Captive Or Captivated

Did you learn something new in Gods Word this week?

Did you read a familiar scripture that had new meaning for you?

We are going to look @ three verses today (@ least 3):

2 Corinthians 10:4-5

Psalm 27:4

Isaiah 43:13

Are you captive or captivated?

Let’s briefly look at two captives from the bible.

The first are the Israelites in Egypt and the second is Daniel.

The Israelites lived in Egypt for over 400 years.

In Genesis 15:13 we see that God sent them there.

“The He said to Abram: Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs, and will serve them, and they will afflict them for 400 years.”

We are told in Genesis 46:27 that because of famine in Canaan, 70 members of Jacobs went to Egypt.

It is also explained that because the Israelite population grew so large that Pharoah was concerned that they might ally with Egypts’ enemies and overthrow him. So, he began a slow process of enslavery.

Entire generations lived their lives as slaves.

What strikes me as amazing is that God sent them to Egypt, then allowed them to become slaves. He did this to show Egypt and Israel His providential and sovereign power.

But in the Exodus, we see another dimension explained in Exodus 6:7 ‘I will take you as My people, and I will be your God. Then you shall know that I am the LORD your God who brings you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians.’ Once again, He desires a relationship with His chosen people!

Then of course to reveal Himself to his people and Egypt, He sent down 10 plagues.

Given the vast numbers of Israelites, I had to ponder why they didn’t free themselves. The bible tells us that by design Pharoah kept them physically weary, but maybe they were also captives of their own minds? We’ll get back to that shortly.

Everyone knows the incredible story of Daniel. Once again, we see that Israelites are under rule from another country, this time Babylon. Captives!

Like Joseph, Daniel gained favor and high rank in office of a foreign government. Then there was a plot against Daniel and @ a old age, he himself was a captive in the lions’ den.

Although I don’t want to spend a great deal of time on captives, I think it important to consider some similarities and differences between the two captives.

First off, God allowed His chosen people to be captives to a foreign nation for a second time! I can’t help but wonder, were the Israelites ever captivated with God?

Secondly, when we look at Daniels life, it is evident that he was captivated with God at an early age, and never lost that captivation under the most dire circumstances.

So, there is one MAJOR difference in these two captives. One was apparently never captivated, and the other was obviously captivated.

But let’s look at the similarities:

In regards to Moses, who God called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt, He felt unworthy “Who am I” Moses asked. Ultimately, he moved from fear to faith, and was obedient to Gods calling of deliverance.

Daniel also was obedient and faithful which led to his deliverance.

Are you captive or captivated?

One definition of captivated is:

To influence and dominate by some special charm, art, or trait with and irresistible appeal.

Let’s reduce the definition to:

To influence and dominate by some special trait with an irresistible appeal.

That special trait is BEAUTY.

Are you captivated by Gods beauty?

Your first thought might be “I’ve never seen God so how can I be captivated by His beauty?”

Every year, I am captivated by Gods beauty in the early spring and early fall. For 35 years Lisa has had to listen to me being captivated by Gods beauty in the turning of the seasons in spring and fall. I know this isn’t supposed to be a guy thing, but seeing the flowers and trees change, mesmerizes me!

Years ago, one of my close friends made an observation about Brig, when he was about 5 years

old. He said “I can see you in Brig, one minute he is playing tackle football and the next he is enchanted with flowers!” Some might call that ADHD, but I call that acute awareness of my surroundings!

This past week, several members of my family, about 20 of us, spent the week on Bolivar. One day as I was sitting on the beach, I realized how much I loved the perpetual ocean breeze. It caused me think about perpetual motion, and mans inability to replicate it. Although many have tried, man has not been able to create perpetual motion or energy. We can’t even truly capture it, much less replicate it!