7/09/2004 07:42:12 AM|||Laura|||

And Jehovah said to Moses, Go in to Pharaoh and tell him, Thus says Jehovah, the God of the Hebrews: Let My people go so that they may serve Me.
(Exodus 9:1)

I've made it to Exodus. The story of Joseph in Genesis leads into it, of course. That's how the Jews got into Egypt to begin with. At the time Joseph was deeply respected and honored by the current pharaoh, because he had saved the country. But time passes, and people die, and the pharaoh at the time of Moses didn't know or care about Joseph. Eventually the Jews had become enslaved, and while the Egyptians were above all fearful of an uprising, they also didn't want to change the status quo and have to do their own work. The part of all this I never really caught on to before - God was not just saying, "Let My people go," because He had looked on them and was moved to pity - although that is part of it. He completed the sentence with, "so that they may serve Me."

Serve
‛âbad
aw-bad'
A primitive root; to work (in any sense); by implication to serve, till, (causatively) enslave, etc.: - X be, keep in bondage, be bondmen, bond-service, compel, do, dress, ear, execute, + husbandman, keep, labour (-ing man), bring to pass, (cause to, make to) serve (-ing, self), (be, become) servant (-s), do (use) service, till (-er), transgress [from margin], (set a) work, be wrought, worshipper.

This is the old Testament Hebrew word, and it appears 294 times. The three Greek words for "serve" in the New Testament appear less frequently. Here are the definitions:

G1247 (40 occurrences)
diakoneo
dee-ak-on-eh'-o
From G1249; to be an attendant, that is, wait upon (menially or as a host, friend or [figuratively] teacher); technically to act as a Christian deacon: - (ad-) minister (unto), serve, use the office of a deacon.

G1398 (27 occurrences)
douleuo
dool-yoo'-o
From G1401; to be a slave to (literally or figuratively, involuntarily or voluntarily): - be in bondage, (do) serve (-ice).

G3000 (22 occurrences)
latreuo
lat-ryoo'-o
From λάτρις latris (a hired menial); to minister (to God), that is, render religious homage: - serve, do the service, worship (-per).

Service is not less important now than it was in the days of Moses - however, our salvation is not contingent upon it. One thing Jesus said about service:

Blessed is that servant when his lord comes and finds him so doing. Truly I say to you that he will set him over all his possessions. But if that servant says in his heart, My lord delays his coming, and shall begin to beat the male servants and women servants, and to eat and drink and to be drunk, the lord of that servant will come in a day when he does not expect, and at an hour when he does not know. And he will cut him apart, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers. And that servant who knew his lord's will and did not prepare, nor did according to His will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he not knowing, and doing things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For to whomever much is given, of him much shall be required. And to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more. (Luke 12:43-48)

However, He said that two chapters AFTER He told Martha - in response to her request that he tell Mary to get off her butt (where she was sitting at Jesus' feet) and help out in the kitchen -

And Jesus answered and said to her, Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful, and Mary has chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her. (Luke 10:41-42)

Service. It's why God took the Jews out of Egypt. It's what we were created for. This includes the everyday worship of honoring God in our jobs and daily lives (G1247), it includes obedience(G1398) and it includes worshipping God (G3000). As saved people, we have been freed from bondage to sin. The rest of the sentence - so that we may serve Him.

|||108938118048522236|||Let My people go...