Hello, all,
I trust you are enjoying reading through the Bible. Here are some questions and comments we received from some of you. I left a comment or two below the questions. I pray that you will stay strong in your reading and that God will use your time in His Word to strengthen and guide you. Keep it up, you’re doing great!
I have a question from Genesis/Exodus...I noticed a couple of scenarios where an oath was made...the one making the oath was asked to put their hand under the other person's thigh. Why is that? I found that quite strange—Krista Smith
• Actually, by our standards that is quite strange, but it’s found consistently in the story of the Patriarchs. Not surprisingly, scholars disagree on the significance of one putting their hand under the thigh of another. Let’s just say some of the interpretations are rather “earthy.”
Well I just started yesterday and did the first 3 days worth. Having trouble fitting it in today – slept too late! Thanks for your support. Thought you might use this to encourage people who are behind—Carolyn Thompson
• Hang in there, Carolyn!
Some days are easier than others—Pat Bowden
I am enjoying this—Dawn Hammack
Nate and I are doing well with our reading! I haven't missed a day yet! We are doing the chronological reading, and I find that by reading more per day than I used to do, I am actually learning more because I'm reading more of a story, rather than just a few pieces of the stories:) I am reading from the New Living Translation Bible. I don't really have anything that's keeping me consistent except that I really don't want to miss a day! I don't think I have any questions about what I read, I just commented to Nate the other night that people in Bible times sure whined a lot☺—Kristen Bowden
• Nice work. I think the bigger chunks that we read the better we get a feel for what’s going on. BTW, Keri’s dad translated Numbers for the New Living Translation. I’m using that one this year as well, and I really enjoy it!
I’m using the guide in chorological order, which I have never used before and am really enjoying. I read a book many years ago that suggested taking the attitude “No Bible, no breakfast”. Well, I am a breakfast person and can’t make it through the day without my morning meal, so I took up that dictum, although I have changed it to “Bible WITH breakfast”, at least on work days when I am up in the early mornings before the rest of the family. It continues to work for me.
I am reading through the instructions that God gave to Moses right now about the construction of the tabernacle. What I would really like is a visual representation of what I am reading. It’s difficult for me to “see” the words – I begin just reading and not thinking about it. I also have such a difficult time relating to the rituals and the idea of animal sacrifices. Maybe visuals or sermons discussing such would help— Deborah Dempsey
• “Bible with breakfast,” is a great slogan. I actually enjoy doing that myself. Good idea on the visuals. I don’t have any with me (still in Kenya), but I can find some when I get home. If you have a study Bible it might also have some pictures.
I'm loving the daily "washing in the Word." I'm using NIV, and am just finishing Numbers. In this last section of Numbers, I'm amazed at how patient Moses was with his people, and WOW- what an intercessor! Thanks for motivating us along—Marilyn Knoepfel
• It’s lucky for the Israelites that Moses was such a great intercessor, because otherwise they would have been toast (quite literally being “consumed”)!
I have found that I am able to stay on track if I try to keep to a regular schedule in the morning. I am using "The Message" and find it to be a very easy read. I finished last year reading through the NIV. I am enjoying the Message as it is more like reading a news article or book. Thanks for the encouragement—Doris Haley
Thanks for the message. We sure miss you on Sundays. Hearing your message in person is so rewarding and such a blessing—Sue Jacobsmeyer
• Can’t wait to be back!
QUESTION 1: Exodus 4:24 The Lord was about to kill Moses? What’s that all about? God just summoned Moses to Egypt, then he’s going to kill him? Confusing.
• Unfortunately, Moses was “sloppy” in his walk with God and had not yet circumcised his son, which nearly led to his destruction. In this case, his wife was the intercessor for Moses; she circumcised their son and fulfilled God’s command.
QUESTION 2:Sort of perplexing for me: When Moses went up the mountain and the Israelites turned to worshipping a golden idol, God was ready to wipe them ALL out. Moses had to talk with God and asked God to rethink his punishment & remind God of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac & Jacob.
Would God have really wiped them all out and broken His covenant with Abraham? God get’s VERY ANGRY!!!—Lynne Aldridge
• I think God would have wiped them out if Moses had not interceded. But even if God had wiped them out he would not have broken his covenant with Abraham because God only promised to bless all the nations of the world through him, and Moses was part of Abraham’s seed (offspring). So God proposed that he wipe out the rest of Abraham’s seed and just start over with Moses. Yikes!
• I think the sobering part of your insightful questions is that God takes worship and obedience very seriously. Even though we are in Christ, He still takes our worship seriously.
Reading the Bible in the Message version makes reading the Bible more like a novel, easier to understand.
I’m reading the Message Bible. I always heard in the past that the Message Bible wasn’t a good version to study from because it’s a looser translation, so I’ve not used the Message Bible very much. However, when simply reading the Bible for a general understanding, it’s wonderful.
• “Better” and “worse” versions are in the eye of the beholder. When most people say better they mean more literal and the Message is not a translation, it’s a paraphrase (they don’t translate word for word, but try to capture the thought). However, given the number of translations we enjoy, it’s nice to be able to read more than one.
That’s it for now. I’ll see you Sunday!
Pastor Jared
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1 comment:
I absolutely love Exodus. I have learned so much about God through this book. I would like to add a couple of comments...
1. I think we can all learn about being delivered and going through our own personal exodus'. If we look, the Israelites forget what God does...over, and over, and over. And Moses, and eventually the prophets, all continually say, "Remember..." Remember when God delivered you from Egypt. Remember when God was there and separated the water. Remember when God provided for you. And I think we, the church, and individually, forget sometimes that God has taken us out of our own Egypt and delivered us. I think we can hear the prophets words echo in our hearts..."Remember..." Remember when God provided the money. The food. The people. The resources.
2. I think it's very interesting to see God's nature on Mt. Sinai. God says, "You will be my priest...a holy nation." (NASB/Vince version). Priest? We, just people, full of sin, are to be priest. God was looking for a body. Looking for a group of people to dwell amongst. He says that he "hears the cry of the oppressed" and "he listens, and redeems them". God is looking for people, to be His body, his priest, to be "God on earth". And so as his body, we have to ask the question, "What are we supposed to do." And in my mind it's simple, we hear the cry of the oppressed. We hear, we listen, and we deliver...just as God delivered us. God says to Moses that we are to take care of the orphan and the widow. Take care of the oppressed. And if we don't, well...we're putting people back in Egypt. We're doing exactly what God doesn't want us to do. And to that, God says he will deliver those people, just like he delivered us. But at our own expense. So the question I pose is this, are we hearing the cry of the oppressed? Redeeming, freeing people? Or are we, in a way, Pharaoh, and putting people back into Egypt. Where they are crying, and broken, and needing deliverance. And if we are...then that puts God at an awkward juncture. We are supposed to people of God, priests. And if we aren't being what he's called, then what are we being? And how does God deal with that? The Israelites eventually became the biggest Empire around Solomon's reign. And they stopped listening to God, the stopped hearing the cries of the oppressed, and started getting things at others expenses. They had slaves, armies, money, ivory temples, and God doesn't like any of that (Isaiah 1 NASB). And he sends Amos to King Amaziah (a descendent of Solomon). He says that they must stop, or God will put destruction on him, his family, and the Israelites. Amos says, "I was neither a prophet, not the disciple of a prophet, but I was a shepherd, and I also took care of sycamore-fig trees. But the Lord took me out from tending the flock and said to me, 'Go, prophesy to my people Israel.'...Therefore this is what the Lord says: 'Your wife will become a prostitute in the city, and your sons and daughters will fall by the sword...And Israel will surely go into exile, away from their native land." (Amos 7.14-17) WOW! Exile...it's funny. At the height of power, Israel misused blessings, favortism and entitlement. They became indifferent to God, to the calling they had to bring liberation to others. Exile. When you still have the power and the wealth and the influence, and yet, you blow it. You forgot who you were in the first place. So I ask...have we forgotten? Are we in exile? Have we forgotton our story? Have we failed to convert our blessing into blessing for others? Exile...is when we find ourselves strangers to the purposes of God.
Just some things to think about this weekend. Where are we in God? Where are we in the world? Where are you...in St. Louis? Are we in exile? Do we hear the cry of the oppressed? Do we take care of the oppressed, the orphan, widow? (Isaiah 1.17 NASB) Do we free people...or put them back in exile...back in Egypt?
Vince Mahtani
(you can check out my other blogs at http://vincemahtani.blogspot.com/)
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