Did I miss something?
Today’s Reading: Exodus 1-3; Galatians 5
One of my favorite subjects is history. When you look at history and your view of history, you are more open to understand many of the things that are happening in today’s society. History will show you our Highs and our Lows. But we have to be willing to see the whole picture, not parts of that picture.
On our recent excursion to Hawaii, my son, and I went to visit Pearl Harbor. For the majority of my life, I have known about Pearl Harbor and the consequences of the attack on the naval base. But I was enlightened in Hawaii to understand that the Japanese intention was not to create a war, but to obtain and secure resources for their own endeavors in World War II. I also found out that there was an embargo act that the United States had placed on Japan before this attack. This embargo sequestered Japan’s fuel supply which fed into and would have contributed to the attack on poor Harbor. I am trying to explain or assuage the brutality of the attack, but I found a deeper understanding on the motives of Japan. If we do not understand our history, or if we do not die deeper to see the full story, we can have misconceptions.
In the story of Exodus and Moses, I have read through this passage Countless times throughout my life. While growing up as a young man, I have watched “10 Commandments“ every Easter and Passover for 20+ years. But it wasn’t until this reading this year where I had my eyes opened more. While preparing for this blog, I read this passage several times, and also listened to it as well. When I was listening to it, my son was also there, and his eyes opened up when he heard that the children were killed. He did understand that there was a law to kill the boys of the Hebrews. He was shocked and wanted to know more about the situation. As a father, I was able to walk him through the history.
There are some things that I did not know for myself or I forgot.
- Moses was a couple months old when he left his mom and was taken by his sister to the Nile.
”Now a man from the house of Levi went and took as his wife a Levite woman. The woman conceived and bore a son, and when she saw that he was a fine child, she hid him three months.“
- Moses actually was nursed and raised partially by his mom and his siblings.
”Now the daughter of Pharaoh came down to bathe at the river, while her young women walked beside the river. She saw the basket among the reeds and sent her servant woman, and she took it. When she opened it, she saw the child, and behold, the baby was crying. She took pity on him and said, “This is one of the Hebrews’ children.” Then his sister said to Pharaoh’s daughter, “Shall I go and call you a nurse from the Hebrew women to nurse the child for you?” And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Go.” So the girl went and called the child’s mother. And Pharaoh’s daughter said to her, “Take this child away and nurse him for me, and I will give you your wages.” So the woman took the child and nursed him. When the child grew older, she brought him to Pharaoh’s daughter, and he became her son. She named him Moses, “Because,” she said, “I drew him out of the water.”“
- Moses was protected from the beginning of his life until the end of his life.
No matter what situation we are in, God has a plan and a purpose for us. We see that with Moses, that God had a purpose of a plan for him from when he was a newborn baby. God actually took care of Moses, and provided for him in his birth home, with his mother, with his people from an early age throughout his life. Sometimes it may feel that we are not in God‘s presence or feel that we are not being taken care of by God. But when we look back over the history of our lives, we look at the small details that actually are God’s presence in our life to make us who we are today.
What are some things that are in our past that we may have forgotten that allows us to be where we are today? Where are the small blessings that we have forgotten but others may remember that we need to be reminded of? Where has the spirit been in the small things this week for you that you may be a blessing to others?