Deuteronomy 1:1 - 26:19
It is very easy to want to skip right by this book. It starts with Moses recounting everything that happened in the book of Numbers and then goes in to quite some level of detail regarding everything from which fish and birds the Israelites could eat to how to handle cases of rape in town vs out in the country.
Read closely and you'll see the basis upon which many of our modern laws were built. The notion of extradition, the importance of requiring multiple witnesses to a crime, the distinction between premeditated murder and manslaughter...all found here.
For me it is a sad book.
As I read it I see Moses, a man we recognize today as a great leader but who probably would rather have been a quiet shepherd in the wilderness, giving his last words of advice and encouragement to the people God has asked him to lead. He has been at it for more than forty years. He is not going to cross the Jordan into the promised land, he knows his days are at an end.
We read his words and we see the tragically prophetic nature of his warnings. Tragic because we can read what happens later in the story and see that the things he warns about do come to pass. Tragic because had the Israelites made other choices we see quite clearly what blessings would have been bestowed upon them.
I read those warnings with a knowledge of what comes later and I think, "If only you had listened, or remembered. If only you had chosen otherwise...what effects would we feel from those choices even today?"
And then it makes me wonder how my story will be read after I'm gone. Will my children look back on it and say, "If only my dad had listened or remembered...how different would things be for us today had he chosen differently?"
It is a sobering thought.
One well worthy of diligent prayer.
Showing posts with label moses. Show all posts
Showing posts with label moses. Show all posts
Thursday, March 19, 2009
Thursday, March 5, 2009
Rebellion in the camp
Numbers 16:1 - 18:32
It's not easy to tell how much time has passed between the end of chapter 15 and the start of chapter 16. The people have just failed at the entrance to the promised land. God has informed then that their punishment will be forty years of wandering during which time all the adults 20 years and older will die.
They've tried to take the land anyway and been beaten down by the locals...and now we see a rebellion brewing in the camp. Obviously, they needed somewhere to vent their anger and they must think it safer to vent it at Moses and Aaron rather than at God...or the locals who have just kicked their booties.
It's easy to just read the names of these guys who lead the rebellion and blaze right past them into the story itself but the names, or at least the family connections, are important.
Korah - who seems to be the instigator, is a Kohathite. The Kohathite clan had the reponsibility of carrying the ark and the holy objects from the tabernacle. They were the only ones who could not use ox carts to carry their part and they couldn't even go near the holy objects until the priests, the sons of Aaron, had prepared them. (Num 4:4 - 15)
He is obviously representing a faction that is jealous of the role of the priests:
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" (Num 16:3)
You have to love the way he tries to include everyone in his own jealousy.
The other leaders listed in the rebellion, Dathan, Abiram and On, are all Reubenites. Their jealousy is different. The tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, have been losing their position for generations.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your fathers bed, onto my couch and defiled it." (Gen49:3)
Reuben slept with his fathers concubine and thus lost the privaledged position of the firstborn.
(It never ceases to amaze me how long these middle eastern folks can hold a grudge...but then we just need to read the newspapers to see that even today.)
So Korah, who is jealous over Aaron's spiritual authority, recruits some grumpy Reubenits, who are jealous over Moses temporal authority and raises up a rebellion.
Moses calls out Korah and his Levite followers to stand a test of fire before God...maybe this is where Elijah gets his inspiration later...and he couches it in the form of presenting themselves before God to see who God chooses. I love that he doesn't argue based on God's word, or past experience, or commands, he just says "Let's let God choose."
He tries to call out the Reubenites too but they refuse to come...obviously the religious thing is not their bag so they play the passive aggressive, "we don't recognize your authority" card.
I think what is happening here is much the same as what happened when they came out of Egypt.
There is a much different emotional landscape within the camp, but in either case they were on the doorstep of a "next phase", in either case God is establishing who He is and how he will be interacting with His people, in either case He is displaying His power.
It's makes me start to wonder how I tend to react when God starts a new phase with me. Am I "coming out of Egypt" or being "driven into the wilderness"? In any event what should my response be? I go back to yesterday's reading and the example of Joshua and Caleb...
If you want to do some interesting side reading do some internet research on the symbolism of the almond branch/tree. Aaron's staff budding and producing almonds wasn't a random choice of tree on God's part.
It's not easy to tell how much time has passed between the end of chapter 15 and the start of chapter 16. The people have just failed at the entrance to the promised land. God has informed then that their punishment will be forty years of wandering during which time all the adults 20 years and older will die.
They've tried to take the land anyway and been beaten down by the locals...and now we see a rebellion brewing in the camp. Obviously, they needed somewhere to vent their anger and they must think it safer to vent it at Moses and Aaron rather than at God...or the locals who have just kicked their booties.
It's easy to just read the names of these guys who lead the rebellion and blaze right past them into the story itself but the names, or at least the family connections, are important.
Korah - who seems to be the instigator, is a Kohathite. The Kohathite clan had the reponsibility of carrying the ark and the holy objects from the tabernacle. They were the only ones who could not use ox carts to carry their part and they couldn't even go near the holy objects until the priests, the sons of Aaron, had prepared them. (Num 4:4 - 15)
He is obviously representing a faction that is jealous of the role of the priests:
"You have gone too far! The whole community is holy, every one of them, and the Lord is with them. Why do you set yourselves above the Lord's assembly?" (Num 16:3)
You have to love the way he tries to include everyone in his own jealousy.
The other leaders listed in the rebellion, Dathan, Abiram and On, are all Reubenites. Their jealousy is different. The tribe of Reuben, the firstborn of Jacob, have been losing their position for generations.
"Reuben, you are my firstborn, my might, the first sign of my my strength, excelling in honor, excelling in power. Turbulent as the waters, you will no longer excel, for you went up onto your fathers bed, onto my couch and defiled it." (Gen49:3)
Reuben slept with his fathers concubine and thus lost the privaledged position of the firstborn.
(It never ceases to amaze me how long these middle eastern folks can hold a grudge...but then we just need to read the newspapers to see that even today.)
So Korah, who is jealous over Aaron's spiritual authority, recruits some grumpy Reubenits, who are jealous over Moses temporal authority and raises up a rebellion.
Moses calls out Korah and his Levite followers to stand a test of fire before God...maybe this is where Elijah gets his inspiration later...and he couches it in the form of presenting themselves before God to see who God chooses. I love that he doesn't argue based on God's word, or past experience, or commands, he just says "Let's let God choose."
He tries to call out the Reubenites too but they refuse to come...obviously the religious thing is not their bag so they play the passive aggressive, "we don't recognize your authority" card.
I think what is happening here is much the same as what happened when they came out of Egypt.
There is a much different emotional landscape within the camp, but in either case they were on the doorstep of a "next phase", in either case God is establishing who He is and how he will be interacting with His people, in either case He is displaying His power.
It's makes me start to wonder how I tend to react when God starts a new phase with me. Am I "coming out of Egypt" or being "driven into the wilderness"? In any event what should my response be? I go back to yesterday's reading and the example of Joshua and Caleb...
If you want to do some interesting side reading do some internet research on the symbolism of the almond branch/tree. Aaron's staff budding and producing almonds wasn't a random choice of tree on God's part.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Grouse, grouse, grouse...
Numbers 11:1 - 13:33
Finally we get back to some story today...
Now, we've just been told that the people only move out, only come to rest, when and where God leads them. Safe to assume then that wherever they land, there is ample water for them and their flocks and, again safe to remember, that they get mana every morning. You might argue that they've been living on mana for more than a year at this point and something different would be nice but remember it is COMPLETELY FREE FOOD!!
Part of the curse in the garden was that man would no longer have free food, he would have to work the ground with the sweat of his brow to get food. But this is free...just go pick it up.
The people argue that they had free food in Egypt...yeah well, if by "free" you mean no money exchanged hands then would you trade slavery for food? There was a very clear cost for that "free" food.
I also started to wonder while reading this what happened to all the sheep and goats and bulls and pidgeons that they must have had around for sacrifices...sounds like a LOT of meat to me.
Most of the commentaries I could find didn't bring this up but the few that did suggest that the flocks were not for consumption but for raising (and sacrifices) and that they would have run through all THAT meat in less than a month and wound up poor. Ok, I suppose I buy that.
I find it interesting too that the story gives us the complaints of the people right at the finish line!! The complain in chapter 11 and 12 and in chapter 13 the spies are sent into the land...the promised land that they have been aiming for all this time. THEY ARE ALMOST DONE AND THEY FALL APART!! Of course you may well argue they didn't know they were almost to the finish line, well said, but how often do we find ourselves in a similar position? Grousing, ready to surrender when in truth we're almost to the other side of the wildernesss through which God has us traveling?
I think God has spent a little over a year with His people in the wilderness in order to show them who He is and how He is to be worshipped. I think even His response to their grousing in chapters 11 and 12 here is a demonstration of his ability to both provide and destroy as needed. You would have hoped the spies would have had these events fresh in their minds as they went out to explore the land. But they obviously forgot.
We like to believe today a first hand miraculous display of God's power would be enough for us to remain fiathful to Him forever. I can't imagine seeing a more graphic display than what these guys have seen since leaving Egypt and yet they cower at the task at hand when they come back from spying out the land. Not only did 10 out of 12 miss it, they somehow convinced the bulk of the population to miss it too. (which we will read tomorrow)
ALL of this leads me to one thought:
Remember
When we feel in need...remember when God has provided.
When we feel out gunned...remember that God is our strength.
When we feel overwhelmed...remember that God help lift the burden.
When we feel tired...remember that God is our rest AND our strength.
If they had simply remembered they would have been into the promised land in the next chapter. Instead they get 40 more years of wandering.
How much of our wandering happens because we forget to remember?
REMEMBER.
Finally we get back to some story today...
Now, we've just been told that the people only move out, only come to rest, when and where God leads them. Safe to assume then that wherever they land, there is ample water for them and their flocks and, again safe to remember, that they get mana every morning. You might argue that they've been living on mana for more than a year at this point and something different would be nice but remember it is COMPLETELY FREE FOOD!!
Part of the curse in the garden was that man would no longer have free food, he would have to work the ground with the sweat of his brow to get food. But this is free...just go pick it up.
The people argue that they had free food in Egypt...yeah well, if by "free" you mean no money exchanged hands then would you trade slavery for food? There was a very clear cost for that "free" food.
I also started to wonder while reading this what happened to all the sheep and goats and bulls and pidgeons that they must have had around for sacrifices...sounds like a LOT of meat to me.
Most of the commentaries I could find didn't bring this up but the few that did suggest that the flocks were not for consumption but for raising (and sacrifices) and that they would have run through all THAT meat in less than a month and wound up poor. Ok, I suppose I buy that.
I find it interesting too that the story gives us the complaints of the people right at the finish line!! The complain in chapter 11 and 12 and in chapter 13 the spies are sent into the land...the promised land that they have been aiming for all this time. THEY ARE ALMOST DONE AND THEY FALL APART!! Of course you may well argue they didn't know they were almost to the finish line, well said, but how often do we find ourselves in a similar position? Grousing, ready to surrender when in truth we're almost to the other side of the wildernesss through which God has us traveling?
I think God has spent a little over a year with His people in the wilderness in order to show them who He is and how He is to be worshipped. I think even His response to their grousing in chapters 11 and 12 here is a demonstration of his ability to both provide and destroy as needed. You would have hoped the spies would have had these events fresh in their minds as they went out to explore the land. But they obviously forgot.
We like to believe today a first hand miraculous display of God's power would be enough for us to remain fiathful to Him forever. I can't imagine seeing a more graphic display than what these guys have seen since leaving Egypt and yet they cower at the task at hand when they come back from spying out the land. Not only did 10 out of 12 miss it, they somehow convinced the bulk of the population to miss it too. (which we will read tomorrow)
ALL of this leads me to one thought:
Remember
When we feel in need...remember when God has provided.
When we feel out gunned...remember that God is our strength.
When we feel overwhelmed...remember that God help lift the burden.
When we feel tired...remember that God is our rest AND our strength.
If they had simply remembered they would have been into the promised land in the next chapter. Instead they get 40 more years of wandering.
How much of our wandering happens because we forget to remember?
REMEMBER.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
Two months!!
If you're reading through the bible in a year you've made it two months today...way to go!!
Numbers 4:34 - 6:27
I freely confess I don't get the whole piece in Numbers 5:11 -29.
I do understand the ritualistic punishment of the woman but you would think there would be something in there about the male adulterer too. I suppose culturally there must have been something about the position of women that made it easier for them to "fall prey" and harder to find the man responsible...but still...seems like the guys are off the hook.
The Nazarite vow thing is cool...that knowledge will come in handy when we read about Samson later...especially given that he breaks his vow. I knew the hair growing was symbolic as was the shaving...I'm looking forward to reading his story to see what is going on when his head DOES get shaved.
The poetic blessing at the end of chapter 6 is one of my favorite passages. I've used it a number of times when doing baptisms:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace
...and may He do all that as you enter the third month of reading.
Numbers 4:34 - 6:27
I freely confess I don't get the whole piece in Numbers 5:11 -29.
I do understand the ritualistic punishment of the woman but you would think there would be something in there about the male adulterer too. I suppose culturally there must have been something about the position of women that made it easier for them to "fall prey" and harder to find the man responsible...but still...seems like the guys are off the hook.
The Nazarite vow thing is cool...that knowledge will come in handy when we read about Samson later...especially given that he breaks his vow. I knew the hair growing was symbolic as was the shaving...I'm looking forward to reading his story to see what is going on when his head DOES get shaved.
The poetic blessing at the end of chapter 6 is one of my favorite passages. I've used it a number of times when doing baptisms:
The Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make his face shine upon you and be gracious to you;
the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace
...and may He do all that as you enter the third month of reading.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Moses, the friend of God
I know I am a few days behind here but I like the stuff from Feb 13th so much that I think it deserves its own post so...
Exodus 33:7 - 36:7
I love this last half of Exodus chapter 33.
"Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp..."
This is the place he went to meet with God so he called it the "tent of meeting"...obviously Moses is not a marketing guy. It was a pretty big deal when Moses went out to the tent because everyone would stand at their doors to watch him pass AND the pillar of cloud...which they're still following remember, would "stand at the entrance" to the tent. And then we get this:
(Ex 33:11)
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?!?!?!
Of course the skeptics and pseudo-scholars in the crowd rise up in arms at this point because you don't get more than a few lines down the page and you read:
(Ex 33:20)
"...you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live"
(Ex 33:23)
"Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;but my face must not be seen."
First of all take the context of the conversation.
Remember back in chapter 32 God was TICKED about the golden calf incident and said that He would send an angel to lead the people, He was NOT going to go Himself because he might kill them out of anger along the way.
Here in chapter 33, as Moses and the Lord are chatting in the tent, Moses says "you have not let me know who you will send with me...If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. "
Whoa, what would our days be like if we had THAT conversation with God every morning?
(Ex 33:14)
The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Moses in essence says, "Yes, please"
(Ex 33:17)
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Moses has successfully negotiated God coming with them when just a few verses earlier God was so angry He was sending an angel instead! And he has done this in the context of what can only be described as a very intimate conversation among close friends!!!
I think it is a sign of the intimacy of this conversation that leads Moses to make his next request:
(Ex33:18)
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory"
Emboldened by the sweet conversation he is having with the Lord Moses asks God to show him "what He really looks like"
Moses loves what he is getting and wants more.
THAT is the point at which God says, in effect, "that would kill you, but I will give you a peek."
What a contrast between the stiff-necked people whom God says He will punish and Moses who speaks to God face to face as a man speaks to a friend.
I think God wants that level of intimacy with every one of us. Are we bold enough and humble enough at the same time to seek it and He is seeking us, ask for it as He is asking us to join Him, pursue it as He pursues us?
Exodus 33:7 - 36:7
I love this last half of Exodus chapter 33.
"Now Moses used to take a tent and pitch it outside the camp..."
This is the place he went to meet with God so he called it the "tent of meeting"...obviously Moses is not a marketing guy. It was a pretty big deal when Moses went out to the tent because everyone would stand at their doors to watch him pass AND the pillar of cloud...which they're still following remember, would "stand at the entrance" to the tent. And then we get this:
(Ex 33:11)
The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend.
HOW COOL WOULD THAT BE?!?!?!
Of course the skeptics and pseudo-scholars in the crowd rise up in arms at this point because you don't get more than a few lines down the page and you read:
(Ex 33:20)
"...you cannot see my face, for no one may see me and live"
(Ex 33:23)
"Then I will remove my hand and you will see my back;but my face must not be seen."
First of all take the context of the conversation.
Remember back in chapter 32 God was TICKED about the golden calf incident and said that He would send an angel to lead the people, He was NOT going to go Himself because he might kill them out of anger along the way.
Here in chapter 33, as Moses and the Lord are chatting in the tent, Moses says "you have not let me know who you will send with me...If you are pleased with me, teach me your ways so I may know you and continue to find favor with you. "
Whoa, what would our days be like if we had THAT conversation with God every morning?
(Ex 33:14)
The Lord replied, "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest."
Moses in essence says, "Yes, please"
(Ex 33:17)
And the Lord said to Moses, "I will do the very thing you have asked, because I am pleased with you and I know you by name."
Moses has successfully negotiated God coming with them when just a few verses earlier God was so angry He was sending an angel instead! And he has done this in the context of what can only be described as a very intimate conversation among close friends!!!
I think it is a sign of the intimacy of this conversation that leads Moses to make his next request:
(Ex33:18)
Then Moses said, "Now show me your glory"
Emboldened by the sweet conversation he is having with the Lord Moses asks God to show him "what He really looks like"
Moses loves what he is getting and wants more.
THAT is the point at which God says, in effect, "that would kill you, but I will give you a peek."
What a contrast between the stiff-necked people whom God says He will punish and Moses who speaks to God face to face as a man speaks to a friend.
I think God wants that level of intimacy with every one of us. Are we bold enough and humble enough at the same time to seek it and He is seeking us, ask for it as He is asking us to join Him, pursue it as He pursues us?
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Movin on out
Exodus 16:1 - 33:6
Ok so I missed a few days in there. Time to get back in the groove.
If you've been reading along through the stories of Genesis and Exodus you know that this bit we've been in for the last week or so is a tough bit to read...a LOT of rules and regulations.
What has really struck me through all of it is a consistent theme of establishing a nation.
Remember when Jacob (Israel) went down to Egypt the whole "nation" was really just a single large extended family. Now some 400 years later as the Israelites are leaving Egypt they have 600,000 men plus women and children. They may have had a good set of moral standards and rules as a family but what has 400 years of living under Egyptian laws and religious influences done to those rules and standards?
It is easy for us to think, looking backwards, that the established laws we read in the odl testament were in effect but they really had nothing.
SO what do we see?
In chapters 16 and 17 we see the people grumbling about food and water...as though the God who sent the plagues and split the Red Sea was slacking off on the job. Their first complaint comes after a little more than the first month...45 days and they've forgotten!!
We see God bring them into battle where they must trust him for victory and Joshua begin to emerge as a military leader. (Ex 17:10)
In chapter 18 Jethro comes along and helps Moses establish a system for dealing disputes. (Ex 18:17)
God shows up in chapters 19 and 20 and gives the 10 Commandments..and people are afraid of his coming. (Ex 20:19)
Chapters 21 - 24 are the beginnings of a civil code...laws concerning people and property. They wouldn't have had ANY of this of their own before now. This is the basis of a system of laws that any society needs...not just a set of religious observances. The people promise to obey. (Ex 24:3)
Chapters 24 - 30 are the beginnings of the religious regulations, God establishing an understanding of how He is to be worshiped. Remember all the odd superstitious stuff in Genesis? This is now being superseded by specific instructions.
But the people are impatient...
Chapter 31 feels like God wrapping up some closing details.
Chapter 32 is the story of the golden calf.
It has been something like 3-4 months since they walked through the Red Sea on dry land.
It has been just over a month since Moses went up onto the mountain in a fiery display of thunder and lightning.
(Ex 32:1)
"Come make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
It's almost like mass ADHD!!!
What strikes me though is that to some degree this isn't as surprising as it first seems.
Remember Adam "walked with God" physically.
Abraham had God show up, physically.
Jacob wrestled with God, physically.
And then for 400 years the Israelites were surrounded by Egyptians who worshipped physical idols.
Since bringing them out of Egypt God has shown himself in much more dramatic ways but without that same style of physicality...
You have got to LOVE Aaron's excuse when Moses comes down and confronts him with what he has allowed to happen:
(Ex 32:23 - 24)
"They said to me, 'Make us god who will go before us...'...So I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!!!"
"Dude, it was the graziest thing you've ever seen!! Well, after the snake stick and the frogs and the gnats and the locusts and the pillar of fire and the red sea and the mana...."
Maybe Aaron figured Moses would buy it.
Chapter 32 ends with Moses representing an early picture of Christ mediating with God on behalf of the people asking God to forgive them of their sin.
Chapter 33 contains a significant but subtle change in God's relationship to His people:
(Ex 33:2-3)
"I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff necked people and I might destroy you on the way."
We tend to think of their greatest failure as being the story of the 12 spies. But it is at THIS point where God, who was apparently going to lead them all the way Himself, sends a angel in His place.
I wonder what the trip to the promised land would have been like had the people not rebelled here and been lead by God himself.
Ok so I missed a few days in there. Time to get back in the groove.
If you've been reading along through the stories of Genesis and Exodus you know that this bit we've been in for the last week or so is a tough bit to read...a LOT of rules and regulations.
What has really struck me through all of it is a consistent theme of establishing a nation.
Remember when Jacob (Israel) went down to Egypt the whole "nation" was really just a single large extended family. Now some 400 years later as the Israelites are leaving Egypt they have 600,000 men plus women and children. They may have had a good set of moral standards and rules as a family but what has 400 years of living under Egyptian laws and religious influences done to those rules and standards?
It is easy for us to think, looking backwards, that the established laws we read in the odl testament were in effect but they really had nothing.
SO what do we see?
In chapters 16 and 17 we see the people grumbling about food and water...as though the God who sent the plagues and split the Red Sea was slacking off on the job. Their first complaint comes after a little more than the first month...45 days and they've forgotten!!
We see God bring them into battle where they must trust him for victory and Joshua begin to emerge as a military leader. (Ex 17:10)
In chapter 18 Jethro comes along and helps Moses establish a system for dealing disputes. (Ex 18:17)
God shows up in chapters 19 and 20 and gives the 10 Commandments..and people are afraid of his coming. (Ex 20:19)
Chapters 21 - 24 are the beginnings of a civil code...laws concerning people and property. They wouldn't have had ANY of this of their own before now. This is the basis of a system of laws that any society needs...not just a set of religious observances. The people promise to obey. (Ex 24:3)
Chapters 24 - 30 are the beginnings of the religious regulations, God establishing an understanding of how He is to be worshiped. Remember all the odd superstitious stuff in Genesis? This is now being superseded by specific instructions.
But the people are impatient...
Chapter 31 feels like God wrapping up some closing details.
Chapter 32 is the story of the golden calf.
It has been something like 3-4 months since they walked through the Red Sea on dry land.
It has been just over a month since Moses went up onto the mountain in a fiery display of thunder and lightning.
(Ex 32:1)
"Come make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don't know what has happened to him."
It's almost like mass ADHD!!!
What strikes me though is that to some degree this isn't as surprising as it first seems.
Remember Adam "walked with God" physically.
Abraham had God show up, physically.
Jacob wrestled with God, physically.
And then for 400 years the Israelites were surrounded by Egyptians who worshipped physical idols.
Since bringing them out of Egypt God has shown himself in much more dramatic ways but without that same style of physicality...
You have got to LOVE Aaron's excuse when Moses comes down and confronts him with what he has allowed to happen:
(Ex 32:23 - 24)
"They said to me, 'Make us god who will go before us...'...So I told them, 'Whoever has any gold jewelry, take it off.' Then they gave me the gold, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf!!!"
"Dude, it was the graziest thing you've ever seen!! Well, after the snake stick and the frogs and the gnats and the locusts and the pillar of fire and the red sea and the mana...."
Maybe Aaron figured Moses would buy it.
Chapter 32 ends with Moses representing an early picture of Christ mediating with God on behalf of the people asking God to forgive them of their sin.
Chapter 33 contains a significant but subtle change in God's relationship to His people:
(Ex 33:2-3)
"I will send an angel before you to drive out the Canaanites, Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites. Go up to the land flowing with milk and honey. But I will not go with you, because you are a stiff necked people and I might destroy you on the way."
We tend to think of their greatest failure as being the story of the 12 spies. But it is at THIS point where God, who was apparently going to lead them all the way Himself, sends a angel in His place.
I wonder what the trip to the promised land would have been like had the people not rebelled here and been lead by God himself.
Friday, February 6, 2009
The Red Sea
Exodus 13:1 - 15:27
The Israelites finally get to march out of Egypt..."armed for battle" (Ex 13:18)
It has started to strike me that there was something going on in their "bondage" that was different than what we think of as typical slavery. I can't picture Civil War era slaves picking up and marching out 'armed for battle'...and having to have waited for permission to do so.
Although they ARE armed for battle God doesn't lead them through Philistine territory because God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (Ex:13:17)
Instaed He takes them on a route designed both to protect and to lure Pharaoh to chase them.
(Ex14:2)
"Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Pharaoh will think,'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.'"
As they're back up against the sea and they see the Egyptian army coming the Israelites cried out:
"Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex14:11 - 12)
Now THIS bit leads me to believe that their bondage was not complete depraved oppression. Apparently the evidence of the ten plagues is a distant memory, the huge pillar of smoke/fire that has been leading them isn't proof enough, they're willing to go back to slavery. ( It also serves as evidence that God was going to use the Red Sea incident to prove himself further. The plagues proved He could defeat the Egyptian 'gods' and now He is going to prove he can beat them on the human plane as well.)
Exodus 14:15 - 16 cracks me up:
The the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the ater so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
Sheesh...come on Moses...get a move on!!!
So at this point does Moses smack his forehead?
"Doh!! Of course..I forgot the magic water splitting dry ground making stick!!!
The next bit we know...the Israelites make it across on dry ground, wall of water on either side, and the Egyptians get drowned. I wonder if Moses felt any sense of remorse when he stretched out his staff over the sea and drowned all of Pharaoh's army?
In any case the Israelites whoop it up. The celebratory song in Ex 15 has a bit of a neener neener neener tone to it. And THIS bit seems to be evidence that their bondage WAS oppressive.
Whichever is true the people now seem ready to trust God, and Moses leadership.
At least for the moment...
The Israelites finally get to march out of Egypt..."armed for battle" (Ex 13:18)
It has started to strike me that there was something going on in their "bondage" that was different than what we think of as typical slavery. I can't picture Civil War era slaves picking up and marching out 'armed for battle'...and having to have waited for permission to do so.
Although they ARE armed for battle God doesn't lead them through Philistine territory because God said, "If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt." (Ex:13:17)
Instaed He takes them on a route designed both to protect and to lure Pharaoh to chase them.
(Ex14:2)
"Tell the Israelites to turn back and encamp near Pi Hahiroth, between Migdol and the sea. Pharaoh will think,'The Israelites are wandering around the land in confusion, hemmed in by the desert.'"
As they're back up against the sea and they see the Egyptian army coming the Israelites cried out:
"Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you brought us to the desert to die?What have you done to us by bringing us out of Egypt? Didn't we say to you in Egypt, 'Leave us alone; let us serve the Egyptians'? It would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the desert!" (Ex14:11 - 12)
Now THIS bit leads me to believe that their bondage was not complete depraved oppression. Apparently the evidence of the ten plagues is a distant memory, the huge pillar of smoke/fire that has been leading them isn't proof enough, they're willing to go back to slavery. ( It also serves as evidence that God was going to use the Red Sea incident to prove himself further. The plagues proved He could defeat the Egyptian 'gods' and now He is going to prove he can beat them on the human plane as well.)
Exodus 14:15 - 16 cracks me up:
The the Lord said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea to divide the ater so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
Sheesh...come on Moses...get a move on!!!
So at this point does Moses smack his forehead?
"Doh!! Of course..I forgot the magic water splitting dry ground making stick!!!
The next bit we know...the Israelites make it across on dry ground, wall of water on either side, and the Egyptians get drowned. I wonder if Moses felt any sense of remorse when he stretched out his staff over the sea and drowned all of Pharaoh's army?
In any case the Israelites whoop it up. The celebratory song in Ex 15 has a bit of a neener neener neener tone to it. And THIS bit seems to be evidence that their bondage WAS oppressive.
Whichever is true the people now seem ready to trust God, and Moses leadership.
At least for the moment...
Thursday, February 5, 2009
The Passover
Exodus 10:1 - 12:51
I used to think it was somehow unfair of God to harden Pharaoh's heart and thus force Egypt to go through ALL of the plagues. I reconciled that by understanding God's sovereignty certainly but I couldn't quite get it.
What struck me this morning is that what I think God was really up to in all of the plagues was showing HIS people who He was.
The Israelite people have been in Egypt for 400 plus years, probably with little more than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and perhaps some Joseph stories handed down. When God shows up and communicates through Moses He comes in with a rather significant display.
If you look closely too and do even a tiny bit of research you find out that each of the plagues goes right in the face of one of the gods in the Egyptian pantheon, Seth, Imhotep, Ra...they all take a hit when they're powerless against the God of Israelites.
Now imagine these folks who have been living in slavery in Egypt for 400 years surrounded by the Egyptian religious infrastructure...some of them HAD to have been influenced in their beliefs.
So God hears their cry, shows up, and quite clearly demonstrates His superiority before He ever leads them out the door. Proving who he is AND proving His power over the so called gods of the Egyptians.
All the while somehow managing to make the Egyptian people favorably disposed towards the Israelites...they must have been TICKED with Pharaoh who just wouldn't give it up.
In the end it seems even Pharaoh has an inkling as to who is in charge:
Exodus 12:31
During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take you flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me"
As cool as the stuff that is coming is...the pillar of fire, the parting of the Red Sea, it had to have been awesome to live in Goshen and see God's display of power in the plagues.
I used to think it was somehow unfair of God to harden Pharaoh's heart and thus force Egypt to go through ALL of the plagues. I reconciled that by understanding God's sovereignty certainly but I couldn't quite get it.
What struck me this morning is that what I think God was really up to in all of the plagues was showing HIS people who He was.
The Israelite people have been in Egypt for 400 plus years, probably with little more than Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and perhaps some Joseph stories handed down. When God shows up and communicates through Moses He comes in with a rather significant display.
If you look closely too and do even a tiny bit of research you find out that each of the plagues goes right in the face of one of the gods in the Egyptian pantheon, Seth, Imhotep, Ra...they all take a hit when they're powerless against the God of Israelites.
Now imagine these folks who have been living in slavery in Egypt for 400 years surrounded by the Egyptian religious infrastructure...some of them HAD to have been influenced in their beliefs.
So God hears their cry, shows up, and quite clearly demonstrates His superiority before He ever leads them out the door. Proving who he is AND proving His power over the so called gods of the Egyptians.
All the while somehow managing to make the Egyptian people favorably disposed towards the Israelites...they must have been TICKED with Pharaoh who just wouldn't give it up.
In the end it seems even Pharaoh has an inkling as to who is in charge:
Exodus 12:31
During the night Pharaoh summoned Moses and Aaron and said, "Up! Leave my people, you and the Israelites! Go, worship the Lord as you have requested. Take you flocks and herds, as you have said, and go. And also bless me"
As cool as the stuff that is coming is...the pillar of fire, the parting of the Red Sea, it had to have been awesome to live in Goshen and see God's display of power in the plagues.
Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Moses and Pharaoh
Exodus 4:18 - 9:35
After all of his attempts to get out of going before Pharaoh Moses goes and asks his father-in-law for permission to go to Egypt. God tells him right up front, "Look you're going to go tell Pharaoh to let the people go and he is going to say no. Just perform the signs and ride it out...he'll keep saying no." On the one hand not very encouraging but on the other I would think Moses would have to at least have some small sense of comfort in knowing that God had a plan...since he obviously knew what would happen in this first bit. In fact in 4:22-23 God foreshadows the eventual outcome:
"Then say to Pharaoh, This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, 'Let my son go, so he may worship me'. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son." God is already informing Moses that the signs won't work, that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened, that he won't let the people go and that in the end he'll have to kill the firstborn of Egypt!
The next bit is a little odd...God shows up while Moses is on his way back to Egypt...and apparently wants to kill Moses. (Ex 4:24) I'm almost wondering if Moses was being disobedient in regards to circumcising his son and so he downplays this episode when he writes the story.
All turns out well when Zipporah whips out the flint knife and performs a field circumcision.
It is also interesting that when Moses and Aaron first show up Pharaoh treats them like a nuisance...(Ex5:4)"Moses and Aaron why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!"
He's the king for crying out loud!
But he chooses to play the political manipulation card rather than dealing directly with these two...(Ex5:7)
You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota.
From there things unfold pretty much like God said they would:
the signs won't work, that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened, he won't let the people go and in the end he'll have to kill the firstborn of Egypt!
I wonder if Moses secretly kept a checklist?
After all of his attempts to get out of going before Pharaoh Moses goes and asks his father-in-law for permission to go to Egypt. God tells him right up front, "Look you're going to go tell Pharaoh to let the people go and he is going to say no. Just perform the signs and ride it out...he'll keep saying no." On the one hand not very encouraging but on the other I would think Moses would have to at least have some small sense of comfort in knowing that God had a plan...since he obviously knew what would happen in this first bit. In fact in 4:22-23 God foreshadows the eventual outcome:
"Then say to Pharaoh, This is what the Lord says: Israel is my firstborn son, and I told you, 'Let my son go, so he may worship me'. But you refused to let him go; so I will kill your firstborn son." God is already informing Moses that the signs won't work, that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened, that he won't let the people go and that in the end he'll have to kill the firstborn of Egypt!
The next bit is a little odd...God shows up while Moses is on his way back to Egypt...and apparently wants to kill Moses. (Ex 4:24) I'm almost wondering if Moses was being disobedient in regards to circumcising his son and so he downplays this episode when he writes the story.
All turns out well when Zipporah whips out the flint knife and performs a field circumcision.
It is also interesting that when Moses and Aaron first show up Pharaoh treats them like a nuisance...(Ex5:4)"Moses and Aaron why are you taking the people away from their labor? Get back to your work!"
He's the king for crying out loud!
But he chooses to play the political manipulation card rather than dealing directly with these two...(Ex5:7)
You are no longer to supply the people with straw for making bricks; let them go and gather their own straw. But require them to make the same number of bricks as before; don't reduce the quota.
From there things unfold pretty much like God said they would:
the signs won't work, that Pharaoh's heart will be hardened, he won't let the people go and in the end he'll have to kill the firstborn of Egypt!
I wonder if Moses secretly kept a checklist?
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