09.5 Moses 9, Day 5

Bookends: Bigger patterns – a foreshadowing of things to come

There is an old training axiom: Tell them what you are going to tell them, then tell them, then tell them what you told them.  You start and end with your most important points.

If we take a step back and take a mountaintop view of our study of this week and last, this is exactly the pattern that is followed.

Salvation by God: God brought His people out of slavery into community with Him

Covenant: God starts with His covenant – Treasured Possession, Kingdom of Priests, Holy Nation

Relationship with God: He then goes on to the law, the 10 commandments, starting with the most important, the first 4 laws defining our relationship with God

Social Relationships: He goes on to laws about our interactions with others in the next 3 commandments

Property Relationships: He continues to laws about our interactions with stuff (property/possessions) in the last 3 commandments

Social Relationships: Ex 21:1-32 pick up on the laws about our interactions with others

Property Relationships: Ex 21:33-22:31 pick up on the laws about our interaction with property, especially the property of others

Social Relationships: Ex 23:1-9 back to how we treat each other, the poor, foreigners

Relationship with God: Ex 23: 10-19 Are about special days set aside for our interaction with God

Salvation: Exodus 23: 20-33 God will bring His people out of the wilderness into the Promised Land with Him

Covenant: Ex 24 God ends with His covenant.

 

There are some really interesting patterns in this.

1. Salvation by God and His covenant go hand in hand.  This is in the same way that the people of Israel were required to purify themselves for 2 full days at the foot of the mountain before approaching God on the third day.  God provides his promise of salvation first, because without it we could not be a party to a covenant with Him.  We have nothing, aside from His grace, to bring to the agreement.

2. God has placed our relationship with him inside the binding of His covenant.  God is bigger than anything and everything, but He chooses to lower Himself into a relationship with us.

3. Our interaction with property is important, but it is enclosed within our relationship with each other.  The emphasis on establishing a community is at the heart of this entire pattern, both figuratively and literally.  That makes sense in the wording of the covenant.  How could they or we be a Kingdom of Priests or a Holy Nation if we are not a Kingdom or a Nation.  God placed the community of believers, what we call the church, at the very center of the Mosaic covenant.

4. I may be stretching it with this one, but I thought it was interesting.  If you follow the pattern, in the center verse of the center “Social Relationships” section, there is one more item book-ended inside verses 12-18.  12 & 18 are about striking a fatal blow to someone.  Inside that 15 & 18 are about attacking and cursing parents and in the center is vs. 16: Anyone who kidnaps someone is to be put to death, whether the victim has been sold or is still in the kidnapper’s possession.  As we study the book of Revelation next year, I think it will be interesting to remember this verse in the center of the Mosaic covenant and see how God implements it onto our kidnapper, the one who tempted and lead us into sin and rebellion against our Holy Father.  Because, while the fall of man was a fatal blow to mankind, it is not outside of God’s ability to yield justice.

Finally, the people of God accept the covenant and commit to obedience and then they are covered in the blood of His sacrifice.  In the same way, God has offered the New Covenant of Salvation through Jesus Christ and the sacrifice He made.  After we accept it and commit our lives to it in words and by accepting Him, then we are covered by the blood.  But, contrary to the external covering of the blood sacrifice at this mountain, Jesus’ told us to drink the blood of His sacrifice.  It is not simply an external covering but and indwelling.

Jesus is in us, but He is also our mediator, sitting at the right hand of God the Father, petitioning Him on our behalf.  And our advocate Jesus, through whom we were given a counselor in the Holy Spirit, has been given the authority to also be our Judge.

 

My Answers:

11.
a.
Jesus – I am the way and the truth and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me

b.
Before

c.
Drink from it, all of you.  This is the blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

d.
Without accepting the price that Jesus paid as our own, then we are responsible for paying restitution for our own sins, something we are not capable of doing.  If there was another way, would God have sent His only Son to die?

12.
a.
1. Invited by God with Moses and 70 elders to go up, 10. see God, 11. eat and drink (where did the food come from? Heavenly buffet?)

b.
the cloud, what looked like fire, God’s voice

c.
The power and might, but also the voice of God.

 

09.4 Moses 9, Day 4

Good Things to the Wicked

We know God is a just God.  We know that He is a jealous God.  We know that not only is He the creator of everyone and everything, but He also is the final judge of the covenant that calls all creation to obedience and holiness.

But we look around and we see things that don’t make sense.  We see the wicked prosper.  We see oppressors grow in power and strength.  We see sin magnified while those who attempt to abide by the law persecuted.

But our perspective is short and narrow.  We can see only the things around us, the here and now.  We are small picture, like the story of the blind men trying to describe an elephant based only on the tiny part they are able to touch.

Our lesson today gives us insight into a larger picture.  In addition to all the other attributes of God, He is also patient.  He promised to wipe out the enemies of Israel.  He could have done this in a single night, but he allowed them to continue as caretakers of the land that He would give to Israel.  To the people of that time it must have seemed as if the enemies of Israel were prospering.  They continued to live in the land of milk and honey.  But, little did they know they were simply the maintenance crew keeping the property up to date through their own expense and labor so it would be in the best of condition for when the Israelites were ready to occupy it.

Christianity does not have a principle of karma, that what goes around comes around or that good and evil must balance in a yin yang.  Christianity believes in God and His holiness and His love.  All else is sin and all else will be consumed in a righteous fire.  Equity and fairness do not come from the wicked being repaid with wickedness (even though in the end the wicked will perish).  Instead, the God who is over all creation has the power and authority to use even the wicked for His good.  Those in our time who seem to be prospering through evil may simply be accumulating wealth or power so that God can then use it, at the appropriate time, for His glorious plan.  We don’t know – but we should have faith.

 

My Answers:

7.
a.
Do not follow the crowd in doing wrong – my yardstick of right and wrong is holiness, not the crowd

b.
Special days set aside for God

c.
God is just, merciful, holy and sacred

8.
Jesus: Phil 2:9; Mark 2:10; Ex 3:2-6; Isaiah 63:9

9.
a.
11 explicit, 13 counting implicit

b.
enemy 2 enemies, oppose oppose you, wipe out 6 nations, blessing  food/water, take sickness/fertility probs, full life, terror/confusiont, make enemies turn back, run, send hornet 3 tribes, drive out>1yr, little/little=increase, borders, give land to you

c.
21 pay attention, listen, do not rebel 22 listen carefully to what he says and do all that I say

10.
a.
He could wipe out their enemies in a single night, but He is building Israel while using their enemies as caretakers of the land

b.
I struggle to invest time studying bible daily but God keeps putting bible verses either in print or calling forth ones I’ve memorized daily

09.3 Moses 9, Day 3

Make things right

We all understand the principle of restitution. It ties deeply to our concept of fairness and justice.  If someone takes from us, we should be compensated.  Their punishment is insufficient if we are still at a loss for what they took, it doesn’t seem fair.  It isn’t made right.

Simply replacing something isn’t restitution because there are always complications.  There might be a time with which you were at a loss for what was taken.  There might be inconvenience or suffering that takes place while the item is missing.  Even if you are paid back, you still have the effort to replace the item.

So on one hand we understand the obligation to attempt to make things right.  On the other we understand that we can’t turn back the clock or completely make things right again.

This is critical because it is at the heart of God’s covenant.  In his original covenant with Adam and Eve, He gave them life and in return He asked for obedience.  But they chose to disobey.  The only fair thing is for them to give back, then, what God gave them.  But like our attempts at restitution, even that is insufficient because it is counter to God’s original plan and goal.  We face the same obligation under the covenants.  God calls us to obey and each day we choose disobedience and sin.

But Jesus paid our restitution for us.  Jesus lived a life in complete obedience to God.  As a result, he owed no restitution.  But Jesus willingly chose to pay the highest price possible and in so doing, completely restored those who accept His provision.  In effect, He set back the clock to a time when man and God walked together in community with each other.

We, like Israel, have a long way to go in our journey to become holy.  But by accepting Jesus and asking for the Holy Spirit to live in and with us, we are on the path and it is now a toll-free road

 

My Answers:

5.
a.
property rights and laws

b.
a “make-good”, a repayment-in-kind

c.
i.
Negligence and equipment damage, faulty tools, faulty vehicles

ii.
Theft, breaking and entering

iii.
property damage

iv.

Fiduciary responsibility and trust

d.
When I have taken or damaged something of value to another person.  When  my sin against someone can be monitized

6.
a.
Respect and care of virgins, widows, orphans, foreigners, the poor. Laws against social deviants.  In other words, things that cannot be adequately restored (restitution is not possible)

b.
So they could begin learning how to become His holy people

09.2 Moses 9, Day 2

Stumbling Block

The people of Israel no longer simply represented themselves; they now represented God.  When He committed in his covenant to make them a holy nation, to make them priests, He was welcoming them onto His team.  Not just as spectators, but as fully uniformed members of the team.

When you wear a uniform, your words and actions, the things you do and don’t do, your character, reflects not only you but also on everything that uniform stands for.

God provided Israel with laws and training to develop themselves as a community.  For 430 years all they had to witness was Egypt, but now God was beginning the retraining to set them on a new path to become a holy nation, set apart, to be His people and for He to be their God.  But the laws were not just for them.  The laws also set a higher standard so that as other tribes and nations looked at Israel they saw this was something different.  There was something here that was missing from their nation and their lives.

We have the same obligation.  When the lives of the Christian community look the same as non-Christians, we misrepresent the uniform that we choose to wear.  We face the same struggles, temptations and battles as non-Christians, but we are held to a higher standard.  We are not just held to the rule of law, but also to the New Covenant of Jesus Christ.

 

My Answers:

3.
a.
Book of the Covenant

b.
Because of their time in Egypt and because of the specific Mosaic covenant

c.
Luke 12:48; Ezek 34:1-10; James 3:1; Heb 13:17; Matt 5:14; 1 Cor 4:2; Rom 3:19

d.
Teaching responsibility has made me study deeper.  Parenting responsibility has made me a more conscientious role model

4.
They spent 430 years in Egypt.  He is starting with community as they have known it and beginning the retraining to shape them ultimately into a holy nation.  This does not necessary mean that God is condoning these behaviors (slavery, seduction, etc.), but he is starting them on a journey and training them as they go.

08.5 Moses 8, Day 5

Fear of God

For many years of my life I struggled with the concept of “fear of the Lord”.  Throughout the bible, especially in the old testament, people were called time and time again to not be afraid.  Yet, in the same breath, the fear of the Lord was encouraged.  How can you have fear but not be afraid.

Then, my dad became sick and was diagnosed with terminal cancer and I finally understood.  I wasn’t afraid of my dad because he could punish me.  I didn’t have fear of him doing something negative to me, not loving me, not providing for me or not showing me kindness and love.  What I saw that I feared was doing something with the rest of my life that would reflect negatively on this man that I loved and honored.  I feared not only letting him down with my actions, but even more so, doing something that negatively impacted the memory of him.  It wasn’t a shrink away fear, but a fear that encouraged me to be better, to do better, to grow and to honor him.

I think that is the meaning inside the two fears that Moses discusses with the Israelites.  We, like them, are chosen by God.  We are loved and need not fear God even though He is big and powerful and mighty.  But, out of love and honor and respect, we should live with the understanding and fear that our lives and our actions directly reflect on our Heavenly Father.  Every interaction we have as Christians is a portal for others to either grow closer to or farther away from God.

While our actions and thoughts and behaviors matter, God also provided for an equality among people.  In His instructions about the construction of the altar He set the stage against something that has been the downfall of many churches.  We and our churches have attempted to bring in art and beauty and architecture under the premise of showing honor to God.  This encourages a reliance and pandering to those with wealth to provide the funds for those items.  But God says that any tool we lay to His creation does not add to it, but subtracts from it.  He says our desire to put God and the altar to Him up on a pedestal does nothing to bring honor to Him, it just puts our private parts on display.

God is to be honored.  God is to be worshiped, but God doesn’t desire or even condone a towering edifice built by human hands “for His glory.”  He is perfectly content in the glory that His creation, (the planet, the solar system, the universe) paints.  God is not looking for us to honor Him by throwing money or art or architecture at Him.  What God wants and what we can do to bring glory to Him is to be present with Him.  By seeking to be in a relationship with God, we honor Him.  Whenever He causes His name to be honored, He comes to us and blesses us.  This is the heart of worship and it is the heart of our relationship with God.  Show up!  Commit yourself, not your money.  Build your relationship, not buildings.  Invest in time with Him, not time in other things so you have funds to contribute to things for Him.

I wish I could spend more time with my father.  But, while he is no longer on this earth, I can still honor him by investing time with the Heavenly Father that we both love and worship in ways that honor him and honor God.  Each moment I spend in prayer, each minute I spend studying His word, each conversation or class I lead that glorifies God the Father honors me and my father as well.  The loving relationship that father built in me lives on because it was built not on him or his strength or his life, but because it was built on God.  That love lives forever!

 

My Answers:

10.
a.
afraid: God is big and powerful but as his children we need not shrink from Him in fear of harm, Fear of God: God’s expectations of His children are high, nothing short of holiness, and we should fear falling short of those expectations

b.
first paralyzes and keeps someone away from God, second protects and buffers us from a nature or inclination to sin

c.
Fear of God – as my Father I fear every day that the way I am seen by others does not bring Him the honor and respect He deserves

11.
a.
Wherever God causes His name to be honored, He will come and bless those who worship Him – connection with God

b.
any gods alongside god, do not build altar with dressed stones, do not defile it with tools, do not go up stairs (flash people)

c.
Our worship of God is to be for the worship of God, not about showing off what we can do or how we look.  It is also not something to be done carelessly or in a way that might be a distraction to others

12.
so that is is not defiled by the use of a tool on it.  Do we attempt to improve on what God created in order to worship God.? Why would we think what God created is insufficient for His glory?

13.
Wherever I cause my name to be honored, I will come to you and bless you. – this is the heart of worship: Communion with God

08.4 Moses 8, Day 4

Honor

BSF presents the last 6 commandments as applying to relationships with other people. But, I think it is more appropriate to divide them into sets of 3 and 3.  The first 4 commandments are about our relationship with God.  The next 3 are about our relationships with others and the last 3 are about our relationships involving stuff.  Again, I believe this shows the levels of priority and importance the commandments provide as additional guidance for our lives.  God first and foremost (4-most), others second, stuff last.  But how often do we turn that completely upside down.  Our laws tend to focus about stuff first, myself and my rights second and others next and God last (if at all).

The last three are simple to understand, but hard to live because our nature is so driven to stuff.  Don’t steal it, don’t lie and cheat to get it, and don’t covet it.  We get that, even though we don’t do it.

But, I think we are losing an understanding of what honor means.  We still use the term, but we often think of it as an archaic notion, something mature and sophisticated people have outgrown.  What does it mean to have honor much less to honor someone else?  It is not obedience, although being obedient is definitely a part of it.  The dictionary defines it as “being a source of credit or distinction.”  In that regard, we are to be something of value to our parents.  Something that makes them distinguished.  Something that is a credit to , as opposed to a deduction from, their standing.

In other words, if we honor our father and our mother, we live our life in a way that elevates them and their standing.  Instead of viewing them as the ones we rely on and take from, it is a practice of building them up and adding credit to them.  Is that how we live our lives?  Are we rising to that level of maturity or do we continue to live in reliance on the honor and credit our parents established?  When we speak of our parents is it in a way that gives them honor and respect?

If we don’t, not only are we sinning against our parents, but we are sinning against God’s commandment.  When we criticize, blame or speak negatively of our elders, particularly our parents, we reduce them and reduce ourselves.

The right thing, the thing God planned and commanded, is for each generation to grow.  It is for each generation to live as a credit to the prior.  It is a plan for each generation to provide for and give credit to the former.  It is a plan that is every increasing and reaching to God.  Is that the path we are on?

My Answers:

9.
20:12 – Honor father & mother, live long (and it may go well with you) in the land God has given you

20:13 – You shall not murder – (sin of omission) who am I allowing to be murdered by my inaction

20:14 – You shall not commit adultery – where do I have behaviors that do not honor my wife and family

20:15 – You shall not steal -what do I take that does not belong to me? What is the value of my integrity that I would sell it so cheap?

20:16 – You shall not give false testimony against your neighbor-Do I know my neighbors that I can give truthful testimony of them?

20:17 – you shall not covet your neighbors house, wife, servants, ox, donkey or anything that belongs to them – desire for stuff

08.3 Moses 8, Day 3

What legacy are you leaving?

As the autumn leaves fall outside reminding me of the changing seasons of life I’m reminded of my thoughts about what type of legacy am I leaving behind?  Many of us would like to believe that our time spent on this earth in some way makes a difference.  In particular we want it to have made a difference for our family.  We think about retirement planning.  We make wills and do estate planning.  We buy life insurance.  But that is all just “stuff.”

The commandments are way bigger than just a set of rules or laws.  They contain structure.  They contain order.  They contain promises.

The first 4 commandments don’t just happen to be about our relationship with God.  The first commandments are about our relationship with God because that relationship comes first.  That is the most important thing.

They are also a reminder that what we do matters.  We choose to obey or disobey.  Once a law is written down, your actions and behavior are either on one side of the law or the other.  There are no loopholes.  They is no gray area.  There isn’t an ability to be on one side but to appear to the judge that you are on the other side (especially since God is the judge and he sees and knows everything).

But in that realization that what we do matters, God has placed a promise – a really big promise.  In the second commandment, Exodus 20:4-6 He reveals part of His character to us.  He is a jealous God.  He doesn’t want part of our heart.  He wants it all.  He doesn’t deserve part of the honor and glory, He deserves it all.  When we deny Him that by allowing other gods to stand before or beside Him, when we bow down to those other “things”, it matters.  This isn’t a threat – no more than the law of gravity is a threat or the law of inertia is a threat.  If you ignore those laws, there are repercussions.  In the same way, if you ignore this law of God, there are repercussions, big repercussions, that transcend your own life and affect your children, their children and even their children.  God is in control, but we are making the choice.  We see this reality all around us.  The decision to reject and dishonor God by one generations affects multiple generations with pain and hardship.  The decision to chase after other gods is a tear that takes its toll on children and the way they raise their children.

But we also read, hear and see the promise to those who obey as well.  The punishment we bring on only lasts for 3 or 4 generations.  But, the legacy we can provide, the rock solid foundation that we can begin to build on, is a shower of love from God for 1000 generations.  I am blessed that my parents and grandparents built their lives on the rock of Christ Jesus.  That blessing, that love from God, is passed to my children and to their grandchildren on and on and on.  I am not perfect, my parents weren’t perfect, but God is perfect.  What legacy are you leaving through the choice you are making in response to the 2nd commandment?

 

My Answers:

7.
a.
I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery

b.
By the mercy of god to reveal the depth of my sin and the inability for silver or gold or any act or possession I could bring to pay restitution for the brokeness of my choices.  But to then receive the assurance and confidence that the sacrifice that Jesus made of His life was fully and completely sufficient.

8.
20:3 – You shall have no other gods before me – Worship and trust in God first and God alone
20:4-6 – not make an image – not bow down to them or worship them – jealous, punish 3G/4G but show love to 1000G – legacy!
20:7 – not misuse name of the LORD your God – not hold anyone guiltless who misuses his name – Only used for honor risk of guilt
20:8-11 – Remember  Sabbath day by keeping it holy – no work nor cause others to work, not just relax, but holy: God blessed this day

 

08.2 Moses 8, Day 2

That would change everything

One of the things I appreciate about BSF is the thought and prayer that goes into not only the daily lessons themselves, but the grouping of information or topics together.  Looking ahead to this week is a prime example.  Many of us would have placed the focus on the 10 commandments.  We tend to dive right into the details of the shalts and shalt nots in those verses.  But the commandments are not the main point.  They are daily application points to help us learn and keep us on the right path while also showing us that our own efforts, no matter how diligent, are always insufficient when compared to the standard of perfection.  But even that isn’t the main point – the aim.

The main point of our lesson this week is the covenant.  You are a treasured possession of God.  You are a priest in a kingdom of priests.  You are holy in a holy nation.  Even though we did not and do not obey God fully and keep His covenant, Jesus did and yet sacrificed His own life to pay the ransom to buy back ours.

Each week in our BSF lesson, some of the questions are personal or application directed questions.  Today we were asked “how have you responded.”  My adult son attends BSF and he has been bringing a young man with him who is here from another country which has been closed to the open teaching of the gospel.  As they sat by each other or rode together he noticed that this young man answered all the fact based questions and the other questions but left the application questions blank.  Finally, after a few weeks my son had the opportunity to ask him about this.  His reply was that he was learning and thinking about God and Jesus and trying to decide what to do.  But, he said, “if this is really true, well, then that would change everything.”

The covenant of God, both the old covenant to Abraham reconfirmed in Exodus and the new covenant through Jesus as we read in 1 Peter 2:9-10 does change everything.  Does our response reflect that fact?

My Answers:

3.
Deliverance doesn’t just mean set free, it means delivered, as a gift.  God delivered His people, with the care of a loving parent, to Himself

4.
a.
If you obey me fully and keep my covenant

b.
1. out of all nations you will be my treasured possession, 2. you will be for me a kingdom of priests, 3. a holy nation

c.
By declaring the praises of Him who called me out to darkness.  By teaching and spreading the message of the mercy He has shown me.

5.
By appearing in His mightiness (something He had been doing) and speaking to Moses in a voice the people could hear

6.
a.
God is holy, He is the King of kings.  he is to be approached with reverence and preparation and at the proper time and place.

b.
We have been delivered out of sin into His presence, justified through faith, brought back into peace through the grace that Jesus personified when He died and then defeated death to sit with God the Father in heaven

07.5 Moses 7, Day 5

God, Family, Ministry

If you are a Christian you are called to be in Ministry Work.  But where does that calling and obligation fit with the other callings and obligations God may have given you in your life?  Obviously, ministry work is important, very important.  But what if you also have a family and children?  Are these things in conflict?

I think that is one of the very interesting topics in our scripture and our discussions today.  We don’t know when Moses’ wife and children were sent back to Midian.  The bible doesn’t say exactly.  In specific terms, the only time reference it gives to this event is in Exodus 18:2: After she was sent, she was received by Jethro.

We know that Moses wasn’t an advocate of leaving women and children behind.  In Ex 10:11 Pharaoh told Moses that he and the men could leave to worship God, but they had to leave the wives and children behind.  This was not acceptable.

We also see that Moses’ sister, Miriam, was a prophetess and had a leadership role in the worship service, leading all the women of the community in praise of God.  There is clearly a role for both men and women (and children) in ministry work.

The Apostle Paul advocates for those who devote their lives fully to ministry work to stay single as a way to avoid the conflict that both obligations present.  But that does not mean and he does not indicate that those who are married cannot participate in ministry work or that they must leave their families behind to do so.

In fact, this conflict can often lead to bigger problems.  A passion and dedication to ministry can bring some to ignore or fail to fulfill their role in their own household.  This, in turn, can weaken that relationship and cause other problems, marital issues and separation and a weakening of the family structure.  That approach is not supported in the scriptures.  The opposite is true.  We see the strength of the joint ministry work of Priscilla and Aquila.  We see the dedication to family members, even ones that are not blood relatives, such as Ruth and Naomi.  We know that God could have brought Jesus into this world in any number of miraculous ways, but He chose for Jesus to be born to Mary and Joseph.

Moses’ wife and children could have been sent away for safety reasons, if they were in mortal danger either during plagues or even when the Hebrews were rising up to stone Moses over food and drink.  But I believe a more supported reason would have been to spread the good news of God’s glory to people who could not be otherwise reached, and then, only for a short time.

Who else could have brought the news of God’s miraculous redemption of the Hebrews to Jethro than his own daughter and grandsons (who would likely have been full grown adults)?  Would he have believed or accompanied a stranger?  I think this is supported in the fact that Jethro returns with his daughter and grandsons to Moses.  There is no indication of disapproval or the action or that Moses was not fulfilling his role from any words of Jethro.  In fact, he celebrates God with Moses and the elders of the community.  Furthermore, he goes on to coach Moses and give him wisdom in how to raise up leaders.  This structure and hierarchy of the people was a part of God’s design and training to turn this group of former slaves into His nation.

In the same way it is wise for us, in our churches, to look for capable servants of the Lord to raise up as leaders, prayerfully and each according to their current talents.  I was visiting with a co-worker who was searching for a new church for her family.  The church they attended was fine, bible-based and God centered, but the long-term members of the church had each carved out their roles and areas of service which they had lead for years.  After 3 years, neither she nor her husband had been able to find a way to serve inside the church in any meaningful way that wasn’t received as trespassing on someone else’s turf.

Are we getting into a situation like Moses where others can’t grow because we have refused to let go of our own turf?  Not only is that detrimental to the church and community, but it is unhealthy for us and others.  Have we fallen in love with serving the Lord or is our love in the Lord?  We cannot even imagine what God has in store for us next if we don’t trust Him enough to cling to Him instead of to a position of service or authority.  That does not mean to abandon the role you are in – it simply means that we shouldn’t be doing it alone, but instead looking to bring others alongside.  Run your leg of the race, but understand clearly who you are handing the baton to for the next leg.

 

 

 

My Answers:

10.
a.
Scripture doesn’t say.  When they had passed through the red sea and Egypt’s army was destroyed to  send word to family., Ex 10:11

b.
When God calls them (spouse and children) for His ministry – when they are going into safety and they have provision

11.
a.
He was delighted, praised God and brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God, ate with the elder in God’s presence

b.
How God has rescued us and blessed us with His grace

12.
a.
He was not raising up other leaders by delegating work.  He was trying to do it all Himself.

b.
Can’t be all things – Moses role was to be the people’s representative before God, select capable men to also serve

c.
capable men from among the people – men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain

d.
the people of the tribes of Israel

e.
To be a capable man from among His followers and for Him to continue to show me how He would have me serve

 

07.4 Moses 7, Day 4

Where are you in the story?

Some of the stories in the bible cry out for us to see ourselves within the characters and elements in the story.  I think this is clearly one of them.

Are you an Amalekite?  Someone who is aggressive to the people of God, bringing them under attack.  No matter what easy target they may seem to be, full of wealth but weak in strength or organization, this is still a bad place to be.  There may be times that those who oppose God’s people appear to be winning the battle, there is suffering and even casualties in the battle, but God always prevails. If you are keeping score (as evidently Moses was told to do when God told him to write this down), the score at this point is God 1, people who oppose God 0.

Are you a Joshua?  Do you lead others into the front lines of battle?  Are you in the mission field?  Then you must realize that without the support of prayer warriors who are away from the front lines, you falter in battle if that support weakens.  It is not your strength, but God’s that wins battles.

Are you a solder in Joshua’s army?  Are you one of the unnamed people in the battle?  Sometimes we can believe that if we aren’t a recognized leader we are less important.  Without you wielding the sword of the word of God, the battle would be lost.  But take care not to envy recognition, this lead to the fall of angels.

Are you a Moses?  A prayer warrior on a hill.  Do you channel God’s power to others by standing watch and providing prayer and support?  But even Moses, even with a dedication to prayer and holding the staff of God, grew weak and weary.  Don’t try to hold this position on your own, join with others.  Sometimes we think, it is just prayer, I can do that all by myself – but there is strength in numbers.

Are you and Aaron or Hur?  Do you raise up you arms to the support of others with arms upstretched?  Do you proactively accompany others in their ministry?  Sometimes we can hang back or get engaged in other busy activities and not be present to know that those we are called to support are in need.  Go to the mountain with them.  Be present with the leaders.

Are you the staff or the rock (or in our earlier story of the waters of Marah, the piece of wood)?  Are you the one who is present, quietly waiting for God to open others eyes that you are there, but upon whom God works His power?  Do you miss out on being the instrument of God’s blessing because you are too proud or too impatient to wait for God to call you in to action to perform His miracle?

My Answers:

8.
a.
The blessing of the Lord – that God was with them

b.
Both were important but I would say the staff – when it would lower, they would begin to lose

c.
Recognize the power of those who stand with God for those who are in the heart of the persecuted church.  Be one of those.

9.
a.
This (what had happened)

b.
as something to be remembered, and that God would blot out the name of Amalek from under heaven.  For Joshua

c.
How God is revealing Himself to me through my study of His word so that it might bless others