Month: September 2024

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” Exodus 3:14 (Chapter 3:13-22)

Moses is in the presence of God, standing in the place He will return to and receive the Law that will define the Hebrew children as a Holy people. Moses understands who is before him, but how do you explain God to those who didn’t witness this miracle first hand? (There is struggle with this today.) 

We can see how uniquely God has prepared Moses. He went from slave to prince to outdoorsman. In each of these settings Moses was developing the character needed to become a great leader. He was first and foremost a Hebrew, compassionate toward his kinsmen, He became a literate Hebrew/Egyptian, something very rare, then he learned to survive in the wilderness. Yet, God didn’t tell Moses, “YOU ARE.” He said, “I AM.”  I Am the living God from whom all things derive.

God introduces Himself as ‘Jahweh’. This is the first time a personal name is given. Jahweh comes from a Hebrew verb ‘to be’ or ‘to exist.’ So God’s personal name, that which He chooses to be called, means ‘to be actively present.’ Let this soak in! It is also worth noting that although God gave Himself this name, the Hebrew people honored it as sacred. In respect they would not say it aloud, so they substituted the word, ‘LORD’. God’s name is Holy. Don’t use it as slang, but, don’t forget His chosen name is an active verb ‘Jahweh’ when substituting it with a proper noun ‘LORD’.

God outlines His plan of deliverance with the conclusion that when the slaves leave Egypt, they will not go in poverty. They will plunder the Egyptians and the Egyptians will gladly give them clothing, silver and gold, just to be rid of them. There is actually a little humor and irony here.  All the work the Hebrews did for free is now being compensated, gladly and ten fold!

It is so hard to face the unknown future so we cling to the tangible things of today, things that hobble and hurt. But God is already there and IT IS GOOD. Keep God at the center of every endeavor, not as an invited guest, but as CEO.

Love,

Gretchen

The LORD said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. Exodus 3:7 (Chapter 3:1-12)

Concern-to relate to, be of interest or importance to. To engage a person’s attention to the affects of someone’s welfare or happiness.

Moses resolved himself to the quiet, solitary life of a desert herdsman. Long gone were the days of palace privilege. His crime of murder humbled him, the years in the wilderness (the land he would someday guide a nation through) brought about a sturdy man with survival knowledge. Moses was very much a man blown about by the circumstances of life and the consequences of a reckless moment. We have the benefit of seeing the entire story in a matter of moments and know the miraculous ending, the result of God’s concern. Moses had an encounter with God and was asked to go….with only his faith and trust……having no knowledge of how it would play out….Wow!

The story of Moses’ journey from cradle to burning bush is packed full, and I will give attention to some very important theological concepts, but first and foremost is this word ‘concern.’  By way of interest, because you are important, God chooses to be intimately involved in your life. You can trust Him with all there is to know about your suffering. He is concerned, and that means help is on the way!

God expressed concern over the cries of the Hebrew children who had become oppressed and exploited. He does not like suffering!  He will bring it to an end and deliver you into peace and joy!!

Love,

Gretchen

They said, “An Egyptian rescued us from the shepherds. He even drew water for us and watered the flock.” Exodus 2:19 (Chapter 2)

Moses was born into the home of Hebrew slaves. He had to be hidden in a basket, floated in the Nile and guarded by his sister, to protect him from death at the hands of Pharaoh.  However, a princess found him, paid his own mother to nurse him and then took him as her own child where he was given the finest education to be found.

Jochebed, Moses’ mother, did not waste the few years she was given with her son. She instilled the simple traditions of her faith so deeply that all the allurements of a heathen palace did not tempt him into turning his back on the people of his birth or their God. The first forty years of his life, mostly spent in luxury, did not halt Moses’ compassion for his fellow man.

Moses committed a murder that separated him from his homeland and all he knew. As a runaway fugitive he found himself at a well where women who had come to water their flocks were being accosted by shepherds. Moses defended them and took their manual labor upon himself. The father of these women invited Moses into his home and gave him a wife. As an alien in a foreign land, Moses made a new start, but little did he know, God was preparing him to be the liberator, with a perfectly designed and developed skill set, of His covenant nation.

If you are distracted or overwhelmed by hardship and disappointment, stop and ask what wonders God is preparing you for. Perseverance isn’t for the faint of heart. So, the difficulties we struggle with may simply be fitness training of the soul.  Moses had to grow and learn, and so must we.

Happy Friday,

Gretchen

The midwives, however, feared God and did not do what the king of Egypt had told them to do; they let the boys live. Exodus 1:17 (Exodus 1)

370 years have passed since Joseph was governor of Egypt. The Pharaohs have long forgotten their debt of gratitude and begin to feel threatened by the growing population of Israelites.  This fear led to prejudice and oppression and soon the Hebrew/Israelite children were enslaved. Egypt became the world’s wealthiest and most advanced civilization, all on the backs of this exploited labor. 

God hears the cry of those who are broken and hopeless. Pharaoh’s answer to the growing numbers in a culture he did not approve of, was to murder all the baby boys, but allow the baby girls to live and eventually intermarry among the Egyptians. His objective was genocide. God sent rescue by way of faithful midwives who honored human life rather than the edicts of their government. Among those saved from infant death was a child, from the tribe of Levi, named Moses.

My words sound somewhat political. They are not. I am summarizing a story that displays God’s character and heart. He is good, He is love. Cries do not go unheard and man’s evil is never the end of your story. Pray, trust, hope and know, that God is doing something beyond the visible. 

Love,

Gretchen

But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? Genesis 50:20 (Genesis 47-50)

Joseph saves his entire family and the nation of Israel from demise during the seven year drought. Pharaoh instructs Joseph to settle his father, brothers and their families in the best land Egypt has to offer, Goshen. There they remained. When Jacob died, he was honored and mourned as if he’d been a king. After he was embalmed, in the Egyptian style, he was returned to Hebron and buried with Abraham, Sarah, Isaac, Rebekah and his own wife Leah. This burial cave was the only land owned by an Israelite, but someday Israel would be given the entire region of Canaan. Years later, when this nation returned to claim Canaan, they took Joseph’s bones with them, just as he had asked them to do.

Following the death of their father, Joseph’s brothers felt less secure in his good graces so they forged a letter from their father imploring Joseph to take care of them. Joseph’s response is above. His righteousness shines through. Man’s deeds, or misdeeds, will not determine his actions, only God has that authority.

It is easy to see God at work through the faithfulness of man, but less clear when devious and self-interested men allow personal ambition to hurt others. But, the character of God is loving. He takes care of us no matter where we find ourselves. What man means for evil, God will make good and bless others too.

Love,

Gretchen

But God sent me ahead of you to preserve for you a remnant on earth and to save your lives by a great deliverance. Genesis 45:7 (Genesis 42-46)

These chapters hold one of the most beautiful stories in the Bible. Joseph, who was sold into slavery and presumed dead, has ascended to the highest realms of Pharaoh’s government. As was foretold in Joseph’s youthful dreams, he is now in a position of authority over the same brothers that planned his demise. However, Joseph has a heart of love and forgiveness and the father and son who thought they would never meet again have a beautiful reunion. When Jacob dies in the foreign Land of Goshen, Joseph, along with his own sons, returns his father’s remains to Canaan.

When God made his covenant with Abraham He established a Messianic line that began with Abraham and ended with Jesus. The first five links in this chain are Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Judah and Perez. No Joseph to be found! The family line descends through Joseph’s older brother Judah, who was not a very nice person!! Four of these men were guilty of egregious sin. If not for Joseph’s holiness and faith, the covenant nation would have ended in it’s fourth generation.

From the beginning, God’s covenant nation struggled to survive. Man’s sin, and now an act of nature, threatened to end all for the Hebrew people. But God prevailed! He made a way. A pesky little brother became the victim of hatred, but he rose to become the second most powerful man in the most powerful government of that time. Joseph found he was liberated from other’s destructive and sinful behavior when He hoped and trusted in God’s providence. Do right, do good, never take your eyes off the Throne and He who is seated there. The Kingdom of God will withstand ALL forces of opposition.  It is the winning team!

Have a Terrific Tuesday!

Gretchen

“I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.”  Genesis 41:16 (Genesis 40-41)

A very quick summary of these two chapters is difficult because they tell a detailed story, but the skeleton narrative is, Joseph has been a slave for thirteen years. While in prison he explains the dreams of the Pharaoh’s chef and butler.  The chef dies, the butler is restored to his position, but forgets to bring Joseph’s name before Pharaoh for a pardon. Two years later Pharaoh himself is disturbed by a vision his magicians cannot unravel. Spoiler! Joseph goes from prisoner to governor in the blink of an eye.

Pharaoh’s dream foretells of seven years of bountiful harvest in the Nile valley, then a drought extending way beyond Egypt’s borders will place many nations in peril. The job of being prepared for both feast and famine is passed to Joseph and he does a stellar job.

Although not part of the Messianic family tree, Joseph takes up quite a lot of space in the story of the Hebrew people.  Egypt was not the brutal, enslaving power we see in Moses’ time. Joseph was judged on his own merit, not pedigree. His steadfast faith and determination toward righteousness made him a vital instrument in Israel’s survival (see details in tomorrows story). Maybe God is showing all of us that the little man, with faith as his strength can quietly change the world.

Have a Marvelous Monday!

Gretchen