Friday, September 2, 2011

Exodus 7:7

"Moses was eighty years old, and Aaron was eighty-three when they made their demands to Pharaoh."
 
 
Moses and Aaron were already old men when God called them to begin the great work God had for them. (Side note: Age was not one of the objections Moses gave to God in Exodus 3:11–13. Perhaps he never got that far before God silenced his excuses by revealing who God is.) It took that long for God to prepare them, apparently. Can we ever use the excuse that we're too old to do what God calls us to do? We need patience to wait, then courage to act when God says it's time.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Exodus 3:7–14

"Then the LORD told [Moses], 'I have certainly seen the oppression of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries of distress because of their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. So I have come down to rescue them from the power of the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt into their own fertile and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey—the land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites now live. Look! The cry of the people of Israel has reached me, and I have seen how harshly the Egyptians abuse them. Now go, for I am sending you to Pharaoh. You must lead my people Israel out of Egypt.'
 
But Moses protested, '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. And this is your sign that I am the one who has sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you will worship God at this very mountain.'
 
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.'"
 
 
When God called Moses to participate in the great deliverance of his people, God had to "come down." He manifested his presence in the physical world in the form of a burning bush: fire that gives light but does not consume. He gave Moses a picture of "I AM WHO I AM" that Moses was to hold in his mind and heart. God said that he would do the delivering but that it would be through Moses. God does his work in this physical world largely through us. He "comes down" and lives in us, and we do his work as he leads.

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Exodus 7:3–5

"'But I will make Pharaoh's heart stubborn so I can multiply my miraculous signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Even then Pharaoh will refuse to listen to you. So I will bring down my fist on Egypt. Then I will rescue my forces—my people, the Israelites—from the land of Egypt with great acts of judgment. When I raise my powerful hand and bring out the Israelites, the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD.'"

 

God tells Moses that God himself will be the one behind Pharaoh's hardened heart. Why? So that he can reveal his power and ultimately cause everyone to realize who he is ("the Egyptians will know that I am the LORD"). God is always revealing his character. What he reveals of his character at any particular time aligns with his purposes and his relationship with humans. In this case, he is about to reveal his judgments, his power, and his ability and desire to rescue his special people.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

Psalm 24:1

"The earth is the LORD's, and everything in it. The world and all its people belong to him."
 
 
Everything belongs to the Lord, not to us humans. We are merely stewards and managers. We own nothing. Since everything is the Lord's, when we need something we can come to him. We don't try to create it or get it on our own; we don't have the resources to do that. We are not the source of anything. This truth should be freeing! Our job is simply to manage well what he's given us and to look to him for all our needs. Life is often simpler than we try to make it, isn't it?
 

Monday, August 29, 2011

Proverbs 10:16

"The earnings of the godly enhance their lives, but evil people squander their money on sin"
 
 
There are two ways to use money: to enhance life or to squander it on illicit pleasures. We should use money not for worthless things that neither last nor satisfy but for building relationships and enhancing life. Are you spending enough money on enriching your life and the lives of others? Are you squandering any of it on things that don't truly satisfy? Audit your spiritual spending habits and find out.