WORSHIP: Part 2
Why, How and Whom We Worship
(Wednesday Evening Bible Study April 26-May 17, 2023)
- Even the use or abuse of His name is important
- Romans 10:13 whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved
- Proverbs 18:10 The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run in and are safe
Strong #7812 (Shaw-khaw) to depress; prostrate, (especially reflexively and homage to royalty or God) - bow (self) down, crouch, fall down, flat humbly, obeisance (Genesis 37:7, 9) reverence; make to stoop
Vs. 12 - The reason God didn't want the Children of Israel to forget who brought them out of bondage, was because people do forget!
Vs. 13 - You shall fear the Lord your God and swear by an oath of loyalty
Vs. 14 - you shall denounce all the gods around you
Lot and his family lived in the city so evil God had to destroy it himself. They were surrounded by perversion. His family was affected. His son-in-laws never left, his wife turned back to see the city. So he was only left with his 2 daughters.
Genesis 19:30-38
-
- Moabites - Numbers 25:1-5 - they worshipped Baal Peor
- Ammonites - Leviticus 18:21 - Moloch the Ammonites god of Child Sacrifice
Vs. 15 - there is imminent danger for serving these local gods
Vs. 16 - You Shall not tempt the Lord Your God
REF: Luke 4:9-12 (Jesus references this verse when rebuking Satan)
The Ten Plagues of Egypt - also known as the Ten Plagues, the Plagues of Egypt, or the Biblical Plagues - are described in Exodus 7-12. The plagues were ten disasters sent upon Egypt by God to convince Pharaoh to free the Israelite slaves from the bondage and oppression they had endured in Egypt for 400 years. When God sent Moses to deliver the children of Israel from bondage in Egypt, He promised to show His wonders as confirmation of Moses' authority (Exodus 3:20). This confirmation was to serve at least two purposes: to show the Israelites that the God of their fathers was alive and worthy of their worship (Exodus 6:6-8, 12:25-27) and to show the Egyptians that their gods were nothing (Exodus 7:5, 12:12; Numbers 33:4)
The first plague, turning the Nile to blood, was a judgment against Apis, the god of the Nile, Isis, goddess of the Nile, and Khnum, guardian of the Nile. The Nile was also believed to be the bloodstream of Osiris, who was reborn each year when the river flooded. The river, which formed the basis of daily life and the national economy, was devastated, as millions of fish died in the river and the water was unusable. Pharaoh was told, "By this you will know that I am the LORD" (Exodus 7:17).
The second plague, bringing frogs from the Nile, was a judgment against Heqet, the frog-headed goddess of birth. Frogs were thought to be sacred and not to be killed. God had the frogs invade every part of the homes of the Egyptians, and when the frogs died, their stinking bodies were heaped up in offensive piles all through the land (Exodus 8:13-14).
The third plague, gnats, was a judgment on Set, the god of the desert. Unlike the previous plagues, the magicians were unable to duplicate this one and declared to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God" (Exodus 8:19).
The fourth plague, flies, was a judgment on Uatchit, the fly god. In this plague, God clearly distinguished between the Israelites and the Egyptians, as no swarms of flies bothered the areas where the Israelites lived (Exodus 8:21-24).
The fifth plague, the death of livestock, was a judgment on the goddess Hathor and the god Apis, who were both depicted as cattle. As with the previous plague, God protected His peple from the plague, while the cattle of the Egyptians died. God was steadily destroying the economy of Egypt, while showing His ability to protect and provide for those who obeyed Him. Pharaoh even sent investigators (Exodus 9:7) to find out if the Israelites were suffering along with the Egyptians, but the result was a hardening of his heart against the Israelites.
The sixth plague, boils, was a judgment against several gods over health and disease (Sekhmet, Sunu, and Isis). This time, the Bible says that the magicians "could not stand before Moses because of the boils." Clearly, these religious leaders were powerless against the God of Israel.
The seventh plague, hail, attacked Nut, the sky goddess: Osiris, the crop fertility god; and Set, the storm god. This hail as unlike any that had been seen before. It was accompanied by a fire which ran along the ground, and everything left out in the open was decastated by the hail and fire. Again, the children of Israel were miraculously protected, and no hail damaged anything in their lands.
Before God brought the next plague, He told Moses that the Israelites would be able to tell their children of the things they had seen God do in Egypt and how it showed them God's power. The eighth plague, locusts, again focused on Nut, Osiris, and Set. The later crops, wheat and rye, which had survived the hail, were now devoured by the swarms of locusts. There would be no harvest in Egypt that year.
The ninth plague, darkness, was aimed at the sun god, Re, who was symbolized by Pharaoh himself. For three days, the land of Egypt was smothered with an unearthly darkness, but the homes of the Israelites had light.
The tenth and last plague, the death of the firstborn males, was a judgment on Isis, the protector of children. In this plague, God was teaching the Israelites a deep spiritual lesson that pointed to Christ. Unlike the other plagues, which the Israelites survived by virtue of their identity as God's people, this plague required an act of faith by them. God commanded each family to take an unblemished male lamb and kill it. The blood of the lamb was to be smeared on the top and sides of their doorways, and the lamb was to be roasted and eaten that night. Any family that did not follow God's instructions would suffer in the last plague. God described how He would send the destroyer through the land of Egypt, with orders to slay the firstborn male in every household, whether human or animal. The only protection was the blood of the lamb on the door. When the destroyer saw the blood, he would pass over the house and leave it untouched (Exodus 12:23). This is where the term Passover comes from. Passover is a memorial of that night in ancient Egpyt when God delivered His people from bondage. I Corinthians 5:7 teaches that Jesus became our Passover when He died to deliver us from the bondage of sin. While the Israelites found God's protection in their homes, every other home in the land of EWgypt experienced God's wrath as their loved ones died. This grievous event caused Pharaoh to finally release the Israelites.
Luke 4:5-8