Day 31, January 31 Bible Reading

Day 31,  January 31

1805 - 1446 BC

Ex. 1 – 2:10 The Israelites are enslaved / Moses’ birth

Ex. 2:11-25 Moses kills an Egyptian / Moses flees from Pharaoh

Ex. 3 – 4:17 The burning bush / God’s charge to Moses / Aaron’s role

Ex. 1-2:10

• 1:1-7 Several hundred years have passed, after the death of not only Joseph, but the original 70 descendants of Jacob who came to Egypt.
  
  

• Ex 1:8-14 A new Pharaoh out of xenophobia and fear, enslaved thee children of Israel,  The children of Israel built some important cities such as Pithom famously known as Heroonopolis and Raamses.
  
  

• Ex 1:15-22 To resolve the potential threat of the illegal immigrants, Pharaoh went straight to Hebrew midwives to kill every son but keep the daughters alive.  He wanted to kill the seed of Abraham.
  
  

• What was interesting to me was it was said that these midwives feared God so much that they did not do as Pharaoh commanded, saved the male children and basically lied to Pharaoh as to why the Hebrew sons are not being killed.   God rewarded them for lying.  How about that? Does that confuse you? To God, the tree of life always trumps the tree of knowledge of good and evil. When it comes to the preservation of someone else’s life or the life of the innocent it is ok to lie to the abusers.
  
  

• 2:1-4 We see the birth of a child, Moses and how his parents hid him in an ark of bulrushes. The writer of Hebrews called this an act of faith: Heb 11:23 “By faith Moses, when he was born, was hidden three months by his parents, because they saw he was a beautiful child; and they were not afraid of the king’s command.”
  
  

• 2:5-10 So Pharaoh's daughter found the baby. She immediately recognized it was a Hebrew baby.  In America, a President’s daughter will never go against the bad policy of her father.  Pharaoh’s daughter was different.  She had compassion. I am sure Pharaoh's daughter suspected the nurse Moses sister was referring to breast feed the baby was Moses’ mother. No matter, Moses' mother was paid to take care of her own child.  What a turn of events.

Ex. 2:11-25

• 2:11-15 We see Moses also having compassion on his own seeing a fellow Hebrew being beaten by an Egyptian.  This tells me he was fully aware of his heritage.  I can imagine what was going on in him living in two worlds.  Moses had the potential of being a deliverer, but this time he went about it the wrong way. He thought he would receive gratitude for saving the Hebrew man, but instead they asked, who made him a prince over them.  This is the impact of living in 2 worlds.  The Hebrews knew Moses was one of them, but because he grew up under Pharaoh, they were suspicious of him, He became a domestic terrorist and a murderer.  How he escaped Pharaoh is beyond me.
  
  

• 2:16-22 When better to meet a woman than at the well. It worked for his forefathers before.  Well it helps if you can stand up to bullies,  be kind and feed their camels. Joseph met the priest of Midian who had the 7 daughters, stayed with them, married Zipporah his daughter and had a son, Gershom
  
  

• 2:23-25 It was time for God’s visitation just as Joseph prophesied. God heard the groanings of the children of Israel in bondage.  

Ex. 3-4:17

• 3:1-3 Moses meets God in the Burning Bush (well it's said more accurately that the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in the burning bush).
  
  

• 3:4-10 God introduces himself as “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” God confirmed that he heard the cry of the Israelites and now He has come down to deliver them.
  
  

• 3:11-12 Moses' first question was “What? Who am I to go to Pharaoh and lead the children of Israel out”

• I love God’s answer.  He did not say “Moses you are this and that… or you are the chosen one”.  He answered, don’t worry about who you are.  Know that “I am with you and I have sent you.”
  
  

• Perhaps the answer to our existential question of “Who am I” is to take the focus off ourselves and focus on the “God is with me”, that is “Who is this God who is with me”
  
  

• 3:13-17 Moses tries again.  “Who are you then God?”  “To the Israelites, whom shall I say sent me” God’s response was: EXISTENCE.  The One Who Exists. I exist by Myself for Myself, commonly rendered “I am That I am” or YHWH, for the name of God.

• 3:18-22 Now finally consider what God said to tell the Egyptians “The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.”
  
  

• We all know though that intent was not to make a three day’s journey only to sacrifice and then as implied to come back.  Why do you think God told Moses to say that?  Was this diplomacy?  Was God using this as an excuse, so that when Pharaoh says “No” to this reasonable request that God can engage in a permanent exit?

• 4:1-9 Moses had another question: “But suppose they [The Egyptians] will not believe me or listen to my voice; suppose they say, ‘The Lord has not appeared to you”

• God gave him two signs: a rod that turns into a snake and back to rod and if they don’t listen to that a leprous hand that gets restored.  If they don’t believe those two signs then take water from the Nile, pour it on land and it will become blood. This time there is no return from blood to water. All these signs are signs of increasing calamities.  It represents an escalation that there is a chance for restoration the first time, second time, but by the third, you are pushing it.

• 4:10-17 Moses has one more question. “But I am not a speaker.” You see the problem is, big boy Moses, who murdered the Egyptian, does not want the job.  He is trying every which way to get out of it “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.””
  
  

• That got God angry.  A resolution was made.  Moses, you are not getting out of this.  Aaron will be your spokesperson.  You tell him the words to speak.  But  you shall take this rod in your hand, with which you shall do the signs.  You are the man.