Missed Blessings

Exodus 23:23 “When my angel goes before you and brings you to the Amorites and the Hittites and the Perizzites and the Canaanites, the Hivites and the Jebusites, and I blot them out, 24 you shall not bow down to their gods nor serve them, nor do as they do, but you shall utterly overthrow them and break their pillars in pieces. 25 You shall serve the Lord your God, and he will bless your bread and your water, and I will take sickness away from among you. 26 None shall miscarry or be barren in your land; I will fulfill the number of your days. 27 I will send my terror before you and will throw into confusion all the people against whom you shall come, and I will make all your enemies turn their backs to you. 28 And I will send hornets before you, which shall drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you. 29 I will not drive them out from before you in one year, lest the land become desolate and the wild beasts multiply against you. 30 Little by little I will drive them out from before you, until you have increased and possess the land.

When God led the people out of Egypt and prepared them to enter the promised land, it was almost like Eden all over again - a fresh start without many of the curses of life.  If they would serve Him and not the pagan idols, they would easily be able to take over the land smoothly, settle down comfortably, and raise their families in peace and prosperity. If they would obey.  How many blessings do we still forfeit because we fail to trust, serve, and obey the Lord our God?

Extreme Compassion

 Exodus 22:25 “If you lend money to any of my people with you who is poor, you shall not be like a moneylender to him, and you shall not exact interest from him. 26 If ever you take your neighbor's cloak in pledge, you shall return it to him before the sun goes down, 27 for that is his only covering, and it is his cloak for his body; in what else shall he sleep? And if he cries to me, I will hear, for I am compassionate.

Sometimes we get so caught up in the things of this life and the way things are done in this world that we miss the big picture.  Israel was being called upon to represent God in this world.  So are we.  One of the overwhelming characteristics of God is His compassion.  He cares about those in need. Do we? Do we listen to their cries? He does.  This pledge of the cloak meant something. As God's people our word should mean something.  When Christ talked about the taking of one's tunic, he went on to say we should offer our cloak also. If anything, our compassion should be extreme.

Free to Go, But Wanting to Stay

 Exodus 21:26 “When a man strikes the eye of his slave, male or female, and destroys it, he shall let the slave go free because of his eye. 27 If he knocks out the tooth of his slave, male or female, he shall let the slave go free because of his tooth.

Whenever we see the word "slave," we cringe.  We get the picture of chains, abuse, and arrogance. This chapter gives an altogether different understanding of what things were like in Israel.  Being a slave was something entered into to pay off debts.  There was a limited time period involved (six years), and if the slave wanted to stay, he could ask to do so. Why would he want to? Because he had found a safe, secure and loving household where he felt he was a productive member.  These two verses give a way out if the slave found the household otherwise, being abused by his master.  Any abuse was not to be tolerated. The slave's agreed upon time to serve would be dismissed and he would be free to go.  God's word always is a reflection of His character. In His household He treats all members lovingly and wants them to stay. He does not abuse.  If you are doing your part, you want to stay.

Worship 101

Exodus 20:22 And the Lord said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the people of Israel: ‘You have seen for yourselves that I have talked with you from heaven. 23 You shall not make gods of silver to be with me, nor shall you make for yourselves gods of gold. 24 An altar of earth you shall make for me and sacrifice on it your burnt offerings and your peace offerings, your sheep and your oxen. In every place where I cause my name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you. 25 If you make me an altar of stone, you shall not build it of hewn stones, for if you wield your tool on it you profane it. 26 And you shall not go up by steps to my altar, that your nakedness be not exposed on it.’

The beginning of this chapter is well-known: The Ten Commandments.  Much less known is this last paragraph.  We recall that the whole reason God gave Moses to tell Pharoah that Israel was leaving Egypt was to Worship. God is about to tell Israel how to worship. It is altogether different from that of the worship of idols, beginning with the altar. It is to be simple, natural, modest - not flashy, high tech, and attended to by temple prostitutes. The focus is not to be on the place as much as the Person we come to worship. He is holy; we are to come humbly.  Worship is mobile: God's people together can do it wherever we are - with Him as the focus. Worship: let's keep it that simple.

I Can't Do This Myself

Exodus 18:24 So Moses listened to the voice of his father-in-law and did all that he had said. 25 Moses chose able men out of all Israel and made them heads over the people, chiefs of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties, and of tens. 26 And they judged the people at all times. Any hard case they brought to Moses, but any small matter they decided themselves. 27 Then Moses let his father-in-law depart, and he went away to his own country.

As we look back at biblical characters like Moses, we see them as bigger than life. It would be easy to imagine they themselves began to see themselves as bigger, with all God did through them.  But we also see each came to a reality check, realizing that they could not do it all by themselves. Moses needed Aaron and Miriam, Joshua and Caleb, and a lot more people to help in doing what God had called them to. We also need to have the wisdom to know when to accept, ask for, and appreciate others input into our lives. Whatever you are doing (and probably at times struggling with), don't be afraid to receive the gift of others. Have the humility to ask for it. Give God thanks for them.

Simply Follow the Instructions

 Exodus 16:22 On the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers each. And when all the leaders of the congregation came and told Moses, 23 he said to them, “This is what the Lord has commanded: ‘Tomorrow is a day of solemn rest, a holy Sabbath to the Lord; bake what you will bake and boil what you will boil, and all that is left over lay aside to be kept till the morning.’” 24 So they laid it aside till the morning, as Moses commanded them, and it did not stink, and there were no worms in it. 25 Moses said, “Eat it today, for today is a Sabbath to the Lord; today you will not find it in the field. 26 Six days you shall gather it, but on the seventh day, which is a Sabbath, there will be none.” 27 On the seventh day some of the people went out to gather, but they found none. 

We quickly see a pattern developing when they people head into the wilderness to worship God. They complain; God hears their complaints and provides their need and instructions for handling that provision. Two things happen next: some violated the instructions - blatantly disobeying, while others come against another issue and many complain again.  God gives clear and simple instructions. All we need to do is trust and learn to trust Him more. Then, when another need or issue arises, call out in faith to Him, and He WILL direct our paths.  We make things so complicated.

How Quickly We Forget!

Exodus 15:24 And the people grumbled against Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?” 25 And he cried to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a log, and he threw it into the water, and the water became sweet. There the Lord made for them a statute and a rule, and there he tested them, 26 saying, “If you will diligently listen to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in his eyes, and give ear to his commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians, for I am the Lord, your healer.” 27 Then they came to Elim, where there were twelve springs of water and seventy palm trees, and they encamped there by the water.

This chapter opens with the song of Moses after the Lord's deliverance of Israel through the sea, but by the time we get to the end of the chapter the people are already complaining and doubting their great God. We have the same tendency: to forget the great faithfulness of God. God reminded them, and reminds us, of His great promises: He is our Healer. He is not out to poison us. He wants us trust. When we do, He will provide abundantly: twelve springs of water for twelve tribes, and all we need.