Tag: Exodus

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It could have been miraculous!

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the whole community of Israel set out from Elim and journeyed into the wilderness of Sin, between Elim and Mount Sinai. They arrived there on the fifteenth day of the second month, one month after leaving the land of Egypt. There, too, the whole community of Israel complained about Moses and Aaron. “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt,” they moaned. “There we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted. But now you have brought us into this wilderness to starve us all to death.””Exodus‬ ‭16‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A month out from leaving Egypt and things really started getting dicey.

I remember driving on the old Route 66 from Long Beach, California to Bullhead City, Arizona. Once we left Barstow, California there were signs that read, “No services for the next 100 miles.” No water, no food, no gas – NOTHING. Even as a kid I thought it was a creepy to cross the desert.

A month out from leaving Egypt and things really started getting dicey. I remember driving on the old Route 66 from Long Beach, California to Bullhead City, Arizona. Once we left Barstow, California there were signs that read, “No services for the next 100 miles.” No water, no food, no gas – NOTHING. Even as a kid I thought it was a creepy to cross the desert in a car with no air conditioning and it would give you 2nd degree burns by sitting in the seats or touching the metal handles on the door.

The Israelites averaged 20 miles a day, so it took them 5 days just to get out in the middle of NOWHERE. Just think about it, a month into their journey they had traveled 600 miles! That’s like walking from Los Angeles to Las Vegas!

The Hebrews were worried about the same thing anyone crossing a desert would worry about – WATER and FOOD. God miraculously provided water by turning the bitter water sweet at Marah. They also found water oasis of Elim, where “they found twelve springs and seventy palm trees. They camped there beside the water.” Exodus‬ ‭15‬:‭27‬ ‭NLT‬‬ But after a month of wandering they were wondering where they would find food.

There is no mention of them asking Moses about a plan and there is no mention of Moses having a plan! The plan was complete and total dependency on God. Oh, but the people did have a plan – “the whole community of Israel” had a plan – COMPLAINT ABOUT IT. They לוּן – luwned: To lodge, to remain, to dwell, to abide, to grumble. Interesting word here. Its root word is to “abide all night.” Wow – they sure were constantly abiding right? In the negative moral sense, they were obsessively grumbling in unbelief! What does excessive whining, complaining and grumbling do to the human soul? IT SOURS IT!

Psychologists call it “looping complaints.” And it does the following:
▪️Keeps our brain stuck in threat mode
▪️Reinforces negative emotions
▪️Reduces problem-solving energy
▪️Drains relationships
▪️Becomes habitual

Like petulant children they said, “If only the Lord had killed us back in Egypt.” It became so bad that they fantasized about the past saying, “we sat around pots filled with meat and ate all the bread we wanted.” Really? That was what they experienced as slaves who were worked to death and harshly mistreated?

Overall it is estimated that Israel experienced thousands of supernatural occurrences If you count every miraculous act of provision. But they could not see them, they only saw their needs, their fears and the lack of control.

That said, I have learned a lot from the generation that was delivered from Egypt, but never set free from the trauma of their enslavement. Being a bit of a negative person myself, I have to constantly check my perspective and ask if I’m only seeing the things going wrong around me, or can I see the hand of God working miracles on our behalf.

Do I only see pots of meat & bread of the past and feeling like grasshoppers looking forward? Or, in faith that pleases God can I have peace. Can I feel peace. It’s a pretty dark world if we lose perspective in thinking that the enemy is winning rather than seeing God’s perfect will being carried out and being able to celebrate the wins!

If I look at the Exodus from God’s perspective, it was a miraculous journey of adventure and faith. A sea splitting open. A pillar of fire, and a massive cloud forming ahead. Water from a desert rock, food floating down from heaven each morning and birds bringing takeout each evening. What an adventure to experience as a child or teen that had little-to-no memories of Egypt.

Prayer

​Dad,
Seeing Your hand in history helps give me a proper perspective to understand what life could be like if I saw you in all things. I can’t control any of it anyways! What I can do is believe and have faith in your wisdom, your justice, grace, peace and love. In that I can find true wonder to see the miraculous.

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Negotiating with God II.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

So Moses and Aaron were brought back to Pharaoh. “All right,” he told them, “go and worship the Lord your God. But who exactly will be going with you?” Moses replied, “We will all go—young and old, our sons and daughters, and our flocks and herds. We must all join together in celebrating a festival to the Lord.” Pharaoh retorted, “The Lord will certainly need to be with you if I let you take your little ones! I can see through your evil plan. Never! Only the men may go and worship the Lord, since that is what you requested.” And Pharaoh threw them out of the palace. Exodus‬ ‭10‬:‭8‬-‭11‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of course Pharaoh thought he was negotiating with Moses & Aaron! He was told that they were speaking on behalf of God, but Pharaoh, knowing all about working with deity’s, did not believe the one true God ruled and reigned over all gods. Pharaoh absolutely underestimated his position.

But, Pharaoh was a master negotiator, he didn’t get to be a demigod by being bamboozled on a deal. This was Pharaoh’s 8th round of the art of a deal. He wasn’t doing so well. He was losing the confidence of his cabinet and his people! And the losses were stacking up.

The first seven plagues (blood, frogs, lice/gnats, flies, livestock disease, boils, hail) would have caused widespread social, religious, economic, and administrative disruption in Egypt. Key effects: Agriculture & food supply, by water contamination – blood and hail would damage irrigation, & drinking water. Livestock loss cut meat, milk, draft animals and secondary products (leather, manure), harming farm productivity and food supply. Public health and labor, boils and pest plagues (lice/gnats, flies) would increase illness and reduce workforce availability for farming, construction and state projects. General fear would lower labor discipline and productivity. Economy and trade; crop and livestock losses would reduce tax revenue and surplus grain that sustained the state and enabled trade. Disruption to transport (animals and river work) and contamination of Nile-dependent activities would impede internal commerce and export of grain, papyrus, and other goods. Short-term inflation and scarcity of staples; wealthier households might hoard or suffer asset losses. Then the 8th plague would wipe out crops, which was their primary food supply. These alone would have caused a national crisis.

Yet, Pharaoh remains cool and calm, almost yielding to God’s demands. That is until he asks this question. Who exactly is going with you? “ALL OF US,” Moses told him. This God of yours must be going with you if you take the kids. Then it dawns on Pharaoh, “oh, you’re not planning to return are you?” History records that The Israelite work force was likely only 3% of the total laborers, so it was more than just “slave labor” that was affecting Pharaoh’s stubbornness. It was more about his “hard heart,” not yielding to anyone – especially to THE Lord God of all things. These plagues were systematically humiliating Pharaoh while deconstructing the entire civil and cultural ways of Egypt. It’s an absolute marvel that Egypt still exists today!

Even through all the pressures of collapsing the entire society. The Pharaoh then threw the men out of the palace. Whether it was Amenhotep II or Ramses II – they could not defy God’s will and power. Both would have been known for their rebellion against divine authority, viewing them as a symbol of corruption and pride, but that is from the biblical perspective. History records Ramses II as one of the greatest Pharaoh’s becuse of his extensive building projects, military campaigns, and a reign that lasted approximately 66 years, marking the height of Egypt’s power and glory.

When I see world leaders rising up in arrogance and stubbornness to lead out of ego and self preservation, rather than govern their people well, I see a Pharaoh’s heart, hardened and immovable. They would rather see their entire culture and identity as a people be destroyed rather than yield. Because of their hubris of power and wealth, they believe they are immortal and untouchable. Pharaoh found out he was neither.

Prayer

​Dad,
I, and others have fought WITH You, struggling to do your will. But against You? Not a chance. Dumbest thing ever! Most of the time, you completely allow us to do our own thing, letting us go pretty far to try to escape your plan – enter Jonah and Moses. Then there are times when no is not an option. I do not want to find myself in that kind of situation. Your will, Your way for me – even when I don’t see or understand what You are up to. I also do not want to push against the limits of your grace and mercy. Thank you for your enduring patience towards me.

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A 🐸 god?

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go back to Pharaoh and announce to him, ‘This is what the Lord says: Let my people go, so they can worship me. If you refuse to let them go, I will send a plague of frogs across your entire land. The Nile River will swarm with frogs. They will come up out of the river and into your palace, even into your bedroom and onto your bed! They will enter the houses of your officials and your people. They will even jump into your ovens and your kneading bowls. Frogs will jump on you, your people, and all your officials.’” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭8‬:‭1‬-‭4‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Really? For most of my life as a follower of Jesus, I thought the plagues on Egypt were just strange and creepy. Just annoying enough to make people’s skin crawl and get nauseous just thinking about. Some people hate frogs and are terrified by them. I was forever years old when I heard that each plague was attached to the gods of Pharaoh – and all of Egypt WORSHIPPED them! They worshipped a frog god? Yep, it’s true.

The plagues were judgment on Egypt’s religious system, not random disasters. And, “Pharaoh is part of that picture too, because Egyptian kingship was religious, not just political. Pharaoh was regarded as a divine ruler and mediator of cosmic order, so the plagues also function as a humiliation of Pharaoh’s claimed sacred authority.” Some of the gods are speculative, but a few are historically documented!

Heqet – the frog god is one that is well known. She was an ancient Egyptian goddess, usually shown as a frog or as a woman with a frog’s head. Her main spheres of influence were fertility, birth, regeneration, and rebirth. She was deeply connected to childbirth and became especially associated with the final stages of labor. She was given the title “She who hastens the birth.” Frog amulets linked to Heqet were used by women in connection with childbirth. Sounds like a sci-fi right? Yet she was serious in the Egyptian culture, because she “controlled” the future generations of true Egyptians. Her favor meant increase, and conversely, her anger meant death. So for God to send a plague of frogs, meant that it was a clear sign to Pharaoh and the people that it was a source of judgment instead of blessing. And, more importantly, that God was over the gods of Egypt.

The Bible does not mention the god, Heqet, which I understand. Giving these hybrid or half-breed spirit beings any acknowledgment would be giving them recognition. History gives us these beings identity and role. We now know it was clearly to distort God’s truth and lead humans away from Him. These beings can’t create, only deceive. God mocks them by creating plagues showing the ridiculousness of trusting false gods.

I used to think these gods were just fakes, figments of our imagination and false projections of an actual being. Now, I’ve come to understand, they were and still are active spirit beings who’s sole purpose is to join with Satan in deceiving and creating havoc in human lives, keeping them from seeing and experiencing the one true God who has a plan and purpose for redemption and reconciliation to Himself.

These gods are very real and powerful, but many people dismiss them because they don’t understand how and why they exist. I don’t know if the “frog” god is still active like she was back in Ancient Egyptian days, but I can tell you similar gods exist around the world today, even in the “disbelieving” USA.

Pharaoh recognized the difference between his gods and the one true God, yet he still refused to submit. The Bible says that this act of arrogant defiance hardened Pharaoh’s heart and it cost him the life of his own son as well as every Egyptian firstborn in the nation. Only the Jewish people, with the blood-sign on their doorposts would be protected or “passed over” the Angel of Death. This was the meaning of Passover. We still have a “Passover” in place today, it’s Jesus blood covering over our sins, meaning the final death will pass us over when we die.

Prayer

​Dad,
I am so very thankful for your love, protection and provision. Even when I was duped into believing the subtle lies coming at me as a young teen, you broke through and made yourself known to me. I am forgiven and redeemed because of the price Jesus paid for me on the cross.

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Refusing to listen.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

““Therefore, say to the people of Israel: ‘I am the Lord. I will free you from your oppression and will rescue you from your slavery in Egypt. I will redeem you with a powerful arm and great acts of judgment. I will claim you as my own people, and I will be your God. Then you will know that I am the Lord your God who has freed you from your oppression in Egypt. I will bring you into the land I swore to give to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. I will give it to you as your very own possession. I am the Lord!’” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭6‬-‭8‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Exodus constantly reminds me of God’s promises and how diligent He is in keeping every single one of them. God’s promises are dependable and durable. Exodus also reminds me of the power of God’s will. God always accomplishes what He sets out to do. Of course it’s most impressive to me because I know I am, we are, LINEAR. We have a beginning, a short middle and an end. We can’t see ahead, and far too often our memories lose clarity as we look back in our history. In our humanness things fade and get foggy!

In these verses I see the strength of God’s words, “I will.” God will free, will redeem, will get them to the promised land and will gift that land to His people. Every single “I will” statements are now “He did!” How all this all plays out with our free choice and our own autonomy is still a mystery. Maybe someday I will understand, but for now I just know God is true, just and right – faithful to be and do exactly what He says.

I can barely grasp the idea of God being atemporal (outside of time), which allows Him to be omniscient (all knowing). I tend to think of it as God being able to look back from eternity and see backwards. But that’s not how it really works. God sees everything NOW. Everything is eternally PRESENT to God. God perceives all moments at once, unlike us who experience time sequentially.

Right after these profound messages God delivers to Moses, a very sad moment takes place. “So Moses told the people of Israel what the Lord had said, but they refused to listen anymore. They had become too discouraged by the brutality of their slavery,”‭‭ Exodus‬ ‭6‬:‭9‬. Again, my perception was that the people were just stubborn – like most of us! But Moses records a very real fact that influences all of us, even today. They had become “too discouraged!” Oh. That hits home.

The brutality of slavery, over too many years, had stolen their hope, had broken their spirits. The men, women and children living this story would be the ones to eventually experience freedom from Egypt, but the oldest among them could never really believe it. The old people would die in the desert BEFORE God’s promise and His will would be fulfilled! They were literally free, but still died as slaves in their hearts and minds. The brutality of their experiences in their past had permanently handicapped their ability to live free in the future! Even with all of God’s power to keep His promise and His will to accomplish what He determined, they could not find freedom.

There are countless people I Pastor that are determined to allow their past to dictate their future. Because of deep and profound trauma, or unfathomable pain people have experienced in their past, we still feel victimized, hurt and even ashamed – we just can’t let it go! It handicaps us, locking us in a prison of the past. God says, “I will,” but our experiences say, “I can’t” – at least not in my life. God can free us from our oppression (past pain inflicted on us). God can rescue us from the brutality of slavery (subjected to power not of our own doing). But we must listen and let it go. Give it to our Savior! Let God accomplish His good will in you and through you. Because God really is good ALL THE TIME.

Prayer

​Dad,
The decision to let go of my past, my pain, and my sin, has not been a single decision. Instead, it has been a process throughout my life, since I said yes to you. When I am haunted or humiliated by my past, I have to choose to listen to you and not the lies the enemy relishes to remind me of. I determine to listen and say “YES” as often as I can. Your words are life to me. Your will is freedom for me. I am forever grateful that you called my name and adopted me as your son!

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Gambling with your eyes.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“You have heard the commandment that says, ‘You must not commit adultery.’ But I say, anyone who even looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart.” Matthew‬ ‭5‬:‭27‬-‭28‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Jesus sets a moral standard that not only captures the core of a commandment, it goes above and beyond, peering into and piercing the human heart. This is something only God can do.

When Jesus says, “you’ve heard it said…” it wasn’t to remind them or us about the latest trashy trends of gossip and giggles about cheaters and their sleazy rendezvous. Jesus was referring to a hard-core law #7 in Exodus 20:14: “Thou shalt not commit adultery.”

So interesting that behaviors surrounding the deed, the act, the breach, start with the “wandering eye.” Even Psychology Today recognizes this as a major problem in relationships! “Having a wandering eye in romantic contexts can lead to feelings of inadequacy and insecurity in partners, potentially eroding trust and satisfaction in the relationship. Research suggests that those who frequently notice attractive alternatives may be more likely to cheat, as it can signal emotional disengagement and a lack of commitment.”

Lust doesn’t start with the act, it starts with a look?

Jesus was right. Behavioral problems don’t begin with the act itself, they start with a thought. The oldest book in the Bible quotes old Job saying, “I made a covenant with my eyes…” Job writes, “I made a covenant with my eyes not to look with lust at a young woman” Job 31:1. Well, we know that the actual contract was a thought and a commitment made in his heart before it ever reached his eyes.

This whole idea of acceptable levels of adultery or cheating (which makes it sound as evil as fudging on your taxes) is unbelievably awful and dangerous. No one in a serious committed relationship, who has been the recipient of broken trust, thinks it’s funny or meme worthy! Let alone a relationship that has been covenanted and consummated before God and family.

The adultery law is so wonderfully protective of men, women and children (who suffer the most in infidelity). Why in the world would anyone want to mock it or demoralize it? Jesus is not being judgey here in addressing an age-old problem of breaking trust in relationships. Jesus is being merciful, reminding men (and now women) to keep their hearts pure in commitment long before their eyes focus on adulterating a devastating future. We can read all the ancient stories or even the current headlines today; unfaithfulness destroys a marriage, a family and a healthy future for our children. Nothing has changed the outcomes, no matter how much one promotes this level of lies as personal choice and freedoms. Jesus just brilliantly says, “stop gambling with your future through your eyes!”

Prayer

​Dad,
Oh how I wish my own fathers and mothers would have heeded your wisdom! Having several generations of marital devastation would have saved me a lot of dread and fear about entering the most amazing relationship outside of the one I have with you. Seeing so much pain and heartbreak, misery and loss, certainly put a big hesitation in asking for my wife’s hand in marriage. If it had not been for your promise of proximity – “stay close to me,” you said and “you’ll stay close to her,” I would not have committed my life to the one woman I have ever loved! Thank you for your promise and power to not gamble with my eyes to the point of losing all that is precious to me. Thank you for keeping me faithful in grace and mercy.

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Honoring Family Matters.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“So Moses went back home to Jethro, his father-in-law. “Please let me return to my relatives in Egypt,” Moses said. “I don’t even know if they are still alive.” “Go in peace,” Jethro replied.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭18‬ ‭NLT‬‬

A lot had transpired in a chapter and a half of Exodus, God won as well Moses won in many ways. Moses had no idea what the next 40 years would look like for him! Who really does know what will happen when you say “yes” to God’s will?

Remember what Moses’ day started like in Exodus 3? “Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian.” Jethro, or Reuel, was a well known, well established non-Israelite priest, a descendant of Abraham through Keturah. Jethro had taken in a fugitive, allowed him to marry his daughter and trusted Moses to care for his flock, becoming a vital part of the family business. Moses at forty, had found a new family. And, it’s likely that Moses brought God’s blessing for Jethro taking him in and helping rebuild his identity.

After negotiating with God for likely the whole day, Moses returns with the decision that he will obey God and must leave Midian and go back to Egypt. But before he does so, he meets with his father-in-law. Moses asks Jethro for permission to leave. He honored Jethro in his ask! Moses had not only become an integral part of family, giving Jethro two grandsons, Gershom and Eliezer, he had also become invaluable to the family business. Letting Moses go must have been difficult on the whole tribe. It must have been a difficult plea of reality, because he had become such a big part of family. Moses tells Jethro, I must go back to see my relatives (not knowing if they were even alive anymore).

Moses does not tell Jethro at this point, at least, “God spoke to me and I must obey!” Wouldn’t that sound like a better reason for leaving? Jethro, being a highly wise and religious man, would have understood Moses’ dilemma. But Moses chooses to tell him he had to return to his birth family. I just think it is significant that Moses records what had happened before he met with God and what happened after. Moses left Jethro one day and came back a much different man. Jethro releases Moses with a blessing, “Go in peace.”

The Bible is open and honest about the family dynamics throughout God’s grand story. Moses’ story is key in showing us the tragedy of a forced abandonment as a baby. Also a view into being raised by a foster family. Then, being received and accepted into a kind of adopted family – even as a grown man. And finally, Moses recognizing how to honor both his father-in-law and willingness to go back to reconnect with his birth family. God even reassures Moses on the trip back home, “the Lord said to him, “Return to Egypt, for all those who wanted to kill you have died.” Studying Moses’ family struggles and structure is fascinating and becomes very much a big part of the leader that God called him to be!

Prayer

​Dad,
I think about all that Moses went through to become the man you would use to lead Your people out of 400 years of slavery and head towards the land of promise that would be theirs. The land of Israel today is just as contested and controversial as it was in ancient history. And, the Jewish people, are still prominently involved in Your story. I am so thankful that you have included the raw truth of family struggles and redemption. It gives me hope for all those, like me, who have been adopted twice. Once as a child and again as your son!

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Trying to escape a calling.

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested again, “What if they won’t believe me or listen to me? What if they say, ‘The Lord never appeared to you’?” Then the Lord asked him, “What is that in your hand?” “A shepherd’s staff,” Moses replied. “Throw it down on the ground,” the Lord told him. So Moses threw down the staff, and it turned into a snake! Moses jumped back.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭4‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses is the classic example of trying to dodge a clear, direct order from God. In Exodus chapter 3, God says, “Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.”

“I am sending you,” and “you must,” is pretty straightforward. Moses, having a common, self-reflecting moment, asks God the BIG question. “Who am I?” Wow. That’s a really good question to ask under normal circumstances!

We now live in a saturated milieu of self awareness – it’s expected that one knows their own faults and failures and are also well aware of their ability to harm others. Not everyone is there yet, but the expectation is culturally common. Comments like, “I didn’t know I was a bad mother”, or “I didn’t know I was an alcoholic, are met with suspicious surprise with little sympathy. The underlying idea is “you should have known, everyone else did!”

Did Moses know he had deep traumatic issues that grew into a hair-pin justice trigger, causing him to often snap with rage? Was he aware that his speech impediment was likely caused by his perceived abandonment and identity crisis? Moses question went far deeper than just a question of calling or capability, it hit a nerve of apparent failure to be the kind of man everyone expected him to be. “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?” Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭11‬.

God patiently addressed his question, but doesn’t tell Moses who Moses is or what he will become. God just says, “I will be with you.” Anyone who has struggled with mother or father abandonment issues knows how difficult it is to trust anyone! In Moses’ case, he wasn’t abandoned, because he was supposed to have been murdered by drowning him in the Nile. Moses’ mother, Jochebed, hid him for 3 months, then saved his life by life-rafting him down the river.

In a second volley of trying to get God to just move on and leave him alone, Moses asked God, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” Which is interesting because God already told him who He was, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob,” causing Moses to pause and reflect on his extraordinary heritage. Moses’ father was Amram, but it’s unclear if Moses ever had a meaningful relationship with him. Moses was a rejected foster son in Pharaoh’s family. Moses boldly asks for God’s name and in that tender moment God tells Moses His personal, intimate name – “Yahweh,” God says.

Yet, even after God tells Moses He will go with him and allow Moses to use God’s personal credentials in an audience with the Pharaoh, Moses is still not convinced – he truly believes God is choosing the wrong man for the job! First it’s I’m not qualified, then it’s no one knows me, now it’s – what if they don’t believe me. Moses questions his convince-ability.

It is here that God allows Moses to have a crutch, a literal shtick, a physical object lesson to carry with him to boost his confidence – the humble shepherd’s staff that becomes a symbol of supernatural power! Moses continued beg God to choose someone else, even reminding Him of his speech impediment. Moses, was not able to get God to completely let him off the hook, but was happy that God allowed his brother Aaron to step in and be the spokesperson.

Prayer

​Dad,
What a journey to convince Moses not only of who he was – a leader, but who he would become, a great patriarch and hero in Your grand story, It seems as though Moses did grow to be a man of great faith, but always carried some of his sorrows and frustrations of his early life as a Jewish foster son in the house of Pharaoh. I see many folk’s trying to escape their calling, even when You assure them that You be will them and use them in the Kingdom of God. Thank you for your patience with all of us!

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Hello, my name is…

Reading Time: 3 minutes

“But Moses protested, “If I go to the people of Israel and tell them, ‘The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,’ they will ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?” God replied to Moses, “I Am Who I Am. Say this to the people of Israel: I Am has sent me to you.” God also said to Moses, “Say this to the people of Israel: Yahweh, the God of your ancestors—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you. This is my eternal name, my name to remember for all generations.” ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭13‬-‭15‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Of course this total scene out of Exodus 3 is a spectacular moment on so many levels. The miraculous meeting between God and Moses out in the middle of nowhere. This actual, physical conversation with God and Moses. Abram also had a conversation with God, 430 years earlier. But unlike Moses, God introduced himself to Abram with one of His attributes, El Shaddai, God Almighty, not a personal name.

God enlists Moses to go before Pharoah and lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses, never forgetting the authority structures of his past life, not only wants to know who he is speaking to, he also wants the Pharaoh to know who he is working for. As an emissary, it would be proper to tell the Pharaoh who he represents. And, when the Israelites demand to know who is speaking on their behalf, Moses would also tell them.

It isn’t unusual for Moses to think, that the Pharaoh or the leaders of the Israelites would have no idea who Moses was at all. “But Moses protested to God, “Who am I to appear before Pharaoh? Who am I to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt?”” “God answered, “I will be with you.’” Moses reply still sounds legit. It doesn’t sound dodgy or disrespectful! Okay, so Moses tells the Israelite leaders, “The God of your ancestors has sent me to you,” like some kind of clandestine code phrase. Moses says to God… they still will ask, ‘What is his name?’ Then what should I tell them?””

Moses is standing barefooted, in front of a supernatural, unconsumed fiery bush, and is having a conversation with THE creator of all things, THE God of gods. And God is so patient with him!

But then, God speaks His name to Moses. God speaks His personal, intimate name for the first time in recorded human history. Granted, we see God’s title and personal name show up in Genesis 2:4, “LORD God” (elohim Yhvh). But this is God introducing Himself and letting Moses know who He is and by what authority He sends Moses in to go before Pharaoh and speak on behalf of His people. What a powerful, beautiful moment.

God says, “this is me, I AM eternal.” Of course we know that Moses needed much more convincing, but God was allowing Himself to be known by Moses and gets really close to knowing the God who walks with man, not in the garden of beauty and perfection, but the desert of desolation and brokenness!

God began a conversation with Moses that would last for 40 years. And it was so unique and precious that God personally buried Moses when he died! “The LORD buried him in a valley near Beth-peor in Moab, but to this day no one knows the exact place.” Deuteronomy 34:6. It is so exciting to think of this kind of life NOW and LATER with God. Now, because of Jesus, we can directly talk to our Abba Father through the Holy Spirit. But later, in a new heaven and new earth, with resurrected brand new bodies, we will walk and talk with Yahweh. As it was in the beginning, it will be in the end that lasts forever!

Prayer

​Dad,
I absolutely love talking with you (and listening too)! To know you, to love you, as well as being known and loved by you is beyond words. I really like the intimacy found in your relationship with well known Bible characters because it shows both who You are as well as who we are. I can’t wait to catch up with each and every one of those moments with those who lived their life ages ago and see Your glory in their lives one day in heaven. Thank you for your loving mercy that allows me to be your son.

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Supernatural Curiosities.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

One day Moses was tending the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian. He led the flock far into the wilderness and came to Sinai, the mountain of God. There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a blazing fire from the middle of a bush. Moses stared in amazement. Though the bush was engulfed in flames, it didn’t burn up. “This is amazing,” Moses said to himself. “Why isn’t that bush burning up? I must go see it. ‭‭Exodus‬ ‭3‬:‭1‬-‭3‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Moses is out doing his thing, taking his father-in-laws flock far out into the wilderness. A dry, desolate desert. Moses had left the modern lifestyle of the big city, to now live as a nomadic. The desert has some unique advantages to focus and settle the soul. It’s quiet. Blissfully, deafeningly quiet. The other one is that you can see for miles.

An angel of the Lord, a theophany (Jesus showing up in the Old Testament). showed up in a blazing fire. Fires in the desert are not unusual, but this one was unique. This fire burned in a bush but did not consume it. I like to think that fire was an excellent way to get the attention of a man because there’s a little bit of a pyro in all of us! I love what happened next. Moses thought this strange phenomenon was amazing. But more than that, it made him talk to himself saying, “WHY?” Why isn’t the bush being consumed? It was more than amazement, it was CURIOSITY! Oh the things we see but don’t understand. Many are peaked by curiosity but don’t pursue it. Moses wanted to investigate it further – he had to get a closer look.

We learn that as Moses approached the bush, a voice comes out of it, calling his name along with a warning. The voice says, STOP, take off your sandals because you’re on holy ground. What follows is a one-of-a-kind interaction between God and Moses. The day had come when God would reveal Moses’s purpose in life. Moses would never be the same. This reminds me that God is always at work, always looking for someone who will see, be curious and investigate. God is always looking to share His purposes with us and for us. Moses wasn’t unique in this, but it’s encouraging to know that he came from a slave family, foster-cared and raised by Pharaoh’s daughter. He was educated and learned from the most advanced culture of its time. Moses also had major anger/justice issues that caught up with him when he murdered an Egyptian officer for mistreating an Israelite. All this ended by getting him exiled out of Egypt. He was 40 years old when he fled from Egypt and spent another 40 years in Midian before encountering God at the burning bush. The number 40 appears frequently throughout the Bible, often associated with periods of trial, testing, and preparation.

This major turning point in the desert started with God getting his attention and letting his curiosity drive him to discover what this supernatural moment would mean. I more strongly believe in providence and no longer see anything as coincidence. I also more quickly realize when God has something for me in everyday amazing moments.

Prayer

​Dad,
I see you working in so many ways that used to escape me. I was too busy, too self absorbed or just too stressed. I am thankful you still amaze us. And, I am so thankful you created us to be curious and open to learning from you.

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Positive spin on Exodus.

Reading Time: 2 minutes

The Lord brought his people out of Egypt, loaded with silver and gold; and not one among the tribes of Israel even stumbled. Egypt was glad when they were gone, for they feared them greatly. ‭‭Psalms‬ ‭105‬:‭37‬-‭38‬ ‭NLT‬‬

David composes a psalm to thank the Lord when the ark of the covenant was brought into Jerusalem. He quotes identical verses in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22 which David also wrote. These short summaries are interesting because they become a commentary on the original story of Israel’s exit out of Egypt. This intentional, repeated story is clearly positioned as praise to God! David cuts to the core, taking multiple chapters of the Exodus, and reduces it down to just several verses.

David’s highlights are all about God’s supernatural provision, God supplying: protection, a cloud above them; a nite-light in the desert with a great fire; meat, flown in with quail; nutritious manna—bread from heaven; water flowing from a rock, out to form a river through the dry wasteland. The way David sees it, God watched over and provided everything they needed for one reason: God remembered his sacred promise to his servant Abraham. It’s all POSITIVE. None of David’s comments mention the mumbling, grumbling attitudes of the people, that constantly threads in and out of the original story. Then, David brings it home with a crescendo closing – “So he brought his people out of Egypt with joy, his chosen ones with rejoicing. He gave his people the lands of pagan nations, and they harvested crops that others had planted.” What a reminder for us! David writes, “All this happened so they would follow his decrees and obey his instructions. Praise the Lord!”

Every time I read the long story of the Exodus, I see so many conflicting behaviors coming from the people. I can’t imagine shifting heart and mind out of 400 years of slavery and a multigenerational settling into the norms of captivity. Yes, God freed them, but everyday brought massive change filled with the fear of the unknown. They were forced to be 100% dependent on God.

In those scenes we see the results of the oldest generation who felt so uncomfortable and displaced that it continually expressed a lot of negative complaining. But mixed with all that, there was also a weird free expression of completely unacceptable of idolatry seen in sexual revelry – obviously picked up from Egyptian culture. God wasn’t just leading them out of slavery, he was leading them into a new state of freedom forming new beliefs and behaviors.

Prayer

​Dad,

David’s psalm really helped me see the difficult dynamics of this massive cultural change the people experienced. They were far more than just physically enslaved, they were emotional and spiritual slaves as well. The only way out, the only way to get Egypt out of their hearts was through obedience to a new master, a good and faithful Lord. The old generation just could not deal with the changes and because of that, they could not enter into the land promised to them. Forty years of struggle to learn obedience and faith and they just couldn’t soften their hearts fast enough. It’s a warning and an opportunity for all of us as we get older and struggle with change. Help us keep our hearts open and obedient Oh Lord.