Miraculous God, Miraculous Results
You either accept that God can do the miraculous or you don't. It's often that simple. Rejecting God can do the miraculous, however, leads one to the most silly readings of scripture imaginable.
For instance, I find it hard to believe how some commentators treat this passage:
Exodus 12:37 (ESV) And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
The number that messes them up is the 600,000 men on foot, or fighting men in some translations. That would mean there were 2 to 3 million Israelites coming out of Egypt after just 400 years of slavery. Some commentators try to change the number based on the word "eleph" for "thousand" to become something far more manageable. They cannot imagine that many people being there! Think about that for a moment. They want to reduce God's multiplication.
It's very laughable. For one, that number is repeated several more times with more details in Numbers (Numbers 1:46; 2:32; 11:21; 26:51). Secondly, it aligns perfectly with the amount of gold collected from 600,000 fighting men for the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 38:25-26). Thirdly, the foreign nations will dread the Israelites for their size. Numbers 22:3 says, "And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel." Scripture would have to contradict itself several times in the most basic of terms for modern-day skeptical commentators to be right!
C. S. Lewis would call that "chronological snobbery" at its finest.
The fact is, God took 600,000 fighting men out of Egypt and today the world is covered with Jews 3500 years later! There are no Philistines, there are no Hittites, there are no Jebusites or Edomites... but there are plenty of Israelites because God has prospered and preserved His ancient people to this day.
But the lessons are far more wonderful for Christians today. The story of the Exodus is a type of the story of the Church. Israel became 600,000 fighting men in 400 years ONLY because 1 man betrayed by his brothers went there first, suffered and rose to the right hand side of the throne and made it possible for Israel to survive and thrive no matter how long they were in bondage.
So too the Church of Jesus Christ is stronger than ever, larger than ever and farther reaching than ever because 1 MAN was betrayed, handed over to be killed, died and rose again ascending to the right hand side of the ultimate throne in heaven. The Church has grown from 120 (Pentecost) to over 3 billion today in 2000 years. Exodus and the past 2000 years both consist of astonishing growth rates for God's people. How? Because of the miraculous power of God.
If you are reading this and you are a Christian you are the result of that miraculous power of God. You are living proof that God can do the impossible.
Why would you ever need to fear?
For instance, I find it hard to believe how some commentators treat this passage:
Exodus 12:37 (ESV) And the people of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand men on foot, besides women and children.
The number that messes them up is the 600,000 men on foot, or fighting men in some translations. That would mean there were 2 to 3 million Israelites coming out of Egypt after just 400 years of slavery. Some commentators try to change the number based on the word "eleph" for "thousand" to become something far more manageable. They cannot imagine that many people being there! Think about that for a moment. They want to reduce God's multiplication.
It's very laughable. For one, that number is repeated several more times with more details in Numbers (Numbers 1:46; 2:32; 11:21; 26:51). Secondly, it aligns perfectly with the amount of gold collected from 600,000 fighting men for the construction of the tabernacle (Exodus 38:25-26). Thirdly, the foreign nations will dread the Israelites for their size. Numbers 22:3 says, "And Moab was in great dread of the people, because they were many. Moab was overcome with fear of the people of Israel." Scripture would have to contradict itself several times in the most basic of terms for modern-day skeptical commentators to be right!
C. S. Lewis would call that "chronological snobbery" at its finest.
The fact is, God took 600,000 fighting men out of Egypt and today the world is covered with Jews 3500 years later! There are no Philistines, there are no Hittites, there are no Jebusites or Edomites... but there are plenty of Israelites because God has prospered and preserved His ancient people to this day.
But the lessons are far more wonderful for Christians today. The story of the Exodus is a type of the story of the Church. Israel became 600,000 fighting men in 400 years ONLY because 1 man betrayed by his brothers went there first, suffered and rose to the right hand side of the throne and made it possible for Israel to survive and thrive no matter how long they were in bondage.
So too the Church of Jesus Christ is stronger than ever, larger than ever and farther reaching than ever because 1 MAN was betrayed, handed over to be killed, died and rose again ascending to the right hand side of the ultimate throne in heaven. The Church has grown from 120 (Pentecost) to over 3 billion today in 2000 years. Exodus and the past 2000 years both consist of astonishing growth rates for God's people. How? Because of the miraculous power of God.
If you are reading this and you are a Christian you are the result of that miraculous power of God. You are living proof that God can do the impossible.
Why would you ever need to fear?
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