It is amazing to me that in Exodus 33, the script begins with God telling Moses, “Get going and take the people you brought up from the land of Egypt.” They were to go and claim the land that God had promised to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. But God told Moses that He wouldn’t go with them, because if he did he would destroy all the stubborn and rebellious people along the way. He was sending his angel before them to clear the way so that they may claim their inheritance.
But what a horrible thought that God would rather stay away than to watch his children enter into their sinful ways of disobedience toward Him! When the people heard these words that God would not be with them, they went into mourning... But was their mourning only to serve themselves and not because they truly wanted God's presence with them?
God told them to remove their jewelry and fine clothes that they had brought out of Egypt while He decided what to do with them. Moses would go to the Tent of Meeting that he had set up outside of camp. They would all watch as Moses entered the tent and the pillar of cloud would come down and hover over the entrance while the Lord spoke with Moses face to face.
Moses’ Intercession:
“If I have found favor in your sight, please show me now your ways, that I may know you in order to find favor in your sight”
The Lord answers him…
Moses continues to say, “If your presence will not go with me, do not bring us up from here. For how shall it be known that I have found favor in our sight, I and your people? Is it not in our going with us, so that we are distinct, I and your people, from every other people on the face of the earth?
The Lord answers him…
Moses speaks again… “Please show me your glory.”
The Lord answers him…
Moses speaks… “The Lord, The Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.”
Moses bows and worships and says… “If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please let the Lord go in the midst of us, for it is a stiff necked people, and pardon our iniquity and our sin, and take us for your inheritance.”
After this God’s Covenant was renewed…
Let me follow this example of Moses and pray not only for myself but for God’s children everywhere and especially those that I know personally. We have on the jewelry and fine clothes of the world so that we look and act no different than the world. This is our Egypt. We have become desensitized to how much the world has rubbed off on us. We need to be sanctified and separated to His Holiness and become holy because He is holy!
We need to realize that God is not with us when we are disobedient. He is around to hear us when we repent and call but evidently just as the Bible reveals here, He will not walk with us when we are walking away from Him. We must turn back and walk with Him! He does not chase us down but waits for our return.
O God, I desire to find favor in your sight. Please show me your ways in order that I may find favor in your sight by following your ways.
And if your presence will not go with me, O Lord, I will not go but if your presence is with me I will go where ever you desire me to go. Not only myself Lord, but my brothers and sisters need your presence. Teach us to listen and obey your in all things and not take matters into our own hands but to fully trust in you. Let your presence cover us and may we find favor in Your sight at all times. May we be known not because of who we are but because of who You are, O Lord.
O Lord, please show me Your glory. Please reveal Your glory to all who call on You as Savior.
Just as Moses said, I say…
You are The Lord, My Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.
And If now I have found favor in your sight, O Lord, please go in the midst with me where ever you lead. Forgive my wayward self and pardon my iniquity and sin, and the iniquity and sin of my brothers and sisters in Christ Jesus. As we give ourselves to your, take us for your inheritance.
May your covenant be renewed in me...
Amen and amen!
Friday, April 22, 2011
Saturday, April 9, 2011
EVEN THROUGH THE SEA OF IMPOSSIBILITY, GOD WILL PROTECT AND SAVE US IF WE BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIM
In case you may wonder as you read this, today is 5 Nissan on the Jewish calendar. http://www.jewfaq.org/current.htm
We have entered the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. It is a time of transformation in the natural as buds and blossoms and the signs of spring are everywhere. It is a month of breaking away from the cold and gloom of winter and entering into the warmth of a new season. It marks a time of freedom and making new choices. It is a time to simply leave the past behind and move forward to a greater faith in God and dependence upon Him. We can remember and experience this time as Passover begins on our calendar, April 18th (which on the Jewish calendar is the evening of the 15th of Nissan.)
This is a time to remember the Exodus described in the Torah… a time when the children of Israel left Egypt. They did not escape, but just walked away when the time was right for them to do so. They were ultimately set free because of Passover. When you follow the story, the enemy tried one last time to recapture them, but God had other plans. When we are finally free, the enemy will try to recapture us as well, but we must continue to follow wherever God leads us even if its through the sea of impossibility. God will protect and save us IF WE BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIS GUIDANCE.
Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai where the God of Israel gave them the law. They entered into a covenant with Him so that in exchange for their faithfulness, God would give them the “Promised Land” of Canaan. It was a complicated journey that had to start with Passover. When we remember their story and its importance, we can see the preview that was to come of The Messiah, Our Lord Jesus.
Few of us in America, are slaves to another with physical shackles on us. The only people near this description would be those who are locked away in jails and prisions. The plight of these people is different in some ways than those of us who have never been in jail or prision, but are the things that bind us any different? Perhaps an addiction to an illegal drug caused someone we know to be arrested and put behind bars? This person may have been caught and convicted, but what about those who depend upon drugs to get them through each day, whether it be illegal drugs or alcohol. What about the person who is abusing prescription or over the coutner drugs? Is the person behind bars any different than the one walking around in public except for the fact they are behind bars? What about the person that took another's life and have been convicted and behind bars or facing execution? Is this person any different than the one who has rage in his/her heart and gets angered enough that thoughts of death and murder run through their mind when they become enraged? What about the anger that wells up and causes them to speak against another? Isn't this the same sin of anger whether we are behind bars or not? Aren't we all guilty? We may not shoot off a gun or weld a knife but how many of us have shot off our mouth or cut the hearts of others with our sharp tongues????
There is an answer for all this. It is Jesus! Jesus is the answer. He was and is the Lamb that sets us free so that we may walk away from (not run away in escape) but walk away from the things and people that hold us in bondage. We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away for He will not force His Will upon us. We must choose for ourselves the way we will go. Jesus has given us a choice by His sacrifice. It is our choice to stay in bondage or our choice to go freely. It is our choice to serve self or our choice to serve Him.
The Egyptians held the Israelites in a long period of slavery but God liberated them from that slavery. He is willing and waiting to liberate all of us. Let us lay down our bondage (whatever it is) on the alter. Pick up our things quickly and follow Him where He guides us.
God will never tell us where Point B is until we exercise faith in going to Point A first. In my personal journey, it is often something that I need to pick up at Point A that helps me when I get to Point B. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? This is what I can tell you: read the Word of God, worship and pray to Him and follow Him in the things that you already know you are to do (this is Point A). Then when you do these things, He will then send you to Point B and you will know it is the Lord who sends you.
God bless you and may your mind be free of clutter, your heart, ears and eyes be open to spiritual truths and your hands and feet swift and ready to go where He calls you to go. Amen
Exodus 12:1-14 (The First Passover) 1 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. 5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning. 11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,* wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.
John the Baptist said: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
Jesus is the true Passover lamb. All other Passover feasts were only rehearsals of what was to come. Amen.
We have entered the month of Nissan on the Jewish calendar. It is a time of transformation in the natural as buds and blossoms and the signs of spring are everywhere. It is a month of breaking away from the cold and gloom of winter and entering into the warmth of a new season. It marks a time of freedom and making new choices. It is a time to simply leave the past behind and move forward to a greater faith in God and dependence upon Him. We can remember and experience this time as Passover begins on our calendar, April 18th (which on the Jewish calendar is the evening of the 15th of Nissan.)
This is a time to remember the Exodus described in the Torah… a time when the children of Israel left Egypt. They did not escape, but just walked away when the time was right for them to do so. They were ultimately set free because of Passover. When you follow the story, the enemy tried one last time to recapture them, but God had other plans. When we are finally free, the enemy will try to recapture us as well, but we must continue to follow wherever God leads us even if its through the sea of impossibility. God will protect and save us IF WE BELIEVE AND FOLLOW HIS GUIDANCE.
Moses led the Hebrew people out of Egypt and through the wilderness to Mount Sinai where the God of Israel gave them the law. They entered into a covenant with Him so that in exchange for their faithfulness, God would give them the “Promised Land” of Canaan. It was a complicated journey that had to start with Passover. When we remember their story and its importance, we can see the preview that was to come of The Messiah, Our Lord Jesus.
Few of us in America, are slaves to another with physical shackles on us. The only people near this description would be those who are locked away in jails and prisions. The plight of these people is different in some ways than those of us who have never been in jail or prision, but are the things that bind us any different? Perhaps an addiction to an illegal drug caused someone we know to be arrested and put behind bars? This person may have been caught and convicted, but what about those who depend upon drugs to get them through each day, whether it be illegal drugs or alcohol. What about the person who is abusing prescription or over the coutner drugs? Is the person behind bars any different than the one walking around in public except for the fact they are behind bars? What about the person that took another's life and have been convicted and behind bars or facing execution? Is this person any different than the one who has rage in his/her heart and gets angered enough that thoughts of death and murder run through their mind when they become enraged? What about the anger that wells up and causes them to speak against another? Isn't this the same sin of anger whether we are behind bars or not? Aren't we all guilty? We may not shoot off a gun or weld a knife but how many of us have shot off our mouth or cut the hearts of others with our sharp tongues????
There is an answer for all this. It is Jesus! Jesus is the answer. He was and is the Lamb that sets us free so that we may walk away from (not run away in escape) but walk away from the things and people that hold us in bondage. We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away! We must be willing to walk away for He will not force His Will upon us. We must choose for ourselves the way we will go. Jesus has given us a choice by His sacrifice. It is our choice to stay in bondage or our choice to go freely. It is our choice to serve self or our choice to serve Him.
The Egyptians held the Israelites in a long period of slavery but God liberated them from that slavery. He is willing and waiting to liberate all of us. Let us lay down our bondage (whatever it is) on the alter. Pick up our things quickly and follow Him where He guides us.
God will never tell us where Point B is until we exercise faith in going to Point A first. In my personal journey, it is often something that I need to pick up at Point A that helps me when I get to Point B. Sounds confusing, doesn’t it? This is what I can tell you: read the Word of God, worship and pray to Him and follow Him in the things that you already know you are to do (this is Point A). Then when you do these things, He will then send you to Point B and you will know it is the Lord who sends you.
God bless you and may your mind be free of clutter, your heart, ears and eyes be open to spiritual truths and your hands and feet swift and ready to go where He calls you to go. Amen
Exodus 12:1-14 (The First Passover) 1 While the Israelites were still in the land of Egypt, the Lord gave the following instructions to Moses and Aaron: 2 “From now on, this month will be the first month of the year for you. 3 Announce to the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each family must choose a lamb or a young goat for a sacrifice, one animal for each household. 4 If a family is too small to eat a whole animal, let them share with another family in the neighborhood. Divide the animal according to the size of each family and how much they can eat. 5 The animal you select must be a one-year-old male, either a sheep or a goat, with no defects.
6 “Take special care of this chosen animal until the evening of the fourteenth day of this first month. Then the whole assembly of the community of Israel must slaughter their lamb or young goat at twilight. 7 They are to take some of the blood and smear it on the sides and top of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the animal. 8 That same night they must roast the meat over a fire and eat it along with bitter salad greens and bread made without yeast. 9 Do not eat any of the meat raw or boiled in water. The whole animal—including the head, legs, and internal organs—must be roasted over a fire. 10 Do not leave any of it until the next morning. Burn whatever is not eaten before morning. 11 “These are your instructions for eating this meal: Be fully dressed,* wear your sandals, and carry your walking stick in your hand. Eat the meal with urgency, for this is the Lord’s Passover. 12 On that night I will pass through the land of Egypt and strike down every firstborn son and firstborn male animal in the land of Egypt. I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord! 13 But the blood on your doorposts will serve as a sign, marking the houses where you are staying. When I see the blood, I will pass over you. This plague of death will not touch you when I strike the land of Egypt.
14 “This is a day to remember. Each year, from generation to generation, you must celebrate it as a special festival to the Lord. This is a law for all time.
John the Baptist said: "Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! (John 1:29).
Jesus is the true Passover lamb. All other Passover feasts were only rehearsals of what was to come. Amen.
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