Activating the Power of God Series - No. 3
No.
3: The Power of the Rod of God
In this No. 3 of the series, Activating
the Power of God, I will focus on the biblical exposition on the rod of
God, in particular, its role as a symbol of God's authority in the battles
faced by the people of God in the Old Testament, and how these same principles
are applicable to our lives as Christ followers.
To begin, let's read the following
scriptures:
Exodus 4:1-5, 17, 20, KJV
(1) And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, The LORD hath not appeared unto thee.
(2) And the LORD said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod.
(3) And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it.
(4) And the LORD said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand:
(5) That they may believe that the LORD God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee....
(17) And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs.
(20) And Moses took his wife and his sons, and set them upon an ass, and he returned to the land of Egypt: and Moses took the rod of God in his hand.
Notice in Exodus 4:20 that it was
only after God had infused His power into the rod Moses held that it became the
rod of God, the symbol of God's power and authority, and by which God
delivered His people from the hands of their enemies.
Symbolically, the bible you hold as
a believer is the rod of God. If believers know what authority they wield by studying
and activating the truths in the bible, I believe we will begin to see the
power of God reflected in every facet of our lives. The problem is that most of
us don't take time to study the word and even when we do, we fail to recognize its efficacy to produce results in our lives. In the following verse in 2 Timothy, Paul
admonished Timothy about the need to study to show himself approved unto God,
with the ability to apply the word of truth appropriately. We read:
2Tim 2:15 KJV Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.
Let me say that I am optimistic that
if Christians will commit to devoting even a minute more of their time each day
towards the study of God's word, this will lead to the rise of a new generation
of Christians who will stand upon the authority of God's word to expose the
works of darkness. Often, our lack of understanding of biblical truths and
their relevance to our everyday lives has led many Christians to view the
studying of the word of God as a chore instead of it being a joyous part of our
Christian worship.
It would be helpful to delve into
scriptures to see how the power of God was unleashed through the rod of God.
The following scriptures provide a glimpse of the power in the rod of God:
Exo 7:8-12 KJV
(8) And the LORD spake unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying,
(9) When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying, Shew a miracle for you: then thou shalt say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and cast it before Pharaoh, and it shall become a serpent.
(10) And Moses and Aaron went in unto Pharaoh, and they did so as the LORD had commanded: and Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh, and before his servants, and it became a serpent.
(11) Then Pharaoh also called the wise men and the sorcerers: now the magicians of Egypt, they also did in like manner with their enchantments.
(12) For they cast down every man his rod, and they became serpents: but Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods.Exo 7:19-20 KJV
(19) And the LORD spake unto Moses, Say unto Aaron, Take thy rod, and stretch out thine hand upon the waters of Egypt, upon their streams, upon their rivers, and upon their ponds, and upon all their pools of water, that they may become blood; and that there may be blood throughout all the land of Egypt, both in vessels of wood, and in vessels of stone.
(20) And Moses and Aaron did so, as the LORD commanded; and he lifted up the rod, and smote the waters that were in the river, in the sight of Pharaoh, and in the sight of his servants; and all the waters that were in the river were turned to blood.Exo_9:23 And Moses stretched forth his rod toward heaven: and the LORD sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground; and the LORD rained hail upon the land of Egypt.Exo_10:13 And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the LORD brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.Exo_14:16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.Exo_17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: to morrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.
If you will believe God's power in
His word and exercise authority over every situation you face in this life
then you will be able to experience and testify about God's power as did the
people of God in ancient times. The rod you hold in your hand is much more
powerful than any other rod. In Exodus 7:12, we read about how the rod of God
swallowed up the rods of all the wise men, sorcerers and magicians of Egypt.
Praise be to God!
Many Christians have become
accustomed to viewing the miracles of the Old Testament as beyond human
comprehension when considered within present reality. But that is just like
putting limits on God, whose power and might transcends human understanding.
The God who ensured that His people were delivered from bondage in ancient
Egypt is the same God who can deliver you from any physical or spiritual
bondage which is limiting your ability to fulfill His purpose for your life.
The only thing that is preventing
you from seeing the power of God unleashed from the rod in your hand is
yourself - that is, when you allow sin to take hold of you, or when you allow
unbelief in God's word to cloud your mind. While activating the rod of God
brings judgement upon the enemies of God's people, sin often creates an opening
for God to bring judgement upon you through the rod of men. Beloved in Christ,
we cannot take God for granted. When we forsake God's word and choose not to
keep His commandments then we should know that our transgressions will be
visited with the rod as we read below:
2Sa 7:12-14 KJV(12) And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom.
(13) He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever.
(14) I will be his father, and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men:
Psa 89:20-22; 29-32 KJV
(20) I have found David my servant; with my holy oil have I anointed him:
(21) With whom my hand shall be established: mine arm also shall strengthen him.
(22) The enemy shall not exact upon him; nor the son of wickedness afflict him...(29) His seed also will I make to endure for ever, and his throne as the days of heaven.
(30) If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments;
(31) If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments;
(32) Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Psa 125:3 KJV For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity.As we take our stand for Christ and commit to living right before the Lord God Almighty, it is my prayer that God will grant you the wisdom and understanding to His word and guide you in applying the rod in your hand to secure victory over life’s battles.
Stay blest!
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