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Look, the Lord your God has set the land before you; go up and possess it, as the Lord God of your fathers has spoken to you; do not fear or be discouraged.

Deuteronomy 1:21

One of the paradoxes of the Christian life is that God’s gifts often require labor on our part. God brought the Israelites to the Promised Land and told them He was going to “give” it to them (Num. 13:2). This sounded great to the Israelites until they realized that, with the gift, came battles against giants and fortified cities! Perhaps they assumed God was going to obliterate the inhabitants of the land before they entered. 

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“You have made us abhorrent in the sight of Pharaoh and in the sight of his servants, to put a sword in their hand to kill us.”

Exodus 5:21b

It is possible for people to become so accustomed to their bondage that they resist efforts to free them. The Hebrews had been slaves in Egypt for four hundred years. Slavery meant that they were not free to do God’s will or to go where they wanted. Moses had come to tell the Israelites how they could experience freedom, yet they were more concerned about the reaction of their taskmasters than they were about pleasing God. 

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And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘ I AM has sent me to you.’”

Exodus 3:14

When Moses encountered God in the burning bush, he still had much to learn about his Lord. Moses was impressed with the miracle before him (Exod. 3:3). However, it would take much more than a burning bush to lead Israel out of captivity from the most powerful nation of Moses’ day. Would the same God who could cause a bush to burn without being consumed also be able to do what was necessary to deliver a multitude? 

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You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself.

Exodus 19:4

God did not deliver the children of Israel out of Egypt so that they could enjoy the Promised Land. He freed them from their bondage so they could come to know and worship Him. Three months after they left Egypt, God reminded His people why He had delivered them “on eagles’ wings.” It was to bring the people to Himself. 

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“But now I come to You, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have My joy fulfilled in themselves.”

John 17:13

If there is anything that ought to characterize the life of a Christian, it is joy! Jesus spoke many times to His disciples about His joy being complete and full in them. His disciples were filled with joy as they realized who they were: children of God and joint heirs with Christ (Rom. 8:16–17). 

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