All posts tagged Exodus

The Same Personality But With a Refined Character

by brad on May 6, 2010 in Counseling Reflection with No comments

Have you ever heard someone defend their sinful actions with the words, “I can’t help it.  That is just the way I am.  God made me this way, so if it bothers you, you’ll have to take it up with Him not me”?  It might be appropriate to ask if you have ever used those words to defend your sinful actions.

How are we to think about statements like that?  God did make us unique.  Any parent of multiple children can tell you that there are parts of the human personality that are present and distinct from the earliest days of life.  I believe we can learn something of this from watching the life of Moses.

In Exodus 3, as God calls Moses to deliver Israel from their Egyptian bondage, we hear the words of one who is fearful and quite possibly socially intimidated (hence the stuttering).  Moses was more than willing to let someone else have the limelight.  Actually, in Exodus 4:13, Moses asked God to send someone else.

We see a very similar Moses in Exodus 32.  This time God is telling Moses that He has had it with Israel.  They have rebelled against him one too many times.  God offers to consume Israel in His hot anger and start over with the family line of Moses (Exodus 32:10).  Once again, Moses is not fond of the limelight.  Again, Moses requests that God not make him the focal point.

We see the same personality in Moses, but there is a definite refinement of Moses’ character.

In Exodus 3 and 4 Moses is motivated by personal fear and insecurity.  That aspect of his character that made him comfortable letting others lead was expressed in doubt of God, condemnation of self, and the pursuit of convenience.

In Exodus 32 the willingness to let others have center stage is motivated by a desire to see God have glory amongst the nations.  The same personality trait was present, but the focal point was God’s glory and not self-preservation.

This brings us back to the opening question.  God does make us with distinct personality traits.  Those traits are often discernable to others and can be relatively consistent throughout a lifetime.  However, sin is not found in a personality trait.  Sin is found in our motivations.  Either we are seeking to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength; and to love our neighbor as ourselves, or we are seeking to love ourselves first and manipulating others to play along.

We may not be able to change certain personality traits to any strong degree.  But we can change (by God’s grace) what we live for.  Repentance is more than saying we are sorry.  Repentance is seeing what our actions reveal about our heart (conviction) and committing to live for the love of God/others as evidenced by new action.

Go back and read Exodus 3-4 and then 32.  Listen for the aspects of the conversation between God and Moses that are the same.  Get to know Moses as a real person, not a transcendent figure of Scripture.  See how God changed him.  Then go back and read through the entirety of Exodus to get the unabridged version.

Now go back to the last time you heard (or said) the opening sentences of this post.  How does this reflection on the life of Moses allow you to acknowledge the legitimacy of the struggle while holding out hope/responsibility to change by God’s grace and for God’s glory?

What God Wants – Exodus 35

by brad on April 27, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

A Generous Heart (35:5)

It is beautiful to see how God allowed Israel to give for the building of the tabernacle.  God did not prescribe a specific gift or a specific amount.  God called on people to give out of their character – “whoever is of a generous heart (ESV).”  People were called on to give a wide variety of gifts.  They did not have to have one certain thing to be able to contribute.

Reflection One:  Do you have the character of a generous heart?  Giving is an exercise intended to make us more like our generous, joyous God.  When we give under compulsion we might obey the law, but miss the intent.  God does not need our stuff.  We need to be more like God.  That is how we celebrate God through giving – we love and strive for God’s character more than we love and cling to our possessions.

Reflection Two:  Have you considered what you have to give?  In Exodus 35, this is not a tithe offering, but a free will offering.  When you read through the list there are gifts that could be given by families of most any trade.  Examine your life – skills, possessions, time, relationships, opportunities, etc… — what do you have to contribute to God’s work?  Resist the urge to weight some gifts (i.e., gold or silver) as more important than other gifts (i.e., goats hair or ram skins), because they are in the same list and contribute to the same cause.

Who Is Bezalel?

(BCH_Exodus_35_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

If you haven’t noticed Bezalel is the star of the next several chapters of Exodus.  For a character of Scripture who gets multiple chapters of attention, there may be few people that we notice less.  Notice his introduction.

A proper listing of his family heritage
Filled with the Spirit of God
Filled with Skill, Intelligence, and Knowledge

We would think we were meeting Joshua (Moses’ successor), but the passage continues.

Filled with All Craftsmanship (with specific listings)
Inspired to Teach (artistic skills)

It is encouraging to see God give such attention to this work.  Bezalel was not the prophet, priest, deliverer, or leader.  Charleston Heston never auditioned for his part in the movie (if he even had a part in the movie).  Yet God gives him no less credit or attention.  In light of Bezalel, consider the following questions.

  • Who in your life or the life of your church needs to receive more credit for their role?
  • How do you think of the service they provide and the gifting that enables their service?
  • How does their effort contribute to the worship of God’s people and the impact on the community?
  • How could your appreciation be expressed in a way that highlights God’s hand on their life?

We serve a great God who never misses any service offered to His kingdom.  Let us strive to be more like our God in noticing and encouraging His servants.

Givers, Gifts, and The Giver (35:32-25)

We serve a God who wastes nothing.  It is important to note that for all the gifts collected in Exodus 35:5-9 that God also provided a suitable craftsman.  Often it is said, “We cannot out give God.”  This is true, but it applies to more than the sacrifice behind our gift.  Whatever we give to God, He is able to use.

As you thought through the second reflection above, what things did you list and subtly laugh to yourself, “What would God do with that?”  I would ask that you be willing to offer that to God and pray that God would show you more of His wisdom and power in how He uses that gift for His kingdom.  Make it a regular matter of prayers.

When God creates the opportunity to use your gift, be willing to share that testimony with your church or group.  Share this passage, your initial thoughts, your doubts, your faith, and the fruit God created.  Use the testimony to draw attention to God’s ability to permeate the seemingly insignificant details of our lives for His glory and our joy.

Two Sets of Tablets – Exodus 32 & 34

by brad on April 19, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

Dealing with Delays (32:1)

Before we throw Israel and Aaron under the bus, let’s ask ourselves, “How well do we deal with delays?”  Think about the last several times you got stuck in traffic, had a doctor running behind, or had a kid jump in a mud puddle on the way to church.  How was your reaction? 

Now think about being stranded on a long journey in difficult terrain wondering if the only guy with wilderness experience (all the others were ex-brick makers) is coming back down the mountain.  This was delay multiplied by fear of survival.  “We have to do something, don’t we?” must have been the common refrain.

Reflection:  Delay is one of the times when we are particularly called to trust in God.  Yet it is also one of the times of a great deal of nervous energy and the feeling that “waiting” is just another word for passivity.  In what situations have you recently been required to wait?  How did you interpret the situation (i.e., a call to patience, a “closed door,” evidence of God’s failure)?  How do you see yourself in the Exodus 32 passage and what do you learn?

A Stiff-Necked People (32:9)

Take a moment and stiffen the muscles in your neck.  What expressions tend to emerge on your face?  What dispositions begin to come to mind?  What recent events with your kids, spouse, work, or friends do you remember? 

Chances are the themes that emerge are: anger, defiance, battle-of-the-wills, resistance, condescending, etc…  God says that is who we are.  As a rule that is how we respond to anything or anyone who violates our best wishes – including God.  God’s will and our will clash enough that a common description of humanity in Scripture is “a stiff-necked people.”  

Application:  This week pay particular attention to times when you tighten the muscles in your neck and facial region.  Use these bodily responses as a trigger to reflect on your character before God.  When you tighten these muscles ask yourself, “Am I loving God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength? Am I loving my neighbor as myself?”  When God gives us such tangible alerts to our disposition we should use them personal alarms.

More of God Revealed

(BCH_Exodus_32_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

 Exodus 34:6-7 is one of the most revered passages on God in the Jewish faith.  Due to their love for the law, this description of God when the law tablets were (graciously) given back to them provides both the content and powerful example of God’s character.

 In this passage five aspects of God’s character are revealed.  In order to place yourself in the shoes of Israel, consider a time when your sin did or almost cost you something very precious.  Allow both the content and context of these attributes minister to your heart.

  •  Merciful and Gracious – God does not give us the full extent of what we deserve.  Even the consequences that we do experience are muted to the degree possible without removing the life lessons necessary to prevent further harm.
  • Slow to Anger – Our every moment of non-awareness of God is deserving of God’s offense for trivializing His role in our lives.  Yet God is patient with the finiteness of our attention, awareness, and understand… not to mention our actions.
  • Abounding in Steadfast Love – God’s love is rooted in the constancy of His character.  God’s love is as eternal and unchanging as His nature.  God’s love fills the earth and our lives every bit as much as His presence.
  • Forgiving Iniquity and Transgressions – Something must be done with our sin.  An all-knowing, never-forgetting, just God cannot just look the other way or pretend something never happens.  God acts towards sin with forgiveness.
  • By No Means Clears the Guilty – With all that has been said of God, He is not a permissive Father.  His grace is not cheap; not is it mocked.  Our God, with love so tender and hand out-stretched, also has the will and power to right any unrepentant wrong.

 As you reflect on these attributes of God, reflect on two things: (1) how these attributes relate to the situation in which they were revealed; and (2) the significance of these attributes for your current life context.

Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
 TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG POST: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“

God’s Presence – Exodus 25 & 29

by brad on April 13, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

God’s Presence (25:8)

For God to have a mobile home was about as odd sounding to Israel as it is to us today, but for different reasons.  In ancient times gods were associated with places.  For Yahweh to say, “My place is with My people,” was paradigm shifting.  It reinforced and foreshadowed the words God would speak at the end of the Exodus journey, “I will never leave you or forsake you (Joshua 1:5).”

Likely we have become too comfortable with God’s presence to be appropriately moved by this verse.  We are four stages ahead of where Israel was here – from sanctuary, temple, incarnation, to indwelling of the Holy Spirit.  As any history teacher will tell you, “We must appreciate how we got here if we are to appreciate where we are.”

Reflection:  How would having a God who was willing to travel with you have encouraged and challenged Israel?  What aspects of God’s character are revealed through His command to build a tabernacle? When are you tempted to doubt those aspects of God’s character?  How does this reflection on the tabernacle increase your understanding of and appreciation for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

Mercy On Top of Presence (25:21)

God’s presence is a double edged sword.  Honestly, it is a blessing that none of us can handle on our own.  The construction of the Ark of the Covenant reminds us of this.  For this reason, on top of the Ark of the Covenant was the mercy seat where offerings would be made for sin.

As we read of the Ark of the Covenant’s construction, we should be struck by God’s holiness, wisdom, and grace.  Holiness – as we recognize that the mercy was absolutely necessary due to the difference in God’s character and ours. Wisdom – as we see the foreshadowing of Christ’s sacrifice and God’s heart to prepare our understanding.  Grace – as we realize what God saw (His Son) each time lamb’s blood was shed on the mercy seat.

Reflection:  When you think of God’s presence in your heart do you also reflect on what Christ did to tear the veil in the temple of the Holy of Holies?  Allow this to deepen the appreciation you have for the indwelling Holy Spirit.  How does this imagery affect your identity as the “Temple of God”?

Sanctified By God’s Glory
(BCH_Exodus_25_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

 Exodus 29:43 (ESV)
“There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory.”

Ultimately, what is it that motivates us to put off sin and pursue holiness?  There are many answers we could give which might capture some truth.  We see here, however, that the final answer is – the glory of God.

Sin is living for self and now.  It is only the glory of God that can penetrate the lies which seem so appealing, right, wise, good, understandable, or acceptable.  With that said, how much do you know about God, His character, and His ways?  Does your vocabulary stop with words like great, good, powerful, or smart?  If so, then chances are your view of God has a hard time penetrating and impacting your moments of temptation.

If you want to have a more robust view of God which will shine forth and stand up in your moments of temptation consider reading one or more of the following books.

As you read, or as you just reflect on temptation, always be asking yourself the question, “How did a particular temptation diminish or discredit the glory of God in my life in order to make itself look more appealing?”  Remember the fight against and away from temptation is always a flight towards and for God.

Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
 TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG POST: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“

The 10 Commandments – Exodus 20

by brad on April 11, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

Commands From Freedom (20:2)

It is not natural to associate commandments with freedom, but that is what Exodus 20 is all about.  Israel has just been given freedom.  God reminds them of their new freedom as He provides the 10 Commandments.  Unless we understand this connection between God’s freedom and God’s commands we will run from God in the name of personal liberty.

As human beings made in the image of God, we will worship and we will serve.  For us to resist this in the name of “freedom” is like a fish who hates water because it wants to swim on its own terms.  God does not take our freedom by giving us commands.  His commands define the only environment in which our freedom can be satisfyingly and lastingly experienced.

Reflection:  In what ways do you see freedom and commands as opposites?  What authority figures contributed to this distortion?  How have you made God in the image of those authorities?  How would seeing the synonymous nature of God’s commands and God’s freedom increase your trust in God and reliance upon His Word?

A Jealous God (20:5)

God is the only being in existence for whom it is completely right and holy for Him to be self-centered.  For God to delight in anything more than Himself would be idolatry.  It is God’s mind and will that fill the world with beauty, order, and life.  When every eye is upon God and every heart focused upon God the entire world runs without friction, resistance, pain, or sorrow.

For this reason, God is a jealous God.  It is for the love and preservation of the world (God’s great masterpiece) that God demands no rivals, imitations, or off-brands.  In this seeming contradiction (just like God’s grace and justice), God is both self-centered and other-minded at the same time.  He delights in Himself and demands this of the world for the best interest of all.

Reflection:  We are not called to be like God in jealousy for self.  This can be hard and seem unfair.  Imagine a parent and child on a plane.  There is turbulence and the air masks have a reason to come down.  The most loving thing the parent can do is put on their air mask first.  Unless they do, the child is doomed.  Once that is done the child can be served.  While God does not have any of the survival needs we do, this captures some of the compassion of God’s jealousy.

Family Values
(BCH_Exodus_20_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

In Exodus 19 God was reclaiming His children from exile.  One of the first things God does with this unruly people was to establish the moral principles of His people.  God’s instructions were more than “be nice, treat others well, and don’t get on my nerves.”  After laying down 10 foundational laws, God spent three more chapters unpacking and illustrating them (Exodus 21-23).

Christian families need to establish and communicate their moral values.  These values need to be well thought out.  Notice the structure of the 10 Commandments – numbers 1-4 discuss our relationship with God and have the most detail; number 5 orders the home and has some detail; and numbers 6-10 cover broader social contexts.

Here are suggestions for establishing these types of values within your home.

  • Parents should be able to demonstrate how they live out the values and be willing to be held accountable to the values of the home.
  • During discipline the infraction should be explained in lights of its violation of the family’s core values.  Specific rules may change with season of life, but emerge from the guiding values of the family.
  • Occasions of blessing and joy within the family should be times when the effectiveness and “true freedom” of these values are discussed and celebrated.
  • As more specific rules are developed (and they will be) time should be taken to show how the specific rule gives wise guidance to the current situation.  By this process the values provide a way to teach not only what to think but also how to think.
  • Parents should be able to use the values of their home as a basis for evaluating the balanced and complete character development of their children.  These discussions between parents allow for discipline and instruction to be more accurate and concise.

As you seek to lead your family into a greater experience of God’s freedom, use these suggestions to evaluate how you use the core values of your home.

Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
 TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG POST: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“

After God’s Deliverance – Exodus 16

by brad on March 29, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

Such a Short Time (15:22; 16:1)

You pull out of the drive way on a family vacation and the kids ask, “Are we there yet?  How much longer? I’d rather play with the neighbor.  I forgot my favorite hat (crying).”  That is a small taste of what Moses experienced. Three days into their journey of freedom and Israel was grumbling.  45 days into the journey and they were saying they’d have rather died in Egypt.

It is not just gravity that makes it a short trip from mountain top to valley.  Depravity and frail humanity also contribute.  After Israel’s first grumbling, God revealed himself as “the Lord, your healer (Exodus 15:26).”  Yet hunger shriveled their trust almost as quickly as thirst (not that I am writing with “stone-casting” tone).

Reflection:  It is passages like these that make I Corinthians 10:12 come to light (“Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.”) and approach I Corinthians 10:13 with humility (“No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.”).  Knowing our nature (sinful flesh and frail, finite humanity) let us give thanks for the God who patiently walked with Israel after the Exodus.

That I May Test Them (16:4)

[Side Note: Is it a sign of the times that I initially typed, “That I may text them”?]

This phrase of God testing Israel shows up several times in the book of Exodus (15:25; 16:4; 20:20).  We know that God does not tempt (James 1:13).  So what are we to make of this and how/when might God relate to us in a similar way?

It is worth noting that each of these “testings” has to do with the expression of faith not the committing of sin (i.e., would they only gather a days portion of manna vs. would they steal food from their neighbor).  God was putting Israel in a position to reveal their level of trust and commitment to the Lord.  We must take omitted righteousness and missed opportunities to share/express faith as seriously as we do moral violations.

Reflection:  Another question is, “Who was the test for? Who needed to see the results?”  With a bit of reflection we can easily see it was not the omniscient God who needed to see the results.  It was Israel.  After each deliverance they surely thought, “We won’t doubt God again.”  As you begin to take opportunities for faith as seriously as sin, do not regard them as a pass fail test, but as a thermometer to gain an accurate self-assessment of your current temperature with God.

The Manna Lesson
(BCH_Exodus_16_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

What was the most challenging part of gathering manna?  It wasn’t rare like truffles; it didn’t have briars like blackberries; it wasn’t heavy like a watermelon, it wasn’t fragile like a tomato, and there were look-alike poisonous varieties like mushrooms.  Gathering manna was hard because it required daily faith in God’s provision.

God provided manna not merely to address hunger, but also grumbling that emerged from a lack of trust in God to provide.  Manna not only fed Israel physically, it was intended to grow them spiritually.  The spiritual growth was not an effect of being heaven’s bread, but because it required daily dependence without an alternative.

We still live by manna today – God’s daily provision.  We just don’t see it as clearly.  As you read the manna narrative, consider your greatest fear or insecurity.  Is it a matter of survival or fulfillment?  If it is only a matter of fulfillment, give thanks… but also learn to apply the manna lesson.

  • How has God worked to supply this need or alleviate this fear?
  • How do you try to brace against “God not coming through next time”?
  • What “gathering manna” responsibilities do you have with this issue?
  • Who are you surrounded by with similar needs (Israel was a community)?
  • Do your conversations encourage faith or feed doubt and pessimism?
  • When are you tempted to complain about God’s method of providing?
  • What tangible reminders of God’s faithfulness can you keep before you (Exodus 16:31-34)?

Faith is scary because it is by definition out of our control.  As you reflect on the lesson God was teaching Israel with manna in light of your own situation, rest in the fact that “out of your control” is not the same thing as “out of control.”

When We Believe Suffering’s Lies

by brad on March 24, 2010 in Counseling Reflection with No comments

Suffering is simply the difficulty in life that we experience which is not the result of our personal sin.  It is the fall out of living in a broken world with fallen people.

One problem (among many) with suffering is that it is such an intense experience. It is the epitome of “UNFAIR!”  While we are wrestling with what to say and do in the midst of what should not be, we miss the messages that we are learning.  We miss the messages, because most often those messages are being taught implicitly (like a child learns whether a stranger is safe by monitoring the mood of his/her parents) not explicitly (like recognizing the letters of the alphabet or multiplication tables). 

In some way we begin to assume that “what is” is “what will always be.”  From this we adapt our expectations (both of self and others), our level of hope or pessimism, our accepted social practices, and even God.

We don’t really assess these beliefs, because in the midst of suffering one is more concerned with surviving than evaluating.  The few times we did dare to speak up we were likely “put in our place” and the few times we girded up the hope to think about what should be it only made the suffering more difficult.

Yet this becomes its own trap.  Once we quit assessing life and merely accept suffering, we begin to accept lies (i.e., you deserve this, there is no need to try, no one can be trusted, if you ever show weakness you will be taken advantage of, it is always better to be quiet, fairness is a fairy tale, etc…) as truth.

After we accept these lies as truth, we (by default) surrender to their influence on our life.  The only responses left are cynicism, anxiety, depression, or bitterness.  These dispositions are so entrapping that we miss the significance of changing life events (moving out of a home with abusive parents) or new life opportunities (going back to school, the perspective of a new friend).

Eventually we even begin to fear that our lies might be proven false, because then we would have to learn a whole new way of life.  All of the ways we have made sense of things would be taken from us.  That almost seems worse than the suffering.

These thoughts are not meant to multiply despair, but I hope they do make the following points of application make more sense.

  1. The road out of suffering can be as scary as the road into suffering for the person walking it.
  2. It is hard to put the lies of suffering into words because they were not taught that way.
  3. Great faith is required to denounce the lies of suffering because they have often been a means of survival.
  4. Patience is required for those who will help people coming out of suffering.  The freedom of being able to walk at their own pace is part of getting their voice back and learning to trust their new found freedom.
  5. Resistance is not always rebellion in the aftermath of great suffering.  Often it is merely the mustering of courage to step out into this “new” truth.

These five points will not fit every situation, but I think they are worth considering for Christians who are befriending, pastoring, or counseling those who are experiencing or coming out of significant suffering.  As you reflect on these points it might be good to read Exodus, Job, the grief/depression Psalms, and I Peter – books that address the subject of suffering, oppression, change, and endurance.

Reflections on Broken Hearts and Closed Ears

by brad on March 15, 2010 in Counseling Reflection with No comments

Exodus 6:9
“Moses spoke thus to the people of Israel, but they did not listen to Moses, because of their broken spirit and harsh slavery.”

We might ask ourselves why this note of commentary is included in the Exodus narrative.  By this point in the book of Exodus it has already been mentioned several times that Israel was suffering immensely at the harsh hand of Pharaoh.

To answer our question, we would have to consider when the book of Exodus was written.  Most likely it was written well after the actual events along with the other books of the Torah (Genesis, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy) either during the 40 years of wilderness wandering or close to the time when Israel was going to enter the Promise Land (finally).

In order to understand this particular verse, we need to understand the purpose of the Torah as a whole.  Moses was writing to re-establish a national identity as God’s chosen people for a nation that had been in slavery for 400 years.  They were trying to learn who they were and what it meant to be a free people under God’s reign.

Just before verse 9, God had appealed to His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (verse 8).  Israel needed to be reminded of their heritage and (more importantly) of God’s faithfulness.  However, that is the whole point of verse 9; they needed to hear these things, but their hearts were too broken to embrace the message their ears received.

This passage is revelation of the understanding of God and the pastoral heart of Moses.  Israel received this text long after the actual events transpired.  Their current need was not to have hope in the midst of Pharaoh’s oppression (that season of their life was over), but, rather, to be prepared to trust God the next time their spirit was broken (and that would be many more times).

How you remember your story is important.  Taking time to see God’s faithfulness is encouraging.  However, it can be equally edifying to reflect on the times when (because of our frailty or doubt) we were unable to rest in God’s faithfulness.  When we see (retrospectively) God’s faithfulness in the moments of our greatest fear and hurt, we come to realize that God will truly never leave us or forsake us (despite what our heart may say in the present or about the future).

End Note:  When you read the Torah remember that it is not just a narrative with lots of laws and sermons at the end; it is also a pastoral work.  Moses is writing the history of a people learning to be free after generations of oppression.  Moses is walking Israel through the process of remembering who they have always been and the implications of trusting God during this monumental transition.  I believe this will help you in making application of books that we too often view as “just history.”

Approaching the Red Sea – Exodus 13-14

by brad on March 15, 2010 in Application Supplement with No comments

 

God’s Misdirection Play (13:17-18)

The people were equipped for battle (v. 18), revealing that they were expecting resistance.  Yet God knew their hearts were still fickle (v. 17), so God directs them through the “long-cut.”  Not only do they take the longer route, it is the long route with a dead end at the Red Sea. 

 The people still did not know what the Exodus was about.  They viewed Moses as their leader (14:11) instead of merely as God’s servant (14:31).  The longer route was intended to teach a final lesson to Egypt (14:4, 18) and to continue to shape the thinking of Israel.  They were used to one slave master—Pharaoh—and would grumble against Moses as if he was their new master.  They had much to learn about living free under God.

Reflection: How much of our suffering is because we are not ready to fully follow God and he must, therefore, take us on the long route to protect us from ourselves?  How often do we place God and God’s servants into the character molds of previous oppressors?  Notice how God continually reveals Himself by name and character in the book of Exodus to break through this strong tendency.

Doubt and Sarcasm (14:11)

 The progression seems to miss a beat.  Israel is afraid so they cry out to God (v. 10).  Then they get sarcastic and accusatory with God’s leaders. Where did that come from?  They just witnessed 10 amazing acts of God through Moses on their behalf.  Yet they talk to Moses as if this whole Exodus thing was his idea.  They do not yet get that Moses is merely God’s servant (14:31).

 Moses to his great credit does not personalize their venomous words (14:13).  Later in his ministry Moses will struggle to exhibit this kind of faith (Numbers 20).  At this time in his life, Moses knows he can’t take the criticism personally, because he has not been the one calling the shots or doing the miracles.  He is merely the messenger and Aaron does most of the talking anyway.

 Reflection:  Who do you turn on when you are afraid?  What form/tone do your words take?  What responsibility, expectation, or motive do you put on them that is unfair?  How do you personalize the fear or anger of others?  How does this personalizing serve to further distract the conversation from the main issue(s)?

Fear and Belief

(BCH_Exodus_14_handout for Printable PDF Handout)

 It was because of fear that God led Israel on the long route (Exodus 13:17-18).  Similar fear was the root of Israel’s rebellion against Moses (Exodus 14:11).  Now it is fear that corrects their hearts causing Israel to believe God and view Moses as God’s servant (Exodus 14:31).

 ”Israel saw the great power that the Lord used against the Egyptians,
so the people feared the Lord, and they believed in the Lord and in his servant Moses.”

 Fear is central to belief.  Without an element of fear belief would be merely academic and factual rather than practical and devotional.  Prior to seeing the action of God at the Red Sea Israel could have said the words, “Yahweh is God and Moses is His servant.”  Afterwards those words resonated deep in their soul and were reverently precious.

It is important to examine the link between your own beliefs and fears.

  • What are the great events of your life which serve as markers?
  • Where was God in the midst of those events and how did they change your view of God?
  • When you grumble, doubt, or rebel who/what are you fearing?
  • As you examine those fears what do they reveal is most valuable to you?
  • Based on those values, what is your life really all about?

Use these questions to help you identify with the struggle and journey that Israel is on in the book of Exodus.  They are continually wrestling with what it means to live free under God when their history and experience makes that hard.  Let the interaction of your fears and beliefs allow you to draw greater encouragement and instruction from the activity of God in Exodus.

The Passover & Modern Families – Exodus 12

by brad on March 8, 2010 in Application Supplement with 2 Comments

Remembering God’s Activity
(Click Here for Printable PDF Handout)

fingerIt can hardly be said too often, one of the great struggles of the Christian life is to remember what God has done.  If we would accurately remember what God has done much of our fear, despair, and folly would be eliminated (or at least significantly reduced).

One way God called Israel to do this through feasts.  Passover was one of these feasts.  What, when, and how they ate was to remind them of God’s activity and to assist them pass these lesson on to future generations (Exodus 12:26).

Ceremony can give way to legalism and become sterile, but it can also be incredibly valuable.  Might I suggest that families find ways to celebrate great acts of God with special family holidays?  You might celebrate the answer to a significant prayer, the day of one’s salvation, a major event in the life of your church, or other significant events.

The goal of the celebration is to remember God’s activity, praise God for His goodness or faithfulness, and be encouraged in your on-going walk with God.  The following lessons drawn from the Passover could build on the effectiveness of such a practice.

  • Reserve this practice for major life changing events.
  • Build the celebration around retelling the story of God’s activity.
  • Decide on practices of celebration that are as much active/visual as verbal.
  • Keep the focus on remembering God’s activity.
  • Encourage questions as younger members participate and try to understand.

Unfortunately, our cultural calendar is built much more around national holidays, sports seasons, and gift-giving occasions than God’s involvement.  As you create family celebrations of this nature, you will teaching your children (and learning yourself) to build your life story (and calendar year) around the significant acts of God in your life.

Exodus 12:7 In Light of Deuteronomy 6

Deuteronomy 6:4-9
“Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one.  You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.  And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes.  You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.”

doorThe instruction to put something on the “doorposts of your house” would have caught the ear of a Jewish audience.  When they heard Moses’ instruction in Deuteronomy 6 they would have thought of the Passover from Exodus 12.  When they were told to put something on their doorpost by the prophet Moses it was a matter of life and death.

Because we do not share the same heritage related to Exodus 12, we can take the instruction of Deuteronomy 6 much too lightly.  We must also realize the message we are to place on the doorpost of our homes is not just the morality of the 10 Commandments, but the message of The Passover Lamb.  We must seek to find ways to communicate to our children the same importance of knowing/responding to this story/message.  This is part  of the objective behind the celebration idea above.
Great & Awful Miracle

It might be that we reflect too little upon what it would have been like to have experienced the Passover.  There was deliverance on a massive, historic scale.  But there was also death on a massive scale.

Redeeming great sin and oppression comes at a great price.  That can be a very difficult truth to swallow.

This need not merely be a reflection on the many “innocent” Egyptians affected by God’s judgment on a national sin, but also a reflection on the hard deliverance ahead of Israel. Their trip to freedom under God’s rule would be rocky and hard.

It is important for us to pause and reflect on this reality at this point in the Exodus narrative.  If we miss this aspect of God’s work, we may question or doubt God’s goodness in our life or the life of those we love as God is redeeming great wrongs in our lives.

Introduction to the “Living Our Faith” series.
TOOL: “Using Prayer Time to Cultivate Ministry”
BLOG: “Teachers Equipping Ministers Through Prayer Time“

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