“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. ³⁷ As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; ³⁹ and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding with a hand mill; one will be taken and the other left. ⁴² “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. ⁴³ But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into.”  Matthew 24:36-43

Keep Awake! Jesus says; for You do not know when the Lord is coming, the day or the hour is only known by the Father. Keep awake can mean two different things. One is to fight the tug and the pull of sleeping. In this instance, it is less a matter of watchfulness than it is a drowsy existence – without keen awareness, and lacking in attentiveness. The other way to consider staying awake is to be alert—being attentive for danger. There is more purpose in this action since to be alert, one must always be attentive to everything that is in their presence. Every sound, every movement is listened to, seen, and examined. Which way would G-d want us to “keep awake” do you think? Does G-d seek a drowsy existence with us, barely hearing the word, and always in need of nudging us back into awareness?  Or, does G-d seek a relationship with you and me where we are attentive and aware and awake? God does not want a relationship with a drowsy Christian. G-d commands us to watch, listen and learn – for our wakefulness will strengthen our relationship with G-d.

Pastor Dave

⁸ The Lord said to Moses and Aaron, ⁹ “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Perform a miracle,’ then say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and throw it down before Pharaoh,’ and it will become a snake.” ¹⁰ So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron threw his staff down in front of Pharaoh and his officials, and it became a snake. ¹¹ Pharaoh then summoned wise men and sorcerers, and the Egyptian magicians also did the same things by their secret arts: ¹² Each one threw down his staff and it became a snake. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs. ¹³ Yet Pharaoh’s heart became hard and he would not listen to them, just as the Lord had said.” Exodus 7:8-13

¹⁰ “Tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. Moses replied, “It will be as you say, so that you may know there is no one like the Lord our God. ¹¹ The frogs will leave you and your houses, your officials and your people; they will remain only in the Nile.” ¹² After Moses and Aaron left Pharaoh, Moses cried out to the Lord about the frogs he had brought on Pharaoh. ¹³ And the Lord did what Moses asked. The frogs died in the houses, in the courtyards and in the fields.¹⁴ They were piled into heaps, and the land reeked of them. ¹⁵ But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the Lord had said.” Exodus 8:10-15         

We shall hear many times throughout the Exodus account, that the Lord “hardened Pharaoh’s heart”.  We talk about sin as both our refusal to heed G-d’s word and our behaviors and actions where we turn our backs to G-d. But, our Lutheran understanding is that WE are the agents to turning away from G-d. WE harden our own hearts to refuse to listen, to act, to live the Christ-like life.

In this exchange in Exodus however, it is often G-d who is hardening the heart of Pharaoh; G-d is the agent that turns Pharaoh away from the “I AM”.  Do you believe that G-d can will some people to not heed G-d’s word?  Is it possible that G-d can be the agent to turning people away from G-d’s self?  Does this sound too much like Predestination? Personally, I do not believe that G-d’s will is anything other than to save all people. It is our own sin and separation from G-d’s Grace that hardens our hearts.

Pastor Dave