Exodus 5

Sometimes, complete obedience to God can really wreck your reputation, your relationships, your day and even your job.

Lord, I thank You for the opportunity to obey You, the times You have allowed me to choose between You and what is easier and more palatable to do,  the circumstances which seem right to man - but are wrong for Your child.  You have blessed me with situations which make no earthly sense to walk through; but You called me to them and through them.  In those times, I knew what it was to follow You rather than logic, to obey rather than cave to man's verdicts and judgments.  And, I learned so much about You, Your faithfulness, Your creativeness, Your attention to detail, Your passion to hear our prayers that they may be answered.  God, You are my God.  I praise You for the many years which seem quite miserable in the description, almost silly when trying to explain; but I received You.  I experienced what You would do for one of Your children, I think because I chose to wait - and not always patiently nor contently (Thank You) - on You.   Who am I that You would incline Yourself to me?  Thank You.  Please help me to be strong enough to always  choose Your way, Your words, Your timing.  Let me bring You glory, even if it costs me my reputation, my relationships, my day, my life.

Exodus 4

Moses has no trouble speaking to the Lord, even as he says he has trouble speaking.  The Lord gives him signs to perform which do not require speech, just a display.  It seems to me that Moses is holding back, that he doesn't want to go and do what the Lord has instructed him to do.  What's he holding on to?

Later, Moses is almost killed as he begins his journey with his wife and son.    Zipporah, Mrs. Moses, responds to the threat on her husband's life with circumcising their son.  Probably not my knee-jerk response to the situation.  

She is a Midianite.  Midian was a child of Keturah and Abraham.  Moses was from Jacob's line.  I would imagine that circumcision was a well-known procedure in each of their cultures.  Given Zippy's response of immediate circ'ing, it seems the ritual was known and perhaps one that had even been discussed in their home, perhaps even recently.

Why would this not have been done previously?  Would Moses or Zippy have withheld this God-ordained ceremony from their child?  Would the fact that Moses had been circ'd have anything to do with why he wasn't married in Egypt?  What was wrongly believed or held onto?

God, please show me what I am holding onto that needs to be discarded, where I am delinquent in obedience to Your word - which I know is disobedience.  Reveal to me what I am wrongly believing, even defiantly clinging to.  May my heart be fully yours, my thoughts completely yielded to You and my response be 'yes' and immediately so.  You alone are worthy of the glory, honor, praise and obedience of Your creation.  May it be so in my life.

exodus 3

I read my scripture from Biblegateway.com and listen to one of their audio files reading it to me at the same time, (and Pandora is playing one of my favorite instrumental stations in the background, too).  Often, as I do this, one or more of my kids sits in the room with me working on school work.  

This morning, my son listened with me and remarked, "It's funny that Moses is worrying about who he is to talk to Pharaoh when he is talking to GOD.  It seems he's more respectful or worried about Pharaoh than he is about GOD."  Ouch.  Help me, Father, to always be more mindful of You than anyone, thing or circumstance I encounter.

Moses was working for another doing his job in solitude.  God met Moses on the west side of the wilderness.  Lord, please meet me in the dailyness of my work, help me to have eyes to see and a willingness to respond to You in the west side of my wildernesses.  I want to respond.


God warns Moses that Pharaoh will only "comply" under compulsion.  When God is encouraging compliance in oppressors, that same wave of "motivation" can splash on the faithful ones He is liberating.  God, give me heart and vision for the liberating.  Help me to be first-response-compliant to You and love You and others well in the splash zone of testings.  You are good, God, and what You do is good.  I praise You.

 

Exodus 2

A baby boy born alive with a death sentence on his head.  An infant who is given up by a slave, then taken up by a princess, who is raised in the royal court, who then holds court on another, who takes that life, who runs for his own, who serves and protects strangers as he disappears from the scene of suffering for years.  

He was recognized as an exceptional child - but not a firstborn, a Hebrew, a murderer; all of which he was.  And an Egyptian, which he wasn't ... not completely ... well, it was complicated.

A path that I would not select for the one to head up the Israel-exodus committee. 

God's ways are not mine. 

But God is sovereign over all things, dubious references and resumes included. 

And what of all the time this young man had before he was "useful" to God?  Was it wasted in the palace, the homicide, the running away, becoming an alien in a foreign land?  God is still sovereign over that.  God defines what is "useful" to Him, as well. 

I am challenged that God's path is not the expected one.   Man's protocol does not define nor bind God.  Classic God example is Christ, who is risen from the dead. Man's plan is that dead folk stay dead.  The Lord is just so exotically Himself.

Father God, Holy One of Israel, Your timing is terribly perfect and patient.  You are not bound by my heritage, my gender, my education, my economic circumstances,  my screw-ups, the opportunities I have slaughtered, the secrets I want to leave buried in the sand, my exoduses from unpleasant situations, my identity nor my complications.  As hard as it is for me to comprehend and walk in confidence regarding, You have me where You want me.  All the time.  I can't surprise You nor can I throw You a curve ball.  What is or isn't is completely under Your sovereign grace, wisdom and power.  Give me eyes to see, knees to bow before You, a heart to worship You and give You glory in the palaces, deserts and all places in between which You provide me.  I love how You are You, like no one else!

Exodus 1

The new Egyptian king did not know Joseph.  He was afraid of what the Hebrews would do or not do to his kingdom.  He oppressed them, they prospered.  Egyptians dreaded the Israelites.  The Egyptians dealt ruthlessly with their perceived enemy.  

As a believer, the world does not know me or other children of God.  The regular folk can be afraid of  the mere culture of Christianity - they do not know.  The enemy tries to oppress; however God's ways are for abundant life and His child prospers - perhaps not in the currency of man - but blessings cometh.  And as the soul-deep contentment permeates the life of the oppressed believer, outsiders can dread dealing with a Christ-follower - they just do not know nor do they get it.  The followers-of-other-gods can even perceive an adversary in the God-faithful and choose to deal harshly with those same God-faithful ones.  They do not know.

Lord God, if it had not been for You, I would not know. I thank You and praise You for Your gracious love towards me.  Yet, if I didn't know,  I could be afraid of Christ's culture.  In the past, I have been ashamed of how You have been represented, perhaps I have been part of the oppressing.   I am so sorry.  Let me not barter in the marketplace of man's ways; but let me walk in Your ways, all my days, revealing and reveling in Your peace which permeates all problems, predicaments and passions.  I want to be part of those that help others to know You.  To recognize You and to respond to You.  You are already at work in other's lives - may I join You and Your efforts?  Please help me to spread Your message of Peace, Faithfulness and Salvation to those who do not know.  Oh, that all would know.

Genesis 50

Am I so faith-filled that I would make sure my bones were in the promised land?  Am I so determined to be in relationship with my Lord that I would make burial arrangements just to be closer to His promises?  I know the physical disposition of my body doesn't matter; but just how hungry am I for God's word to be fulfilled in my life, my legacy?  How desperate am I to be full of faith in my actions and plans?  Where do I plan in faith?  God, teach me the faith and planning of a promised land burial.  Give me vision to look beyond the next five minutes, five years to the eternal.  Let me live with You and still look forward to You.

Receiving grace is a challenge to those who who have failed in it.  Joe's bros. struggled after all those years, probably during them, too.  I am reminded that we were told that we would be recognized, known, identified by our love.  Lord of Grace, please help me to give and receive grace graciously and let my mind land trustingly on Your sovereignty and not other's pettiness, evil and negligence.  God, please help me to defeat the performance mentality in my life and those You bring to my life.  And may they know me by my love - the outpouring of Your love.  To the praise of Your very great Name.

Genesis 49

I wait for your salvation, O Lord.

In the middle of his last act of parenting, this aged, frail father cries out to his Lord.  He realized the end of his earthly journey was close and faithfully states that he is expecting God's salvation. 

I don't know if it was for himself, for the men he called sons, the generations of the nation coming from him or prophetically for Christ.  Maybe some combination of all. 

I am encouraged, with all that Jacob was giving out, that he is parked in expectancy of His Lord's provision of preservation, deliverance, rescue, redemption.  Lord, may I never do anything without expecting Your salvation.

One other little personal kind of encouragement is that it is Jacob who calls his sons, Jacob who blesses, Jacob who desires to join his fathers, mothers and his wife Leah and Jacob who dies.  He was Jacob for his childhood, his young adulthood, his weddings, his children's births, his fathering.  How strange it must have been to have a different name so late into his life.  I am blessed that it is the individual name who closes this chapter, not the national name.  I love God's attention to details and individuals.  I praise You, Father, that You are the God who sees me, the One who knows my name and the One who lifts up my face.  Only You.