Moses Knows

SINCE I AM READING THE ACCOUNT OF THE ISRAELITES EXODUS FROM EGYPT TO TRY AND BETTER UNDERSTAND WHAT RAHAB AND HER CANAANITE RELATIVES WOULD HAVE HEARD ABOUT THEIR DELIVERANCE BY YHWH, I DECIDED TO START AT THE BEGINNING OF THE BOOK OF EXODUS. FROM EXODUS 3:13-15 WE SEE THAT EVEN AS MOSES ASKS THE QUESTION, “WHO SHALL I TELL THEM SENT ME?”, HE USES THE NAME YHWH, WHICH IMPLIES HE ALREADY KNOWS ABOUT THE ISRAELITES GOD. WHEN GOD ANSWERS HIM IN VERSE 14 WITH I AM, IT MAY APPEAR THAT GOD IS ALMOST SHOUTING AT MOSES, BUT I BELIEVE HE IS BEING VERY PERSONAL. IT’S LIKE HE’S ALMOST SAYING, “HEY MOSES, IT’S ME.” THEN IN VERSE 15 GOD SAYS, “THIS IS WHAT YOU’RE TO SAY TO THE ISRAELITES: YHWH,” THE FORMAL NAME FOR GOD, THE NAME SPOKEN SACREDLY AMONG THE ISRAELITES,” THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS…SENT ME TO YOU.” HE GOES ON TO SAY, “THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY NAME, AND THIS IS HOW I ALWAYS WILL BE KNOWN.” THIS ALL TOOK PLACE WHEN GOD USED A BURNING BUSH TO GET MOSES’ ATTENTION. TO GO FROM SUCH A PERSONAL I AM AT THE BEGINNING TO SOMETHING SO COMMANDING OF RESPECT AS YHWH SHOWS THE DEPTH AND MAJESTY OF OUR GOD. THE ISRAELITES WOULD HAVE UNDERSTOOD WHEN MOSES SPOKE THE NAME YHWH.


IN EXODUS CHAPTER 4 WE SEE MOSES AND HIS FAMILY GOING TO MEET HIS BROTHER AARON BY ORDER OF YHWH WHEN ALL OF A SUDDEN A STRANGE OCCURRENCE HAPPENS IN VERSES 24-26. “On the journey back, as they camped for the night, GOD met Moses and would have killed him but Zipporah took a flint knife and cut off her son's foreskin, and touched Moses' member with it. She said, "Oh! You're a bridegroom of blood to me!" Then GOD let him go. She used the phrase "bridegroom of blood" because of the circumcision.” NOW, ISN’T THAT ODD? I AM IN NO WAY SAYING THAT THE FOLLOWING SCENARIO IS HOW THIS REALLY WENT, IT JUST MAKES SENSE TO ME. IN MY LIMITED CAPACITY, I BELIEVE THAT MOSES WAS CIRCUMCISED WHEN HE WAS 8 DAYS OLD. NOW, I KNOW HE GREW UP AS AN EGYPTIAN, BUT THINK ABOUT IT. HIS MOTHER HID HIM UNTIL HE WAS THREE MONTHS OLD. THAT IS MUCH LONGER THAN WOULD HAVE BEEN ACCEPTABLE TO GOOD,YHWH-FEARING HEBREWS. THAT THIS PASSAGE JUMPS OUT RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF MOSES’ TRIP TO MEET WITH AARON AT FIRST PUZZLED ME, BUT THEN I BEGAN TO THINK OF WHAT MOSES HAD JUST ENCOUNTERED. HE HAD JUST HAD A ONE ON ONE ENCOUNTER WITH THE MOST HOLY GOD. THERE IS NO RECORD THAT HE HAD EVER MET YHWH BEFORE, BUT HAD CERTAINLY KNOWN FROM CHILDHOOD WHO HE WAS. SO, MOSES SEES A BURNING BUSH AND GOES TO INVESTIGATE. WHEN HE SEES THAT IS NOT BEING BURNED UP, HE IS CONFUSED. BUT, BECAUSE HE RESPONDS WHEN GOD CALLS HIS NAME, HE AND THE COURSE OF HUMAN HISTORY ARE CHANGED. OH, TO ANSWER WHEN GOD CALLS!
MOSES HAS JUST HAD A HUGE GOD MOMENT. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU KNOW YOU’VE JUST BEEN IN THE PRESENCE OF ALMIGHTY GOD? I WORSHIP. WHEN I HAVE JUST COME OUT OF AN ENCOUNTER WITH GOD, MY INADEQUACIES SHOW, LIKE AT NO OTHER TIME. CONSIDER ISAIAH’S VISION OF A HOLY GOD IN ISAIAH 6. HE SEES HOLY AND HE IMMEDIATELY REALIZES HE IS NOT! IT IS MY HUMBLE OPINION THAT MOSES STARTED THINKING OF ALL THOSE AREAS OF HIS LIFE THAT HE HAD NOT BEEN FAITHFUL TO YHWH. NOW, I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN I HAVE AREAS OF SIN IN MY LIFE THAT GOD REVEALS TO ME, SOME OF THE TIME, I DON’T REALIZE IT’S SIN UNTIL HE SHOWS IT TO ME. BUT, WHEN HE DOES SHOW IT TO ME, HE WANTS ME TO DEAL WITH IT RIGHT THEN AND THERE. MOSES HAS JUST BEEN ON THIS EMOTIONAL HIGH BECAUSE THE LORD OF THE UNIVERSE HAS JUST CONVERSED WITH HIM, AND HE DID NOT DIE! IN THOSE INSTANCES IN MY LIFE I AM LIFTING PRAISES AND THANKS TO GOD. THEN I’M ASKING HIM TO SHOW ME THOSE AREAS IN MY LIFE THAT NEED TO BE CLEANED UP. GO WITH ME HERE FOR A MOMENT. SUPPOSE MOSES SAY, “THANK YOU YHWH FOR SHOWING YOURSELF TO ME. NOW WHAT AREAS OF MY LIFE AM I NOT OBEYING YOU?” PERHAPS GOD WOULD SAY BACK TO HIM, “YOU ARE CIRCUMCISED, BUT YOUR SON IS NOT.” MOSES, REMEMBER, WAS MARRIED TO A FOREIGNER, A MIDIANITE, WHO NOT NECESSARILY BELIEVED IN THE SAME CUSTOMS AS THEIR HEBREW NEIGHBORS. IT COULD BE THAT SHE OPPOSED THIS HEBREW TRADITION.

I KNOW IN INTENSE TIMES OF STRUGGLE WITH GOD OVER MY SIN, I FEEL LIKE I AM BEING SPENT, USED UP, ALMOST TO THE POINT OF DEATH. SO HERE IS MY SUGGESTION. MOSES ASKS GOD WHERE HE IS SINNING. GOD POINTS OUT HIS SON IS NOT CIRCUMCISED. BUT BECAUSE MOSES HAS GOT THIS WIFE WHO OPPOSES CIRCUMCISION, MOSES OPPOSES GOD. THEN, AS MOSES’ WIFE SEES JUST HOW CLOSE TO BEING USED UP HER HUSBAND IS, SHE GIVES IN AND CIRCUMCISES THEIR SON HERSELF. I WONDER IF EVER IN MY LIFE WHEN I AM OPPOSING GOD OVER MY SIN, IF THAT HAS COST SOMEONE THEIR SALVATION? LOOK AT WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO THAT WHOLE HEBREW NATION IF ZIPPORAH HAD NOT GIVEN IN TO GOD.

MOSES GOES ON TO MEET HIS BROTHER AARON AND TELLS HIM OF HIS ENCOUNTER WITH YHWH. WHAT A CONVINCING WITNESS MOSES MUST HAVE BEEN IN ORDER FOR AARON TO GO AND GET ALL THE LEADERS OF ISRAEL. JUST THINK HOW MUCH PASSION MUST HAVE BEEN IN MOSES IN TELLING HIS STORY TO AARON IN ORDER TO MAKE ALL THESE LEADERS BELIEVE! REMEMBER, MOSES WAS ONLY TELLING HIS STORY TO AARON, WHO WAS IN TURN RELAYING IT TO THE LEADERS. HE HAD ALREADY TOLD GOD THAT HE COULDN’T SPEAK TO CROWDS. SCRIPTURE SAYS THE PEOPLE TRUSTED AND LISTENED, BELIEVING THAT YHWH WAS CONCERNED WITH WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH THE ISRAELITES. THEY BELIEVE A SECOND-HAND STORY GIVEN BY MOSES SO MUCH THAT THEY BOWED LOW AND WORSHIPPED. JUST THINK HOW MUCH MORE PEOPLE WORSHIP THE ONE TRUE GOD BY OUR FIRST-HAND TELLING OF HOW GOD CAME IN AND CHANGED OUR LIVES…

Christmas Craze...

Ok well, here it is 17 days from Christmas and all seems right with the world, or so I thought. Our children's gifts, if not purchased, are easily attainable before the big day. My husband's however, seems to be lost in cyberspace. I had already gotten him what I thought was a great gift for Christmas, something that he'll never think of. And Honey, if you're reading this, will not know, till Christmas day!

So, he's been wanting this particular camera for a really long time. He finally sold something of his that was, quite frankly, taking up much space in our home, and put that money away until he almost had enough to purchase the camera. My husband, God love him, has no sense of anticipation. If he wants it, he wants it right now!

As we go to the big city, that should be another blog all on it's own, to do our Christmas shopping, I find myself at one camera counter after another. It was then that the message became loud and clear; "I want a new camera, NOW!" This is about the time that I find out how much this camera cost at every online dealer, because he kept telling every sales person that he came across how much more expensive theirs was than online. So, to make a long story short, we come away from our shopping trip with a few of the gifts on our list, and no, we didn't come home with a camera.

So, back at work on Monday morning I open my email to find an "INCREDIBLE SALES EVENT." I find the camera that he wanted at about $300.00 cheaper than any store we shopped at, and I bought it. Now, here is the bad part. When you share a joint checking account, and you both have access to it online, you always know where the money goes. Needless to say, my husband knows the camera is coming and can't wait for the standard 3-5 day shipping. I am constantly checking my email to see if it's shipped yet. Has it shipped yet? Has it shipped yet? In the age of instant everything, people have forgotten that patience is a virtue and also a fruit of the Spirit spoken of in Galatians 5. Well anyway, you know what we're looking for in our stocking this year! Have a merry Christmas and remember really why we celebrate it. Isn't it great that God gave the greatest gift that could ever be given to man? It's salvation through God in the flesh in the form of a tiny baby.....

Has it shipped yet?