When Jesus walked the earth, God's word was central to life. It was the everyday conversation of the community. They were brought together by the text, and they even agreed on a text of the week. This same ancient rythmn is available to us today! Join us in reading and commenting on what is know as the "Parashah." Imagine a community whose unity is rooted in the very word of God!
Below are a few notes from a presentation I made 2-3 years ago which applies this text of Exodus. The topic was Remembering God: Journaling the Journey.
Why make a record?
1. To prevent spiritual amnesia (The book of Exodus is filled with instances of spiritual amnesia.)
Examples of Memory Markings in the Bible
Alters - Abraham Wells - Abraham Standing Stones- Jacob & Joshua Staffs/Rods Tablets - Moses Scrolls - Isaiah Festivals/Celebrations Circumcision – Joshua Communion - Jesus
2. To build and strengthen our faith. a. When you remember the things that God has done for you in similar circumstances, it suddenly becomes much easier to trust him. Because you have seen his hand at work in your life.
3. To discover God’s will for our lives a. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Psalm 139: 5 b. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13 4. To testify to wonders God has done and continues to do in each of our lives today. a. When I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:18 5. To grow spiritually as disciples of Christ (Purifying Silver) a. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23) 6. To leverage the spiritual authority of the Lord in our lives and the lives of others. Many Christians today have or do feel spiritually powerless. Why? We have a short term memory in many cases. a. What is spiritual leverage? It is a combination of the mind of Christ and the authority of Christ, both are made available to each of us by God’s will. If God gives you spiritual leverage, you have enough leverage to move mountains because you speak his words for him. You however can only help in that which he is already doing. If you are outside of his will you are not in the mind of Christ and can accomplish nothing. b. In the days of Moses a rod was symbolic of several things: i. (1) It was the symbol of authority ii. (2) It was used to walk with, lean on, and protect him iii. (3) Scholars tell us that shepherds would write and carve figures on their rods. The rod was like an ancient journal of past life experiences. c. How did Moses use his rod/staff after he encountered God as a burning bush? i. Exodus 4 – Moses is afraid and he reveals this in the question “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The LORD did not appear to you?” So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand? (Basically saying “Where is your faith in me? Don’t you remember what I have done for you?”) ii. God used Moses’ life experiences (staff) to reveal the authority God had entrusted to him to the Israelites. iii. He then used Aaron’s staff it to reveal the power of God to the Egyptians in the form of a snake. iv. He used Aaron’s staff to change the Nile to blood. v. He used Aaron’s staff to bring a plague of frogs. vi. He used Aaron’s staff to bring a plague of Gnats. vii. He used Moses’ staff to bring a plague of locusts. viii. He used Moses’ staff to part the Red Sea ix. He used Moses’ staff to bring water from a rock. x. He used Moses’ staff to defeat the Amalekites d. God leveraged Moses’ experiences to reveal his spiritual authority. He desires to do the same for each of us. The Great Commission was not just about words. Jesus said that signs would follow those words. Not just stories but physical signs of his presence. If we are believers, Jesus has said that these signs should follow us. I would like to present the case that we do not see these physical signs because (1) we do not remember and testify to his miracles or deeds in our own life (2) because we do not have faith or (3) both.
Recently, I heard a testamony by another pastor. He had come in contact with a homeless person who was living on the streets and freezing in an abandoned building in Quebec. While talking with him, it stuck him to be shocking that this man had basicly burned everything he could find or used to keep a fire going. This man quickly identified him as being a man of God although he had not spoken anything that would indicate this to be true. Through this conversation, he homeless man indicated that he had burned everything but the tracts (which he couldn't understand) that others had handed him on the streets. His expression was "There was just something about them that couldn't be burned." The pastor was shocked that a man who didn't know God and couldn't understand the words of God would somewhere within his soul know that the words were precious somehow. I have the same reaction to the midwives who do not obey Pharoh and kill the male born sons, because they feared God. These women may not have even been Hebrew. They very well could have been Egyptian but we do not know. The point is that God is with us even when we don't know him guiding our path. He is always trying to breakin to our lives.
This is a very strange thing to me and has been for sometime. Until recently, a different light was passed over this passage in Ex.4:24-26.
The whole thing seems to have a language of generations to come in demeanor. This could be in reference to the passover to come, maybe. My question would then be why the use of the word "bridegroom".
I have a theory that this could have been a spiritual rite passed down through Jethro's family in idenifying those moving into position of spiritual authority of its people. (maybe) Perhaps, Zipporah recognized Gods calling on his life. The "bridegroom" seems to give a foreshadow of Messah to come.
The blood seems to give a picture of the covenant with Abraham. I think what is reveiled in this passage is the birth of a leader and nation which is taking on a more consecrated & structured way of leadership and worship. (The birth of the synagogue.) What are your thoughts?
3 comments:
Below are a few notes from a presentation I made 2-3 years ago which applies this text of Exodus.
The topic was Remembering God: Journaling the Journey.
Why make a record?
1. To prevent spiritual amnesia (The book of Exodus is filled with instances of spiritual amnesia.)
Examples of Memory Markings in the Bible
Alters - Abraham
Wells - Abraham
Standing Stones- Jacob & Joshua
Staffs/Rods
Tablets - Moses
Scrolls - Isaiah
Festivals/Celebrations
Circumcision – Joshua
Communion - Jesus
2. To build and strengthen our faith.
a. When you remember the things that God has done for you in similar circumstances, it suddenly becomes much easier to trust him. Because you have seen his hand at work in your life.
3. To discover God’s will for our lives
a. You hem me in—behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. Psalm 139: 5
b. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. Psalm 139:13
4. To testify to wonders God has done and continues to do in each of our lives today.
a. When I awake, I am still with you. Psalm 139:18
5. To grow spiritually as disciples of Christ (Purifying Silver)
a. Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. (Psalm 139:23)
6. To leverage the spiritual authority of the Lord in our lives and the lives of others. Many Christians today have or do feel spiritually powerless. Why? We have a short term memory in many cases.
a. What is spiritual leverage? It is a combination of the mind of Christ and the authority of Christ, both are made available to each of us by God’s will. If God gives you spiritual leverage, you have enough leverage to move mountains because you speak his words for him. You however can only help in that which he is already doing. If you are outside of his will you are not in the mind of Christ and can accomplish nothing.
b. In the days of Moses a rod was symbolic of several things:
i. (1) It was the symbol of authority
ii. (2) It was used to walk with, lean on, and protect him
iii. (3) Scholars tell us that shepherds would write and carve figures on their rods. The rod was like an ancient journal of past life experiences.
c. How did Moses use his rod/staff after he encountered God as a burning bush?
i. Exodus 4 – Moses is afraid and he reveals this in the question “What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, “The LORD did not appear to you?” So the LORD said to him, “What is that in your hand? (Basically saying “Where is your faith in me? Don’t you remember what I have done for you?”)
ii. God used Moses’ life experiences (staff) to reveal the authority God had entrusted to him to the Israelites.
iii. He then used Aaron’s staff it to reveal the power of God to the Egyptians in the form of a snake.
iv. He used Aaron’s staff to change the Nile to blood.
v. He used Aaron’s staff to bring a plague of frogs.
vi. He used Aaron’s staff to bring a plague of Gnats.
vii. He used Moses’ staff to bring a plague of locusts.
viii. He used Moses’ staff to part the Red Sea
ix. He used Moses’ staff to bring water from a rock.
x. He used Moses’ staff to defeat the Amalekites
d. God leveraged Moses’ experiences to reveal his spiritual authority. He desires to do the same for each of us. The Great Commission was not just about words. Jesus said that signs would follow those words. Not just stories but physical signs of his presence. If we are believers, Jesus has said that these signs should follow us. I would like to present the case that we do not see these physical signs because (1) we do not remember and testify to his miracles or deeds in our own life (2) because we do not have faith or (3) both.
Recently, I heard a testamony by another pastor. He had come in contact with a homeless person who was living on the streets and freezing in an abandoned building in Quebec.
While talking with him, it stuck him to be shocking that this man had basicly burned everything he could find or used to keep a fire going.
This man quickly identified him as being a man of God although he had not spoken anything that would indicate this to be true. Through this conversation, he homeless man indicated that he had burned everything but the tracts (which he couldn't understand) that others had handed him on the streets. His expression was "There was just something about them that couldn't be burned." The pastor was shocked that a man who didn't know God and couldn't understand the words of God would somewhere within his soul know that the words were precious somehow.
I have the same reaction to the midwives who do not obey Pharoh and kill the male born sons, because they feared God. These women may not have even been Hebrew. They very well could have been Egyptian but we do not know. The point is that God is with us even when we don't know him guiding our path. He is always trying to breakin to our lives.
A Bridegroom of Blood
This is a very strange thing to me and has been for sometime. Until recently, a different light was passed over this passage in Ex.4:24-26.
The whole thing seems to have a language of generations to come in demeanor. This could be in reference to the passover to come, maybe. My question would then be why the use of the word "bridegroom".
I have a theory that this could have been a spiritual rite passed down through Jethro's family in idenifying those moving into position of spiritual authority of its people. (maybe) Perhaps, Zipporah recognized Gods calling on his life. The "bridegroom" seems to give a foreshadow of Messah to come.
The blood seems to give a picture of the covenant with Abraham. I think what is reveiled in this passage is the birth of a leader and nation which is taking on a more consecrated & structured way of leadership and worship. (The birth of the synagogue.) What are your thoughts?
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