The Lord Spoke: Asking for Trouble...

 Numbers 33:50 And the Lord spoke to Moses in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 51 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When you pass over the Jordan into the land of Canaan, 52 then you shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you and destroy all their figured stones and destroy all their metal images and demolish all their high places. 53 And you shall take possession of the land and settle in it, for I have given the land to you to possess it.... 55 But if you do not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you, then those of them whom you let remain shall be as barbs in your eyes and thorns in your sides, and they shall trouble you in the land where you dwell.

Now that the people were prepared to enter the land, God reminded them of the big picture: He was giving them this land.  Those currently in the land had completely rebelled against Him and were not turning back. Coexistence would not work.  Syncretic religion does not work.  Even a little leaven of sin would spread and reinfect the land and their lives.  To not clean house and start afresh would be asking for trouble.  How much trouble do we make for ourselves by partial obedience, selective hearing, and thinking we know better than God?

The Lord Spoke: "Setting Boundaries"

 Numbers 34:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Command the people of Israel, and say to them, When you enter the land of Canaan (this is the land that shall fall to you for an inheritance, the land of Canaan as defined by its borders), ...16 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 17 “These are the names of the men who shall divide the land to you for inheritance: 

Having performed his last act of military leadership as commander-in-chief, God gave Moses instructions to pass on to the people and leaders for after he was gone and the people entered the land.  They needed to know where the outside boundaries of the land were (like anyone entering a new home) and also how they were going to set boundaries within that land(hence the leaders who would divide the land.  Our tendency is to blur the lines and cross over boundaries.  God had given us all sorts of "boundary" instructions in His word, which we often cross, and He has given us those who remind us where those boundaries are - not to be mean, but to keep peace in the land.  May we respect His boundaries and those who remind us of them.

The Lord Spoke: "One Last Thing"

 Numbers 31:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Avenge the people of Israel on the Midianites. Afterward you shall be gathered to your people.”

God had been speaking and saying a lot to Moses, having him lay out to the people of Israel all His instructions for how to live in the promised land.  The time of wandering in the wilderness was winding down. God said here there was one last thing.  Before we talk about that instruction, stop and think what the second half of verse 2 means to Moses.  "Afterward, you're a goner." This is Moses' last act in leading his people. One would hope things would go well. As his last act, Moses wanted this to be done right.  This instruction was a big one, as the Midianites had harassed the people of Israel, making them reroute their journey. They had been a thorn in their side. Now was the time to get rid of them, once and for all.  But the people did not fully obey. They kept the women - the very same Midianite women who helped lead them into idolatry. After correcting this error, the spoil of food and livestock became what Israel would use to set up their new homes in the promised land, where Moses would never go.  

The Lord Said: "They're Right!"

 Numbers 27:3 “Our father died in the wilderness. He was not among the company of those who gathered themselves together against the Lord in the company of Korah, but died for his own sin. And he had no sons. 4 Why should the name of our father be taken away from his clan because he had no son? Give to us a possession among our father's brothers.” 5 Moses brought their case before the Lord. 6 And the Lord said to Moses, 7 “The daughters of Zelophehad are right. You shall give them possession of an inheritance among their father's brothers and transfer the inheritance of their father to them.

This event is a logical outcome of the previous chapter.  A whole generation had died in the wilderness.  The original plan for dividing the land had to be altered accordingly.  Faithful families should not be left without provision.  As a result of this formal complaint, a law was created to protect not only the interests of these daughters of one man, but all such cases that existed.  We live in a fallen world where injustice and selfishness rule.  None of us are perfect or immune.  We must seek God's answers to these dilemmas. We don't have the wisdom or sufficient righteousness to know on our own. He will answer and show what is right.  

The Lord Says: "See Who Is Still Around."

Numbers 26:1 After the plague, the Lord said to Moses and to Eleazar the son of Aaron, the priest, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, from twenty years old and upward, by their fathers' houses, all in Israel who are able to go to war.” 3 And Moses and Eleazar the priest spoke with them in the plains of Moab by the Jordan at Jericho, saying, 4 “Take a census of the people, from twenty years old and upward,” as the Lord commanded Moses. 

After giving a few more examples of how the people of Israel disobeyed and failed to trust God, He once again calls on them to take a census.  Those twenty and above were considered the new generation after the disobedient one had died in the wilderness.  Comparing this census, or "Numbering," with the one made at the beginning of the wandering shows which tribes had decreased the most.  For instance, the greatest decline was in the tribe of Simeon, which was especially noted in the chapter before this (ch.25) as those falling into Baal worship and being plagued because of it.  Most of all, this chapter ends with the statement: 64 But among these there was not a man of those wo were numbered by Moses and Aaron the priest when they numbered the children of Israel in the Wilderness of Sinai. (except Caleb and Joshua).  God had kept His promise. It was time to get ready to move on. 

The Lord Speaks When We're Too Blind to See

Numbers 22:31 Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, with his drawn sword in his hand. And he bowed down and fell on his face. 32 And the angel of the Lord said to him, “Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out to oppose you because your way is perverse before me. 33 The donkey saw me and turned aside before me these three times. If she had not turned aside from me, surely just now I would have killed you and let her live.” 34 Then Balaam said to the angel of the Lord, “I have sinned, for I did not know that you stood in the road against me. Now therefore, if it is evil in your sight, I will turn back.” 35 And the angel of the Lord said to Balaam, “Go with the men, but speak only the word that I tell you.” So Balaam went on with the princes of Balak.

This chapter begins the intriguing account of Balaam during the wilderness wanderings of Israel.  He had "sold out" his people to prophesy against them, and in the preceding paragraph we are told God was angry. He sent His Angel to block the way, but Balaam was oblivious.  Finally, the angel of the Lord speaks and shows Balaam has blind he had been.  How often are we that way?  So gun-ho on our own paths that we ignore what God has to show us.  He then speaks - maybe even shouts - that we are on the wrong path. Do we hear Him? Do we listen?  May He open our eyes and ears to what He has so obviously put in our path.

The Lord Said: "You Are Responsible"

 Numbers 18:1 So the Lord said to Aaron, “You and your sons and your father's house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. 2 And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. 

We have seen over and over again sections that begin: "The Lord spoke to Moses" or "God said to Moses" and occasionally "The Lord Spoke to Moses and Aaron."  But God was speaking to Aaron, and as the passage goes on, He was entrusting - and holding accountable - the Priests and Levites for a lot of what went on at the Tabernacle.  Once again, context is everything. In the preceding chapter, God had shown Aaron's tribe to be the tribe for the job, as only his rod of the twelve budded and bore fruit overnight. The other leaders were moved to fear.  Lest this choosing go to his head, God made it very clear that with this authority came great accountability. Often we find leaders in scripture letting their choosing "go to their heads" and abusing their power, and the people as a whole resting on their laurels as "God's chosen people." We are not immune to this.  We are held responsible to God for all His blessings to us.

The Lord Said: "I'm Serious..."

Numbers 15:32 While the people of Israel were in the wilderness, they found a man gathering sticks on the Sabbath day. 33 And those who found him gathering sticks brought him to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation. 34 They put him in custody, because it had not been made clear what should be done to him. 35 And the Lord said to Moses, “The man shall be put to death; all the congregation shall stone him with stones outside the camp.” 36 And all the congregation brought him outside the camp and stoned him to death with stones, as the Lord commanded Moses.

It is passages like this that make people point to the God of the Bible and portray Him as a mean, heartless ogre.  They say: "kill the man for picking up sticks - really?"  That's because we often read without context. In the proceeding verses God had been talking to people about intentional versus unintentional sins.  The former are those done "with a high hand" - deliberate, arrogant acts of rebellion against God.  We're not talking some misdemeanor act, but hateful defiance. This becomes more evident in the next event: the rebellion of Korah.  Context is everything. These were not innocent people making a mistake. They are examples of why Israel had to wait in the wilderness for forty years: their rebellious hearts.  As Paul says to the Corinthians: Let us learn from the example.

The Lord Spoke: The Complaint Department Responds

 Numbers 14:26 And the Lord spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying, 27 “How long shall this wicked congregation grumble against me? I have heard the grumblings of the people of Israel, which they grumble against me. 28 Say to them, ‘As I live, declares the Lord, what you have said in my hearing I will do to you: 29 your dead bodies shall fall in this wilderness, and of all your number, listed in the census from twenty years old and upward, who have grumbled against me, 30 not one shall come into the land where I swore that I would make you dwell, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun. 

God had proved over and over again that He would provide, protect, and lead His people into the promised land.  As we saw yesterday, when the time came, they resisted. They complained that God had led them into the wilderness only to die there.  So God granted their request: He let them die there- not because that was His plan, but because they rejected His plan.  It is okay with us to "wrestle with God", to cry out complaints and wrestle to understand His ways. But this is an attack on His character and a blatant refusal to trust Him. Be careful what you accuse God of; it just may come true.  

The Lord Said: "Let's Start Over Here..."

 Numbers 14:11 And the Lord said to Moses, “How long will this people despise me? And how long will they not believe in me, in spite of all the signs that I have done among them? 12 I will strike them with the pestilence and disinherit them, and I will make of you a nation greater and mightier than they.”

The Lord had been speaking all sorts of instructions to the people through Moses, preparing them to enter the promised land. He had offered them a covenant promising protection, provision and His presence. He led them through the construction of the Tabernacle, how to use it, and gave guidelines for those who served there. As we saw yesterday, He said "Now is the time; take a look." And the people said "no, we won't go."  On the one hand, we can understand God's frustration. But we also wonder about the wisdom of abandoning everything God had already invested in this plan: from the Exodus to the present. In faith, Mose and Aaron, and Joshua and Caleb, vastly outnumbered and on the wrong side of the crowd, call out to both God and His people to make this work. Rather than starting over from scratch, they stared over from where they were at.  It wasn't going to be easy; it was going to take another 40 years. Like these people, we often go so far and say stop. God does not take abandon us. He starts where we are, to begin again, and learn to trust Him more.  May we do that today.

The Lord Spoke: Send Spies

Numbers 13:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the people of Israel. From each tribe of their fathers you shall send a man, every one a chief among them.”

Most of us know the rest of the story without reading on, but it's worth repeated.  Most of the spies (10 of the 12) focused on the size and number of the inhabitants, becoming full of fear.  The other two did what God said: focused on the land, its lushness and produce. We cannot ignore the historical context here: God had been building them up, preparing them for the journey, organizing them. This was the whole reason for delivering them from Egypt, and they said "No; we're stopping here."  How often have we done that with God? He calls us, prepares us, gives us everything we need, then we give in to fear and give up on it. When God shows us something, gives us a glimpse, it is to move us forward in faith and learn to trust Him more. 

The Lord Spoke: "Get Ready"

Numbers 1:1 The Lord spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tent of meeting, on the first day of the second month, in the second year after they had come out of the land of Egypt, saying, 2 “Take a census of all the congregation of the people of Israel, by clans, by fathers' houses, according to the number of names, every male, head by head. 3 From twenty years old and upward, all in Israel who are able to go to war, you and Aaron shall list them, company by company. 4 And there shall be with you a man from each tribe, each man being the head of the house of his fathers. 

This is the second census which had been taken of Israel, the other having taken place when God was having them collect for the building of the tabernacle.  Now that it has been built, all the furnishings put in, and instructions given about the offerings and the priests, it was time to move forward to the promised land - the whole reason they had left Egypt in the first place.  God's instructions are very straightforward, making it easy for them to set up camp in an organized way so they could move the nation forward in a smooth fashion. When we listen to God's instructions, He takes us forward one step at a time, keeping our focus on where He wants us to go. 

The Lord Spoke: "Let's Celebrate!"

Leviticus 23:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, These are the appointed feasts of the Lord that you shall proclaim as holy convocations; they are my appointed feasts.

As we have seen, this book is all about the holiness of the sacred covenant between God and His people. He gave them all the instructions, and admonitions, that they needed to live life in relationship with Him. As He nears the end of His guidelines, it becomes more like party plans.  Let's plan on getting together on the Sabbath, Passover, First Fruits, Feast of Weeks, Feast of Trumpets, Day of Passover, Feast of Booths. Life with God is meant to be celebrated, observed, enjoyed.  Let's not turn it into a drudgery. Let's begin by going to spend time celebrating with Him today.

The Lord Spoke Hard Core...

Leviticus 20:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Say to the people of Israel, Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. 3 I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. 

We saw yesterday that after giving all these instructions about worship, God gave a general reminder that the reason for them all was His holiness.   Keepers of His Covenant keep that always in the forefront of their hearts and minds.  God did not just speak in generalities: He gave specific hard case scenarios which were true to life. People around them actually did these things.  When we follow suit, we violate His holiness. We either sustain His holiness or stain it.

The Lord Spoke Because...

Leviticus 19:1 And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy. 3 Every one of you shall revere his mother and his father, and you shall keep my Sabbaths: I am the Lord your God. 4 Do not turn to idols or make for yourselves any gods of cast metal: I am the Lord your God.

Many of the chapters of Leviticus leading up to this one begin: The Lord Spoke to Moses..., followed by the instructions on sacrifice, the activities of the priests, and proper lifestyle of the people. Here the Lord pauses to remind them why: He is Holy and expects holiness of His people. It is consistent with the covenantal commitment they had made at the mountain. They were to keep their relationships with God and one another in proper order because of their common commitment to Him, their family, their people. Failure to keep these instructions lightly indicated they were taking their relationships lightly, which would lead to fracturing the covenant of life.  It is good for us to pause and consider as well: What does it mean to me that God is Holy?

The Lord Called...

 

Leviticus 1:1 The Lord called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel and say to them, When any one of you brings an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering of livestock from the herd or from the flock.

Besides the Lord God saying and speaking, sometimes He calls.  When He calls, He has something very important to say. At the end of Exodus, God appointed Moses as the one who would communicate with Him on behalf of the people.  Here, in the very next chapter, God summoned Moses to give instructions to His people about sacrifices and offerings.  There are many times and ways God tells us what we need to know and do.  What follows are pages of detailed instructions - a worship manual if you will.  The important thing is that God deserves to be worshipped in His way, not ours.  When God calls, listen.

The Lord Said: "I'm Moving In..."

Exodus 40:1 The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “On the first day of the first month you shall erect the tabernacle of the tent of meeting...34 Then the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 35 And Moses was not able to enter the tent of meeting because the cloud settled on it, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle. 36 Throughout all their journeys, whenever the cloud was taken up from over the tabernacle, the people of Israel would set out. 37 But if the cloud was not taken up, then they did not set out till the day that it was taken up. 38 For the cloud of the Lord was on the tabernacle by day, and fire was in it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel throughout all their journeys.

Having listened to all God's instructions on building the parts of the Tabernacle and its furnishings, God said to put it all together.  Once they did, He "moved in."  He made His presence known constantly all through the wilderness journey to the promised land.  That pictures for us as well what happens when we listen to His instructions: it is a daily journey of His constant presence.  His protection and guidance are always there day and night.  Oh, the glory of His presence!

The Lord Said: "Go Up... But I Will Not Go"

Exodus 33:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Depart; go up from here, you and the people whom you have brought up out of the land of Egypt, to the land of which I swore to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, saying, ‘To your offspring I will give it.’ 2 I will send an angel before you, and I will drive out the Canaanites, the Amorites, the Hittites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebusites. 3 Go up to a land flowing with milk and honey; but I will not go up among you, lest I consume you on the way, for you are a stiff-necked people.”

God had delivered His people, brought them through the sea, provided food and water, and committed to a covenant with them, giving them all the instructions they needed to experience His presence. But they chose the golden calf.  So, The Lord offered them the opportunity to go on to the promised land without Him, promising His angel would clear the path for them.  Fortunately, they chose to beg for God's presence to continue with them.  We often do the same thing: we experience God's saving grace, taste and see that new life is good, and make commitments to God. But then we begin to think we can go one without Him; we think we know what we are doing on our own.  May we stop, confess, and ask that above all else, He will go with us and before us.

The Lord Said: "They Shall Make..."

Exodus 25:1 The Lord said to Moses, 2 “Speak to the people of Israel, that they take for me a contribution. From every man whose heart moves him you shall receive the contribution for me. 3 And this is the contribution that you shall receive from them: gold, silver, and bronze, 4 blue and purple and scarlet yarns and fine twined linen, goats' hair, 5 tanned rams' skins, goatskins, acacia wood, 6 oil for the lamps, spices for the anointing oil and for the fragrant incense, 7 onyx stones, and stones for setting, for the ephod and for the breastpiece. 8 And let them make me a sanctuary, that I may dwell in their midst. 

We saw yesterday that God and the people of Israel agreed upon the "rules" of their relationship - the ten commandments and those that followed.  God then instructed the construction of the Tabernacle, and all the instruments involved in worship, each instruction beginning with the phrase: they shall make. Our relationship with God is to be creative. God was going to be around.  He did not want to be forgotten. As Jesus reminded the woman at the well: 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. He knows that since He is Spirit, we tend to forget He is around.  We don't see the Red Sea divide every day or hear His voice like thunder. God wants us to hang out with Him, spend time with Him, live out our relationship with Him daily. The place should never replace the relationship, but it is good for us to have a place we meet with Him. 

The Lord Said: Come, Let's Make a Covenant

Exodus 24:1 Then he said to Moses, “Come up to the Lord, you and Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and worship from afar. 2 Moses alone shall come near to the Lord, but the others shall not come near, and the people shall not come up with him.” 3 Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the rules. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words that the Lord has spoken we will do.”  

The chapters in between today and yesterday are what we might call "rules of relationship" - how people are to interact with God and one another.  They were straightforward, specific, and fully understood. Total agreement was expressed on both sides. Moses was appointed to record all the details and sign for the people.  Covenants are made for integrity, security, and proclamation before the world. God wants everyone to know who we are an why we are here.  Do we truly understand who we are as His people?

God Speaks Out of Relationship

Exodus 20:1 And God spoke all these words, saying, 2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. 3 “You shall have no other gods before me.

We often misunderstand what God is saying to us because we misunderstand why He is saying it to us. When God came to Israel with the Ten Commandments it was not Him saying "If you want to have a relationship with Me, you have to do this and this and Not that, that, and that.  He was speaking to them saying "Because we have this relationship where I have done this, this, and that, here is how you should respond."  God did something similar with Adam at creation: "Because I made you and everything around you to enjoy, you should do thus, and so." There are many places we find these kinds of conversations and instructions.  God seeks and provides a relationship with us, which is what we really need, and He also helps us understand what makes that relationship work.

The Lord Says: Consider What You've Seen.

 

Exodus 19:2 There Israel encamped before the mountain, 3 while Moses went up to God. The Lord called to him out of the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the people of Israel: 4 ‘You yourselves have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. 5 Now therefore, if you will indeed obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession among all peoples, for all the earth is mine; 6 and you shall be to me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ 

Having seen God's deliverance from Egypt, safe passage through the Sea, and provision of manna and water, God calls on the people (and us) to consider what our proper response is. We are to understand that God has a plan and purpose, including instructions, resources, and protection plan.  The question before us now is: Will we obey and enjoy this special calling?

And God Said: "Here's How to Get Water"

Exodus 17:5 And the Lord said to Moses, “Pass on before the people, taking with you some of the elders of Israel, and take in your hand the staff with which you struck the Nile, and go. 6 Behold, I will stand before you there on the rock at Horeb, and you shall strike the rock, and water shall come out of it, and the people will drink.” And Moses did so, in the sight of the elders of Israel. 7 And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah, because of the quarreling of the people of Israel, and because they tested the Lord by saying, “Is the Lord among us or not?”

God had already provided food in response to the people's complaining; now He provided water.  God was not giving "how-to" lessons on what we need to get water, but how we can depend on God to meet our needs - even ones we take so much for granted.  As always, He has a picture for us of the Gospel - that Christ is both the Rock upon whom we can place our trust and the Source of Living Water for daily and eternal life.  The big question in all our hearts is: "Is God here and does He care?" The answer is a bigtime "YES."

God Said: "Let There Be Bread"

Exodus 16:4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Behold, I am about to rain bread from heaven for you, and the people shall go out and gather a day's portion every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in my law or not. 5 On the sixth day, when they prepare what they bring in, it will be twice as much as they gather daily.”

The giving of manna to the people of Israel is one of those "Bible Stories" many people have heard and move on.  But not so fast.  Why did God give it? Partially because they were hungry and complained that God only brought them out of Egypt to the wilderness to starve them there, but there is more to the story. He told Mose that it was a test of obedience and faith.  They were to collect daily, but twice the amount on the sixth day.  Why? He only provided what they needed daily so they would trust in Him as their Provider and that they would obey His law of the Sabbath: to rest and appreciate His provision, worship Him (which WAS the main reason for them leaving Egypt in the first place!), and be content in His plan for them.  God doesn't want us to be worried with worry or resistant to His will. Which are you?

This Lord Said: This Is NOT a Dead-end

 Exodus 14: 15 The Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry to me? Tell the people of Israel to go forward. 16 Lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the people of Israel may go through the sea on dry ground. 17 And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they shall go in after them, and I will get glory over Pharaoh and all his host, his chariots, and his horsemen. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gotten glory over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his horsemen.”

Often, when we actually listen to the Lord and follow His lead, there will be times when we feel trapped - like there is nowhere to go, and we complain that we have been faithful and obedient, only to end up at a dead-end.  We definitely don't see as God can see.  The Lord was both showing Pharoah that He is God, and at the same time giving lessons in faith and obedience to His people. It's more than just His power; it is also His love, mercy, and trustworthy plan.  May we not lose heart today. 

The Lord Said: "Remember This..."

 Exodus 12:1 The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, 2 “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you...14 “This day shall be for you a memorial day, and you shall keep it as a feast to the Lord; throughout your generations, as a statute forever, you shall keep it as a feast... 26 And when your children say to you, ‘What do you mean by this service?’ 27 you shall say, ‘It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, for he passed over the houses of the people of Israel in Egypt, when he struck the Egyptians but spared our houses.’” And the people bowed their heads and worshiped.

Knowing that we have such a tendency to forget, when it came to the final judgment on Pharoah and the Passing Over of God's angel of His people who obeyed Him, God gave them not a day, but a whole week to remember the event.  Many times things we have been waiting for, which we have been praying for, and which we deep down think never could happen, do so just as God has said.  We thank Him for those, but we also quickly forget. He calls on us to establish memorials to His faithfulness. When we forget them, we tend to stray away from obeying Him. Israel did. So do we.  Take time to remember. 

God Speaks Till We Listen

Exodus 11:1 The Lord said to Moses, “Yet one plague more I will bring upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt. Afterward he will let you go from here. When he lets you go, he will drive you away completely. 2 Speak now in the hearing of the people, that they ask, every man of his neighbor and every woman of her neighbor, for silver and gold jewelry.” 3 And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians. Moreover, the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants and in the sight of the people.

In the final plague in Egypt, Pharoah became a broken man. Not only did he allow the people of Israel to go out and worship for a few days - all of them with all their stuff - he begged them to leave and paid them to do.  Everyone was glad to see them go and all their troubles with them: the people, the government offices, and grudgingly, Pharoah himself.  When God keeps speaking and we refuse to listen, He will speak so loudly and strongly we cannot ignore Him.  It's always best to listen initially and obey His voice.

God Says "All"

 Exodus 10:21 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Stretch out your hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, a darkness to be felt.” 22 So Moses stretched out his hand toward heaven, and there was pitch darkness in all the land of Egypt three days. 23 They did not see one another, nor did anyone rise from his place for three days, but all the people of Israel had light where they lived. 24 Then Pharaoh called Moses and said, “Go, serve the Lord; your little ones also may go with you; only let your flocks and your herds remain behind.” 25 But Moses said, “You must also let us have sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God. 26 Our livestock also must go with us; not a hoof shall be left behind, for we must take of them to serve the Lord our God, and we do not know with what we must serve the Lord until we arrive there.” 

There is a progression in the 10 plagues on Egypt not only is the power God demonstrates, but also the demands He makes upon Pharoah.  First it was "Let My People God" a few days into the wilderness. Pharoah was finally willing to let the men go, then the children, and now the demand was for the livestock as well.  God also demanded that they be allowed to wait until they got there to see how long and involved their time would be.  Pharaoh kept balking, unwilling to relent, unwilling to let the Lord have them all.  But that is exactly what God wants from each and every one of us: All.

God Speaks for the Next Generation

Exodus 10:1Then the Lord said to Moses, “Go in to Pharaoh, for I have hardened his heart and the heart of his servants, that I may show these signs of mine among them, 2 and that you may tell in the hearing of your son and of your grandson how I have dealt harshly with the Egyptians and what signs I have done among them, that you may know that I am the Lord.”

With each increasing plague we find God speaking for the benefit of more and more people.  The things God was telling and showing Moses, Pharoah, and their respective nations was not just for their time. God was speaking history which was to be passed on. It is interesting that as we go further in the passage, God says to Pharoah of this plague of locusts: 6 "and they shall fill your houses and the houses of all your servants and of all the Egyptians, as neither your fathers nor your grandfathers have seen, from the day they came on earth to this day.’” Past generations had not seen such things; this generation was to see them and pass them on.  Christ said the same thing when He walked on earth: His generation heard and saw things none before had - not only for their sakes, but for ours as well.  Are we listening to God speak not just for ourselves, but for coming generations as well?

God Speaks, Believers Take Action

 

Exodus 9:18 Behold, about this time tomorrow I will cause very heavy hail to fall, such as never has been in Egypt from the day it was founded until now. 19 Now therefore send, get your livestock and all that you have in the field into safe shelter, for every man and beast that is in the field and is not brought home will die when the hail falls on them.”’” 20 Then whoever feared the word of the Lord among the servants of Pharaoh hurried his slaves and his livestock into the houses, 21 but whoever did not pay attention to the word of the Lord left his slaves and his livestock in the field.

By the time we get to the seventh plague on Egypt, some of the Egyptians were getting the picture. God spoke to Moses, who told Aaron what to say to Pharoah and his court, and what God say would happen did.  This time God warns those in the court that they could avoid the judgment, and some Egyptians did. God still spared the Israelites completely, not sending hail at all, but those Egyptians who took action had their livestock spared.  Once again, God reminded them (and all of us who have read this account since) that the main goal is that so that my name may be proclaimed in all the earth.

God Says: The Serpent's Days Are Numbered

Exodus 7:8 Then the Lord said to Moses and Aaron, 9 “When Pharaoh says to you, ‘Prove yourselves by working a miracle,’ then you shall say to Aaron, ‘Take your staff and cast it down before Pharaoh, that it may become a serpent.’” 10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent. 11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts. 12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron's staff swallowed up their staffs. 13 Still Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.

In the showdown between Moses and Pharoah, there were reasons for the various plagues on Egypt. Before they began, God had Moses and Aaron perform this miracle of the staff into a serpent.  As seen above, the Egyptian sorcerers imitated it, but theirs were all swallowed by the staff of the Lord. This was significant, as the Egyptians had many serpent gods. God's message was clear: He was the one true God. It also causes us to remember the Promise of the garden: that one day the Seed of Man will crush the serpent, a picture of Christ's ultimate picture.  God is warning of judgment to come for those who choose to worship the serpent instead of Him. 

God Speaks So We Will

Exodus 7:1 And the Lord said to Moses, “See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and your brother Aaron shall be your prophet. 2 You shall speak all that I command you, and your brother Aaron shall tell Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go out of his land. 3 But I will harden Pharaoh's heart, and though I multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt, 4 Pharaoh will not listen to you. Then I will lay my hand on Egypt and bring my hosts, my people the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. 5 The Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord...

We are rightly taken back when we see God's statement that He had made Moses "like God to Pharoah," but it was true in the sense that Moses was speaking on God's behalf, telling Aaron what he should say.  God had a message loud and clear, and it wasn't just that Pharoah was to let His people go worship Him. The ultimate message for Israel and Pharoah was the He is Lord over all.  God has spoke to us first that we will fully believe and trust that, then that through how we live and what we say others will believe it also.  Are we living like God is Lord, has spoken to us, and wants to speak through us?

The Lord Said... God Spoke

6:1 But the Lord said to Moses, “Now you shall see what I will do to Pharaoh; for with a strong hand he will send them out, and with a strong hand he will drive them out of his land.” 2 God spoke to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord. 3 I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by my name the Lord I did not make myself known to them.

As we work our way through scripture examining "the God Who Speaks," we find that God at times says and other times speaks.  The record also interchanges the names God and The Lord as the One Who talks to us. These are not so much distinctions as they are representations of the depth of His character and the various ways He reveals Himself and His will to us. There is always more we have to learn about God and His plan for His people and this world.  We should always listen whether He says or He speaks. May we listen intently today by looking at His Word and turning our hearts to His Spirit.

God Speaks Loudest Through His Risen Son

 Hebrews 1:1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, 4 having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs.

God has spoken since Creation and throughout history, but His loudest voice is the death, burial, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus Christ.  He is Risen indeed!!!

God Speaks to Others, Too

Exodus 4: 27 The Lord said to Aaron, “Go into the wilderness to meet Moses.” So he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him. 28 And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord with which he had sent him to speak, and all the signs that he had commanded him to do. 29 Then Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the people of Israel. 30 Aaron spoke all the words that the Lord had spoken to Moses and did the signs in the sight of the people. 31 And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the people of Israel and that he had seen their affliction, they bowed their heads and worshiped.

It wasn't just Moses to whom God was speaking.  At the same time, he also spoke to Aaron.  We find in this short paragraph two of Mose's objections answered: he would not have to worry about doing the speaking and the people would believe their message because of the signs God had given to him. Often, we forget that God is not just speaking to us; He is also working in other people's lives at the same time. If we will only respond in obedience, He will bring us together with them.

God says: "What's in Your Hand?"

 Exodus 4:2 The Lord said to him, “What is that in your hand?” He said, “A staff.” 3 And he said, “Throw it on the ground.” So he threw it on the ground, and it became a serpent, and Moses ran from it. 4 But the Lord said to Moses, “Put out your hand and catch it by the tail”—so he put out his hand and caught it, and it became a staff in his hand— 5 “that they may believe that the Lord, the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has appeared to you.”

Moses, like many of those though whom God works, had a lot of questions and concerns about what he was being called on to do. Why would people even listen to him? God begins with where Moses is and what he has, then takes that and multiplies its usefulness.  God then proceeds to show Moses numerous things God can do with what Moses had right there. He then goes on to show him other resources He can readily call into service. But most of all, God is the Creator, who can do and make great things.  We just need to keep on listening for what He instructs.

It's Not Who You Are: It's Who HE Is.

Exodus 3:11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 He said, “But I will be with you, and this shall be the sign for you, that I have sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “If I come to the people of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ what shall I say to them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am.” And he said, “Say this to the people of Israel: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 

As Moses continues this conversation with God, he begins to realize the magnitude of what God is calling him to do, and the excuses begin to pile up: his inability to speak, his checkered past.  But this one really hits to the core: Who am I? When God answers to not worry about that, to trust in Him, Moses responds with Who are you? God answers with I am Who I am, He goes on to explain that He is the same One Who called out and blessed their forefathers.  It's not about us, but Him.

God Shows and Tells; We Listen

 

Exodus 3:1 Now Moses was keeping the flock of his father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, and he led his flock to the west side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush. He looked, and behold, the bush was burning, yet it was not consumed. 3 And Moses said, “I will turn aside to see this great sight, why the bush is not burned.” 4 When the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the bush, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then he said, “Do not come near; take your sandals off your feet, for the place on which you are standing is holy ground.” 6 And he said, “I am the God of your father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.

We have seen before that God often calls by name, and that in this passage He waited until Moses saw before He spoke to him.  Moses' immediate response was reverence.  He listened rather than looked.  It is from the hearing-impaired that we can learn much here.  Not being able to see makes us listen better, more intensely, more deliberately.  Hearing comes naturally; listening does not.  We need to develop it more.  That is especially the case when it comes to listening to God.

God Says: "It's Going to Work Out."

Genesis 46:1 So Israel took his journey with all that he had and came to Beersheba, and offered sacrifices to the God of his father Isaac. 2 And God spoke to Israel in visions of the night and said, “Jacob, Jacob.” And he said, “Here I am.” 3 Then he said, “I am God, the God of your father. Do not be afraid to go down to Egypt, for there I will make you into a great nation. 4 I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also bring you up again, and Joseph's hand shall close your eyes.”

Israel (Jacob) had been in Beersheba for a long time. He was getting old and had not made the trips to Egypt beforehand.  But now he had to go.  He was hesitant, as his grandfather had some bad history when he went there, and the idolatry there was prolific.  But God said "Go." He had a plan, and it included Egypt. This was not a one-way trip. Jacob had learned when he was younger to go whenever God said to, knowing God went with him, so he obeys. One more incentive was the restored relationship with his son. May we learn to trust God to go where He sends us and why.

God says: "Go and leave it behind."

Genesis 35:1 God said to Jacob, “Arise, go up to Bethel and dwell there. Make an altar there to the God who appeared to you when you fled from your brother Esau.” 2 So Jacob said to his household and to all who were with him, “Put away the foreign gods that are among you and purify yourselves and change your garments. 3 Then let us arise and go up to Bethel, so that I may make there an altar to the God who answers me in the day of my distress and has been with me wherever I have gone.” 

God had told Jacob to not fear going to see his estranged brother Esau, because God was going to go with him wherever he went.  That proved to be true.  With that fresh in his mind, when God spoke again, Jacob knew what he had to do.  He had to obey and go, but he also had to leave some things behind - things that would only be a hindrance wherever he went in following God's voice.  The same is true for us: when we come to know the true and living God and trust and recognize His voice, there are things we know we need to leave behind.  Many of them He clearly lists in His Word (like idols), while others we come to realize are inconsistent with faithful obedience.  Jacob did so here, and as the passage goes on, it says that no one was willing to mess with Jacob or get in His way. Everyone heard and saw that God was with him.

God Says Your Name

Genesis 31:24 And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he touched his hip socket, and Jacob's hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day has broken.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 27 And he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with men, and have prevailed.”

Many of us have heard this account often.  It's an intense situation. Jacob is about to face Esau after years of separation. He is filled with fear, because they had not left on good terms.  When Jacob wrestles with this "man," he hangs on until He blesses him.  The response is a changing of his name from Supplanter, manipulator, to Israel.   Jacob had changed -rather, been changed by God. He was no longer the same man who had tricked Esau; he was now the patriarch becoming a nation.  God gives us a new name, a new life, and calls to us to walk in it, to trust Him for it, and believe He knows what He's doing.

God Says "Watch What You Say"

 Genesis 31:22 When it was told Laban on the third day that Jacob had fled, 23 he took his kinsmen with him and pursued him for seven days and followed close after him into the hill country of Gilead. 24 But God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream by night and said to him, “Be careful not to say anything to Jacob, either good or bad.”

To say the least, the relationship between Jacob and his father-in-law(doubled) Laban was very strained. The trickery involved to keep Jacob bound there had eroded a lot of trust.  When Jacob took off with Laban's daughters and the part of the herd belonging to him, it left quite a dent in Laban's life.  But in order to maintain what was left of their relationship, he needed to watch what he said: not accuse, not vent, not whine and complain. He needed to ask questions and listen.  We often find that hard to do, but we all have those situations where God would (and does!) say: "Watch what you say." What situations do you have like that today?  Are you willing to receive God's Word to you?

God Speaks to Each Generation

 Genesis 28:10 Jacob left Beersheba and went toward Haran. 11 And he came to a certain place and stayed there that night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold, there was a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven. And behold, the angels of God were ascending and descending on it! 13 And behold, the Lord stood above it and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac. The land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring. 14 Your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south, and in you and your offspring shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 15 Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land. For I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.”

Here we find Jacob back in the same territory as his father Isaac had been in the passage we looked at yesterday. Jacob leaves Beersheba (the bottom tip of the promised land, where Isaac had built the well), and came to a "certain place." Here God speaks to Jacob in a dream, telling him not only that the promised land was for him, and not just his father and grandfather, but most of all, that God was with him, would watch over him, and would bring him back there.  Jacob came away from this experience with a more personal faith:

16 “Surely the Lord is in this place, and I did not know it...17 “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.” He then named that place Bethel: House of God. God speaks to each generation and wants them to have a personal faith.

God Speaks; We Dig

Genesis 26:23 From there he went up to Beersheba. 24 And the Lord appeared to him the same night and said, “I am the God of Abraham your father. Fear not, for I am with you and will bless you and multiply your offspring for my servant Abraham's sake.” 25 So he built an altar there and called upon the name of the Lord and pitched his tent there. And there Isaac's servants dug a well.

We saw yesterday that God had spoken to Isaac and told him: "don't go," so Isaac stayed and settled in, only to end up being asked to leave.  He goes to Beersheba, which became a special place in the Promised land - the landmark for its southernmost border.  When God appeared to Issac there, promising his blessing, Isaac knew it was a safe place to be and had his servants dig a well, meaning he planned on being there awhile.  Isaac was catching on to what it meant to learn to listen to God.  It affects where we go, what we do, how we live - not by fear, but trust in God's Word.

When God Says: "Don't Go There"

Genesis 26:1 Now there was a famine in the land, besides the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar to Abimelech king of the Philistines. 2 And the Lord appeared to him and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land of which I shall tell you. 3 Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and will bless you, for to you and to your offspring I will give all these lands, and I will establish the oath that I swore to Abraham your father. 4 I will multiply your offspring as the stars of heaven and will give to your offspring all these lands. And in your offspring all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, 5 because Abraham obeyed my voice and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.” 6 So Isaac settled in Gerar. 

We have already seen God telling people to go, go in, go out. He also says "do not go." Isaac had seen some of God's faithfulness to his father and the way He directed him where to go.  God repeats the promise He had given to Abraham as also belonging to Isaac.  Isaac was able to actually spend time there, though it was still under the rule of Abimelech.  He also made some of the same dumb mistakes his father, had, which added to his great success made the Philistines envious and suspicious, and he had to leave. But at least Isaac "got a taste" of the promised land and the success God would give there.  It started when God said: "Don't go," so Isaac obeyed and stayed.

God Hears Both Sides and Speaks

Genesis 21:15 When the water in the skin was gone, she put the child under one of the bushes. 16 Then she went and sat down opposite him a good way off, about the distance of a bowshot, for she said, “Let me not look on the death of the child.” And as she sat opposite him, she lifted up her voice and wept. 17 And God heard the voice of the boy, and the angel of God called to Hagar from heaven and said to her, “What troubles you, Hagar? Fear not, for God has heard the voice of the boy where he is. 18 Up! Lift up the boy, and hold him fast with your hand, for I will make him into a great nation.” 19 Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water and gave the boy a drink. 20 And God was with the boy, and he grew up. He lived in the wilderness and became an expert with the bow. 

Did you ever wonder how God can hear prayers on both sides of an issue and answer both prayers? We saw yesterday of the dilemma Abraham had when Sarah wanted to send Hagar and her son away. He was double-minded on what to do. God gave him an answer and called on him to take care of the rest. Here on the other side was Hagar, rightfully feeling wrong and especially distraught over how it affected her son. We notice here God heard the boy and called to his mother.  He calls on her to make a different choice, a better choice, and also trust in God.  She responded to His call and God kept His promise to her and her son.