Exodus 7, Luke 10, Job 24, 1 Corinthians 11

Date	Version	Reading Plan
@February 24, 2024	ESV (2016)	M’Cheyne Plan 2024

Exodus 7

Exodus 7:8–9, 12-13 (ESV) 8 Then the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’ ” … 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the LORD had said.

God instructed Moses and Aaron to prove themselves to be from God by throwing Aaron’s staff down to become a serpent. What captures me most about this is that God already knew that this display of divine commissioning would be ineffective in convincing Pharaoh. Furthermore, God did not inform Moses and Aaron that it would be insufficient, only that they were to carry it out. It is important to see here how not every gesture of obedience will seem fruitful but must stay the course in our constancy of faithfulness.

Luke 10

Luke 10:40–42 (ESV) 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.” 41 But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, 42 but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”

Martha’s busyness and distraction prevented her from seeing what was most important. The Lord of heaven and earth was in her house, within physical touch proximity. It may seem to us evident that she needed to stop and be near Him, but we just as guilty. The schedule of the typical modern westerner is packed with worldly commitments, leaving little room to simply rest and be in His presence. The importance of fighting for this time—to take a needed respite from the cares of this world—cannot be overstated.

Job 24

Job 24:13 (ESV) 13 “There are those who rebel against the light, who are not acquainted with its ways, and do not stay in its paths.

It seems antithetical to rebel against something that provides sight but, as is shown here, it is a matter of acquaintance. Those who do not know the light—and the path of righteousness it illuminates—extend it no appreciation. The preference for darkness will remain until or unless the eyes of the heart have been opened to its goodness and guidance.

1 Corinthians 11

1 Corinthians 11:18–19 (ESV) 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.

This is a fascinating passage regarding the necessity of factions within the church in order to recognize the genuine among them. It does not seem that Paul is advocating for factions, but only that they would inevitably result from the carnality of the Corinthian church. We see the same phenomenon today, albeit manifesting in different forms. As the the Believer’s Bible Commentary says, “Divisions are proof that some have failed to discern the mind of the Lord.”

Carson on Luke

[Reflecting on Luke 10:20] It is so easy to rejoice in success. Our self-identity may become entangled with the fruitfulness of our ministry. Of course, that is dangerous when the success turns sour—but that is not the problem here. Things could not be going better for Jesus’s disciples. And then the danger, of course, is that it is not God who is being worshiped. Our own wonderful acceptance by God himself no longer moves us, but only our apparent success.

Far greater than anything we can do or accomplish in this life is that our names are written in heaven. Approaching our work or ministerial endeavors with this mindset prevents our heads from becoming too large and our hearts distanced from the Lord. The spirits may be subject to us and darkness pushed back, but this is only through the enablement of God. It is in Him we should ever boast, not of ourselves lest we thwart the glory due His name.

Justin Houtz