Bread w/out yeast and food from heaven:Exodus 13-20

This past week I managed to glean a bit of questions and comments from the Bible Reading Plan which at this point I’m so far behind in I’ve resorted to making up my own catchup schedule. This is hopefully entry 1 of 3 depending on if my hands don’t get too worn out at the keyboard. At any rate I’ll try to keep things shorter than my previous post on this topic. I found myself reading through Exodus 13-20 this week. I read it a few weeks ago but didn’t compile anything for a blog at the time but thought it was worth another read because there is so much there. In my previous post on this topic, Pharaoh sent the Israelites packing out of Egypt. There were about 600,000 men on foot not including the children and I’m thinking not including the women either. There were a lot of folks to put it mildly the County that I live in don’t even have a 1/6 th of that population of folks. So this large amount of people set off the the promised land they didn’t particularly know exactly where they were going, the first thing the Lord tells them is to consecrate to him every first born male, the next thing is to commemorate the day and to eat no bread containing yeast in it. Basically all reminders of what the Lord had done for them how he brought them out of Egypt and was brining them into the promised land. Keep in mind that this land was preoccupied by Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites and other “ites.” I found it interesting that he ask them to remember the day on the day they set out. Then give them instructions on how to conduct themselves after they come into the promised lands. The next place in the reading that stood out to me was verse 20 of chapter 13:2-22 “The LORD was going before them in a pillar of cloud by day to lead them on the way, and in a pillar of fire by night to give them light, that they might travel by day and by night. He did not take away the pillar of cloud by day, nor the pillar of fire by night, from before the people.” I just think this must have been cool to see this pillar of smoke and pillar of fire. I wonder how the Israelites felt about this whole display of power?
Parting that Red Sea & Singing in the Desert
In Exodus 14 Pharaoh changed his mind again or should I say that God changed it for him? There is that odd line again about God hardening Pharaoh’s heart that I don’t understand. Understand it or not Pharaoh made a decision to pursue the Israelites with all his horses, chariots (the tanks of the day), and troops. They overtook the Israelites as they camped by the sea. The Israelites were terrified when they say the Egyptians and cried out to the Lord. They had a few words with Moses as well and God instructed Moses to raise his staff, stretch out his hand and divide the water so that the Israelite can go through the sea on dry ground. In verse 19 something pooped off the page at me as I read it, it said that the angel of God, who had been traveling in front of Israel’s army, withdrew and went behind them. Yikes no wonder the Egyptians said , “let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord s fighting for them against Egypt. My point being that the Egyptians themselves recognized that god was at work. Unfortunately for them it was too late and they all drowned after the Israelites had crossed over and Moses stretched out his hand and the waters went back to normal. This whole thing is just mind blowing. Hollywood can only capture so much. I just wonder what it must have been like to see these great wondrous acts of the Lord. Then again as we’ll see in the next few chapters the people saw all that and still grumbled and complained against Moses. The whole parting of the sea was really cool and imagine seeing the waters of of the sea piled up on either side? Fishes swimming around in suspended water how cool is that? we are told in verse 31 that ” When Israel saw the great power which the LORD had used against the Egyptians, the people feared the LORD, and they believed in the LORD and in His servant Moses. I like how the NIV renders the last part of that it reads “the people feared the Lord and put their trust in him and in Moses his servant.” The song in chapter 15 says it all. The scripture says that Moses and the Israelites sang the song to the Lord. I can’t help but wonder if anyone else heard this song? Remember these were 600,000 men not counting the children or the women so this must have caused quite a stir in the desert. I wouldn’t be surprised if the nations around them heard all this commotion.

God’s Provision: What is it? Quail from Heaven, Water from the Rock
At the end of 15 we are told that after crossing the Red Sea, the Israelites went into the Desert of Shur. For 3 days they travelled in the desert without finding drinkable water (the body of water they had finally found was bitter and not fit for drinking). They starting doing what any group of people who have been traveling in a desert without finding water would have done (remember there were lots of them and they had livestock with them) they started complaining to the “head honcho in charge” (Moses). Moses cried out to the Lord and the Lord showed him a piece of wood which he threw into the water and the water became sweet and drinkable. Later on they came into the Desert of Sin and again began to grumble against Moses and even Aaron. They were apparently hungry this time and got historical on Moses about life in Egypt. I’ve always thought that this was so ungrateful of the Israelites, I mean here they are free on their way to a promised and and all they can do is quarrel with Moses. These folks have seen so many miracles yet they still complain about not having food. I’m not saying that they would not have bee hungry and that God shouldn’t provide some food for them but did they have to “go there” with poor Moses. Anyway, God being gracious and merciful he causes Manna and quail to fall from the sky on their behalf. The quail covering the camp doesn’t bother me as much somehow I can see birds being re-routed but this manna thing is a whole other matter. so much so that manna literally means what is it? Obviously it was tasty and life sustaining coz the Israelites lived on it for 40 years. Having a lot of friends in the nutrition field I can’t help but wonder what was in that manna? What was the nutritional value? They were told to take only the manna they needed for a day and not to save any of it until morning (except for on the sabbath day) but like any other group of folks some people didn’t listen and he manna became full of maggots and began to smell. I would say serve them right but knowing me I would have been in this group. some people have to learn things the hard way I suppose. In chapter 17 we have more water shortage, more grumbling against Moses and God providing water this time from a rock. At the end of 17 the Amalekites came and attacked the Israelites (so their journey didn’t go unnoticed after all). Here we have the familiar story of Moses standing at the top of a Hill with his staff raised and when his hands were raised the israelites were winning the battle but when his hands were tired and not raise the Amalekites were winning. Aaron and Hur did took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it and the both of them held up his hands so that his hands remained steady until sunset thus winning them the battle with the Amalekites. God instructed Moses to write down that “I will completely blot out the memory of Amalek from under heaven.” Apparently Moses wrote it down
Some good Advice from the Priest of Midian
In chapter 18 Moses is joined by his fater-in-law Jethro, his wife Zipporah and 2 sons. while Jethro was there Moses told him all the good things that God had done for Israel. Jethro’s response was to praise God and he brought a burnt offering and other sacrifices to God and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat bread with Jethro in the presence of God. This is significant in that Jethro was not a full fledged Israelites he was the descendant of Midian who was a son of Abraham and his concubine Keturah (Gen 25:1-6) remember he was from Midian. Anyway, Jethro noticed the next day that Moses served as sole judge for the people and they stood around him from morning until evening. Jethro asked him why he was allowing this to happen? “Moses said to his father-in-law, “Because the people come to me to inquire of God. “When they have a dispute, it comes to me, and I judge between a man and his neighbor and make known the statutes of God and His laws.” Jethro tells him that what he is doing is not good that he will only wear himself out, that the work is too heavy for him and he can’t handle it alone. He gives him a solution to the problem as well: ” Now listen to me: I will give you counsel, and God be with you. You be the people’s representative before God, and you bring the disputes to God, then teach them the statutes and the laws, and make known to them the way in which they are to walk and the work they are to do. “Furthermore, you shall select out of all the people able men who fear God, men of truth, those who hate dishonest gain; and you shall place these over them as leaders of thousands, of hundreds, of fifties and of tens. “Let them judge the people at all times; and let it be that every major dispute they will bring to you, but every minor dispute they themselves will judge So it will be easier for you, and they will bear the burden with you. “If you do this thing and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all these people also will go to their place in peace.” The scripture go on to say that “Moses listened to his father-in-law and did all that he had said.” I’ve always found this bit of scripture interesting. Here is Moses who God used to lead the people out of Egypt, God has used him to do all these miracles and all that. It could have gone to his head but it did not Moses wasn’t too proud to listen to good council even though he was the apparent leader he was willing to teach others and let them share in the work of leading. I know I can learn a thing or two about leadership from Moses how about you?

Mount Sinai & the 10 Commandments
So much for this blog entry not being long. Almost done though. In Chapter 19 Moses went up to God at Mount Sinai and the LORD called to him from the mountain and said, “This is what you are to say to the house of Jacob and what you are to tell the people of Israel: ‘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 [a] will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.’ These are the words you are to speak to the Israelites.” So Moses went back and summoned the elders of the people and set before them all the words the LORD had commanded him to speak. The people all responded together, “We will do everything the LORD has said.” So Moses brought their answer back to the LORD. The LORD said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, so that the people will hear me speaking with you and will always put their trust in you.” Then Moses told the LORD what the people had said.”Several days later there was thundering and lightening with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. The scripture say that everyone in the camp trembled. The trumpet there is not the brass trumpet that we think of in modern times its more like a shofar or ram’s horn. If you have ever been in the presence of a good shofar blower as I have its quite a sound. It does make you tremble a bit especially if there is more than one being blown at once. No wonder the Israelites were afraid and did not want Gos to speak to them. In chapter 20 you have the 10 Commandments. The thing to note here is that the Israelites heard God speaking all these commands to them. They had also promised to do all that God said. Chapter 20 ends with God giving instructions concerning idols and building altars. I found this section a bit peculiar especially the instruction about not going up to the altar on steps.

That’s it for now my fingers are tired and I’m getting a cramp from sitting in this chair too long.