Moses

We always think of Moses as the Law-giver.  It's true.  The law did come to us from God through Moses.  But what else did Moses do?

He was a savior to the people.
He was a deliverer.
He interceded for them when the Lord said He should wipe 'em out because of their rebellion.

That's not law.
That's mercy.
That's rescue.

And all of that (the law and the rescue) is why Jesus is the prophet greater than Moses (Acts 3:22).

We Have Never Been in Bondage to Anyone

Pastor was talking in Bible class today about how we believe in the Word of God.  But it's not only words we believe.  Any religious leader can spout words.  The truth of those words is shown in whether the words come to pass (Deut 18:21-22).  The events of Jesus' suffering, death, and resurrection show that His words were true.  His own words came to pass in the historical events.  The words of the Old Testament prophets also were proven true in the historical events of Jesus' day. 

So I asked, "Did the Old Testament Christians believe in 'just the words' or did they have the events too?" confused because they obviously had not observed the events that occurred in the life of Jesus of Nazareth.

Pastor pointed out the constituative event of the Israelites: the Passover and the crossing of the Red Sea.  That was their salvific event.  It saved.  It was a historical fact.  It was the fulfillment of the promise which came before.  It showed that the Lord was faithful to His word.



About an hour later, we hear from John in today's Gospel.  Jesus is telling His followers to abide in His word.  He tells them, "The truth shall make you free."  And what's the response from some of the Jews?

Free?  Huh?  We're free.  We're Abraham's descendents.  How come you're offering freedom?  We've never been in bondage to anyone. 

I laughed. 

Hello, guys:  Pharaoh.  Egypt.  Slavery.
Moabites, Amorites, Sidonians.
Ammonites, Canaanites, Philistines.
Assyria.
Babylon and Persia.

Yeah, I guess if they couldn't remember the historical events of their past, they're not going to be able to believe the words which came to pass in the unfolding of those events.

And neither would they believe the words which were soon to pan out in the events of Holy Week.

A Jealous God

Jealousy is bad, right?  It's like envy.  It means you're unhappy that somebody else has something you want, or that you might lose what you have -- whether it's stuff or a position or a relationship.

So when God says, "I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God," we see that as a flaw.

Sometimes people think God has an ego problem:  "Hey, don't worship anybody else.  I'm the Big Cheese here, and I want your praise and your accolades."

Sometimes people think God gets hacked off when we don't honor him as we should.  It must hurt His feelings, they think.  Why can't He get over His pettiness, they think.



If you're a parent, you know the terror-of-heart as your beloved child runs toward the busy street.  Or embarks upon some other stupid stunt that's quite likely to endanger him.  If you're not a parent, you probably remember your own confusion after you did something idiotic as a kid.  "Why are you so mad at me, Mom??!  You're glad I didn't get hurt, but you're mad too."



The Lord is jealous.  And it's not about His ego or His feelings.  It's because what hurts Him most is when we insist on harming ourselves.  He loves.  He cares.  He gives.  And when we run off into the busy street, when we run off into danger, it grieves Him.  Not because it damages Him.  But because it hurts us.  And that is why He is "a jealous God."  It's for our protection, for our benefit.  Not for His.

He is the source of life.  When we leave Him, we turn our back on life, and the only thing left is death.  That's why He's jealous for us: He wants us to have life, and have it abundantly.

Roots and Stability

I like to know what to expect.

I don't like not-knowing --  not-knowing about the economy or safety or politics/military action.  It makes it hard to plan for the future.  It leaves a person unsettled.  We're trying to think about our will right now, and whether to set up a trust for Maggie.  But who knows what to expect these days?  Health care and taxes and who'll be running the country and whether religious persecution will come to our shores -- it's all up for grabs.  No certainty.  Questions about stability.

In our Bible story recently (Numbers 6), we heard about the Israelites in the wilderness of Sinai.  They'd left Egypt a little more than a year earlier.  For a change of pace, we hear that they obeyed the Lord.  When the pillar of cloud/fire moved, they were to move.  And they did.  When the pillar of cloud/fire stayed put, the Israelites were supposed to stay in the same spot.  And they did. 


But what about their expectations?  Any one evening, at the end of the day, when the cloud of the Lord's presence settled, the people pitched their tents and started supper ... with no clue whatsoever as to whether they were going to be packing up again the next morning or in a week.  Or in a month.  Or in a year.  They lived day-to-day with no knowledge of the morrow.  No certainty.  No stability ...

except ...

"the Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer."

Women Soldiers?

Today's Bible story in chapel was the beginning of Numbers, where God told Moses to take a census of the Israelites.  Who was to be counted?  Not everyone.  Only the males over age 20. 

Why?  They would be the soldiers, the army.

Pastor asked the kids, "But why only the males?" 

After a few answers that were partly true, but not quite to the point, Pastor led them to the key point.  "It's about Jesus, folks."

Men protect and guard women.  The husband lays down his life for his bride.  Real men sacrifice for their families instead of thinking first of themselves.  This is what Jesus did for His bride the Church.  And pointing to this truth about Jesus, God instructed that the Israelite army would be the men.

Come to Me

Story about Jesus walking on the water (Matt 14).  The disciples think He's a ghost.  Jesus says, "I am.  Do not be afraid."  He's not just telling them to chill out because, oh, it's just Him, their friend and teacher.  He's using for Himself the name announced to Moses at the burning bush (Ex 3).  And Peter responds with that name: "If You are, tell me to come to You."  Jesus says, "Come." 

Interesting.  When Moses was wandering around Sinai/Horeb with his flock o' sheep, he saw the bush burning.  The Angel of the Lord (God) called to Moses.  But when Moses headed over that direction, the Lord said, "Do not draw near this place ... for it is holy ground."

Come, Peter.
Don't come, Moses.

Is it the incarnation which makes the difference?

Come unto Me, all you who are 

weary and heavy-laden, and I

will give you rest.  (Matt 11)

In Christ Jesus 
you who once were far off 
have been brought near 
by the blood of Christ.  (Eph 2)

The Blood of the Passover

Blood on the doorposts and lintels. 
The Angel of Death passed over those houses.

Maybe it was pictures from Sunday School lessons.
Maybe it was something I saw in a movie.

I always pictured in my mind the people painting the blood onto their door-frames.  You know, smearing it on in a rather tidy, complete way.

But Exodus 12 says the people were to dip the hyssop in the blood of the lamb and "strike [or touch] the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood."  The lintel.  The two doorposts.  That makes three applications of blood.



What happens in baptism?
I baptize you in the name of the Father
[splash]
and of the Son
[splash]
and of the Holy Ghost.
[splash]

Which Came First?

I find it fascinating that Exodus 12 comes before Exodus 14.

Now, for everybody who learned to count in kindergarten, you're looking at those numbers and thinking, "That is one dumb thing to find fascinating."

But look at what's happening in the story.
Exodus 10:  The 8th and 9th plagues (locusts and darkness).
Exodus 11:  God announces the 10th plague on its way.  Moses and Aaron go tell Pharaoh.
Exodus 12, part 1:  God institutes the Passover celebration.  He gives them the rites and rubrics.  He lays it all out, how they are to celebrate this festival for the rest of forever.
Exodus 12, part 2:  The 10th plague.  And the Israelites hustling out of Egypt.
Exodus 13, part 1:  More about the liturgy of Passover and also about the redemption of the firstborn.
Exodus 13, part 2:  Traveling from Goshen to the Red Sea.
Exodus 14:  The Lord's deliverance of His people.
Exodus 15:  The song of praise about the deliverance.

You would think that God would rescue His people FIRST.  And then they'd respond.  You'd think the event itself would precede the instructions of how they were to celebrate/remember the event.  But no.  God does it backward from our way of looking at it.  First comes the WORD which tells them how to celebrate what He hadn't even done yet. 

It's almost like His word makes things happen or somethin'.

It's like God thinks the liturgy to celebrate/remember these events is as important as the event itself.  (If I brought this up in Bible class, this is where my pastor would probably point out Luke 24: 46-47 where Jesus says that it was necessary for the Christ to suffer/die/rise AND necessary that it be preached.)

From the Joseph Story

From Thursday's Bible class -- notes and ruminations:

Genesis 45:5, 8  Joseph told his brothers, "God sent me before you" into the land of Egypt.  Even though the brothers had committed a dastardly deed in selling their brother into Egyptian slavery, Joseph's explanation of events said that God was the one who brought him there.  God turned even their evil into good ... as He is wont to do.
The prophet tells us that "out of Egypt I have called My Son."  But God also sent Jesus (like Joseph) into Egypt.  And as it happened for Joseph, it was (to all outward appearances) attempted murder that sent the boy Jesus from Canaan to Egypt.


45:24    When Joseph had equipped his brothers for the trip to Canaan, sending them to fetch the rest of the family, he sent them off with "See that you do not become troubled along the way."  It's almost as if he knew they would begin to wonder if Joseph had really forgiven them, if it was a set-up, if there would be repercussions.  "Don't be troubled.  Don't be agitated.  Go in peace."  Joseph knew the human heart's inclination to doubt, to fear, to be troubled.  And he wanted to comfort them so that his beloved brothers would not be troubled.


45:27  The fellows told Dad, "Joseph is alive, and he's ruling Egypt."  Now, that's quite the shocker!  But then the story goes on: "When they told [Jacob] all the words which Joseph had said to them...."  Pastor pointed out that "all the words" means the guys would've had to admit to Dad what had happened that long-ago day, 22 years earlier ... and admit that they had lied all along.  "And Jacob's spirit revived."  It did?  Wow -- so he forgave them. 
How could he forgive that?  Well, think about his own past.  Jacob had deceived.  He had cheated his brother.  He had lied to his father.  He had been separated from his family.  But the Lord's mercy forgave him, so that love and mercy overflowed from him to others.   How about that?  When God is merciful and loving to scumbum sinners, it really does bear fruit in the lives of those who receive His love.


45:5 and 50:20   Even though the brothers meant evil against Joseph, God meant it for good "to preserve life."  "To save your lives by a great deliverance."  "To bring it about as it is this day, to save many people alive." 

1. God worked for good by feeding physical food to gobs of people through Joseph's leadership in Egypt. 
2. God worked for good by saving the brothers from their impenitence, bringing their sin into the light of day that they might benefit from the forgiveness Joseph had for them.
3. God worked for good by preserving the life of the ancestor of Jesus.  Judah and his brothers did not die of starvation.  Their family continued, and the Messiah --the Savior-- was born just as the Lord had promised to Abraham.  

50:17  So when Jacob dies, the brothers send a message to Joseph: Dad said to forgive us for the evil we did to you.  Did Jacob say that, or did the guys just say it because they were shakin' in their boots?  Either way, it shows that we need a mediator, an intercessor, to plead for us sinners.

Abraham's Name-Change

I knew God changed Abram's name to Abraham.

I knew God instituted the sacrament of circumcision for His people.  (In the new testament, baptism corresponds to this -- the way sinners are brought into God's people and marked as His own.)

But it never crossed my mind until this week that those two things happened at the same time.  Little boys got their names at the time of their circumcision (Luke 2:21).  Today, in the baptism rite, children are named.  But looking at Genesis 17, even Abraham received his name at his circumcision ... old age notwithstanding. 

I think that's kind of cool.

Mercy Seat

... Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood ...  (Romans 3)

So, that "propitiation" is another word for "mercy seat."

In the Holy of Holies, behind the veil in the tabernacle and the temple, the ark of the covenant was covered by the mercy seat.  The place of the Lord's presence.  The place where He particularly was with His people to forgive.  Tucked away.  Nobody went there.  Except the high priest once a year.  With blood and with cleansing.

And now, in the fulness of time, God set forth the propitiation.  Not tucked away.  Right out there where the whole world can see.

With All Your Heart, With All Your Soul, and With All Your Strength

Last week's Bible verse was about loving God with all your heart, soul, and strength (Deuteronomy 6:4-5).  This week's Bible verse is a continuation (verses 6-7)

These words which I command you today
shall be in your heart.
You shall teach them diligently to your children,
and shall talk of them when you sit in your house,
when you walk by the way,
when you lie down,
and when you rise up.

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart."
"These words shall be in your heart."

"Love the Lord your God with all your strength."
"Teach them diligently."

"Love the Lord your God with all your soul"
(which is sometimes translated "life").
And the verse talks about how all our being and doing (at home and away, morning and night) is when we are to speak God's words.

Y'know, a person might almost be tempted to conclude that loving God has something to do with being filled up with His words, clinging to His words, bubbling over with His words.

Don't Be So Judgmental

Sodom and Gomorrah.
The angels came to check out the place.  Lot saw them and invited them to stay at his house.  When they said, "Thanks, but no thanks, we'll camp out here," Lot wouldn't allow it.   When Lot would not allow his guests to be raped by the villagers who were banging on the door of his house, but offered his daughters instead, the men were hacked off (Genesis 19).  And what did they say?

"This one came in to stay here, and he keeps acting as a judge."

THAT is being judgmental?  

This Lot dude doesn't participate in their activities.  And he doesn't turn his guests over for abuse.  And their response is "he keeps acting as a judge."

Wow.  It doesn't take much to be labeled judgmental, does it?

You don't even have to say anything negative.  You don't have to scold.  You don't have to preach.  "Judgmental" is seen simply by not making the same choices that they do.

Wow.

The Story about Abraham's Persistent Prayer for Sodom

Maybe it's the math geek in me.  The part of the story (Gen 18) I always noticed was the countdown.  50?  45?  40?  30?  20?  10? 

I never noticed in verse 19 what the Lord was pondering about Abraham's status:  "For I have known him, in order that he may command his children and his household after him, that they keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice, that the Lord may bring to Abraham what He has spoken to him.”

The Lord loves us.  And we teach others about His love and mercy, so they too can hang onto that righteousness He gives. And the Lord needs to make sure we know (verse 17) about His punishment of sin so that we do not waver in trusting His goodness.  What we see and experience must never be allowed to override in our hearts the sweet promises He has made.

The Lawyer's Version of Law

When the lawyer wanted to trap Jesus in His words (prior to the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke 10), Jesus asked, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?"

Of course, the lawyer answered with a synopsis of the Rules.  And sure enough, that is in the law.

But what else is in "the law," the Torah? 

What if Jesus asked, "What is written in the law?  What is your reading of it?" and the answer was something like, "The Lord shall provide for Himself the lamb for the burnt offering" (Gen 22)?  Or "Stand still, and see the salvation which the Lord your God will accomplish for you this day" (Ex 14)?

Moses and Elijah

Moses and Elijah both struggled with doubts.  "I don't want to be doing this, Lord."  "I've had enough of this; these people don't want to listen to me; how about I quit now?"  Or "How about You just kill me now?"  Okay, sure, they both had the problem of "hearers" who refused to listen to them.  But even more, they suffered with their own unbelief, hating it, and yet incapable of freeing themselves.  And what help is there for that?

Oh.  Yeah.  Talking to Jesus about His suffering and death that was approaching.

Not the Slave, But the Son

The Lord told Abraham, "[Eliezer] shall not be your heir, but one who will come from your own body shall be your heir"  (Genesis 15:4).

Sunday's [1-year] epistle was "This is He who came by water and blood -- Jesus Christ; not only by water, but by water and blood" (1 John 5), and a week ago John swore that blood and water came out when the soldier pierced Jesus' side (John 19).  The Church is created from the water and blood which come from Jesus' side. 

In Abraham, we see some truths about Jesus.  The one who came from Jesus' own body shall be His heir.

Waiting for God's Promises

So Pastor's talking this morning about how long Sarah and Abraham waited for that baby.  Twenty-five years.  Along the way, they had options for God.  But those weren't what God had promised.  They had to wait.

Then Rebekah, their daughter-in-law, had to wait.  So Abraham didn't see his grandson until 85 years after God told him he would be the father of a great nation. 

And then Rachel didn't conceive very quickly either.

What I'd never noticed before was Leah's side of the family.  In the line of promise, Judah's daughter-in-law Tamar was waiting around for a good long time before she conceived too. 



The angel told Joseph to name the baby JESUS "for He shall save His people from their sins."

Thy Blood My Royal Robe Shall Be

In the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve hid. They sinned. They hid. God came. He called to them. They said they were hiding because they were naked and ashamed.

Gerhardt wrote:
Thy blood my royal robe shall be,
my joy beyond all measure.
When I appear before Thy throne,
Thy righteousness shall be my crown.
With these I need not hide me. (TLH 142:6)

Adam and Eve didn't really confess to God so much as they blamed somebody else. Nevertheless, our God, who is full of compassion, killed a lamb. Blood was shed. God made the lamb's skin into a garment, a robe, to cover their shame. And they didn't have to keep hiding.

"Drink of it all of you; this cup is the new testament in My blood which is shed for you for the forgiveness of sins."  "Jesus, Thy blood and righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress." With these I need not hide me.

Removing the Sandal

John the Baptist said he was not worthy to loosen the strap of the Messiah's sandal. Most of us heard that all our lives as "I'm nothing and He's everything, and I'm not worthy to even serve Him." But it's more than that.

Pastor likes to remind us of the story of Ruth, and how Boaz was the kinsman-redeemer. He exercised his right of redemption by removing his sandal. This also ties in with Genesis 3 where God tells Satan that the Seed-of-the-Woman will crush his head with His heel.

Last week when we were discussing these things in class, someone brought up the burning bush and how Moses was told to remove his sandals "for the place you are standing is holy ground." I'd always thought that was just a reference to God's holiness and purity, and the dirtiness of us sinners as signified by our dirty shoes. But then Pastor pointed out that Moses was a redeemer figure. He rescued the people. He brought them back from slavery in Egypt. And as a redeemer, he (like Boaz) had the bare feet.

"How beautiful upon the mountain are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace."