Is I am that I am your King?

Recently I got the privilege of taking a substitute class at Junior Church. We started to meditate on the time that spanned exodus across judges and till Kings. This time period holds the story of 3 generations of Israelites and it amazes the way God works in their life and their response to God. The nation of Israel was formally formed while in slavery under the Egyptians. The forefathers enjoyed the luxuries of Egypt with the support of their brother Joseph. As the descendants increased, the bible says that Egypt receives a new Pharaoh who had no idea of Joseph and reigned over nearly 6 million people that had a different language and rituals than the Egyptians. Insecurity leads the Pharaoh to put the Hebrews under oppression. With that in the background, let’s look at the 3 generations of Israelites. The 1st generation are those who physically felt the heavy hand of an oppressing regime and cries out to the God of their forefathers (Exo 3:7-10). God raises Moses to bring them out and they become witnesses to the mighty judgment of God upon the Egyptians through the 10 plagues and the signs and wonders that follow as they leave Egypt – The parting of the red sea, the manna and quail, the bitter water turned sweet, the water from the rock and the provision of the ten commandments. They also walked in the presence of God who was a cloud by day and pillar of fire by night. But still they chose to contend with God and grumble and murmur at silly things with absolutely no trust in Him. This forced God to destroy them in the wilderness without bringing them to the land that was promised to them. But God raised a 2nd generation who heard of His mighty hand of deliverance. To them He gave possession of the land. The 2nd Generation is the one that fought the most battles and emerged the most victorious. They trusted in God to bring down the walls of Jericho, to keep the sun still till they got their victory and to take up their inheritance in the promised land. But they had one fault. They forgot to train up their children in the ways of the Lord and His laws. They forgot to tell the next generation of the victories they had and how God led their fathers out of Egypt. Their relationship with God lasted as long as the leadership of Joshua and then we see it crumbling down in the book of Judges (Judges 2:10 – 18). Thus comes the 3rd generation, a people who followed not the commandments of God but followed the culture and traditions of the people around them. It is this generation that completely ceases to accept the Lordship of God over their nation and demands for a king thereby rejecting God (I Samuel 8:7-22). What a sad state of affairs! The very people whom God had called His own people and Holy nation and chosen generation (Exodus 19: 5-6) have now rejected His sovereignty over them.My idea of explaining this is not to remind us of what we have already learned in our Sunday school or bible classes, but to challenge ourselves and see if we fall in any of these generational categories – 1. The 1st Generation – Are we constantly complaining the moment we have hardship and treat God like a butler who has to answer the moment we want him to do something for us and then forget his kindness? Are we telling God we will serve Him only if He gives us what we want instead of accepting what He wants for our lives?2. The 2nd Generation – Are we a people who have received the fulfillment of God’s promises and have failed to lead our generation to Him that they might live in obedience to Him?3. The 3rd Generation – Are we a people who have rejected the sovereignty of God in our lives and been satisfied with pleasures that the world offers? Have we submitted ourselves to the rulers of the world system (Economical, Religious & Social)? I am not saying rebel against the world system but do you compromise your beliefs and principles to accommodate the standards laid down by the socio – economical environments?God was rejected once, but now He says “Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord”(Romans 10:9), and you will be His children and nation once again (IPeter2:9). Even as the world systems crumble and fail, nature groans in agony as the signs of the coming of our Lord becoming more evident, Let me encourage you my brothers and sisters, learn from the mistakes of the Israelites and commit ourselves to be a part of God’s Kingdom by accepting His Lordship over our lives and our household.

Shalom!