Exodus 3:1-6

Exodus 3:1-6 

English Standard Version 

  Moses says to himself that he'll turn aside to see this great sight... and he has no idea how this will completely transform his life.  He'll go from a shepherd in the backside of the wilderness to confronting Pharaoh in an attempt to free the Israelites to talking to God on a regular occasion as he leads the people to the cusp of the Promised Land.  

  We often don't know what we're getting into.  But God calls us, often having uniquely prepared us in ways we don't fully understand in the past.  Suddenly, we realize that the thing that happened years ago was actually preparation, and God will use that experience now to get us ready for what is to come.  

  We are called, out of the ordinary, day to day life, into the extraordinary.  May we go with humility, with courage, and with confidence, trusting in God every step of the way.

Exodus 2:16-22

Exodus 2:16-22 

English Standard Version 

  Here we see Moses, liberating people from an enemy.  The image that is funny to me is that Moses saves these women from the enemy, waters their flocks, and they up and leave him there.  He's hanging out by the well on his own, and their father has to convince them to bring him home.

  There are multiple scenes throughout Scripture where a young man meets his bride at the well.  In John 4, Jesus meets a Samaritan woman at the well.  She's had a long history of failed relationships, but this isn't just another betrothal scene.  Instead, Jesus points beyond earthly marriage to the heavenly love and acceptance that earthly love points to.  He's telling all of us that these well scenes that end in love are simply precursors to the ultimate love that we find in God, and so we should celebrate love where we see it today, but ultimate, we are all sojourners in a foreign land who find our true home in God.

Exodus 2:11-15

Exodus 2:11-15 

English Standard Version 

  Here is Moses, a Jewish boy who grew up in the Egyptian temple, and his first actions as an adult are to strike an Egyptian in defense of a Hebrew, and then it is to mediate a dispute between two Hebrews, attempting to impose a standard of justice.  The Hebrews rebel, asking about his authority, and in these few verses, we see patterns that will emerge throughout his entire life.  Moses will be at the center of the conflict between the Egyptians and the Hebrews, and he'll be mediating disputes between the Hebrews, trying to impose a standard of justice upon their behavior.  

  For us, here in 21st century America, the lesson is to hold on to a standard of behavior.  There is right and wrong, and Scripture points us towards that.  Let us not fall into the American trap of believing that each person has their own ethic and they are all equal.  Moses fought against that, and we should as well.  

Exodus 2:5-10

Exodus 2:5-10

English Standard Version 

  The early story of Exodus isn't how we would design it.  But think of the gift that it gives Moses later on -- he's able to relate to the Israelites under slavery because he experiences it as a young child, but he's also raised in the palace, so he understands the Egyptians and their way of life.  What better preparation for Moses, who would later directly address Pharoah and lead the people out of slavery?  It works out in the long run, but in the short term, there is so much risk and danger.  I shrink back because I can't see the longer perspective, but that's the gift of being part of God's church -- it's an eternal organization, one that is guaranteed to conquer the forces opposing it.  That's the long term perspective that Jesus gives us.  

Exodus 2:1-4

Exodus 2:1-4

English Standard Version 

  Happy New Year!  We'll start the new year by following Moses for a while.  Even the beginning of his story is fascinating, because the work used for 'basket' is the same word for Noah's ark.  Just as the ark saved the people from destruction, so it will deliver Moses from the watery destruction that Pharoah has in mind for Hebrew boys.  Pharoah sees a threat and believes that he can conquer it through his worldly power.  He doesn't realize that he's up against a power greater than he can fathom.

  In the same way, obstacles that we'll face this year will seem more daunting than we can imagine.  We won't be able to see a way around them, but God can.  God has a different perspective, an eternal perspective, and God's power is greater than any we can wrap our minds around.  So may we seek first to trust God in all things, and may we learn that what look to be an ending may, in fact, be a new beginning.