They Crossed the Red Sea

 

Exodus 14:26-31

 

September 4, 2024

 

They Crossed the Red Sea

 

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand over the sea, that the water may come back upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and upon their horsemen.”  So, Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the sea returned to its normal course when the morning appeared. And as the Egyptians fled into it, the Lord threw the Egyptians into the midst of the sea.  The waters returned and covered the chariots and the horsemen; of all the host of Pharaoh that had followed them into the sea, not one of them remained.  But the people of Israel walked on dry ground through the sea, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.

Thus, the Lord saved Israel that day from the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the seashore.  Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians, so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.

 

Have you noticed the drastic change in your culture? Well, we have in the USA, “But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days.  People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy,  without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people.”  (2 Timothy 3:1-5)  We are witnesses to this, and it is like God is drawing this nation into the Red Sea.   We have a prophecy going back to Isaiah 5:20, “Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

 

When I was just a small child, it was clear that those Yankees were different from us Southerners.  But as I grew up and was taught by my parents, that yes, how and where a person was raised had a lot to do with their actions.  But they made sure that we showed respect for anyone older than us.  I never heard my dad use a bad word, then one day, and I’m not sure what happened, but to our shock, he said those damn Yankees,  and he was not referring to a baseball team.  As I got older, I studied the  American Civil War (April 12, 1861- May 26, 1865).  My dad was born in 1919, 58 years after the war that divided a nation. His grandparents were very much involved in that war, and the way they were treated by the North after the war.  It is easy to see how people would not trust them, but as a nation, we put that in the rearview mirror. 

 

 Today, September 4, 2024, our nation is divided once again, but this time it is over values, morals, respect, and integrity. So let me address those items: Values are defined as “the regard that something is held to deserve; the importance, worth, or usefulness of something Your support is of great Value."  Please allow me to share mine, and in that, we are so divided; they may not be yours, but I would die for these, that is the value I place on them.  Freedom, that all men are created equal, and that God has never made a mistake.  My right to Worship God, my right to share my thoughts about His love for all people, and that Jesus is the answer to our division.  The value I put on the family, and that they are my responsibility, not yours or the government's.  Moral: “A person’s idea of morals tends to be shaped by their surrounding environment (and their belief system). Moral values shape a person’s ideas about right and wrong.” Let me once more share that these are my morals, I was taught these by my parents, and by studying the Scriptures.  Not stealing, lying, being lazy in my work, and having a sexual relationship with a man is morally wrong for a man, as is having a sexual relationship with a woman other than your wife.  Respect is defined by the Apostle Paul in Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  As I have stated, I was taught to show respect for anyone 10 years older than myself; they were to be addressed as yes, sir or yes, ma'am.  Anyone in authority was to be given respect, and that for sure meant the police.  When I went into the Army, I had officers who, as men, did not earn respect, but the uniform and rank did.  When it comes to politicians, the same holds, and I must say they do not make it easy.  That brings us to one that I value very highly: integrity: “the quality of being honest and having strong moral principles; moral uprightness. "He is known to be a man of integrity."  From the Scriptures: Proverbs 19:1, “Better is a poor person who walks in his integrity  than one who is crooked in speech and is a fool.”  Proverbs 12:22, “The LORD detests lying lips, but he delights in people who are trustworthy.”  Psalm 41:11:12 is very good counsel; ”I know that you are pleased with me, for my enemy does not triumph over me. Because of my integrity, you uphold me and set me in your presence forever.”

 

In this life, we are all going to experience our Red Sea. Now, the question is, are you going to cross on dry ground, or have the water come over you?

 

I’m 82, and have been blessed by God in so many ways, it took a while to live the values that I now employ in my life, but they have given me something that many are not getting, peace, love, not hate for those who hate me for being a person with values, who has no doubt that God has open the Red Sea of my life to place my feet on sound footing.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Pharaoh Regrets

 

Exodus 14:10-25

 

September 3, 2024

Pharaoh Regrets 

When Pharaoh drew near, the people of Israel lifted up their eyes, and behold, the Egyptians were marching after them, and they feared greatly. And the people of Israel cried out to the Lord.  They said to Moses, “Is it because there are no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us in bringing us out of Egypt?  Is not this what we said to you in Egypt: ‘Leave us alone that we may serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.”  And Moses said to the people, “Fear not, stand firm, and see the salvation of the Lord, which he will work for you today. For the Egyptians whom you see today, you shall never see again.  The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”

 

Some may say, What is wrong with them? Did they not believe in God? The answer is no, they believed it was going to be a slaughter, and guess what, 98 % of church members, and I'm not sure about the 2 % would be blaming your Moses and begging God to fight for them.

 

Now, Bob, that is so harsh, and you are right, but how many of you and this writer have asked why me, God?  Yes, we are not that different than them.

The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward.  Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground.  And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen.  And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

 

Often, God allows you to have your Red Sea out front and your enemy closing in; it comes in many forms, divorce, loss of job, kids in trouble at school, and often being told you have cancer or something worse.  And the only path is the Red Sea, and that is going to take more faith than you have; you need a miracle, you need Jesus.

 

Then the angel of God who was going before the host of Israel moved and went behind them, and the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them,  coming between the host of Egypt and the host of Israel. And there was the cloud and the darkness. And it lit up the night without one coming near the other all night.

Do you believe in demons? Scripture tells us they are fallen angels, but Israel's Archangel is Michal, their Prince.  He was under orders to protect and fight for the Chosen People.

 

 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left. The Egyptians pursued and went in after them into the midst of the sea, all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen.  And in the morning, watch the Lord, in the pillar of fire and of cloud, looked down on the Egyptian forces and threw the Egyptian forces into a panic,  clogging their chariot wheels so that they drove heavily. And the Egyptians said, “Let us flee from before Israel, for the Lord fights for them against the Egyptians.”

 

Maybe doing as Mo​ses did is the application you and I need.   Just do what God has told us to do, by the faith He has given us, and know He is God.  The Egyptians got it, but it was too late; the waters were coming over them.

 

From ​our Back Porch,

Bob Rice

Before crossing the Red Sea

 

 

Exodus 14;1-9

 

September 2, 2024

 

Crossing the Red Sea

 Then the Lord said to Moses,  “Tell the people of Israel to turn back and encamp in front of Pi-hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea, in front of Baal-zephon; you shall encamp facing it, by the sea.  For Pharaoh will say of the people of Israel, ‘They are wandering in the land; the wilderness has shut them in.’  And I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and he will pursue them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so.

When the king of Egypt was told that the people had fled, the mind of Pharaoh and his servants was changed toward the people, and they said, “What is this we have done that we have let Israel go from serving us?”  So he made ready his chariot and took his army with him,  and took six hundred chosen chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them.  And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, king of Egypt, and he pursued the people of Israel while the people of Israel were going out defiantly.  The Egyptians pursued them, all Pharaoh's horses and chariots and his horsemen and his army, and overtook them encamped at the sea, by Pi-hahiroth, in front of Baal-zephon.

Exodus 14:1-9 ESV details God's command to the Israelites to encamp by the sea, setting up a tactical trap. Believing they are confused and trapped by the wilderness, Pharaoh hardens his heart and pursues them with his entire army, overtaking them at Pi-hahiroth.  (From the Internet)

 

Has there been a time in your walk with the Lord when you just felt trapped? You were crying out to the Lord for help, but it was only much later that you realized God had use you real life example to change or show Himself strong in the lives of others?  Well that where the chosen of God find themselves, and looking back, they will have a better understanding of God.  And the people of Egypt will know that He is God, not the images they have been worshiping.

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

 

Exodus 13:17:22

 

September 1, 2024

 

Pillars of Cloud and Fire

When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt.”  But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle.  Moses took the bones of Joseph with him, for Joseph had made the sons of Israel solemnly swear, saying, “God will surely visit you, and you shall carry up my bones with you from here.”  And they moved on from Succoth and encamped at Etham, on the edge of the wilderness.  And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud to lead them along the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night.  The pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night did not depart from before the people.

We human Critters are often discouraged by challenges, in my career one of my tasks in my job was to be a resource to Dupont, in the Electric Markets Division.  They wanted the plant they had in East Germany to change to 3M’s terminations and asked me to contact the head engineer.  She happens to be a woman, and she let me know that it was not fun making those kinds of decisions.  She said, under communism, we had a committee that did all of that, I do not like all this freedom.  The 40-plus years under communism had I’m sure not been that great, but having to be responsible was not to her liking.

 

Now, it has only been a few days since slavery, God, who is all-knowing, knew they would not fight for freedom and the promised land; they would choose captivity over freedom.  You nor I can imagine 430 years under Egypt's rules and its little gods.  They needed the wilderness to allow them to know whom they were following, and it was God, not Moses. 

 

But God began to show them He would lead, by using a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night.  

After reading the Scripture, and looking for an application, this thought came into my small thinker, has God had to take us by the wilderness so that we could learn that He is God and not us?  If I began to share the many lessons I have experienced, some very painful and costly, to become the person I am today. Now I’m still a mess; I have not arrived, nor has anyone, so worship God, and you will be on the right path.

 

Today’s sermon was titled “Make Room for Jesus.”  Jesus will not stay in a closet; He wants access to all of your life.  My Pastor quotes Blaise Pascal on how to begin to hear from and seek God.  “All men's miseries derive from not being able to sit in a quiet room alone.”  I’ve found that when you do so, seeking Truth, you will leave the room with a fresh understanding of how to go about the day.

 

Pastor Ray shares about his basketball coach and his senior years. In a very important end-of-the-year game, the coach called the three seniors back after giving instructions to the team and asked, "Do you want to win?" It was a very close game with little time left to play.  They answered yes, coach, and his reply was Go do it.  His point was Do you want a closer walk with Jesus? Then go do it.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice

A land of Freedom & Plenty

 

A land of Freedom & Plenty 

 

From an 84-year-old that travel to many places and Countries, and has never wanted to stay long in any of them.  If you're young and have been in the school system, it seems that you have not been taught about the greatness of our nation, just where we have fallen short.

 

The American Revolution (1775–1783) secured the United States' freedom from Great Britain. The conflict officially ended with the signing of the Treaty of Paris on September 3, 1783, which granted the 13 colonies full independence.   This is what I learned. In school, the people of this new country were subject to the rule of England, and they were taxed at a very high rate with no voice or vote. They were subjects of the king, and whatever he desired, his soldiers enforced.  The men who signed the Declaration of  Independence.  

 

The 56 signers of the Declaration of Independence paid a devastating personal and financial price for treason against the British Crown. Many were wealthy and educated, yet they pledged their lives, fortunes, and sacred honor—and the consequences were severe. 

 

The ultimate cost paid by the group included the following staggering losses:

• Imprisonment and Torture: Five signers were captured by the British and tortured as traitors before they died. 
• Property Destruction: Twelve had their homes and properties looted or destroyed by enemy forces. 
• Financial Ruin: Five lost their entire fortunes funding the Continental Army, while others, like Carter Braxton and Thomas Nelson Jr., died in poverty and bankruptcy. 
• Family Tragic Tolls: Nine died directly from wounds or hardships during the Revolutionary War. Others had their wives imprisoned, and several lost their sons in battle. 

 

"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

 

Questions that need explaining: How did slavery come to this new land? By people of there on Country rounding them up and selling them to what became known as slave ships to not only the thirteen colonies but also to many other nations, such as Britain and other places.  Most were viewed as property.  But the Black people were not the only ones that were treated as sub-human, so were the Irish, and many of them sold themselves as indentured servant.  Women were not given the right to vote on June 4, 1919, and most did not get to till the 19th Amendment was approved by 36 states on August 18, 1920.  And women of color were not allowed to vote for many years.  Evil men, who were mostly Democrats in the South, came up with ways like the poll tax to keep them from voting.  Note: A young nation made many mistakes, and most of them have been corrected.

 

I was raised in Corpus Christi, Texas. We did not know how poor we were, that is, until about the seventh grade, and you were the only one in school who had patches on your blue jeans.  Today, having a hole in them is cool, but in the early 50^th it meant one thing: you were poor.  I have been blessed by God with the ability to work, and my dad was big on doing it right the first time.  I worked for HEB Grocers as a sack boy at the age of 12, and I made 60 cents an hour.  I got two years of college by working nights at a place called Corn Products.  I worked from 11 p.m. to seven a.m., and my first class was at 8:30 a.m.  I regret that I saw little need for school, and I would encourage all to study and learn, as it will be of great value later in life.

 

In 1942, I was born on Planet Earth, and it was a time of war. I’ve read that we fought Germany to save Europe, and it was the War to End All Wars.  But not many years later, both Japan and Germany were trying to control the world by killing, and once more we fought a war to give freedom to Europe, and many others.  You may have thought that Hitler was just killing the Jewish people, but you would be so wrong.  Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime systematically murdered an estimated 17 million people in total. This includes 6 million Jews during the Holocaust, alongside an additional 11 million non-Jewish victims through targeted mass killings, slave labor, and deliberate starvation.

 

And today, some of you think that Marxism & Communism would be a good form of Government, that freedom, you enjoy in the USA.  In both business and pleasure, I’ve been able to visit many countries, and I have yet to find one that gives me the freedoms of our great Country.

 

Now as a Gentile, and a follower of  Christ, let me share a truth that many college student or ignorant of:  Genesis 12: 3, God make this promise to Abram, before God change is name to Abraham  “I will bless those who bless you, and him who dishonors you I will curse, and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”  

Since 1948, Israel has heavily blessed the world through groundbreaking contributions to global healthcare, water conservation, agriculture, and technology. Despite its small size and arid climate, it has become a global hub for life-saving innovations and humanitarian relief, fundamentally improving daily life and survival for billions worldwide. 

 

Born out of a desperate need to survive in a mostly arid region, Israel's AgTech sector has revolutionized global farming and water management. 

• Modern Drip Irrigation: Invented in Israel, this technology delivers water and nutrients directly to plant roots, vastly increasing crop yields while saving billions of gallons of water globally.
• Desalination and Recycling: Israel recycles roughly 90% of its wastewater—more than any other country—and leads the world in turning seawater into fresh, drinkable water.
•  

 Medical and Biotech Breakthroughs

Israel’s biomedical sector has introduced world-changing treatments and diagnostic tools. 

• PillCam: The first swallowable, pill-sized camera that allows doctors to visualize the human gastrointestinal tract without invasive surgery. 
• Multiple Sclerosis Treatment: The blockbuster drug Copaxone was developed in Israel, transforming the lives of countless MS patients worldwide. 
• Exoskeleton Technology: The ReWalk robotic exoskeleton system enables individuals with spinal cord injuries and paraplegia to stand upright, walk, and climb stairs. 

 

Computing and Consumer Technology

Israel’s "Start-Up Nation" culture has been a major driver of modern tech infrastructure and software. 

• Waze: The widely used, crowdsourced GPS and navigation app that helps millions of commuters avoid traffic and hazards globally daily. 
• USB Flash Drives: Pioneered in Israel, this technology replaced floppy disks and changed how the world stores and transfers portable data. 

 

 Global Humanitarian Relief

When natural disasters or crises strike globally, Israel’s emergency response teams are frequently among the first on the scene. The IsraAID NGO provides emergency relief, clean water, and psychological support in dozens of countries following earthquakes, hurricanes, and conflicts. Additionally, the nation's medical centers regularly treat patients from all over the globe, including those from neighboring conflict regions. 

 

 

• Israel at 75: A Nation Blessing the Whole World - ICEJ

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Dec 21, 2024 — In the 2024 World Index of Healthcare Innovation, Israel ranks 12th and leads Asia with an overall score of 50.62. 

 

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Apr 3, 2025 — Israel's commitment to medical advancements is driven by a deep-seated belief in the sanctity of life. Some of their other medical...

 

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• Israeli Inventions That Changed the World - Cutting Edge - Haaretz.com

Apr 13, 2021 — Israel has made many inventions that have impacted humanity. Here are some of them: Military self-defense systems ...

 

From our Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

Moses Given Powerful Signs

 

Exodus 4:1-17

 

August 10, 2024

 

Moses Given Powerful Signs

Then Moses answered, “But behold, they will not believe me or listen to my voice, for they will say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you.’”  The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.”  And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So, he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it.  But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand—  “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”  Again, the Lord said to him, “Put your hand inside your cloak.” And he put his hand inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, his hand was leprous like snow. ⁷ Then God said, “Put your hand back inside your cloak.” So, he put his hand back inside his cloak, and when he took it out, behold, it was restored like the rest of his flesh.  “If they will not believe you,” God said, “or listen to the first sign, they may believe the latter sign.  If they will not believe even these two signs or listen to your voice, you shall take some water from the Nile and pour it on the dry ground, and the water that you shall take from the Nile will become blood on the dry ground.”

But Moses said to the Lord, “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”  Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”  But he said, “Oh, my Lord, please send someone else.”  Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses, and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart.  You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do.  He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.  And take in your hand this staff, with which you shall do the signs.”

 

Do you identify with Moses when he asked God a what-if?  Is it possible you, I, and the Church can be defined as “What If” people?  The Lord may not tell you to throw down your staff, but if he did, you and I would be just like Moses and become distance runners.  Now our calling is probably not to lead a nation out of captivity, but to share with someone we work with, a relative, or a friend how God has rescued you from the control of sin and set your feet on sound ground.

 

But it is the “What If” that keeps us from trusting God and allowing the Spirit to give us the words we need to share the victory we have in Christ.  What if they tell me I’m a bible thumper? What if they make fun of me? What if they defriend me on social media?  Yes, the enemy of our soul will give us many “what-ifs, " but God will do it all for you if you trust Him.

 

Yes, you and I have a lot in common with Moses at this stage of his life, looking for a reason too big for God to overcome our lack of skill to do what He has led us to do.  This was His answer to Moses and to us: “Oh, my Lord, I am not eloquent, either in the past or since you have spoken to your servant, but I am slow of speech and of tongue.”  Then the Lord said to him, “Who has made man's mouth? Who makes him mute, or deaf, or seeing, or blind? Is it not I, the Lord?  Now therefore go, and I will be with your mouth and teach you what you shall speak.”

 

Often, we say, “What if people say, as did Moses sent someone else should go, and, like Moses, it is our brother in Christ that God has already told to go and encourage us.  How I wonder if God’s anger is kindled and you miss the blessing of being His instrument.

 

From the Back Porch,

 

Bob Rice

--

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

 

 

Exodus 13:3-16

 

August 31, 2024

 

The Feast of Unleavened Bread

Then Moses said to the people, “Remember this day in which you came out from Egypt, out of the house of slavery, for by a strong hand the Lord brought you out from this place. No leavened bread shall be eaten.  Today, in the month of Abib, you are going out.  And when the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites, which he swore to your fathers to give you, a land flowing with milk and honey, you shall keep this service in this month.  Seven days you shall eat unleavened bread, and on the seventh day there shall be a feast to the Lord.  Unleavened bread shall be eaten for seven days; no leavened bread shall be seen with you, and no leaven shall be seen with you in all your territory.  You shall tell your son on that day, ‘It is because of what the Lord did for me when I came out of Egypt.’  And it shall be to you as a sign on your hand and as a memorial between your eyes, that the law of the Lord may be in your mouth. For with a strong hand the Lord has brought you out of Egypt.  You shall therefore keep this statute at its appointed time from year to year.

“When the Lord brings you into the land of the Canaanites, as he swore to you and your fathers, and shall give it to you,  you shall set apart to the Lord all that first opens the womb. All the firstborn of your animals that are males shall be the Lord's.  Every firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb, or if you will not redeem it, you shall break its neck. Every firstborn of man among your sons you shall redeem.  And when in time to come your son asks you, ‘What does this mean?’ you shall say to him, ‘By a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt, from the house of slavery.  For when Pharaoh stubbornly refused to let us go, the Lord killed all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both the firstborn of man and the firstborn of animals. Therefore, I sacrifice to the Lord all the males that first open the womb, but all the firstborn of my sons I redeem.’  It shall be as a mark on your hand or frontlets between your eyes, for by a strong hand the Lord brought us out of Egypt.”

 

Before reading this Scripture, my thoughts went to how a culture that was foreign to your fathers would have an effect after 430 years?

The first Feast of Unleavened Bread, I bet, was one great praise time to the Lord.  But freedom comes with responsibility, and one who has been in slavery may not be all that reasonable.  It has been a long time since Jacob, Joseph, and the God that they serve have not changed, but the people have changed.  When God appeared to Moses in that burning bush that was not consumed, do you recall He told Moses to take off his shoes, for He was on Holy Ground.  We get a glimpse of God using a shepherd to lead a people out of captivity, into freedom, both physically and spiritually.  Jesus came to earth to do the same thing, but His was to change your and mine eternal destiny.  

As we keep reading, we will come to understand that it will require this mass of people to look to the God with whom Moses and Aaron have a relationship.

 My parents and their grandparents, if they were able to see this amazing technology we enjoy today, would talk about culture shock.  But I believe that would not be the biggest shock.  I can only imagine the Culture Shock of the moral and spiritual decline they would witness.  Now, could this happen, by the lust for more?  Jesus was very clear that a person cannot serve God and money; you will love one and hate the other.  Our great-grandparents understood money was not evil; it was the lust for money, and it was replacing a person's need to seek God. When more becomes our focus, other things take a back seat, like raising a child in the fear of the Lord. Often, the family seeks the urgent and leaves the important.  In my short 82 years, I have witnessed many who go by the title of Christian, putting more before all else, and without the knowledge from Scripture, have let the more lead them into being a slave to the lender.  Here is where we are as a Nation: Credit card debt reported as of August 26, 2024, 4:00 am. Americans are racking up credit card debt as they struggle to keep up with the cost of living, and experts say those who earn the least are the hardest hit. Total credit card balances rose 5.8% from a year ago to $1.14 trillion, according to a recent New York Fed report.

The more people put stuff first, the more they move into Slavery.  God has not changed, but we have moved from His authority to looking to government and self; neither can lead you out of the Egypt you have entered.

One of the best investments today is a storage building, it is where people put stuff they are tired of but may still be paying for it, and so they pay more to keep stuff that they could have given away and help a young couple or person in need.  And we say we do not worship stuff.

 

From the Back Porch,

Bob Rice