Jesus Isn't Decaf (By Naomi Meyers)

Casting a sidelong glance at his brand-new wife, Joseph released a silent sigh followed by a fervent prayer. He hoped he had made the right decision. Hoped he was doing the right thing. Hoped she’d be faithful. Hoped she appreciated the fact he hadn’t cast her aside. He could have. No one would have advised him differently. Everyone he knew would have been in his corner. It had actually been his plan. Until the dream. 

Lying on his bed, wrestling with the idea of a prematurely pregnant fiancee, Joseph mentally sorted his options until he reached a final, tolerable conclusion. It still sat poorly in the pit of his stomach. He wished there were other viable options. There weren’t. He’d have to do it. He would quietly disentangle himself from Mary and her illegitimate child. He couldn’t think of a better choice. Separate paths were the best option. For both of them. They couldn’t build a relationship without trust, a foundational brick blown entirely away with the stunning news of her impending motherhood. Yes, the dissolution of their relationship was the best choice. It would save them both at least a modicum of embarrassment. But only a bit. He felt like a fool. A dolt. An idiot. He’d trusted her. Believed she was as invested in this relationship as he was. It had been such an immense insult to realize she hadn’t been. Couldn’t have been since she found herself in such a state. Punching his pillow, Joseph rolled to face the wall. His decision was made. He wouldn’t be part of it. Wouldn’t be the surrogate father to a child who bore the blood and resemblance of an interloper. He didn’t have to. Chose not to. Until that dream. 

Most men would have shaken away the dream the moment they awoke from slumber. Cast it aside as unimportant. Weighed it against the traditions and practices of the day and found it wanting. Joseph wasn’t most men. His idea of how the Messiah would come differed from his peers. Where they were certain the promised Messiah would be a full-grown warrior who rode to their rescue with amazing power and strength, Joseph couldn’t shake the words of the prophet Isaiah echoing down through history. A virgin would bear a Son. She would call Him Immanuel. Joseph didn’t know how such a thing could happen. He had no inkling when it would occur. But he hoped he’d be there to see it. Not the birth necessarily. He didn’t need to witness that. He only wanted to see the child. Meet the man. Hear Him speak. Shake His hand. Yet no matter how great his hope that the Messiah would come in his lifetime to a village near him, it was beyond Joseph’s wildest imaginations to think or believe he could ever be part of God’s plan. No. His feet weren’t floating on clouds of dreams. They were firmly planted in reality. In the time and space that was real and true, tangible and possible. At least they had been. Until the dream. (Isaiah 7:14)

If the dream was simply the result of overwrought emotions and a handful of dodgy mushrooms with his dinner, he’d be hugely disappointed. It felt so legitimate. The vision so clear it seemed he could simply reach out and touch the glowing robe of the visiting angel. The words were well enunciated. His name called out with perfect articulation. His initial emotions both revealed and rebuked in the opening statement. “Joseph, do not be afraid.” Don’t let the recent circumstances in your life disconcert you. Don’t be concerned about taking Mary as your wife. Don’t question her allegiance. Don’t fret about the child she carries. Don’t worry about how this will all play out. Take Mary as your wife. Name the child Jesus. He is the Son of God. He will save His people, your people, all people from their sins. 

Awakening in the semi-darkness of the predawn hours, Joseph allowed himself the luxury of believing the dream. Changing his decision about keeping Mary. Letting his mind wander to what it would be like to be the surrogate father of God’s Son. Then daylight broke through his euphoric haze. Surrounded by sunshine and reality, the dream seemed a little less real. Joseph wrestled with himself. Should he do it? Should he not? Should he believe the dream? Should he shake it off? What if the child, when it came, was a girl? Then he’d be the greatest fool to walk the earth. A laughingstock. A proven dunderhead. But. What if it was true? What if it was all true? What if every single word was God-breathed? What if he, humble Joseph the simple carpenter, had just received an invitation to be part of the grand event they’d spent the last four centuries awaiting? What if faith would soon become sight? What if his hope was about to materialize? It was an offer he couldn’t refuse. (Matthew 1:18-25)

Four hundred years prior, the scratching of the final prophet’s pen on parchment had silenced. All Israel had waited expectantly, believing their Savior would come in a timely manner, riding in on a glistening stallion in triumphant victory. It hadn’t happened. Generation had passed the prophecy down to generation. Parent to child. Teacher to student. Priest to parishioner. They’d been lifetimes hearing it, teaching it, talking about it, watching for it. Nothing had happened. No great warrior had ridden in to rescue them. None had arisen from among them. Many were silently questioning the promise. Thought the prophets had misunderstood. Decided they were on their own. Believed they’d never be anything more than pawns in the grand scheme of other kings and kingdoms. Faith waned. Hope died. Despair darkened hearts. And Joseph had a dream. 

It brought him to this place. Walking down the road toward his home. His new bride keeping pace beside him. Neither spoke. There was nothing to say. What do you say to your unexpectedly expecting bride? What can you say to the man who sacrificed himself to save your reputation and house your unplanned child? Nothing. There were no words. Only hopeful obedience resounded with every footfall. It was the basis of his decision. Hope. It had to be. Hope the dream was real. Hope the child was the Messiah. Hope their relationship could come back from this strange turn of events. Hope was the driving force behind Joseph’s decision. Hope in God. Hope that what He had promised He would unequivocally do. Hope that the promised Messiah was currently on the way to save humanity from their mountainous heap of sins. Hope that stirred Joseph to action.   

Called to be emissaries of God in a world that has so clearly lost hope in His promises, I  find myself wishing we had hope like Joseph. Active hope. Hope for the world that sends us out of our comfort zones to spread the Gospel, speak words of truth on the ballfield, in the office, on the subway. Hope in the promises of God that cries out for revival, restoration, renewal in our churches, our homes, our communities. Hope in the God who answers prayer that brings us to our knees again and again as we wage wars against the powers of darkness that inhabit this world. Eternal hope that doesn’t count the cost, personal or financial, when God calls us to action. Selfless, obedient hope in the promises of God that will never disappoint. (Romans 5:5; Psalm 80:19, 85:6; Habakkuk 3:2; Ephesians 6:12-20; II Corinthians 10:4-5)

As you read the news, hear the conversations, feel the hopelessness that saturates our society, know this. God is still busy fulfilling every last word of every single promise He ever made. And He wants you to be part of it. Wherever you are, whomever you are, whatever your talents or abilities, God is calling you to do something. So pay attention. He may speak through a dream. He may speak through a sermon. He may speak in a still small voice. But He will speak. Is probably already speaking. Inviting you to be part of the fulfillment of His grand plan for humanity. The part of His plan He’s enacting right now. So. How strong is your hope in His promise? Is your hope in God, your faith in His promise strong enough to result in unquestioning obedience? Do you possess hope like Joseph, hope in God that will never disappoint? (I Kings 19:11-13; Hebrews 11:1; Romans 12:12; Romans 8:24-25; Psalm 130:5)

It was every king’s worst nightmare. War was coming. In covert meetings, neighboring kings had plotted an invasion. In clandestine gatherings, military leaders had strategized an attack. In agreement and anticipation, troops from three kingdoms had amassed, organizing themselves in a battle array. They had set out on their march days before, making their destination no secret. They were headed to eradicate Judah and Jerusalem. Even now they were determinedly marching closer. Freshly sharpened spears and swords gleamed in the sunlight. Chain mail clanked with every metered step. Bloodlust gleamed from eyes hooded by battle helmets. The air around them crackled with arrogant impatience. They were anxious for the battle. Hungry for war. Thirsty for blood. Anticipating the win. Never once did they consider the alternative. It wouldn’t happen. Their chosen foe was nearly powerless against them. Victory would be theirs. Celebratory smiles split beards at the knowledge their target was satisfactorily terrified.

The news was horrifying. Petrifying. The most alarming message to come King Jehoshaphat’s way since he’d come to power. His thoughts reeled. Three kingdoms. Thousands of soldiers. More power than his little group of men could possibly withstand. They were destined to fail. Judah and Jerusalem would fall to the angry mob. He was at a loss. There was little they could do. In fact, he could think of only one plausible strategy. They must pray. Not just the king. Not just the priests. Not just the soldiers. No. Everyone needed to pray. Men. Women. Children. Young and old. Healthy and infirmed. Highest royal to lowest pauper. They needed to pray. Immediately. Incessantly. Fervently. Cry out to God for wisdom, direction, and preservation. In this time of pressing crisis, utterly helpless on their own, the only possible plan for salvation would have to come from their omnipotent God. 

Jehoshaphat’s calls to prayer and fasting did not go unheeded. The people came in droves. Sensing the direness of the situation, entire families abandoned their homes and towns to come stand before the temple of the Lord. Facing his people, Jehoshaphat urgently prayed words similar to those of his predecessor, King Solomon, on the day of temple dedication. They knew their God was omnipotent. No one could stand against Him. They knew their God was omniscient. No one could out-strategize Him. They believed the promise that when they stood in God’s presence, before His temple, and cried out to Him in their distress He would rush to their aid. They trusted that, in their current position, poised on the edge of total annihilation, powerless to defend themselves, scared, anxious, overwhelmed, their God knew what to do. And they were right. He did. (II Chronicles 6:14-42; 20:1-13)

Either in instant answer to their prayer or because time was of the essence, the Spirit of the Lord filled Jahaziel and he spoke God’s reassuring words of preservation and direction to the people’s ears. Relax. Don’t be afraid. Don’t let discouragement curve your shoulders. God’s got this. Yes, the oncoming army is enormous. Yes, their spears and swords are sharply honed. Yes, the archers marching toward you are excellent marksmen. But. This is not your battle. It’s God’s battle. His strategy is unbeatable. The use of spears and swords, arrows and armor is unnecessary. No one needs to lift a finger. Just go out, line up in battle order, stand firm, and watch God work. Trust Him to keep His word. God’s got this. (II Chronicles 20:14-17) 

Elation swept through the congregation as the reassuring words of the Lord promised them, without caveat, that deliverance was coming. The heralded onslaught would be more spectacle than battle. There would be no fighting by the men of Judah and Jerusalem. No injuries. No death. No mourning. It wasn’t going to happen. God had spoken. At a time when neighboring kingdoms expected to hear the grind of spears on sharpening stones, they heard uproarious rejoicing instead. In glorious celebration of the promised victory, the people fell on their faith-filled faces in worship before the Lord. In that moment, with the words of deliverance echoing in their ears, it would surely have been humanly impossible to remain silent at the promise of God’s all-consuming power moving heaven and earth to come to their aid. But one has to wonder how long it lasted. How long did their faith remain unshakeable? Minutes? Hours? As day turned to night, did the darkness bring with it doubts and fears, worries and concerns? Did their trust wobble? Their faith waver? Were their minds overtaken with all the “what if” questions of the evil one? What if Jahaziel made it all up? What if he was working for the other guys? What if God didn’t really say those things? What if they were heading out to battle thinking they would be saved, only to be slaughtered? What would happen to their wives and children, the aged and infirmed, if they somehow had gotten the wrong answer and walked into a death trap? 

No matter the questions that teased and taunted their minds in the pre-dawn hours, those men still turned up to march into battle the next morning. Assembling before their king, they were unable to hide the unease resulting from the night’s fretful thoughts. Jehoshaphat didn’t miss it. He noticed the eyes filled with shadows. He saw worry lines and wrinkling foreheads. He overheard a few concerned whispers. He knew he had to do something. They would never survive without their faith in God. Standing up in the back of his chariot, Jehoshaphat faced his men, and issued the best battle advice he had. Have faith in God. Believe He will do what He says. Trust God’s prophets. Believe they speak words from God’s lips to your ears. Remember that God never abandons His people. Straighten your spines, bolster your faith, and let God do what God will do. 

Wisely knowing that his words alone would not increase their faith for the duration of their journey, Jehoshaphat then employed the most effective battle strategy imaginable. Praise. Appointing leaders to march ahead of the army singing songs of praise to God, he reminded any concerned member that God inhabits the praise of His people. Those men took their job seriously! Blending their voices together they matched their steps to the rhythm of their praise. Praise the Lord. Praise Him for the splendor of his holiness. Praise His majesty. Glory in His power and strength. Thank Him for His love that never gives up no matter how far, how often, how flagrantly His people stray. Praise the Lord for His steadfast, unfailing love, mercy and grace. Praise the Lord for the promised victory. Praise the Lord for their safe return. Praise the Lord for His faithfulness to His people and His word. Praise the Lord! (Psalm 22:3; Nehemiah 8:10)

As the words left the leader’s lips, faith rose. One by one the voices behind them joined in their chorus. When the powerful praises of those marching soldiers left their lips to ascend to God’s ears, God went to work. Ambushes sprang up against the oncoming armies. Infighting kicked off among them. The Ammonites and Moabites joined forces against the men from Mount Seir. Upon eradication of that faction, they turned on one another. The fighting was fierce and bloody. The death toll was astronomical. The intended battle would never occur. By the time Jehoshaphat and his troops reached the battlefield, the only thing left to do was plunder the spoils. Equipment. Clothing. Valuables. An amount so great it took their entire army three days to collect it all. And when they were done collecting it, they returned to Jerusalem, headed straight to the temple of the Lord, and picked up where awe at God’s staggering victory had left them speechless. They found their voices again and joined the harps and lyres and trumpets in magnificent praise to their triumphant God who speaks victory into impossible, improbable, insuperable circumstances. I wish we would follow suit. (II Chronicles 20:18-29; Luke 1:37)

 In a world of spiritual slipping and sliding, at a time when morals and ethics have taken a decided downward turn, in a society where evil is pronounced good and good made evil, when the news of the world is inundated with hopelessness and despair, the people of God need to get on their knees in battle formation and earnestly praise. Yes. You read that right. Praise. Recount the attributes of our spectacularly extraordinary God. Sing of His love and grace and mercy. Talk about His faithfulness and goodness. Bolster your faith with praise for His power and strength. Speak the truth of God’s sovereignty, His authority over all things. Rest your tired, worried, fretting soul in His unfathomable ability to handle the situations that bring you to your knees before Him over and over again. Why? Because when God’s people engage in the art of praise, God responds. (Psalm 36:5; Isaiah 45:7-9; Colossians 1:16-17; Acts 16:16-26; Isaiah 25:1)

Ask Jehoshaphat. It wasn’t some grand military strategy. It wasn’t his extensive understanding of the art of war. It wasn’t him or his men at all. It was God. As their praises ascended to heaven, God’s power descended to earth in miraculous victory. The art of praise won an unbelievable victory. And it can happen for us too. In our day of drifting. In our season of succumbing. In your war against spiritual waning. You can experience amazing victory. Whatever you are facing, struggling with, worrying over. Whatever insurmountable obstacle blocks your path. Whatever you’ve been praying over for weeks, months, years. God is able. God is interested. God is working. Even when you don’t see what He is doing. Even when you can’t fathom a positive outcome. He is still busy. So. Have faith in God. Believe His promises. Trust His words. And praise. With every breath. With every thought. With every word. Wield the art of praise like the sharpest battle axe against the enemy and watch God move in ways you never dreamed possible. In everything, in every way, with every breath, every day, let everyone praise the Lord! (Psalm 34:1; Philippians 4:4-9; Psalm 147-150; Mark 11:22-23; II Chronicles 20:22)

The sight shouldn’t have come as such a surprise. It wasn’t his first day. He wasn’t a new prophet, hadn’t been ordained yesterday. It was far from his first vision. That had happened years ago. The voice of the Lord came calling him to be God’s prophet, to speak the words of the Lord, whether or not the people accepted him or his message. Nothing had changed in the intervening years. Visions continued to come. Words miraculously flowed. He’d lived out entire object lessons. It had been lonely work. Costly. He’d lost things. People. Popularity. Respect. Tasked as God’s watchman for the people of Israel, Ezekiel would never find himself in a position of reverence and authority. No. The people were rarely interested in what he had to say. They weren’t inclined to turn from their idols. They weren’t thrilled at being called out on their less-than-stellar behavior, their bent toward sin. The priests were certainly less than happy to have their spiritual shepherding called into question. Yet this vision appeared to be headed in a different direction. Indeed, it was quite possibly the strangest one yet. (Ezekiel 1-3, 8-9, 11, 34)

He hadn’t been doing anything special when it came. Wasn’t praying in the temple. Wasn’t prophesying. Wasn’t preaching. He was simply going about his daily tasks. Surviving. He hadn’t eaten anything crazy. The lamb hadn’t been too spicy. The milk wasn’t on the turn. The bread hadn’t molded. He hadn’t set out on a spurious hike over an unknown mountain into a forgotten valley. Yet here he stood, in the middle of a valley. A valley of bones. Old bones. Dry bones. Disconnected bones. Thousands of them. A veritable sea of body parts. Every part of him shrank back at the sight. Body. Mind. Soul. His stomach lurched. Bile rose in the back of his throat. He wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Couldn’t drag his eyes away. Couldn’t wrap his mind around it. Couldn’t begin to understand the vision God was showing him this time.  

As his eyes darted from one side of the eerie graveyard to the other, Ezekiel’s mind fired off questions. Where did they come from? Who had they been? Why had no one taken the time to give them a proper burial? Or had they somehow come to the surface? It must surely be so. The people of Israel didn’t leave their dead unburied. It simply wasn’t done. Yet here they were. Here he was. Every step a stumble over a loose femur. Every move a rattle of dismembered ulnas, fractured skulls, and disconnected vertebrae. Every sight a reminder of the death and dryness that inhabited not only this valley of death, but the souls of the nation to which God had sent Him to prophesy. 

Struggling to absorb the sight of death surrounding him, Ezekiel was shocked nearly speechless at the question God posed. “Can these bones live?” Was He serious? Really? Did he want Ezekiel’s off the cuff answer or was He asking for more? It felt like a test. Erring on the side of caution and drawing from all the humanly irrational things he knew God had done in the past, Ezekiel responded with words that echoed both his incredulity and stalwart faith, “Not in my book, but Yours probably reads differently.” (Ezekiel 37:1-3)

It was an answer stemming from a wealth of experience as God’s prophet. It was a response echoing from the depths of his soul rooted in the absolute, unshakeable knowledge that God could do anything. No matter his own human limitations, Ezekiel knew God’s abilities were limitless. He knew His word was final. He was all too aware that what God decided, what He promised, what He determined would always, ultimately be performed. If God desired to raise this army of scattered, dried up skeletons into a living, active army of God, it would happen. The God he served could make anything out of nothing. By now, Ezekiel was bouncing on his toes in poorly concealed excitement because he knew God wasn’t done there. (Genesis 1; Romans 4:20-21; Genesis 18:14; Jeremiah 32:17)

Neither was Ezekiel. He should have known he’d never have the role of silent bystander. God hadn’t called him to prophesy only to silence his voice. God didn’t visit him with visions so he could sit idly by and watch God move. It didn’t work like that. It never had. The visions always came with an opportunity for obedience, a way for Ezekiel to get involved. Not one thing was different about this event. God had something for Ezekiel to do. Something he’d done before. Something he’d practiced on living, breathing humans. Something they hadn’t obeyed, but he was somehow certain these skeletons would. God tasked Ezekiel with preaching. And Ezekiel was there for it. 

Breathing words into Ezekiel’s ear, God told him to speak to the valley of dry bones. Preach the words and promises of God to them. Address this audience who was so completely beyond saving and offer them the gift of restoration, the gift of life. Tell them the sovereign God of the universe promises to breathe into them the breath of life. He will knit them back together, assembling bones, attaching tendons, adhering flesh and covering the whole with skin. As their lungs inflated with that first breath of life-giving oxygen, the living dead would know beyond even the slightest doubt that God was the Sovereign Lord of all the earth. (Psalm 33:6)

Taking a deep breath, Ezekiel began to speak the words. He’d barely gotten past the first sentence when a rattling sound came from his left, then his right, then echoed from the other side of the valley. To his astonished eyes, the bones began to assemble themselves. Correctly. Phalanges did not attach to the humerus. The clavicle did not attach to the ilium. No. Each bone miraculously found the one to which it would properly attach. As the words of God finished flowing from Ezekiel’s tongue, he stood in silence, watching as tendons stretched over bones, flesh over tendons, and skin over flesh until not one loose bone lay unclaimed. The only thing missing was the promised breath of life. 

God, Who never promises something He cannot or will not perform, had the answer for that. Pray. “Pray, son of man.” Pray that the breath of God, Who at the dawn of creation breathed into man the breath of life, would come down and fill the lungs of the lifeless bodies spread across the valley. With not one thought of hesitation, Ezekiel did. He prayed the exact words God told him to pray. He prayed with fervor. He prayed with urgency. He prayed with great desire. By now, he was wholly invested in this company of the dead. He wanted to see them come to life. He wanted to see them spring into action for God. He was anxious, excited, thrilled to be part of this grand transition from death to life. With every nerve in his body vibrating in anticipation, Ezekiel earnestly petitioned Heaven that the breath of God would sweep across that valley bringing life to the dead. And it did. (Genesis 2:7)

In a sweeping movement, the breath of God flowed into the lungs of the lifeless bodies lying helplessly on the valley floor. An inhale of epic proportions echoed around him. Formerly prostrate bodies began rising to their feet. Turning from side to side, robe billowing as he spun around, Ezekiel’s widened eyes took in the miracle happening before him. His heart overflowed with awe and amazement. His soul danced with exuberant joy. God had done it! Into this valley of impossibly dead, desperately dry, irreparably broken humanity, God had restored life and filled it with His own breath. The breath of life. Oh, that we would see the same in our day! (Ezekiel 37:1-10)

Surrounded as we are with the spiritually lifeless, apathetic, complacent shells of those claiming godliness but lacking the spirit of God, we urgently need the resuscitating breath of God to sweep across our land. Our society dangles precariously on the edge of complete abandonment of every conceivable moral principle. Our churches lie in disrepair. Our homes are shattered. Our hearts are broken. Our spiritual pulse is barely detectable, if there at all. We embody the valley of Ezekiel’s vision. Dry. Destitute. Dormant. Dead. We indisputably need a miracle. We need the life-giving breath of God to sweep down over us and raise us back to life, a veritable army of righteousness to rise and stand against the sweeping tide of the world. We need the Breath of Life to breathe life into our physically living yet spiritually dead or dormant souls. We need an Ezekiel. More than one, actually. We need an entire congregation. Every. Single. One of us. (II Timothy 3:1-5)

For the breath of God to sweep across our nation bringing revival and restoration, everyone who has managed to elude the bog of spiritual passivity must boldly speak God’s words. His wisdom. His commands. His judgments. His mercy. We need to tell of His miracles. The things He promises His people when they get and keep their hearts in proper relationship with Him. And we need to pray. Pray like we’ve never prayed before. The evil one is working overtime. We must do the same. We must pray that the God who breathed the breath of physical life into Adam’s nostrils will breathe the breath of spiritual life into our valley of dormant, dying and dead souls. We must pray that God will raise up an army for Himself in our day of unbelief and apostasy. Can you even imagine what that might look like? (Psalm 85:6-7; Matthew 19:28-29; II Chronicles 7:13-14; Ezekiel 33:11-12; Psalm 60:2; Joel 2:12-13; Proverbs 14:34)

Although I find it difficult to even imagine the glory of such a large-scale turning toward God, I absolutely know this. I want to be part of God’s renewal process. I want to see the revival and restoration of our society, our churches, our homes, our souls. I want to be knee-deep in the middle of things when the prayers of saints from around the globe are answered. I want a front-row seat to the moment the breath of God sweeps across this valley of carcasses and brings them back to spiritual life. I want to be Ezekiel, standing in the middle of a valley full of dry bones and watching in exhilarated amazement as God does the impossible. And I want you to be there beside me. Preaching. Praying. Believing. Trusting that the pages of God’s version of events reads far differently than the one we are looking at right now. Are you here for it? Are you working toward it? Are you ready to do it? Are you willing to be an Ezekiel doing God’s business in the valley of the living dead? (Psalm 84:1-12; Daniel 9:4-10,17-19; I John 5:14-15; Jeremiah 33:3)

They weren’t going to do it. Not a chance. It wasn’t going to happen. Following Pharaoh’s defiant lead had long been the norm, but no more. They were done. Enough was enough. They had suffered plenty in the days and weeks since Moses and Aaron showed up with that nifty staff. Unfortunate things. Unpleasant things. Things that would haunt them for the rest of their lives. Not this time. They took the warning seriously and heeded it. No matter what Pharaoh chose to do, no matter the choice of prominent social leaders, not caring if they became a laughingstock in their communities, they were doing it. Their livestock would be safely sheltered in barns and stables. Their workers would be in from the fields. Perhaps no one else had learned from the past, but they most certainly had.  

Never would they forget that day the ladies went to fetch water, only to come back with blood dripping from their water pots, staining their clothes, tainting their fingertips. Their story was so far-fetched the men hustled down to check its accuracy. The ladies weren’t wrong. It was a mess. The Nile had betrayed them. Where clear water had flowed just the day before, blood ran in its stead. Everything aquatic was dying. Dead fish floated on top of the red river. The smell was atrocious. The river was useless. The people were helpless. Their arrogant leader didn’t care. Faced with the choice to listen to Moses and Aaron, Pharaoh had responded by strutting back into his palace, head held high, back ramrod straight. Not one part of his response indicated concern for his people. Instead, with that singular move, he reduced every household in Egypt to frantically digging along the Nile in a desperate search for drinkable water. (Exodus 7:14-24)

A week passed. Seven days. Days of wild imaginings, worried surveillance, endless suspense. The wait for things to return to normal seemed interminable. Their minds reeled with the possibility of drilling for water and abstaining from fish for the rest of their lives. In the midst of their current disaster, they wondered if another calamity loomed unseen on the horizon. They were right to be concerned. Something else was coming, but it wasn’t on the horizon. It was on land. Inside their homes, leaping from beds, jumping out of ovens, springing from mixing bowls, frogs infested the land. They were everywhere. Horrified squeals echoed across through the air as they hopped from hiding places, surprising even the most alert individuals. It was nothing short of revolting. Everyone hated it. Even Pharaoh. But, although he begged Moses and Aaron to pray for the frogs to be taken away, although God answered, although the land reeked with the stench of decaying amphibians, still Pharaoh hardened his heart. (Exodus 7:25-8:1-15)

It wasn’t the end of it. The Lord wasn’t done letting people know that He alone is God. The smell of rotting frogs had only begun to dissipate when the gnats came. They were worse than the frogs. More elusive. More annoying. The air teemed with them. Animals and people were covered in them. They swarmed around faces and ears, irritating infants and adults alike, making folks tentative to suck in a breath for fear of ingesting a thousand tiny dots of protein. Still, when Pharaoh’s magicians could do nothing about it, when they declared in hushed and awe-filled tones this was surely an act accomplished only by the finger of God, their pompous leader remained just as intractable as usual. He refused to let God’s people go. (Exodus 8:16-19)

The entire land of Egypt, with the exception of the Israelite settlement, would all pay the price. Their suffering would continue with no respite in sight. Enormous black clouds of buzzing, swarming flies moved in to cover the land. Every inch of it. Homes were infested, the walls becoming masses of fluttering wings and bulging eyes. The ground was covered with them. Every step carpeted by the squirming mass. What once had been beautiful land lay ruined in their wake. And, once again, the people held their breath, anxiously waiting to see if Pharaoh would keep his word and let the Israelites go. They surely hoped he would. Their livelihoods were not sustainable should the onslaught of plagues continue. Slave labor meant nothing if they lost everything. Homes and storehouses were excellent things to own, but only if you had something to put in them, and what would they have if the entire land was laid waste by pestilence? (Exodus 8:20-30)

Unfortunately for those longing for a reprieve, Pharaoh wasn’t inclined to back down. It seems his addled brain actually thought he’d win the war. He wouldn’t. Another catastrophe was on the way. One that would bring at least some of the people to their knees in hope and prayer that Pharaoh would take the condition of the land and the deteriorating quality of life in Egypt into consideration before his next ill-fated decision. Their livestock died. Never before had they seen such a fiercely infectious disease, nor one that spread so quickly. They were helpless to combat it. One by one they watched their donkeys and horses, cattle, sheep and camels meet an unfortunate end. Pharaoh didn’t care. Those things could be replaced. He could take them from the Israelites or raid a neighboring land. He wasn’t about to budge. Not for his own household. Not for the people he ruled. Certainly not in obeisance to God. (Exodus 9:1-7)

So badly did they wish he would have! Writhing in agonizing pain at the festering boils on their bodies, the people surely wished Pharaoh would have made a different decision before the next torment befell them. They wished he’d have shown mercy–on them! The pain was unbearable. The situation untenable. There was no way to continue this. They’d lost sanity and livestock and health. Only them. The Israelites weren’t suffering. Not one donkey or lamb had been lost to the mysterious illness. Not one boil arose on the skin of one person in Goshen. They remained completely unaffected. Couldn’t Pharaoh see this? Couldn’t he see what his choices were doing to the people under his leadership? Didn’t he care that his own people were suffering the most? Even he himself was not exempt from the wrath of God. How could he possibly be so obtuse?!?! (Exodus 9:8-12)

If the people were speaking, Pharaoh wasn’t listening. Blinded by his need to prevail, he remained unmoved in his position. Even when a merciful warning was issued beforehand. The worst hailstorm in Egyptian history was coming. Nothing outdoors would survive. Balls of ice would fall like rockets from the heavens, destroying man and beast and decimating crops. Safety could only be found indoors. 

As Pharaoh rolled his eyes, insolently slouching into the corner of his throne, others sprang into action. Not because he told them to. Not on his behalf. No. They were done following the nefarious path of their bull-headed leader. The crops would have to be forfeited, but the people and animals could be saved. No matter what choice Pharaoh made, they weren’t going to scoff at the promised oncoming disaster. They were not about to ignore the warning or rebuff the offered safety measures. They believed the words of the Lord. They comprehended His power. They were in awe of His great ability. And they weren’t about to be caught out when He’d planned a way of escape. (Exodus 9:13-20)

Not everyone heeded the warning. Some chose to do nothing at the expense of everything. The wailing in the land of Egypt must have been frightful that day. As the hail subsided and the people walked the fields assessing the damage and searching for the missing, surely the tone across the land was that of immense mourning. Their animals were dead. Their crops were destroyed. Their servants, family and friends lay lifeless in the fields. Sobs shook their frames. Tears drenched their faces. Worry and fear filled their hearts as they stared at the future. And the accusatory question circled around in their minds, with the effects of the first six horrors still echoing in their memories, why didn’t they take seriously the warning preceding the seventh? (Exodus 9:21)

Regret must surely have saturated the minds of those who’d scoffed at the warning. As their world lay in ruins before them, surely they wished they’d made different choices. By then it was too late. Too late to save the servants. Too late to protect the livestock. Too late to call their sons in from the fields. Too late to check the options, change the choices. Too late to save their lives. Everything had been lost for nothing. 

It didn’t have to end that way. No livestock needed to die. No people needed to perish. Sorrow and mourning and weeping didn’t need to become the order of the day. They chose that. They chose to ignore the warning. They chose to live in defiance. No one made them do that. As much as he scorned the warning himself, Pharaoh issued no decree forbidding the sheltering of livestock and people until the storm passed. There was no one to blame for the results of the atrocity but themselves. Not God. Not Pharaoh. No one had forced their hand. They were fully responsible for the choice they made. As are we. 

Centuries ago, God the Father made the choice to send Jesus, His only Son, to die an inglorious death so you would have the option of a glorious eternity. He had weighed the options and made an invaluable choice that would affect all humanity. Jesus always knew how His destiny looked. He didn’t love it. Wished there was a way around it. Still, in fathomless love and infinite compassion, Jesus looked upon failing, fault-filled mankind and decided they were worth it. You. Me. All of us. Worth it. He spent His earthly ministry warning of eternal death and offering the option of eternal life. Time and again He would offer the facts, explain the options, explicitly spell out the results of each one. His heart desperately hoped you would choose Him. Yet the choice, no matter what it was, would always be yours. (John 3:16-17; Matthew 7:13-14; John 10:27-28; Matthew 26:39; John 14:6)

It’s still your choice. God will never force your hand or reduce your options. So. What have you chosen to do with your life? With the invaluable opportunity of informed choice in your hand, who have you chosen to follow? After assessing the facts, reviewing the options, studying the promised results of each path, where have you chosen to spend eternity? Recognizing that the responsibility for your choices lies solely with you, understanding that life is short and eternity is long, knowing that God’s promises are sure, tell me, friend, what have you chosen to do with Jesus? (Numbers 23:19; Proverbs 14:12; Romans 6:23; Ecclesiastes 6:12; Luke 12:47-48)

Sadness settled over her, leaking out her eyes and weighing down her heart as she gently rubbed the pad of her thumb over the tiny fingers clutching hers. They didn’t have a lot of time left. Before long, she’d have to give him back. Give him up, actually. God had originally given him to her. She’d carried him in her womb, birthed him in her home, kept him quiet, hidden, safe. For the first three months of his life, no one outside her family and closest friends had known he existed. It was too dangerous to spread the joyous news. Too possible the wrong person would overhear. Too likely a thunderous fist would land on her door, demanding her infant son be executed. Pharaoh’s decree had made it so. 

Moved by his own insecurities, the newest Egyptian leader had come down hard on the Israelite encampment. The number of years they had peacefully coexisted meant nothing to him. His fear of their escalating population and the far-fetched possibility they would overthrow his throne had him scrambling to implement every possible method to keep them under his control. He turned them into slaves, setting taskmasters to oversee the work and monitor the goings on among them. He forced them to build store cities for himself. He made their lives bitter, their situation untenable. When the effects of all his efforts only served to make the Israelites more prolific, Pharaoh settled on one final, fateful idea. Calling the Israelite midwives to him, he issued the arrogant command to kill every Hebrew male child at the moment of his birth. 

They had no idea whom Pharaoh thought he was talking to, but they weren’t going to do it. Weren’t even going to try. He may make others shake and quake in their sandals, but Shiphrah and Puah were made of much sterner stuff. Killing wasn’t part of their job description. Never had been. Never would be. But they needed a plan. They needed to convince Pharaoh they were helpless to curtail the live births of male children. Contemplating their predicament the entire way back to their homes, they carefully devised a plan. An excuse, really. It might not even have been untrue. The Hebrew women had solid constitutions. They worked hard, weren’t quitters, and everything they did was done with efficiency. It would surely come as no surprise that they would give birth the same way. Quickly. Efficiently. Independently. At least that is what they told Pharaoh. (Exodus 1:15-19)

It didn’t satisfy his bloodlust or calm his fears. Instead, Pharaoh was enraged. Violently angry that his orders hadn’t been followed. In towering fury, he issued the command to his own people that every Hebrew boy born must be thrown into the Nile river, only the girls should live. Had Pharaoh held the great intellect with which he surely credited himself, he wouldn’t have missed the fact he had just been outsmarted by quick-thinking girls. It wouldn’t be the last time. Into this unwelcoming social climate, a clever Hebrew woman named Jochebed birthed the boy child that would grow up to lead the great exodus from Egypt. (Exodus 1:8-22, 6:20)

For three months she kept him secreted away in the safe haven of her home. Three beautiful months of cuddles and care. She knew it wouldn’t last. Couldn’t last. His cooing and babbling would grow louder. His cries would become more robust. He would begin to roll about, then crawl, then toddle. It was too dangerous to strap him to her back and carry him with her as she had Miriam and Aaron. She had to find another way. She had to keep her son safe. She had to protect him, even if it meant hiding him in plain sight. The rushes of the Nile River. 

Painstakingly she worked, crafting a basket of papyrus large enough to fit her growing son. Carefully she waterproofed it with tar and pitch, sealing the cracks where water could leak through and cause the basket to sink. With trembling hands and a pitching stomach, she placed her son in the basket and carried it to the edge of the river. Glancing about to ensure no one was watching, she set it afloat among the reeds and posted his older sister, Miriam, as guard and informant should things go awry. She wasn’t naive enough to believe her basket would go unnoticed. The river was a popular place. It was only a matter of time. The only question remaining was who would spot it first. Soldier or slave. Egyptian or Hebrew. Pauper or Princess. Her heart could hardly handle the thoughts. 

Walking away from the river, leaving only Miriam to protect her son was the hardest thing Jochebed had ever done. Miriam was little more than a toddler herself. How much protection could she provide? Still. It had to be done. Sparing herself only one backward glance, Jochebed headed off to the day’s labor. Her heart was heavy. Her eyes were drenched. The lump in her throat seemed like it would never dissolve. Her stomach was in knots. She had no idea if she’d ever see her son again. Yet still she went, willing God to protect her children. 

Miriam didn’t have long to wait. It was a bath day for Pharaoh’s daughter. She approached the river with her entourage, a group of attendants and her personal servant, each one scanning every nuance of the landscape for dangers both man and beast. Spotting the basket floating among the reeds, she sent her female servant to retrieve it. A wail erupted from within. Carefully opening the lid, Pharaoh’s daughter was instantly enamored with the red, screwed-up face of a howling infant boy. She knew he was Hebrew. She knew about her father’s decree. It wasn’t going to happen. Not today. He was going to be thwarted by a woman again. No way was she throwing this cutie in the Nile. She was keeping him. Her father would have to adjust. She had a more pressing concern. The child wasn’t weaned. Wouldn’t be for some time, it appeared. Who could she get to nurse the child until he was old enough to be weaned?

Perhaps she voiced the question aloud. Maybe one of her attendants reminded her of the need. Perhaps, before anyone raised the issue, God simply prompted tiny Miriam to boldly approach Pharaoh’s daughter with the offer of help. Regardless how it happened, the offer was graciously accepted. Without knowing it, Pharaoh’s daughter placed Jochebed’s son back in her arms. 

It wouldn’t last. Couldn’t last. Jochebed knew that. She’d have to give him back. As grateful as she was to have him in her arms again, she tried to keep the truth in the forefront of her mind. She didn’t understand it. Couldn’t fathom what God was doing. Didn’t know why she had to let her son go. Couldn’t answer why he was chosen to receive royal favor. Try as she might, her finite mind couldn’t grasp why he had to go. Her heart ached. Her head wondered. Her eyes flooded with tears as she gazed at the cherubic sleeping face peeking from the blanket in her arms. She’d let him go. She had to. But she couldn’t understand it. 

We do, though. We look back through history, read the entire accounts recorded in Exodus, and understand that God was raising up a rescuer for his enslaved people. Still, knowing all we do, our hearts pinch at the thought of Jochebed holding the hand of a toddling Moses as they walked up the palace steps that fateful day. We feel the pain of placing that little person in the arms of Pharaoh’s daughter. Our stomachs tighten at the cries of the child as the woman who raised him, loved him, cared for him turned and walked away. We feel the crippling ache in Jochebed’s soul as she does the only thing she can do. Offer her son as a gift to a princess and hope she understood how priceless the offering. (Exodus 2-6)

Centuries later, in a different time, a different place, another mother would bear a child sent to be a rescuer of enslaved people. From His heavenly throne between the cherubim, God the Father watched as His Son, Jesus, was born to Mary. Although she was told His true identity, the full impact of that truth eluded her. She didn’t expect what was coming. She never dreamed the Savior of the world would have to die to redeem humanity. She never planned to watch her son brutalized and murdered. She could never have imagined the crippling pain as the Father turned His face away and the cry, “It is finished!” rent the air. Her mother’s heart would have done anything to prevent the pain and agony her Son felt at that moment. Because she couldn’t, she did the only thing she could. She let Him go, watched Him die, and hoped selfish humanity understood how priceless the offering. (Luke 1:26-38; 2:6-7; Matthew 1:18-24; John 19:25-26; John 3:16; Romans 5:8; II Corinthians 5:21)

I wonder if we do. As easy as it is to read the accounts of Jesus’ birth and death, resting in the knowledge that He doesn’t stay dead, do we really grasp the enormity of the offering Jesus made on Calvary? Do we get it? Really get it? With our hearts, not just our heads. Are we overwhelmed by the grace and love that caused the Father to send His only Son to earth, knowing a painful death awaited Him, so that abjectly unworthy humanity could be blessed with forgiveness of sins and granted eternal life? The thought alone should wreck your soul every time you read it, hear it, think it. The God who owed you nothing, gave up everything, so that you might gain the one thing worth having. “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” In joyous response to the truth of this proclamation may we find ourselves willingly, selflessly letting go, giving up, surrendering all to the God whose way is perfect. (Colossians 1:27; Deuteronomy 32:4; Romans 8:32; I Corinthians 10:24; Matthew 25:40)

As the gift of letting go echoes through Biblical history, it begs us to do the same. In return for what Christ has done for us, we must open our hands and hearts and give back to Him. We aren’t good at it. Control freaks, all of us, we tend to close our fists around the things we want to supervise and keep them for ourselves. Please, let’s stop. It does us no good to hold onto the things God can use. It doesn’t do anyone else any good either. So let them go. Let go and let God work with what you give. Yourself, your time, your talents. Give your wealth for the work of the Lord. Surrender yourself, your hopes and wishes. Offer up your children and grandchildren to be instruments of God’s purpose and plan. As a gift to yourself. As a gift to others. As a sacrifice to God. Let go of anything that stands in the way of God’s kingdom flourishing, and let God be God. Knowing that everything you have and are came first from God’s open hand, may we open our own hands and gift back to Him the things He has given us. May we find peace in the giving. May we find the gift of rest in letting go. (Matthew 16:24-25; Luke 14:33; Romans 8:28; Matthew 19:29; III John 1:4; I Chronicles 29:14; Proverbs 3:9-10; Romans 12:1)