Here's a Problem that Still Exists in the Church Today (Blogging Through the Bible)

Our reading yesterday in Exodus 24 was simply amazing as well as encouraging!

It was encouraging to me because as the chapter begins, we see the spiritual growth that has taken place in Moses' life. Take a look with me:

³ So Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord and all the judgments. And all the people answered with one voice and said, “All the words which the Lord has said we will do.” ⁴ And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord. And he rose early in the morning, and built an altar at the foot of the mountain, and twelve pillars according to the twelve tribes of Israel. ⁵ Then he sent young men of the children of Israel, who offered burnt offerings and sacrificed peace offerings of oxen to the Lord. ⁶ And Moses took half the blood and put it in basins, and half the blood he sprinkled on the altar. ⁷ 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.” ⁸ 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.”

I colored these verses green to represent the growth Moses experienced in his walk with God. Not only is he now speaking "all the words of the Lord and all the judgments", but as you can see by everything I underlined, Moses is being a leader in so many other ways too. Just look at all the ways Moses' is leading in this passage!

The more we walk with God, the more we will experience His mighty presence in our lives. As we experience His presence our faith is built up so that we can walk in obedience to all that He calls us to do.

Which leads me to what is so amazing about chapter 24 of Exodus! It's amazing because it is thrilling and yet it is sad too.

Here's the thrilling part...

Once again we see Jesus in verses 10!

¹⁰ 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. 

From Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible: "they saw the Son of God, the God of Israel, in an human form, as a pledge and presage of his future incarnation, who is the Angel that spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, as Stephen says, and the Lord that was among the angels there, who afterwards became incarnate, and having done his work on earth, ascended on high, Acts 7:38."

Stephen confirms that this was Jesus they saw this as he speaks to the high priest in his defense of himself before the council in Acts 7:37-38, “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.”

 


And here is the sad part...

Look at what all the other Israelites missed out on because of their refusal back in Chapter 20:18-21 to hear directly from God!

These men with Moses are feasting at the table in the presence of the Lord! 

All of the Israelites had the opportunity to see the glory of the Lord, fellowship with Him and hear directly from Him - and most of them refused. Are you shaking your head right about now?

Well let's hold on for a moment and examine our own hearts in this situation because here's a problem that still exists in the church today. You know what that problem is?

Men (and women) today still expect to "be fed" by the Pastor rather than hearing God speak to them directly - from His Word in the Bible and from prayer and to be responsible for their own growth in their relationship with the Lord. It's sad, but true. I hear it over and over again even within my own church.

"I'm not getting fed here."

"I'm not growing."

Even I, years ago, began to panic when those who had been major spiritual influences in my life moved away and had to leave our church. They were wonderful teachers of the Bible and I learned so much from them. But that was my wake-up call to get into the Word of God for myself! I felt God speaking to my heart, "Get into the Word and feed yourself!! It's your walk with Me, after all!!"

Are you feasting or are you famished?

Friends, we have no excuse. Almost every home here in America has at least one Bible. Is it just sitting on a shelf somewhere in your house collecting dust? Why not make a commitment to yourself and to God to blow the dust off of it, open it's pages, and feed yourself with the living Word of God. Let Him speak to you through His Word.

When God convicted my heart that day years ago, I got on the internet and googled "Bible Study" because my heart's desire was to be in the Word of God and to learn how to study my Bible in such a way that I would grow in my knowledge of God. I desired to grow in my relationship with Him. The only way I could do that was to be in the Bible. That's how I found Good Morning Girls. My search brought up Courtney Joseph's site, Women Living Well. She started Good Morning Girls as a way to have accountability for daily Bible reading and study. I've been doing Courtney's bible studies ever since that day God led me to her site, so that I could take responsibility for feeding myself in my own personal walk with God.

Friends, don't miss out on feasting in the Word of God for yourselves. God will meet You there in the pages of His Word, I promise. He is so faithful to fill those who hunger and thirst for Him! Why don't you jump into the Word here with me?

You can find my Blogging Through the Bible posts here every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. You don't have to SOAK like I do - just get into the Word and read it. Let God speak to your heart - He is a personal God - and He will speak truth into your heart that will bring growth in your personal walk with Him. Know that I am praying for you!

Next week we'll be in Exodus chapters 26-30. I'd love to know if you're joining me, so please let me know in the comments below.


Here are my SOAKs for Thursday and Friday:



Thursday, February 5, 2015

Exodus 24

Scripture: Exodus 24

(I noticed the progression of spiritual growth for Moses as he is no longer giving excuses to God, but is now unwavering in his obedience to do what God has called him to do. The same truth can be experienced in our own lives as we walk with the Lord through the years.)

Scripture: Exodus 24:9-11

⁹ Then Moses went up, also Aaron, Nadab, and Abihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel, ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand. So they saw God, and they ate and drank.

Observations: Once again we see Jesus in the Old Testament here in these verses! This is so exciting to me!

From Gills Exposition of the Entire Bible: "they saw the Son of God, the God of Israel, in an human form, as a pledge and presage of his future incarnation, who is the Angel that spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, as Stephen says, and the Lord that was among the angels there, who afterwards became incarnate, and having done his work on earth, ascended on high, Acts 7:38."

Stephen confirms that this was Jesus they saw this as he speaks to the high priest in his defense of himself before the council in Acts 7:37-38, “This is that Moses who said to the children of Israel, ‘The Lord your God will raise up for you a Prophet like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear.’ He was in the assembly in the wilderness, with the angel who spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and with our ancestors; and he received living words to pass on to us.”

“under his feet” – confirms that there was a visible, human form

“sapphire” – known as one of the most valuable of all the precious gems; of a sky blue or light azure color, it is frequently used to describe the throne of God.

“But on the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand.” – They had been sprinkled by Moses with the blood of the sacrifice (see verses 4-8) that was used to confirm God’s covenant with them and so kept them from falling dead in His presence.

“they ate and drank” – feasting was common at covenant making ceremonies and is what all these elders are doing as they come into agreement with the covenant of God. They feasted on the peace offering given. According to the Jamieson-Faussett-Brown Bible Commentary, “This feast had a prophetic bearing, intimating God's dwelling with men.”

Other Scriptures I found in my study this morning:

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him" (John 1:18). The Father is omnipresent, and therefore invisible to mortal eyes, but as Jesus said: "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9).

Application: We have the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed for the remission of our sins. Our broken relationship with God has been restored so that we may enter His presence with thanksgiving in our hearts and praise on our lips!

Kneel: Heavenly Father, thank You for the blood of Jesus that washes away my sins and makes my garments whiter than snow! Thank You for loving me so much, Jesus, that You willingly left the throne room of Heaven to be born in human flesh so that You could fulfill all the requirements of the Law that I cannot. My heart is full this morning for all that You have shown me this morning, Father. In the beginning was the Word, the Word was with You God in everything that You have accomplished. I have beheld His glory this morning in these verses, the glory of the only Begotten of You Father. It is in His wonderful and amazing name I pray. Amen!

Friday, February 6, 2015

Exodus 25

Scripture: Exodus 25:1-8

Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: ² “Speak to the children of Israel, that they bring Me an offering. From everyone who gives it willingly with his heart you shall take My offering. ³ And this is the offering which you shall take from them: gold, silver, and bronze; ⁴ blue, purple, and scarlet thread, fine linen, and goats’ hair; ⁵ ram skins dyed red, badger skins, and acacia wood; ⁶ oil for the light, and spices for the anointing oil and for the sweet incense; ⁷ onyx stones, and stones to be set in the ephod and in the breastplate. ⁸ And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them.

Observations: God calls for an offering from the children of Israel. Moses was instructed to only accept His offering from those who would give with willing hearts. If we’ll remember back to the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, God had instructed them to go to their neighbors and ask for specific items before they left (Exodus 3:2, 11:2, 12:35). We see here in verses 3-7 some of those items included in what is needed to make the sanctuary where God will dwell.

Application: God desires us to give with a cheerful heart, not grudgingly. He blesses us with time, money, and talents. We should willingly give back to Him in all of these areas of our lives and with a thankful heart for all that He has blessed us with. 

Kneel: Heavenly Father, thank You for all Your many blessings in our lives. We recognize that all we have comes from Your mighty hand and all of it belongs to You. Help us to give back to you with a cheerful and thankful heart. Thank You for willingly giving Your Son, Jesus, as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Thank You, Jesus, for willingly laying aside the glories of Heaven, to be born as a baby, to live a perfect and sinless life, and for dying for the sins of the world. You lived the perfect example of sacrifice that we are to follow as children of God. Help us to be cheerful givers so that others can come to the same saving knowledge that we have experienced. In the life-changing name of Jesus I pray. Amen!  

I'll see you back here on Monday friends!

Walking in His Grace, 

Laurie

I'm linking up with Courtney Joseph over at Women Living Well, home of Good Morning Girls. Click on the image below to read her Friday post and other Blogging Through the Bible posts too!