EXODUS 33
I’ve always felt a little jealous of Moses. The Bible says that God "would speak to Moses face to face, as a man speaks with his friend." (vs 11) I’ve always thought about how wonderful that would be!
God is a know-it-all.
EXODUS 32
Are you surprised by the events recorded in Exodus 32? Whether we are surprised or not, I don’t believe God was surprised in the least. In fact, He just spent the last several "chapters" in Exodus laying out commands for the Israelites that had to do with idolatry, sacrifice, autonomy, and self-sufficiency.
God saves.
EXODUS 31
God is the Savior. He is the only Savior. And one of the ways He helps us remember that is by giving us the Sabbath, a day when we stop working and rest in Him. I love how God says it in this chapter: "Say to the Israelites, 'You must observe my Sabbaths. This will be a sign between me and you for the generations to come, so you may know that I am the Lord, who makes you holy.'" (vs 13)
God is the only life source.
EXODUS 30
Any time Moses "numbered" the Israelites (took a census, basically), they were required to pay a "ransom" price for their lives: "When you take a census of the Israelites to count them, each one must pay the Lord a ransom for his life at the time he is counted. Then no plague will come on them when you number them." (vs 12)
God gives the full treatment.
EXODUS 29
As part of the process of ordaining Aaron and his sons to be priests over Israel, they were to be sprinkled with blood: "Take the other ram, and Aaron and his sons shall lay their hands on its head. Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet." (vs 19-20)
Cruel {gn13:16}
It's sort of cruel
to make such an outrageous promise—
innumerable children
for a man who doesn't even have one
for a man who feels the relentless beat
of a childless father's heart in his chest
to promise more daughters than dust is cruel.
It's sort of cruel
to make such an outrageous promise—
dirty diapers and sloppy kisses and giggles
for a woman whose body long ago
stopped reminding her like clockwork
of her power to deliver new life
for a woman who has felt the monthly sting of bitterness
diffuse into the dull ache of perpetual barrenness
to promise more sons than sand is cruel.
Who makes such outrageous promises, anyway?
Who messes with people like that?
And once you're settled so squarely in the realm of the inconceivable,
where does it stop?
You might as well claim the power
to muzzle hurricanes
to disembowel suffering
to dissolve brickish hearts
to bring back the dead
AS IF
the grave had a revolving door
What on earth would drive you
to guarantee the one thing that could
answer the lonely echo of a desperate soul?
What in heaven's name would possess you
to make such an outrageous promise?
It's sort of cruel, you know—
that is . . .
unless you can deliver.
God remembers us.
EXODUS 28
And now we come to the priestly garments. Here’s the thing I loved about this chapter: "Engrave the names of the sons of Israel on the two stones the way a gem cutter engraves a seal. Then mount the stones in gold filigree settings and fasten them on the shoulder pieces of the ephod as memorial stones for the sons of Israel. Aaron is to bear the names on his shoulders as a memorial before the Lord." (vs 11-12)
God is the light.
EXODUS 27
At the end of the instructions for building the sanctuary comes this commandment from the Lord: "Command the Israelites to bring you clear oil of pressed olives for the light so that the lamps may be kept burning. In the Tent of Meeting, outside the curtain that is in front of the Testimony, Aaron and his sons are to keep the lamps burning before the Lord from evening till morning. This is to be a lasting ordinance among the Israelites for the generations to come." (vs 20-21)
God doesn't cut corners.
EXODUS 26
Have you ever wondered why Exodus 26 is in the Bible? Why in the world did Moses feel it necessary to include the detailed blueprints for the sanctuary in Scripture? Does it matter if we know exactly how long the walls were supposed to be and what color they were dyed? Does our salvation depend on knowing how many loops the curtains had?
God wants to be close to us.
EXODUS 25
"Just like me, they long to be close to you," sang Karen Carpenter. It is also the revealed heart-cry of God in Exodus 25. Here, He requests offerings from those who are so moved — offerings of gold, silver, bronze, and other expensive items. Does God want to go on a shopping spree? No, He wants to build a home.
On Not Controlling Outcomes {gn12:11-13}
Photo © Unsplash/Denys Nevozhai
You promised Abraham blessings galore,
Progeny more than the sand on the shore.
Still, he was worried he might come across
Someone with power to turn gain to loss.
So he embarked on a self-serving plan:
Impersonating an unmarried man.
I know I'm prone to a similar skew,
Trying to pull off what you said you'd do.
It shouldn't matter if life remains rough.
All of your promises should be enough.
I should be willing to stay on my knees
And let you work out your plan as you please.
Help me to trust you beyond what I see
And not to fear what the outcome will be.
Sonnet: A poem consisting of 14 lines with a particular rhyming scheme.
God longs to be seen.
God does not love the poor...
EXODUS 23
...any more than He loves the rich! (I hope you made it to the latter part of the sentence!) Because of Jesus, those of us who follow Christ have a special place in our heart for the poor. We see the outcast and downtrodden in society, and something in us cries out. If you’re like me, you feel like there is so little you can do, but you are compelled to do the small things you can to try to make a difference to those who come across your path.
God disciplines.
God values freedom.
God is a lover.
EXODUS 20
As I read the Ten Commandments today — something I have surely done at least a hundred times in my life — I was struck by the raw heart of God, the eternal lover. Perhaps I was attuned to this because, just a couple of days ago, I mentioned the fact that God seems to desire a great deal of intimacy with us.
God is not selfish.
Conversation at a Construction Site in Babel {gn11:7}
Photo © Wikimedia Commons
I just wanted to say
من خیلی خوشحال هستم ما ساخت این برج
damit wir uns nie darum Sorgen machen, dass eine weitere Flut . . .
Đợi đã, cái gì thế?
Quel est le problème?
Я не понимаю!
Olen sanot kieli . . . hei!
อะไรคือคุณกล่าว
A, bestraga.
I just wanted to say
I'm glad we're building this tower
so we never have to worry about another flood . . .
Wait, what?
What's the matter?
I can't understand you!
I'm speaking your language . . . hellooooo!
What are you saying?!
Aw, hell.
God desires intimacy.
EXODUS 18
I wonder if Moses did the right thing. He listened to his father-in-law: "What you are doing is not good. You and these people who come to you will only wear yourselves out. The work is too heavy for you; you cannot handle it alone. Listen now to me and I will give you some advice, and may God be with you. You must be the people’s representative before God and bring their disputes to him. Teach them the decrees and laws, and show them the way to live and the duties they are to perform. But select capable men from all the people — men who fear God, trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain — and appoint them as officials over thousands, hundreds, fifties and tens. Have them serve as judges for the people at all times, but have them bring every difficult case to you; the simple cases they can decide themselves. That will make your load lighter, because they will share it with you. If you do this and God so commands, you will be able to stand the strain, and all these people will go home satisfied." (vs 17-23)
