Day 29

Exodus 8:1–9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5

TODAY IN EXODUS, plagues began to devastate the Egyptians. Pharaoh had been warned, and God had given signs, but Pharaoh could not conceive of a God higher than himself and the gods of Egypt. The Nile River —their source of fresh water —was turned to blood; frogs invaded the land; gnats swarmed and infested Egypt; flies pestered and contaminated the countryside, and the Egyptian livestock died. Boils began breaking out on the bodies of the Egyptian population, and legendary hail fell from the sky, destroying their crops.

At each turn, Pharaoh summoned Moses and begged for relief, but when God removed each plague, Pharaoh became stubborn and refused to allow the children of Israel their freedom.

In our reading in Matthew today, a rich young ruler asked Jesus an important question: “Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?” (Matthew 19:16).

Jesus’ response was that the man should obey the commandments, to which the man replied that all his life, he had indeed obeyed them.

“If you want to be perfect,” Jesus said, “go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me” (Matthew 19:21). The man departed in sadness because he was very wealthy.

In this encounter, we saw Jesus moving behind what was on the surface and into matters of the heart —where the truth lives. Jesus invited the rich man to rid himself of the one thing that gave him status and security, the one thing that was more important to him than God. And in the process, Jesus invited him to “come, follow me.”

In the words of Jesus here, we find opportunity to examine our own hearts. What things are we valuing more than our relationship with God? As stark as this question is, these are the idols in our lives. And in this story, we realize once again that a true life of faith is an all-or-nothing proposition —a theme that we’ll notice distinctly as we journey deeper into the Gospels.

WORSHIP:

Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty; the LORD, invincible in battle. Open up, ancient gates! Open up, ancient doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory? The LORD of Heaven’s Armies —he is the King of glory.