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turtle30cshelldailydevotions
Land Of Milk And Honey
04/14/2016

Daily Devotions: by Christina Farris

Exodus 3:6-11 KJV
(6) Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
(7) And the LORD said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows;
(8) And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites.
(9) Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel is come unto me: and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them.
(10) Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt.
(11) And Moses said unto God, Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?

The story is about one flight of oppression to another land with idolaters around Israel. The promise land is only as beautiful as the rising sunset and the descending sunset. The promise land is only what you make of it. Lot in Sodom and Gomorrah found his promise land to be a place to flee from only to becoming like Sodom and Gomorrah when he sinned with his two daughters and It was sin caused by Lot’s drunkenness and consumption of two much alcohol. His sin and his daughters’ sin was no different then the land they left; yet God allowed them flourish for a season. Moses went to lead Israel out of the land of Egypt, a land of foreign gods and foreign ways that enslaved them, though they first came as guest of Egypt’s Savior Joseph. One might ask then what became of the land of freedom, the land flowing with milk and honey. Well Moses enslaved Israel for forty years in the wilderness. Even killing some. If one only see this part of the story one fails to see the redemption of God in the wilderness through signs and wonders. Signs of pillar of fire by night and cloud during the day or the miracle of water where there was no oasis and manna from heaven because there was nothing to eat. If it were not for these miracles would Israel still held to their belief in Almighty, I have to wonder myself what kept the Israelites going back to God if what they received was only a little deliverance, enough for the day and the night, but not enough for a week.

Israel was going to a land of promise, a land that they own that was given to them by the Canaanites, who were a people that traded and live next door to Israel. The people, whose customs were abusive by their worship of their god, object not to the worship of Abraham’s God. Israel as it grew did not care if heathens/gentiles that worship other gods or not, as long as it did not harm their own people, or become a stench in the world. After all did not Israel kings allowed their wives to sacrifice their children to their pagan gods. Jews in general were pacifist but also not afraid to fight.

The land of promise is a land flowing with milk and honey, a place of fertile soil, a place to grow a garden, and pick the fruit of it, a place to raise one’s children, a place to develop technology and even develop skills, and most of all a land to worship their God and not infringe on the rights of others. Israel live peacefully with all people. Yet Idolatry life style of Israel caused them captivity, because of their individual sin of the their leaders, nation and their personal sin, that caused them to once again be enslaved by heathen land of greed.

Two worlds to live in as a believer, the abuser of one area or the abuser of another area. It is a miracle if a true pacifist actually remains that way. It must come with the resolve of enjoying the sunset and sunrise, or the joy of life and living it, whether in paradise or in hell on earth. One has to be able to find the rose among the thorns in life, or the beauty of the world around them despite the horror that goes on around them. One person paradise is another person hell. A person enjoying one type of work only be a nightmare for another person because they have no love for it.

Moses was called to take Israel from one heathen group to another. Yet when they went they go with wonders and miracles following them by the stories that were told about the plagues, and miracles done in Egypt. One has to ask if the plagues were enough to cause belief of the pharaoh of a heathen land? The Pharaoh never believed for if he had he never chased those people through the red sea, only to be consumed by so much water.

Moses taking his people to be enslaved once more to the world around them. No He was taking his people to be a lighthouse for God. To be a lighthouse to the people around them. That the world might know that the God of Israel was real. Nations feared Israel, even noting their own plagues as a sign of terrible things they did to Israel, including stealing the God of Israel once. There had to be much more then a trip through the wilderness to land flowing of milk and honey. There had to be more then the call of God on Moses life to bring the people to the land of promise.

When the return of Christ happens, it will be land that will become great again with the New Jerusalem. The word going forth like it did in the days of old the stories of God our Savior being our refuge in a time of storm. The world would see the light of God and know the reality of one that keeps his promises to his people. A God that kept not only his word, but brought peace to all people. The believer is a light or should be alight to those around of God’s saving grace. Israel when they left for the promise land had to learn the ways of the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, The God that sent the plagues to deliver them, and a God that sent a deliver to them out of bondage.

God asked Moses to lead the people to the promise land of milk and honey, but it was kind of like the train master being hired for the job. Moses even bartering with God what he needed as having someone to speak to Pharaoh for him. Yet no doubt the memory of his people being beaten caused him some desire to rescue his people. God being the one to hire Moses was the one that paid Moses, with the reward of after traveling with Israel forty years he did not have to go into the land of promise, because of his own disobedience, yet it seems to me it must have been an odd blessing.

The land of promise is only as beautiful as the company one keeps in that land. God desired to be companion to Israel, and help in troublesome times, if they obeyed Him. God had created man to flourish, but not all man received God as Lord. Neither Jew or Gentile, and so Christ came to make a way for the Gentiles. The Promise land on earth is where ever you abide. Yet the promise land of God is the place of Israel, a place choose to remind the people of hope of freedom, peace, of following God. It about learning to obey God by His Spirit for all that believe. It about obeying God’s word and spirit, and receiving His salvation plan as truth. Israel became like the world around them, but not without the hope of God still glistening among the people.

God called Moses to set his people free. God hired Moses to do a job for him. Are you called by God to set the people free, only to lead them into a promise land of hope with the heathen world around them? Consider what is milk and honey to Israel but freedom land, a place to worship God under his leadership. A place of hope, despite those around them. Where are you today, in the land of promise or a land of misery. Are you a candle for God shining forth his works or a candle of destruction and enslavement to the devil’s world?

Dear Heavenly Father thank you for the land of milk and honey, a land of promise, with a brighter tomorrow. A land full of milk and honey. In Jesus precious name, Amen.

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