Persecution

 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and the more they spread abroad. And the Egyptians were in dread of the people of Israel.

Exodus 1:12 ESV

https://bible.com/bible/59/exo.1.12.ESV


There's an old saying, I believe by Foxe in Foxe's Book of Martyrs, that 'the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church'. I think we need to strike a note of caution however, that in many parts of the world, to openly identify as Christian is a death sentence. There's a much quicker turnaround of Christians in places like North Korea than in the United Kingdom.


If to publically identify as a believer in Yahweh is a death sentence, that isn't necessarily a good thing. Granted, in places like ancient Egypt, ancient Rome, and even contemporary China, it does seem to be that the more the powers that be seek to stamp out God's people, the more we spread. But once Pharoah settled on his genocidal policy of infanticide of male Hebrews, and Christians get thrown to the lions and put in concentration camps, it doesn't look good for us.


And yet God is able to turn our mess into a message, to borrow the cheesy phrase. His message is that if you touch His people, you touch the apple of His eye, and you're not going to succeed, or to get away with it. You can fight against believers in God and successfully murder them. But you cannot fight God and succeed.


It seems counterintuitive that the Hebrews were slaves and yet the Egyptians were in dread of them. I'm reminded of the Psalm that says, 'there [the unbelievers] are, overwhelmed with dread, for Yahweh is present in the company of the righteous'. God Himself empowers His people to act rightly in the face of grievous wrongs, and that terrifies our persecutors, even as their own consciences haunt them. 


'Yahweh, God who is, thank You for Your Sovereignty over our oppressors. Please help us to remember that our battle isn't against flesh and blood, and to pray for and love those who persecute us, blessing them even as they attempt to curse us. In Jesus' name, amen'

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Mercy

  For the Lord your God is a merciful God. He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them. Deuteronomy 4:31 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/deu.4.31.ESV Jesus Christ is Lord. That's why they crucified Him, for claiming to be God and King: blasphemy to the Jews and treason to the Romans. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. So the same Jesus of yesterday is the Jesus of today. He was merciful yesterday, and He'll be merciful today and forever. He doesn't just turn around and decide to destroy people He's lavished His mercy upon. If we've received God's mercy, or if we receive it now, or before Christ returns, nothing can separate us from the love of God. If we want God's presence in our lives, and we cry out to Him for it, He's not going to abandon us in the wilderness of our sin. If we claim God's Bible promises for ourselves in faith, we are safe in Him. God promises never t
Read more

Power

 But for this purpose I have raised you up, to show you my power, so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.Exodus 9:16 ESVhttps://bible.com/bible/59/exo.9.16.ESV  Secular historians point to the lack of extra-biblical evidence of Hebrew slavery in Egypt and ensuing exodus. But here in this verse, God describes how this anonymous Pharoah has been immortalised in the annals of the Hebrews, so that God is proclaimed in all the earth. The mighty men of the world might think they can stand against God and win, but resistance is futile!  The more stubborn Pharoah was, the more the Lord was able to display His power. The more insistent Pharoah was of keeping his slaves, the more unreasonable he appeared. It was a battle of wills, and the will of Yahweh prevailed.  In the end, Pharoah will have been broken by the plagues. In the final plague, his own firstborn son was killed, the next in line to the throne of the world superpower. He might have tried to put a brave face on it, but he
Read more

Family

  But he answered them, "My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and do it." Luke 8:21 ESV https://bible.com/bible/59/luk.8.21.ESV Jesus, the humble carpenter turned teacher, was becoming like a celebrity of His day. They say familiarity breeds contempt, and that seems to be why they wanted to see Him. They wanted Him to come back down to earth. Jesus's response was shocking for His culture. He seemed disrespectful of His mother and brothers, refusing to even acknowledge them. Yet He knew that there's something more important than family. More important than family is to do the will of God. How do we know what God wants? By hearing from His word, the Bible. God demands our loyalties above and beyond our families. If loving God requires us to disown our families/be disowned by them, then sobeit. Eternal reward is worth temporary pain. 'Almighty God, may we obey You as we ought, even if it costs us family relationships. In Jesus' powe
Read more