Before I begin the post let me apologize for its late date. I did most of the reading for this post on the day it was to be read but was unable to finish due to health issues and other familial/household obligations. Because my Bible is fine print it can be increasingly difficult to read when one is tired and one's eyes are irritated. I just finished the rest of the reading today (about 10 pages of Exodus) and feel confident that I can be caught up to where I must be by tomorrow night, with 100 pages between me and my goal. I have mapped out my reading in a pseudo-syllabus and will do my best to adhere to its standard. I will also try to end at a full chapter ending where possible to give more continuity to the posts. (Chapters listed above will have been read in full.) Your patience and prayers through this journey are appreciated.
Day 2 (summary paragraph)
Hello once again audience! When we left off we were with Joseph in Egypt and he was just about to interpret Pharaoh's nightmares. Pharaoh's dreams meant that there would be 7 years of plenty and 7 years of terrible famine. So bad that people would forget the good old days entirely. Pharaoh made Joseph in charge of everything and Joseph stored up all the food from the 7 years of plenty and distributed it during the 7 years of famine. The famine spread to Canaan and Jacob sent all his sons (all but Benjamin, Joseph's only full brother) to Egypt to buy food. Joseph gave his brothers (who didn't recognize him) a hard time the two times they came to Egypt, but eventually revealed his identity and sent for his father and all the rest of his family to live in Goshen in Egypt. This is how the people of Israel came to be in Egypt. Eventually the Egyptians would forget about Joseph and would view the Hebrews as a threat. They enslaved them and killed their newborn sons. But Moses' mother put him in a basket and set him in the reeds of the Nile where he was picked up by an Egyptian princess. She showed Moses mercy and raised him. Moses grew up, and killed an Egyptian who was beating a Hebrew. Pharaoh tried to kill Moses so he fled to the wilderness where he happened upon the Midian camp. Moses married the high priest Jethro's daughter Zipporah, met God through the burning bush on mount Sinai, and was told to go back to Egypt to tell Pharaoh to let the Hebrews go. Moses went (but God stopped him on the way because his son wasn't circumcised yet) but Pharaoh wasn't too keen on the idea. It took plagues of blood (all the water turned to blood) frogs, goats, flies, dead livestock, festering boils, hail, locusts, darkness, and even the death of Egypt's firstborn before Pharaoh finally let them go. And even then he changed his mind. But God took care of his people at the red sea (some say sea of reeds) and all of Pharaoh's men were drowned. God calls his people to Sinai and gives them explicit instructions including the 10 commandments, how to give justice, and how to build the ark of the covenant, tabernacle, and all the ceremonial accessories. And finally instructions for how to dress Aaron and the priests who were to intercede for Israel.
Theme and focus:
Through all of this, the theme again seems to be that God is faithful to keep his promises. They don't always happen at the time we want them to, (in fact it seems like God takes his time in this case, waiting generations before acting to free Israel from bondage.) But God does hear the prayers of his people and is faithful not only to free them, but feed them and preserve them against their enemies.
Reflection:
In the later chapters of Exodus, we see that God does not want his people to be "just like everyone else." He wants them to be set apart from the world in ways that will be blatant, and give God all the glory. Through reading I was convicted by the fact that this expectation of us as God's children has not changed. Even though Christ and his sacrifice has fulfilled the law, we are to live for Him and not for ourselves.
Another thing that I keep feeling convicted about is the Sabbath day. Jesus said we aren't supposed to be legalistic about it, however he said nothing about ignoring it entirely. I think that this will be a good practice to keep in my own walk. I may not be able to have this day on Saturday or Sunday as most do because of my work schedule, but I can take a day off once a week to enjoy God and strengthen my relationship with Him. Like I said, I think it will be a good practice.
DH out
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