Tag: teach

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Josiah’s Reforms; Fall of Jerusalem; Captivity

2 Kings 23-25

Josiah Finishes Well

Josiah receives the message from Huldah well. Her words from the Lord give him inspiration. (Note: Interesting that a male dominated culture has no problem seeking the advice of a female prophet.) Josiah invited everyone in Jerusalem, from the least to the greatest, to hear the Word of the Lord.

He read in their hearing all the words of the Book of the Covenant, which had been found in the temple of the Lord. The king stood by the pillar and renewed the covenant in the presence of the Lord–to follow the Lord and keep his commands, statutes and decrees with all his heart and all his soul… 2 Kings 23:2-3

Everyone recommitted themselves to the teaching, they all agreed to uphold their part of the covenant.

Josiah systematically removed all of the articles of worship throughout the kingdom…a lot of stuff to be burned and destroyed. Remember that Manasseh ruled for 55 years and incorporated all kinds of idolatrous worship. Josiah removed them all. Even the place where it all began:

Even the altar at Bethel, the high place made by Jeroboam son of Nebat, who had caused Israel to sin–even that altar and high place he demolished. 2 Kings 23:15

Josiah served the Lord with all his heart, soul and strength and he gave the ultimate sacrifice on the battlefield fighting the Egyptians.

Jehoahaz

Next we have Jehoahaz, 23 years old. He “reigned” for 3 months. I put reigned in quotes because of the extremely short duration of his rise to the throne! In just 3 months “he did evil in the eyes of the Lord” (2 Kings 23:32. Seriously? Pharaoh took Jehoahaz away in chains; he died in Egypt.

Jehoiakim

Pharaoh Necho placed Eliakim, one of Josiah’s sons, in charge as king, but renamed him Jehoiakim. The Pharaoh wanted people to know he was in charge! Jehoiakim was 25 when he was made king and he reigned for 11 years. The puppet of Pharaoh did evil in the eyes of the Lord, again.

Nebuchadnezzar enters the picture during Jehoiakim’s reign. For 3 years Nebuchadnezzar, the crown prince of Babylon, defeated Pharaoh and began asserting his power.

Surely these things happened to Judah according to the Lord’s command, in order to remove them from his presence because of the sins of Manasseh and all he had done, including the shedding of innocent blood. 2 Kings 24:3

Jehoiachin

Another short-lived ascent to the throne, Jehoiachin was 18 and reigned for 3 months. His claim to fame is surrendering to Nebuchadnezzar when he came in person to Jerusalem. He imprisoned Jehoiachin until the 37th year of exile when Awel-Marduk became king of Babylon released him.

All of Jerusalem was taken into exile and all of the treasures from the temple were removed. “Only the poorest people of the land were left” (2 Kings 24:14).

Zedekiah

Zedekiah (renamed by the king of Babylon) was placed as king. At 21 years of age, he reigned for 11 years. There was no real hope that another puppet-king would have a chance, but we always have a choice and Zedekiah chose to do evil in the eyes of the Lord.

The Fall of Jerusalem

At this point it is no surprise that we come to the end of the kings of our ancestors. Nebuchadnezzar takes over in full force:

He set fire to the temple of the Lord, the royal palace and all the houses of Jerusalem. Every important building he burned down. The whole Babylonian army under the commander of the imperial guard broke down the walls around Jerusalem. 2 Kings 25:9-10

The life-work of Solomon was destroyed. Everything that was used to glorify God was removed, carried away to Babylon. Gone.

So Judah went into captivity, away from her land. 2 Kings 25:21

Those who were afraid fled to Egypt to hide. How interesting that they would seek refuge in the very place that Moses led them out of so many years ago.

Conclusion

As those of us who call ourselves Christ-followers go about our daily lives, I pray that we can see the ways we have become like the many who did evil in the eyes of the Lord, but only enough to turn away from the foolishness of idolatry. Jesus gave us a simple command to “go and make disciples” (Matthew 28:19). But simple doesn’t mean easy. It’s truly difficult to discern the difference between paths that are before us. Living in this world while not being consumed by its demands is a challenge. We only have a chance if we put Christ first. Lord, help us to do just that. Help us to love you first with everything we have and love others. Let that shine through us and draw people to Christ.

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Psalms 60, 61 and 62

Psalm 60

Twice in this short psalm David includes pointed words of lament for God has “rejected us” for our transgressions. He begs God to remember that there are many who fear the Lord and are worthy of rescue.

Give us aid against the enemy,
for human help is worthless.
With God we will gain the victory,
and he will trample down our enemies.Psalm 60:11-12

When we give God the glory, we can boldly ask for his help.

Psalm 61

It’s funny. I decided to grab my guitar and sing through psalm 61. To God be the glory, this is not music for public consumption, but straight from my heart to the Lord as tears stream down my face.

From the ends of the earth I call to you,
I call as my heart grows faint;
lead me to the rock that is higher than I.Psalm 61:2

I wish I had an ounce of talent that could turn this psalm into a worship song that would elicit the emotion I feel at this moment. So intimate. So real. Holy Spirit you are all over my heart right now. To God be the glory. Teach me how to honor your name above all others.

Why am I still weeping?

Psalm 62

An oddly emotional morning as I sing through these psalms. The Holy Spirit is ministering to me. Somehow I need to share this.

Yes, my soul, find rest in God;
my hope comes from him.
Truly he is my rock and my salvation;
he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
he is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in him at all times, you people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.Psalm 61:5-8

Such a  comforting warm embrace. Am I the only one who feels like this? Am I the only one who appreciates the quiet? I guess I’m just so odd that I don’t actually fit in anywhere, but I know that God loves me anyway.

Surely the lowborn are but a breath,
the highborn are but a lie.
If weighed on a balance, they are nothing;
together they are only a breath. Psalm 61:9

“If weighed on a balance, they are nothing.”

Nothing.

Even so, the Lord’s love is unfailing.

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Solomon Rules

1 Kings 2-3 and Psalm 51

Psalm 51 is one of my favorites, forever implanted in my memory. Nathan revealed King David’s horrible transgressions with Bathsheba and against Uriah (2 Samuel 11ff) and David confessed. A man after God’s heart, this psalm is attributed to David as his plea for forgiveness.

“Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
so that sinners will turn back to you.” Psalm 51:10-13

Such great words! The tune is still in my mind from years ago when our high school a cappella choir sang these words…yes, a public high school with over 100 students in the choir singing these words in competitions throughout the state. Those were the days. Even today I reflect and request of God to restore the joy of my salvation, which he does every day as I sit and read and write these words. Thank you Lord for your love and your great desire to forgive, we would all be lost indeed without both!

Chapter 2 begins with David’s charge to Solomon to “be strong, act like a man” (1 Kings 2:2). I’ve seen this phrase in other places…interesting translation, but I don’t want to read too much into it, simply put: don’t be a child. David implores Solomon to wrap up a few loose ends he was never able to tie: Joab and Shimei. These two, David encourages Solomon to announce their death. For his friends during his escape from Absalom, peace.

Adonijah has one more card to play. He’s given up the idea that he can be the king, so he makes a move for the woman sent to comfort David in his last days by asking Bathsheba to ask Solomon. She doesn’t appear to appreciate the weight of the request when she asks, but Solomon immediately responds and Adonijah is killed for his foolishness–he violated the principal and Solomon removes him before any insurrection arises.

Joab gets the news and heads for the tent of the Lord and grabs the horns of the altar. This is the first time Joab has ever shown any fear. Interesting, though not for long, that is, Benaiah was dispatched to kill Joab. Done.

Shimei is next on the list. Solomon calls him in and gives him some strict orders, essentially allows him to live in Jerusalem, but not to leave and cross the Kidron Valley. Shimei agrees to the plan, but 3 years later he defied the orders and Benaiah strikes again. Shimei is dead.

Chapter 2 ends: “The kingdom was now established in Solomon’s hands.”

Solomon enters a pact with Egypt and marries one of Pharaoh’s daughters (strange customs in those days). Interesting to note:

Solomon showed his love for the Lord by walking according to the instructions given him by his father David, except that he offered sacrifices and burned incense on the high places. 1 Kings 3:3

Even with this exception, the Lord meets with Solomon and said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” (1 Kings 3:5) Solomon’s answer is beyond wise:

So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. 1 Kings 3:9

The Lord is pleased with his answer and grants his desire and then some: “both wealth and honor.”

Solomon begins his governing with a wise ruling over two prostitutes arguing over a baby. The women both claim the child is theirs, so Solomon provides a solution: let’s cut the baby in half and you can each have your share! This, of course, identifies the true mother and the child is returned.

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Absalom’s Rebellion and Defeat

2 Samuel 15-20 and Psalm 48

The narrative for this story has several plot lines. The first involves Absalom’s deception and rise to power.

Absalom begins taking steps to establish himself as judge and then as king by acting as if he truly cared, “he stole the hearts of the people of Israel” (2 Samuel 15:6). Slowly and surely, Absalom turned people toward himself and away from David. Perhaps the people knew that David is getting older and a new king only made sense. David’s response: run!

David is a shrewd leader, far greater than his son Absalom and his charismatic style of leadership. David plants an informant (Hushai) inside Absalom’s advisor team to frustrate Ahithophel’s advice (2 Samuel 15:31-34). Hushai gives advice that seems better then Ahithophel to Absalom. Essentially, the first was a tactical strike that removed David, the second was a massive attack that fed Absalom’s ego and need for visibility.

Side note: Shimei son of Gera sees David and his men running off into hiding and decides it makes sense to protest, to throw dirt and stones at his men. David shrugs it off and lets him continue his tirade. Interesting that it’s mentioned here (2 Samuel 16:5-14). It’s concluded in 2 Samuel 19:16-23).

Absalom marches out on his donkey as a king riding onto certain victory. David deploys his troops strategically and they do what the do best, inflicting some 20,000 casualties immediately! David’s one order was to be kind to Absalom, but Joab is involved in this fight–not going to go well for sure!

Now Absalom happened to meet David’s men. He was riding his mule, and as the mule when under the thick branches of a large oak, Absalom’s hair got caught in the tree. He was left hanging in midair, while the mule he was riding kept on going. 2 Samuel 18:9

Absalom was proud of his personal beauty, his lovely hair. His vanity now gets the best of him. As he is hanging there Joab learns of his location and tosses 3 javelins into his heart. Joab’s men make sure he’s dead. Joab has done what Joab does best. He knows the news will not go well, so he devises a plan to soften the blow. When David finds out Absalom is dead he grieves openly.

O my son Absalom! My son, my son Absalom, my son, my son! 2 Samuel 18:33

Joab is ticked! He confronts David and rebukes his behavior.

“Today you have humiliated all your men, who have just saved your life and the lives of your sons and daughters and the lives of your wives and concubines. You love those who hate you and hate those who love you. You have made it clear today that the commanders and their men mean nothing to you.” 2 Samuel 19:5-6

David does what Joab says, but puts Amasa in charge of the army in place of Joab (2 Samuel 19:13. Joab is cool and calculating as ever. He waits for the opportunity. Chapter 20 shows this doesn’t take long. A troublemaker, Bikri, decides to stir the pot. He musters the men of Israel (except Judah) to defy David. David tells Amasa to summon the men of Judah, so he goes out to deliver the message, but takes too long (he’s still new!). David then orders Abishai to find Bikri, so Abishai (and his brother Joab), set off to pursue Bikri.

Amasa meets Joab along the way. Not a good plan. Joab takes his dagger and splits open the belly of Amasa so his intestines fall out and leaves him in the middle of the road to wallow in his blood and die. The troops rally around Joab, their seasoned commander. Someone drags Amasa off the road and covers him with a garment to let him die.

Joab corners Bikri and builds a siege ramp in preparation to destroy the entire city.

While they were battering the wall to bring it down, a wise woman called from the city, “Listen! Listen! Tell Joab to come here so I can speak to him.” 2 Samuel 20:18

A wise woman. Odd isn’t it? An army advances on a city, has time enough to build a siege ramp and begins battering down its walls and a woman appears to negotiate with this brutal warrior. Joab agrees to the meeting and somehow agrees to cease operations if she will deliver Bikri’s head.

The the woman went to all the people with her wise advice, and they cut off the head of Sheba son of Bikri and threw it to Joab. 2 Samuel 20:22

End of Absalom. End of Amasa. End of Bikri. David is fully restored as king with Joab as the commander of the army.

As God promised David, his years would be filled with bloodshed, living by the sword.

[Nathan speaking] Now, therefore, the sword will never depart from your house, because you despised me and took the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be your own. This is what the Lord says: “Our of your own household I am going to bring calamity on you. Before your very eyes i will take your wives and give them to one who is close to you, and he will sleep with your wives in broad daylight. 2 Samuel 12:10-11

All this came to pass in this narrative. Absalom setup a tent and had sex with David’s concubines on the roof of the palace for all to see. Amasa was his own flesh and blood (somewhere in the lineage) and Absalom, of course, was one of his sons.

Through it all, David remains steadfast as a man of God. He openly expresses his anguish and joy throughout the psalms. One lesson I take from this narrative is simply this: I can only be fully responsible for my own actions, not that I should condone anyone else’s behavior, but I can decide to follow Christ, regardless of what goes on around me. There will be Shimei’s of the world to throw dirt and stones at me, even shout obscenities, but I must remain steadfast. Lord, help my actions, my words, my loyalty, my love to be ever yours in this day and age. Teach me to be a true disciple of Jesus Christ, to be one worthy of making disciples who make disciples, even if that number is only one. May you be honored through all of my actions.

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Saul Pursues David

1 Samuel 21-24 and Psalm 44

David is alone and on the run. He ends up in Nob and Ahimelek the priest is frightened to see David appear by himself. He gives David food and the sword of Goliath.

But the priest answered David, “I don’t have any ordinary bread on hand; however, there is some consecrated bread here—provided the men have kept themselves from women.” 1 Samuel 21:4

David makes up a story about being sent on a secret mission; Ahimelek has no reason to doubt the story, but Doeg the Edomite is there listening and will prove to be a deadly servant of Saul shortly.

Now one of Saul’s servants was there that day, detained before the Lord; he was Doeg the Edomite, Saul’s chief shepherd. 1 Samuel 21:7

Still alone, David goes to Achish where he is recognized by the men there. The second act is to appear insane:

David took these words to heart and was very much afraid of Achish king of Gath. So he pretended to be insane in their presence; and while he was in their hands he acted like a madman, making marks on the doors of the gate and letting saliva run down his beard. 1 Samuel 21:12-13

It must have been a good acting job because the king wanted nothing to do with yet another madman! David continues to hide.

Remarkably, David’s family finds out out his hiding place and they gather around him:

When his brothers and his father’s household heard about it, they went down to him there. All those who were in distress or in debt or discontented gathered around him, and he became their commander. About four hundred men were with him. 1 Samuel 22:1-2

This is now much different than Joseph’s story as alluded to in an earlier post. There is no bitterness here. Perhaps Saul’s motivation and actions are apparent to the people, but he is there king, so there is little they can do about it. David and his relatively small band of men continue to hide.

Saul is openly complaining that his men are protecting David or at least passively resisting by not earnestly looking for David. Doeg the Edomite chimes in and reports he has seen David in Nob. Saul orders his men to kill the priests, but they refuse.

Doeg the Edomite turned and struck them down. That day he killed eighty-five men who wore the linen ephod. 1 Samuel 22:18

One son escaped and told David what had happened.

Then David said to Abiathar, “That day, when Doeg the Edomite was there, I knew he would be sure to tell Saul. I am responsible for the death of your whole family. Stay with me; don’t be afraid. The man who wants to kill you is trying to kill me too. You will be safe with me.” 1 Samuel 22:22-23

David and his men hear about some Philistine advances at Keilah, so he asks the Lord for guidance. After receiving assurance, David and his forces chase them away, delivering Keilah. Saul, of course, here’s about this and prepares to march on Keilah. Given the horrible consequence at Nob, David asks God and is told Keilah will be attacked, so David leaves and spares them twice, once by the Philistines and once by Saul’s forces.

David’s band is now up to 600 men. Jonathan learns about his hideout and meets David. Once again these brothers make a covenant then depart ways. 1 Samuel 23:18

The Ziphites are sucking up to Saul, assuring him they will call David out if they see him. Saul blesses the Ziphites and continues to chase David. At one point they were on opposite sides of a mountain when a messenger tells Saul that the Philistines have invaded somewhere, so Saul breaks off the pursuit of David in favor of defending the Israelites. This is rather remarkable.

Chapter 24 provides the first account of David sparing Saul when he we vulnerable. Saul goes into a cave to relieve himself (David’s men are in the depths of the cave). Some of his men see the opportunity and encourage David to strike!

He said to his men, “The Lord forbid that I should do such a thing to my master, the Lord’s anointed, or lay my hand on him; for he is the anointed of the Lord.” With these words David sharply rebuked his men and did not allow them to attack Saul. And Saul left the cave and went his way.1 Samuel 24:6-7

After Saul leaves, and probably from a good, safe distance, David calls out to Saul to let him know he was within his grasp, “some urged me to kill you, but I spared you” 1 Samuel 24:10.

May the Lord judge between you and me. And may the Lord avenge the wrongs you have done to me, but my hand will not touch you. 1 Samuel 24:12

Even Saul is humbled (momentarily) by David’s honorable actions. Lord, teach me these ways of David when the battles rage in my life. I’m sure they will never be as important or great, but in the small things, may I show this kind of great wisdom.

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Request for a King

1 Samuel 7-8 and Psalm 41

Samuel becomes the leader for Israel; they listened to his advice and rid themselves of the idols that filled their homes.

On that day they fasted and there they confessed, “We have sinned against the Lord.” Now Samuel was serving as leader of Israel at Mizpah. 1 Samuel 7:6

The Philistines heard the Israelites were gathered together they devised a plan to attack them. From a military perspective this makes good sense, but not when God is involved! (ok, that sounds a bit weird…God is always involved). Anyway, they attack the Israelites, but God threw them into confusion and the Israelites chased them away, killing many as they fled.

Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen. He named it Ebenezer, saying, “Thus far the Lord has helped us.” 1 Samuel 7:12

And so we understand the verse in the old hymn Come Thou Fount, “Here I lay my Ebenezer, hither by thy help I come.”

Samuel was a good and effective leader for Israel, but some bad news:

But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice. 1 Samuel 8:3

More than bad news, this is sad. As a father, it makes me sad to read about children wandering far from their father’s ways. Surely Joel and Abijah saw the favor with which the Lord looked upon Samuel, let alone all of Israel. Yet somehow, in their minds, they wandered.

Give Us A King!

The Israelites know Samuel’s sons can’t be heirs, they are simply not worthy. Since Samuel is getting old, they approach him and ask him to appoint a king. Samuel asks God for advice and he tells Samuel to give the people what they ask for with a warning to ensure they fully understand. A king means taxes and much more. It changes their organizational structure for sure, but it reveals their inability to trust fully in the Lord.

Samuel warns the people, gives them a long list of problems they can expect by having a king rule over them, but the people insist.

We want a king over us. Then we will be like all the other nations, with a king to lead us and to go out before us and fight our battles. 1 Samuel 8:19-20

“Then we will be like all other nations…” Exactly what God was teaching them NOT to become. The narrative of the Old Testament to this point has been about making Israel God’s people, set apart from the rest, distinctively different. The Israelites keep resisting–they want to fit into society, to be like those around them.

We are set apart.

It’s not that we are special in and of ourselves, but as Paul tells us,

Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory. Romans 8:17

We are the children of God. We don’t need an earthly king, but the Israelites have chosen a path that will take them on a new journey in a very different wilderness.

And so we begin to see kings of Israel.

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Fear, Love and Serve God

Deuteronomy 4-11 and Psalm 30

For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime;
weeping may stay for the night,
but rejoicing comes in the morning.

You turned my wailing into dancing
you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent.
Lord my God, I will praise you forever.

Psalm 30:5,11-12

Moses continues the recap of history, reminding the people to remind their children, “teach them to your children and to their children after them” (Deuteronomy 4:9).

The Lord took you and brought you out of the iron-smelting furnace, out of Egypt, to be the people of his inheritance, as you now are. Deuteronomy 4:20

Moses warns the people, somewhat prophetically, of the dangers of making idols in the future, long after they’ve entered the Promised Land.

But if from there you seek the Lord your God, you will find him if you seek him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29

Today’s Our Daily Bread centered on Matthew 6:33 where Jesus tells us to “Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness.” Seek the Lord and he will be found. God is not hiding from you! He is not hiding from me, he is right here in this place. Set aside the idols of money and instant gratification and seek first his kingdom.

Chapter 6 has some great words of wisdom for us to remember, words to live by: link.

Chapter 7 is a motivational talk to remind us not only of the bad, but also the good that will happen if we keep the Lord first. Moses continues this in Chapter 8 with a stern warning, “If you ever forget the Lord your God and follow other gods and worship and bow down to them, I testify against you today that you will surely be destroyed. Deuteronomy 8:10

Chapter 9 reminds us that the people driven out of the Promised Land are wicked; it’s their wickedness that set them against the Lord. It’s not the wonderful righteousness of the Israelites that prevails:

Understand, then, that it is not because of your righteousness that the Lord your God is giving you this good land to possess, for you are a stiff-necked people. Deuteronomy 9:6

Moses recalls the day when Aaron and the people created a Golden Calf as an idol to worship and the potential doom avoided because of his begging the Lord to forgive the people. Essentially, Moses says, “remember, you are idiots, but God loves you anyway! Now, stop being stupid!”

There are dozens of sermons wrapped up in chapters 4-11, many calls to remember the past, how God has always been the constant, steady light for us to follow. Moses reminds us past failures to help us in the future. Don’t forget the past, but don’t live there either. Use history to learn from not relive.

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Covenant History

Deuteronomy 1-3 and Psalm 29

Deuteronomy begins with a brief recap of major events including the delegation of responsibility to tribal leaders and the rebellion that happened after the 12 spied out the Promised Land.

In spite of this, you did not trust in the Lord your God

The Israelites fought and won many battles, physical struggles against those in the region. Their reputation must have garnered one of fear in an age where kings ruled with power. Moses was a great leader, but not perfect. His mistake in Numbers 20 eclipsed all the good he did for decades and his undying faith in the Lord. There is some bitterness in Moses’ mind:

But because of you the Lord was angry with me and would not listen to me, “That is enough,” the Lord said, “Do no speak to me anymore about this matter” Deuteronomy 3:26

The mantle of leadership carries much weight and errors in judgment make an enormous difference. This reminded me of James 3:1-2, “Not many of you should become teachers, my fellow believers, because you know that we who teach will be judged more strictly. We all stumble in many ways…”

Lord help me to be true to you in all ways, for your glory, not for my fame!

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Craftsmanship; The Golden Calf

Exodus 30-32 and Psalm 19

Bezalel and Oholiab step into the picture. Not kings or judges, not prophets or apostles, these men were chosen because of their great skill. Bezalel was filled “with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills–to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, to cut and set stones, to work in wood and to engage in all kinds of artistic crafts” (Exodus 31:2-6 & 35:30-33). Oholiab was chosen as a skilled teacher. Together they did the work of creating all of the items in the royal tent (including the tent itself).

This is great motivation for me to read and should encourage all those who labor for the Lord. Bezalel doesn’t get a lot of attention in the narrative of the Bible and is probably not frequently preached on, but he and Oholiab were those responsible for creating the place of worship, for setting the stage upon which the priests and leaders could do their part. God indeed blessed them with skills, but I believe it was because Bezalel and Oholiab had proven themselves before the Exodus 35 statement was penned. Most of us want to be skilled at something, but most lack the resolve to put in the effort to get to the finish line. In the arts, there is no finish line, just continual improvement. Sports are popular because there are boundaries and time limits, music and art are not about perfection, they are more about the spirit of the craft.

God honors these men by including them in the Bible for us to learn by example. I can only be useful by learning my craft and honing my skills and rejoicing in the Lord every day. Whatever talents God has given us, he has a purpose and reason behind it. Our responsibility is to do our best for Christ every day, without regard to fame or glory on earth or among men–only with regard to Christ the King.

The Golden Calf

Really Israel, really Aaron? Yep. They went there. As I sit in judgment, I wonder if I would have joined the party. My prayer is that simply by reading this narrative I won’t fall short as our ancestors did; that I would learn from their mistakes.

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Knowing God Leads to Obedience

Exodus 7-9 and Psalm 15

Ironically, today’s Our Daily Bread referred to Matthew 16:1–4 that begins, “The Pharisees and Sadducees came to Jesus and tested him by asking him to show them a sign from heaven.” As I read Exodus 7, I have a little empathy for these leaders. God gave Moses the ability to perform signs for Pharaoh, why wouldn’t Jesus do the same? It’s a shallow question since those around Jesus, certainly by the time of Matthew 16, have seen miracles that are far greater than the signs Moses performed, but I’m trying to understand how the Jewish leaders of their time were so blind to the Messiah that stood in front of them. I think we need to wrestle with this or risk becoming 21st century Pharisees today! It’s easy to stand behind our doctrine, dogma, Systematic Theology and advanced degrees, but perhaps this has blinded us to Matthew 22, 25 & 28 callings that Jesus clearly provides. (end of rant…back to Exodus).

Why all the signs and wonders? Why the plagues and swarming insects?

For by now I could have stretched out my hand and struck you and your people with a plague that would have wiped you off the earth. But I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth. Exodus 9:15-16

I learn many things by reading this narrative: 1) God is faithful, 2) God is mighty and 3) God desires to have a relationship with us. Two plagues were recreated by the magicians with whatever “arts” they could wield (blood and frogs), but by the third (gnats) they were finished. After the plagues of flies and livestock, “those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside” (Exodus 9:20) when they hear Moses and Aaron speak of the plague of hail. Pharaoh doesn’t relent as we know, but hearts inside Egypt are being changed, albeit rather forcefully. For their culture, perhaps, this is appropriate. The Pharaoh rules with an iron fist, commanding life and death for his subjects, so my guess is this is the language they can understand.

God’s ways are indeed mysterious and many times not easy to comprehend until we have the privilege of looking back. If history teaches, we should learn from these stories. Teach me, Lord. I sit here listening.

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