Cruising the Chronological Bible with Karen Louis

ENTRY SIX -- January 22, 2008

Moses, the Reluctant Leader who Changed, Exodus 1-15

And now on to the story of the Exodus, and the life of Moses. This entry will cover five days of reading, and will hit issues such as COURAGE, BLAMING OTHERS, “the GOD OF WHY”, and the AMAZING PROMISES AND POWER OF GOD.

Exodus 1-2 The KJV reads, “Now there arose up a new king over Egypt, which knew not Joseph.” As the people of God, sometimes we will live in times of peace, and sometimes we will not. But we can always know that God will be with us. When reading the first half of Exodus, I can’t help but sing, “When You Believe” and visualize the scenes from “The Prince of Egypt”. Try to put yourself back in their world, and think what it would have been like to be there. What about the midwives, who were so brave that they didn’t kill the babies? GOD BLESSED THEIR COURAGE! What about Jochebed (Moses’ mother)? How would you feel if you were told your baby boy was going to be thrown into the Nile River? Wow, what Moses' mum did (and his sister, Miriam, too) took extraordinary courage, and faith!!! Guess that's why God picked her to have Moses, like he picked Mary to have Jesus. When their plan was put into action, and she nursed baby Moses, Moses’ mum must have told him many stories and sung songs to him so that he really knew his background and had a true sense of God. Later, Pharaoh’s daughter must have let him know a bit about things as well. What an interesting upbringing. All part of God’s amazing plan for his people.

Exodus 3-4 IF CALLED TO SERVE, BEWARE THIS ATTITUDE: Moses appeared humble when he was first asked to lead and he questioned God with seemingly normal questions. Later, however, he showed that he was arrogant, self-focused and fearful, which really upset God!!

Exodus 5 Sometimes things get worse before they get better – bricks without straw – good grief! Sometimes we can feel like things are worse because we are a Christian, but life always gets better if we wait it out with God. In this case, when the Israelite foremen found Moses and Aaron, they cursed them for all of their troubles and blamed everything on them. When we are ungrateful and when we don't see the spiritual “Big Picture”, it is easy for us to "blame the leader". That is not to say that leaders shouldn’t be held accountable, but even when the leader is obeying God, things may not be rosy at the beginning.

Exodus 6 Exodus 6:9 Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage. When we are discouraged, the things that are discouraging us may be very real, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t get help. In fact, we should take it seriously and get help as quickly as possible because discouragement keeps us from hearing God's promises!!

Exodus 7 Pharaoh is an example of someone who won't believe, who has chosen not to believe, even if it is right before his very eyes. Dr. M. Scott Peck wrote about people like this in his book, The Road Less Traveled. He said that people construct “maps” in their brain to be able to navigate through life, and emotionally healthy people are able to adjust their maps when they get new information. However, some people would rather cling to an out of date map (or belief) than admit they are wrong. Pharaoh was such a person. Make sure that you are not clinging to a worthless or out of date map – be open to search for truth and for self-awareness! It is sometimes painful, but certainly rewarding, and you will actually get somewhere!

Exodus 8 This chapter contains a bizarre story – in verses 8-11, about Pharaoh and the plague of the frogs. This passage brings to mind a classic sermon called, “Another Night with the Frogs”. Pharaoh is given the chance to choose when he wants God to remove the frogs, and instead of asking for an immediate rescue, he says, “2moro”. That makes as much sense as me telling myself that I can eat cake today and start my detox in the morning. Later in verse 28, Pharaoh tried to bargain. Some people want to believe halfway but don't want the whole package!

Exodus 9 When the plague of hail was threatened, the bible says that the “officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside.” You can’t argue with God! Of course some of Pharaoh's officials started fearing and believing in God, even if it was secretly!!

Exodus 10 God asked how long would Pharaoh ignore his signs and refuse to humble himself before Him...that is a good question for me, whenever I feel obstinate about repentance, I must realize that God is asking me the same thing. After all, in Micah 6:8, the prophet writes, “He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the LORD require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

Exodus 11 Sometimes God has to resort to drastic measures to get our attention, and sometimes he does it in order to implement his plans. If your congregation has been through a drastic upheaval, it could have been God getting your attention, or it could have been sinful people demanding things contrary to the scriptures, or perhaps it was a combination of both! Whatever the situation, God will work if you allow him. He is still God. Go back to the fundamentals - “What Would Jesus Do?” - and help your church to honour God again.

Exodus 12 Wow, God was instituting a tradition that people still follow 4000 years later!! Not only the meal, and the ceremony, but even an annual all night prayer vigil. That is so cool!! The components of the Passover are meaningful and correlate not only to events that will affect the Hebrews with Moses, but also will affect all of mankind, because Jesus became our Passover lamb many years later. Children should ask “WHY?” and we are supposed to either answer them directly, help them to figure it out on their own, or find the answer out for them - that's how they learn! It doesn't make sense to follow religious traditions and not know “WHY” you are following them. God thought of that even before it happened. I call this part, the God of the Why. God doesn’t usually expect us to follow blindly. He wants us to love him with all of our heart, soul, MIND, and strength. We should use our brain! And that means seeking for answers and understanding “why”, when it is ours to understand.

Exodus 13 The institution of the Passover is the beginning of the Hebrews having annual observances, which helped them to remember. That is a good thing, because we tend to forget!! Eventually, Jesus would institute the Lord's supper, which would be an even more frequently observed ritual in order to keep us mindful of Jesus' death and resurrection. Our daily time with God is another way that we remind ourselves of the promises with God, as we are communing with our Creator.

Exodus 14 Interestingly, God preferred to bring the Hebrews to Canaan the long way, which included going through a body of water, rather than the short way which might have provoked a war for which they would not be ready. Not only did God avoid a grisly battle and the risk that the newly released slaves might have turned back in fear, but God also got to show his power by doing an amazing miracle that would forever be remembered as one of Israel's greatest moments! 14:13-14 is an AMAZING verse - Moses answered the people, "Do not be afraid. Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today. The Egyptians you see today you will never see again. The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still." This is a verse, a PROMISE that I need to keep in mind for those times that I am feeling defeated.

Exodus 15 When God has delivered us from slavery and the tyranny of sin, it is definitely time to praise! And to make a decision to never be slaves again and to never go back to idolatry.

ENTRY SEVEN – JANUARY 27, 2008

Moses, the Strong Leader who Listened Exodus 15:22 – 19:25

The next two entries only cover one and a half day’s worth of reading between them, but both are so meaty I had to leave them on their own. The topics highlighted here are OBEDIENCE, KEEPING DISEASE FREE IN A WORLD WHICH ENCOURAGES SELF-DESTRUCTION, GRATITUDE, FRIENDSHIP & TEAMWORK, SPEAKING THE TRUTH IN LOVE, BEING GOD’S TREASURED POSSESSION, and FEARING GOD.

Exodus 15 The thrill of victory and the praising of God for salvation have hardly subsided when fear, doubt, and murmuring set in among the Israelites. Sounds familiar, although for some today it is fear, doubt and murmuring and for others, like me, it is rebellion, such as when I don't feel like taking care of my health even though I know it will have dire consequences. The question that begs to be asked is “how on earth can we fear, doubt, murmur or rebel when we've seen so many victories?”

Fearing and obeying the LORD isn't going to keep us disease free (in the same sense that God meant it for the Israelites), since we live in a world temporarily ruled by the Prince of Darkness, but fearing and obeying the LORD will keep us free from “self-generated diseases” like obesity-induced diabetes, heart disease, and cancer, cigarette-induced heart disease and lung cancer, most sexually-transmitted diseases, etc.

Exodus 16 Manna gets introduced here – it is a cute word meaning, “What is it?” (I keep saying over and over that God has a sense of humour!) I would have been one of the Israelites complaining about manna every day - I HATE my food plan, which I am supposed to follow for my psoriasis and for my weight loss/health, cause I think it is boring and repetitive. HA! Compared to eating manna, it is an absolute banquet! BE GRATEFUL!!! Speaking of the lack of variety with the manna, God had not PLANNED for them to eat manna every day for 40 years! When he invented it, the fiasco involving the twelve spies had not yet occurred - God was planning to bring them into Canaan within a year - their sin kept them on manna for so long! Isn't that the same for us? So often something unpleasant happens to us, as a consequence of our behaviour/sin/rebellion/fear, and we blame it on God!! Remember Proverbs 19:3 “A man's (woman's) own folly ruins his (her) life, yet his (her) heart rages against God!” God was angry at the Israelites who didn’t trust and obey and went out to get extra manna. He smote them with maggots and smelly food. And knowing me, I would have also been one of the people who took extra or who went out on Sunday. Self-control and contentment, my dear - that's what you need!

Exodus 17 This is such a tribute to friendship and team work - to see how Moses, Hur and Aaron worked together and Joshua won the battle - it is awesome! This is how we must be with one another - HOLDING UP EACH OTHERS' ARMS!! I will never forget Steve Johnson’s sermon of the same name, preached at an early conference in Boston, back in the ‘80s. We will die as a fellowship of churches if we don’t always have this attitude.

Exodus 18 This familiar passage about Jethro's advice to Moses can be seen as a practical lesson on how to give input to a leader (or to anyone, for that matter):

• v7 - He gave a physical greeting. In other words, love was conveyed by warmth.
• v8 - He listened to Moses first. Sincere listening also conveys care and concern.
• v9 - He cared about Moses' good news and was genuinely interested.
• v10-12 - They worshiped together. If you can't put your differences aside while you worship God, then you have a bigger problem called UNFORGIVENESS. This establishes a common ground as friends, not enemies, with common values.
• v13,14 - He asked questions first before giving advice. I have had to eat many pieces of humble pie because of failure to do just this. Don't give advice FIRST before asking questions. It conveys care, shows that you don't have a personal agenda, and helps you to get the facts straight!
• v15f - He gave helpful advice. When he finally gave advice, it was in a positive and encouraging way, not judgmen tal, accusatory or looking down.
• v24 - The result -> Moses took it well and implemented it! After Jethro role- modeled “listening”, Moses couldn’t help but imitate!

Now, if only I will practice what I preach! Karen, please remember this when you are helping someone.

Exodus 19 God told Moses specific things to say in order to encourage and inspire the people: “You yourselves have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” What a great verse to memorize and quote in times of discouragement!! The people responded positively and pledged to do everything the LORD has said. God spoke of having the people consecrate themselves, to not touch the mountain or else they would die, etc. God wanted them to appreciate and palpably experience his holiness!! Fear and trembling, smoke and fire - there is nothing wrong with helping people to tremble at God's holiness! I need it myself!! Reminds me of Isaiah 66:2 “This is the one I esteem: he who is humble and contrite in spirit, and trembles at my word.” That is really the bulk of our job as leaders – to encourage, inspire, and help people feel close to God, obey God and to fear God. Dearest Father, Help those of us who are leading, O God, to lead our people this way, and for all of us to have the same response as the Israelites - and please help us to stick to our word a bit better than they did! (Look out tomorrow for a new take on the Ten Commandments!)

ENTRY EIGHT – JANUARY 28, 2008

8– Moses, and the New Singapore Version of the Ten Commandments Exodus 20

Exodus 20 introduces us to The Ten Commandments. After you have read the entire “New International Version” of verses 1-17 with all ten of the commandments, please have a look at my “New Singapore Version”. This might apply to other “FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES”, but since I have lived in Singapore for most of my adult life, I will stick to the familiar.

The NEW SINGAPORE VERSION of the TEN COMMANDMENTS

1. I am the Lord your God who brought you out of darkness and your slavery to sin. Therefore, don't love anything more than me in your heart, mind, speech and/or actions.
2. Don't make an idol or worship an image in the form of anything, whether it is a bank account, a monetary note, an apartment, a certain school, a particular job, a relationship, a car, or any other object of desire. Why? Cause I the Lord am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the fathers to the 3rd and 4th generation but showing love to a 1000 generations of those who love me and keep my commands.
3. Don't take my name in vain, either as a joke, or as an expression of surprise, shock or anger, not even in a foreign tongue. It is rude and I won't hold anyone guiltless who misuses my name.
4. Remember that you cannot serve both God and money - work is not supposed to take up your time and thoughts 24/7. Set apart time that is sacred just for me and for your family. Use that time for reflection and for your loved ones. This is a trust issue - you must believe that you will be OK as long as you work hard during the time you do spend at work.
5. Give honour to your parents. If you are a child at home, obey them! If your parents are older, love them, forgive them and spend time with them. Listen to them and never neglect them. If you are a young adult, please show respect to your parents even though you now know that they are not “perfect”. They brought you up and they deserve your honour - I am a God who believes in giving honour where honour is due.
6. Don't commit murder, and don't make excuses and give in to the temptation to follow the world on issues like euthanasia and abortion. I am a God who respects life, and only I have power to give life and take it away.
7. Don't commit adultery. Be true to your spouse. Don't lust after others or flirt, whether it is at work, with friends or on the computer. Be hard on yourself and be open when you are tempted. If you are married, be giving to each other emotionally and sexually. If you are having marriage problems, work out your differences, get counseling if you need to, but don't cheat on each other (and remember, all cheaters eventually get caught!). I am a faithful God.
8. Don't steal - whether it be money or possessions, time, or intellectual property rights. Be honest and have integrity. I am a God of Truth.
9. Don't lie about others, especially to cause them harm or get them in trouble! You will be judged harshly if you do this, for I am a just God.
10. Last but not least, don't be jealous and envious of what your fellow Singaporeans have (or what your fellow global citizens have, for that matter). Pluck out your jealous, envious, greedy, ungrateful eye and realize that you actually have a great life. Appreciate God's blessings and Be Grateful!!!

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ENTRY NINE – JANUARY 29, 2008

Moses, the Inspirer Exodus 23-31

As I stated in my introduction, I am using Dr. F. LaGard Smith’s chronological bible. At this stage of the journey, he sticks to historical narrative and leaves the Laws for a later time. Therefore, I am skipping Exodus 21-22. They will appear later in the section on “The Laws of Moses”. This entry will cover two days of reading, plus a bit left over from yesterday, and will hit issues such as NOT MAKING EXCUSES, NOT TAKING GOD FOR GRANTED, EXPERIENCING GOD WITH ALL OF OUR SENSES, AND USING OUR GIFTS TO BUILD UP GOD’S PEOPLE.

Exodus 23 God's warning about obeying the angel that he was sending to accompany the Hebrews was severe: Exodus 23:20 "See, I am sending an angel ahead of you to guard you along the way and to bring you to the place I have prepared. Pay attention to him and listen to what he says. Do not rebel against him; he will not forgive your rebellion, since my Name is in him.” Of course, now we have the word of God right in front of our noses. I must remember this the next time I make an easy excuse to sin. It is so easy to make excuses. God is a forgiving God. But he definitely expects obedience! And just a few verses later in the same chapter, God also warns against making covenants with the world. As Jesus was to say later, a little yeast works through the whole batch of dough!! 23:24 “Do not bow down before their gods or worship them or follow their practices. You must demolish them and break their sacred stones to pieces.” God knows that we will suffer from the consequences - he loves us so much that he warns us to stay away from the world for our own good!

Exodus 24 When Moses asked the people if they were prepared to obey God in everything, they answered, "Everything the LORD has said we will do." How easy it is to say we will follow God but to not really mean it. This is why Jesus tells us to “count the cost” in Luke 14:25-3 3. When the going gets tough, what do we do? So often I have made vows I have not kept... I say this to my shame. God loves us and blesses us in just as real a way as he did those people in the desert so many years ago. He wants us to love him and follow him as well.

Exodus 25 We should inspire one another and help each other to hearts that are prompted to give. These physical items that God asked the Israelites to build were to help them understand and value him better. In the days before video and power point, God was discipling them with visual aides!

Exodus 26 God used materials full of symbolism and meaning, perhaps to make his people think, perhaps to make them dig deeper, or even to help them remember. Purple was a colour for royalty. Scarlet usually symbolized blood, and therefore, life and sacrifice. Think of some symbols in your life and let them help you get closer to God. (e.g., every time you grab your keys, you could remember that as a Christian, you have the Keys to the Kingdom. When you cook with seeds, you could remember Jesus’ promise about mustard seed faith. And the next time you wear purple, you could revel in being the daughter of the King!

The idea of the Most Holy Place may have been designed partially to keep the Israelites from taking God for granted. Pray today to not have a “familiarity breeds contempt” mindset with God, but rather a “Stand in Awe of God” mindset!

Exodus 27 When I read about the altars, I am grateful that I don’t have to go to a special place to worship God...under the New Covenant, we can pray anywhere, worship anywhere, and be forgiven anywhere! Amen!

Exodus 28 The priests were to wear an outfit symbolizing the dignity and honour bestowed on them from the Lord, as befitting one who is representing God to the people. However, if you are going to make such a claim, or wear such an outfit, you better have the life to back it up. Leaders must live a life that speaks of dignity and honour, and, when they do mess up, which they will since they are human, they must be humble and transparent. On the other hand, in the New Testament, God says that we are ALL priests (see 1 Peter 2:9 But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.) and therefore, we should ALL be living lives worthy of dignity and honour!! My conclusion - God cares about the purity of his people, the constancy of their worship and the need for us to sacrifice for our own good.

The breast piece of decision-making - what a great symbol. Aaron was to wear the gems representing the names of the 12 sons of Israel over his heart when making decisions. This would help him have the right mindset. What is the application for us today? It is easy to make decisions worrying about what our family would think, what our boss would think, or what society would think. However, WHEN WE MAKE DECISIONS, we should be worrying about what GOD would think, remembering God, and having his word in/over our heart.

Exodus 29 This is a sad thought - when Moses was getting all of these very specific symbols and sacred instructions from God on the mountain, Aaron was below making the Golden Calf! I have been ashamed at times - I live in a beautiful country where we lack nothing. Some of my ministry friends around the world work in places where petrol gets rationed, or where there is civil war, or where they must keep their churches “underground”. In the midst of my knowing this, am I inspired to do more for God when I have it so easy? God, sew my mouth shut if I ever complain. We should think of what our brothers and sisters around the world are doing for God and going through for God when we are tempted to fall into sin.

Exodus 30 God used incense, oil and other items to help the Israelites “experience” him. What do you do to “experience” God? Take a walk in a park? Meditate on the creation as you look out a window? Burn a scented candle and listen to peaceful music? Write a poem or song? Go for a run with the wind in your hair? Physically take care of elderly forgotten people in a nursing home? Meditate before a beautiful work of art? Have a picnic date with God in the mountains? These are some of the things I have done to help me experience God. Think about how you can experience God with all of your five senses...

Exodus 31 Highly skilled workers with special talents were needed to build God’s tabernacle. It is no different today. We all need to volunteer to build up God’s family! We all have a gift that we can use for his people. Get to work! And have fun!

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ENTRY TEN – JANUARY 31, 2008

Moses, the Bold and Compassionate Leader Exodus 32

I felt the need to devote the next two entries to two specific but brief episodes, so you’ll need to read both entries to cover one day’s reading in the daily bible. The focus of entry ten is the story of the Golden Calf and how God and Moses and Aaron respond to this incident. Topics: CHANGING OUR BELIEF SYSTEMS, BEING GRATEFUL TO GOD, NOT BLAMING GOD, AND HAVING A GODLY BALANCE AS A LEADER.

Exodus 32 Moses had only been gone for 3 5-40 days, and the people already doubted!! Instead of carrying on with their newly found faith, they went back to what was KNOWN, what they had grown up with, even though they had been through the Red Sea experience. There had not yet been a COSMIC SHIFT in their Belief System. It would take following God's laws for 40 years in the desert to get the Hebrews to WANT to be able to follow God and Joshua heart and soul!! We need to aim for this COSMIC SHIFT in our Belief System, since God sees repentance as something that changes our attitude! (Ephesians 4:22-24 22 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”.)

Exodus 32:2 When the crowd cried out in fear and rebellion for gods they could see, Aaron took their jewelry and made them a golden calf, “fashioning it with a tool”. The wimpy way that Aaron gave in reminds me of the way that religious leaders of all kinds today give into their congregations in order to not get fired and so they preach what the people's itching ears want to hear. O God, please keep me from doing this. I don’t want to be an “approval-rating” leader, but an “approved-by-God” leader.

Exodus 32:7 It is so painful to see how God was hurt by the peoples' rebellion/ short memory/ ingratitude. However, I can be just as rebellious, forgetful and ungrateful. Think about how that makes God feel - and I have had the bible at my disposal as a baptized disciple for 28 years! I have no excuse!!

Exodus 32:11 Moses as a leader had invested himself so heavily in his people that he didn't want harm to come to them, unlike some leaders who would have gladly said, “Ok God, destroy these ingrates - Let's start a new movement together!”

Exodus 32:15 Moses had been patient earlier, but when he saw the sin for himself, he also became indignant! This is one example of Moses' hatred toward sin, which he had exhibited in his own life as recorded in Hebrews 11:25, “He chose to be mistreated along with the people of God rather than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a short time. He regarded disgrace for the sake of Christ as of greater value than the treasures of Egypt, because he was looking ahead to his reward.”

Exodus 32:24 Aaron's denial of responsibility sounds like the way I act when I try to blame circumstances, others or God for my own problems. Can you imagine what Moses said to Aaron, “Come on Aaron, Yahweh saw you fashioning it with a tool! Don’t give me this ‘jumping out of the fire by itself’ garbage!” That’s the indignation God feels when I give a lame excuse as well. In fact, that makes for a good mnemonic – “to blame is lame!”

Exodus 32:32 Moses shows his radical hard line side and his soft compassionate servant leader side - what a great man! Not many of us can claim to have the right balance in leadership – we are either prone to being too hard or too soft – but Moses had spent so much time with God he really had the HEART of God for the people. O God, may I please be more like Moses.

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ENTRY ELEVEN – JANUARY 31, 2008

Moses, the Friend of God Exodus 33-34

As mentioned in the previous entry, Moses’ relationship with God enabled him to be the kind of leader he was. This entry will focus in on Moses’ FRIENDSHIP WITH GOD. May we all strive for that in our lifetime.

Exodus 33 The tent of meeting – early on in the New Millennium, the Singapore church invited Larry and Kim Reed (now of New York) to be guest speakers. One of the lessons they taught centered around making your own daily devotional with God a time to become friends with God, the way Moses had been. They encouraged us to find our own “Tent of Meeting”. I was so inspired by their idea that I rearranged my living room furniture in order to have a kind of “tent of meeting” place for my Quiet Time! I set up a place for a candle, some music, a desk and a screen for privacy. Since then I have moved four times! However, we finally have our own home (thanks to my parents), and I realized in reviewing this today that I still enjoy having a “tent-like” atmosphere for my quiet time area, though I daresay my cushioned area covered in pillows with a table for a cup of tea and my computer for music is slightly more comfortable than the tent that Moses had. Do whatever YOU need to do to set yourself up for success in becoming a friend of God. (Rick Warren’s booklet on how to have great quiet times is a fantastic read to motivate you in the right direction with some good practicals.) Think about it, Moses would have no sooner started his day without meeting God than he would have gone out of his tent naked!! After 28 years as a Christian, sometimes I have that kind of burning eagerness to meet with God when I wake up, but I sure don’t have it every day...

“O God, I want to have the tent of meeting heart that earnestly desires to meet with you and eagerly longs for your presence every day.”

Exodus 34 When God shows his glory, he TELLS his character. That is revealing in and of itself. However, what he tells ABOUT his character is also quite illuminating - he first mentions the merciful, loving and compassionate side. I believe that is because God wants us to think of him that way first. If you have the kind of temperament that usually feels condemned, frequently have negative thoughts, and tend to be pessimistic, try reading your bible with a highlighter pen that marks the passages about God’s love and care. Then, whenever you are feeling down, you can cheer yourself up by reading the coloured bits. I have done this before as an exercise in learning to feel God’s love more, and it was very uplifting. If, on the other hand, you have the kind of temperament that gives yourself too much grace, then check out the rest of the passage. God wants us to remember that he has another side, which includes purity, jealousy for our loyalty, and punishment of sin. If we haven't figured it out yet, God wants us to be SEPARATE FROM THE WORLD!!!!!!!!! He mentions it again specifically in verse 12. And look what he tells us in the New Testament - this should sound familiar: 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 Do not be yoked together with unbelievers. For what do righteousness and wickedness have in common? Or what fellowship can light have with darkness? What harmony is there between Christ and Belial? What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? What agreement is there between the temple of God and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people. Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you. I will be a Father to you, and you will be my sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty."

Re Moses' shining face, perhaps we will all look like that if we have “Tent of Meeting Quiet Times” with God in the morning. Maybe instead of calling it a “Q.T.”, we could call it a “T. M. T.” (“Tent of Meeting Time”) or a “D. A. C. U. T.” (“Daily Appointment with the Creator of the Universe Time”)! No matter what you choose to call you time with God, here’s to becoming best friends with God! (See ya Feb 1)

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ENTRY TWELVE – FEBRUARY 1,2008

Moses, the Builder of God's Place of Worship Exodus 35-40

Now that God had taught Israel and Moses some important lessons about who He was/is, it was time for them to start focusing on the kind of worship this God desired. This entry will cover two days of reading, and will hit issues such as USING YOUR GIFTS FOR GOD, HAVING A WILLING HEART, GIVING FREELY, and the importance of having SPECIAL DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE.

Exodus 35: 10 "All who are skilled among you are to come and make everything the LORD has commanded.”

This passage reminds me of the one in Nehemiah, when he chooses all kinds of people to work on the wall. (Remember the perfume maker and the guy who worked with his daughters?) Anyway, I love this passage cause it spells out how NECESSARY we all are in the kingdom. God doesn't need hundreds of Wee Keongs or Matthew Lims (great leaders in Singapore), but he does need all of us to do what WE can do, to contribute with our talents and build the kingdom as a team. Don't feel discouraged if you think you don't know how to contribute to the church - you have talents but you may not know what they are yet. If you are in Singapore, feel free to speak to me personally if you feel this way and I will help you sort out something.

Exodus 35 Also, note that the word, “willing” is used over and over in this chapter. God clearly wants us to have WILLING HEARTS and be WILLING GIVERS. I need to remember this when I am feeling tired and selfish - because sometimes I use this as an excuse to overeat! “Oh I have had such a long day and I have given to people all day - now it is time to give to myself”, and then I make myself a bowl of cereal or a cheese sandwich at 11pm while watching a TV show - totally bad for my health.

Exodus 36: 6 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.

Oh for the day when we need to be restrained from giving!

Exodus 36-3 8 The word GOLD appears a lot. God wanted them to use lots of gold - why? Perhaps it is because he wants us to know that what he does is of value, and that the place which represents our relationship with him is PRECIOUS!!

Exodus 39 Also throughout Exodus the saying, “as the Lord commanded” shows up a lot. If God was so intent on them obeying him re worship, I think he still wants us to be just as serious. He wants us to have the same heart to obey his words in worship, in life and in doctrine. And later, Moses gave his stamp of approval to everything the workmen had done because they HAD obeyed.

Exodus 39 One more thought here - notice that Moses couldn't do all the work himself - he needed a team. It is the same today... it takes a team to build God's kingdom.

Exodus 40 The first day of the first month marked the one year anniversary of freedom. We sometimes celebrate our baptisms for the same purpose - to mark out how many years we had been set free from slavery of sin. Let's keep that tradition going!!

Exodus 40 Not surprising that the glory of the Lord filled the temple since Moses ensured that all was done “as the Lord commanded him” - this phrase appears eight times in chapter 40! As we do God’s will today, may his glory be with us always. (Next entry Feb 3^rd)

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ENTRY THIRTEEN – FEBRUARY 3,2008

Moses and the Sacred Priesthood Leviticus 8-10, Numbers 3, 7-8

As Exodus draws to a close, we skip over to Leviticus 8 and pick up the historical narrative there. This entry will cover another two days of reading, and will look at GRACE FOR LEADERS, BEING IN AWE OF GOD, and not taking for granted that we can approach the MERCY SEAT of God!

Leviticus 8 It is hard to believe that God would let Aaron still be the high priest after the Golden Calf episode. However, before I judge Aaron too harshly, I must think of how many times I have sinned and fallen short since I have been in the full time ministry. And God hasn't thrown me out, yet ... Whoa, this is humbling.

Leviticus 8 The scene in Leviticus 8 must have been amazing - a major world religion was basically officially beginning at that very moment. God was making this a very big deal, cause he wants us to see that our relationship with him IS a big deal!! (Can you imagine approximately 2 million Israelites having conversations like:

Kids: Mom, I wanna go to the bathroom!”

Mom: Sssshhh, I'm watching Moses put the breast piece on Aaron!)

This was an incredible ceremony full of meaning. I bet Aaron's sons didn't even laugh when Moses put blood on their ear lobe!

They weren't allowed to leave the entrance to the Holy Tent of Meeting for seven days. Why? So they wouldn't die! That's how serious God wanted them to take this! At least in chapter 8, Aaron and his sons did everything the Lord commanded.

Leviticus 9 When Aaron slaughtered a calf as a sin offering for himself before slaughtering a sin offering for the people, he was surely reminded of the grace shown to him! The bible says that one of the reasons God wanted blood in the sacrifices was because he wants us to be reminded of life. God has always wanted blood sacrifices. Go read Hebrews to get a better understanding of this. As a young Christian, I didn’t understand Leviticus very well until I had figured out Hebrews, and I didn’t understand Hebrews very well until I had read the rest of the bible a few times!

Leviticus 9:24 The pomp and circumstance surrounding this ceremony culminated in fireworks - like many of our celebrations - but these fireworks came from God! The people responded well for the moment, with a mixture of fear and joy, reverence, awe and wonder. This reminds me of the book, which we recently put into the church library, called The Joy of Fearing God.

Leviticus 10 Unfortunately, Aaron's sons hadn't quite learned what it meant to obey totally. They offered unauthorized fire to God, “contrary to his command.” So they perished!! Their uncle Moses was NOT sentimental but rather incensed over their illegal use of incense! This is certainly a warning to me as a leader - in verse 3 God says, “'Among those who approach me I will show myself holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.'" Aaron remained silent. Also in Exodus 32:26 So he stood at the entrance to the camp and said, "Whoever is for the LORD, come to me." And all the Levites rallied to him. Then he said to them, "This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'Each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.'" The Levites did as Moses commanded, and that day about three thousand of the people died. Then Moses said, "You have been set apart to the LORD today, for you were against your own sons and brothers, and he has blessed you this day."

Aaron and his two remaining sons were not allowed to neglect their duties even to mourn. If Aaron had instructed them better, or shown a better example to them in terms of fearing God, would they have still done it? Maybe ???? I am not sure, but I think they hadn't finished the seven days of consecration yet.

Leviticus 10:8 Note that Moses warns against drinking alcohol when serving in the Tent of Meeting. Perhaps this implies that Nadab and Abihu had gotten carried away as new priests and become drunk, causing them to burn the illegal censors.

Leviticus 10:16f Moses did make allowance for Aaron in this case.

Numbers 3:5-10 Why were Levites chosen for service to assist Aaron? Perhaps because they're the smallest tribe, or perhaps because it was the Levites who had joined in with Moses in punishing the sin of Exodus 32. The Levites as a tribe were given wholly to the Lord. They were given as a gift to Aaron and his sons. Wow!!

Numbers 7, 8 Each day a different tribe gave an offering for the dedication of the altar. It was a source of pride.

Numbers 7:89 Moses heard God speak from the area known as the Mercy Seat (in the KJV). Perhaps because God has mercy on us to even talk with us!! And as awe-some as that experience may have been for Moses, we have the opportunity to speak with God and hear his word daily!! We've got our own Mercy Seat and Tent of Meeting - Let's not take it for granted! Have a daily appt with the creator of the universe!! (Come back Feb 5^th)

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