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Today’s reading is Joshua 14:6-15:19

My youngest is starting a new school this year. 5th grade. We have been praying about this for years and it finally happened. God said yes. The door has been opened to a new opportunity. School starts on Friday. Our supplies are purchased, registration fees paid, spirit wear ordered. Its a done deal, no turning back now. As I was preparing for this post my boy sat down next to me on the couch and quietly said, “I wish I was going to my old school”. I set my Bible aside and said, “I know, I’ve had the same feelings”. We sat in silence for a few minutes letting those honest words settle and I silently prayed for the right words. What do I say to my worried 10 year old about change and hard things and fear?  Especially when I’m thinking the same thing.

I got to tell him the story of Caleb.  He was a man who “whole heartedly followed the Lord”. Back in the day of Moses, Caleb and Joshua along with 10 other spies were sent to check out the land of Canaan (The promised land). Caleb and Joshua were the only 2 out of 12 that came back giving a good report on the land and trusted that God would allow them to conquer it. (Kind of like having a good attitude about going to a new school).  Everyone else became afraid and confused and wanted to go back to Egypt (or their old school) because they stopped trusting God would take care of them.  Because Caleb “whole heartedly followed the Lord”, God promised him the land of Canaan (or his new school) as his special possession for himself and his descendants. He was promised this land in Numbers 14. Then, 45 years later, the promise is fulfilled in Joshua 14:10-12. 45 years!!! He waited patiently for God to fulfill his promise of allowing him to see the promised land and he claimed the promise. I’m sure the 45 years of waiting weren’t easy but he continued to “whole heartedly follow the Lord” and trust the promise God gave him.  At 85 years old, God fulfilled his promise to Caleb and gave him the strength to conquer the giants of the land. God gives strength to those who whole heartedly follow him and he helps us do hard things……..like changing schools, and sending our kids to new places.

Caleb was brave, convicted, and trusted in God’s promises. I started thinking about the promises of God. The ultimate promise is eternal life to those who believe in Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior, but what are the promises for daily living that my 10 year old (and I) can trust as we face our giants?

We decided that we are thankful for the promise that God goes before us – just like he did with Caleb.

“Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord is the one who goes before you. He will be with you; He will neither fail you nor forsake you.” Deuteronomy 31:8

“The Lord your God is going before you. He will fight for you, just as you saw him do in Egypt.” Deuteronomy 1:30

“You go before me and follow me. You place your hand of blessing on my head.” Psalm 139:5

“I will go before you and will level the mountains; I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron”. Isaiah 45:2

“So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand “. Isaiah 41:10

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. ” Jeremiah 29:11-13

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” John 16:33

Praying we trust these promises of God in the hard spots of life. He will show up and I can’t wait to see what He does. Claim your promise!

Shelly

 

Exodus 32

 

As we continue our journey of the faithful people of our spiritual foundation we visit Aaron, brother of Moses and the first high priest of Israel.  Some verses that give us a glimpse of Aaron are

Exodus 4:14-16

¹⁴ Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses and he said, “Is there not Aaron, your brother, the Levite? I know that he can speak well. Behold, he is coming out to meet you, and when he sees you, he will be glad in his heart. ¹⁵ You shall speak to him and put the words in his mouth, and I will be with your mouth and with his mouth and will teach you both what to do. ¹⁶ He shall speak for you to the people, and he shall be your mouth, and you shall be as God to him.

Aaron was the main spokesperson for Moses and God. Aaron had been gifted with eloquent speech.  God understood the weaknesses and strengths of his children and will properly suit individuals that compliment each other.  Moses was gifted in leading and directing the people of Israel and Aaron was gifted with speaking and instructing the people with assistance from God.  When the two of them were working in concert and under the leadership of God, they were able to create new and amazing things, but aside from God they brought folly to themselves and the people who followed.

In Exodus 28:1-3: God makes Aaron and his descendants the first official priest of the people of Israel:

“Then bring near to you Aaron your brother, and his sons with him, from among the people of Israel, to serve me as priests—Aaron and Aaron’s sons, Nadab and Abihu, Eleazar and Ithamar. ² And you shall make holy garments for Aaron your brother, for glory and for beauty. ³ You shall speak to all the skillful, whom I have filled with a spirit of skill, that they make Aaron’s garments to consecrate him for my priesthood.

This was the appointment and the promise that God had given Aaron to be the principle communicator between God, Moses, and the people.  Aaron was given a major appointment and blessing from God.  This was given to Moses to communicate to Aaron, but God made the promise.  This was not something that God had done without understanding responsibilities and remaifications of the office and duties.  This was God’s own choice.  God’s infinite understanding and particular specifications can be seen in the preparations of the priest’s garments and tools for the temple.  In chapters 28 & 29, God gives specific directions down to the particular threads that are supposed to be used in the garments.

Exodus 28:6-8

⁶ “And they shall make the ephod of gold, of blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and of fine twined linen, skillfully worked. ⁷ It shall have two shoulder pieces attached to its two edges, so that it may be joined together. ⁸ And the skillfully woven band on it shall be made like it and be of one piece with it, of gold, blue and purple and scarlet yarns, and fine twined linen.

Almost simultaneously, as God is given this blessing and decree to Moses, the people start to stir restlessly in the camp and pressures, persuade, or coax Aaron to produce a golden calf so that the people can have something tangible to praise and worship.  When this happens Moses is sent to the people and Aaron

Exodus Chapter 32: 21-24

¹ And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought such a great sin upon them?” ²² And Aaron said, “Let not the anger of my lord burn hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. ²³ For they said to me, ‘Make us gods who shall go before us. As for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ ²⁴ So I said to them, ‘Let any who have gold take it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I threw it into the fire, and out came this calf.”

In the previous section, if God was like man and had the same inadequacies that we have, God would have taken away this appointed service and station and created another person in its place, but God is faithful to his promise and will remain behind them until fulfillment.

Hebrews 5: 1-5

For every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. ² He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. ³ Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. ⁴ And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was.

Aaron gives us an example in several ways:

• God will make a promise and plan for our lives, even when we are not fully aware that the Maker is at work
• Even though we may commit unthinkable acts against self, others, and God; God still loves us and will help us to show his glory
• When we acknowledge our shameful acts and turn way from those acts and allow God to bless us, He will be victorious over all the things in our past.

 

Who was Miriam?  When I think of the book of Exodus, I definitely think of Moses. I had heard of Miriam, but I  had to do a little investigating to figure out who Miriam wass and why she is our focus in our reading today.  

Exodus 2:3 describes Miriam standing far off as she witnesses her mother putting her baby brother Moses in a basket and setting him in the river to save him from being killed by Pharoh.  Miriam was able to orchestrate her mother then being able to nurse Moses after Pharaoh’s daughter found Moses in the basket.  

The next time we meet Miriam is in our passage today, Exodus 15:1-21.  The Hebrew people have crossed the Red Sea and the waters have crashed down upon the Egyptian soldiers that were pursuing them.  The first 19 verses are a song from Moses praising God for saving them.

In verse 20 and 21 Miriam appears and leads the women in a dance while singing.

Then Miriam the prophet, Aaron’s sister, took a tambourine and led all the women as they played their tambourines and danced.  And Miriam sang this song:  “Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously;  he has hurled both horse and rider into the sea.”       Exodus 15:20 and 21

In this text, Miriam is called a prophet.  She is called this because she led the women in worship of God during the celebration of Israel’s victory over the Egyptians.  

Miriam’s life as a prophet and leader in Israel provided encouragement to the women of Israel.  Miriam’s ministry as a prophet also challenges us today to understand that women have much to contribute to God’s work and that they have much to teach those who are willing to listen.

Miriam set an example for God’s people and was a woman of prominence.

Just as all the Israelites were slaves in Egypt, the Bible teaches us that we are all slaves to sin.  

“All have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). 

Yet today we have a reason to sing!  Jesus Christ has delivered us from sin by his death on the cross and his resurrection from the dead.

We too should praise God for his deliverance.  If we confess Jesus as our Savior, then one day we will sing just as Miriam did in Exodus 15:21, 

“Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed gloriously!”

This is a reminder to praise God gloriously! 

When is the last time you grabbed a tambourine and the people around you and started praising God for all He has done for you??

 

Today’s reading is on Moses (Exodus 5:1-6:13, 14:5-31).

“Imposter syndrome” is something I hear about in my office or on LinkedIn every once in a while these days. It is the internalized fear, often completely misguided, that someone hasn’t really deserved any of their accomplishments, that they have gotten by solely on luck, and could be exposed as a “fraud” at any point, made out to appear foolish. Even among people who do great at their jobs, some of us just can’t see our own true strengths and abilities. We can doubt ourselves, compare ourselves to those around us who appear so collected and composed, and consider ourselves lesser options for our position.

In Exodus, a young Moses experiences something similar when confronted by God. Often, when we too are suddenly confronted with an arduous task by God, we immediately launch into cycles of doubt and fear. Over and over again, as God reveals Himself to Moses and commands him to go to Egypt and demand the Israelites be freed for a feast of worship. This is, by logical accounts, an impossible request. Leading the Israelites out of Egypt would require going up to Pharaoh, a direct link with the gods in the eyes of the Egyptians, a man of immeasurable wealth on Earth, and ask him to let his nation’s slaves go for three days to worship their God. It would look to be an impossible task to anyone, but as 2 Corinthians 5:7 says, “we live by faith, not by sight.”

Yet instead of acting in faith when confronted by Creator of the Universe and Lord over all, Moses asks “Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” And again, when given direct instructions from Go of what to say to the Israelites there, he asks “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, The Lord did not appear to you?” Yet again, when told how to perform miracles as a sign of God’s power, Moses complains “I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant.” Even as God gives him the most explicit of directions, Moses considers himself unskilled, untalented, and unable to do God’s work.

Even though Moses’s eventual journey to Egypt and plea to Pharaoh does not go easily, and Pharaoh instead makes life even more miserable for the Israelites, God’s plan fails to cease. When Moses cries out in doubt, the Lord answers in chapter 6. The Lord ensures He will lead His people out of Egypt safely. What His answer begins and ends with is simply yet truthfully “I am the Lord.” And over the next few chapters, as God unleashes a host of vile plagues as retribution against Pharaoh and ultimately leads His people out safely, Moses continues following His word and acting upon it.

Moses may not have believed himself to be capable or the most qualified for God’s plan, but in the end he follows what the Lord has to say. When we focus on our shortcomings and how we can fail to do anything in the situation provided for us, we should instead listen to what God has to say here. We may be weak, and unbecoming, and not very eloquent, but God is Lord. We may fall short in our own subjective measures, but God is Lord. We are only human, but God is Lord! Rather than succumbing to imposter syndrome in our own callings, it is important to remember that God has chosen us to fulfill the role He has placed us in, and that is what matters here. Just look at Moses here: yes, he may have been afraid, and had trouble standing up against Pharaoh on his own. God provided him his brother Aaron and a loving family to encourage and help him, and through his tribulations Moses finds courage and strength. Rather than looking inward to what you need in the moment to accomplish something, look around and take stock in what the Lord has given you to help you learn and grow. Rather than simply making us perfect for our position from the get-go, it brings Him glory and praise when we look to Him for guidance and wisdom along our journeys.

You might hear God calling you to go out and live for Him in some way today. That calling may be intimidating, and it may seem impossible. It can be easy to count ourselves out, to look at our negative qualities and how they will only hamper our progress moving forward. But God is not calling us to do these things in a vacuum: he has surrounded us with ways to find strength and grow in faith to live for Him. Remember today that He is Lord, and as He lifted his hand against Pharaoh and guided the Israelites out of captivity into their promised rewards, He will guide you out of your own troubles. More so, He will accept you just as you are, and you will succeed in any endeavor you are called to, so long as your faith and trust in Him guide you.

 

 

Today’s reading is Gen 39, 41, 43, and 45

As you read through these chapters today did any one phrase stand out to you? “And the Lord was with Joseph” seemed to jump out at me every time as I read through these chapters last night. I love the story of Joseph. I always have. One of my favorite Broadway musicals is “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat” even though the writer wrote it as a joke because the Bible story seemed so ridiculous and outlandish to him. (If you read through Joseph’s story in the Bible and don’t know or believe in God, the story is ridiculous and outlandish!) But when you read through the story believing in God, the ridiculousness brings to light God’s power and His sovereign plan. This story shows us that no matter the circumstances, no matter the amount of time spent in despair, no matter the hopelessness of the situation, God is with us and knows what we are experiencing. He also knows how the story will end.

Joseph’s life feels like a roller coaster ride to me. Joseph was born to his father in his old age by Jacob’s favorite wife, sold into slavery by his brothers who were jealous of him, sold again to Pharaoh’s staff, made chief of staff by Potiphar because he was so successful in his work, wrongfully accused of trying to have his way with Potiphar’s wife and imprisoned for it, given the responsibility of running the prison from inside, pulled out of prison to interpret Pharaoh’s dreams, made ruler of Egypt because he proved to be wise, stored up bumper crops for seven years to be ready to combat a seven year famine, asked to sell grain to the brothers (who sold him into slavery) who came seeking help during the famine, and finally reunited with his father and family. That is quite a ride!

Throughout all of the crazy unfair circumstances Joseph found himself in, the Bible says, “and the Lord was with Joseph”.  The people in Joseph’s life recognized that God was with him because his work produced such solid results and he gave God the credit over and over for his ability to interpret other people’s dreams correctly. The people around him knew he was filled with God’s spirit and saw the results of his good management. Joseph trusted in God during slavery enough to keep his head down, do his work and be noticed for his results, to be chosen by leadership to move straight to chief of staff. Then later in his life from being pulled out of a prison cell to interpret a dream, to ruling over the entire country. Those are some pretty daunting situations to live faithfully through. Would I be able to keep my focus on God and be ready for the next step in those same circumstances? Makes me wonder if I give God credit for the things He does in my life enough for the people around me to know that God is with me.

At the end of our reading for today in chapter 45, Joseph’s brother’s have come to him again to purchase grain to keep the family alive and his brother’s still haven’t recognized him. Verse 4 says, “I am Joseph, your brother whom you sold into slavery in Egypt. But don’t be upset, and don’t be angry with yourselves for selling me to this place. It was God who sent me here ahead of you to preserve your lives. This famine that has ravaged the land for two years will last five more years. God has sent me ahead of you to keep you and your families alive and to preserve many survivors. So it was God who sent me here, not you! And he is the one who made me an adviser to Pharaoh-the manager of His entire palace and the governor of all Egypt.” Whoa…this is not a normal response to people who have wronged one so greatly. It is pretty clear that all of the years that God was with Joseph, He was teaching Joseph to love others the way He loves people. This story is set up perfectly for revenge, but God’s response is forgiveness and mercy. It is a beautiful picture of who God is and how he responds to us. I am all for seeing and receiving God’s forgiveness and mercy. When it is aimed at me, there is nothing more beautiful. When I see it aimed at people whom I feel wronged by, the truth is that I sometimes still want justice for them. I am in desperate need of more time “with the Lord” so He can continue to help me learn to love like He loves.

Today’s reading is from Genesis, chapters 31-32.

So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak. Gen. 32:24

This is one of those mysterious incidents found throughout the Old Testament, where an element of mystery is given without much explanation. Who is the masked man and what was he doing?? I am sure Jacob must have felt that way too. He thought he was all alone, having sent everyone and everything across the river, when suddenly out of the shadows steps a man, who to Jacob’s amazement begins to wrestle with him. As you read further, there is no doubt who the man is. In fact, at the end of the story, Jacob names the place of this encounter, Peniel, which means, the face of God, because he said, I have met God face to face and still survived. Here is a man who, in some strange way, in one of those Old Testament manifesetations, is God himself appearing in visible form, and he wrestles with Jacob.

What does all that mean? Taken in connection with the whole story there is no question that what we have here is God’s attempt to improve Jacob’s prayer life with a crash course on how to pray. God is attempting to break down Jacob’s stubborn dependence upon himself. Jacob’s problem was that he never really trusted God to do things. He always had that inward feeling that if he did not do it himself, God would probably not come through. Now God is dealing with him in a defining moment. Jacob has to face up to the fact that, though his prayers are eloquent and beautifully phrased they are useless because he does not actually believe that God is going to do anything. All his trust is in himself.  There is no expectation, but rather a stubborn refusal on Jacob’s part to give up and expect God to handle the situation.

Do you recognize yourself here? I recognize myself frequently doing that. The account continues, Verse 25: When the man saw that he could not overpower him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip so that his hip was wrenched as he wrestled with the man. That came after hours of wrestling. Jacob has resisted, struggled, and fought back. He will not give in until, at last, the divine hand touches him on the thigh and puts the hip socket out of joint. That is the end of it; nobody can wrestle in that condition. All Jacob can do now is to cling in helpless dependence upon this strange wrestler. Knowing by now something of who this man is, he hangs on desperately.

Many messages on this account comment on the fact that Jacob was mighty in prayer because he wrestled with God all night long and prevailed. But it is not true that Jacob wrestled with God. It is God who wrestled with Jacob, trying to break down his stubborn self-reliance, his feeling that it all depends on him, that he has got to do it or else it is not going to get done, that God is really going to do nothing in the situation.

Jacob did not prevail over God by wrestling. The moment of prevailing comes when his hip is broken, when he is absolutely helpless and can do nothing but hang on. That is when he prevailed with God. That is what this account is teaching us. God responds to that sense of human helplessness.