The Seventh Plague: Hail

 Exodus 9: 3-35

 

August 29, 2025

 

The Seventh Plague: Hail

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For this time, I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose, I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.  You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.  Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.  There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.  Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.  Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”  Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.  But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”  (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)  So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.  So, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 

Have you ever wondered what grace and mercy look like and gone to the New Testament to understand?  Then you missed much of what God has shown us in the Old Testament about grace and mercy.  Maybe rereading the very top of the paper highlighted in yellow, once more, will help.  First, God allowed a hardhearted Pharaoh to rule, to show God’s authority over all things.  Why, so not only the Egyptians but also the chosen people, the Jewish people, would believe in Him.  In August 2025, not one thing has changed. God is still sending the same message to the nations; it is not about you, it is all about God.  And He will use leaders of nations to show His power; some will be like Pharaoh, and do evil, and some will be like King David and repent when they have done evil.

 

It reminds me of a family that lived down the street from us and were not seekers of Truth; Jesus is the Truth.  They had an older daughter, a son my age with whom we were best friends, and a younger son, who became very sick, and things did not look like he would live long.  Our pastor visited them, and they vowed that if God would heal their son, they would come to church.  God healed their son, but like Pharaoh, they hardened their hearts, and the young son lived a life that only brought the same on his family, and died at a young age.  A vow to God is not something one should do as a bargaining chip; He always holds us to our promises.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A Time for Confession

                                                           A Time for Confession

 

Sixty years of Marriage

 

Now, I will address some issues that need to be addressed before I confess.  Some of you came to our 57wedding anniversary dinner and celebration.  I had given a detailed instruction on how and who I wanted to thank for being used of God to get us to 57 years of marriage.  In my instruction, I had left out the most important name, Jesus Christ. 

How my older grandson, John Mark, called me and said, Bob- Bob, that's what they have called me from the beginning, we do not need a fore mat, we will wing it.  And that's how it was done.

Why 57 years? It was because neither Jan nor I was sure that we would see a 60^th at that time.  On December 28, 2020 I went into the hospital believing I had covid 19, on the 27, I had a treatment where they put some chemical in my body at the Seguin hospital that took three hours, one hour and a half, to put it in my veins, and then I had to sit for another hour and a half to see if it was going to have side effect. 

 

The next morning, my brother called to check on me, and I told him I had never felt that bad in my life.  Before taking the stuff, I was not feeling bad at all.  When I was admitted into the hospital, they told my daughter it was not COVID, but my sodium levels were way below 100.  Now, I’m a child of God, and I had no way of knowing that He had a kidney doctor in the Hospital visiting patients, and they grab her and say We've never seen anyone with sodium this low, what should we do.  And she told them what to do.  The next morning, Dr. Banks came into my room and introduced herself.  Mr. Rice, good morning. I’m Dr. Banks, and this morning God woke me at 1:30, praying for you.  I began to cry like a small child. My daughter was also in the room, and she began to visit with Dr. Banks, and when I got my composure, I thanked her and told her what it meant to me, that God spoke to her, and she did as instructed. Now that the kind of Doctor I would wish for everyone.

 

So, when are we going to arrive at your confession, and I feel a few more facts are needed to make you have a better understanding of my confession.

 

Jan was 18, and I was 23, when we got married; neither of us understood what we were promising in our wedding vows.  However, we both understood that we had seen our parents live together for many years and raise a family.  But love, I understood lust and commitment, but had no real understanding of love.  We were both Baptists, we tithed and had attended Church regularly till marriage.  

After attending a Bible Study for six months, I came to understand that the other 5 men knew the Jesus I was informed about.  One night after trying for months to make a deal with God, He confronted me as I put the key into my hotel room. At about 10 pm, I heard a voice in my head say, Tonight, the last time my Spirit will deal with you.  I ran for the hotel Bible and it opened to Romans 10, and my eyes went to verses 9-10, “because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  

That night, my identity was changed.  From Baptist to a Child of God, and once more, I had no clue what all that meant.  About a year later, Jan told me she had asked Christ to be her Lord. I had not learned at this point, but had read that God loves me.  Now I knew what a rascal I was and had a hard time loving myself, much less believing God could love me.  My friend John Anderson’s who often calls Jan by the wrong name, but being single, loves to come to dinner and eat her pies.  Johnny often would say; Bob, you're too harsh with Jan, and I knew that was true.  Once more, I was learning how to allow God to show His love for me.  

So, my confession is that for many years, I was searching for how to be loved, and Jesus began to show me. My first mentor, Jack Archer, said I want you to read this book.  It was “Faith is the Victory.” My eyes were open to how much God loves you and me.  And over the many years and great men God sent to teach me how to love my wife, Carrol Ray Jr. was used to open my eyes to the key to love, Jan, ask Jesus to love her through me.  And I did, and He did as promised.

We both have had many people ask us what the secret to 60 years of marriage is, and I have never told the truth; it had not one nothing to do with our actions.  It had everything to do with Jesus, who lives in us, giving us the desire to obey him, and I now know how to love, Jan.  She is not only my best friend, but we have become one.  And in our thirties, I almost left my wife and little girls. It haunts me that I could have lost what God has done for us and allowed us to be part of watching Byron and Natalie raise our two grandsons to become men who love the Lord.

So, my confession is that the reason for 60 years of marriage is Jesus doing it all for us.

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Sixth Plague: Boils

                                                                    Exodus 9: 3-35

 

August 29, 2025

 

The Seventh Plague: Hail

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself before Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For this time, I will send all my plagues on you yourself, and on your servants and your people, so that you may know that there is none like me in all the earth.  For by now I could have put out my hand and struck you and your people with pestilence, and you would have been cut off from the earth.  But for this purpose, I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.  You are still exalting yourself against my people and will not let them go.  Behold, about this time tomorrow, I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now.  Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.” Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses,  but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, so that there may be hail in all the land of Egypt, on man and beast and every plant of the field, in the land of Egypt.”  Then Moses stretched out his staff toward heaven, and the Lord sent thunder and hail, and fire ran down to the earth. And the Lord rained hail upon the land of Egypt.  There was hail and fire flashing continually in the midst of the hail, very heavy hail, such as had never been in all the land of Egypt since it became a nation. The hail struck down everything that was in the field in all the land of Egypt, both man and beast. And the hail struck down every plant of the field and broke every tree of the field.  Only in the land of Goshen, where the people of Israel were, was there no hail.

Then Pharaoh sent and called Moses and Aaron and said to them, “This time I have sinned; the Lord is in the right, and I and my people are in the wrong.  Plead with the Lord, for there has been enough of God's thunder and hail. I will let you go, and you shall stay no longer.”  Moses said to him, “As soon as I have gone out of the city, I will stretch out my hands to the Lord. The thunder will cease, and there will be no more hail, so that you may know that the earth is the Lord's.  But as for you and your servants, I know that you do not yet fear the Lord God.”  (The flax and the barley were struck down, for the barley was in the ear and the flax was in bud.  But the wheat and the emmer were not struck down, for they are late in coming up.)  So Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh and stretched out his hands to the Lord, and the thunder and the hail ceased, and the rain no longer poured upon the earth.  But when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunder had ceased, he sinned yet again and hardened his heart, he and his servants.  So, the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people of Israel go, just as the Lord had spoken through Moses.

 

Have you ever wondered what grace and mercy look like and gone to the New Testament to understand?  Then you missed much of what God has shown us in the Old Testament about grace and mercy.  Maybe rereading the very top of the paper highlighted in yellow, once more, will help.  First, God allowed a hardhearted Pharaoh to rule, to show God’s authority over all things.  Why, so not only the Egyptians but also the chosen people, the Jewish people, would believe in Him.  In August 2025, not one thing has changed. God is still sending the same message to the nations; it is not about you, it is all about God.  And He will use leaders of nations to show His power; some will be like Pharaoh, and do evil, and some will be like King David and repent when they have done evil.

 

It reminds me of a family that lived down the street from us and were not seekers of Truth; Jesus is the Truth.  They had an older daughter, a son my age with whom we were best friends, and a younger son, who became very sick, and things did not look like he would live long.  Our pastor visited them, and they vowed that if God would heal their son, they would come to church.  God healed their son, but like Pharaoh, they hardened their hearts, and the young son lived a life that only brought the same on his family, and died at a young age.  A vow to God is not something one should do as a bargaining chip; He always holds us to our promises.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

The Fifth Plague

                                                                      Exodus 9:1-7

 

August 27, 2025

 

The Fifth Plague: Egyptian Livestock Die

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  For if you refuse to let them go and still hold them,  behold, the hand of the Lord will fall with a very severe plague upon your livestock that are in the field, the horses, the donkeys, the camels, the herds, and the flocks.  But the Lord will make a distinction between the livestock of Israel and the livestock of Egypt, so that nothing of all that belongs to the people of Israel shall die.”  And the Lord set a time, saying, “Tomorrow the Lord will do this thing in the land.”  And the next day the Lord did this thing. All the livestock of the Egyptians died, but not one of the livestock of the people of Israel died.  And Pharaoh sent, and behold, not one of the livestock of Israel was dead. But the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, and he did not let the people go.

 

What are some thoughts that come into your mind as you read the above Scripture?  My first thought is Pharaoh's elevator sure stops before it reaches his brain. After seeing the hand of God, why would he not believe God could and would do all that he promised?  Then I think about you and me, why do we not do what God has told us to do?  Can you imagine the impact that had on his nation, his army with no horses, and the massive clean-up of removing herds of horses and cattle, and sheep.  What about the livelihood of the people?  Obedience brings blessing, and disobedience brings a lot of pain, as in this case, the people of Egypt. 

 

First thing we need to understand is God is in control, Pharaoh's heart was hardened by God, often a judgment like this on a leader is to show the people of God, how big their God is.  King Nebuchadnezzar was a pagan king whom God used and blessed, till he became so full of self that he took full credit for all that God had done.  What did God do with that great king for seven years? He ate grass like livestock.  And after the seven years, we see this account in Daniel 4:34, “At the end of that time, I, Nebuchadnezzar, raised my eyes toward heaven, and my sanity was restored. Then I praised the Most High; I honored and glorified him who lives forever.

His dominion is an eternal dominion; his kingdom endures from generation to generation.

 

Have you come to that place where you not only acknowledge God, but you put your life in His hands, to do with as He desires?

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Fourth Plague: Flies

                                                                   Exodus 8: 20-32

 

August 26, 2025

 

The Fourth Plague: Flies

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Rise up early in the morning and present yourself to Pharaoh, as he goes out to the water, and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  Or else, if you will not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies on you and your servants and your people, and into your houses. And the houses of the Egyptians shall be filled with swarms of flies, and also the ground on which they stand.  But on that day, I will set apart the land of Goshen, where my people dwell, so that no swarms of flies shall be there, that you may know that I am the Lord in the midst of the earth.  Thus, I will put a division between my people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall happen. ”And the Lord did so. There came great swarms of flies into the house of Pharaoh and into his servants' houses. Throughout all the land of Egypt, the land was ruined by the swarms of flies.

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God within the land.”  But Moses said, “It would not be right to do so, for the offerings we shall sacrifice to the Lord our God are an abomination to the Egyptians. If we sacrifice offerings abominable to the Egyptians before their eyes, will they not stone us?  We must go three days' journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God as he tells us.” So, Pharaoh said, “I will let you go to sacrifice to the Lord your God in the wilderness; only you must not go very far away. Plead for me.” Then Moses said, “Behold, I am going out from you and I will plead with the Lord that the swarms of flies may depart from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people, tomorrow. Only let not Pharaoh cheat again by not letting the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”  So, Moses went out from Pharaoh and prayed to the Lord.  And the Lord did as Moses asked, and removed the swarms of flies from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people; not one remained.  But Pharaoh hardened his heart this time also, and did not let the people go.

As a follower of Christ, are you more like Moses or Pharaoh?  I hope you did not answer before giving a lot of thought to both men.  Our first account of Moses as a man was watching an Egyptian mistreat a Jewish person, and Moses killed that dude, and his next encounter was with two Jewish men in some kind of fight, and Moses broke it up, and one of them said Are you going to kill us as you did the Egyptian?  That was when he got out of town, in fear that Pharaoh would hear and kill him.  Is that Moses, you're like, the one that trying to help God out by using the tools of this world?

What about Moses the shepherd, a shepherd who was despised by the Egyptians, but as a son of Pharaoh's daughter, he was a prince.  He left that life and married Zipporah, the daughter of Jethro, a priest of Midian.  Our next encounter with Moses the shepherd is, he sees a bush on fire, but not consumed.  Now that our first view of Moses is that God could use him to be His Messenger.  As he approached the bush, Moses heard the voice of God, saying, Moses, take off your shoes, for the ground is holy ground.  Would you have heard that voice? A better question would you be willing to cut off the noise and listen to God’s voice?  Moses was in a quiet place, a pasture; he left the sheep to see the bush that was burning but not consumed.  Are you willing to put yourself in a quiet place with the word of God and listen for God to tell you His plans for your life?

The next time we see Moses is asking his father-in-law if he can leave, being subject to the authority God had put over him.  Are you willing to do that?  That is the kind of man or woman God will use.

What about Pharaoh? He's the top guy. Is that your goal?  He had people doing what He desired to be done. Is that your goal?  He was not to be trusted; he said one thing and did another. Is that the person you are?  He began to fear what God might do, but refused to bow down to a Holy God. Is that you?

John 21 20-22 is a good word to us; ^“Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who also had leaned back against him during the supper and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?”  When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?”  Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!”

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

The Third Plague: Gnats

 

Exodus 8:16-19

 

August 25, 2025

 

The Third Plague: Gnats

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your staff and strike the dust of the earth, so that it may become gnats in all the land of Egypt.’”  And they did so. Aaron stretched out his hand with his staff and struck the dust of the earth, and there were gnats on man and beast. All the dust of the earth became gnats in all the land of Egypt.  The magicians tried by their secret arts to produce gnats, but they could not. So, there were gnats on man and beast.  Then the magicians said to Pharaoh, “This is the finger of God.” But Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

I can only imagine the problem this caused, gnats all over you morning and evening, in your food, everywhere.   My wife enjoys plants inside and outside of our home, and at times we have gnats.  I read that Perlite over the dirt will keep them out. It helps, and then you also have sink gnats, for which there are ways to control them.  But those are just small problems.

I was thinking, has God allowed the evil one, the devil,​ to ​bring plague of fear and hate and evil so that we as a Church would awaken to our need of seeking the Face of God and doing the “IF”?  Many of God’s promises begin with if, The most common one quoted is 2 Chronicles 7:14, ^“ if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

So that brings up the question, who is He addressing then?  The chosen people, the Jewish race.  Who does that apply to in 2025?  First, let us address who it does not apply to, not those who go by the title of Christian, or those who are members of a so-called Church.  Not to any denomination, and not to a person because they were baptized as a child or adult.  Water has never died for anyone, nor has it saved you.

So, what is required to be a people of God?  I believe Scripture tells us it requires faith, that God will give to all who seek truth.  It also states it requires an understanding that you are a sinner and need God’s forgiveness.  An understanding that your good deeds are as filthy rags to a Holy God.  One must come with not one thing to offer God, and receive all that God has promised to be a child of His.

Let us look at the Scriptures;  John 1:12-13,  ^“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God,  who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”  1 Peter 2:9-10,  ^“But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.”

My testimony was a process of being asked to attend a Bible study at a Holiday Inn in Corpus Christi, Texas.  I went in, and I wonder why the man who invited me was going.  For six months, this Baptist attended, and I began to grasp that the men in that Bible study knew the God I was only informed about.  For most of those months, I tried to make deals with God about becoming one of His.  God does not make deals; there is only one way, and that is by Jesus. He tells us He is the door to the Father.

Six months later, I’m in Victory, Texas, staying in a hotel, and about 10 p.m. I put the key in the door and heard a voice, it said Tonight, the last night my Spirit will deal with you.  What did I do? I ran to that hotel Bible, and it opened to Romans chapter 10, and my eyes went to verses 9-10.  This is what it states: “If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.  For with the heart, one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.”  That night in a hotel, I exchanged my identity from Baptist to the start of dying to all that I put before my relationship with God. I confess, I had nothing of worth to offer Him, but I desire to become a son and receive the grace and forgiveness only He could give.  I exchange nothing of value and receive everything, a people of God.  I often go to 2 Corinthians 13:5; you might need to do that.

 

From our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

 

 

 

 

The Second Plague: Frogs

  

Exodus 8:1-15

 

August 24, 2025

 

The Second Plague: Frogs

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh and say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord, “Let my people go, that they may serve me.  But if you refuse to let them go, behold, I will plague all your country with frogs. The Nile shall swarm with frogs that shall come up into your house and into your bedroom and on your bed and into the houses of your servants and your people, and into your ovens and your kneading bowls.  The frogs shall come up on you and on your people and on all your servants.”  And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Stretch out your hand with your staff over the rivers, over the canals and over the pools, and make frogs come up on the land of Egypt!’”  So, Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt, and the frogs came up and covered the land of Egypt.  But the magicians did the same by their secret arts and made frogs come up on the land of Egypt.

Then Pharaoh called Moses and Aaron and said, “Plead with the Lord to take away the frogs from me and from my people, and I will let the people go to sacrifice to the Lord.”  Moses said to Pharaoh, “Be pleased to command me when I am to plead for you and for your servants and for your people, that the frogs be cut off from you and your houses and be left only in the Nile.”  And he said, “Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.  The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.”  So, Moses and Aaron went out from Pharaoh, and Moses cried to the Lord about the frogs, as he had agreed with Pharaoh. And the Lord did according to the word of Moses. The frogs died out in the houses, the courtyards, and the fields.  And they gathered them together in heaps, and the land stank.  But when Pharaoh saw that there was a respite, he hardened his heart and would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

A request to Pharaoh, and a promise, the request, let my people go, and if you do not, I will send a plague of frogs.  God always keeps His promises, and the frogs cover the land, got into their beds, and food.  So, what is the source of evil, Pharaoh? The magicians said that no big deal, we can also make frogs come on land, big problem; they had no secret ways to make the frogs go away.  So, all they did was add more frogs.

 

Now, if you want to get a leader's attention, since a plague on his nation, and he is in trouble.   We saw that in COVID, and the evil one used people like Bill Gates and his partners to use their clout to control the global response, with little oversight.  And now we know that the drug they pushed may have made many in the drug business rich, and they did great harm to many, and still are.  We still have magicians, and they know how to do harm, but their drugs did not come close to the promises made.

 

We also witness that Pharaoh was a liar, and God had already told Moses the truth.  Do you recall the little man who claimed he was science? Guess what, he was also a liar.  Not much has changed; we have a source of truth, his name is Jesus, and we still have those controlled by the evil one.

 

“Tomorrow.” Moses said, “Be it as you say, so that you may know that there is no one like the Lord our God.  The frogs shall go away from you and your houses and your servants and your people. They shall be left only in the Nile.”  And that's what happens.  Yes, the old is forever new, men lie, and God always keeps His promises.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The Seeker

 

 

The Seeker

 

So, you want to join this Christian army, I mean, you are not the Sunday morning pew sitter; you have a passion to know God.  Watch out, for many have gone before you; they also have had zeal for God, but lacked knowledge.  Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, who was called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God, warned us of this in Romans 10:2-4, “I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge.  For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.  For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.” 

 

What is wrong with having a zeal for God?  I looked up the word, and it is defined (as passion, ardor, love, fervor, fire, avidity, devotion, enthusiasm, eagerness, keenness, appetite, relish, gusto, vigor, energy, intensity; fanaticism).  No one should have any problem with the word zeal, but Paul does not stop at zeal, but zeal without knowledge.   How many times have I begun a project with zeal, but did not have the knowledge to do what I set out to do?  One that comes to mind is the octagon gazebo that I was going to build in our backyard in Odem, Texas.  Now I had zeal, but I did not have any plans, nor had I ever seen plans to build an octagon gazebo.  I bought materials without any plans or drawings; how do you think it came out?  It was the biggest mess, but I began with zeal and ended in total frustration.  That is the path for many who have a zeal for God but do not have knowledge of the Scriptures.

Paul tells us they had the following: “For being ignorant of the righteousness that comes from God, and seeking to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.”  What is this righteousness that comes from God?   The Psalmist tells us in Psalms 97:2, “Clouds and thick darkness are all around him; righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.”  We are told that righteousness and justice are the foundation of his throne.  Any word with more than one syllable has always been a challenge for me, so I went for help.  W.E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger, and William White, Jr. have an Expository Dictionary of Biblical words, and that is where I’ve gone for help.  “Righteousness is the character or quality of being right or just; it was formerly spelled ‘rightwiseness,’ which clearly expresses the meaning.  It is used to denote an attribute of God, e.g., Romans 3:5, the context of which shows that “the righteousness of God” means essentially the same as His faithfulness or truthfulness, that which is consistent with His own nature and promises; Romans 3:25,26 speak of His righteousness as exhibited in the death of Christ, which is sufficient to show men that God is neither indifferent to sin nor regards it lightly.  On the contrary, it demonstrates that quality of holiness in Him which must find expression in His condemnation of sin.”

 

We have many examples of men and women in the Bible that God refers to as being in right standing with God; one such man is Job.  Job 1:1, “There was a man in the land of Uz whose name was Job, and that man was blameless and upright, one who feared God and turned away from evil.”  Now Job was the kind of man that God finds joy in; we know this because God brought up Job to Satan.  And you know the rest of the story.  We need to be very careful in trying to put God in our box, a box that says God must do this or that, you fill in what’s in your box that you keep God in.  God gave Satan the right to do everything to Job but kill him, and that included killing his family.  

Since the fall of man, we have all been seeking righteousness on our terms.  God has said in Romans 3:10, 11, “as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; no one understands; no one seeks for God. All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good.”  Now this looks like a bigger problem than I understood. We are told to submit to God’s righteousness, and yet the Scriptures tell me I have no desire to seek God.  We must clear this up before we throw in the towel and become a pew person on Sunday morning. 

 If we return to Romans 10:4, “For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.”  MUCH OF MY LIFE IN CHRIST WAS LOST, BY NOT KNOWING I HAD BEEN FREE FROM THE LAW.  In Galatians 2:20,21, I have found life.  “I have been crucified with Christ.  It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.  And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.  I do not nullify the grace of God, for if justification were through the law, then Christ died for no purpose.”  For so many years, no one told me what died on that cross, but God has shown me through men like Bill Gillham and Dan Stone, who have opened the Scriptures up to me.   Dan Stone, in his book, “The Rest of the Gospel,” in chapter 13 titled (The Rules of Grace) page 145, “We usually quote Galatians 2:20 apart from its context.  It immediately follows Paul’s admonition to Peter concerning the law.  When Paul said, “I have been crucified with Christ,” he was referring to his death to the law.  Paul was saying, “The old me died on the cross with Christ, and when I died, I died to trying to keep the law.  Trying to keep the law is living according to the flesh, with me and my efforts as my point of reference.  I died to myself as my point of reference.  Now, Christ in me is my point of reference.  He is living His life through me.”  

 

On page 146, we read the following: “There is no law that can impart life because law is always tied to self-effort.  And self-effort can’t produce life, because only Jesus is the life.  He has come to live His life in and through us.  The law can only reveal our sin, condemn us for it, and show us our need for a Savior (Romans 3:20).  Once it has done that, it has fulfilled its function.  We are no longer under it (Galatians 3:24-25).  Isn’t it amazing how the Bible gets interpreted these days, marrying law and grace?  I used to do it.  So did the Judaizers 2000 years ago.  But Paul withstood their teaching with his life.  He knew that marrying law and grace would always be the death knell for the complete gospel: Christ in you, the hope of glory.  Few in Paul’s day understood that you can’t marry law and grace.  Few today understand it.  As a result, it can be a lonely life out there without the law.  It isn’t the easiest path to walk in oneness with God, because no one ever sees Him.  Yet you are believing that He lives in you and that your body is a temple of the living God, and you, like Jesus, say, “I just do what I hear from the Father.”  And you are going to live like that?  There won’t be many Christians around you affirming that kind of walk.  But the Spirit will affirm it.

 

If you knew me well, in my business life, I was known as a salesperson who could close the sale.  I like the bottom line, and that’s what Dan has done on page 148 of his book.  “The bottom line is this: law and grace won’t flow together.  They are not compatible.  One is sensible in appearance, but it is death.  The other is absurd in appearance, but it is life.”  Paul has made it very clear in Galatians 5 that Christ has set us free from the law.  Galatians 5:16-18, “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh.  For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.  But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

 

Many years of my life in Christ were wasted. I wanted more of the Christ life, and I even sought gifts that God had given others, as if by my performance, I could earn what God had given to others.  If only I could pray more, read more Scripture, have a better quiet time, somehow, earn the right to this fellowship that evaded me.  In hindsight, it could be said, I had a zeal for God that lacked knowledge.   My life in Christ was somewhat like building an octagon gazebo without plans.  I read 2 Peter 1:3,4, “His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desires.” If I were to summarize 2 Peter 1:3,4, we are told the following: You already have all that God has to give when you trusted Christ as your life.  “He hasn’t got anything else to give you.  He has given you Himself.” (Page 141 The Rest of the Gospel by Dan Stone)

 

So, zeal is not bad, Christian soldier, but you must have understanding and knowledge of the Scripture, or you will be taken captive.  The Bereans were special to Paul for this reason; Acts 17:11, “Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.”  We are instructed to study to show ourselves as workmen who should never be ashamed. 

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood

                                                                    Exodus 7:14-25

 

August 17, 2024

 

The First Plague: Water Turned to Blood

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Pharaoh's heart is hardened; he refuses to let the people go.  Go to Pharaoh in the morning, as he is going out to the water. Stand on the bank of the Nile to meet him, and take in your hand the staff that turned into a serpent.  And you shall say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, sent me to you, saying, “Let my people go, that they may serve me in the wilderness.” But so far, you have not obeyed.  Thus says the Lord, “By this, you shall know that I am the Lord: behold, with the staff that is in my hand I will strike the water that is in the Nile, and it shall turn into blood.  The fish in the Nile shall die, and the Nile will stink, and the Egyptians will grow weary of drinking water from the Nile.”  And the Lord said to Moses, “Say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and stretch out your hand over the waters of Egypt, over their rivers, their canals, and their ponds, and all their pools of water, so that they may become blood, and there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, even in vessels of wood and in vessels of stone.’”

Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded. In the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, he lifted up the staff and struck the water in the Nile, and all the water in the Nile turned into blood.  And the fish in the Nile died, and the Nile stank, so that the Egyptians could not drink water from the Nile. There was blood throughout all the land of Egypt.  But the magicians of Egypt did the same by their secret arts. So,  Pharaoh's heart remained hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.  Pharaoh turned and went into his house, and he did not take even this to heart.  And all the Egyptians dug along the Nile for water to drink, for they could not drink the water of the Nile.

Seven full days passed after the Lord had struck the Nile.

 

Wake up, people, and I’m referring to all people, but especially the USA.  What does God want the Egyptian to understand and you; “That He alone is God” But just like in the USA where Satan guides the hearts and minds of its people through the deception of this world's magicians, they come in many forms the media, the politician and they are easy for Satan to control by two of his false gods, money and power.   Today in the USA, we have two people running for the office of  President and Vice President who hate the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and they are trying to deceive the American voter into believing they have changed their spots, but a leopard never changes its spots or desire.  Now, if you are not a believer, you do not believe in Satan or God, and I have only this question: where does evil come from and good?

 

I have wondered why the media, both papers like the New York Times, CNN, MSNBC, and others, would knowingly tell lies, and it came to me that they like the money, and they obey those who control them.  So once again, we find it is the Love of money, that little god they are bowing down to above all else.   The Bible talks about such people; in fact, Jesus, the source of Truth, tells us it is not money that is evil it is the love of money, where a person will give up integrity and morals and choose evil to have money and power.   

 

If the real Church, not what shows up on Sunday, but the Church, would stand against evil and allow Christ to shine in their lives, we might see God withdraw the blood from the Nile of our nation.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh

                                                                    Exodus 7:1-13

 

August 16, 2024

 

Moses and Aaron Before Pharaoh

And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet.  You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land.  But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment.  The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the people of Israel from among them.”  Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.  Now Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron eighty-three years old, when they spoke to Pharaoh.

 

In the USA, we honor the men, both firefighters and policemen, who ran into the burning Twin Towers to save lives.  Is that not what God is asking Moses to go back to his people, who were slaves in Egypt, and bring them to freedom?

 

Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’”  So, Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.  Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.  For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs.  Still, Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

 

I may be in error in saying this, but I never heard of anyone other than Moses and Aaron that God gave this authority, yet how did the magicians and sorcerers do so?  They also were given the authority, but not from God, but the evil one, and he is a created being who has powers to deceive.  Now they were able to make their staffs into serpents, but God always has the last say in matters of His authority over all things.  So Moses's staff swallowed up their staffs.

 

What is the Application we find in today's reading? It has not one nothing to do with serpents or staff, it has everything to do with obedience.  “Moses and Aaron did so; they did just as the Lord commanded them.”

Are you about your Father's business, as I start my morning, that is my prayer, less Jesus be seen in me as I go.  Has He not said;  ^“In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” (Matthew 5:16)  Many who go by the title of Christian, have put that light under a blanket, not on the lampstand were their lives make a different,

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

 

The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

                                                                    Exodus 6:14-30

 

August 15, 2024

 

The Genealogy of Moses and Aaron

These are the heads of their fathers' houses: the sons of Reuben, the firstborn of Israel: Hanoch, Pallu, Hezron, and Carmi; these are the clans of Reuben.  The sons of Simeon: Jemuel, Jamin, Ohad, Jachin, Zohar, and Shaul, the son of a Canaanite woman; these are the clans of Simeon.  These are the names of the sons of Levi according to their generations: Gershon, Kohath, and Merari, the years of the life of Levi being 137 years. The sons of Gershon: Libni and Shimei, by their clans.  The sons of Kohath: Amram, Izhar, Hebron, and Uzziel, the years of the life of Kohath being 133 years.  The sons of Merari: Mahli and Mushi. These are the clans of the Levites according to their generations.  Amram took as his wife Jochebed his father's sister, and she bore him Aaron and Moses, the years of the life of Amram being 137 years.  The sons of Izhar: Korah, Nepheg, and Zichri.  The sons of Uzziel: Mishael, Elzaphan, and Sithri.  Aaron took as his wife Elisheba, the daughter of Amminadab and the sister of Nahshon, and she bore him Nadab, Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar.  The sons of Korah: Assir, Elkanah, and Abiasaph; these are the clans of the Korahites.  Eleazar, Aaron's son, took as his wife one of the daughters of Putiel, and she bore him Phinehas. These are the heads of the fathers' houses of the Levites by their clans.

These are the Aaron and Moses to whom the Lord said: “Bring out the people of Israel from the land of Egypt by their hosts.”  It was they who spoke to Pharaoh, king of Egypt, about bringing out the people of Israel from Egypt, this Moses and this Aaron.

On the day when the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt,  the Lord said to Moses, “I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt all that I say to you.”  But Moses said to the Lord, “Behold, I am of uncircumcised lips. How will Pharaoh listen to me?”

 

Often, as we look for application in God’s word, we see the hand of God in the length of life.  Today, without modern medicine, life would be much shorter, and yes, we who look and believe see the hand of God.

But if you are a seeker of truth, you will see the unbeliever not in God but in themselves.  The thing both Morses and Arron would learn is that God never expects anything from them but obedience, and that whole truth for all who God used, like Moses, to be His man of the hour.  Today, in both the USA  and Israel, we find ourselves under attack.  Israel is at war, and the enemy of hate who came to kill, steal, and destroy is using godless people like the leaders of Iran to be his tools.  We are in a different battle in the United States of America, the evil one is using the media, and men who have great wealth, who hate freedom, the Bill of Rights, and God, to try and destroy us.  What is the tool the evil one is using, money in all cases, and power, to control and rule?   The owner of the media tells those who work for them what to say and not say, so truth is not the goal; it is money.  And the same is true for many in all areas of government, money, and power, and their father is the real enemy, the devil.

 

We have raised a generation of people who have been pampered and self-centered, being fed lies about this nation and Israel, and their god is stuff.  Please pray that the Church will wake up and stand not for a political party, but for Truth. Jesus is the Truth.  

 

Note: Money is not a god you can trust.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice