Ex 6:28 - 7:13

The time has come when Moses and Aaron would carry forth the task set before them. Despite the continued hesitation by Moses, they would go before Pharoah and demand that the Israelites be freed. The Lord warns them that this would not be an easy task and that this would take time and effort on both their parts before the desired ends would be achieved. This would be a tale for the ages and thus each party - Moses, Aaron, the Israelites (and their leaders) as well as the Egyptians (and Pharoah) would truly know and see the mighty works of God and would live to tell it. This is now the time for miracles and for God to be God. With the final charge before them, Moses and Aaron would do as the Lord commanded them - Moses at 80 and Aaron at 83 when they spoke to Pharoah. The first miracle was the staff becoming a snake and consuming the staffs of Pharoah's wise men and socerers. This marked the hardening of the heart of Pharoah and his not listening to them, just as the Lord had said.

It's hard not to read this and think of the 10 Commandments movie. What is also awesome about this was seeing the Dead Seas scrolls over the holiday week in NYC and actually seeing the 10 Commandments from Deut.

The week so far has been shaping up decently and hopefully, like the weather, will remain relatively calm. Prayers for GG who I won't see for a while and also for David and Irene as they live each day for Him.

Praise for today: And the Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. Ex 7:5

Ex 6: 1 -27

This section actually begins at the end of Ch 5 with Moses asking the Lord about the calamity brought upon his people and the wrath that Pharoah has given them. The Lord's response to Moses gives him an idea of what is to come (v 1). He also said to Moses that He will deliver on his promise to remember his covenant with their forefathers and free them from slavery to take them as His own. Also deliverance meant God bringing them to a land that was promised to them. Unfortunately, when Moses delivered this message to the Israelites it fell on deaf ears due their discouragement and their current situation. The interchange between God and Moses/Aaron remained one of doubt and fear as Moses continued to see himself as inadequate. The family record on Moses and Aaron was geared more toward his tribe, the Levites  - clan by clan. The importance was to show that they were being brought out by the Lord out of Egypt by their divisions (12 tribes).

How often we don't see and stand upon the promises of God and merely wallow in our current situation wondering when God will deliver. I guess our advantage is seeing God's whole canon and resting upon the finished work of Christ upon the cross. Without the pain, there is no gain.Still good weekend with all of the Christmas decorations being reorganized and put away. The tree is out of the house and now getting ready for CNY - the year of the dragon. Looking forward to this weekend already with Monday honoring Dr. King but also a GFC board meeting on Sunday.

Praise for today: And I will bring you to the land that I swore with uplifted hand to give to Abraham, to Isaac and to Jacob, I will give it to you as a possession. I am the Lord. Ex 6:8

Ex 5

The encounter that Moses and Aaron with Pharoah had hoped for did not go as Moses and Aaron had planned. Pharoah was not about the let his meal ticket go without a fight and the fact that they wanted to take the Israelites away didn't sit well with him. He felt he was a god so why should another God take his people away? The fact that there was hope in the hearts of the Israelites made them have a different attitude about work and thus Pharoah made their lives miserable. Bricks without straw - forced them to work twice as hard and were beaten for the shortcomings. With no concession as far as what they were expected to do and their backs to the wall, the Israelite leaders confronted Moses and Aaron and blamed them for their plight as they feared for their lives. Moses, in turn, went to the Lord and complained to Him how lousy the situation was.

As Ringo Starr used to sing, "ya know it don't come easy" - and neither will this task be. The character and personality of Moses and Aaron will now be tested as never before. No one wants to lose what brought them to the dance and Pharaoh was no exception. Cheap labor became an entitlement to Pharoah and he didn't want to let that go easily, not unlike the entitlements and "country club living" that has gripped and destroyed the economies of Greece and Italy today.

Long but productive day yesterday. Will head home tonight and will take down the outside lights given the warm temps slated for tomorrow in the morning - hope to get a walk in early. Maybe we'll get a chance to see WarHorse as well.

Praise for today: Your ways, O God, are holy What god is so great as our God? Ps 77:13

Ex 4:18-31

The stage is now set for Moses to return to Egypt. Moses, after receiving his father-n-law Jethro's blessing to go, hears from the Lord and obeys. With the wife and sons in tow and his staff of God he heads off to Egypt. Already God is prepping Moses about what is to come: he will meet with Pharaoh and perform his "wonders" but God will harden Pharoah's heart so that he will not let his people go. God will give Pharoah the ultimatum of letting his people (firstborn) go or have his own firstborn son die. The interesting encounter is between Zipporah and the rest of the family. Since Moses's own son was not circumsized, she took it upon herself and used a flint knife to do the deed and spare him from God's wrath. The next meeting is between Moses and Aaron at Horeb, the mountain of God, where the plan is now revealed to Aaron. Together they then reveal the plan to the elders of the Israelites and realized that God did not abandoned them and has sent these two to deliver them from their misery. They bowed down and worshipped.

Productive day at work and I got my 2 mile walk in before the "fixed" treadmill went down later that day. I guess I will bike it today for a while. Still concerned about my BP which has been elevated recently. Trying to take care of that as well as trying to cut down on eating... Life long struggles.

Praise for today: Be exalted, O God , above the heavens, and let your glory be over all of the earth. Ps 108:5

Ex 4: 1-17

The conversation and charge from God to Moses continues. God is empowering Moses with signs that will show the world who and what God is yet there is still hesitancy. Maybe count it towards awe, or perhaps the past life that caused him to be banished from the place of his upbringing, Perhaps his sense of sin and inadequacy has taken over, still he wants the mantle passed from him and thus God is angered and allows Aaron into the picture. It was Moses that God wanted from the outset not Aaron but allowed him to go with him for "moral support". The staff would be the source of his signs.

Long day at work with some frustration and aggravation. It is always a downer when others do not have any sense of urgency or procedure that are in place. Still, we muddle through. I need prayers for more patience and less impulsive behaviors when I get frustrated. I do notice this in other areas - driving and sometimes dealing with people. Still, I ask God for a calmer and wiser heart.

Praise for today: Your name, O Lord, endures forever, your renown, O Lord, through all generations. For the Lord will vindicate his people and have compassion on his servants. Ps 135: 13-14

Ex 3

According to AW Tozer, "true Christian experience must always include a genuine encounter with God. Without this, religion is but a shadow, a reflection of reality, a cheap copy of the original once enjoyed by someone else of whom we have heard." Moses may have looked (or turned his face) in fear, but soon that fear turned to delightful awe as he truly experienced God. Conceptually, the name and personage of God is difficult to understand but here, Moses experienced it and lived to tell about it. God laid the foundation by which Moses will become one of the greatest leaders in the OT despite his own hesitation and shortcomings. He laid out how His plans were to be carried out and also that the Israelites themselves would finance this exodus.

How awesome the sight because it comes from an awesome God. The Lord himself calls upon the experience and the relationship between Him and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob - the three patriachs of Israel three times during this chapter. According to God, it will start at Horeb and the exodus will end at Horeb. The shepherd will ultimately lead his flock back home.

Good day yesterday and it was nice to pray with and for each of my sons before I left for Delly. The weather has turned for now at least and it is wicked cold. Time to bundle up and make the doughnuts! Gym time!

Praise for today: So I have come down to rescue them from the land of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey - the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Hebusites. Ex 3: 8

Ex 2 :11-22

No good deed goes unpunished and while this was a noble deed, it had its consequences. While he was branded a murderer and was banished himself from Egpyt, he still had noble intentions. If he were to allow the Egyptian to live, his fate would have been entirely different and would have not been free to encounter God the way he would in later chapters. The fact that he knew and acknowledged his heritage and his people was amazing especially since he was treated like royalty and probably acclimated himself to the comfy lifestyle. Still he was a defender of the weak and helpless. What pushed the issue was that everyone knew that he was the one that defended his people and what made matters worse, his own people didn't care and were content to remain oppressed. His flee to Midian was one that helped shape and reveal his character and he was given a second chance at life. While he was still known to them as an Egyptian, he was still an Israelite and was given Zipporah as his wife. She bore him a son, Gershom - a stranger in a foreign country.

Good day at church yesterday. Nice also to spend a night at home and will head down to Delly later. Glad to see that we as a church are moving towards the direction of greater spirituality and personal growth for the coming year. Praying for a milder winter and so far, so good. Also nice to spend some time for GG before he heads off. It will be a while before he makes it back here for a visit.

Praise for today: Christ has truly set us free. Now make sure that you stay free, and don't get tied up again in slavery to the law. Gal. 5:1