Leadership Lessons from Moses (Part 5 / conclusion)

There are four main lessons from this discussion about the life of Moses, so let us review...

1) We are to shun sin

In Hebrews 11:24-26, it reads that... "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward."

2) We need to learn to exhibit patience

Like Moses, this is one that I occasionally have issues with. Notice the rationale that Moses uses in Acts 7:25-28, and from it we can see that being in the will of God was not enough. We cannot assume that everyone around us will understand what we are trying to accomplish. If we are acting within God's will and God's timing, a proper way will be made for us and our gifts. "For he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they understood not. And the next day he shewed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbour wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Wilt thou kill me, as thou diddest the Egyptian yesterday?"

Moses wanted to be the deliverer for the people of Israel, but not in God's time. Moses then worked for another 40 years before God was ready for him. Acts 7:30 "And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush."

Luke 8:15 "But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience."

Psalm 27:14 "Wait on the LORD: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the LORD."

Luke 21:19 "In your patience possess ye your souls."

3) We must stop making excuses for not moving forward. Eventually we must stop the talk and the stalling and DO SOMETHING!

As we have read in Exodus (3:11, 12; 3:13; 4:1, 2; 4:10, 11; 4:13, 14), Moses had lots of ready excuses for not wanting to do God's will, but God did not take kindly to these excuses.

God still speaks to us in this way...

Today God says, "Seek ye first…." Matthew 6:33

God says, "Do all to the glory of God" 1 Corinthians 10:31

How many times do we say to ourselves and to others, "I can't, because ________________?"

We can do all things through Christ! Philippians 4:13

Are we seeking to excuse ourselves from our responsibilities or do we humbly submit to God's will?

4) Proceed in meekness

Moses was meek. This in no way implies that he was weak! We should be meek, but we should never compromise God's truth. Moses never did this. Instead we see Moses as the man who was in Mt. Sinai and stayed for 40 days and nights. We see him as a bold and courageous leader of God's people. We see him as someone who defied the rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abijah.

Meekness is a trait which all we as Christians should have. Notice Matthew 5:5 "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Meekness is one of the items listed in the fruit of the Spirit. Gal. 5:23

It is something that we need to receive God's word. James 1:21tells us, "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls."

Conclusion:

Moses' life serves as a model for us on many levels, not just about leadership. We tend to pick and choose certain figures to bring our certain points or lessons for life. We must keep in mind that the Bible is not just a storybook, with lots of little plays and vignettes to tickle our fancies. The Bible is one story, held together by one message- redemption.

So, if you feel as though you have fallen away from the path, Moses' life serves as a great example of faithfulness and as such calls us back to God. He did not let the pleasures, promises and seductions of this world interfere with his responsibilities toward God. Do you?

Perhaps you’ve never been on the path…this is how it works:

Find a friend to help you, or find a church community…

a) Hear the word; Romans 10:17 "Faith comes by hearing . . ."

b) Believe with all your heart; Hebrews 11:6 "For without faith it is impossible . . . ."

c) Repent of your sins ( Acts 17:30).

d) Confess Jesus as the Son of God ( Matt. 16:16).

e) Be baptized for the remission of your sins ( Mark 16:15,16).

Now, go and DO!

Amen...

Leadership lessons from Moses (Part 4)

Moses’ life teaches us the lesson that there are certain sins that will continue to haunt us all throughout our lives (Lesson #6). That same hot temper that had gotten Moses into trouble in Egypt also got him into trouble during the wilderness wanderings. I mentioned Meribah earlier in the discussion. At Meribah, Moses struck a rock in anger in order to provide water for the people. However, he neglected to give God the glory, and he had not followed God’s precise commands. This is why God forbade him from entering the Promised Land. In like manner, we all give in to certain besetting sins which plague us all our days.

Our favorite sins require us to be on full and constant alert!!!

These have been just a few of the practical lessons that we can learn from Moses’ life. However, if we look at Moses’ life in light of the Scripture taken as a whole, we see larger, theological truths that fit into the story of redemption.

The author of the Book of Hebrews (probably the Apostle Paul) devotes ten verses of the eleventh chapter to Moses and the faith he displayed. We learn hear that it was by faith that Moses refused the splendor of Pharaoh’s palace in order to identify with the predicament of his people. The writer of Hebrews says, “[Moses] considered the reproach of Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt” (Hebrews 11:26). Moses’ life was one of faith, and we well know that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

Likewise, it is by faith that we, looking forward to heavenly riches, can endure daily hardships in this lifetime (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).

Moses was a “type,” a predecessor, a foreshadowing of the life of Christ. Like Christ, Moses was the go-between or intermediary of a covenant. Once again, the author of Hebrews goes to great lengths to demonstrate this point (Hebrews 3, 8–10). The Apostle Paul also makes the same points in 2 Corinthians 3.

The difference is that the covenant that Moses mediated was temporal and more importantly conditional; whereas the covenant that Christ mediates is eternal and unconditional.

Like Christ, Moses provided redemption for his people. Moses delivered the people of Israel out of slavery and bondage in Egypt and brought them to the Promised Land of Canaan. Christ delivers His people out of bondage and slavery to sin and condemnation and brings them to the Promised Land of eternal life on a renewed earth, which will be consummated upon His return.

Like Christ, Moses was a prophet to his people. Moses spoke the words of God to the Israelites just as Christ did (John 17:8). Moses predicted that the Lord would raise up another prophet like him from among the people (Deuteronomy 18:15). Jesus and the early church believed and taught that Moses was speaking of Jesus when he wrote those words (John 5:46; Acts 3:22, 7:37).

In so many ways, Moses’ life is a forerunner of the life of Christ. As such, we can catch a glimpse into how God was working His plan of redemption in the lives of faithful people throughout all of human history.

This gives us hope that just as God saved His people and gave them rest through the actions of Moses, so too will God save us and give us an eternal Sabbath rest in Christ; both now and in the life to come.

Finally, it is interesting to note that even though Moses never set foot in the Promised Land during his lifetime, he was given an opportunity to enter the Promised Land after his death. Moses was seen on the mount of transfiguration with Christ and Elijah.

[more...]

Leadership Lessons from Moses (Part 3)

Lesson #1:

The first lesson for us in this study of Moses' life has been that we must be acutely aware of not only doing God’s will, but doing God’s will in His timing, not ours. As we can see with countless other biblical examples, when we attempt to do God’s will in our timing, we usually make a bigger mess than originally existed.

Moses needed time to grow and mature and learn to be a little more meek and humble before God. This brings us to the second 40 year span in the life of Moses; his 40 years in the land of Midian. No longer a prince of the realm, during this period of time, Moses learns the simple life of a shepherd, a husband, and a father. God took an impulsive and hot-tempered young man and began the process of molding and shaping him into the perfect instrument for His use.

What can we learn from this part of his life? If the first lesson is to wait on God’s timing, then Lesson #2 is to not be idle while we wait on God’s timing. While the Bible doesn’t spend a lot of time on the details of this part of Moses’ life, we do not think that Moses was sitting lazily waiting for God’s call. He spent most of these 40 years learning the fine points of being a shepherd and supporting and raising a family. These are not trivial things!

I find it interesting that God would make him a shepherd and he would have to learn firsthand how to get sheep to do what they are supposed to. Sheep are not the sharpest tools in the animal cracker box…And what does that say about Christ and the leader of the church being shepherds? Why do you think we are called sheep?  Hmmm...

But back to becoming leadership material. While we may long to have a ‘mountain top’ experience with God, the bulk of our lives are lived in the valley doing the mundane, day-to-day tasks that make up a life. We need to live our lives for God while we are ‘in the valley’ before He can possibly enlist us into the battle.

It is hard to make a good and compassionate leader out of someone who has never been led, or one who refuses to submit to any authority!

There is something else we learn about Moses and the time spent in Midian. When God finally did call him into service, Moses was resistant. The man of action in his youth, now 80 years old, had become overly timid. When called to speak for God, Moses said he was “slow of speech and tongue.” Some commentators believe that Moses may have had a speech impediment, like stuttering. Perhaps Moses just didn’t want to go back into Egypt and fall flat on his face again. This is not an uncommon feeling.

How many of us have tried to do something (whether or not it was for God) and failed, and then been hesitant to try again; reluctant to get back on that horse?

There is however, something that Moses seems to have overlooked now that he is being called into service. That God would be with him. Moses failed at first not only because he acted impulsively, but because he acted without God.

So, Lesson #3 is that when we discern a clear call from God, we should step forward in faith, knowing that God goes with us! Do not be timid, but be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might (Ephesians 6:10-3)

The third and final segment of Moses’ life is the portion that the Scriptures spend the most time recording, namely his role in the redemption of Israel. What additional lessons lie in these pages for us?

The first of these lessons is how to be an effective leader of people. Moses in actual fact had responsibility over 2 million Hebrew refugees. When things began to wear on him, his father-in-law, Jethro, suggested that he delegate responsibility to other faithful men. This is a lesson (#4) that many people in authority over others need to learn.

In Moses, we also see a man who was absolutely dependent on the grace of God to help with his task. Moses was repeatedly pleading on behalf of the people before God. Wouldn’t it be great if all people in authority would petition God on behalf of those over who they are in charge! (Lesson #5)

Moses’ life also teaches us the lesson that there are certain sins that will continue to haunt us all throughout our lives (Lesson #6). That same hot temper that got Moses into trouble in Egypt also got him into trouble during the wilderness wanderings. I mentioned Meribah earlier in the discussion. At Meribah, Moses struck a rock in anger in order to provide water for the people. However, he neglected to give God the glory, and he had not followed God’s precise commands. This is why God forbade him from entering the Promised Land. In like manner, we all give in to certain besetting sins which plague us all our days. These sins require us to be on full and constant alert.

[more ...]

Leadership Lessons from Moses (Part 2)

Let us continue with the historical setup for Moses. We are all formed by the things that happen to us, the good, bad and ugly. Those things help make us who we are. And, as we can see in the case of Moses, life's trials and God's intervention helped form Moses into an extraordinary leader.

After the exodus (migration) from Egypt, Moses leads the people to the edge of the Red Sea where God provides another saving miracle by parting the waters and allowing the Hebrews to cross over to the other side, while drowning the Egyptian army (Exodus 14). Moses brings the people to the foot of Mount Sinai where the Law (the Ten Commandments) is given and the covenant is established between God and the newly formed nation of Israel (Exodus 19 - 24).

The rest of the book of Exodus and the entire book of Leviticus take place while the Israelites are encamped at the foot of Mount Sinai.

God gives Moses detailed instructions for the building of the Tabernacle, the traveling tent of worship, all of the worship utensils, and finally the Ark of the Covenant (Indiana Jones). The Ark is representative of God’s presence among His people. God has also gives Moses explicit instructions on how He is to be worshipped.

The book of Numbers shows the Israelites moving from Mount Sinai to the edge of the Promised Land. But, relying on their own strength and understanding instead of God, they refuse to go in without checking it out first. They send twelve spies out, and when ten of twelve bring back a bad report, they do not want to go forward. God condemns the entire generation of Jews to die in the wilderness for their disobedience and subjects them to 40 years of wandering in the wilderness.

This is a trip that should have taken them 40 days, and they are stuck here for 40 years!

By the end of the book of Numbers, the next (and new) generation of Israelites is back on the borders of the Promised Land and properly poised to trust God and take the next step by faith.

The book of Deuteronomy shows Moses giving several sermon-type speeches to the people, reminding them of God’s saving power and faithfulness. He gives the second reading of the Law (Deuteronomy 5) and prepares this generation of Israelites to receive the promises of God.

Moses himself is prohibited from entering the Land because of a sinful issue he had back at Meribah (Numbers 20:10-13). At the conclusion of the book of Deuteronomy, we have the record of Moses’ death (Deuteronomy 34). He is taken up on Mount Nebo and is allowed to look at the Promised Land. Moses was 120 years old when he died and the Bible records that his “eye was undimmed and his vigor unabated” (Deuteronomy 34:7).

These are the highpoints and salient features of Moses’ life. What can we learn from all of this?

Moses’ life is broken down into three 40-year periods.

The first was his life in the court of Pharaoh. As the adopted son of Pharaoh’s daughter, Moses would have been given access to all of the advantages and privileges of a prince of Egypt. He was instructed “in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and he was mighty in his words and deeds” (Acts 7:22). As the plight of the Hebrews began to gnaw at his soul, Moses takes it upon himself to be the savior of his people.

From this incident, we learn that Moses was a man of action, as well as a man possessed of a hot temper and prone to rash actions; boy, that sounds a lot like Peter in the New Testament.

Did God want to save his people? Yes.

Did God want to use Moses as his chosen instrument of salvation? Yes.

But Moses was acting rashly and without really thinking. He tried to do things in his own timing what God wanted done in His timing.

Lesson #1:
The first lesson for us is that we must be acutely aware of not only doing God’s will, but doing God’s will in His timing, not ours. As is the case with many other biblical examples, when we attempt to do God’s will in our timing, we usually make a bigger mess than originally existed.

[ more...]

Leadership lessons from Moses (Part 1)

Moses is one of the most prominent figures in the Old Testament. Abraham is referred to as the “Father of the Faithful” at least in part because he was the recipient of God’s unconditional covenant of grace to his people. Moses was the man chosen to bring redemption and deliverance to his people. God specifically chose Moses to lead the Israelites out of their captivity in Egypt to salvation in the Promised Land. Moses is also commonly referred to as the giver of the law. And finally, Moses is the principle writer of the Pentateuch (the first five books of the Bible) and the foundation of the Old Testament.

Unfortunately, this is going to take a little history to set up. Our main Text: Exodus 2:1-3.

We first encounter Moses in the opening chapters of the book of Exodus. In chapter 1, we learn that after Joseph rescued his family from the great famine and moved them to the land of Goshen (in Egypt); their descendants lived in peace for several generations. This worked well until there was a new Pharaoh who “did not know Joseph” (Exodus 1:8). He subjugated and enslaved the Hebrew people and used them for the construction of his massive building projects. Because God had blessed the Hebrew people with rapid numeric growth, the Egyptians began to worry that the Jew would overrun them. This and several other factors lead the Pharaoh to order the death of all male children born to Hebrew women (Exodus 1:22).

In Exodus 2, we see Moses’ mother attempting to save her child by placing him in a basket and putting it into the Nile River. The basket was eventually found by Pharaoh’s daughter, and she adopted him as her own and raised him in the palace of the Pharaoh himself. As Moses grew into adulthood, he began to sympathize with the plight of his people, and upon witnessing an Egyptian beating a Hebrew slave, Moses intervenes and kills the Egyptian. Later, in another unrelated incident, Moses attempts to intervene in a dispute between two Hebrews, but one of the Hebrews chides Moses and sarcastically comments, “are you going to kill me as you did the Egyptian?” (Exodus 2:14). Realizing that his criminal act was made known, Moses flees to the land of Midian where he is once again cast into the role of hero, as he rescues the daughters of Jethro from some bandits. In gratitude, Jethro grants the hand of his daughter, Zipporah, to Moses.

The next major incident in Moses’ life is his encounter with God in the burning bush (Exodus 3) where God calls Moses to be the savior of his people. You know this stuff from Charlton Heston in The Ten Commandments or the animated movie The Prince of Egypt. Well, this is where it came from.

Eventually, Moses and his brother Aaron go to Pharaoh in God’s name to demand that he let the people go to worship their God. Pharaoh stubbornly refuses and ten plagues follow which are representative of God’s judgment upon the people and the land; the final plague being the slaying of the first born. Prior to this last plague, God commands Moses to institute the Passover, which is a remembrance of God’s saving act in redeeming His people from bondage in Egypt.

[more...]

Numbers 11:24-13:33; Mark 14:22-52; Psalm 52:1-9; Proverbs 11:1-3 (New Living Translation)

Old Testament

1.When Israel moved away from Sinai after having been camped so long three incidents happened that were truly "example" for Israel. Each incident involved the rejection of God and each was an occasion of immediate judgement.

- As God's people they had to respond to Him with trusting obedience. Any failure to respond led to tragic consequences.

2.Rejection of God's guidance.

- It only took 3 days of traveling in the desert for the Israelites to revert to a pattern they had established before their arrival at Sinai. Forgetting all that God had done for them, they let discomfort dominated their thinking...and control their actions. They complained about their hardship in "the hearing of the Lord."

- In their complaining they rejected His wisdom, and ignored the supernatural provision of the fiery-cloud pillar that directed their every move.

- God immediately acted-in judgement. Fire destroyed some of the outlying parts of the camp. In a panic, the people turned to Moses, who prayed, and the fire was controlled.

3. Rejection of God's provision.

- Shortly after this the people begin to complain about their diet, and were ready to trade their freedom for the meat and vegetables they had in Egypt.

- Had they forgotten they had been slaves?

- The manna that God provided was despised.

- Moses, now gets angry with the people as well. God responded to Moses' need by distributing the leadership responsibility and gift to 70 of the elders.

- God responded to the people. God responded by bringing a great flock of quail. But when the people began to eat, a great plague struck the camp. Thousands of the murmurers dies. The people who had rejected God and His provision bore the dreadful consequences of their choice. "So that place was called Kibroth-hattaavah (which means “graves of gluttony.”

4. Rejection of God's appointed.

- This time Miriam and Aaron, Moses sister and brother, resented the special role Moses was given by God. So they challenge Moses' authority.

- God responded angrily, pointing out the special relationship He Himself had chosen to have with Moses.

- In judgement, Miriam is struck with leprosy, and put out of the camp for seven days. Afterward she is healed in answer to Moses' prayer. Everyone was forced to wait for Miriam for those seven days.

- What's the real sin here?- PRIDE.

5. Whay is God doing this, and what's the point?

- The people, Israel, are about to make some very important decisions about their relation ship with God. These lesons are to teach them about taking responsibilty for their actions and decisions

6. Twelve scouts explore Canaan.

- When they arrive at the borders of Palestine, Moses sent 12 men out in pairs to spy the land. They were to evaluate the strength of the peoples, their numbers, and whether the land was rich or poor.

- Only two, Caleb and Joshua, encouraged the people to trust God.

- They needed to learn that God's presence, rather than their circumstances should be given priority.

New Testament

7. The Passover meal

8. Peter's denial predicted

9. Gethsemane

10. Jesus arrested

Psalm

11. "I will always trust in God’s unfailing love."

Proverbs

12. "Pride leads to disgrace"

- Look back at the story of Miriam.

13. "...but with humility comes wisdom."

14. "Honesty guides good people"

See you next post...

Numbers 8-9:23; Mark 13:14-37; Psalm 50:1-23; Proverbs 10:29-30 (New Living Translation)

Old Testament

1. Purification of the Levites.

- The Levites are set apart for God's use. Isn't that what we are supposed to be doing, too?

2. The Second Passover

-It's been a year since the Israelites have left Egypt. The rules are set for the celebration of the Passover. When and how to celebrate it.

- Failure to celebrate it appropriately calls for separation from the community.

- And, Moses consults God for answers. Here again, isn't that what we are supposed to do. Listen to God, wait for an answer. Granted, Moses had a direct line...

3. The fiery cloud.

- The Israelites moved and rested with God, and at God's command. They were led by God. If He stopped, they stopped. If He moved, they moved.

New Testament

4. Jesus warned of the terrible trgedies which will be part of human experience while He is away. Finally there will come events foretold in the Book of Daniel and by other Old Testament prophets. As the end nears there will be "greater anguish in those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be so great again."

5. That day will close when "everyone will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds with great power and glory."

6. So, what are we supposed to do in the meantime?

- Jesus gives His followers this warning: "Be on guard! Be alert!" No one knows when the Lord will come, so each of us must be alert and about his assigned task.

- And what must we be alert for? Jesus is warning us to be alert for the very things that crept into the religion of Israel and sapped it of its vitality do not slip into the practice of our faith!

- How good it is to know that, until Jesus does return, you and I can worship Him, with others, in Spirit and in truth.

Psalm

7. "Make thankfulness your sacrifice to God,
and keep the vows you made to the Most High.
Then call on me when you are in trouble,
and I will rescue you,
and you will give me glory.”

- Remember the purpose of all these sacrifices and rules was to keep a constant reminder before these people that they needed to serve God above all else. God did not need their sacrifices, and He doesn't need ours.

- What God wants from us is worship and thanksgiving...from our hearts. David, who is credited with writing the Psalms, was said to be a man after God's own heart. I think what he (David) is trying to get us to see is that the core of what God wants is worship and love...not just meaningless sacrifices. But think about this in human terms. How many times have you gotten a gift for a loved one? Just because it was time to do it, a birthday, or an anniversary. The recipient knows wether this gift is from love or from duty.

8. "...While you did all this, I remained silent,
and you thought I didn’t care.
But now I will rebuke you,
listing all my charges against you.
Repent, all of you who forget me,
or I will tear you apart,
and no one will help you."

- And for the wicked...judgement is coming.

9. "But giving thanks is a sacrifice that truly honors me.
If you keep to my path,
I will reveal to you the salvation of God.”

Proverbs

10. "The way of the Lord is a stronghold to those with integrity,
but it destroys the wicked."

- Keep your integrity!!!

See you next post...

Exodus 2:11-3:22; Matthew 17:10-27; Psalm 22:1-18; Proverbs 5:7-14 (New Living Translation)

Old Testament text

1. Moses grew up knowing he was Hebrew, despite the fact that he grew up in the Pharaoh's household. He always knew who he was...Do you know who you are?

2. He saw the oppression of his people, and took matters into his own hands, he killed an Egyptian. He though no one saw him. But, you know whenever we do something "not quite right" someone always seems to know or find out.

3. The Pharaoh finds out and tries to kill Moses. He ran away to Midian (remember them from the story of Joseph).

4. He acts kindly toward some shepherd girls who were being bullied, and ends up becoming a member of their family. Reuel gives him one of his daughters, Zipporah, in marriage. They have a son who they name Gershom (meaning, I have been a foreigner in a foreign land).

5. Many years pass, the old Pharaoh is dead, but of course they get a new one.

6. The people cry out to God, who now "remembers" His covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. He puts His plan into place.

7. Moses sees the burning bush, which isn't being consumed by the flames. From the middle of the bush a voice calls his name. What's his response, "Here I am!" Sound familiar. You have got to love these patriarchs and this seemingly simple, and at the same time all-encompassing answer. "Here I am."

8. This is not to say that they get it all done. Or that they get it all done perfectly. Or that they never stray from the path. These are after all human beings, with human faults and weaknesses.

9. Anyway, the Lord wants him to go back to Egypt to free his people, God's people.

10. Moses does protest a little. "Who am I that I should appear before the Pharaoh?" God ell him, it doesn't really matter who you think you are, because I am with you.

11. Well then, who shall I say sent me..."I Am Who I Am", Yahweh.

12. God assures him again the he will be with him, and that when they leave it will be as if they had plundered the Egyptians. They will leave with so much treasure.


New Testament text

13. Poor Jesus. He's always trying to explain things to the disciple. Elijah came to Him during the transformation, but the "Elijah tat the gospels refer to as the forerunner of Jesus was John the Baptist.

14. Once again He tells the disciples that their faith is too small...little faith. If it were bigger they would be able to work miracles themselves.

15. He talks about the upcoming crucifixion and resurrection.

16. He pays the temple tax with 2 coins from a fish.

Psalm 22

17. Many scholars believe that this is the Psalm that Jesus was referring to while on the cross. "My God, my God, why have you abandoned (forsaken) me...." But it pretty well describes the scene at the cross.

Proverb

18. We continue our lesson on being around immoral women (people)...they are merciless. They will consume your money and your wealth.

See you next post...

Genesis 46-47:31; Matthew 15:1-28; Psalm 19:1-14; Proverbs 4:14-19 (New Living Translation)

Old Testament

1. God gives His reassurance to Jacob..." Do not be afraid. I will go with you and bring you back."
Isn't this the promise that God gives us all...that He will never leave us? No matter how low the depths, how great the burden, how dark the night...He will never leave us.

2. Jacob answers unswervingly, "Here I am."

3. Jacob goes to Egypt. The family is united. Seventy six (76) people , Joseph's entire family come to join him in Egypt. This is the entirety of the "children of Israel". We will see that many, many more Israelites will leave when the time comes.

4. They live separated from the Egyptians. Who they are and what they do (herd sheep) are abominations to the Egyptians. The additional benefit is that this physical separation is that it is a natural barrier for intermarriage. Remember that was a problem in Canaan.
The land they receive is fertile. They are given excellent living conditions in which their numbers will grow rapidly.

5. The famine continues and we see the greatness of Egypt falter. First the people give all their money to the Pharaoh (via Joseph) for the grain. Then they give all their livestock. Then they give the land, and finally themselves as slaves. When they are enslaved they are given seed to plant. When they harvest the crop they are compelled to give one fifth of it back to the Pharaoh.

6. Jacob asks to be buried "back home."

New Testament / Matthew text

7. Its not what a man eats or how he washes that contaminates him. It is his heart. The good, bad, bitter and sweet things that come from our mouths start in our hearts. The heart and what goes on there are where the work of the kingdom is done.

8. Until He was rejected by the people of Israel, Jesus dutifully made Himself available to them. The Canaanite woman recognize who he was. Her request was granted because of her great faith.

Psalm

9. I think the interpretation in The Message is clearer..

- God vaults across the sky, warming hearts to faith
- The revelation of God is whole
- The signposts of God are clear
- The life maps of God are right
- The directions of God are plain
- God's reputation is 24 carat gold
- The decisions of God are accurate
- God's Word is better than a diamond, better than a diamond set between emeralds
- God's Word warns us of danger and directs us to hidden treasure; otherwise how will we find our way
- Keep me from stupid sins.
Ever make / do any of those?

Proverbs

10. Stay off the path of the wicked..."they eat the bread of wickedness and drink the wine of violence. " The way of the wicked is like deep darkness. Better to stay on the path of the righteous, where you can see.

See you next post...

Genesis 39-41:16; Matthew 12:46-13:23; Psalm 17:1-15; Proverbs 3:33-35 (New Living Translation)

1. The Lord was with Joseph, so he succeeded in everything he did...the Lord is with us always, even when it doesn't look like we are being successful.

2. Potiphar was blessed because of his association with Joseph. Many times others are blessed through us, as we are through them. We are meant to be in community.

3. Joseph does not sleep with Potiphar's wife for a number or reasons.

- First, it would be a betrayal of his masters trust. What are we thinking when we betray other's? Are we thinking of the temporary satisfaction of some blinding passion? Are we thinking of the short and long-term consequences of what we do? The people we may hurt?

- Second, it is a sin against God. Remember, we haven't gotten to God's written Law, the Ten Commandments, yet. Moses and the written law are still ahead of us in our studies. But, someone has taught Joseph the basics of what God expects from us and what makes a man a man. And he has held fast to these values even in times of despair, and perhaps great temptation.

4. Joseph runs away. Frequently we forget the most basic approach to dealing with bad influences...move away, run if you have to!

5. In prison, the Lord was with Joseph.

6. Interpreting dreams is God's business. Joseph has finally learned that he is but a vessel for this "gift." We all have gifts and talents given to us by God. Do we use them to good purpose?

7. Patience in waiting on the Lord. It was two years before he was summoned to see the Pharaoh.

8. He's been in prison, and has to be cleaned up to see the Pharaoh. This passage reminds me of when Jacob' preparation to take his family home. He told them to bath, change their clothes. They were on their way to a "new life."

9. He has come to interpret the dreams of the Pharaoh. He rightfully gives glory to God. "It is beyond my power, but God can tell you..."

10. From Matthew, we are family. It is Christ that unites us.

11. The parable-

- Seeds on the footpath. The birds steal the seeds. We hear, but we make no attempt to understand. The evil one then comes to steal the seeds of faith from our heart and destroy us.

-Seeds in/on the shallow soil. Sprout quickly, but soon wilt in the heat / light of day. We hear and we appear to flourish quickly. But we lack deep roots (understanding) to sustain us. We fail as soon as problems arise.

-Seeds among the weeds. Our new found faith is choked out by worries. Once again, we lack sustenance prevail against our attackers.

-Seeds in fertile ground, produce abundant crop/harvest. These to Jesus represented the people who hear and understand.

12. "Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand."

13. Psalm

- "I am praying to you because I know you will answer, O God."

- "When I awake. I will see you face to face and be satisfied." When I awake from this life. When I awake from stumbling around in the dark. When I actually open my eyes. When I begin to see and hear and understand. When I awaken, when I awaken, I will see you. But you've been there (for me) all along.

14. Proverbs

-The interpretation from The Message says, "...the fool gets the booby prize."

see ya next post

Genesis 42:18-43:34; Matthew 13:47-14:12; Psalm 18:16-36; Proverbs 4:7-10 (New Living Translation)

1. The first problem we see in this story is that Joseph is the favored son. This just aggravates the brothers. And it destroys any possibility of a good relationship.

2. Do we treat our children differently? Of course we do. The important question we need to ask ourselves is, "Why?" Do we treat them differently because they are more good looking, because they are smarter. Perhaps because they are more like us. Perhaps one gives you a little less heart-ache. Consider, if you're not too freaked out about the idea- what am I leaving as a legacy? What will their relationship be like once I'm gone (dead). Will they love each other, care for each other...watch out for each other? Just some thoughts.

3. Anyway, the brothers hated Joseph. Between the dreams, the special coat and his father's obvious preference.

4. Without reading more into the scripture than it says, we don't really know how Joseph said these things, or what kind of attitude he brought to the table. But it does say that his father scolded him.

5. So the brothers plot to get rid of the "boy wonder"

6. It doesn't say who suggested killing Joseph. Reuben intercedes and offers to let him die of neglect...but he had planned to secretly rescuing Joseph at a later time.

7. He's put into the cistern. However, they think better of this when there is an opportunity to profit from this. Get rid of the brat and make money too.

8. Jacob is distraught.

9. Joseph is sold to Potiphar in Egypt.

10. Then there is the story of Judah and Tamar. Judah was deceitful inn that he never planned to have Shelah marry Tamar. Tamar was deceitful in pretending to be a prostitute to have a child. She escaped death by being wise enough to have gotten a "guarantee"

11. The reading from Matthew tell us that there is no neutral ground. You are either with Christ or against Him. As with many other things in life, by our actions and our deeds, we are either helping or making things worse.

12. Things are rarely what they seem. When you are angry about something, about to jump someone about something...if you really stop, and think...the thing that you're ranting about is not what's bothering you. In the Matthew scripture, I don't think these people were really worried that Jesus was Satan or the "prince of demons." I think they were worried that the prophesy was being fulfilled. They had been wrong all this time in their assumptions about how things would be. Here was the Son of God...really here. Not dressed as a warrior or a king. A lowly carpenter's son...hanging out with lowly fisherman (not the chief priests)...here to redeem us...WOW!

13. Every good thing I have comes from you.

see ya next post.