May 31, 2010 (Numbers 18-24)

The complaining of the people finally got to Moses. I guess after that many years of dealing with them it was bound to happen. Once again they complained that they had no water, and put all the blame on Moses and Aaron. Moses and Aaron did what was right at the beginning - it says they immediately went to the entrance of the Tabernacle and fell face down on the ground, and God met with them and told them to command the rock to pour out water. So they went to God and He gave them an answer. But when they went to carry out His command, this is what they did:

^20:9 So Moses did as he was told. He took the staff from the place where it was kept before the Lord. ¹⁰ Then he and Aaron summoned the people to come and gather at the rock. “Listen, you rebels!” he shouted. “Must we bring you water from this rock?” ¹¹ Then Moses raised his hand and struck the rock twice with the staff, and water gushed out. So the entire community and their livestock drank their fill.

It looks as if his anger got the best of him. He didn't to what God told him to do (command the rock to pour out water), and instead took the glory for himself (must WE). Below, we see that one 'simple' failure cost him a trip into the promised land. Maybe it's because as a leader he had much more responsibility, and so his failure was much more costly. Or maybe we take sin too lightly. The punishment seems rather harsh considering all he had been through.

¹² But the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, “Because you did not trust me enough to demonstrate my holiness to the people of Israel, you will not lead them into the land I am giving them!” ¹³ This place was known as the waters of Meribah (which means “arguing”) because there the people of Israel argued with the Lord, and there he demonstrated his holiness among them.

And now, here the people go again:

⁴ Then the people of Israel set out from Mount Hor, taking the road to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom. But the people grew impatient with the long journey, ⁵ and they began to speak against God and Moses. “Why have you brought us out of Egypt to die here in the wilderness?” they complained. “There is nothing to eat here and nothing to drink. And we hate this horrible manna!”

God provided them manna and had 'rained it down on them' every morning. They always had food to eat. Yes, maybe it was the same every day, but it was food none the less. And how do they respond? By saying they 'hate' God's provision. Maybe we don't say it quite as vocally, but what about us? Are we satisfied with our 'lot in life' or do we complain about God's provision for us?

So in response to their complaints, God sent poisonous snakes among them, and many were bitten and died. And when they were in trouble, what did the people do? Go to the very ones they had complained against.

⁷ Then the people came to Moses and cried out, “We have sinned by speaking against the Lord and against you. Pray that the Lord will take away the snakes.” So Moses prayed for the people.

And once again, God is gracious. He gave Moses a plan, and that was basically the same plan that exists for us today. They looked to the snake on a pole in faith, we look to Christ on the cross in faith:

⁸ Then the Lord told him, “Make a replica of a poisonous snake and attach it to a pole. All who are bitten will live if they simply look at it!” ⁹ So Moses made a snake out of bronze and attached it to a pole. Then anyone who was bitten by a snake could look at the bronze snake and be healed!

May 30, 2010 (Numbers 14-17)

In Numbers 13, God sent out twelve men to go into the promised land to explore it and bring back a report to the people. Of the twelve, ten came back and focused on all the bad - the 'giants' in the land, the fortified cities, etc. etc. But two came back and focused on the good - the bounty and beauty of the land. Them mentioned the bad, but in the same breath, focused on the promises of God to give them the land. And what happened? Here we go again....

^14:1 Then the whole community began weeping aloud, and they cried all night. ² Their voices rose in a great chorus of protest against Moses and Aaron. “If only we had died in Egypt, or even here in the wilderness!” they complained. ³ “Why is the Lord taking us to this country only to have us die in battle? Our wives and our little ones will be carried off as plunder! Wouldn’t it be better for us to return to Egypt?” ⁴ Then they plotted among themselves, “Let’s choose a new leader and go back to Egypt!”

Then Moses, Joshua and Caleb (the two that came back with the 'good report') addressed the people:

⁵ Then Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground before the whole community of Israel. ⁶ Two of the men who had explored the land, Joshua son of Nun and Caleb son of Jephunneh, tore their clothing. ⁷ They said to all the people of Israel, “The land we traveled through and explored is a wonderful land! ⁸ And if the Lord is pleased with us, he will bring us safely into that land and give it to us. It is a rich land flowing with milk and honey. ⁹ Do not rebel against the Lord, and don’t be afraid of the people of the land. They are only helpless prey to us! They have no protection, but the Lord is with us! Don’t be afraid of them!”

So, after hearing that, the people repented and believed, right?

¹⁰ But the whole community began to talk about stoning Joshua and Caleb. Then the glorious presence of the Lord appeared to all the Israelites at the Tabernacle. ¹¹ And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? Will they never believe me, even after all the miraculous signs I have done among them? ¹² I will disown them and destroy them with a plague. Then I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they are!”

Now here's where I don't get Moses' response. At this point, I would have been tempted to say, "Yep, I agree. They'll never change." But instead Moses convinced God to spare them. And He did spare them, but He also said they would never enter into the promised land. So maybe God doesn't kill us when we complain. But who knows what blessing we may never experience because of our complaints.

In chapter 15 God instructed Moses to make tassels for the hem of their garments, and that the tassels were to remind them of the Lord's commands and that they should obey them rather than "follow their own desires and go their own ways, as they are prone to do". Maybe that's where the WWJD bracelet idea came from.

May 29, 2010 (Numbers 7-13)

What happened to Numbers 1-6? Well, that was the reading on the 28th and there wasn't a whole lot to say about it. So I'll start with the 29th!

Numbers is just that. Those first chapters were all about the number of people that God delivered from Egypt and their clans and offspring. It doesn't get 'juicy' until chapter 11. And here's how all the 'fun' starts:

¹ Soon the people began to complain about their hardship, and the Lord heard everything they said. Then the Lord’s anger blazed against them, and he sent a fire to rage among them, and he destroyed some of the people in the outskirts of the camp. ² Then the people screamed to Moses for help, and when he prayed to the Lord, the fire stopped.

A couple of interesting points here. When we complain, God hears every word. And no complaint, no matter how valid, is honoring to Him. When we complain we are basically stating that God somehow must not care about us or take care of us because of what we are going through. As I review these past few days, I realize I have done my share of complaining, and God, please forgive me. Help me to honor You with my words. The next point is that God hates complaints. His anger "blazed" against them and He sent a fire to rage against them. It was only because of Moses' prayer that His fierce anger relented. Next we see how the 'foreign rabble' that was traveling with them caused them to get their eyes off of the faithful provision of God:

⁴ Then the foreign rabble who were traveling with the Israelites began to crave the good things of Egypt. And the people of Israel also began to complain. “Oh, for some meat!” they exclaimed. ⁵ “We remember the fish we used to eat for free in Egypt. And we had all the cucumbers, melons, leeks, onions, and garlic we wanted. ⁶ But now our appetites are gone. All we ever see is this manna!”

And so, what happened. Did God empathize with their complaints? Did He 'see their point'? And how about Moses? You know, he reacted much like I react when I'm 'surrounded by complaints':

¹⁰ Moses heard all the families standing in the doorways of their tents whining, and the Lord became extremely angry. Moses was also very aggravated. ¹¹ And Moses said to the Lord, “Why are you treating me, your servant, so harshly? Have mercy on me! What did I do to deserve the burden of all these people? ¹² Did I give birth to them? Did I bring them into the world? Why did you tell me to carry them in my arms like a mother carries a nursing baby? How can I carry them to the land you swore to give their ancestors? ¹³ Where am I supposed to get meat for all these people? They keep whining to me, saying, ‘Give us meat to eat!’ ¹⁴ I can’t carry all these people by myself! The load is far too heavy! ¹⁵ If this is how you intend to treat me, just go ahead and kill me. Do me a favor and spare me this misery!”

Sounds like Moses was having a little pity party...woe is me.

¹⁶ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Gather before me seventy men who are recognized as elders and leaders of Israel. Bring them to the Tabernacle to stand there with you. ¹⁷ I will come down and talk to you there. I will take some of the Spirit that is upon you, and I will put the Spirit upon them also. They will bear the burden of the people along with you, so you will not have to carry it alone.

But God heard and decided to help him out. So Moses' complaining was handled by God helping him, and the other people's complaining was handled by God killing them. What's the difference? I'm speculating here, but perhaps God was gracious to Moses because the best he knew how he was leading the people and doing what God told him to do. The people, on the other hand, did nothing but complain about their leadership and long for better days. And for them, God gave them what they wanted, but in another version it says "He gave them what they wanted, but sent leanness to their soul". I would much rather have a 'full soul' and not the external things.

¹⁸ “And say to the people, ‘Purify yourselves, for tomorrow you will have meat to eat. You were whining, and the Lordheard you when you cried, “Oh, for some meat! We were better off in Egypt!” Now the Lord will give you meat, and you will have to eat it. ¹⁹ And it won’t be for just a day or two, or for five or ten or even twenty. ²⁰ You will eat it for a whole month until you gag and are sick of it. For you have rejected the Lord, who is here among you, and you have whined to him, saying, “Why did we ever leave Egypt?”’”

And then from the verses below, it looks as if the discouragement from the people got to Moses. It seems as if even he lost faith:

²¹ But Moses responded to the Lord, “There are 600,000 foot soldiers here with me, and yet you say, ‘I will give them meat for a whole month!’ ²² Even if we butchered all our flocks and herds, would that satisfy them? Even if we caught all the fish in the sea, would that be enough?”

²³ Then the Lord said to Moses, “Has my arm lost its power? Now you will see whether or not my word comes true!”

And so God provided flocks and flocks of quail that flew a few feet off the ground. The Israelites were able to catch them. It says no one caught less than 50 bushels. That's a lot of meat! So even though God provided for them, but this next verse we see that He was still really 'ticked off' at them:

³³ But while they were gorging themselves on the meat—while it was still in their mouths—the anger of the Lord blazed against the people, and he struck them with a severe plague. ³⁴ So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony”) because there they buried the people who had craved meat from Egypt.

This whole chapter is a good lesson for us, if we will heed it.

May 25-27, 2010 (Leviticus)

Yes, Leviticus - in it's entirety. Hate is too strong of a word, but let's say I kind of 'despise' Leviticus. There's not a whole lot highlighted in Leviticus. It's all about the offerings, and the sacrifices, and the clean and the unclean. For instance:

^1:14 “If you present a bird as a burnt offering to the Lord, choose either a turtledove or a young pigeon. ¹⁵ The priest will take the bird to the altar, wring off its head, and burn it on the altar. But first he must drain its blood against the side of the altar.

The book is filled with that kind of stuff. But having said that, there is 'good stuff' in this book. My first bit of highlighted stuff appears in chapter 10:

Aaron’s sons Nadab and Abihu put coals of fire in their incense burners and sprinkled incense over them. In this way, they disobeyed the Lord by burning before him the wrong kind of fire, different than he had commanded. ² So fire blazed forth from the Lord’s presence and burned them up, and they died there before the Lord.

³ Then Moses said to Aaron, “This is what the Lord meant when he said,

‘I will display my holiness
through those who come near me.
I will display my glory
before all the people.’”

And Aaron was silent.

God didn't mess around in the Old Testament. They 'burned a different kind of fire than He had commanded' - so He killed them. Pretty harsh. It shows us what He really thinks of sin and how important Jesus is to us. Jesus took that punishment for us. That's why 'we are not consumed' by God. Jesus has suffered for us, allowing us to go free. That is why He deserves our love and devotion.

My next highlighting occurs in Chapter 17:

¹¹ for the life of the body is in its blood. I have given you the blood on the altar to purify you, making you right with the Lord. It is the blood, given in exchange for a life, that makes purification possible.

All the sacrifices noted in Leviticus were to point us to Christ. It is Christ's blood, given in exchange for our lives, that makes purification possible. Note that it says 'possible'. It's not automatic. It requires a choice from us - to believe, understand and accept the free gift. Purification is possible if we will believe and receive it.

Then chapter 18 again talks about being separate from the people of the surrounding lands:

¹ Then the Lord said to Moses, ² “Give the following instructions to the people of Israel. I am the Lord your God. ³ So do not act like the people in Egypt, where you used to live, or like the people of Canaan, where I am taking you. You must not imitate their way of life. ⁴ You must obey all my regulations and be careful to obey my decrees, for I am the Lord your God. ⁵ If you obey my decrees and my regulations, you will find life through them. I am the Lord.

Chapter 23 talked about all the "Festivals" they were to have. And in all of them, they were to stop what they did and gather for a sacred assembly. They were to present offerings to God on these special days. They were to humble themselves and remember God. To reflect on His provision and care for them. I thought about our "festivals" - Labor Day - where we are to 'rest from our labor' and celebrate. But for the most part we celebrate with family and friends and probably don't give much thought to God at all. I know we aren't Jewish and don't celebrate all the special holidays as they do, but I'm thinking as Christians we should focus more on recognizing God in our 'celebrations'. Look at Christmas - that's a celebration because of the birth of Christ, but think about how it has changed - People don't even want to call it Christmas anymore - but look at it more as a 'winter holiday'. God forgive us for turning from You as a nation.

May 24, 2010 (Exodus 36-40)

These chapters are all about the building of the tabernacle, the altar, the ark of the covenant, etc. Quite boring to be honest. I'm sure there is hidden meaning in all the specifications. Perhaps one of the messages that we are supposed to take from it is that God is intricately involved in all the details of our lives. Perhaps another message is that when God speaks and gives us specific instructions, He wants us to obey and blessings come from obedience.

^39:32 And so at last the Tabernacle was finished. The Israelites had done everything just as the Lord had commanded Moses.

⁴² So the people of Israel followed all of the Lord’s instructions to Moses. ⁴³ Then Moses inspected all their work. When he found it had been done just as the Lord had commanded him, he blessed them.

The last couple paragraphs of Exodus tell about how God inhabited the tabernacle, and how He directed them as to when it was time to move on. Today, we don't have quite the same 'visible' manifestions of His presence. He chooses to reveal Himself to us through His spirit which indwells us.

^40:34 Then the cloud covered the Tabernacle, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle. ³⁵ Moses could no longer enter the Tabernacle because the cloud had settled down over it, and the glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle.

³⁶ Now whenever the cloud lifted from the Tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out on their journey, following it. ³⁷ But if the cloud did not rise, they remained where they were until it lifted. ³⁸ The cloud of the Lord hovered over the Tabernacle during the day, and at night fire glowed inside the cloud so the whole family of Israel could see it. This continued throughout all their journeys.

May 23, 2010 (Exodus 32-35)

Once again, how did I get so far behind...I'll do the 'cliff notes' to catch up. As I'm reviewing these chapters, I would have sworn that I did this blog, but I guess not.

What happens when God doesn't act as quickly as we want? We have a tendancy to do what the Israelites did when Moses didn't come back down from the mountain. They turn to "other gods". Here's the account from Exodus 32:

¹ When the people saw how long it was taking Moses to come back down the mountain, they gathered around Aaron. “Come on,” they said, “make us some gods who can lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.”

² So Aaron said, “Take the gold rings from the ears of your wives and sons and daughters, and bring them to me.”

³ All the people took the gold rings from their ears and brought them to Aaron. ⁴ Then Aaron took the gold, melted it down, and molded it into the shape of a calf. When the people saw it, they exclaimed, “O Israel, these are the gods who brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

Before we get all critical of the Israelites, how about looking at our lives? How many times have we seen God's faithfulness to us, and yet, when He doesn't answer prayers in our timeline do we turn to 'other gods'. If you notice verse 4 above, you see that Aaron spent some time 'crafting and molding' the gold into the shape of a calf. But when Moses came down from the mountain and confronted him about his sin, here was his response:

²² “Don’t get so upset, my lord,” Aaron replied. “You yourself know how evil these people are. ²³ They said to me, ‘Make us gods who will lead us. We don’t know what happened to this fellow Moses, who brought us here from the land of Egypt.’ ²⁴ So I told them, ‘Whoever has gold jewelry, take it off.’ When they brought it to me, I simply threw it into the fire—and out came this calf!”

Really, he threw the gold into the fire and out popped that calf! Sounds to me as if he wasn't owning up to his sin. I'm surprised God didn't zap him on the spot to be quite honest. I guess it shows what a patient loving God we have. I know in my dealings with others who have done wrong, if they own up to it - confess it - are truly sorry, I have a much easier time acting merciful. Shows how far I have to go in my attempts to be Christ/God like.

People are watching us. We may not know it, but they are. And those who don't have a relationship with Christ are probably watching us the closest, to see how we respond in certain situations. We can see that from the verse below:

²⁵ Moses saw that Aaron had let the people get completely out of control, much to the amusement of their enemies.

And finally, another of my favorite passages:

^33:14 The Lord replied, “I will personally go with you, Moses, and I will give you rest—everything will be fine for you.”

¹⁵ Then Moses said, “If you don’t personally go with us, don’t let us move a step from this place. ¹⁶ If you don't go with us, how will anyone ever know tht oour people and I ahve found favor with you? How else will they know we are special and distinct from all other people on the earth?"

¹⁷ The Lord replied to Moses, “I will indeed do what you have asked, for I look favorably on you, and I know you by name.”

Another version of verse 17 says:

And the Lord replied to Moses, "I will indeed do what you have asked, for you have found favor with me, and you are my friend."

The desire of my heart is to know that God knows me by name, and that He would call me His friend. That motivates me. That makes me seek after Him, as I remember that and reflect upon it. But I have to continually remind myself of these things, otherwise they get crowded out by 'the things of this world'.

May 22, 2010 (Exodus 25-31)

The first of these chapters is all about the building of the Tabernacle, the priest's clothing, etc., etc. I'm sure there is a lot of symbolism in these chapters, but to me, they are pretty boring. I didn't 'see' anything until the end of chapter 29 when this command of God caught my eye. He was talking to Moses and was telling what to offer on the altar:

^29:38 “These are the sacrifices you are to offer regularly on the altar. Each day, offer two lambs that are a year old, ³⁹ one in the morning and the other in the evening. ...... It will be a pleasing aroma, a special gift presented to the Lord. ⁴² This is to be a daily burnt offering....

Somewhere else I read that our prayers are 'incense' to God - which made me think those are the sacrifices God desires today - not lambs on the altar, but our prayers to Him.

Then I was reminded that all our gifts and abilities come from God:

^31:2 “Look, I have specifically chosen Bezalel son of Uri, grandson of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. ³ I have filled him with the Spirit of God, giving him great wisdom, ability, and expertise in all kinds of crafts. ⁴ He is a master craftsman, expert in working with gold, silver, and bronze. ⁵ He is skilled in engraving and mounting gemstones and in carving wood. He is a master at every craft!

⁶ “And I have personally appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, to be his assistant. Moreover, I have given special skill to all the gifted craftsmen so they can make all the things I have commanded you to make.

And then finally, and it seems I keep reading this, God wants us to rest. We are to work six days and rest the seventh. I really tried to get everything on 'my plate' caught up yesterday so that today could be a day of total rest for me. Didn't quite make it, but will strive to make that happen in the future.

^31:13 “Tell the people of Israel: ‘Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is a sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation. It is given so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy. ¹⁴ You must keep the Sabbath day, for it is a holy day for you. Anyone who desecrates it must be put to death; anyone who works on that day will be cut off from the community. ¹⁵ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, but the seventh day must be a Sabbath day of complete rest, a holy day dedicated to the Lord. Anyone who works on the Sabbath must be put to death. ¹⁶ The people of Israel must keep the Sabbath day by observing it from generation to generation. This is a covenant obligation for all time. ¹⁷ It is a permanent sign of my covenant with the people of Israel. For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, but on the seventh day he stopped working and was refreshed.’”

May 21, 2010 (Exodus 19-24)

Obedience - the key to everything. Here are God's instructions to the Israelites:

⁴ ‘You have seen what I did to the Egyptians. You know how I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. ⁵ Now if you will obey me and keep my covenant, you will be my own special treasure from among all the peoples on earth; for all the earth belongs to me. ⁶ And you will be my kingdom of priests, my holy nation.’ This is the message you must give to the people of Israel.”

In chapter 20 are the ten commandments. I've highlighted a couple:

² “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from slavery in Egypt."
³ “Do not worship any other gods besides me."

⁶ But I lavish my love on those who love me and obey my commands, even for a thousand generations.

⁷ “Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

And then this one - Even though people say we are no longer "under the law" because of Christ, I think God knows we need rest and refreshment. He set the example when He created the world. I think we need to take heed and that is something I am going to try and work on. Notice the verse says it is to be a day of rest, dedicated to Him.

⁸ “Remember to observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. ⁹ You have six days each week for your ordinary work, ¹⁰ but the seventh day is a Sabbath day of rest dedicated to the Lord your God.

And then, one that goes for children of all ages:

¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.

So God told all this through thunder, lightening and smoke. The people were afraid and told Moses to find out what God said, because they were afraid that if He spoke directly to them, they would die. Here was Moses response:

²⁰ “Don’t be afraid,” Moses answered them, “for God has come in this way to test you, and so that your fear of him will keep you from sinning!”

²² And the Lord said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: You saw for yourselves that I spoke to you from heaven. ²³ Remember, you must not make any idols of silver or gold to rival me.

And then God instructed them regarding going and overthrowing and possessing the "promised land". He stressed obedience and separation - not 'making treaties' with the people of the land. He expected His people to live differently then, and He expects us to live differently now.

²⁰ “See, I am sending an angel before you to protect you on your journey and lead you safely to the place I have prepared for you. ²¹Pay close attention to him, and obey his instructions. Do not rebel against him, for he is my representative, and he will not forgive your rebellion. ²² But if you are careful to obey him, following all my instructions, then I will be an enemy to your enemies, and I will oppose those who oppose you. ²³ For my angel will go before you and bring you into the land of the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites, and Jebusites, so you may live there. And I will destroy them completely. ²⁴ You must not worship the gods of these nations or serve them in any way or imitate their evil practices. Instead, you must utterly destroy them and smash their sacred pillars.

²⁵ “You must serve only the Lord your God. If you do, I^{s]" style="font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 0.5em; ">} will bless you with food and water, and I will protect you from illness. ²⁶ There will be no miscarriages or infertility in your land, and I will give you long, full lives.

²⁷ “I will send my terror ahead of you and create panic among all the people whose lands you invade. I will make all your enemies turn and run. ²⁸ I will send terror ahead of you to drive out the Hivites, Canaanites, and Hittites. ²⁹ But I will not drive them out in a single year, because the land would become desolate and the wild animals would multiply and threaten you. ³⁰ I will drive them out a little at a time until your population has increased enough to take possession of the land.

³² “Make no treaties with them or their gods. ³³ They must not live in your land, or they will cause you to sin against me. If you serve their gods, you will be caught in the trap of idolatry.”

May 19-20, 2010 (Exodus 7-18)

I think these chapters are all about the power and majesty of God, of how He is worthy of our worship and obedience and how He continues to deal with our rebellion and disobedience.

In Chapter 9 & 10, He was still dealing with Pharaoh and here is some of the dialog:

^9:16 But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth.

²⁰ Some of Pharaoh’s officials were afraid because of what the Lord had said. They quickly brought their servants and livestock in from the fields. ²¹ But those who paid no attention to the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.

²⁹ “All right,” Moses replied. “As soon as I leave the city, I will lift my hands and pray to the Lord. Then the thunder and hail will stop, and you will know that the earth belongs to the Lord. ³⁰ But I know that you and your officials still do not fear the Lord God.”

^10:3 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said, “This is what the Lord, the God of the Hebrews, says: How long will you refuse to submit to me? Let my people go, so they can worship me. ⁴ If you refuse, watch out!

The next thing that stuck out to me was the supernatural power of God and His ability to do anything. He created a cloud between the Israelites and the Egyptians as the Egyptians were chasing them. That cloud created light on the side of the Israelites and darkness on the side of the Egyptians. Then, when the Egyptian chariots were chasing them through the dry Red Sea bed, all of a sudden all the chariot wheels fell off, making them impossible to drive. Not to mention the manna that fell from heaven, and His ability to make that picked up on Saturday to last two days, when any other time they would try to keep it two days it would be filled with maggots and stink.

So after God delivers them through the Red Sea and kills ALL who were following them, the people had a wonderful celebration where they praised God and recounted His deliverance. But after the Red Sea encounter, they started walking through the desert to the Promised Land - (humm, is that what we are doing now? Walking through the 'desert of this life' to our 'promised land'?) they soon forgot all about God's provision and started grumbling and complaining about their 'lot in life' - no fresh water. So Moses took a branch that God showed him, threw it into the water and made it good to drink. Right after that we read:

^15:25 It was there at Marah that the Lord set before them the following decree as a standard to test their faithfulness to him. ²⁶ He said, “If you will listen carefully to the voice of the Lord your God and do what is right in his sight, obeying his commands and keeping all his decrees, then I will not make you suffer any of the diseases I sent on the Egyptians; for I am the Lord who heals you.”

And not long after that He says:

^16:4 ..... I will test them in this to see whether or not they will follow my instructions.

⁶ So Moses and Aaron said to all the people of Israel, “By evening you will realize it was the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt. ⁷ In the morning you will see the glory of the Lord, because he has heard your complaints, which are against him, not against us. What have we done that you should complain about us?”

¹⁹ Then Moses told them, “Do not keep any of it until morning.” ²⁰ But some of them didn’t listen and kept some of it until morning. But by then it was full of maggots and had a terrible smell. Moses was very angry with them.

^17:1 At the Lord’s command, the whole community of Israel left the wilderness of Sin and moved from place to place. Eventually they camped at Rephidim, but there was no water there for the people to drink. ² So once more the people complained against Moses. “Give us water to drink!” they demanded.

“Quiet!” Moses replied. “Why are you complaining against me? And why are you testing the Lord?”

³ But tormented by thirst, they continued to argue with Moses. “Why did you bring us out of Egypt? Are you trying to kill us, our children, and our livestock with thirst?”

⁴ Then Moses cried out to the Lord, “What should I do with these people? They are ready to stone me!”

⁵ The Lord said to Moses, “Walk out in front of the people. Take your staff, the one you used when you struck the water of the Nile, and call some of the elders of Israel to join you. ⁶ I will meet you by the rock at Mount Sinai. Strike the rock, and water will come gushing out. Then the people will be able to drink.” So Moses did just as he was told, and water gushed out as the elders looked on.

⁷ Moses named the place Massah (which means “test”) and Meribah (which means “arguing”) because the people of Israel argued with Moses and tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord here with us or not?”

I think this section has a lot of truth that we need to take to heart as we walk through the 'desert of this life'.

May 18, 2010 (Exodus 1-6)

Exodus - the story of the Israelites exodus from Egypt. It starts off with a story that makes you wonder about truthfulness. Pharaoh gave the order for all Hebrew boys to be killed as soon as they were born. ^1:17 "But because the midwives feared God, they refused to obey the king’s orders. They allowed the boys to live, too." So when the king called for them and asked why the boys were alive they said: ^1:19 “The Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women,” the midwives replied. “They are more vigorous and have their babies so quickly that we cannot get there in time.” Humm, a lie...how does God respond to their lies? ^1:20 So God was good to the midwives, and the Israelites continued to multiply, growing more and more powerful. ²¹ And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families of their own." It reminds me of Rahab and her lies to hide the spies that God had sent. I guess the story here is that sometimes, when it fulfills God's purposes, lies are OK. That's a hard one to wrap my head around.

These chapters were also a good reminder that no matter what we are going through, God sees and God cares.

^2:23 Years passed, and the king of Egypt died. But the Israelites continued to groan under their burden of slavery. They cried out for help, and their cry rose up to God. ²⁴ God heard their groaning, and he remembered his covenant promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. ²⁵ He looked down on the people of Israel and felt deep concern for their welfare.

^3:7 Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them...."

And then God spoke with Moses and told him all the things that would happen and gave him miraculous signs that would prove that indeed God was with him and would deliver him. I won't go into the discussion of how Moses argued with Him and debated with Him. That's a whole blog in itself, and it is amazing to me that someone who had seen God's glory and miraculous signs would continue to argue with Him. But again, I said I wouldn't go there.

And so, when Moses relayed the message he had received from God to the people, here was their response:

^4:31 Then the people of Israel were convinced that the Lord had sent Moses and Aaron. When they heard that the Lord was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.

When we go through experiences when we know that God is concerned about us, it's much easier to worship Him. But what about when things get worse? What about when we don't see His hand? So for them, instead of things getting better, and God delivering them, things got worse. And that's when it's difficult to still trust what God has told you, as we see by their response when Moses told them again that God had promised to free them from their slavery:

⁹ So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they wouldn't listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the increasing burden of their slavery.

And so it is with us. When things become discouraging, we are not to focus on the discouraging circumstances, but upon the promises of God. We should have an attitude of worship, regardless of how things go. That shows faith, and that is what God wants to see in our lives.

May 17, 2010 (Genesis 41-50)

Chapter 41 begins with Joseph being brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dream, because Pharaoh had heard that he could do this. Joseph was quick to give God the glory for this ability:

^41:16 “It is beyond my power to do this,” Joseph replied. “But God can tell you what it means and set you at ease.”

After the intrepretation, it was known that a great famine was coming to the land and that the wisest man in Egypt needed to be put in charge of the program to ration food. Here was Pharaoh's response:

^41:38 "...Pharaoh said, “Who could do it better than Joseph? For he is a man who is obviously filled with the spirit of God."

Even Pharaoh recognized that someone filled with God's Spirit was a wise person. All the more important for us to be filled with God's Spirit.

The remainder of Genesis tells the story of the great famine in Egypt and the story of Joseph's brothers discovering that he was in fact alive. They had sold him into slavery and just assumed that he was killed somewhere along the way. And their guilty consciences never left them. When things started going bad for them, they immediatly remembered their guilt:

^42:21 Speaking among themselves, they said, “Clearly we are being punished because of what we did to Joseph long ago. We saw his anguish when he pleaded for his life, but we wouldn’t listen. That’s why we’re in this trouble.”

And then Joseph's wisdom shines through, as he recognizes that the awful thing that happened to him was all part of God's plan to save His people. He wasn't bitter - he just submitted himself to God and allowed God to do with his life what was best, even if it meant being imprisioned unjustly.

^45:5 But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives.

When Joseph's father blessed him, here was his blessing:

^48:15 Then he blessed Joseph and said,

“May the God before whom my grandfather Abraham
and my father, Isaac, walked—
the God who has been my shepherd
all my life, to this very day,
¹⁶ the Angel who has redeemed me from all harm—
may he bless these boys.
May they preserve my name
and the names of Abraham and Isaac.
And may their descendants multiply greatly
throughout the earth.”

I especially liked the bolded parts...

And finally, after Jacob (Joseph's father) died, his brothers still were governed by their guilty consciences. They figured now that their father was dead, Joseph would get retribution, so they lied to him and told him this:

^50:16 So they sent this message to Joseph: “Before your father died, he instructed us ¹⁷ to say to you: ‘Please forgive your brothers for the great wrong they did to you—for their sin in treating you so cruelly.’ So we, the servants of the God of your father, beg you to forgive our sin.” When Joseph received the message, he broke down and wept. ¹⁸ Then his brothers came and threw themselves down before Joseph. “Look, we are your slaves!” they said.

And here was Joseph's response:

¹⁹ But Joseph replied, “Don’t be afraid of me. Am I God, that I can punish you? ²⁰ You intended to harm me, but God intended it all for good. He brought me to this position so I could save the lives of many people. ²¹ No, don’t be afraid. I will continue to take care of you and your children.” So he reassured them by speaking kindly to them.

May 16, 2010 (Genesis 30-40)

I've had a couple of "bad" days with my attitude. And my "quiet time" hasn't been what it had been...hummm...wonder if there's any correlation? I think so. So, once again, time to get 'back on track'.

Boy, there's a lot of dysfunction in the Bible. Today's reading covered multiple wives with multiple births and jealousies to go along with that, one rape, murders, one hook up with a prostitute that resulted in a pregnancy, one son sleeping with one of his father's wives, brothers selling another brother into slavery, someone being unfairly imprisoned, etc., etc. But through all that is the phrase, "But God has seen....". God sees it all. Some of the pregnancies were actually an answer to prayer.

One of the stories was Jacob returning to his homeland, which meant returning to the area where Esau was. Esau was the one who sold his birthright to Jacob for a bowl of stew, and then Jacob stole the "blessing of the father" from him. So, needless to say, he was a little apprehensive about returning home. But he knew God had told him to, so here was his prayer:

^32:9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my grandfather Abraham, and God of my father, Isaac—O Lord, you told me, ‘Return to your own land and to your relatives.’ And you promised me, ‘I will treat you kindly.’ ¹⁰ I am not worthy of all the unfailing love and faithfulness you have shown to me, your servant. When I left home and crossed the Jordan River, I owned nothing except a walking stick. Now my household fills two large camps! ¹¹ O Lord, please rescue me from the hand of my brother, Esau. I am afraid that he is coming to attack me, along with my wives and children. ¹² But you promised me, ‘I will surely treat you kindly, and I will multiply your descendants until they become as numerous as the sands along the seashore—too many to count.’”

I was struck by the fact that he recounted to God all the promises He had given him. And then he recounted all the blessings of God,and praised Him. There is one request - please rescue me - along with a confession that he was afraid, ending with another promise of God. I want to remember this 'pattern' when I pray. I want to find some promises in Scripture that I can 'remind' God of. I want to recount to Him all the blessings He has already given, along with my requests, ending with a another reminder of His promises. I have been convicted lately of my prayers...God, please do this. God, I need that, etc. etc. God is not my "genie in the sky". He is worthy of praise and adoration. He is worthy of my love, regardless of what He 'gives' me. If I can just get my perspective of Him correct, things will go much better for me. As I write that, perhaps that's what God wants our children to learn. During childhood, we are their protectors, we provide for them, we take care of them. We want 'acknowledgement' from them. We want gratitude. We don't want to be seen as their 'genie in the home'. "I'm hungry - feed me" - doesn't sit nearly as well as "I love your food. Would you mind making me supper now?" I think there's something there for all of us to learn...

Then there was the story of Jacob wrestling with God. I think I take my Christianity too 'lightly'. God wants us to seek Him and His blessings. God wants us to put effort into our relationship. I think that is the message from this story:

^32:24 This left Jacob all alone in the camp, and a man came and wrestled with him until the dawn began to break. ²⁵ When the man saw that he would not win the match, he touched Jacob’s hip and wrenched it out of its socket. ²⁶ Then the man said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking!”

But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.”

²⁷ “What is your name?” the man asked.

He replied, “Jacob.”

²⁸ “Your name will no longer be Jacob,” the man told him. “From now on you will be called Israel, because you have fought with God and with men and have won.”

And now, a verse that I liked:

^35:2 ".... God who answered my prayers when I was in distress. He has been with me wherever I have gone.”

Followed by a few snippets from Joseph's life:

^39:3 Potiphar noticed this and realized that the Lord was with Joseph, giving him success in everything he did. ⁴ This pleased Potiphar, so he soon made Joseph his personal attendant. He put him in charge of his entire household and everything he owned. ⁵ From the day Joseph was put in charge of his master’s household and property, the Lord began to bless Potiphar’s household for Joseph’s sake.

²³ The warden had no more worries, because Joseph took care of everything. The Lord was with him and caused everything he did to succeed.

And we see Joseph's integrity - when confronted with an opportunity to sin, here was his response:

^39:9 "How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”

He realized that it would be a sin against God, and so he restrained himself. Which is why God blessed him. God blesses obedience.

May 11-14, 2010 (Genesis 12 - 29)

What in the world happened to my "new leaf" to blog daily. Looks like I'll turn over that new leaf again today. A trip to the emergency room didn't help, but that was only one day out of my life. There are four days listed up there.....

One of the things that struck me in this reading was the length of time it took for God to fulfill His promise to Abram (was renamed Abraham later...I'll just use Abraham). Abraham was 75 years old when God told him he would bless him and cause him to become the father of a great nation. Isaac was born to Abraham when he was 100 years old. But before that because God didn't act 'fast enough', Abraham took matters into his own hands and tried to "help" God by sleeping with his wife's servant (at his wife's insistence). Didn't turn out well, as you can imagine. Just as things never turn out well for us when we try to "help" God out.

We should never be surprised when either God allows testing (as He did in Job's case), or when He Himself tests us:

^22:1 Some time later, God tested Abraham’s faith. “Abraham!” God called.

“Yes,” he replied. “Here I am.”

² “Take your son, your only son—yes, Isaac, whom you love so much—and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains, which I will show you.”

If you know the story, Abraham obeyed, even to the point of tying Isaac up, placing him on the altar and raising the knife to kill him. He rationalized that God could bring Isaac back from the dead if necessary. This was the faith that God saw in Abraham. This was the faith that was willing to obey and do what God told him, even if it didn't make sense. And this is what God says about obedience:

¹⁶ “This is what the Lord says: Because you have obeyed me and have not withheld even your son, your only son, I swear by my own name that ¹⁷ I will certainly bless you. I will multiply your descendants beyond number, like the stars in the sky and the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will conquer the cities of their enemies. ¹⁸ And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed—all because you have obeyed me.”

And later, we see that Abraham's obedience had long lasting effects:

^26:2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt, but do as I tell you. ³ Live here as a foreigner in this land, and I will be with you and bless you. I hereby confirm that I will give all these lands to you and your descendants, just as I solemnly promised Abraham, your father. ⁴ I will cause your descendants to become as numerous as the stars of the sky, and I will give them all these lands. And through your descendants all the nations of the earth will be blessed. ⁵ I will do this because Abraham listened to me and obeyed all my requirements, commands, decrees, and instructions.”

One of the other things that stands out is the symbology of Isaac living as a 'foreigner in this land'. That is exactly what the New Testament tells us to do - live as foreigners here on earth, looking for a 'better country'.

There were a lot of other great lessons in these chapters, but I will have to leave it at that. That's one of the main reasons I need to blog daily....

May 9-10, 2010 (Job 24-42)

Because I've read Job before and read the end of the story, I know that God rebukes those friends of Job that were giving him counsel. Because of that, even though they said a lot of stuff that makes sense, I'm primarily sticking with Job's comments. In chapter 28 he talks about wisdom and understanding. He asks if anyone can find them and says their value is much greater than gold and crystal and cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold. He again asks if anyone can find them and then makes this comment:

²³ “God alone understands the way to wisdom;
he knows where it can be found,
²⁴ for he looks throughout the whole earth
and sees everything under the heavens.
²⁵ He decided how hard the winds should blow
and how much rain should fall.
²⁶ He made the laws for the rain
and laid out a path for the lightning.
²⁷ Then he saw wisdom and evaluated it.
He set it in place and examined it thoroughly.
²⁸ And this is what he says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Then Job continues speaking:

^29:2 “I long for the years gone by
when God took care of me,
³ when he lit up the way before me
and I walked safely through the darkness.
⁴ When I was in my prime,
God’s friendship was felt in my home.
⁵ The Almighty was still with me,
and my children were around me.
⁶ My cows produced milk in abundance,
and my groves poured out streams of olive oil.

Job remembers what life was like before he felt the 'affliction' of God. He longs for those days when he felt God was 'for' him. I feel sorry for Job. He had to hold on to his faith, even when he didn't know the 'end of the story'. And even before he had the promises of God from the New Testament.

This next verse made me think of Cooper and how I need to respond to him:

^29:24 When they were discouraged, I smiled at them.
My look of approval was precious to them.

I need to smile at Cooper more. I need to be less frustrated and more loving. This is hard to do during those teen years when they have 'lost their brains'!

And then, after listening to all the talk between Job and his friends, God intervenes. He starts asking some questions of His own. I've listed some of them below:

^38:4 “Where were you when I laid the foundations of the earth?
Tell me, if you know so much.
⁵ Who determined its dimensions
and stretched out the surveying line?
⁶ What supports its foundations,
and who laid its cornerstone
⁷ as the morning stars sang together
and all the angels shouted for joy?

⁸ “Who kept the sea inside its boundaries
as it burst from the womb,
⁹ and as I clothed it with clouds
and wrapped it in thick darkness?
¹⁰ For I locked it behind barred gates,
limiting its shores.
¹¹ I said, ‘This far and no farther will you come.
Here your proud waves must stop!’

¹² “Have you ever commanded the morning to appear
and caused the dawn to rise in the east?
¹³ Have you made daylight spread to the ends of the earth,
to bring an end to the night’s wickedness?
¹⁴ As the light approaches,
the earth takes shape like clay pressed beneath a seal;
it is robed in brilliant colors.
¹⁵ The light disturbs the wicked
and stops the arm that is raised in violence.

¹⁶ “Have you explored the springs from which the seas come?
Have you explored their depths?
¹⁷ Do you know where the gates of death are located?
Have you seen the gates of utter gloom?
¹⁸ Do you realize the extent of the earth?
Tell me about it if you know!

¹⁹ “Where does light come from,
and where does darkness go?
²⁰ Can you take each to its home?
Do you know how to get there?
²¹ But of course you know all this!
For you were born before it was all created,
and you are so very experienced!

²² “Have you visited the storehouses of the snow
or seen the storehouses of hail?
²³ (I have reserved them as weapons for the time of trouble,
for the day of battle and war.)
²⁴ Where is the path to the source of light?
Where is the home of the east wind?

²⁵ “Who created a channel for the torrents of rain?
Who laid out the path for the lightning?
²⁶ Who makes the rain fall on barren land,
in a desert where no one lives?
²⁷ Who sends rain to satisfy the parched ground
and make the tender grass spring up?

²⁸ “Does the rain have a father?
Who gives birth to the dew?
²⁹ Who is the mother of the ice?
Who gives birth to the frost from the heavens?
³⁰ For the water turns to ice as hard as rock,
and the surface of the water freezes.

³¹ “Can you direct the movement of the stars—
binding the cluster of the Pleiades
or loosening the cords of Orion?
³² Can you direct the sequence of the seasons
or guide the Bear with her cubs across the heavens?
³³ Do you know the laws of the universe?
Can you use them to regulate the earth?

³⁴ “Can you shout to the clouds
and make it rain?
³⁵ Can you make lightning appear
and cause it to strike as you direct?
³⁶ Who gives intuition to the heart
and instinct to the mind?
³⁷ Who is wise enough to count all the clouds?
Who can tilt the water jars of heaven
³⁸ when the parched ground is dry
and the soil has hardened into clods?

³⁹ “Can you stalk prey for a lioness
and satisfy the young lions’ appetites
⁴⁰ as they lie in their dens
or crouch in the thicket?
⁴¹ Who provides food for the ravens
when their young cry out to God
and wander about in hunger?

That was just one chapter. He (God) went on for another before asking one final question:

^40:1 Then the Lord said to Job,

² “Do you still want to argue with the Almighty?
You are God’s critic, but do you have the answers?”

³ Then Job replied to the Lord,

⁴ “I am nothing—how could I ever find the answers?
I will cover my mouth with my hand.
⁵ I have said too much already.
I have nothing more to say.”

But it doesn't end there. God tells Job to 'brace himself' and then He goes on to ask more questions through the remainder of that chapter and through one more. And here is Job's final response:

^42:1 Then Job replied to the Lord:

² “I know that you can do anything,
and no one can stop you.
³ You asked, ‘Who is this that questions my wisdom with such ignorance?’
It is I—and I was talking about things I knew nothing about,
things far too wonderful for me.
⁴ You said, ‘Listen and I will speak!
I have some questions for you,
and you must answer them.’
⁵ I had only heard about you before,
but now I have seen you with my own eyes.
⁶ I take back everything I said,
and I sit in dust and ashes to show my repentance.”

God reminded Job of who He was - Job confessed that he had only heard of Him before, but now he had experienced Him for himself. And now he had nothing to say in his own defense. He could not justify himself in the prescence of Almighty God. And then God asked Job to pray for his friends, and God would accept his prayer on their behalf. And when Job prayed for his friends, God restored his fortunes. In fact, He gave him twice as much as he had before.

I don't know what to think of the book of Job. There are a lot of lessons in this book, probably the most important one being that of "The fear of the Lord is true wisdom; to forsake evil is real understanding." I was also struck by the end. I think we underestimate how much God is pleased when we live for him and when we pray for others.