The Daily Guide. grow. pray. study. from The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kansas, United States "Moses went back to the land of Egypt" for Saturday, 27 August 2016
Exodus 4:(vi) 18 Moshe left, returned to Yitro his father-in-law and said to him, “I beg you to let me go and return to my kinsmen in Egypt, to see if they are still alive.” Yitro said to Moshe, “Go in peace.” 19 Adonai said to Moshe in Midyan, “Go on back to Egypt, because all the men who wanted to kill you are dead.” 20 So Moshe took his wife and sons, put them on a donkey, and started out for Egypt. Moshe took God’s staff in his hand. 21 Adonai said to Moshe, “When you get back to Egypt, make sure that you do before Pharaoh every one of the wonders I have enabled you to do. Nevertheless, I am going to make him hardhearted, and he will refuse to let the people go. 22 Then you are to tell Pharaoh: ‘Adonai says, “Isra’el is my firstborn son. 23 I have told you to let my son go in order to worship me, but you have refused to let him go. Well, then, I will kill your firstborn son!”’”
-------
It’s interesting that Moses did not tell his father-in-law, “I’m taking your grandchildren and daughter to Egypt to challenge Pharaoh’s power.” Remember the videos in last week’s sermon of Egypt’s pyramids and huge temples? (If you missed them, click here for the pyramids, and here for the temples.) In this extraordinary story, an 80-year-old shepherd set out with just his family, one donkey and a shepherd’s rod to oppose and overcome that great empire. But the shepherd’s rod was “from God.” God went with him—and that single fact radically shifted the odds that seemed so stacked against Moses’ mission.
Prayer: O God, I try to imagine how exposed Moses must have felt taking his family (and almost nothing else) with him to Egypt. But somehow he was eternally safe, because you were with him. Heighten my awareness that you are with me, too, today and every day. Amen.
Family Activity: Gather your family in a comfortable setting outside of your home such as the mall or a restaurant. Invite your family to be loud and talkative while trying to listen to the sounds around them. Then invite them to be quiet and still while listening to the sounds around. Talk
about and listen to what each person heard each time. Discuss under what circumstances it was easier to listen to the surrounding sounds. Connect this with how we listen to God. How do we best hear God? Is it when we are rushing around, full of activity and constantly talking? Or is it when we pause to be still, read our Bibles, pray and worship? As a family, build some time into your schedules to listening more intentionally to God and one another. Ask God to help you be
better listeners.
-------
Insights from Clif Guy
Clifton Guy serves as the Director of Information Technology at The Church of the Resurrection.
Today’s reading is about Moses returning to Egypt with his family in response to God’s call. If all we had in Exodus was the call and this final response, we would be missing a lot. Instead, the author reports details that are much more interesting and applicable to us.
The call story begins in Exodus 3 and quickly we come to God’s command to Moses in verse 10 (NIV): “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Last weekend in worship Pastor Adam quoted the CEB (Common English Bible) translation, which says: “So get going.” I love that. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, explained the situation, and then told Moses that he was to serve a key role. “You’re my guy. I’m sending you. Get moving.”
The next words out of Moses’ mouth were an objection, which God answered (Ex. 3:11-12). Then another objection by Moses and response by God (Ex. 3:13-22). Then another (Ex. 4:1-9) and another (Ex. 4:10-11). God then restated the call: “Now go!” (Ex. 4:12) To which Moses gave the well-known reply: “Please, my Lord, just send someone else.” (Ex. 4:13 CEB) The author of Exodus gives us 22 verses of debate–Moses explaining why he’s not the right guy and trying to talk God out of sending him, followed in each case by God’s answers of reassurance and equipping. God says: “I’ll give you everything you need for success. I’ll be there with you the whole time, backing you up. Through you I’ll show my power to Pharaoh. In the end, you will succeed. You’ve got this.”
Even after all of that, after the transcendent spiritual experience of encountering the God of the Universe, after God comforted, equipped, and reassured, Moses still said: “Can’t you find someone else, God?” Finally, God’s patience had run out and he became angry. He provided one last resource–Moses’ brother, Aaron.
Only then do we arrive at the beginning of today’s reading–Moses, out of objections, unable to persuade God to leave him alone, and finally responding in obedience. Many, perhaps most, Christians have had a similar experience in their journey of discipleship. God asks us to do something. We know it’s God moving in our hearts and minds, but we don’t want to do it. Sometimes we REALLY don’t want to do it. We exhaust every excuse; raise every objection; complain; rationalize; and/or try to talk God out of it. In the end, some of us refuse, but some, like Moses, respond in faith and obedience. Moses isn’t remembered as the guy who argued with God and missed his calling. He’s remembered as the towering giant of the Bible’s first five books and one of our faith’s greatest heroes.
I think this means it’s okay to be in a real relationship with God. It’s okay to have an honest dialog. It’s okay to be ourselves and express our true feelings–even feelings of reluctance or resistance. God won’t hold that against us. Be like Moses and be open with God as you need to be. But also be like Moses and say “yes” to God’s call. It will begin the adventure of your life!
-------
Join us for worship today - click here for information on worship times and locations. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream at rezonline.org.
Download a printable version of this week's GPS.
-------
-------
It’s interesting that Moses did not tell his father-in-law, “I’m taking your grandchildren and daughter to Egypt to challenge Pharaoh’s power.” Remember the videos in last week’s sermon of Egypt’s pyramids and huge temples? (If you missed them, click here for the pyramids, and here for the temples.) In this extraordinary story, an 80-year-old shepherd set out with just his family, one donkey and a shepherd’s rod to oppose and overcome that great empire. But the shepherd’s rod was “from God.” God went with him—and that single fact radically shifted the odds that seemed so stacked against Moses’ mission.
- In Exodus 3:19, God told Moses, “I know that Egypt’s king won’t let you go unless he’s forced to do it.” In today’s reading, we find a phrase that troubles many people, when God says, “I’ll make him stubborn.” We’ll examine this more closely next week. But realize that Pharaoh was NOT willing to release the Israelites before Moses ever appeared before him. What God did through Moses made Pharaoh’s stubbornness dramatically visible, but God did not have to make the Egyptian ruler stubborn. Pharaoh had already made those choices. How about you? If you stubbornly resist something you believe God is calling you to do, is your stubbornness your responsibility, or God’s? How can you open your heart to become more willing to follow God’s leading?
Prayer: O God, I try to imagine how exposed Moses must have felt taking his family (and almost nothing else) with him to Egypt. But somehow he was eternally safe, because you were with him. Heighten my awareness that you are with me, too, today and every day. Amen.
Family Activity: Gather your family in a comfortable setting outside of your home such as the mall or a restaurant. Invite your family to be loud and talkative while trying to listen to the sounds around them. Then invite them to be quiet and still while listening to the sounds around. Talk
about and listen to what each person heard each time. Discuss under what circumstances it was easier to listen to the surrounding sounds. Connect this with how we listen to God. How do we best hear God? Is it when we are rushing around, full of activity and constantly talking? Or is it when we pause to be still, read our Bibles, pray and worship? As a family, build some time into your schedules to listening more intentionally to God and one another. Ask God to help you be
better listeners.
-------
Insights from Clif Guy
Clifton Guy serves as the Director of Information Technology at The Church of the Resurrection.Today’s reading is about Moses returning to Egypt with his family in response to God’s call. If all we had in Exodus was the call and this final response, we would be missing a lot. Instead, the author reports details that are much more interesting and applicable to us.
The call story begins in Exodus 3 and quickly we come to God’s command to Moses in verse 10 (NIV): “I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.” Last weekend in worship Pastor Adam quoted the CEB (Common English Bible) translation, which says: “So get going.” I love that. God appeared to Moses in the burning bush, explained the situation, and then told Moses that he was to serve a key role. “You’re my guy. I’m sending you. Get moving.”
The next words out of Moses’ mouth were an objection, which God answered (Ex. 3:11-12). Then another objection by Moses and response by God (Ex. 3:13-22). Then another (Ex. 4:1-9) and another (Ex. 4:10-11). God then restated the call: “Now go!” (Ex. 4:12) To which Moses gave the well-known reply: “Please, my Lord, just send someone else.” (Ex. 4:13 CEB) The author of Exodus gives us 22 verses of debate–Moses explaining why he’s not the right guy and trying to talk God out of sending him, followed in each case by God’s answers of reassurance and equipping. God says: “I’ll give you everything you need for success. I’ll be there with you the whole time, backing you up. Through you I’ll show my power to Pharaoh. In the end, you will succeed. You’ve got this.”
Even after all of that, after the transcendent spiritual experience of encountering the God of the Universe, after God comforted, equipped, and reassured, Moses still said: “Can’t you find someone else, God?” Finally, God’s patience had run out and he became angry. He provided one last resource–Moses’ brother, Aaron.
Only then do we arrive at the beginning of today’s reading–Moses, out of objections, unable to persuade God to leave him alone, and finally responding in obedience. Many, perhaps most, Christians have had a similar experience in their journey of discipleship. God asks us to do something. We know it’s God moving in our hearts and minds, but we don’t want to do it. Sometimes we REALLY don’t want to do it. We exhaust every excuse; raise every objection; complain; rationalize; and/or try to talk God out of it. In the end, some of us refuse, but some, like Moses, respond in faith and obedience. Moses isn’t remembered as the guy who argued with God and missed his calling. He’s remembered as the towering giant of the Bible’s first five books and one of our faith’s greatest heroes.
I think this means it’s okay to be in a real relationship with God. It’s okay to have an honest dialog. It’s okay to be ourselves and express our true feelings–even feelings of reluctance or resistance. God won’t hold that against us. Be like Moses and be open with God as you need to be. But also be like Moses and say “yes” to God’s call. It will begin the adventure of your life!
-------
Join us for worship today - click here for information on worship times and locations. If you are not in the Kansas City area, you can take part in our worship via live Web stream at rezonline.org.
Download a printable version of this week's GPS.
-------
No comments:
Post a Comment