INTERSECTING FEAR AND LOVE, MOSES AND EGYPT
Friday – May 18, 2018, Sivan 4, 5778
God is so very good! Welcome back to this challenging and faith building Bible Study from the Book of Hebrews. Yesterday we left off talking about God being love and if that be so than we also are love. At the very bottom of all things is love, obedience to the Word, the Covenant, and a selfless lifestyle or attitude. The other side of the love coin is fear. We will declare that we love God and have faith in God yet walk in fear, these ideas are incompatible and we are speaking and living a lie. That is to say, when fear is present, faith and love are absent. When faith and love are present fear is absent. Faith and love bring abundance into our lives and further the Kingdom of God whereas fear brings destruction even death into our lives and brings shame to the Kingdom. As we prepare to move forward let’s read our primary Bible text aloud.
Hebrews 11:23-27 (KJV)
23 By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents, because they saw he was a proper child; and they were not afraid of the king’s commandment.
24 By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter;
25 Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;
26 Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward.
27 By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible.
I am still focused on the lack of fear in Moses parents which saved Moses life and furthered the plan of God. This placed the Word of God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in a much higher place than the King of Egypt. So, must we put the Word of God in a much higher place then the ruler of this world, Satan. With all of this in mind I will return to our secondary text written by the Apostle John, also known as the Apostle of love, as inspired or anointed of the Holy Spirit. Could it be that this Apostle’s life of love, obedience to the Word, accounted for his being the only one to die at a very old age?
1 John 4:15-19 (KJV)
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
16 And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.
17 Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this world.
18 There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.
19 We love him, because he first loved us.
As we left off yesterday in verse sixteen (the number of love) that a life of obedience to the Word of God places us in a very special and protected place, in God. Psalm ninety-one tells us that when we abide or dwell in Him no harm can befall us nor can any pestilence come near our dwelling. Sounds to me like this life of love, obedience to the Word of God might be worth the effort. What do you think? As we move into the verse of victory (17) he is going to give us the secret of mature love (obedience of the Word of God). I would guess that all my readers understand that boldness is not born of fear but of faith and love. The day of judgment is not just the Beamer of Christ but it is the ongoing judging by God of our life. We make choices as to what to think, what to say, and what to do. The devil is constantly before the Father accusing us, our Lawyer speaks on our behalf and our Blood Covenant in Him with the Father. The verdict comes down from the Father, innocent or guilty. When we are in obedience we are acting without fear and we are acting just like Jesus, therefore “as he is, so are we in this world.” Wow, isn’t this just wonderful?
Next, we find out that there is “no fear” zero fear in love. Perfect obedience, perfect or mature selflessness, and observance of the Blood Covenant allows no place for fear. Fear is sin, leaven is a type of sin, so just as a little leaven, leavens the whole loaf of bread so does a little fear contaminate the whole person. The outcome of this contamination is a life that does not have the markings of an abundant Kingdom of God life. The other thing I suspect we have all experienced is the torment of fear. When we are being tormented by something we must immediately realize that we have allowed fear in and it is pushing out faith and love. Even a little fear prevents a person from maturing in God. Our secondary passage concludes with the words: “We love him, because he first loved us.” God was first obedient to His Words by sending the Messiah, therefore we have the wonderful opportunity to be obedient to Him, to His Words.
Isaiah 1:19-20 (KJV)
19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land:
20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
Being willing is critical to obedience and the harvest produced by that obedience. You perhaps have witnessed in yourself or others an instance where they were obedient but they certainly were not willing, that is the same as disobedience and sin. The same sword (judgment or justice of God) that gives us the good of the land is the same as the one which allows the land to devour us. Lord willing, I will talk about Moses next week.
Until our next publication, I speak this Scriptural prayer for your life right now, receive it in the name of Jesus, confess it, and walk it out with thanksgiving.
2 Peter 1:2-4 (KJV)
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
By: Dr. David Wood, Author, Bible Teacher, and Prophetic Voice
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