Day 29 One-Year Daily Bible Reading – Exodus 8:1–9:35; Matthew 19:13-30; Psalm 24:1-10; Proverbs 6:1-5
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Suffer Little Children and Forbid Them Not to Come Unto Me
Then were there brought unto him little children, that he should put his hands on them, and pray: and the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. And he laid his hands on them, and departed thence. – Matthew 19:13-15
What Good Thing Shall I Do, That I May Have Eternal Life?
And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? And he said unto him, Why callest thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments. He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. The young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what lack I yet? Jesus said unto him, If thou wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions. – Matthew 19:16-22
A Rich Man Shall Hardly Enter Into the Kingdom of Heaven
Then said Jesus unto his disciples, Verily I say unto you, That a rich man shall hardly enter into the kingdom of heaven. And again I say unto you, It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. When his disciples heard it, they were exceedingly amazed, saying, Who then can be saved? But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible. – Matthew 19:23-26
We Have Forsaken All, What Shall We Have Therefore?
Then answered Peter and said unto him, Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore? And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And every one that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my name’s sake, shall receive an hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life. But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first. – Matthew 19:27-30
The rich, young ruler wanted to serve God. He obeyed the commandments and came to Jesus seeking eternal life. But the young ruler had great wealth, and Jesus offered him the same thing he offered his disciples. “Come and follow me!” Only, he told him first to sell all he had and give it to the poor. And what is one of the saddest verses in the Bible was the verse about this young ruler’s response. “But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful: for he had great possessions.” His identity was in the things he had accumulated. Is ours? Would we be willing to not only stop accumulating wealth but to give it all away to have eternal life? Jesus offers us the same thing He offered this young man. “Come and follow me…”
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Plague of Frogs
And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch forth thine hand with thy rod over the streams, over the rivers, and over the ponds, and cause frogs to come up upon the land of Egypt. And Aaron stretched out his hand over the waters of Egypt; and the frogs came up, and covered the land of Egypt. – Exodus 8:5-6
Plague of Lice
And the LORD said unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the land, that it may become lice throughout all the land of Egypt. And they did so; for Aaron stretched out his hand with his rod, and smote the dust of the earth, and it became lice in man, and in beast; all the dust of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt. – Exodus 8:16-17
Plague of Flies
And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh; lo, he cometh forth to the water; and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD, Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou wilt not let my people go, behold, I will send swarms of flies upon thee, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people, and into thy houses: and the houses of the Egyptians shall be full of swarms of flies, and also the ground whereon they are. – Exodus 8:20-21
Plague of Murrain Upon the Cattle, Horses, Asses, Camels, Oxen, Sheep
Then the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh, and tell him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For if thou refuse to let them go, and wilt hold them still, behold, the hand of the LORD is upon thy cattle which is in the field, upon the horses, upon the asses, upon the camels, upon the oxen, and upon the sheep: there shall be a very grievous murrain. – Exodus 9:1-3
Murrain – any of various diseases of cattle, as anthrax, foot-and-mouth disease, and Texas fever, a plague or pestilence
Plague of Boils
And the LORD said unto Moses and unto Aaron, Take to you handfuls of ashes of the furnace, and let Moses sprinkle it toward the heaven in the sight of Pharaoh. And it shall become small dust in all the land of Egypt, and shall be a boil breaking forth with blains upon man, and upon beast, throughout all the land of Egypt. – Exodus 9:8-9
Plague of Pestilence
And the LORD said unto Moses, Rise up early in the morning, and stand before Pharaoh, and say unto him, Thus saith the LORD God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth. – Exodus 9:13-15
Plague of Hail
Behold, to morrow about this time I will cause it to rain a very grievous hail, such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof even until now. Send therefore now, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; for upon every man and beast which shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. – Exodus 9:18-19
Our promises that bind us
And when Pharaoh saw that the rain and the hail and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants. And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses. – Exodus 9:34-35
We, like Pharaoh, often cry out to God when we are in distress. We make promises and take vows only to break them when the crisis is over—making a promise to God, though is binding. Making a promise to others is just as binding. We should be people known for keeping our word.
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Our dirty hands and heart bind us
Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully. He shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. – Psalms 24:3-5
If you want to enter into the holy places of God, you must have clean hands and a pure heart. You must live in holiness. Sin of any kind cannot and will not stand in His holy place!
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Snared with the Words of Thy Mouth
My son, if thou be surety for thy friend, If thou hast stricken thy hand with a stranger, Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth, Thou art taken with the words of thy mouth. Do this now, my son, and deliver thyself, When thou art come into the hand of thy friend; Go, humble thyself, and make sure thy friend. Give not sleep to thine eyes, Nor slumber to thine eyelids. Deliver thyself as a roe from the hand of the hunter, And as a bird from the hand of the fowler. – Proverbs 6:1-5
My son, if you have become surety (guaranteed a debt or obligation) for your neighbor, If you have given your pledge for [the debt of] a stranger or another [outside your family], If you have been snared with the words of your lips, If you have been trapped by the speech of your mouth, Do this now, my son, and release yourself [from the obligation]; Since you have come into the hand of your neighbor, Go humble yourself, and plead with your neighbor [to pay his debt and release you]. Give no [unnecessary] sleep to your eyes, Nor slumber to your eyelids; Tear yourself away like a gazelle from the hand of the hunter And like a bird from the hand of the fowler. – Proverbs 6:1-5 AMP
This proverb speaks of debt. Debt, even incurred while helping another, can lead to problems. We shouldn’t live beyond our means. If we find though that we have overextended, it’s time as this proverb teaches us, to get it taken care of. Get to work and settle your debts because it binds your to other people o institution in ways that make your more vulnerable to corruption.
This passage isn’t just a warning for the poor with debt. Very wealthy people who accumulate huge debt are even more vulnerable to corruption. They can do harm to themselves, their families, and other people because their creditors have so much power over them and can pressure them into compromise. Debt, no matter how innocently or wickedly incurred, can bind us to the world systems and the enemy while drawing us farther and farther away from God.
Thank You, Lord, for Your Word, Your warnings, Your wisdom, and Your teaching on some of those things that can bind us. Our promises, our wealth, our sin, and our debt. Help us to take and heed Your Words and what You have revealed today that we may be free. Thank You that You have told the devil to “Let Your people go!” and that we can live in that freedom if we do not turn and bind ourselves again to the enemy. Lord, help us to be bound only to You!!! Thank You for Your blood and the sacrifice of Your Son, Jesus, that we may have eternal life and live victoriously through Him. I love You, Jesus. Reveal to us, Holy Ghost, any other areas in our lives and our hearts that are still bound to this world. In Jesus holy Name I pray. Amen! Amen!
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