Practical Wisdom from the Word of God

Exodus 3:20-22(NKJV) ²⁰So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go.  ²¹And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed.  ²²But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”

Yesterday we saw how the Lord gave favor to the children of Israel so that the Egyptians simply gave them silver, Gold and clothing when they asked for them. Favor became a weapon in the hands of Israel by which they plundered Egypt when it was defeated by the power of God. I believe that the Lord wants to use this same weapon for the church in 2013. Part of this equation is favor with God, called grace in the New Testament. However, the word favor in the bible most often points to God given favor with people.

To understand what this means, we must remember that we are not talking about favor won by intimidation or power. In the Exodus account, we find in chapter 12 that the Israelite women had gone to the Egyptian woman long before the fatal last plague had come upon Egypt. They did not give to the Israelite women because they were afraid. They gave to them because they wanted to give. God had moved upon the hearts of the Egyptians so that they went against logic and their own best interests to “favor” the interests of the Israelites. This is a sovereign work of God.

What is favor exactly? The English definition is interesting. It has a number of components. Favor means something done or granted out of goodwill rather than justice or for payment. It also means to be friendly or well disposed toward someone or to regard them with good will. Finally, it means to show excessive kindness or unfair partiality or to give preferential treatment.

This was not how the Egyptians should have seen the Israelite women. The bible says that each woman went to her neighbor and asked for her neighbor’s treasure. The Israelites were slaves. There is no reason for the Egyptians to give them anything. The Egyptian women should have looked down upon them. Yet the Egyptians simply said, “Yes, of course we will give you Gold and silver. Would you like these fine clothes as well?” I have to wonder how they explained this to their husbands!

What happened? Somehow, the spirit of the lord moved upon the Egyptian woman and they simply felt goodwill towards the Israelites. They had an overwhelming desire to be friendly towards them. They felt compelled to give them what they asked for without any sense of obligation and not as payment for anything. They showed unfair partiality and gave preferential treatment to the Israelites. Why did they do this? The only answer is that God gave Israel favor with the Egyptians.

The Hebrew word used here has some interesting connotations as well. It means Graciousness, kindness or beauty. The root means to bow to an inferior. God moved upon the Egyptian women so that they saw through the eyes of kindness and graciousness when they saw the Israelite women. Instead of ugliness and slavery, they saw something beautiful. They even responded to the Israelites as they might respond to their superiors even though the Israelites were inferior to everyone in Egypt because they were slaves. What is the explanation for this? There can be only one. God caused the Egyptian women to see the Israelites in a way that made no sense naturally. God gave them favor.

Finally, the Greek word used in the New Testament for favor is usually translated grace. However, there are instances when the bible is speaking of favor with men and in those cases; it is translated “favor.” The implication found in the Greek word is that which is due to grace or the token or proof of grace. The tokens of favor in the Exodus story are the gold, silver and clothing the Egyptian woman gave the Israelite women. God had given the Israelites favor and the Egyptian’s gifts were the evidence of that favor.

We live in a world that is increasingly unfavorable to the church. Our culture is opposed to godliness. Many in our government seek to eliminate the voice of Godly people from the political discussion. The intentions of the founding fathers of the United States to keep any one religion from controlling the state have been perverted into a campaign to remove religion from public life entirely. Those in the minority who want to believe in no God have won court case after court case demanding that any religious expression be removed from public sites.

Though all religion has been under attack, no group has been so marginalized in America as the born again Christian Church. We are portrayed as intolerant backward and hateful because we believe in the absolutes of the Bible. Our Bible has been removed from schools and our Christian heritage has been removed from our history books. Other religions are studied and praised for their cultural strengths but the Judeo-Christian heritage of America is being systematically removed from our schools and our culture.

How can we combat this trend? I believe that we need to continue to stand for what is right. I believe we need to vote according to our conscience and continue to preach the Word of God in public. I believe we need to stand for our rights as Americans and as Christians. However, I do not believe this will be enough.

I believe that the Lord is saying to me that 2013 is to be a year of supernatural favor for the church. It is impossible I know but I believe we can look at the story in Exodus and see that God can do what is impossible. They Israelites were slaves with no standing in Egyptian society. They worshipped a God foreign to the Egyptians and one who actively opposed all that their religion stood for. In the midst of this intolerable situation, God gave Israel favor with the Egyptians. I do not understand it but it happened and the Israelites left Egypt carrying the wealth of Egypt because of it.

God wants to give us favor in 2013. How did the Israelites obtain this favor with the Egyptians? In obedience to God, they asked for it. I am not sure what that will mean to us this year, but I believe God is saying we must expect to see the favor he has promised. When the Lord shows us a direction, we need to ask for favor. This may mean approaching people with requests such as a raise in pay or a better job. It may mean applying for things we should not be able to get. It may mean other things entirely. I believe we will know when we see them and when we do, if we obey God, he will give us favor where we need it and blessing will be the result.

I believe this is a blessing God wants to use for the church in 2013. It seems impossible given the climate of the world today. However, that is just the kind of challenge God loves to overcome. Pray for favor. Expect favor. Obey the direction of the Lord even when it seems outrageous. God will back you up and you will “not go out empty handed.”