Day 57: Deuteronomy 1-3

Moses is giving his final speech to the Israelites. It may be a long one. (As an aside, I am very curious how this works. How does one man speak "to all Israel" without amplification? There must be something going on here to get his communication out to everyone...I'm curious about what that might be.) Anyway, Moses begins by giving a recap of the past 40-50 years. He talks about being ready to enter the promised land and sending spies in to check it out and how they refused to go in because they were scared and how that resulted in 40 more years of wandering in the wilderness until a whole generation passes away. I find Moses' perspective on this interesting when he says:

You grumbled in your tents and said, “The LORD hates us; so he brought us out of Egypt to deliver us into the hands of the Amorites to destroy us. (1:27)

The people thought the Lord hated them...when the exact opposite is the case. Why did they think that? They thought that because they believed they were in a situation that they couldn't deal with. Things looked bleak. The people in front of them were scary. By all visible standards they had no hope of taking the land...all they had was God saying, "Go ahead, I'm with you. You can do this." I can't help but wonder how many times we (I) are (am) intimidated by our (my) circumstances which, by all visible standards, are overwhelming. We feel that God must hate us or something for allowing us to be in such a hopeless position when, in fact, the exact opposite is true. He loves us...He is right there with us saying, "Go ahead, I'm with you. You can do this."

Day 55&56: Numbers 29-36

Numbers finishes with some more instructions on annual festivals they are to celebrate and how they are to celebrate them and some instructions about making and fulfilling vows.

Then God tells them to get vengeance on the Midiantes and actually gets angry with them for leaving the women & children alive (31:15-18)

Then a couple of the tribes decide they just want to stay on the east side of the Jordan so, after some negotiating, that deal is worked out. They can keep that land as long as the men go across and help the rest of them take their land on the west side, then they may return to their families.

Then there's a bit of a recap of their travels and then God gives them some instructions about the boundaries of the land they are going to take and how it will be divided up.

I think we're about ready to enter the promised land.

Day 53&54: Numbers 21-28

Throughout these chapters the thing that intrigues me is the seeming contradiction in how God deals with the Israelites. These chapters contain more complaining about the same old things as well as outright sin and turning to false gods:

While Israel was staying in Shittim, the men began to indulge in sexual immorality with Moabite women, who invited them to the sacrifices to their gods. The people ate the sacrificial meal and bowed down before these gods. So Israel yoked themselves to the Baal of Peor. And the LORD’s anger burned against them. (25:1-3)

This comes right after chapters 22-24 where Balaam speaks God's message to the king of Moab...and that message is nothing but love and blessing on the Israelites:

How beautiful are your tents, Jacob,
   your dwelling places, Israel!
 Like valleys they spread out,
   like gardens beside a river,
like aloes planted by the LORD,
   like cedars beside the waters...
May those who bless you be blessed
   and those who curse you be cursed! (24:5-6,9)

How many times in this book have the Israelites been punished? Yet God has not removed His blessing or His promise from them.

I said I was "intrigued" before. I think it would be more accurate to say that I find this very comforting and reassuring. God doesn't abandon us when we disappoint Him. There may very well be consequences...but God does not abandon us.

Day 51&52: Numbers 14-20; Psalm 95

A lot happens in these chapters. After the 12 spies went into Canaan and checked it out for 40 days they came back with a mixed report. You know how the song goes, "10 were bad and 2 were good." Ten of the guys spread the word that there's no way the Israelites could take the land because the people there are to powerful for them. The other 2 (Joshua & Caleb) say that with the Lord's help they can certainly take the land. Guess who the people believe. This starts a rebellion against Moses' leadership. It's amazing how much whining, complaining and outright rebellion Moses has had to deal with. In 14:11-12 we read this:

The LORD said to Moses, “How long will these people treat me with contempt? How long will they refuse to believe in me, in spite of all the signs I have performed among them?  I will strike them down with a plague and destroy them, but I will make you into a nation greater and stronger than they.”

I think that if I were in Moses place I would have agreed. But no. Moses pleads on behalf of the people and God relents.

The LORD replied, “I have forgiven them, as you asked. Nevertheless, as surely as I live and as surely as the glory of the LORD fills the whole earth, not one of those who saw my glory and the signs I performed in Egypt and in the wilderness but who disobeyed me and tested me ten times—not one of them will ever see the land I promised on oath to their ancestors. No one who has treated me with contempt will ever see it. (14:20-23)

I've always thought of the Israelites 40 years of wandering in the desert as punishment for not trusting God - and I suppose on one level it is - but after reading this today it strikes me that it's really a result of God's grace and forgiveness. If Moses hadn't interceded on their behalf and asked God to forgive them the Israelites would be gone and God would have started over with a different people - the "Mosesites" (14:12). But because of His grace and forgiveness he simply waits another generation to fulfill His promise to the Israelites.

These chapters contain numerous examples of the Israelites refusal to trust God. They simply don't get it. I find myself wondering, though, about why. Why is this so difficult for them? God demonstrates His power time & time again and yet they continually complain, disobey and rebel. God responds by sending a plague, by burning people up with fire, by opening the ground and swallowing people up. It seems to me that maybe this whole period of time was used by God to teach people, all people, that He is not a God to be trifled with. He is not like all the pagan gods of the people around them. He is for real. He is holy. He is jealous. He is unique. He is all powerful. Everything belongs to Him. He demands respect and obedience. He is not some "good luck charm" or superstition. Perhaps this is all new to them. These are lessons that can only be really learned the hard way...and they are in the process of learning them.

Have we learned them? What will it take?

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
“Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,
   as you did that day at Massah in the wilderness,
where your ancestors tested me;
   they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
For forty years I was angry with that generation;
   I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
   and they have not known my ways.’ (Psalm 95:7-10)

For the LORD is the great God,
   the great King above all gods.
In his hand are the depths of the earth,
   and the mountain peaks belong to him.
The sea is his, for he made it,
   and his hands formed the dry land. (Psalm 95:3-5)

Day 50: Numbers 10-13, Psalm 90

Moses & God seem to have a unique relationship. In these chapters we find the Israelites setting out on their journey to the promised land. There's a lot of complaining. They're getting really tired of eating nothing but manna and complain about it. God says, "You want meat to eat? I'll give you meat!" He says: "You will not eat it for just one day, or two days, or five, ten or twenty days, but for a whole month—until it comes out of your nostrils and you loathe it!" (11:18-20) Then when they do get their meat they all get sick and a bunch of them die! (11:33)

But when Moses gets tired of dealing with the people and complains to God about it God responds by helping him out. The burden of dealing with the people is now going to be shared with 70 elders. (11:16)

Through this whole time Moses seems to talk to God like one man talks to another. He argues with God. Sometimes he persuades God to change His mind! At one point Miriam & Aaron get sort of jealous and begin talking trash about Moses. "Has the LORD spoken only through Moses?” they asked. “Hasn’t he also spoken through us?” (13:2) God hears about it and this is His response to Miriam & Aaron: 

“When there is a prophet among you,
   I, the LORD, reveal myself to them in visions,
   I speak to them in dreams.
But this is not true of my servant Moses;
   he is faithful in all my house.
With him I speak face to face,
   clearly and not in riddles;
   he sees the form of the LORD.
Why then were you not afraid
   to speak against my servant Moses?” (13:6-8)

Then Moses pleads for mercy for them. That's the kind of guy he is.

Then our day's reading ends with this Psalm 90, written by Moses:

We are consumed by your anger
   and terrified by your indignation.
You have set our iniquities before you,
   our secret sins in the light of your presence.
Relent, LORD! How long will it be?
   Have compassion on your servants.
Satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love,
   that we may sing for joy and be glad all our days. (Ps. 90:7-8,13-14)

Day 49: Numbers 6-9

At the very end of these chapters it says:

On the day the tabernacle, the tent of the covenant law, was set up, the cloud covered it. From evening till morning the cloud above the tabernacle looked like fire. That is how it continued to be; the cloud covered it, and at night it looked like fire. Whenever the cloud lifted from above the tent, the Israelites set out; wherever the cloud settled, the Israelites encamped....Whether the cloud stayed over the tabernacle for two days or a month or a year, the Israelites would remain in camp and not set out; but when it lifted, they would set out. At the LORD’s command they encamped, and at the LORD’s command they set out. They obeyed the LORD’s order, in accordance with his command through Moses. (9:22-23)

I'm trying to imagine what this would look like and it's hard. I'm picturing 1,500,000 people or so in the Sinai wilderness doing this. Setting up camp and packing up would be a massive project. The Tabernacle itself would have been quite a job.

But more than that, I'm wondering how that felt to have God present in that way. To have that visible presence leading you. Was there security in that? Or was it a little scary? We pray for and try to discern God's leading today but I wonder, if we really had His leading in an obvious way, would we find security in that or would it be too scary for us?

Then again, maybe it is obvious. Maybe we only pretend that it's hard to see because it does scare us. Hm.

Day 47b-48: Numbers 1-5

Numbers seems to be an apt title for this book. The Israelites have now been out of Egypt 2 years and God gives this instruction:

"Take a census of the whole Israelite community by their clans and families, listing every man by name, one by one." (1:2)

This book contains, among other things, the instructions for doing this and the results. There are a lot of people here. 1:45 tells us "All the Israelites twenty years old or more who were able to serve in Israel’s army were counted according to their families. The total number was 603,550." If we extrapolate a bit and and in an equal number of females and then an estimate of those under 20 it's probably not far off to figure that there were about a million and a half people together out here in the Sinai wilderness. I can't imagine the logistical problems of managing this many people and organizing travel plans. There was no text messaging, email or Facebook so how did Moses get his communications out to the people. When the scripture says something like, "Then the LORD said to Moses, 'Speak to the Israelites and say to them...'" like it does in 5:11, what must that entail? Those few words imply a LOT of work!

I was also interested in the work of the Kohathites in chapter 4. "This is the work of the Kohathites at the tent of meeting: the care of the most holy things." (4:4) However, Aaron and his sons had to go into the tabernacle and cover everything in there.(4:5-13) They were the only ones allowed to actually see these things.

After Aaron and his sons have finished covering the holy furnishings and all the holy articles, and when the camp is ready to move, only then are the Kohathites to come and do the carrying. But they must not touch the holy things or they will die. The Kohathites are to carry those things that are in the tent of meeting. (4:15)

Sounds like a pretty risky task to me. They were supposed to carry them but they couldn't touch them. In fact 4:20 says "...the Kohathites must not go in to look at the holy things, even for a moment, or they will die.”

We go to worship every week and "look at the holy things." We talk about "coming into the presence of God" and do it pretty casually. When some people think of this, their reaction is that we shouldn't be so casual about it...that God deserves our reverence, respect and awe. It's true, God does deserve our reverence, respect and awe. It's also true that these OT instructions seemed designed to show us how utterly holy God is and how utterly unworthy we are to even come near to Him. But it's equally true that Jesus came near. The curtain that hid the Most Holy Place in the temple from view was torn from top to bottom when Jesus died on the cross (Matthew 27:51). The beauty of our worship today is that, while God hasn't changed (He still deserves our reverence, respect and awe.) we have. We have been changed by the blood of Christ. He has made it possible for us to "look at the holy things" and still live. Not only does God deserve our reverence, respect and awe...He also wants us to be close. He calls us "friend."

We can be comfortable in God's presence.

Day 46&47a: Leviticus 23-27

The end of Leviticus is in sight (yay!) so I decided to go ahead and finish it today. Although next up is Numbers (36 chapters!) and I'm not really looking forward to that either...but maybe God will surprise me.

After finishing Leviticus I must say that as happy as I am to be finished with reading the book I'm even more happy that I live in the here and now (under grace) then in the there and then (under law).

I did sort of stop at 24:16 for a few moments and consider the situation of the Jewish leaders of Jesus' day. I'm not making excuses for them because I don't believe their motives for wanting Jesus dead were noble at all. However, if they truly believed that Jesus had blasphemed (Matthew 26:65) then I can see why this verse would come to their minds:

...anyone who blasphemes the name of the LORD is to be put to death. The entire assembly must stone them. Whether foreigner or native-born, when they blaspheme the Name they are to be put to death. (24:16)

Day 45: Leviticus 19-22

"Be holy because I, the LORD your God, am holy."

This is the message God told Moses to give to the people. Then he goes on to give a detailed description of what that means. After almost every command he gives this as the reason. "I am the LORD your God." "I am the LORD, who makes you holy." Over and over this is repeated. This is the reason given for every single command. It makes me think of how my mother would answer my repeated question of, "Why?" - "Because I said so, that's why!"

Why should we live holy lives? I suppose you could come up with hundreds of good reasons to live holy lives. You'll live longer. It's better for society. You'll have a more peaceful and happy life. I believe all those things to be true.

But when you get right down to it...the real bottom line reason to live a holy life is... Because God said so, that's why.

Day 43&44: Leviticus 11-18

Full disclosure: I admit that I read these chapters very quickly...skimmed really. I get kind of bogged down in all the rules and regulations.

I found myself thinking a couple of things:

1. I assume this was all very new for the Israelites. This was going to be a brand new way of life...and it was apparently very different than all the other people they've been around (the Egyptians) or that they're going to be around (the Canaanites). Leviticus 18:3 says, "You must not do as they do in Egypt, where you used to live, and you must not do as they do in the land of Canaan, where I am bringing you. Do not follow their practices." Then after a long list of specific sexual instructions God says: "Do not defile yourselves in any of these ways, because this is how the nations that I am going to drive out before you became defiled." (18:24) These instructions are, for the most part at least (the main exception being the one about homosexuality), understood and upheld (if not always practiced) by almost all people today. People often talk about how immoral modern culture has become but I kind of get the impression that it's nothing compared to life in the pagan societies of OT times...like the Egyptians and Canaanites.

2. I was also thinking about all the regulations about diseases and uncleanness and the necessary steps to be restored. I know it's a purely hypothetical question but I can't help but wonder how much life would be different if we had never sinned...if "The Fall" hadn't occurred. I realize that if it wasn't Adam & Eve somebody would've eventually eaten of the "forbidden fruit" but it's interesting to imagine what life would be like if none of this blood atonement was ever necessary.

I suppose one day we'll find out.

Day 42: Leviticus 8-10

In Leviticus 8 the priests are "ordained" and set apart for their special work which begins in chapter 9. Everything, including the priests, are purified with blood...I believe this is a foreshadowing of our own purification by the blood of Christ.

I'm a bit intrigued with what happens in the first 3 verses of chapter 10. I wish we had more detail. Apparently Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu took their censers and offered "unauthorized fire" before the Lord, "contrary to His command." That's all it says about what they did. I don't remember reading anything about the difference between "authorized" and "unauthorized" fire. Whatever it is, though, God was not pleased with what they did because in verse 2 "...fire came out from the presence of the LORD and consumed them." I assume this fire was "authorized" since it came from God Himself. Anyway, after this happens, God says this to Aaron by way of explanation:

Among those who approach me
   I will be proved holy;
in the sight of all the people
   I will be honored. (10:3)

I think there's something here for us who claim to "approach God" in worship. Does my worship, and indeed my daily life prove God to be holy. Do my activities and priorities cause God to be honored in the sight of all the people. Apparently God takes this pretty seriously.

Aaron reacts to this the only way he can: "Aaron remained silent." My favorite 3 words in today's reading. He didn't offer excuses or explanations. He didn't pass the blame off to anyone else or any "societal pressures." He listen to what God said and remained silent.

I need to learn a lesson from Aaron.

Day 41: Leviticus 5-7

Rules and regulations about what sacrifices are to be offered and why, when & how they are to be offered.

Action is to be taken "...when they sin in any of these ways and realize their guilt." It seems to me that the same is true today. Not that we have to make these offerings but that we need to to take action as soon as we realize our guilt...whether it's asking forgiveness, making restitution or reconciliation.

I also note that 5:17 says, “If anyone sins and does what is forbidden in any of the LORD’s commands, even though they do not know it, they are guilty and will be held responsible." This reinforces an observation made in a previous post.

I can't help but notice how much blood is involved in OT worship and specifically in the atonement for sin. God is already preparing His people to understand and receive the sacrifice of Jesus.

Day 40: Leviticus 1-4

Well, I knew Leviticus was going to come pretty soon and, to be completely honest I haven't been looking forward to it. However, I'm going to do my best to get through it...reading with a view to finding what God wants me to see.

There are two things that sort of came to my mind as I read the first 4 chapters:

1. God expected His people to be serious about what they offered to God. What they offered had to be of the best quality. It had to offered in a pretty specific manner. It made me think about how we offer our offerings. Often we give only what's left over after we take care of the "essentials". I don't think that's what God has in mind. I also sort of wonder about the on-line, automated type of giving. I understand that it's planned and considered but one of the attractions of giving this way is that it's convenient, and we don't have to think about it...it just happens. I'm not sure convenience and thoughtlessness are really what God is looking for in our gifts. I'm not making judgments here...I'm just wondering.

2. The second thing is this whole "unintentional" sin thing addressed in chapter 4. I first of all wondered if there even is such a thing as an "unintentional" sin. I've always thought that sin was an act of the will...a decision that we make to go our own way. However, if the Bible talks about it I suppose it must exist. Leviticus says, "..when they realize their guilt and the sin they have committed becomes known..." then they must take action by making a sin offering. So here's the thing...apparently, not only is it possible to sin without realizing it, but we are held responsible for that sin as well. I have plenty of sin that I am aware of...God only knows (literally) all the sin in my life that has been committed without any thought whatsoever. Ignorance, it seems, is no excuse. This whole thing makes me more thankful than ever that my sin is completely taken care of by the sacrifice that Jesus made on my behalf.

Day 39: Exodus 37-40

These chapters describe the construction of the Tabernacle. It was finally set up "on the first day of the first month in the second year." (40:17) It must have been a pretty awesome thing to see, especially when "the cloud covered the tent of meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle." (40:34)

I can't help but wonder what happened to creativity, artistry and beauty in the service of our God? Why is "Christian art" so often so lame? I know there are some exceptional talents who do some exceptional God-honoring work in the arts, and I truly appreciate them, but why is this the exception? For every great song, painting, drama, dance, poem or building, there seem to be 100 that are simply cheesy. I suppose on one level it's true that even if something is less than great art, if it's the best a person has to offer, it as gladly accepted by God and honors Him (i.e. the widow's mite) and I know there are a lot of factors that enter into this but our God is a creative, artistic God. It seems reasonable to me that the world's most creative and expressive art would come from those of us who know Him well.

Day 38: Exodus 33-36

The main thing that struck me in today's section of scripture was the free-will offering of the people for the material and skilled labor for the construction of the tabernacle. Over and over in the Lord's instructions he uses a phrase like "...everyone who is willing..." should bring such and such. It seems like this was an "above and beyond" gift from the people...and, apparently, completely voluntary.

And then, amazingly enough, we read these words:

...And the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning. So all the skilled workers who were doing all the work on the sanctuary left what they were doing and said to Moses, “The people are bringing more than enough for doing the work the LORD commanded to be done.”
      Then Moses gave an order and they sent this word throughout the camp: “No man or woman is to make anything else as an offering for the sanctuary.” And so the people were restrained from bringing more, because what they already had was more than enough to do all the work. (36:3-7)

I look forward to the day the church leadership can say to the people, "Enough! Don't give any more...we don't need it."

Day 36&37: Exodus 25-32

In these chapters God is instructing Moses on the construction of the tabernacle and on the worship that is to take place there. He says:

Tell the Israelites to bring me an offering. You are to receive the offering for me from everyone whose heart prompts them to give. (25:2)

I like that the offering seems to be completely voluntary. And when you read the description of the tabernacle and all it's furnishings it's amazing how generous God expected the Israelites to be. Here's just one thing:

A talent of pure gold is to be used for the lampstand and all these accessories. (25:39)

According to the footnote a talent was about 75 pounds...of pure gold...and this was just one thing. Everything was covered in pure gold. The tabernacle was going to be pretty spectacular. When I read about the tabernacle and later the temple in Jerusalem I'm always amazed at what goes into it. The value of the materials alone is staggering and then you have to consider the artistry of the people doing the work. I realize that the point is to make a building that represents to the people how utterly separate and holy and awesome God is. Some still think that church buildings should be built this way...to make us get a sense of how separate God is from us. But I think Jesus changed all that. I'm not saying church buildings shouldn't be built with quality and artistry - they should - but the point, now, is that God has come near. That's the good news. He is not far removed from us. He is still holy but the final sacrifice has been made to bring us into his presence. The veil of the Holy of Holies has been torn open. (Mark 15:38)

Speaking of sacrifices, that's the next thing we read about in Exodus 29. I try to picture this beautifully ornate tabernacle and the priests in their impressive and expensive robes doing the things that God instructs them to do in worship. It's amazing how bloody their worship was to be. Here are just a few examples:

Take some of the bull’s blood and put it on the horns of the altar with your finger, and pour out the rest of it at the base of the altar. Then take all the fat on the internal organs, the long lobe of the liver, and both kidneys with the fat on them, and burn them on the altar. (29:12-13)

Slaughter it and take the blood and splash it against the sides of the altar. Cut the ram into pieces and wash the internal organs and the legs, putting them with the head and the other pieces. (29:16-17)

Slaughter it, take some of its blood and put it on the lobes of the right ears of Aaron and his sons, on the thumbs of their right hands, and on the big toes of their right feet. Then splash blood against the sides of the altar. And take some blood from the altar and some of the anointing oil and sprinkle it on Aaron and his garments and on his sons and their garments. (29:20-21)

Again, I think the point is surely that we are filled with sin...that it was going to take a lot for us to be able to have any kind of relationship with a Holy God. This is some of the background to the sacrifice Jesus makes for sin. These are some of the images that should probably come to mind when we take The Lord's Supper each week.

Then we have chapter 32. Moses is up on the mountain for a long time receiving these instructions and in the mean time the people are getting a little impatient. Ironically, while God is giving Moses the specific instructions on how to worship Him the people decide they're going to worship in their own way...by making this golden calf. I wonder how much gold that thing took? I wonder how much was left to contribute to the construction of the tabernacle? I'm not surprised that God was angry but I'm amazed at how Moses talks Him down from destroying the people and starting over. But then he has his own temper tantrum, breaking the stones that the law was written on, destroying the golden calf and grinding it into powder, putting the powder in water and forcing the people to drink it.

This is possibly one of the saddest days in the saga of the Israelites.

Day 35: Exodus 22-24

These chapters contain more rules and regulations for maintaining a civilized society. I get the impression that these standards are very different than other nations and peoples of the time. The level of justice and fairness is very high. It's very clear that God is concerned with the rights of each individual.

I find it interesting that God says this:

...do not show favoritism to a poor person in a lawsuit. (23:2)

...and then just a few verses later we find this:

Do not deny justice to your poor people in their lawsuits. (23:6)

It seems like "all men are created equal" was God's idea. However, God is leading His people into a land where He expects them to slaughter everyone who is currently living there. Apparently this equality in the eyes of God can be squandered by choosing not to live in relationship with Him.

Do not let them live in your land or they will cause you to sin against me, because the worship of their gods will certainly be a snare to you. (23:33)

That sounds very prophetic to me because that's exactly what happens...even though...

When Moses went and told the people all the LORD’s words and laws, they responded with one voice, “Everything the LORD has said we will do.” (24:3)

I guess it wasn't as easy as they thought.

Day 33&34: Exodus 14-21

Decided to do 2 days' worth of reading this afternoon.

This is pretty familiar territory. This section takes Moses and the Israelites out of Egypt in the dramatic crossing of the Red Sea where the Egyptian pursuers were all swept away. Ch. 15 is a song of praise and celebration for God's mighty work. Chapter 16 tales them into the wilderness and finds God feeding them with manna & quail from heaven. In chapter 17 God gives them water and victory over the Amalekites. In chapter 18 Jethro, Moses' father-in-law, arrives and gives him some very helpful advice in dealing with the people. They arrive at Mount Sinai in chapter 19 and God gives the "Ten Commandments" in chapter 20 along with some other rules and regulations for civilized living in chapter 21.

It's hard to read this section without noticing the whining, complaining and disobedient attitudes of the Israelites. God miraculously leads them across the Red Sea and after a brief worship celebration they complain that there's no water (15:24). God miraculously gives them water and they complain that there's nothing to eat. They have fond remembrances of their slavery days in Egypt when they had all the food they needed (16:3). God miraculously gives them manna every morning and quail every evening with a few instructions on gathering, sharing, and preparation which they completely ignore (16:1-30). Then they're thirsty again...and ready to go back to Egypt again "Then Moses cried out to the LORD, 'What am I to do with these people?'"

How do they forget so quickly what God is capable of?

How do WE forget so quickly what God is capable of?

But my verse for the day is:

Moses answered the people, “Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today." (14:13)

Day 32: Exodus 10-13

These 4 chapters start with the last 3 plagues...By this time, I would think that Egypt was pretty much a wasteland. In fact, even before these last 3 plagues begin Pharaoh's "cabinet" said as much to him:

Pharaoh’s officials said to him, “How long will this man be a snare to us? Let the people go, so that they may worship the LORD their God. Do you not yet realize that Egypt is ruined?” (10:7)

But apparently it wasn't enough. Next up:
    The plague of locusts - 10:1-20
    The plague of darkness - 10:21-29
    Then the final plague of the death of the firstborn - 11:1-10

But the Israelites are protected by God if they follow His instructions to put the blood from a sacrificial lamb on their doorposts. (12:1-13) It's the Passover which Jewish people celebrate to this day.

When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down. (12:23)

I am so glad that when the final judgment comes and God "goes through the land" that when He looks down on me he will see the blood of the Perfect Lamb covering me.

Once again I'm struck with the fact that God keeps His promises...in His time, not mine.

Now the length of time the Israelite people lived in Egypt was 430 years. (12:40)

Four hundred and thirty years ago God made a promise to Abraham that his descendants would multiply exponentially...that the land of Canaan would be given to them as a possession. Well, so far only the first part has come true, and not in the way anyone would really choose. Now they are just beginning to leave Egypt for the second part of that promise.

Four - hundred - and - thirty - years. The Roman Empire lasted 500 years give or take. The British ruled their empire for around 400 years depending on who you ask. The United States has existed for about 235 years. For God these are all just the blink of an eye.

I get impatient when God doesn't answer my prayer in a week.

Well, at least one person had confidence that God was going to do what He said He would do:

Moses took the bones of Joseph with him because Joseph had made the Israelites swear an oath. He had said, “God will surely come to your aid, and then you must carry my bones up with you from this place." (13:19)

430 years...and they still knew where to find Joseph's bones.