Exodus 1-4 April 2, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Exodus, Law.Tags: Exodus, Hebrew women, Law, Moses, worship
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I think the first section of Exodus (Moses’ birth & calling, the battle between God & Pharaoh and the escape from Egypt) might be my favourite section of story-telling / history in the Bible. I love the drama of it! For that reason I’m going to abandon SOAP today and just free-form.
First of all, I love the cheek / courage / ballsiness of the Hebrew women in chapters 1 & 2. The midwives disobey an order to kill male Hebrew babies, and when asked why, they, presumably at risk of losing their lives for disobeying such an order, respond with a slur so cheeky that it just makes you laugh – “Hebrew women are not like Egyptian women; they are vigorous and give birth before the midwives arrive.” After that, when Moses’ basket is found and Pharoah’s daughter calls for a Hebrew woman to nurse the baby, Moses’ own mother is employed to do it – and paid! Genius.
I also really like the account of the encounter at the burning bush in chapters 3-4. Considering that Moses probably wrote this originally (and it seems likely, as he was the only human there to see it), he doesn’t write up his part in the whole affair. Moses comes off as pretty cowardly here, finding as many excuses and reasons as he can not to go and rescue his people ; so many, in fact, that God ends up getting angry with him – not for the last time, of course. This all brings Moses int o a very realistic light as a human being, despite the reverence (rightly) accorded him in the Jewish faith subsequently.
And finally, it is great to see that the Israelites knew where to direct their complaints, and where to direct their adoration when He sends someone to lead them out:
4:29-31 Moses and Aaron brought together all the elders of the Israelites, and Aaron told them everything the LORD had said to Moses. He also performed the signs before the people, and they believed. And when they heard that the LORD was concerned about them and had seen their misery, they bowed down and worshiped.
I just find this really encouraging! The first thing they do when they hear they’re going to be saved is worship, not react in cynicism, as the Jews of Jesus’ time did.
Genesis 13-16 January 22, 2009
Posted by Sparky in Genesis, Law.Tags: Abram, eternal life, Genesis, Law, Lot, rescue, value of following Jesus
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Scripture:
Genesis 14:13-16
“One who had escaped came and reported [Lot’s kidnapping] to Abram the Hebrew. Now Abram was living near the great trees of Mamre the Amorite, a brother of Eshcol and Aner, all of whom were allied with Abram. When Abram heard that his relative had been taken captive, he called out the 318 trained men born in his household and went in pursuit as far as Dan. During the night Abram divided his men to attack them and he routed them, pursuing them as far as Hobah, north of Damascus. He recovered all the goods and brought back his relative Lot and his possessions, together with the women and the other people.”
Observation:
It is rare that one thinks of Abram (or Abraham, for that matter) as a great military leader or strategist, but here that is exactly what he is. Having parted ways with his nephew Lot, he hears that Lot and his family have been taken captive by certain warring kings, and decides to take matters into his own hands. His family was vitally important to him, causing him to go so far as to organise a minor military campaign against these kings. This surprised me (I am glad to still be surprised by reading the Bible after nearly 25 years of being a Christian!), and made me think about what God put into the father of Israel in terms of characteristics. His descendants, of course, would show a lot of this military capacity later in history.
Application:
Sometimes you don’t really discover what God has put into you until it just comes out, until you absolutely have to do something about a situation, and you discover what’s most important to you. Abraham was totally willing to leave all his wealth for the sake of another family member, and saved him in this way. This reminds me of Jesus’ promise about leaving mothers and brothers and whatever you value for his sake (Matt 19:29) – there is a reward for doing this, and Jesus says that it is eternal life. Way better than any money or possessions I might accrue here on earth, which frankly only brings more stress.
Prayer:
God, teach me more and more the value of following you, and enable me to put unimportant things aside for your sake.
Deuteronomy 20-22 November 10, 2008
Posted by Sparky in Deuteronomy, Law.Tags: adversity, cross, curse, Deuteronomy, God's promise, Jesus, Law
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Scripture:
Dt 20:10-13
When you march up to attack a city, make its people an offer of peace. If they accept and open their gates, all the people in it shall be subject to forced labor and shall work for you. If they refuse to make peace and they engage you in battle, lay siege to that city. When the LORD your God delivers it into your hand, put to the sword all the men in it.
Dt 21:22-23
If a man guilty of a capital offense is put to death and his body is hung on a tree, you must not leave his body on the tree overnight. Be sure to bury him that same day, because anyone who is hung on a tree is under God’s curse.
Observation
It is interesting to note in the first passage the use of the word ‘when’. There was an expectation that the Lord would be with the Israelites in battle and that he would deliver cities that stood against them into their hands. It does not say ‘if’ – God was promising to be with them.
The second passage links in such a vital way with the New Testament and Jesus’ death on the cross – by being hung on a tree, Jesus suffered the curse of God for us. It is therefore not surprising that Saul and the other Jewish church-persecutors had some difficulty accepting the claims that Jesus WAS in fact the Son of God, and went through the horror of the crucifixion IN ORDER to experience God’s curse for the rest of humanity.
Application
Can we trust God to be with us when we come up against people who would stand against us? Yes, if we’re sure that the position we’re taking is the one that God would have us take. Can we trust Him to keep us safe through adversity? Yes, because He loves His children.
And the second passage just reveals to us exactly what Jesus went through, in more depth – he knew his scriptures, so he knew what this death meant full well. He knew the separation from God that he would have to endure, and he did it for you and for me anyway. That’s something to praise him for!
Prayer
Thank you God that we can totally trust you through times of trouble, when we need to take a stand in your name about something which pits us against other people. Thank you that we can rely on your promise in those times. And praise you Jesus for undergoing the suffering of the cross on our behalf – thank you that you took that step even though you knew exactly what would happen to you.
Exodus 5-8 March 24, 2008
Posted by Sparky in Exodus, Law.Tags: Exodus, identity, plagues, spiritual warfare, Yahweh
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Scripture:
Chapter 6:
6 “Therefore, say to the Israelites: ‘I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. I will free you from being slaves to them, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm and with mighty acts of judgment. 7 I will take you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the LORD your God, who brought you out from under the yoke of the Egyptians. 8 And I will bring you to the land I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob. I will give it to you as a possession. I am the LORD.’”
Observation:
The passage as a whole is the beginning of one of my favourite biblical stories, due to its vivid drama and the awesome power of God on display. I love the plague & Red Sea narrative, though the slaying of the first-born is immensely tragic. But I guess comment on that will come next week.
The verses picked out above struck me due to the repeated phrase which frames the section – “I am the LORD”. Here’s God using the name he recently revealed to Moses at the burning bush – Yahweh, I AM – and using it as the reinforcement of why they can trust what he says. He reminds them of the Abrahamic covenant, and gives them a promise of being God to them. And they can trust Him because He is who He says He is.
Application:
I’ve been looking into spiritual warfare in the Bible and in our times recently, partly using the Exodus plague narrative, and discovered that issues of identity are key in the Bible’s understanding of how to go into battle. Here, God reminds the Israelites that He’s in control because He is who He says He is. In the gospels Jesus often does spiritual battle with demons on the basis of who he is (the Son of God) and who they are (interlopers with no right to be there). And when we understand our identity in Christ, we have a good basis on which to stand firm, as Paul encourages us to in Ephesians 6.
How do I apply these verses to my life? By seeking to understand who I am in Christ first of all, and what he has called me and made me to be and do.
Prayer:
Lord, I want to know more about how to be your child, and understand my identity in You. Please keep revealing the plans you have for me, and the person you made me to be, so I can fulfil those promises.
