Travels through Exodus . . . part four

Exodus 28:3 . . .
"'Instruct all the skilled craftsmen whom I have filled with the spirit of wisdom.'"
God moved the hearts and minds of people to be inspired to design. God calls people today to be filled with the desire and skill to design for a greater good.

Colors of the Tabernacle . . .
—gold
—blue
—purple
—scarlet

Exodus 28:15-43 . . .
The priests wore reminders on their shoulders and over their hearts of their commitments to the people. We should all be so good-and bold-to wear reminders of our purpose in life. This clothing was not ceremonial; it was required to be in the Lord's presence.

When did I sign up for this?
It's interesting that the Bible never mentions if anyone ever asks Aaron and his sons if they want to be priests. I wonder what their reactions were to the news that they had been set apart for this job.
It's also interesting that no one ever asks Moses if he wants to continue leading the people. I can imagine him saying, "Didn't I just sign up to help get everyone out of slavery? Why do I have to keep leading this group of complainers?"

Exodus 31:12-18 . . .
"'Be careful to keep my Sabbath day, for the Sabbath is the sign of the covenant between me and you from generation to generation.'"
Why do I so easily ignore the Sabbath? Why don't I care about being "cut off from the community"? Actually, I do care or I would if I thought it mattered. So why do I think this command doesn't apply to me? Is it because society ignores this so completely, so I think I can too? What if we started with one day a month? How would our life be different? What would we do?

Exodus 32:21 . . .
Aaron nevers owns up to his part in creating the golden calf. He encouraged the worship of an idol when he knew far better and never defended God to the people. Why was he sparred when others weren't? Was it for redemption and entrance into the priesthood?

Exodus 34:33-35 . . .
Moses' face was "radiant" after speaking with God. How long did this last? Was it just this time or did this happen every time he spoke with God? Wouldn't such a visible reminder of God's awesome power be a comfort to the people? Why were they so afraid of Moses that he felt compelled to wear a veil?

Exodus 35:20 . . .
What an amazing time: A people who saw God's great power in their rescue from slavery and in their ability to eat and drink daily in the desert are punished for their rebellion against God. Now, those "whose hearts were stirred and whose spirits were moved" brought all of their prized posessions, many or most of which were given to them by the Egyptians, as offerings to God. What a journey! It's amazing that the people gave so much that they had to be told to stop giving. What an outpouring of love for God! (Exodus 36:4-6)

Exodus 38:26 . . .
At this time, there were 603,550 Israeli men over the age of 20, which means there must have been more than a million people wandering in the desert. Imagine the number of people that will have to die on a daily basis for all of these men to die in the 40 years before entering the Holy Land: roughly 40 people per day.

Travels through Exodus . . . part three

Exodus 21:12 + 21:23-25 . . .
"'Anyone who assaults and kills another person must be put to death.'"
Does this mean God is for the death penalty? Can we murder to administer justice on Earth?
"'But if there is further injury, the punishment must match the injury: a life for a life, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a hand for a hand, a foot for a foot. a burn for a burn, a wound for a wound, a bruise for a bruise.'"
How does this match up with when Jesus says we must "turn the other cheek"?

Exodus 24:15-18 . . .
Moses goes up the Mt. Sinai into a cloud of "consuming fire" and is there for 40 nights. Is it no wonder that the Israelites wondered what happened to Moses? Did they think him dead? Were they afraid because of all this? And how did Moses remember/keep track of all of the instructions he was given? The tablets? A great memory?

Exodus 25:2 . . .
"Accept the contributions from all those whose hearts are moved to offer them."
Duty is not a reason to give; passion is.

Exodus 25:8-9 . . .
"'Have the people of Israel build me a holy sanctuary so I can live among them. You must build this Tabernacle and its furnishings exactly according to the pattern I will show you.'"
God will then speak to Moses from between the cherubim on the Ark of the Covenant. (Exodus 25:22)

Leadership principles in action . . .

Exodus 18:21 . . .
delegation of duties to talented people who are placed in positions of authority

Exodus 18:22 . . .
let leaders decide small matters for themselves; this lines up with Todd's A.C.T.S. philosophy

Exodus 35:30-35 . . .
Moses establishes these men as the leaders of the building project, so the people will know whom to listen to and seek advice from.

Complaints against God vs. His beautiful blessings . . .

Exodus 15:22-27 . . .
complaint = water
blessing = wood that made water drinkable

Exodus 16:1-36 . . .
complaint = starvation
blessings = quail at night, manna in the morning

Exodus 17:1-7 . . .
complaint = water
blessing = water from a rock (Moses strikes the rock with his staff)

Travels through Exodus . . . part two

Exodus 12:2 . . .
After all of these plagues, God starts everything anew by beginning a new calendar year. This symbolizes the importance of the Passover. This also reflects the beginning of a new calendar after Jesus died.

Exodus 12:32 . . .
"'Take your flocks and herds, as you said, and be gone. Go, but bless me as you leave.'"
Amazingly, Pharaoh asks Moses to bless him after all of this destruction he had caused. What gall!! There is no mention is Moses does so.

Exodus 13:9 . . .
"'With a strong hand, the Lord rescued you from Egypt.'"

Exodus 14:10-14 . . .
Already the people begin to panic and complain. Where is their trust in the Lord? He performed multiple miracles and was with them day and night in the pillar of cloud/fire. Where was their belief? Where is mine knowing all they knew—and more?

Exodus 14:15-31 . . .
What must Moses have felt as he obeyed God while knowing that by doing so he was helping to send the Egyptians to their deaths? What must it have felt like to watch God save your people through yet another miracle and then watch your enemies be swallowed by the sea and washed up on shore?

Exodus 15:1-21 . . .
The Hebrews sing a song of celebration about their deliverance from the Egyptians. Does this seem odd to anyone? It's almost amazing that there could be such a celebration after witnessing the downfall of Egypt through the suffering of the plagues and destruction of Pharaoh and his army. Is it wrong to celebrate death and destruction? Or did they celebrate God's righteous judgment, which makes it all right?

The Miracles in Egypt

—staves that turn into snakes
—the Nile into blood
—frogs
—gnats
—flies
—livestock dying
—boils
—hail
—locusts
—darkness
—firstborn sons and animals

The Big 10 . . .

—Love God.
—Don't idolize anything.
—Speak well of God.
—Keep a Sabbath.
—Honor mom and dad.
—Don't murder. / Protect life.
—Don't steal. / Honor people's property.
—Don't lie. / Tell the truth.
—Don't lust for people or things. / Appreciate who + what you have.

Travels through Exodus . . . part one

Exodus 1:8 . . .
"Eventually, a new king came to power in Egypt who knew nothing about Joseph or what he had done."
There is power in knowing and remembering history. This knowledge could have led to a whole different exodus experience. But God had a plan knowing that Pharaoh would not so easily let the Hebrews go. Pharaoh's fear of the Hebrews turned to hatred and cruelty. Imagine if he had simply talked to and worked with the Hebrews.

Exodus 2:1-10 . . .
God's had was on Moses and his family. Not only did his mom spare his life for a long as possible, she was eventually paid to raise her own son, thus giving him a foundation in his culture that would later lead to his connecting with his own people.

Exodus 3 . . .
God says:
—I hear you.
—I love you.
—I have seen all.
—I will rescue you.
—I will bless you with much.
—I will show you my power.
—I will judge the wicked and punish them.

Exodus 4 . . .
—The Lord promises miracles—even though He knows they will not make a lasting impression.
—Moses is afraid to be "the one," but God does not relent.
—What does God want me to do that I am refusing?

Exodus 4:21 + 10:1-2 + 12:36 . . .
"But I will harden his heart so he will refuse to let the people go."
This harshness of how this is worded always gets me. Is there justice in God's desire to show his power by manipulating the will of a man? And is this what "hardening" really means? I remember hearing a great explanation of this at one point, but I can't recall it now. . . . And if God is willing to change a person's heart for the worse, why won't He change mine to be more disciplined, empathetic, loving?