The value of reading a One Year Bible is about to be displayed. In about 20 chapters we will, figuratively speaking, enter the wilderness. Most people begin to lose interest after Ex. 20 when God begins giving Israel all the cultural/ceremonial laws of the nation of God. Thankfully, you'll also be reading a Gospel and the Psalms and Proverbs during your wilderness wandering in the OT. Not only that, since we're doing this together, the comments and "togetherness" of this will help you get through to the action of Joshua and beyond. Enduring the wilderness of Exodus-Leviticus-Numbers-Deuteronomy will do you a lot of good. Not only will you be fit from your journey, but having gone through it, you'll see some things you've never seen before.
Exodus 2:11-3:22
Ex. 2:11-15
Note the passage of time here. We find out later that Moses is 40 when he does this. I guess he was sort of "grown up." Note also that between vs. 20-23 another 40 years go by.
You find people saying that miracles happened in the Bible all the time, one right after the other. Then they say that the reason miracles don't happen now, like they did in the Bible, is that we don't ask the Spirit. We have put God in a "box." Apparently they don't pay attention to the Bible itself and the passage of time. And also, God's actions here were not dependent on the faith of a person or any group of people. He acted according to His purposes in His time.
Note that Moses had the right idea. He knew the details of his birth and felt God was with him and that God might use him to deliver the people. Good perception. Then Moses acts without consulting God, serving God from the gut, and in a hormonal moment kills an Egyptian. As the up and coming ruler of Egypt, he could have just ordered him to stop, but that doesn’t look good in an action movie. The result is a disaster. Now, God uses the disaster, but it is wrong all the same to think that the end justifies the means.
Moses' idealism got an overhaul when he thought people would appreciate what he had done for them. It takes you a long time to realize that your service, as a disciple, is to Jesus and is not dependent on recognition from people. To serve for recognition always leads to a bad result.
Ex. 2:16-25
V.17, I can imagine that with the loss of his dreams, Moses (Charlton Heston?) looked like someone you didn't want to mess with, especially if he was wearing a lot of eye make-up like the Egyptians in the movies.
Just like Joseph, Moses names his son in terms of his disappointment with life. It would be like a kid saying, "Hey, Dad, how did you decide to name me, "over qualified" and my brother, "they didn't call me back?"
What God was waiting for was the readiness of the people to be saved. The most unthankful thing you can do is to try to save people who "don't need it." This crying out to God was apparently from every person and at a great intensity of need. It wasn't God who was now ready. It was the people.
As disciples, I really think in praying and asking God for fruit, His "waiting" is really His waiting on us to be at the point of personal need and investment so that if He gives us what we're asking for, we'll really want it and appreciate it. Few people really know how to pursue God in desperation and crying out. If we're hungry, we go to the refrigerator, or pull out a piece of plastic at the store or drive thru. We don't wait on the Lord, desperately seeking His answer. He waits to see if we mean it. Most often we don't.
Ex. 3:1-6
So now Moses is 80. Not exactly the time when you think you'll finally be "useful."
So, who is the Angel of the Lord? His words give Him away.
Find a map. Note that Moses is a long way from Egypt.
Note also that the Promise has picked up a "Phrase of Authenticity," the God of A, I, and J, shorthand for "the God of the Promise."
Ex. 3:7-22
Some notes here:
I think Moses is going to feel sorry for himself because of his blown attempt back when his biceps didn't sag. We'll see that self pity more tomorrow, but it begins to shine through here.
The name of God is first given here. While the other names are descriptive, (El Shaddai= God Almighty or God of Power), "I am" means "to be," or "is." It isn’t “the God who is ever living,” it is simply “Ever-living.” His essence, not his character or ability.
Here is some trivia. This name was messed up in English for years because of the effects of Babel. The Hebrew consonants are YHWH. The Germans and old English pronounce those letters as JHVH. The Jews didn't want to pronounce the name of God, so they substituted the word "Lord" or Adoni. Someone took the consonants JHVH and put them together with the vowels of Lord and a new word appeared in English "JaHoViH," which became the word "Jehovah," which actually is no name at all, but came to signify the name of God, which was really probably pronounced "Yahweh." Anyway.
Finally, God gives Moses a short summary of what will happen. The most important parts are Pharaoh's opposition and then the exodus of the people. If God can tell Moses that he'll win, then all should be well, right? Wrong. Moses still has some problems.
Matthew 17:10-27
Matt. 17:10-12
I always wonder how they knew one of those guys was Moses and the other Elijah. Did they have name badges? The question of Elijah came up because it was prophesized that Elijah would come before the Christ. Jesus had already said that John the Baptist was Elijah, in that he came in the spirit and power of Elijah and that his assignment was very similar, trying to turn the people to God before the coming judgment on the nation. Jesus uses this opportunity to say that just like John, He, too, will suffer at the hands of men.
Matt. 17:14-21
The thing that strikes me here is that the disciples must have given up trying to heal the child. Faced with difficulty and the on-looking crowd, they gave up.
Jesus' rebuke of the faithless generation probably includes the crowd and the disciples. His words to the disciples indicate that if they'd had faith, it would have worked. Elsewhere Jesus says that that kind of demon only came out with prayer and fasting. Apparently, they were looking for "quick and easy" and with the pressure of the crowd, they didn't persist and cry out to God.
Matt. 17:22-27
It is good to ask why certain stories are included by the writer. What you're looking for is a logical connection.
So here, standing alone, you have this little story of Peter fishing and finding money in a fish’s mouth. Cool. Interestingly, the story only involves Peter, not the other guys. Also, Peter, the future leader, is being confronted by the IRS. So why this event?
I don't know. I wasn't there. But, I think the answer has to do with verses 22-23 and Peter. When Jesus told the disciples he was going to die, they were all greatly distressed. The emphasis here is on greatly. It was hitting them that Jesus was going to die and now they are very afraid and depressed.
So, it looks to me like Jesus decides to pull the lead disciple out of the pits by showing Him that He still has everything under control and can provide for them as needed. That Peter has to go fishing, like he did before when he let down the nets, was confirmation that "following" is necessary to see God provide. I think after this, Peter helped rally the troops.
Psalm 22:1-18
Just a couple of notes here:
First, notice the need to cry out. Just like in Exodus.
Second, this is a psalm that is quoted often by Jesus or about Jesus (the Messiah) and therefore is called a "Messianic Psalm."
In this psalm, how many points of connection can you find to Jesus?
How many verses do you recognize having to do with His crucifixion?
Proverbs 5:7-14
These verses are a continuation of what Solomon is telling his son about adultery. Here, Solomon is talking about the life changing effects and how his son/or we, will hate himself if he falls into it, sees his life unravel, and later understands what a fool he was. Us, too. In spite of what the media shows us or says, sexuality outside of God's design (in or outside of marriage) hurts people. With the right precautions, a fire is a great thing in your fireplace. It's not so good in the middle of your living room, regardless of precautions.
If you’re reading along and don’t have a One Year Bible, click on this link Every Day in the Word. If that doesn't work, go to http://www.gnpcb.org/esv/devotions/ and click on “Every Day in the Word.”
I'm writing these comments to and for those at New Song who are following a One Year Bible and involved in a discipleship cell. We're meeting weekly and discussing the texts, not necessarily my comments. We're growing together, learning to become and make disciples who make disciples. We will all be leading others in this process and training them to do likewise.
The comments I'm writing are in no way exhaustive, but meant to give some leading thoughts on how the text applies to us as disciples and to encourage and stimulate our growth in reading the Bible, with the effect that we will grow as disciples and encourage the growth of others as disciples growing in the word. If you would like a more descriptive commentary that is still readable and concise, I'd recommend the Bible Knowledge Commentary. It's keyed to the NIV, so the result is, the commentators are constantly telling you what the Greek or Hebrew is. That never hurts.
I am not endorsing any particular One Year Bible, in fact, no one in our church reads the version I do, die revidierte Lutherbibel 1984.
Anyone reading along with us is welcome to do so and encouraged to take their own notes and make their own observations. If the comments made do not agree with your particular tradition or understanding, that's OK. Nothing I've written is meant to criticize any point of view, but only to express the truth of what God has written to us, as I understand it.
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