October 3rd, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

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This post is about a story that never ceases to amaze me… and then am convicted about my own lack of faith when God’s timing and ways are different than my preferred schedule. We are quick to fall away from God – and then blame someone else for it.

In Exodus 32 we have one of the most astonishingly stupid events in the Bible! Moses has been on the mountain, in the presence of God, receiving the law and the precise instructions on building the Tabernacle. The people have just ratified a very solemn 2-sided covenant with I Am, Yahweh, the God of the Universe. He has been powerfully introducing Himself throughout the book, starting back with Moses in the wilderness, then in Egypt with the plagues and His provision for them, and throughout their journey thus far. God Himself has entered a covenant relationship with them and is moving into their midst!

But… Moses took too long to come down. Doesn’t that nullify what they just agreed to?!?

Exodus 32:1-4
Now when the people saw that Moses delayed coming down from the mountain, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” And Aaron said to them, “Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, your sons, and your daughters, and bring them to me.” “So all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears, and brought them to Aaron. And he received the gold from their hand, and he fashioned it with an engraving tool, and made a molded calf. Then they said, “This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!”

What?!?!? Excuse me, who is your God who brought you out of Egypt??? The One who has been emphasizing HIS NAME and HIS CHARACTER and HIS FAITHFULNESS throughout the last months of their lives? The One who demolished the gods and the army of Egypt?? Oh, that’s right. It’s that golden calf you just made out of your earrings.

Needless to say, God and Moses are both pretty ticked at the events unfolding below them. God is actually ready to just wipe them out and Moses intercedes on their behalf. When Moses finally gets down there and deals with the situation, he has a fascinating conversation with the “good priest” Aaron.

Exodus 32:21-24
And Moses said to Aaron, “What did this people do to you that you have brought so great a sin upon them?” So Aaron said, “Do not let the anger of my lord become hot. You know the people, that they are set on evil. “For they said to me, ‘Make us gods that shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.’ “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.”

It’s amazing to me how Aaron admits to absolutely no culpability in this situation. It’s the people’s fault: You know the people, that they are set on evil. And in fact, He didn’t even make the calf – it just magically formed on its own. “And I said to them, ‘Whoever has any gold, let them break it off.’ So they gave it to me, and I cast it into the fire, and this calf came out.” Does Aaron really believe that his brother is this dense? Does he think God didn’t know??

The consequences of this are severe -

Exodus 32:25-28 Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me.” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’ ” So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day.

Some get hung up on events like this and start questioning the goodness of God. However, that’s not the point. God IS good. God IS just. God IS merciful. But the big deal here is that GOD IS HOLY. This wasn’t about those people: it was about God. What God had been proclaiming to all the world during the book of Exodus was His name and character. In one swift plunge into sin, the people stripped God of His glory and fame as their redeemer, deliverer, and Sovereign One… and they glorified a homemade statue of a cow instead. On top of that, the people had just finished ratifying that covenant, covered with the blood that Moses had sprinkled on them. They knew what that meant: may this be my blood if I break this covenant. Sin brings death. It must, for our God is holy.

Leviticus 22:32
“You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God: I am the Lord.”

September 20th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

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Did you know that “communion” or the Lord’s Supper has roots in Exodus? We miss so much of the necessity and beauty of Jesus’ ministry on our behalf because we do not know and appreciate the Old Testament. It’s exciting to learn, though, and I pray God continues to speak through His Word and deepen your walk with Him – during communion in your church and every day!

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Luke 22:20
Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you…” (NKJV)

Those words are probably familiar with anyone who has spent much time in churches where the Lord’s supper (communion) is celebrated. Sometimes, because we usually lack a solid understanding of the Old Testament (and the Old Covenant), we fail to really appreciate what Jesus was saying here. Let’s take a look.

In Exodus 19:5-6a, God makes a tremendous offer to Israel.  ‘Now therefore, if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant, then you shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ The people enthusiastically agree in verse 8: Then all the people answered together and said, “All that the Lord has spoken we will do.”

Much like a marriage, Israel is entering a unique covenant relationship with God. In fact, throughout Scripture God refers to Israel as a wife (usually an unfaithful one!) And like a marriage, this is a 2-sided covenant. Notice God’s stated condition: if you will indeed obey My voice and keep My covenant. Chapters 20-23 are a bit like a “preview” of the rest of the law before the covenant is officially ratified.

We will discuss more in future posts why the law was (and is) important. What we are going to focus on today is the three-part process of ratification, or official enactment, of the covenant in chapter 24. Please read this whole chapter on your own, as I will only be pulling out a few verses here.

**Part One: Blood**

Exodus 24:7-8 Then he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the hearing of the people. And they said, “All that the Lord has said we will do, and be obedient.” And Moses took the blood, sprinkled it on the people, and said, “This is the blood of the covenant which the Lord has made with you according to all these words.”

What is the deal with the blood??? In ancient times, if someone wanted to solemnly swear and oath and “cut covenant,” they would take some animals, cut them in two, and arrange them so that the two people who were forming a covenant would walk through the halves. Disgusting, but meaningful. The idea was: if I break my end of this agreement, may I be like these poor animals here. May this be like my blood.

[Check out Genesis 15 - that is exactly what God is doing with Abraham. Only... Abraham doesn't walk through! Only God does! His promises to Abraham were unconditional, because Abraham didn't have any conditions to fulfill in the covenant!!]

As Moses sprinkles the blood all over the people, this was a solemn thing. They understood what was happening: if I break my end of this 2-sided covenant, my blood is on my own head.

**Part Two: Meal**

Exodus 24:9-11 Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, and they saw the God of Israel. And there was under His feet as it were a paved work of sapphire stone, and it was like the very heavens in its clarity. But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

This is definitely one of those passages that seems like should tell us more! But, apparently this is all we need to know. As they ratify the covenant, the leadership of Israel goes up the mountain and literally has a meal with God.

**Part Three: Writing**

Exodus 24:12 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Come up to Me on the mountain and be there; and I will give you tablets of stone, and the law and commandments which I have written, that you may teach them.”

This is pretty self-explanatory – God writes out the covenant on tablets of stone and instructs Moses to teach the people.

Now… what does this have to do with communion?? I know I’ve never heard a communion message from Exodus!! :) Let’s go through the 3-part process of ratification for the new covenant.

**Part One: Blood**

Luke 22:20 Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you.

Remember the Old Covenant? The blood was sprinkled on them, symbolizing their blood! You break this covenant, your blood is on your own head! What’s different now? It’s not my blood! It was Jesus’ blood shed for me!

**Part Two: Meal**

Luke 22:14-15 When the hour had come, He sat down, and the twelve apostles with Him. Then He said to them, “With fervent desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, I will no longer eat of it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.”

Another meal… again symbolizing the fellowship within a new covenant relationship.

**Part Three: Writing**

Hebrews 8:10 “For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the Lord: I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”

The law isn’t on tablets anymore – it’s on our hearts and in our minds!

Thank you, Lord, for Jesus Christ! Thank you for promising Him way back in Genesis 3, and then faithfully revealing your plans, purposes, ways, and character throughout Scripture. Where would we be without His blood shed on our behalf? Our blood would be on our own heads, for we can never be holy as you are.

I Corinthians 6:9,11
Don’t you know that those who do wrong will have no share in the Kingdom of God? … but now your sins have been washed away, and you have been set apart for God. You have been made right with God because of what the Lord Jesus Christ and the Spirit of our God have done for you. (NLT)

September 13th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

There is a very real danger in feeling self-sufficient. It’s amazing how fast we humans forget where God has taken us from and all that He has graciously provided for us – rather than remaining poor in spirit, we become quite proud, self-righteous, and smug! I know it has been true for us, as well as for many people we’ve talked with, that times of extreme economic hardship have been times of accelerated growth for us. When we realize that God is the provider of our daily bread, when we see Him as the source of everything, when we are forced to trust Him, it transforms us! Just as He uses these times in our lives, God had a daily object lesson waiting outside the tent flaps of the Israelites.

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Exodus 16:2-3
Then the whole congregation of the children of Israel complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. And the children of Israel said to them, “Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”
(NKJV)

Oh, dear. We are so quick to forget.

In a very short period of time, these people have been reintroduced to the God of their fathers. He has answered their cries and addressed their questions – He had not fogotten them or the promises He had made to their fathers, He had not lost control, He was aware of their sufferings, and He was indeed the one supreme God – the King of kings and Lord of lords. They had seen the plagues and how they had been miraculously spared, they had walked out of the captivity and oppression of Egypt, God had split the red sea and allowed them to cross on dry ground, and then they were firsthad witnesses of the complete destruction of the Egyptian army.

And now…

“Oh, that we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the pots of meat and when we ate bread to the full! For you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.”

Seriously??

And then God mercifully answers – You think your oppressors in Egypt can provide meat and bread better than the creator of the universe, better than the I AM?

And He provides. Bread from heaven, meat on a delivery schedule. “I have heard the complaints of the children of Israel. Speak to them, saying, ‘At twilight you shall eat meat, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread. And you shall know that I am the Lord your God.’ ” Exodus 16:12

[By the way, the word "manna" simply means, "What is it?" They had never had anything like it and didn't know what to call it, so they called it, "What is it?"!!]

And so it was that for years in the wilderness, the people would wake up in the morning, open their tent flap, and sure enough… the I Am, Yahweh, the Powerful Promisekeeper had provided again. Every single day they were completely dependent on His miraculous provision. And every single day He provided.

In fact, if they didn’t trust Him and decided to gather extra, thinking that He might not come through the next day… lo and behold, they had a stinky jar of maggots. Why?!? God isn’t just on some sort of power trip! What is the purpose of them not gathering ahead? Exodus 16:4- And the people shall go out and gather a certain quota every day, that I may test them, whether they will walk in My law or not. This was a daily test: do you trust Me? Do you believe that I AM who I say I AM, that I will do what I say I will do? Will you believe and obey?

Normally, we are not so obviously forced to be dependent on God for the basics of food and water. We have the perception of control, thinking that we go to work, we make money, we buy what we need, and then say a prayer over the meal as we eat. Have we truly internalized, as the Israelites were supposed to do, that every single thing we have is from the hand of God? The lie that we deserve ____ is incredibly dangerous in our walk with God.

In Deuteronomy 6:10-12, Moses is warning the Israelites of this tendency.

“So it shall be, when the Lord your God brings you into the land of which He swore to your fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give you large and beautiful cities which you did not build, houses full of all good things, which you did not fill, hewn-out wells which you did not dig, vineyards and olive trees which you did not plant—when you have eaten and are full— then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.

Beware, lest you forget. Don’t forget who gave you the ability to work, who has kept you healthy and strong and mentally able to earn money. Don’t forget that we don’t deserve anything other than hell – that’s all we have “earned” by our own efforts apart from Him!! He gave us grace – He gave us life, salvation through Christ, daily access to Him, lives with purpose, and ultimately a home in heaven with Him.

When we really understand what it means that God provides our daily bread – that everything we have is a gift from Him, we have begun to understand the fullness of God’s grace and forgiveness. And when we understand grace, we are compelled to show it to others.

Matthew 6:11-12
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.

September 6th, 2009 by Kristi Stephens

Today’s flashback post is a topic that always amazes me – every time I study Exodus it makes me marvel at the amazing sovereignty of our God over everything. Everything. EVERYTHING!

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As we continue on through the book of Exodus, we will be skipping a lot of events in order to focus on some major lessons. Make sure you read Exodus in your own Bible! (again, www.biblegateway.com is a great resource).

In Exodus 4:31, we have the people’s response to the message that God indeed was still working. “And when they realized that the Lord had seen their misery and was deeply concerned for them, they all bowed their heads and worshiped.” (NLT)

He had not forgotten. He had not lost control. He had heard their cries. He is the I Am, the powerful promisekeeper.

Now, after this Moses goes in to see Pharaoh for the first time. His response was not quite as enthusiastic as the Israelites’.

“Is that so?” retorted Pharaoh. “And who is the Lord that I should listen to him and let Israel go? I don’t know the Lord, and I will not let Israel go.” (5:2, NLT)

“I do not know the Lord!” Indeed he did not. So, God will introduce Himself.

These plagues were not random acts of terrorism that God was inflicting on a people He didn’t like. There is a bigger picture going on here – a theological one. Think back to your 9th grade world history class, and as you sort through the cobwebs in your mind, try to remember everything you learned about ancient Egypt. Obviously, mummies, pyramids, and a sphinx probably come to mind. All of those things were very religious – Egypt was, in fact, a very “religious” place. They were devoted to a whole pantheon of gods from Ra (the sun god) down to the god of the Nile who brought fertility to the land. As God begins the series of plagues on Egypt, each seems to answer a god that Egypt worshipped. He uses what their “god” was supposedly in control of and used to bless them in order to destroy them. The message: There is only one God worthy of worship. He is the I Am. He is the King of kings and Lord of lords.

There is also a repetition throughout the account of the plagues that must be noticed. A continual refrain of “you shall know that I am the LORD” (or variations) beats throughout this story. Again, these plagues were not random – they are theological statements. Below I have highlighted a few plagues, the statements about God’s supremacy, and noted the Egyptian god probably being addressed. (the information about Egyptian gods was taken from “The Plagues and the Exodus” by Dr. David Livingston).

Nile turning to blood: 7:17-18 Now the Lord says, “You are going to find out that I am the Lord.” Look! I will hit the water of the Nile with this staff, and the river will turn to blood. The fish in it will die, and the river will stink. The Egyptians will not be able to drink any water from the Nile.’ ”

**Hapi, spirit of the Nile in flood and “giver of life to all men.”

Plague of frogs: 8:9-10 “You set the time!” Moses replied. “Tell me when you want me to pray for you, your officials, and your people. I will pray that you and your houses will be rid of the frogs. Then only the frogs in the Nile River will remain alive.” “Do it tomorrow,” Pharaoh said. “All right,” Moses replied, “it will be as you have said. Then you will know that no one is as powerful as the Lord our God…”

**The frog-headed goddess, Hekt, played a part in “creation.” Hers was one of the oldest fertility cults in Egypt. But she could not control the fertility of a these frogs!

Plague of hail: 9:14 I will send a plague that will really speak to you and your officials and all the Egyptian people. I will prove to you that there is no other God like me in all the earth. 9:16 But I have let you live for this reason—that you might see my power and that my fame might spread throughout the earth.

**The sky goddess Nut was the mother of the sun-god Ra. She was especially culpable in this plague in that she was supposed to protect the land from destructions which came down from heaven.

Death of the firstborn: 12:12 I will execute judgment against all the gods of Egypt, for I am the Lord!

**The last plague was not only against the supreme god of Egypt, Pharaoh himself, but also against the future pharaoh, his son, the very next god (Horus) of Egypt.

The last plague, the death of the firstborn, was obviously the most painful for the Egyptians. It also is one of the most powerful illustrations of salvation in the Old Testament for the Hebrews. If you have ever been to a large museum that houses Egyptian artifacts, you probably have seen the stone doorframes which were common in Egypt. Around the sides and top, hieroglyphs would be carved. These are basically the names of Egyptian gods that the people of the house were claiming as their gods and asking for protection. Anyone who believed God at this point was instructed to kill a lamb, smear the blood across the doorframes of their houses, putting their trust in God alone to save them.

In other words:

1. On their own they were facing death (Romans 3:23: For all have sinned; all fall short of God’s glorious standard.)
2. No other god could save them – the only marking visible on that door would be the blood (John 14:6: Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.)
3. They had to have a lamb die in their place (Romans 3:25: For God sent Jesus to take the punishment for our sins and to satisfy God’s anger against us. We are made right with God when we believe that Jesus shed his blood, sacrificing his life for us.)

It is the only way. We are marked for death by our own sin and rebellion against God. The Lamb of God, Jesus Christ, has died in our place and shed His blood for us. Our own efforts, the “gods” that we worship cannot save us: good works, humanitarianism, intelligence, the faith of our families, material wealth, etc. We must cover those things up with the blood of Christ, knowing that nothing else will save us. Only Him.

Because the Lamb died, I live.