January 8, 2011 (Exodus 18-24)

Today's reading gave me insights into the troubles in our judicial system today. We are not following God's plan according to His word:

^18:21 But select from all the people some capable, honest men who fear God and hate bribes.

I wonder how many judges in our land 'fear God'. I also wonder how many 'hate bribes'. I'm sure there are some, but considering the nature of our country I would imagine they are in the minority. I know that's judgemental and that I really shouldn't judge.

Now, God has a message for His people. Here is what He told Moses to tell them:

^19:4 ‘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.”

I think that message still applies today. And when the people heard what God had said, they responded:

^19:8 “We will do everything the Lord has commanded.” So Moses brought the people’s answer back to the Lord.

I thought it was interesting what happened next. God wanted the people to have confidence in their leader, so He said:

^19:9 “I will come to you in a thick cloud, Moses, so the people themselves can hear me when I speak with you. Then they will always trust you.”

He told Moses to prepare the people for His arrival. They were to purify themselves and He would appear on the third day. He descended over Mt. Sinai in the form of fire. Smoke billowed into the sky like smoke from a furnace and the whole mountain shook with a violent earthquake. The people stood at a distance, trembling with fear. They told Moses to tell them what God said, because they were afraid they would die if He spoke directly to them. That tells me what an awesome sight that must have been. Moses replied with words that are very insightful:

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

God's instructions to the people, the Ten Commandments, are in chapter 20:

³ “You must not have any other god but me.
⁴ “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. ⁵ You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. 
⁷ “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.
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. On that day no one in your household may do any work. 
 ¹² “Honor your father and mother. Then you will live a long, full life in the land the Lord your God is giving you.
 ¹³ “You must not murder.
 ¹⁴ “You must not commit adultery.
 ¹⁵ “You must not steal.
 ¹⁶ “You must not testify falsely against your neighbor.
 ¹⁷ “You must not covet your neighbor’s house, or anything else that belongs to your neighbor.”

The following three chapters were God's principles and rules in greater detail. Pretty harsh stuff, such as "Kidnappers must be killed', and "Anyone who curses father or mother must be put to death". If those rules still applied, I think there would be a difference in people's actions knowing they would be killed if they did that stuff. Like I said, pretty harsh. But I think God was trying to get our attention to show us how He looks at sin and at how offensive it is to a Holy God. Which again is why we need Jesus.

God told them He would drive out all the people into whose land He would bring them. He also gave these words of warning:

^23:32 “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.”

I know all this is "Old Testament", but the truths God was imparting still apply today. And much of this is 'backed up' in the New Testament. I feel like I'm caught up in the trap of idolatry. I feel like I've 'made treaties' with the gods of this land. All I can do is continue to read and study God's word and ask Him to continue to reveal those areas to me and give me the grace to change.

January 7, 2011 (Exodus 13-17)

Moses is now leading the people out of Egypt to the promised land. He says:

 ^13:3 So Moses said to the people, “This is a day to remember forever—the day you left Egypt, the place of your slavery. Today the Lord has brought you out by the power of his mighty hand. 


As I read that, I thought of the day I was saved - March 21, 1982. And that it also is a day to remember forever. Before I was married I would always take March 21st and spend the entire day with God - that is much harder to do with a family. But I need to get back to that - perhaps spending just the time while the house is quiet while everyone is gone.

The shortest route to the promised land was through Philistine territory, but God let them a different way. He had two purposes for that - one, He was afraid if they were confronted in battle by the Philistines they would turn around and go back; two, He would have to do another mighty deliverance in the way He was taking them to prove His power. He was leading them in such a way they would be trapped between the wilderness and the sea. Humanly speaking, it didn't make sense. But God calls me to trust Him. When I'm backed up against a wall, will I complain or will I trust that God will make a way? Here were Moses' words of faith to the people:

 ^14:13 But Moses told the people, “Don’t be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. ¹⁴ The Lord himself will fight for you. You won't have to lift a finger in your defense.”

And that is exactly what God did. He sent a strong east wind to blow all night and blow a path through the sea. The bible says the water stood up as walls on either side and the sea bed dried. The people went across on dry land. When the Egyptians followed, God caused their chariot wheels to fall off before they could get to the other side and then Moses commanded the sea to rush back to it's place, destroying the entire army of Pharoah. When the people saw the mighty power of the Lord, they put their faith in Him.

But, things weren't always so 'miraculous'. Even though God was leading them with a pillar of fire - they could visually see that He was indeed leading them, they went three days without water and began to complain. Moses prayed to God, and He answered again by providing water through miraculous ways. It was here that God gave these instructions:

^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.”

Without going into details, the people did not learn from this. They grumbled and complained against Moses and Aaron, to which Moses replied:

^16:7 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?” ⁸ Then Moses added, “The Lord will give you meat to eat in the evening and bread to satisfy you in the morning, for he has heard all your complaints against him. What have we done? Yes, your complaints are against the Lord, not against us.”

I find myself following in their footsteps. How often do I 'grumble and complain' instead of looking to God in faith, knowing that He is faithful? Too often I am afraid. God, help me to not forget the lesson you are teaching me here - to trust You during the times of testing without complaining.

January 6, 2011 (Exodus 7-12)

Now begins the 'tale of the exodus' - when God led his people out of Egypt. All through these chapters this verse seems to capitalize on the main theme:

^7:5 When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord.”

God definitely shows His power. He turns all the rivers into blood; He fills the land with frogs; He fills the land with knats; He fills the land with flies; He sends disease to kill livestock; He sends boils on man and animals; He sends a huge hailstorm unlike any other before or since; He sends locusts to eat what the hailstorm didn't destroy; He sends darkness to cover the earth for three days. With all those plagues, He caused them only in the land of Egypt and not in the neighboring land of Goshen where the Israelites lived.

He said, "^8:23 I will make a clear distinction between my people and your people. This miraculous sign will happen tomorrow.’”
²⁴ And the Lord did just as he had said.

I have a feeling that is still a sentiment He holds - He wants there to be a clear distinction between His people and 'the world'. That is a very convicting verse for me, because I feel like I am not 'as distinct' as He desires. God, continue to purge and purify me to be different.

I'm going to list some verses that provoked some thoughts as I read. I think they are pretty much self explanatory.

^9:5 The Lord has already set the time for the plague to begin. He has declared that he will strike the land tomorrow.’”

⁶ And the Lord did just as he had said.

^9:15By now I could have lifted my hand and struck you and your people with a plague to wipe you off the face of the earth.¹⁶ But I have spared you for a purpose—to show you my power and to spread my fame throughout the earth.

^9:20 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 had no respect for the word of the Lord left theirs out in the open.

^9:29 “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.”

^10:2 I’ve also done it so you can tell your children and grandchildren about how I made a mockery of the Egyptians and about the signs I displayed among them—and so you will know that I am the Lord.”

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?

God will do what He says He will do. Which is a scary thought when I read Revelation. He is going to send 'plagues' against the earth at the end of time as well. And even though God displays His power, there will still be those who do not acknowledge Him:

^{Rev. 9:20} But the people who did not die in these plagues still refused to repent of their evil deeds and turn to God. They continued to worship demons and idols made of gold, silver, bronze, stone, and wood—idols that can neither see nor hear nor walk! ²¹ And they did not repent of their murders or their witchcraft or their immorality or their thefts.

He loves me. He gave His Son for me. That is depicted in the last section of today's reading in Exodus. It shows the foreshadowing of Christ. Just as the Israelites were to sprinkle the blood of a lamb over their doorposts so that the destroying angel would not kill their first born son (the last plague), the only reason God passes over me now is because of the blood of His son, the Lamb of God, that has been 'sprinkled over my heart' when by faith, I believed.

God has a plan.

^12:40 The people of Israel had lived in Egypt for 430 years. ⁴¹ In fact, it was on the last day of the 430th year that all the Lord’s forces left the land. ⁴² This night had been reserved by the Lord to bring his people out from the land of Egypt, so this night belongs to him. It must be celebrated every year, from generation to generation, to remember the Lord's deliverance.

What happens on this earth is 'not random'. The events that are playing out around us right now are pre-arranged.

If I don't read the Bible, I lose sight as to what God is doing and I have 'the world's' perspective on events, and not His. God, please continue to change me through Your word.

January 5, 2011 (Exodus 1-6)

The Israelites are in Egypt; God has used Joseph to keep them alive during the famine. Time has passed, that generation has died off, the Israelites have multiplied so quickly that they soon filled the land and now there is a new Pharoah (king) that knows nothing of the Israelite's past. All he knows is that they are so numerous they could join forces with others to rise up and overtake the Egyptians. So he decides to make them his slaves and kill all newborn boys so they won't continue to multiply. But the midwives feared God, so they refused to obey the king and allowed the boys to live too. They told him the Hebrew women gave birth before they could get there. And now we read:

^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.

I love that last sentance.

Long story short, God raises up Moses to be their deliverer. Moses killed an Egyptian and fled to Midian. The Bible says "Now it happened" when it describes the scene where Moses met his future wife. "Now it just so happened" - or otherwise today people would say "What a coincidence" - No, not a coincidence - ordained by God.

Then we come to:

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. ²⁵He looked down on the people of Israel and felt deep concern for their welfare.

I love that last verse - and I love to personalize: "He looked down on Sandy and felt deep concern for her welfare." Do we believe that? Do we believe he looks down on us and feels deep concern for our welfare?

A few days ago I was struck by the fact that "God sees, God knows, God cares." It surfaces again here, in several areas.

⁷ Then the Lord told him, “I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. ⁸ So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. ⁹ Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. ¹⁰ Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

¹⁶ “Now go and call together all the elders of Israel. Tell them, ‘The Lord, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—has appeared to me. He told me, “I have been watching closely, and I see how the Egyptians are treating you. ¹⁷ I have promised to rescue you from your oppression in Egypt. I will lead you to a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live.”’

¹⁹ “But I know that the king of Egypt will not let you go unless a mighty hand forces him. ²⁰ So I will raise my hand and strike the Egyptians, performing all kinds of miracles among them. Then at last he will let you go. ²¹ And I will cause the Egyptians to look favorably on you. They will give you gifts when you go so you will not leave empty-handed.

It's hard to believe, but for the next chapter and a half, Moses argues with God and tells him he can't do it. Even though he has 'seen' God speaking to him from a burning bush that never burns up. Even though he has heard God speaking directly to him. He protests all through chapters 3 and four and ends with this dialog:

^4:10 But Moses pleaded with the Lord, “O Lord, I’m not very good with words. I never have been, and I’m not now, even though you have spoken to me. I get tongue-tied, and my words get tangled.”

¹¹ Then the Lord asked Moses, “Who makes a person’s mouth? Who decides whether people speak or do not speak, hear or do not hear, see or do not see? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go! I will be with you as you speak, and I will instruct you in what to say.”

¹³ But Moses again pleaded, “Lord, please! Send anyone else.”

We have a very patient God. I would have said "OK, forget it" and rained down a little fire and brimstone and burned him to a crisp. The next verse does say that God got angry with him, but here is how God handled it:

^4:14 Then the Lord became angry with Moses. “All right,” he said. “What about your brother, Aaron the Levite? I know he speaks well. And look! He is on his way to meet you now. He will be delighted to see you. ¹⁵ Talk to him, and put the words in his mouth. I will be with both of you as you speak, and I will instruct you both in what to do.

So Moses and Aaron went to the Israelites to tell them everything God had told them. I loved the Israelite's response:

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.

I think that's the key. I think it's only when we really get a glimpse of the fact that He really does see us and are concerned for us - when we are truly convinced of it; when it is really personal to us - that is when we worship.

God, please give us eyes to see You and Your concern for us.

January 4, 2011 (Job 25-42)

In chapter 28, Job speaks of wisdom, and compares it with gold and precious stones. Here are some of his observations:

^28:1 “People know where to mine silver
and how to refine gold.
² They know where to dig iron from the earth
and how to smelt copper from rock.
³ They know how to shine light in the darkness
and explore the farthest regions of the earth
as they search in the dark for ore.

¹⁰ They cut tunnels in the rocks
and uncover precious stones.
¹¹ They dam up the trickling streams
and bring to light the hidden treasures.

But then he talks of wisdom, and the price of it. He speaks that it cannot be purchased.

¹² “But do people know where to find wisdom?
Where can they find understanding?
¹³ No one knows where to find it,
for it is not found among the living.
¹⁴ ‘It is not here,’ says the ocean.
‘Nor is it here,’ says the sea.
¹⁵ It cannot be bought with gold.
It cannot be purchased with silver.
¹⁶ It’s worth more than all the gold of Ophir,
greater than precious onyx or lapis lazuli.
¹⁷ Wisdom is more valuable than gold and crystal.
It cannot be purchased with jewels mounted in fine gold.
¹⁸ Coral and jasper are worthless in trying to get it.
The price of wisdom is far above rubies.

Finally Job describes what true wisdom is:

²⁸ And this is what he (God) says to all humanity:
‘The fear of the Lord is true wisdom;
to forsake evil is real understanding.’”

Just that one verse - to really meditate on that is true wisdom. More valuable that gold or precious stones - do we really believe that?

Then for three chapters (29-31) Job goes on to desribe all the things he has done for others - how he always helped the poor and needy; how he encouraged those who had lost hope; how the widows now sang for joy; how he insured that strangers received a fair trial.

He goes on to describe that he was innocent of sexual sins and had moral integrity:

^31:1 “I made a covenant with my eyes
not to look with lust at a young woman.

⁴ Doesn’t he see everything I do
and every step I take?

⁵ “Have I lied to anyone
or deceived anyone?
⁶ Let God weigh me on the scales of justice,
for he knows my integrity.
⁷ If I have strayed from his pathway,
or if my heart has lusted for what my eyes have seen,
or if I am guilty of any other sin,
⁸ then let someone else eat the crops I have planted.
Let all that I have planted be uprooted.

⁹ “If my heart has been seduced by a woman,
or if I have lusted for my neighbor’s wife,
¹⁰ then let my wife belong to another man;
let other men sleep with her.
¹¹ For lust is a shameful sin,
a crime that should be punished.
¹² It is a fire that burns all the way to hell.
It would wipe out everything I own.

Innocent of trust in his wealth:

²⁴ “Have I put my trust in money
or felt secure because of my gold?
²⁵ Have I gloated about my wealth
and all that I own?

Innocent of not caring for his enemies:

²⁹ “Have I ever rejoiced when disaster struck my enemies,
or become excited when harm came their way?
³⁰ No, I have never sinned by cursing anyone
or by asking for revenge.

And finally, perhaps the justification that none are righteous, not even one. Job has defended his innocense and it seems as if Job really was a righteous man. But without Jesus, none of us can stand before God. If anyone could have, it would have been Job.

³⁵ “If only someone would listen to me!

With Jesus, we have 'someone who will listen to us'.

Job's three friends are now silent as well. But now a fourth person comes into the picture - one who is younger than all the others and was silent before, but now feels compelled to speak. He starts out with some 'foolish talk':

^32:2 Then Elihu son of Barakel the Buzite, of the clan of Ram, became angry. He was angry because Job refused to admit that he had sinned and that God was right in punishing him. ³ He was also angry with Job’s three friends, for they made God appear to be wrong by their inability to answer Job’s arguments.

But he has some extreme wisdom, and prophecy, when he speaks the following:

²³ “But if an angel from heaven appears—
a special messenger to intercede for a person
and declare that he is upright—
²⁴ he will be gracious and say,
‘Rescue him from the grave,
for I have found a ransom for his life.’
²⁵ Then his body will become as healthy as a child’s,
firm and youthful again.
²⁶ When he prays to God,
he will be accepted.
And God will receive him with joy
and restore him to good standing.
²⁷ He will declare to his friends,
‘I sinned and twisted the truth,
but it was not worth it.
²⁸ God rescued me from the grave,
and now my life is filled with light.’

²⁹ “Yes, God does these things
again and again for people.
³⁰ He rescues them from the grave
so they may enjoy the light of life.

Jesus has become the ransom for our lives. He has rescued me from the grave, that I may enjoy the light of life. In the New Testament, Jesus tells us that He is "the light of the world".

Finally, God speaks. And now for four chapters God speaks of creation and of His majesty. There is too much to list, but throughout all these chapters God declares His wisdom. Here is just a sample:

^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?

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?

^41:11 Who has given me anything that I need to pay back?
Everything under heaven is mine.

After all that, we see Job's response - which should be our response when we are confronted with our sin - repentance.

^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.”

What was God's response? Restoration. But He restored him only after He obeyed God's command for him to pray for his friends. I wonder if this is also a 'life lesson' for us - that as we pray for others, God blesses us?

⁷ After the Lord had finished speaking to Job, he said to Eliphaz the Temanite: “I am angry with you and your two friends, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has. ⁸ So take seven bulls and seven rams and go to my servant Job and offer a burnt offering for yourselves. My servant Job will pray for you, and I will accept his prayer on your behalf. I will not treat you as you deserve, for you have not spoken accurately about me, as my servant Job has.” ⁹ So Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite did as the Lord commanded them, and the Lord accepted Job’s prayer.

¹⁰ When Job prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes. In fact, the Lord gave him twice as much as before!

¹² So the Lord blessed Job in the second half of his life even more than in the beginning.

January 2-3, 2011 (Job 1-24)

I want to finish this book to get to the end, but that will have to wait until tomorrow. There is much to learn from Job, and I think the message so far is "Don't judge others". We know how God has moved in the past, we know the principles of His word, but we don't know hearts and we aren't God.

Job was a righteous man. When God allowed Satan to strip him of everything - his livestock (wealth), his servants (livelihood), and his children (all of them) - he responded by being overcome with grief, but he did not sin. Instead:

^1:21 He said,

“I came naked from my mother’s womb,
and I will be naked when I leave.
The Lord gave me what I had,
and the Lord has taken it away.
Praise the name of the Lord!”

²² In all of this, Job did not sin by blaming God.

Wow - if only I could attain such a faith and devotion to God.

And as if that was not enough, God allowed Satan to inflict him personally with a terrible case of boils from head to foot. I did a quick google search on boils - not pretty. They talk primarily about a single boil - hard to imagine boils from head to foot. Very painful, very ugly. When Job's friends heard what he was going through, they came to console him. Here is what they encountered:

^2:12 When they saw Job from a distance, they scarcely recognized him. Wailing loudly, they tore their robes and threw dust into the air over their heads to show their grief. ¹³ Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and nights. No one said a word to Job, for they saw that his suffering was too great for words.

At last Job spoke, wishing he had never been born. And throughout the following chapters he basically talks of his confusion - He wondered what he had done wrong for God to treat him this way. The truth is, he had done nothing wrong. God was allowing Satan to test him. (I don't understand that, but I am not one to question God.) Job begged for a mediator that would allow him to meet with God - but there was none. Thankfully we have one - Jesus. But in the mean time, all his friends were telling him God was punishing him for his sins. In all of chapter 9, Job agrees that is what is typical - ^9:2 “Yes, I know all this is true in principle.

But how can a person be declared innocent in God’s sight?, but he also goes on to say who can challenge God for what He decides to do. ^9:12 If he snatches someone in death, who can stop him?
Who dares to ask, ‘What are you doing?

But then it seems as if Job's suffering has clouded his judgement and in chapter 10 he laments his life. He starts off with extreme faith, recounting that it was God who formed him 10:11-12. But then he gets off track with this:

^10:13 “‘Yet your real motive—
your true intent—
¹⁴ was to watch me, and if I sinned,
you would not forgive my guilt.
¹⁵ If I am guilty, too bad for me;
and even if I’m innocent, I can’t hold my head high,
because I am filled with shame and misery.
¹⁶ And if I hold my head high, you hunt me like a lion
and display your awesome power against me.
¹⁷ Again and again you witness against me.
You pour out your growing anger on me
and bring fresh armies against me.

He goes back and forth, from faith to doubt. There are some questions he doesn't know the answers to.

^14:14 Can the dead live again?
If so, this would give me hope through all my years of struggle,
and I would eagerly await the release of death.
¹⁵ You would call and I would answer,
and you would yearn for me, your handiwork.
¹⁶ For then you would guard my steps,
instead of watching for my sins.
¹⁷ My sins would be sealed in a pouch,
and you would cover my guilt.

Jesus is the answer to the question in verse 14 - Jesus is the one by whom our 'sins are sealed in a pouch' - covered by His blood.

There was a lot more good stuff in these chapters, but the other thing that struck me was the difference between 'youth' and 'the aged' as described in these verses:

^12:12 Wisdom belongs to the aged,
and understanding to the old.

¹³ “But true wisdom and power are found in God;
counsel and understanding are his.

^13:26 “You write bitter accusations against me
and bring up all the sins of my youth.

We make mistakes when we are young - the trick is, learning wisdom from our mistakes and not repeating them.

January 1, 2011 (Genesis 33-50)

All through Genesis we are given glimpses of God's control over all events. It is most pronounced through the story of Joseph being sold into slavery. Even though what happened to him seemed to be horrible, and I would imagine he thought God had abandoned him, God had a plan. Joseph never lost his faith, as is evidenced by his response to Pharaoh's wife (39:8-9 - But Joseph refused. “Look,” he told her, “my master trusts me with everything in his entire household. ⁹ No one here has more authority than I do. He has held back nothing from me except you, because you are his wife. How could I do such a wicked thing? It would be a great sin against God.”) and his response to Pharaoh (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.”).

On his death bed, he still had not lost his faith. He believed God's promise, that He would lead them to the promised land, as is evidenced by his request:

^50:24 “Soon I will die,” Joseph told his brothers, “but God will surely come to help you and lead you out of this land of Egypt. He will bring you back to the land he solemnly promised to give to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.”

²⁵ Then Joseph made the sons of Israel swear an oath, and he said, “When God comes to help you and lead you back, you must take my bones with you.” ²⁶ So Joseph died at the age of 110. The Egyptians embalmed him, and his body was placed in a coffin in Egypt.