Leviticus 10:10 You are to distinguish between the holy and the common, and between the unclean and the clean.

The Book of Leviticus starts by covering rules. There are pretty much rules for just about everything. These rules are for the Levites most of all. The Levites provided the priests for the Israelites. They are descendants of the tribe of Levi.

Just before this verse, the sons of Aaron (brother of Moses) offered a ‘strange fire’ to the Lord. I’m not sure exactly what that means, but it was something that they sure were not authorized to do. They end up being consumed by a fire sent from God.

A few verses later the Lord tells Aaron that he and his sons are not to drink fermented drink in the tent of meeting. (Does that mean that Aaron’s sons were drunk while trying to carry out their priestly duties?) Is it possible that being under the influence kept them from distinguishing between right and wrong?

Offering up a strange fire ends up causing Aaron’s sons not to be able to distinguish between what is holy and what isn’t. They lost sight of what is good and bad. Likewise, when we drift from God, what we have to offer becomes strange to God’s Word. The lines between holy and common, clean and unclean, good and bad, right and wrong become blurred. It happened with Aaron’s sons. It is happening right now in the world around us. I think that it wouldn’t hurt for me to take a look at my own life to see if I too have failed to distinguish those lines.

Exodus 36:2 Then Moses summoned Bezalel and Oholiab and every skilled person to whom the LORD had given ability and who was willing to come and do the work.

The Book of Exodus finishes up with Moses getting the second set of the Ten Commandments from God (after he destroyed the first set). Then the Lord gives Moses all the rules to live by including how to build the tabernacle and furnishings.

All kinds of artisans and craftsmen and skilled people were required to do God’s work. Notice the above scripture says that the Lord gave some the ability, but … they had to be willing to come and do the work.

Isn’t that true with us? How often have we seen people who had the intelligence or ability, but simply did not have the will “to come and do the work”?

Exodus 32:19  When Moses approached the camp and saw the calf and the dancing, his anger burned and he threw the tablets out of his hands, breaking them to pieces at the foot of the mountain.

Moses brought the people out of Egypt.  They encountered hunger and enemies, trials and tribulations, of which God delivered the people from them all.  Then Moses went up Mount Sinai to talk to God.  There he received the Ten Commandments that the Bible says God wrote with His own finger.  While Moses was gone, the people convinced Moses’ brother Aaron to make a calf out of gold so they could worship it.

When Moses came down the mountain, he saw the people whooping it up, worshiping a statue that they created.  Moses got so mad that he smashed the Ten Commandments.  (In one fell swoop, Moses broke all the commandments… literally).  He smashed the golden calf, melted it down. Mixed the remains with water and made the people drink it. Then he armed some guys and had about 3000 people killed. Talk about anger issues!

OK, I know it was a very serious thing and had Moses not acted severely, God might have chosen some other people.  But I can’t help but think: can you imagine Moses telling God,  “I smashed the Commandments that you wrote with your own hand.  Ah, would you mind making me another set?”

Actually the Bible doesn’t say Moses asked God to do it. God did it without Moses asking.  (Moses had to provide the rock, chisel out tablets and carry them up the mountain, unlike the first time).

How often in a moment of passion we break God’s commandments.  However, God is always there to help us get back on the right track again… though it might be more difficult than if we got it right the first time.

Exodus 17:11 – 12  As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning. When Moses’ hands grew tired, they took a stone and put it under him and he sat on it. Aaron and Hur held his hands up–one on one side, one on the other–so that his hands remained steady till sunset.

Moses led the Israelites out of Egypt.  God crushed the Egyptian Army in the Red Sea.  Then the people of Israel did battle with the Amalelites in the new land.  Joshua lead the Israelite Army while Moses stood on a hill with his hands lifted to God (I assume he was praying).

Joshua doesn’t tire fighting nor does he get reinforcements for the battle.  However, Moses tired.  The physical demands of Moses’ spiritual battle appear to have worn him out.  However, the battle was God’s. The struggle was being won as long as Moses hands were lifted toward heaven.  God did not leave Moses alone.  He had given him help.

I think these verses mean something in our daily struggles.  Unfortunately, we all too often do the opposite of this story. We fight the fight and try to make adjustments or increase our efforts.  We look at the struggle or situation and tire ourselves in the battle. Instead, our gaze should be on God and our hands lifted to heaven.

Exodus 14:14 The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.

Moses had confronted Pharaoh as the Lord instructed him.  The Lord produced various plagues upon Egypt, each increasing the pressure on Pharaoh, until he let the people of Israel leave Egypt. However, shortly thereafter, Pharaoh changed his mind with a vengeance and lit out after the Israelites with an army.  Despite having seen many miracles with their own eyes, the Israelites were in fear and complained to Moses and told him that they were better off in Egypt and did other grumbling.

They only needed to be still and let God do His work.  Be still, both in the sense of being calm and also in the sense of being silent.  The King James translation reads that Moses told the people to “… hold your peace.”

I think how often I have encountered an obstacle and immediately began to complain or grumble about it.  At times, I did everything but keep my peace. I must always remember: My life is not my own and the battle is the Lord’s.

Exodus 4:21-25

²¹ And the Lord said unto Moses, When thou goest to return into Egypt, see that thou do all those wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand: but I will harden his heart, that he shall not let the people go. ²² And thou shalt say unto Pharaoh, Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my firstborn: ²³ And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn. ²⁴ And it came to pass by the way in the inn, that the Lord met him, and sought to kill him. ²⁵ Then Zipporah took a sharp stone, and cut off the foreskin of her son, and cast it at his feet, and said, Surely a bloody husband art thou to me.

Say What?

I think we need to look at this a little closer. I lot of people seem to think this passage is saying that the Lord came to kill Moses, for obvious non-compliance with circumcision.  Now, I don’t disagree with it having to do with the circumcision rite, but right before this, things appeared to be going well with God and Moses.  God didn’t kill Moses even when Moses said thanks for asking me to be the leader of your people, but no thanks. Why would something like this pop up out of the blue?

Let me rehash what I think God told Moses, “Do all the things I told you to do, then tell Pharaoh that Israel is my firstborn.” (Moses needed to stress why God, Himself, was intervening on part of Israel.  Then God emphasizes to Moses that Moses needs to pay heed. “²³ And I say unto thee (Moses), Let my son go, that he (Moses’ firstborn) may serve me: and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy son, even thy firstborn.”

So it’s Moses son that the Lord came to kill.  Why? Among other things circumcision was a sign that one belonged to God.  Moses was about to become the Lawgiver.  The Lawgiver had to fulfill the Law that was about to be revealed through Moses.

God knew what the outcome would be.  He was making a point here. There is also a connection between the shedding of blood, particularly the firstborn son, in order to fulfill the Law and alleviate from us the consequence of sin. (Praise God that a Son did just that!)

Exodus 3:1

Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb.

Thought this was an interesting verse. At one time Moses was by an act of God and a  twist of fate, prince of Egypt. However because of his actions had fled from Egypt. He was now on the backside of the desert. Just the phrase ‘the backside of the desert’ creates a rather negative picture in my mind.

Sounds like it should be a country western song.  Moses had lost his status, his pickup truck, and his dog and would have ended up in jail for killing a man if he didn’t skip town.  (OK. I added the pickup truck and the dog, but you get the picture).  He was on the backside of the desert, however…

Moses was about to encounter God and in an instant he and his life would be transformed.  He would meet his destiny and his story would be forever etched into mankind.

Kind of gives me hope.

Genesis 50:20

You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.

Abraham’s great grandson, Joseph, spoke the words of this verse.  Basically, he ticks off his brothers and they get rid of him.  They throw him into a hole until some Ishmaelites come by and they sell him into slavery.  A powerful Egyptian eventually buys him. However, he gets falsely accused by the Egyptian’s wife and ends up in jail.  Though trials and tribulations, Joseph keeps a good attitude and his faith.  He eventually rises to become the Number 2 man in all of Egypt.  In his position, he saves countless lives in Egypt and all the surrounding areas, including those of his brothers.

Sometimes we question why bad things happen.  Joseph endured all types of apparent defeats, bad luck, foul play and tragedy.  But… God used this all to accomplish His will.  I seriously doubt when Joseph was in a hole out in the middle of the desert, that he thought that would be his path to saving civilization, as he knew it.

So the next time you get conked on the head, trapped in a hole or find yourself in a dark situation, remember that might just be your pathway to great things.

Genesis 11:31  Terah took his son Abram, his grandson Lot son of Haran, and his daughter-in-law Sarai, the wife of his son Abram, and together they set out from Ur of the Chaldeans to go to Canaan. But when they came to Harran, they settled there.

This is the beginning of the story of Abraham (at this point he is still named Abram), Father of Three Major religions. To quickly cover this story: Abraham left Ur to go to a land that would be given to him and his offspring.  However, Abraham had to wait until he was extremely old before he had a legitimate heir.

This scripture makes me wonder, was the reason that Abraham’s destiny took so long to fulfill because of the events of this passage.  Terah took his family out of Ur.  However, Terah is not the Father of many nations. Abraham is.  Remember, in the Bible, God is referred to as the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.  Terah is not included.  Is it because he chose to stay in Harran?

Let me hypothesize, suppose God chose Terah to take his family to Canaan and Terah did not. Since God doesn’t change His mind, then Abraham wouldn’t be given the mission until Terah was unable to complete it.  Jumping ahead, in Stephen’s message in the Book of Acts, he says that Abraham waited until Terah died before he left Harran.

But wait! There’s more.  One of the meanings for the Hebrew word “Terah” is to delay.

By not continuing to Canaan, Terah delayed the fulfillment of God’s promises… basically holding up the advancement of the Kingdom of God… not to mention missing out on blessings of his own.

I wonder is procrastination on our part holding up the blessings of God,,, and maybe even delaying  the advancement of God’s Kingdom in some way… it’s just something to consider.

Genesis 11:6  The LORD said, “Look! They are one people with the same language for all of them, and this is only the beginning of what they will do. Nothing that they have a mind to do will be impossible for them!

The above Scripture is in reference to the Tower of Babel.  Men had come together to build a tower that would reach to the heavens in order to make a name for themselves. God didn’t like that one bit.  So He scattered the people and made them speak different languages.

This story usually conjures up bad images of mankind in my mind.  However, if you look at it from a positive standpoint, it is saying that if man would exhibit cooperative communication and effort nearly any obstacle can be overcome.

When people get behind ideas and work and communicate together, things happen. This happens for good and bad, both in the physical and spiritual.  Whether the undertaking is of a small group or by many nations, what propels man forward is often an idea followed by positive communication.