chats, webcams, etc.

In all of these interactions, I pray I am reflecting the light that is in me because I have been called and chosen to be faithful to being the VERY light of the WORLD.

Joh 17:6  I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word.

1Jn 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.
1Jn 2:16  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

Joh 17:14  I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:15  I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.
Joh 17:16  They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world.
Joh 17:17  Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.

Sometimes, I see a lot of judgments of being “in the world”, and these things are not good. You may have all experienced these things yourselves while in the various denominations you were called out of.

Being in the World is our very calling. We are to be among darkness but not be OF that darkness.

Everyone knows what the Lord’s prayer is, but they often ignore one very important ACTUAL prayer which the Lord prayed for us Himself.

“I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil.”

Jesus didn’t pray that we be taken out of the world, but that we be kept from evil. Isn’t that interesting? Jesus prayed this and tells us that we are the Light OF THE WORLD.

How then is all of this connected to our verses of study for today?

Look at the mindset we should have if we want:

1) Blessings upon our storehouse

2) Blessings upon all that we set our hands to do

3) Blessings in the land which the Lord gives us (YOU are the LAND)

4) Blessing to be the holy people of God

5) All the people of the earth shall SEE WE ARE CALLED BY HIS NAME and be afraid (fear of the Lord in us)

6) Blessed with plenteous in goods, fruit of the our body, fruit of the cattle, fruit of the ground, IN OUR LAND

7) Blessed in the GOOD TREASURE of the Lord, RAIN unto our LAND in it’s season, to BLESS all the work of OUR HANDS

8) We shall lend but not borrow

How is it we obtain these things?

1) Keep His commandments

2) Walk in His ways

I don’t know about you all, but that seems like a very FAIR list of blessings for LOVING the Lord with all our heart, soul strength and mind and loving our neighbors as ourselves. I simply just restated the verses of Deuteronomy 28:8-12 where we see two listings of the word “hand”.

How can we love our neighbors if we aren’t AMONG our neighbors?

The answer is that we are among our neighbors anytime we are “in the world” among those to whom the Lord desires that we be the Light of the world.

I will end this study by connecting a few thoughts that are often overlooked.

1Jn 2:16  For all that is IN THE WORLD, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.
1Jn 2:17  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.

We are not OF the WORLD, but we are IN THE WORLD. When you connect this with being the Light OF THE WORLD, it should be easy to see that you have to be IN the world in order to not be OF the world.

Why?

Light is called from darkness, but it must be IN DARKNESS to be called forth from it.

We must be in the world, while being the Light of this world, so that we can be examples to all of mankind (those to whom we are sent in our lives) in order to plant seeds that can be watered and increased by the Lord.

Who else can give examples to a dying and decayed EARTH and WORLD other than the sons of God following the example of the Son of God?

We are sent to the EARTH that everyone is. We are sent into “all that is IN THE WORLD” to be LIGHT where there is only darkness. We are the conduits being used to accomplish this.

Therefore, while we examine this aspect of it, let us keep reminding ourselves of the reward we are after in the age to come while also not denying that there ARE BLESSINGS we can and do receive NOW in this age.

Review my list above to see some of those blessings.

For now, I hope you were edified and blessed by this study.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 52

“To Show in You My Power”

Jan. 7, 2013

In last study we covered the first half of Exodus 9, and how the admonitions in those plagues are lived out in our lives spiritually today.

In the study today, we are going to continue to go over these admonitions and see that the Lord raises His elect up for the very purpose of bringing judgment in their lives and into the lives of others they are around and sent to while in this age.

Exo 9:16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

Exo 9:17  As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

When the Lord is working in our lives, He doesn’t hide this Truth. In fact, He works in our lives and causes things to happen that He will later use to bring us to remembrance for the express purposes of allowing us to know that all things are worked out according to His will and that He has been with us all of our lives.

In Exodus 9:16, we know that the Lord is speaking through Moses the message that Pharaoh has been raised up for the power of the Lord to be shown to and through Pharaoh, but whose hand has the rod of the power of the Lord been placed in? It is in Moses and Aaron’s hands.

With this in mind, we know that when we are used to spread the Gospel, we are used to spread spiritual seeds which hold much power!

It is the very Word in our mouths which holds the power, just like the rod in Moses and Aarons hands, and the messengers or laborer as stated in Corinthians, is counted as nothing and know nothing, i.e. we are nothing without Christ, the Word.

Job 8:9  (For we are but of yesterday, and know nothing, because our days upon earth are a shadow:)

1Co 3:5  Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
1Co 3:6  I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1Co 3:7  So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase.
1Co 3:8  Now he that planteth and he that watereth ARE ONE: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour.
1Co 3:9  For we are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building.
1Co 3:10  According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon.
1Co 3:11  For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

“A very grievous hail”

When the Lord is ready to show forth His complete judgment, He brings forth hail spiritually. Of course, this physically happened to Egypt but it was worked to admonish us today just as much as it was for their purposes back then.

Exo 9:18  Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.

If we take the sum of thy Word, and look for other similar occurrences of things which come and have never been seen before and never will be seen again, then we might see that what hail represents spiritually is God coming into our lives and bringing the judgment He alone can bring upon His house.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

What does this judgment have to do with “hail” and why is it spiritually significant? I promise that it was raveningly significant to these Egyptians when it started to fall.

Rev 11:19  And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail.

An earthquake and great hail represent the same thing spiritually speaking but also notice WHEN it is this event of MONUMENTAL proportions happens.

Isa 29:5  Moreover the multitude of thy strangers shall be like small dust, and the multitude of the terrible ones shall be as chaff that passeth away: yea, it shall be at an instant suddenly.
Isa 29:6  Thou shalt be visited of the LORD of hosts with thunder, and with earthquake, and great noise, with storm and tempest, and the flame of devouring fire.

Rev 6:12  And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;

When is the sun DARKENED and the moon is become as BLOOD?

Joe 2:30  And I will shew wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke.
Joe 2:31  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the LORD come.
Joe 2:32  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.

Act 2:19  And I will shew wonders in heaven above, and signs in the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke:
Act 2:20  The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord come:
Act 2:21  And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Lastly, just a few verses earlier in Acts:

Act 2:1  And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place.
Act 2:2  And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.
Act 2:3  And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them.

Is it just mere coincidence that hail is mentioned as never having happened to Egypt and that it will not be seen in this manner again? I think not and the scripture bears witness to this.

How then is this plague of hail representative of the judgment God calls upon His house and what is happening to Egypt?

Isa 28:14  Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.
Isa 28:15  Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
Isa 28:16  Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
Isa 28:17  Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
Isa 28:18  And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.

The Pharaoh who sits on the throne and Egypt of which he rules typifies where God’s people are to come from and which king they are to worship.

Moses and Aaron are literally being sent to the Pharaoh to deliver judgment to his house.

So, because the Lord is merciful, He tells us before the time what He is going to do when the “great and terrible day of the Lord happens”.

Exo 9:18  Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now.
Exo 9:19  Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die.
Exo 9:20  He that feared the word of the LORD among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses:
Exo 9:21  And he that regarded not the word of the LORD left his servants and his cattle in the field.

This seventh plague is bringing a complete judgment against the house of Egypt, but it is also representative of the Lord showing mercy to His people.

The mercy that will be shown is applicable for this plague but also for the last three that are to come.

For those who fear the Word of the Lord, they will be able to recognize that the Lord will bring forth what He says He will bring forth, judgment. It is coming to us all NOW or LATER.

All of these plagues happen relatively quickly in time physically for Egypt, but spiritually speaking we are simply warned that these things will happen and to be prepared.

It is the preparation of the heart that prepares us and we know that there is NOTHING we can do in order to prepare ourselves for this judgment. The preparation or lack of it is all from the Lord.

Joe 2:10  The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: the sun and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining:
Joe 2:11  And the LORD shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the LORD is great and very terrible; and who can abide it?
Joe 2:12  Therefore also now, saith the LORD, turn ye even to me with all your heart, and with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning:
Joe 2:13  And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the LORD your God: for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness, and repenteth him of the evil.

It is those who fear the Word of the Lord of which the Lord will show mercy. For Egypt, this hail is very grievous and will destroy all the things the Lord says will be destroyed, and for spiritual Israel this is EQUALLY true.

We may not think it a positive occurrence and it is not for the old man in us represented by Egypt, but for the new man in us, this is wonderful indeed because where there is DEATH, LIFE springs up!

Isn’t this what we are told baptism in the Word is all about?

Eph 5:26  That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,
Eph 5:27  That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.

What is the Word of God ALSO representative of?

Mat 3:11  I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:
Mat 3:12  Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

No one will be “rending their heart,” no one will be “calling on the name of the Lord,” without this first happening.

1Co 12:3  Wherefore I give you to understand, that no man speaking by the Spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

This is a miraculous event which is spiritually typified by the work the hail is sent to do. It is sent to sweep away all false pretences of God the Father and the refuge of lies that our heart believes in.

Exo 9:22  And the LORD said unto Moses, Stretch forth thine hand toward heaven, that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, upon man, and upon beast, and upon every herb of the field, throughout the land of Egypt.
Exo 9:23  And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.
Exo 9:24  So there was hail, and fire mingled with the hail, very grievous, such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation.
Exo 9:25  And the hail smote throughout all the land of Egypt all that was in the field, both man and beast; and the hail smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field.
Exo 9:26  Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail.

Is it not apparent that ANYTHING left in the field was destroyed only to leave the faintest of residue of what once was? The very trees themselves were broken and what are trees representative of?

Mar 8:23  And he took the blind man by the hand, and led him out of the town; and when he had spit on his eyes, and put his hands upon him, he asked him if he saw ought.
Mar 8:24  And he looked up, and said, I see men as trees, walking.Psa 92:12  The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Psa 92:13  Those that be planted in the house of the LORD shall flourish in the courts of our God.

Isa 2:11  The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the LORD alone shall be exalted in that day.
Isa 2:12  For the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low:
Isa 2:13  And upon all the cedars of Lebanon, that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of Bashan,

“I have sinned this time”

Spiritually speaking, when you are in the process of being destroyed you will naturally call out to God for deliverance and physically speaking we see this happening with Pharaoh and his kingdom.

Exo 9:27  And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.
Exo 9:28  Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

When we are going through death, likened to having a deadly wound, we cry out for deliverance. Pharaoh is no different in this.

He wants the plague to stop “for it is enough,” but as soon as this “wound” is healed, the Pharaoh goes right back to his old ways of thinking.

Exo 9:29  And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD; and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know how that the earth is the LORD’S.
Exo 9:30  But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not yet fear the LORD God.
Exo 9:31  And the flax and the barley was smitten: for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled.
Exo 9:32  But the wheat and the rie were not smitten: for they were not grown up.

The purpose for the hail is to tell us, is to show us that the Lord has full control over all aspects of our lives both physically and spiritually.

However, the hail comes to also show us that we must be full of Godly repentance. We, like Pharaoh, just want the judgment to stop so we do and say whatever we can in order to petition the Lord to heal us of the death that these plagues bring.

The wheat and the rie have not yet been dealt with but they still remain in Egypt. This is so that the Lord can allow them time to grow so that those things which remain “under the surface” can be dealt with in due time.

Exo 9:33  And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.
Exo 9:34  And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.
Exo 9:35  And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

Just like Pharaoh, we too will “repent” but will go right back into our ways but this is all the start of this spiritual admonition that the Lord will fully deal with “all that is in Egypt,” thus; the Locusts will come.

Next study, we will see Lord willing, the spiritual significance of “Moses went out of the city” as compared to what the means to us today in the spirit. Though the hail will end, the locusts will be sent to completely devour anything that is left over from the hail.

They will also usher in the start of great darkness for the old man.

Audio Links

Awesome Hands – part 51

“With Great Judgments”

Dec. 25, 2013

In today’s study, we are going to read the admonitions given to us in the plagues which follow the lice and flies.

We are also going to see that the intensity of the plagues increase as the Pharaoh’s heart is continually hardened. As the Lord tells Moses, the entire reason Moses is here is to deliver the great judgments of the Lord, and the Pharaoh is raised up for this specific purpose.

Exo 6:6  Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched out arm, and with great judgments:

Exo 7:4  But Pharaoh shall not hearken unto you, that I may lay my hand upon Egypt, and bring forth mine armies, and my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great judgments.

Exo 9:16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth.

I am giving this study in regards to the Egyptians and Israel, but when we take the sum of the Word, we can conclude that we are learning the Truth of what is happening within us all as God’s people and also what is happening to others in their own appointed time.

In Truth, we are the Egyptians before we are the Israelites. We live out spiritually what they must go through in this book of Exodus, before we live out the deliverance side of the plagues of which Israel is experiencing.

Judgment is set in motion to set things right and there are two sides of judgment.

One side of judgment comes from the “Deliverer” via His prophets and prophetesses and the other is what befalls whomever judgment is sent to.

2Sa 22:1  And David spake unto the LORD the words of this song in the day that the LORD had delivered him out of the hand of all his enemies, and out of the hand of Saul:

2Sa 22:2  And he said, The LORD is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer;

2Sa 22:3  The God of my rock; in him will I trust: he is my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my high tower, and my refuge, my saviour; thou savest me from violence.

For Egypt, judgment is upon them but so too is judgment upon Israel and we will see how this judgment is worked in us today, Lord willing.

“Judgment begins at the house of the Lord”

Judgment must begin at the house of God, and obedience is the result.

2Co 5:9  Wherefore we labour, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him.

2Co 5:10  For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad.

1Pe 4:16  Yet if any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed; but let him glorify God on this behalf.

1Pe 4:17  For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?

1Pe 4:18  And if the righteous scarcely be saved, where shall the ungodly and the sinner appear?

In type, this is what we are reading about here in Exodus. Let us see what admonitions we can glean from the great judgments i.e. plagues (also referred to as miracles as is covered in previous studies), which are being delivered to Egypt and its king.

Exo 9:1  Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exo 9:2  For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still,

Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

Exo 9:4  And the LORD shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt: and there shall nothing die of all that is the children’s of Israel.

Exo 9:5  And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.

As these plagues have increased in intensity and peril towards Egypt, so has the delivery of them to Egypt.

For example, when Moses first came to the Pharaoh he would say things like, “when shall I intreat for you,” and the Lord would do it according to the word of Moses. Here is an example of what I reference.

Exo 8:9  And Moses said unto Pharaoh, Glory over me: when shall I intreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people, to destroy the frogs from thee and thy houses, that they may remain in the river only?

Exo 8:10  And he said, To morrow. And he said, Be it according to thy word: that thou mayest know that there is none like unto the LORD our God.

Now, as things progress, the Lord is letting us know that He alone is in control and He leaves no doubt of that.

When the Lord first starts working with us, we are much like Saul who is renamed to Paul acts. We recognize it is the Lord doing this great work, but we still think WE have something to “do” for the Lord.

Act 22:6  And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me.

Act 22:7  And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?

And a few verses later…

Act 22:10  And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do.

In other words, we are being told that the Lord will make known to us in due time what it is He has appointed for us to do, but it takes time for the Lord to reveal to us and to write upon our hearts that He is the one who will have His appointed work done in us.

“Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD……” and “Exo 9:5  And the LORD appointed a set time, saying, To morrow the LORD shall do this thing in the land.”

There is a progression of how the Lord works these judgments and there is a wonderful reason why.

When we first are presented with the Words of the Lord, such as Moses coming to the Pharaoh and saying, “thus sayeth the Lord let my people go,” we are given room to consider what the Lord says.

At least, we are from our perspective, given the ability to “choose”. However, as these judgments increase the Lord lets us know assuredly that He alone is in control.

The very act of the hardening of the Pharaoh’s heart is proof of that, but the point I am trying to make is that from “our perspective” we are the ones in control and early on in these judgments the Lord causes us to think we can do something about the plagues which have befallen us.

Exo 9:6  And the LORD did that thing on the morrow, and all the cattle of Egypt died: but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one.

Exo 9:7  And Pharaoh sent, and, behold, there was not one of the cattle of the Israelites dead. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

If you recall, the first “plague of separation” was with the flies. Up until the flies, Israel had experienced the water into blood, the frogs and the lice.

Exo 8:22  And I will sever in that day the land of Goshen, in which my people dwell, that no swarms of flies shall be there; to the end thou mayest know that I am the LORD in the midst of the earth.

So, when “things take to the sky” (lice and flies fly in the heavens), there is a separation of God’s people in His land. The “land of Goshen” is separated from the rest of Egypt but now the beasts of the land must be dealt with.

This is all a foreshadowing and an admonition for us today of the process the Lord uses for us all.

First, the land must be presented so that we can go to it i.e. “the promised land”, THEN the beasts in the land must be dealt with.

I know it doesn’t directly seem or appear to be parallel in spiritual admonition, but what we are seeing is that once God has separated the land where His people dwell from the land where the enemies of His people dwell, the “power” of the beasts must be dealt with.

The beasts which are going to be killed will be killed by the hand of the Lord. If you look at each of the cattle groups mentioned, these are cattle which produce wealth for those who own them and are very beneficial for their livelihoods.

Exo 9:3  Behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain.

Notice, with this plague not only is the Egyptians cattle slaughtered but the Israelites cattle are preserved. This makes the Israelites cattle even more important because in this area they are all that remain to be used and gained from. So with the same plague the Egyptians wealth is destroyed and the Israelites wealth making power and livelihood is increased.

“Handfuls of Ashes”

When the Lord does a work, He does a thorough work. When the Lord uses the hands of His servants to accomplish His will, He does a thorough accomplishing, and He does it for all to see these miracles.

Exo 9:8  And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

Exo 9:9  And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt.

Exo 9:10  And they took ashes of the furnace, and stood before Pharaoh; and Moses sprinkled it up toward heaven; and it became a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast.

Exo 9:11  And the magicians could not stand before Moses because of the boils; for the boil was upon the magicians, and upon all the Egyptians.

Exo 9:12  And the LORD hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the LORD had spoken unto Moses.

When the Lord brings His judgments, they cannot be ignored. They are as open wounds which cannot be ignored because they will not go away.

With the increasing intensity of the plagues, the Lord also causes the Pharaoh is realize that this is not going to stop. This is similar to how the Lord works with us as He tries us in our fiery trials in order to bring us to Him.

1Pe 4:12  Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you:

1Pe 4:13  But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ’s sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.

As I have pointed out several times during these plagues, the magicians had enchantments that could also duplicate what the Lord was doing with Moses and Aaron. However, there comes a time when that no longer happens.

The magicians used their abilities to gain or benefit from while Moses and Aaron were simply taking the rod of judgment they had been given and delivering the commandments of the Lord, “let my people go”.

We should all be hearing this message today in our hearts and minds. The Lord is calling to our old man, bringing judgment upon him, to let His people go.

Just like Egypt, we will deny that the wrath of God has come but after process of time it will be undeniable and then it is too late for us to do anything about it. Of course this is all of the Lord, but it is referred to us the sufferings of Christ and we should take joy in knowing the Lord is working this work for us.

Exo 9:8  And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh.

It is when ashes can be used to cause much suffering that we fully realize that we are dealing with a God who will have His will accomplished.

Exo 9:13  And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me.

Exo 9:14  For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth.

Exo 9:15  For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.

Exo 9:16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that MY NAME may be declared throughout all the earth.

Exo 9:17  As yet exaltest thou thyself against my people, that thou wilt not let them go?

In type and shadow, it is those who dwell in the devouring fire who are used to deliver these boils and all the plagues because we have been crushed to a fine powder in order to be used.

It may seem like a horrible thing to have these plagues happen, or to be the deliverer of such wrath via the rod in your hand, but for the new man it is wonderful. For the old man it is DEATH.

It is a very humbling experience to know we are used in this capacity.

It is will the plague of pestilence that the Lord will write it upon the hearts of those He is working with just who it is they are dealing with.

It may seem odd, but I empathize very much with the Pharaoh. Sure he has enslaved the Israelites. Sure he tormented them in hard labor.

Sure he continues to allow his people to suffer through these various plagues but it all due to the hardening of his heart of which the LORD ALONE has caused to happen.

The Pharaoh is not of himself choosing to do these things. Likewise, Moses and Aaron have been created for the very purpose of DELIVERING these plagues via the rod in their hands.

“For I will at this time… send ALL MY PLAGUES upon thine HEART…..”

Why Lord?

“For thou …. Shalt be CUT OFF from the earth ….”

(LITV)  And for this reason I have made you stand, in order to cause you to see My power, and in order to declare My name in all the land.

Isn’t it sad to see a blind man? Isn’t it sad to imagine that they have never seen the light of day of which we take no second thought for? How must it feel to be Pharaoh?!

Mat 24:29  Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken:

Mat 24:30  And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

Mat 24:31  And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

We are the light of the world if we believe Christ. As Christ was in this world, so are we.

When we are sent as Moses and Aaron are, there is going to be much tribulation happening. There is going to be much suffering because we are going to see the sun darkened and the moon not giving light.

There is going to be much pestilence witnessing due to the Words we speak to those whom we are sent to and we must be aware of this because it is for THIS CAUSE and THIS TIME that we have been sent.

Exo 9:16  And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to shew in thee my power; and that MY NAME may be declared throughout all the earth.

Joh 9:1  And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.

Joh 9:2  And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?

Joh 9:3  Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.

Joh 9:4  I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

While we are in this world, we are working the works of the Lord and be forewarned that it will be a work of miraculous plagues which the Lord will write on the hearts and minds of those He causes you to witness to.

Rejoice in this though because it is due to everyone having their heart hardened that we are sent to them.

When we witness in this way, we are showing the power of the Lord and His name is being declared to those whom He is welcoming into His church NOW while in this age and of which will also be used to judge others later in the lake of fire.

In the next study, we are going to continue to cover the seventh plague of hail. This hail storm will also be used to admonish us all of the work the Lord is accomplishing in all of humanity.

Hi Mike

The question I have is on the churches that specialize in deliverance. What’s your take on that?  Apparently these Pastors are called to do deliverance; their ministry is fighting with demons every day, in terms of taking out demonic/evil Spirits out of people, and when this happens these Demons would speak out from the mouths of these people with strange voices; others will cry out loud, throw themselves on the floor. It becomes a chaos. Sometimes the Pastor will say that he sees a big python in a belly of a person or similar things, and he will call that demon out, or as he prays for the person the person will sometimes fall on the floor and start to move like a snake. Very scary and strange things happen in a Deliverance ministry. There’s a lot of these churches here, and it attracts a lot of people because of witchcraft and other things. But in terms of the Spiritual side these Pastors are still drinking milk from the bottle.

Is this still relevant, Spiritually or what is happening here????

N____

Hi N____,

In this email you are asking “What is your take” on what you call “deliverance ministries” which purport to “cast out demons”.

I think you know that if I simply give you ‘my take’, it will be absolutely worthless. However, if I show you what the scriptures say, you will be edified in your understanding of the mind of God concerning this question of casting out demons.

To answer your question directly, the power to cast out demons and to perform miracles, in and of itself, have very little to do with a man’s standing with God.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

The first thing we need to acknowledge is that there is fraud in virtually everything to which mankind puts his hand. As surely as money has always been counterfeited, so, too, have the miracles of Christ and of His apostles.

Mat 7:15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.

Mat 24:5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many.

A couple of the easiest things to counterfeit are tongues-speaking and the casting out of demons, and this is done routinely for the sake of “filthy lucre”.

Why are not these same people healing people who were born blind or who were born lame? There are many, many videos of people speaking in “unknown tongues” and there are many videos of exorcisms and casting out of demons.

Let it never be said that I, or anyone connected with this web site, have ever told anyone that God cannot and does not heal, even in the churches of Babylon. God does heal some who are still in Babylon. I have personal knowledge of God’s healing power still being manifested in this age. What I am saying is that miracles, healings and exorcisms do not a man of God make. Just look at what our Lord had to say on this subject:

Mat 12:27 And if I by Beelzebub cast out devils, by whom do your children cast them out? therefore they shall be your judges.

Demons do not willingly leave those they possess. They are “cast out” only by the power of God and His Christ.

Mar 9:38 And John answered him, saying, Master, we saw one casting out devils in thy name, and he followeth not us: and we forbad him, because he followeth not us.
Mar 9:39 But Jesus said, Forbid him not: for there is no man which shall do a miracle in my name, that can lightly speak evil of me.
Mar 9:40 For he that is not against us is on our part.

So clearly there are those who “follow not us” who are yet empowered to cast out demons. It is the fact that the beast himself is empowered to perform miracles, and yet “do not the things that I say” which make the deception and the delusion so strong.

2Th 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.
2Th 2:11 And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:
2Th 2:12 That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

It is “a love of the Truth” which will, by God’s mercy upon us, keep us from being deceived by the miracles which even the beast is given power to perform.

Rev 13:14 And deceiveth them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast; saying to them that dwell on the earth, that they should make an image to the beast, which had the wound by a sword, and did live.

The one miracle which is specified as being performed by the beast “in the sight of them that dwell upon the earth” is that of casting out demons. Again, just look at what the “wolves in sheep’s clothing” have to say “in that day”.

Mat 7:22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?

So it is granted to some of the ministers of the churches of Babylon to “cast out devils… and in Christ’s name to do many wonderful works”. They still do not “love the Truth”, and that is so easily detected by simply waiting for the request for money. Whenever you hear that request, then know that you are dealing with either a “carnal… babe in Christ” (1Co 3:1-4) or an out and out ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ (Mat 7:15).

You mentioned a minister saying ” he sees a big python in a belly of a person”. If that minister has not confessed that python was first in himself, then rest assured that, as you put it, “in terms of the Spiritual side, these Pastors are still drinking milk from the bottle.”

I hope these verses of scripture have helped you to keep this all in perspective. Above all I hope that the verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12 demonstrate for you that “the love of the truth” is far more important than the power to cast out demons. That “love of the Truth” is a love of Christ and His words. If you cast out a demon and do not fill that void with a love of the truth, then you have in reality done that person a disservice in casting out that demon. Here is why that is so:

Mat 12:43 When the unclean spirit is gone out of a man, he walketh through dry places, seeking rest, and findeth none.
Mat 12:44 Then he saith, I will return into my house from whence I came out; and when he is come, he findeth it empty, swept, and garnished.
Mat 12:45 Then goeth he, and taketh with himself seven other spirits more wicked than himself, and they enter in and dwell there: and the last state of that man is worse than the first. Even so shall it be also unto this wicked generation.

These words are not for that minister who is casting out demons while not loving the Truth. These words are for you and for me. We all live by the spirit of these words (Mat 4:4), and we all go from being delivered from one false doctrine, which is an evil spirit, and we all go to even worse false doctrines, before we are delivered of both the one demon and the ‘seven other spirits more wicked than… the first’ .

If we are God’s elect, then at some point, via some “fiery trial which is to try us” (1Pe 4:12), we are granted to see the strong delusion we were under. We are granted to see that the deadly wound we once had has been healed, and that we are, at that point, worse off than before we received that wound or had that demon cast out of us. It is at this point that we are given to “receive a love of the Truth” and to receive a deadly wound upon the beast within us, which will not be healed, and it is at this point that we begin to be judged and to learn righteousness.

Isa 26:9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.

Your brother in “a love of The Truth”,

Mike