bsfblog – Page 4 – The Notes are Good

11.5 Moses 11, Day 5

Take off the ornaments

We have been blessed to have had the opportunity to support and serve an organization in our town that helps bring homeless women and men in off the streets. Many of these men and women have exhausted every other support option. They have been to jail. They have drug addictions. They are prostitutes. They have lost hope.

The Christian woman who founded and runs the organization came out of that same environment. She knows and her ministry is built on the fact that these individuals do not have the strength to get out of their situations on their own. It is only with the strength of Jesus Christ that their lives can be turned around. She will take them in, feed them, shelter them, care for them, teach them, help them find work, make them birthday cakes, share life and love and the good news with them. In return they simply need to accept this gift and submit to follow a few house rules.

One day we were talking with the founder and discussing what rule was the hardest for people to follow. I was surprised to learn it was the rule about cell phones. She has a requirement that someone new to the house must give up their cell phone for 60 days and must agree to allow them to erase all the contacts on the phone. This is the single biggest hurdle. The reason they require this is her time proven belief that you cannot continue to play in the same playground with the same playmates and think you are going to play a different game of life. She said that, despite the fact that it breaks her heart each time it happens, they have learned to not bend on this rule. If someone who needs their help refuses to cut ties with their old life, they fully intend to go back to that old life.

The Israelites didn’t have cell phones, but they had jewelry and ornamentation. Is jewelry and ornamentation bad? Are we restricted from wearing earrings? I don’t think that is what this is trying to say. Instead, the message was to remove the temptations. If wearing earrings causes your mind to return to the golden calf, get rid of the earrings.

You may not have a drug dealer on speed dial or a penchant for golden calves, but you may have ongoing repetitive sin in your life. Are you so foolish to believe that you can expose yourself to the same playground and playmates and not keep doing the same things? Clear out the ornamentation in your life that pulls you back into the same old things that you regret. It is OK to let it go, Jesus has way better things in store for you, but He needs you to grab ahold of Him with both hands – not one while you refuse to let go of your old way of life with the other.

My Answers

10.
a.
They sought to seek God’s forgiveness for others by offering themselves as an atonement for their sins

b.
Jesus

c.
His was innocent blood, He was God, He gave Himself as a ransom

11.
Self responsibility. (also that there is punishment for sin and a book of life to be blotted out of)

12.
a.
Before He said the angel would protect them along the way, they angel would wipe out the inhabitants, God’s blessings on their food and water, no sickness, no miscarriage, a full life span,

b.
stiff-necked people

c.
they mourned and took off their ornaments

d.
be humbled in my sin, repent and seek God’s forgiveness. Make restitution where possible. – Leave the old temptations behind.

11.2 Moses 11, Day 2

Idle spirits, idol worship

Waiting is hard. It is one of those things that seems like it should be easy. You aren’t doing stressful work. You aren’t fighting battles. You aren’t doing anything. You are waiting.

But, we grow impatient. We don’t like to wait. We want to do something now. We want immediate satisfaction and gratification. We don’t know what we want, but we want something.

While Moses was communing with God, the people were waiting. Clearly they knew that escaping Egypt and arriving at the base of this mountain was not the end-all be-all objective. But they didn’t have a leader to take them further. Aaron was not their leader, he was filling in as a substitute – more like a baby-sitter. So they grew impatient. They were idle and instead of focusing on what was ahead and preparing for it, they focused on themselves and their wants and needs.

They wanted fulfillment. They wanted gods that would move it along. They wanted to go now.

They should have been drilling and practicing. They should have been sharpening their weapons and honing their skills. They should have been fasting and praying. They should have been growing stronger: physically, mentally, spiritually and mechanically (tools/armor/weapons). Instead, they were building idols and preparing for a party.

There are times in our life when we feel like we are parked. We know we are not where God ultimately has planned for us to go, but we also know that God hasn’t moved us forward, yet, either. So what do we do? Do we use the time to grow stronger in our relationship with God? Or, do we grumble and complain and fill our body, thoughts and soul with junk to try to satisfy our wants and desires?

Waiting is hard.

My Answers:

3.
a.
Moses was so long in coming down, didn’t know what happened to him, turned to other gods

b.
He asked for their gold jewelry, he cast the idol and finished it with tools, he praised the idol instead of God, he built an altar, he participated in sacrifices to the idol, he called for a festival

c.
The Egyptians – bounty from the Lord’s conquest

4.
a.
Talents used for impropriety and wickedness, wasted or misused resources. Focus on self satisfaction, greed

b.
there are no new temptations, just common ones, God is stronger and in charge, no reason to yield. Use past lessons to learn

5.
a.
“your people” have become corrupt, quickly turned away from commanded and have made idol, stiff-necked, destroy them

b.
Destroy the people and start over with Moses – I will make you into a great nation

c.
As a witness to the Egyptians, out of memory of Abraham, Isaac and Israel, God’s covenant to them,

d.
relented and did not bring on his people the disaster He had threatened

10.4 Moses 10, Day 4

Priests, Present, Prayer, Patience, Passing the Torch

Are you called to be an active part of the ministry of your church? Yes.

1. Priests: When you become a Christian you are clothed in Christ. Just as the priests of the tabernacle wore special clothing to designate them as part of a unique group, set apart for special work before God, we wear Christ inside and out. All Christians are priests, with an expectation of being part of the ministry of the church. That ministry can take on many forms, such as teaching, counseling, caring, feeding, praying, supporting, etc. When the priests put on their clothing, it was like a uniform. In the same way, when we ask for Christ to be the center of our life, we take on the uniform of that faith. There are no spectators, no one sitting on the sidelines, if you are a Christian you’re place is in the field.

2. Present: The priests were present at the tabernacle every day. They had days of rest, but a big part of what they did was show up every day. The incense was lit twice a day, the candle wicks were mended, the bread was placed on the table, the sacrifices were made, the cleansing took place. In the same way, we are called to show up and do kingdom work every day. Every day we are called to cleanse our soul. Every day we are called to break bread with God. Every day we are tend the light to the world that our candle shines to those to whom we influence.

3. Prayer: When we decide we need to become more active in church, we often start with an assessment of what we are good at or what we are comfortable doing. But, that is wrong. Our approach should begin with prayer. If we trust God and know that He has a plan and calling for our work in His church, we need to also begin by asking Him to reveal that plan to us.

4. Patience: After we pray, we need to wait patiently and continue to pray. A few years back I read Tony Dungy’s book, Quiet Strength. He said, “I needed to do my current job well, keep preparing, and wait on God’s timing. I needed to trust His leadership rather than try to force an outcome I wanted.” He explained that every time he jumped ahead of God in his career, things did not go well. We need to have the same patience in our work and our job in God’s church.

5. Pass the torch: God did not only appoint Aaron, He also appointed his sons. I was visiting with a lady recently who asked about the church we attended. She and her family had attended a church for the past 2 years, but she explained that it was an older, established church and they had not found a place to plug in and serve in the church. Each time they had attempted, they found themselves trespassing on someone’s established turf. People serving in roles in the church are often heard to complain that they have to do too much themselves because others aren’t stepping up. Could it possibly be that we are not actively developing the future leaders to step in? Could God have something else in mind for you that you can’t step up to because you won’t let go of your current position?

My Answers:

7.
a.
God

b.
If try to take an easy, comfortable job, it is blocked or not successful – called to serve in area that would not have been my initial preference, such as working with kids instead of adults.

8.
Titus: We are washed in the saving blood of Jesus and rewed by the Holy Spirit

Galations: those baptized into Christ have clothed themselves with Christ

2Cor: Anointed us, seal of ownership, put spirit in our hearts

Rom: Christ as a sacrifice of atonement – righteousness

1 Peter: the church is a chosen people, Kingdom of priests, holy nation, God’s possession

10.3 Moses 10, Day 3

It’s a map not an art project

My daughters are very talented artists. One, in particular, can lose herself in the act of creativity. There have been many a time that she had a school project for a class such as science or history that called for a visual representation of something. Several hours into the project, which for most children probably took less than 1 hour, we would remind her, it is history homework, not an art project.

In today’s scripture we look at the clarity of God’s instructions, learn what it points to and remember that he repeatedly said, “make it exactly as patterned.” This reminded me, the tabernacle is a map, not an art project. A map is exact and clear. It provides direction. It records and reveals the nature of things (such as nature). It plots a specific course and/or points to a specific destination. All of this is true of the tabernacle.

Each dimension, each object, each article used in its construction was part of a map. It was a map that pointed to worship of God and it was a map pointing to the redemption provided through Jesus Christ.

My Answers:

5.
Bread Table:
The table was covered in gold, the plates and dishes, pitchers, bowls all gold. The bread of the presence was before God at all times – Jesus at the last supper took the bread, broke it and said, this is my body given for you

Golden Lampstand:
Jesus is the light of the world, In heaven, God is the light (no sun or moon)

Inner Curtain:
The curtain was separation from God. When Jesus died on the cross the curtain was torn from top to bottom – the curtain represents his body

Altar:
redemption is through the precious blood of Jesus

6.
a.
make it exactly as planned/patterned

b.
It was a revelation of the temple in heaven, it also was a foreshadowing of Jesus. Everything about God is connected.

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

06 Moses 6, Day 4

The Biggest Gun

There is a famous scene of the Cairo Swordsman in the first Indiana Jones movie. After a chase scene in a crowded market, Dr. Jones is faced with a trained assassin, a skilled swordsman prepared to meet this outsider. In the scene, Indiana Jones watches the moves of the assassin for a few seconds then takes out his gun and shoots him.

The Israelite people left Egypt fully armed for battle (13:18) or at least battle as they knew it from their time in Egypt. But God had something bigger and more powerful than they could even imagine, if they would put their trust in Him.

He couldn’t just tell them about it. It was a power they would not have been able to fathom and believe. Let’s face it, thousands of years later many still have a hard time understanding and believing it. No, the only way was to show them – and what better way to demonstrate it than against the most powerful army of the most powerful nation they could imagine: Egypt.

He placed them into a position that was contrary to any military logic. He had them wander about to feign a message to the Egyptian army that they lacked direction and leadership and a mission. Then he positions them in an indefensible camp with their backs to an impassible body of water. At which point He demonstrates that not only is His power greater than all the gods of Egypt, but it is even more powerful than something the Egyptians put even more trust into than their 8700 gods. God is more powerful than the entire Egyptian army, chariots and all.

He parts the water and the Israelite people cross over walking on dry land with walls of water on each side of them. When they have all safely passed, he allows the Egyptians to pursue, but then confuses them so they run in circles and get stuck and break down in the midst of the parted sea, then He simply closes the sea around them, destroying and defeating everything about the army.

Now, that is a bigger gun!

My Answers:

8.
a.
God recognized the weakness of their faith and did not lead them through Philistine country. They went up out of Egypt ready for battle. He led them by day and night and was teaching them to trust fully in Him.

b.
He put them into a position, by wandering around and then camping with no avenue of retreat, that their own power and strength was futile, but through His mighty hand He provided a safe passage and defeat of their enemies.

c.
Pharaoh and all his army and all the Egyptians know that “I am the LORD.” when he freed the Israelites and destroyed the entire army

d.
I am totally unequipped to minister to those in foreign lands, I am not equipped, I do not speak any other languages, I do not know the culture – I am a man with faltering lips in this area. But less than a week ago, with 3 days notice, God placed the main leaders of the house church movement in a closed communist nation in my house along with 40 people from that country who are here on student and work visas and God allowed me to be a small part of demonstrating His compassion and hospitality so that He could do His work through the connections of these people. Buses were showing up full of noted Christian authors, pastors and house church leaders along with non-believers and seekers. If this occurred in their home country they would have been persecuted and imprisoned for even being in the same room. Many of the leaders in our home had spent years in prison and suffered brutality and torture in the name of Jesus. But on this day, dozens of people were on their knees being prayed over in their native tongue and hearing the word of God spoken. The hardest thing I had to do was the dishes!

9.
a.
the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant

b.
He is truly mighty and wonderful. He does not need me, but has allowed me to have a part and to see how He is moving in the lives of others, especially the children.

06 Moses 6, Day 2

Holy days start with obedience

In this night everything changed. In this night the angel of Lord would go through the entire country of Egypt, not just a single city, but the entire country, and kill the first born of man or animal of rich or poor of highest station to lowest station.

But, when the Israelite people celebrated that first passover, none of that had yet happened. They were not yet free from Egypt. They had witnessed 9 plagues but through each Pharaoh’s heart was increasingly hardened. They still were slaves. They still had no possessions. Pharaoh’s army was still one of the strongest in the world and they were among the lowest of the low. What was there to celebrate?

The answer to that question is truly at the heart of why passover was such an important holiday. What was being celebrated in heaven and earth was the fact that at twilight on that night the Hebrew people, the adopted people of the Lord God, had made the choice to be obedient and submit to protection under the blood of the lamb.

That is the day God chose to make a holy day (holiday), to be celebrated year after year. Not the day they left Egypt. Not the day they crossed the Red Sea. But, this night. This night when these people heard His promise of salvation and, although they did not fully understand it yet, they obeyed and accepted His promise.

I believe the same is true today. I believe each time someone accepts the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and makes the decision to be obedient and paints the doorway to their heart with the blood of the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world a party breaks out in Heaven and a Holy Day is celebrated!

My Answers:

3.
a.
I will bring one more plague on Pharaoh and on Egypt. After that, he will let you go from here, and when he does, he will drive you out completely

b.
This is what the LORD says… he then laid out the entire plague of the death of the first born, when, who, how, what will happen afterward

c.
His heart was hardened. As Moses began telling Pharaoh all that would happen Pharaoh said “Get out of my sight! Make sure you do not appear before me again! The day you see my face you will die.” Ex 10:28

4.
a.
Started new, 10th day, take lamb for family, share w/neighbor, year old males without defect (sheep or goats), care for from 10th through 14th, slaughter @ twilight, take blood and put on sides and top of doorframes (where eat lambs), roast over fire with bitter herbs, bread w/no yeast, roast it whole (not boiled), no left overs, dressed ready to go, eat in haste

b.
This was the night in which the angel of death of the lord passed over the obedient households where the blood was a sign

c.
JTB announced Jesus as “the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”, Christ our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.

d.
Yes

05.5 Moses 5, Day 5

Repent and submit vs. Recognize and negotiate

Now we get to the really interesting part. Pharaoh, even with his thousands of gods and magicians and hardened heart is finally beginning to see the power of God’s mighty hand. The gnats were only God’s finger, but now, God’s might is right in Pharaoh’s face. What is Pharaoh’s response?

Pharaoh responds in a very similar way that we see men respond each time they come in the presence of God. One of the things they recognize, in the light of God’s glory, is the sin in their own lives.

But that is not God’s point. He knows we have the sin. His interest is not in us recognizing the sin and then continuing to do it. His interest is in us recognizing the sin and turning to Him to bring change in our lives.

Let me use an illustration. Pharaoh recognized that God is God and that he and his people have sinned by not obeying God and then tried to negotiate who can and cannot go worship God. This is the same as an adulterous spouse being caught in the act and then trying to negotiate that they will only cheat on even days of the month or only when it is raining. It is absurd. Pharaoh’s appropriate response to Moses should have been, can I am my people come and worship God with you! The appropriate response is to turn from the sin and back into the one and only true relationship.

But we have all done it. Any time our thoughts and prayers to God start with “If you will”, we are falling into the same trap. The question is not “If God will”, the question is “If I truly repent” and the answer is, “then I will turn my heart to God.”

God has already made his covenant – He gave His only son to die for our sins. If that is not sufficient for you or me to turn to Him, then I can’t imagine Him being interested in making some other deal to redeem us from our sins.

My Answers:

10.
Pharaoh and the Egyptians began to recognize their sin
7. God gave opportunity for Egyptians to not be affected, Pharaoh admitted he had sinned
8. Egyptians begin to turn from Pharaoh (we are ruined), Pharaoh attempts to “cut a deal”, Pharaoh admitted he had sinned
9. 3 days darkness in Egypt, light in Goshen – Pharaoh summons Moses, go but leave flocks – do not return again

11.
a.
Letting some people go but not others. Letting people go but leaving flocks. He was slowly giving in.

b.
If you will…. then I will or I won’t….

c.
Sure. When I was immature in my faith and didn’t trust in God fully I tried to use Him as a vending machine. Send prayers and promises and hope for blessings.

12.
He did not falter – he did not negotiate or give in to Pharaoh. He stood toe-to-toe with the mightiest earthly king and did not give up any of the LORD’s ground.

04.5 Moses 4, Day 5

Part I: Pass the Burden and Part II: Outlaw to Obedience

In life we have burdens. Some burdens are physical. Some are injuries from situations or other people. Some are products of our own fears, inadequacies and insecurities. We know they are there. They interfere with our health, our sleep and our relationships with others. And, like those in our reading today, we often try to pass them to others.

When Moses told Pharaoh God’s command to “Let my people go”, Pharaoh became burdened. Who is the Lord that Pharaoh should obey? Is Pharaoh’s authority being questioned? Is he at risk of losing power or prestige? Do people think him weak? Is he making the right decision?

Pharaoh attempts to shift his burden to the Hebrews. He feels burdened so he increases their burden. He tells the slave masters and overseers. They tell the slaves. When results wain, the burden on the slave masters increases and they increase the burden on the overseers by beating them. When the overseers are beaten they go to Pharaoh and attempt to shift the burden to “your people”.

When that is not successful, the foremen pile the burden onto Moses and Aaron as a curse. Moses feels burdened and passes it to God. Why? Why?

But there it stops. God doesn’t pass the burden, He simply says “I am the Lord.”

The interesting thing about this progression is that up until the last step burden wasn’t off-loaded, it simply multiplied. When Pharaoh increased the burden on the Hebrews it in no way decreased the burden he felt – there was just more burden. When the overseers blamed Moses, their burden didn’t decrease, but Moses’ increased. But when Moses passed it to God everything changed. Not only did God take on the burden, but he actually removed it from Moses. How things would have been different if Pharaoh had stopped and taken his burden to The Lord instead of denying Him. How things would have been different if the overseers turned directly to God instead of blaming Pharaoh or cursing Moses.

We face these same challenges daily. We are tempted to try to pass our burden to others: to be mad a co-worker, short with our spouse, harsh with our children. But none of those “pass the burden” tactics make anything better – taking it to the Lord is the only source of relief. Matt 11:28, “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.”

———————

Bonus: Moses’ Outlaw Roots

When we think of Levites we think of priests. But, as we read these verses starting at Exodus 6:13 we need to keep in mind that was not yet the case. Jacob’s first three sons were the outlaws of the family. In Genesis 49, Jacob brings his sons together for a final blessing before he dies and, in essence if not in direct words, curses the linage of his first three sons: Reuben, Simeon and Levi.

How interesting that these three sons are the ones Moses includes in this strangely placed lineage. But all of us have lineage. We are a product of our parents and our grandparents and great grandparents and the choices they made. Like Moses, we can continue down the same path or we can face the road in front of us and go a different direction.

God was shifting into a higher gear and Moses was choosing a new direction. His heritage was anger and fury. His ancestry was killing others in anger. His curse was to be scattered.

But his choice now was to change from outlaw to obedient servant of God. From fury to faith. From being scattered to being used by God to gather His people to Him.

We have the same choice. Are we defined by the actions of others or are we defined by our obedience to God?

My Answers:

8.
a.
He talked about His mighty hand and that He is The LORD.

b.
I am The LORD

c.
His commitment to them. His singular might (not relying on anyone else and no doubt present)

9.
a.
I will bring you out. I will free you. I will redeem you. I will take you as my own people. I will be your God. I will bring you to the land. I will give it to you. I am the LORD

b.
Ezek 36:26 – I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you.

10.
Discouragement over our circumstances can prevent us from receiving the comfort we desire. It can also stand in the way of us accepting God and His will for us.

11.
a.
Amram – Kohath – Levi

b.
Elisheba. Ndab, Abihu, Eleazar, ithamar. Eleazar married one of the daughters of Putiel, had Phinehas