RTW February 2

When The Job Gets Hard

Then Moses went back to the LORD and protested, “Why have you brought all this trouble on your own people, Lord? Why did you send me?”  Exodus 5: 22

 

 

My Takeaways

Something Old

There is always a bigger plan in place.

God wanted to remind the Israelites that He is their God.  (Exodus 6:6)

God wanted to Egyptians to know that He is God.  (Exodus 7:5)

Something New

When things get tough, don’t quit the going.

  • Take your concerns to God – Exodus 5:22, “Moses protested” then in 6:12 he says, “But Lord.” You are not in this alone. God called you to this, and He will carry you through.
  • Keep obeying God. (Exodus 7:6) So Moses and Aaron did just as the LORD had commanded. (Exodus 7:10) They went to Pharaoh.

Even in this:

  • Things may still remain difficult (Exodus 7:13)

But know:

  • When things get, difficult God gets to show off.  Lead to Feb. 3

Something to Do

Keep going, even when it gets tough. God’s got this.

 

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6 Comments

  1. My Takeaways:
    Wow, so much popped out at me as I read today. Exodus 4:24 “On the way to Egypt, at a place where Moses and his family had stopped for the night, the Lord confronted him and was about to kill him.” What?! Did I read that right? He just chose Moses to lead His people out of slavery, now he wants to kill him?Could it be because his son was not circumcised? Didn’t God require this of all Abraham’s descedants? Wasn’t this the covenant between Abraham and God? God would keep his end of the bargin, but Abraham’s descedants had to do their part. If Moses couldn’t keep the convenant how could he lead God’s people? Would he follow what God told him to do as he led his people out of Eygpt? Much to ponder. I wonder why Moses didn’t circumcise his son?

    Something Old: Exodus 5:2 “And Pharaoh said, who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I do not know the Lord nor will I let Israel go.” Oh, boy- there has never been a more true statement then that. Obviously Pharaoh did not know the Lord. His question was leget. Who is the Lord? Well, Pharoah, guess what? You are about to meet Moses’ God, brace yourself, because when he is finished with you I doubt that you will ever ask those questions again.

    Something New:
    I love all the I wills in Exodus 6:6-8. God said he would free them and rescue them, He did. Redeem them, no problem. Be their God, He was. Accept them, He did. Sounds just like what he does for us today. He redeemed me from my sins, delivered me, accepts me just as I am. He is my God and leads me into a new life as I follow him.

    Something To Do?
    Remember what God did for the Israelites, His people, and know that he continues to do the same for us, His people, today.

    2. Lkennedy: I had the very same reaction – what ? God is going to kill Moses? Never heard about that before. I read and re-read that passage a dozen times. Went back and read other passages – surely I missed something… maybe God was referring to someone else he was going to kill!
      My problem is I keep reading literally – for example it says he took his wife and “sons”, but we have only been previously told of 1 son – Gershom. Also doesn’t mention taking his brother Aaron – but clearly he did. I have to remember to expand my thinking.

  2. SOMETHING OLD
    Exodus 4:24-26, “…..The LORD confronted Moses and was about to kill him……”.
    It is suggested by the context that Moses disobeyed God and did not circumcise this son at the appointed time. It appears God gave him plenty of time to repent and correct his choice. Since only one of his sons is mentioned we can assume that he did follow the Lord’s command and circumcise his firstborn. Speculation has it that perhaps his wife, Zipporah, who was not an Israelite, influenced him against this practice. She only begrudgingly obeyed when she could see that Moses was about to die, although she still seems to find it a bloody and repellant thing. Here the Lord was preparing Moses to go on a mission-of-all-missions and it was imperative that his personal house be in order.

    SOMETHING NEW
    Exodus 6:2. “……though I did not reveal my name, the LORD, to them.”
    This passage is intriguing. It appears to indicate that Abraham, Isaac and Jacob did not know God’s name. But we know this can’t be true for there are many instances in which His name was used by them. Rather than indicating that they didn’t know Him by His name……it is showing us that through numerous events they grew to know more and more about God’s true character and were introduced to Him in all His power and glory. Each miracle revealed more of His attributes and added to their personal understanding. We can know who God is, including His name…..or we can KNOW God. This connects very well with Wendy’s teaching on experiential knowledge of God.

    SOMETHING TO DO
    Exodus 4:20:b. “In his hand he carried the staff of God.” Lots of interesting bits of information about the shepherd’s staff. The staff was thought to be more than just a work tool. It was made of wood and treated so it would last a lifetime. Shepherds would mark it with dates of significant events, so it acted as a type of journal also. The word staff, which comes from the Hebrew word, “Matteh”, equates to spiritual power. God revealed to Moses this fact when he told Moses to lay it down. When Moses obeyed and laid it down, The Lord changed it into a snake. The snake had been the constant enemy of the seed of the woman and represents the power of Satan. (This enemy prevailed in Egypt). But at God’s instruction, Moses picked up the snake by the tail and accepted it as “the rod of God”. It was transformed. This staff, and Moses’ ability to do mighty miracles with it, would prove to the Egyptians that not only was Moses the leader of Israel, but that God had endowed him with power to overcome. God was now Moses’ protector and He is our protector too. My Something To Do is to be obedient in “laying it down” and to remember that He is my Protector.

    1. I wish I had all the knowledge you have. I think if I read the Bible 100x I wouldn’t know all that you do. I have to read, read, read and then reread again to understand. But the Holy Spirit is helping me in this area. I think you are right, Zipporah was not an Israelite. Moses probably married her when he fled from Egypt and went to Midian. She probably convinced him not to circumcise the boy since they didn’t practice circumcision. Here we go again- just like Eve, just like Sara, very interesting. Those men needed to step up and lead their families.
      LOVED your comments on something new. Makes sense to me now. Moses gets to see God’s promises put into action. By experiencing these miracles he now could truly grasped who God was.
      Good information on the history of a shepherd’s staff. Agan thanks for taking time to post. I wish more people would because I always learn so much from everyone’s takeaways and of course–‘ Wendy is wonderful!

      1. I’m laughing as I type……for I, too, have to read and reread. My knowledge, not so much! What I am blessed with right now is time to look up, read and research. Those are all things which I love doing and God has given me an appetite for. The richest gain that I have found is in the sharing of what we EACH discover through the power of the Holy Spirit. RTW has provided that for me. Thank you for being so faithful in 2018. Let’s continue to pray that more will jump in! (I know there are many reading and learning while not commenting…that was me for the past two years).

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