As if parting the Red Sea were not enough, God had several other miracles in store for His people...the daily provision of manna and quail. The key thing about this provision, is that the Israelites were to take only what they needed for that day's sustenance (daily bread) and to trust God to provide for the future. To hoard the food was to reveal a heart that was self-reliant instead of God-dependent. Supernatural provision would have been the only possible means of sustaining two million people in the desert for 40 years.
The next section of our reading was a brief description of the Israelites first battle with the people inhabiting the Promised Land. Remember, the Hebrews were former slaves, only very recently gaining their freedom and having no idea how to engage in battle. But Moses and his staff had taken part in some amazing miracles, so it must have been a natural course of action to raise the staff in battle. The cool part of this anecdote is the illustration of a leader being supported by those around him so that the work of the Lord would be carried out. Whenever Moses got tired of holding up his arms, Aaron and Hur held his arms up for him. We all need people like that in our lives..people who help us stay in the battle when our strength is gone. And just as importantly, we need to be such a person for others.
Next, Jethro shows up with Moses wife and sons. Though the Bible does not mention it, it is presumed that they were sent back home immediately after Zipporah performed the circumcision on their son, as he would have needed time to recuperate which traveling would not allow. I hadn't noticed they were missing, had you?
Hope you guys are sticking with it. I've heard it takes 30 days to form a habit, so we should be there!
Tomorrow's reading; Exodus 20-22:15
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One of the themes in the last two day's readings were Moses saying several times statements like "Yes, your complaints are the Lord,not against us.' I was not sure how to take this. Was Moses just trying to pass the buck in order to keep support? I did a little research and this is what I found:
ReplyDeleteHowever, again we find the people complaining against Moses and Aaron. This is an act of sin for they are missing the mark that God had set for them.
We walk a fine line when complaining about people, places, or things. As we go about our daily business, it is easy to cross over that line and though we might not recognize it, we can be complaining about what God has provided for us.
When a spouse complains about their mate they are complaining about the person God has brought them. Often people do not recognize that they are unhappy with what God has provided because they only see the fault of the other person. God takes it personal; for He would have a person accept the spouse thankfully and take all problems in prayer to God.
The Children of Israel were no different that we are today; we are all people and we all make mistakes like people. With our mouths we bless God and curse others. We complain, voicing our displeasures to others, and we also blame others.
Yet we must remember that if we are displeased, our words should be taken to God in prayer. We should pray, "Change them or change me;" giving our honor and respect to God.
Listen to yourself, monitor your own faith and when listening to someone else complain, pray for them for it is a hard concept for people to understand and never let your complaining bring others down with you.
As Christians we are teachers with our life. Would it not be a terrible thing to be considered a person who taught others to complain, to cross the line, and miss the mark of God?
Melissa..I look forward to this every day. I'm up at 6 or 7 and for some reason cannot get the days blog until later. It is worth the wait. I continue to pray for you as you are such a blessing to be obedient to God to bless and teach us. I can't tell you how many times I have "read" all of this before but I am just now getting to real meat. Thank you for that!
ReplyDeleteCindi... what a great comment. Oh I am so guilty. I appreciate you saying "Listen to yourselves and monitor your own faith when listening to others". Thank you. I am just as guilty listening. Thank you again!
I should have put everything after the colon in quotes... I borrowed that from a website. Sorry I did not make that more clear. I certainly don't want to take credit for someone else's comments.
ReplyDelete