The Daily Fountain Devotional of the Church Of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 19 December 2020 – We Must Go Very Far Away
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Topic: We Must Go Very Far Away
Read: Exodus 8:20-32 (NKJV)
- And the LORD said to Moses, “Rise early in the morning and stand before Pharaoh as he comes out to the water. Then 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, on your people and into your houses. The houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms [of flies,] and also the ground on which they [stand.]
- “And in that day I will set apart the land of Goshen, in which My people dwell, that no swarms [of flies] shall be there, in order that you may know that I [am] the LORD in the midst of the land.
- “I will make a difference between My people and your people. Tomorrow this sign shall be.” ‘ “
- And the LORD did so. Thick swarms [of flies] came into the house of Pharaoh, [into] his servants’ houses, and into all the land of Egypt. The land was corrupted because of the swarms [of flies.]
- Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, “Go, sacrifice to your God in the land.”
- And Moses said, “It is not right to do so, for we would be sacrificing the abomination of the Egyptians to the LORD our God. If we sacrifice the abomination of the Egyptians before their eyes, then will they not stone us?
- “We will go three days’ journey into the wilderness and sacrifice to the LORD our God as He will command us.”
- And Pharaoh said, “I will let you go, that you may sacrifice to the LORD your God in the wilderness; only you shall not go very far away. Intercede for me.”
- Then Moses said, “Indeed I am going out from you, and I will entreat the LORD, that the swarms [of flies] may depart tomorrow from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. But let Pharaoh not deal deceitfully anymore in not letting the people go to sacrifice to the LORD.”
- So Moses went out from Pharaoh and entreated the LORD.
- And the LORD did according to the word of Moses; He removed the swarms [of flies] from Pharaoh, from his servants, and from his people. Not one remained.
- But Pharaoh hardened his heart at this time also; neither would he let the people go.
THE MESSAGE:
God asked Moses to “get up early in the morning, and confront Pharaoh as he goes to the water”, to warn him to let His people go and worship Him. If he refused, swarms of flies would be sent into the land. Interestingly, none of these plagues which ravaged the Egyptians affected Goshen, the region where God’s own children dwelt (verses 22-23). God shows that He is capable of protecting His people; all who separate themselves from the world enjoy God’s security.
Pharaoh seemed to have succumbed to the ruins caused by the flies (verse 25), but he would not let the Hebrew people go very far. Like Pharaoh, Satan does not want God’s children to go far away from the world. Let us take to heart in Jesus’ words “I will no longer talk much with you, for the ruler of this world is coming, and he has nothing in Me”(John 14:30), and resist the devil.
PRAYER: Lord help me to follow You till the end while I keep away from the world Amen!
