Did

DEVOTION

EXODUS

DID

Ex 7:6-13

6 Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD commanded them. 7 Moses was eighty years old and Aaron eighty-three when they spoke to Pharaoh. 8 The LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 "When Pharaoh says to you, 'Perform a miracle,' then say to Aaron, 'Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,' and it will become a snake." 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the LORD commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. 11 Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: 12 Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Yet Pharaoh's heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the LORD had said.

NIV

We could focus on the fact that Moses was eighty years of age when he spoke to Pharaoh. That would also mean that for the next forty years he would be the leader of the people of Israel. He spent the first third of his life in the court of Pharaoh, the second third of his life in Midian, and now the last third being the man God intended him to be. Certainly we do not live to one hundred and twenty years of age, but if we divide our life span into thirds we still come up with the last third, most likely, being the most productive years we have for the kingdom. Just as Moses did, we spent the first portion of our life learning our trade skills, our profession. We may also have been believers or perhaps not, but the older we became, the more mature in the Lord we became. As we studied his word and mediated upon it, we grew spiritually, just as Moses did in Midian. Then we began to have more confidence to move forward in our gifts of the Spirit, with our later years being the most effective. Rather than stepping aside to allow the younger ones to do everything, we should be out there doing just as the LORD commands. We could also focus on the first miracle here of the staff turning into a snake as well as eating up the staffs of the magicians. It is noteworthy to consider the black arts can counterfeit some of the miracles of God. This is why God has gifted us with discernment. They attempted to match the miracle of God, but his power ate up their puny effects. Throughout the world we may encounter many false miracles in an attempt to prove man is more powerful then God. Satan uses what limited power he has to endeavor to sway people into believing God is not real, that they have the real power. The black arts are at work in the world today. But we know them when we see them because of the gift of discernment. We know the true miracles of God when we see them and his power is absolute, it will always triumph over evil. But our lesson today should be in some words that are repeated in this narrative. “Did just as the LORD commanded” As well as “Just as the LORD had said”.  Even with all the attempts to excuse himself, he did just as the Lord commanded. There may be times in our lives we do not want to do something for the kingdom of God. That seems a little odd to say, coming from a believer. Nevertheless we have to admit that may well be the truth. When prompted by the Spirit to speak to someone about Jesus, we might try to find a reason not to. When prompted by the Spirit to lead a class, or a small group, we might find a reason we are not qualified, or we can’t speak well in front of people. When prompted by the Spirit to do anything for the kingdom, we try to find something lacking in our abilities that would prevent us from that action. In that sense we are no different than Moses, but as we see, he did just as the LORD commanded. Should we do any less? When God commands us to do, we need to do just as the Lord commanded. Some might say they have not heard any commands. But many of his commands are already written down for us so we will not ever forget them. One of them is the greatest command.

Matt 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: "'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.'   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.'   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments." 

NIV

We could spend an entire book on the commands of God, in fact, he already did. We simply have to live with that same response of Moses and Aaron, “They did just as the LORD commanded”. We should be living just as the LORD has commanded.