Category Archives: Eat at Joe’s

Exodus 23:1-13 Defending Truth; Maintaining Rest

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©2003
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Ex 23:1-13
More Laws: Defending the Truth; Maintaining Rest.
9/21/3; ed. 8.29.15

Intro…

What is peer pressure? Why can the mob or crowd or social media today seem so intimidating? What are people afraid of?

lady justice

When’s the last time you found yourself pressured to NOT stand up for the truth…or what you felt to be the truth? What was the subject matter? Did you stand up for the truth? Were you ridiculed? How did it feel? Were you frightened? Did you lose some friends over the matter? Or did you give in and not stand up for what you believed to be the truth? Again what was the subject matter? Why did you not stand up for the truth? How did it make you feel to not stand up for the truth? Did someone else stand up for it? How were they treated? Did you speak up later? Continue reading

Exodus 22:17-31 Compassion and Worship 8-23-15

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©1998-2015
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Ex 22:16-31
Severely Protected Compassion and Worship
9/14/3; ed. 8.23.15

Introduction…

Why do are some indiscretions more severely dealt with than others? How or on what basis does a person or community decide to punish some crimes worse than others? And if this is true in life, why would this not be true within God’s OT law? Are you able to discern why God chooses to punish some behaviors worse than others?

do not cross

General Introduction:   Continue reading

Exodus 22:1-15 When Life Goes Awry…

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©1998-2015
Fellowship @ Cross Creek
Life of Moses
Exodus 22:1-15
When Life Goes Awry…
9/7/3; ed. 8/16/15

Introduction…Had a bad break happen to you lately? Ever break something that belonged to someone else? Did someone break something of yours that you had loaned to them? How did it make you feel? Guilty? Angry? Did you and your friend talk about it? Did you resolve it? Did it tear apart your friendship? Why? Why are rules, laws and principles so important if people are to live in community with one another?

How do people, teachers, parents, coaches, referees, officials, officers of the law determine what is fair or right? Have you ever just absorbed the loss when the other person was at fault, but didn’t think they were?

Below are some more rules or laws to think about in how humans deal with one another? What do they teach you about God? About life? About people?

broken window

Continue reading

Exodus 21:12 But what if… 8-9-15

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©1998-2015
Fellowship @ Cross Creek
Life of Moses
Ex 21:12ff
But What If…

8/31/3; 8/9/15

General Introduction:  Moses, led by God, is leading the children of Israel, perhaps as many as 2-3 million strong, away from Egypt and closer to the land promised to their forefathers seven centuries before. Their journey has not been without its problems. Having overcome food, water and leadership issues and a threatening military foe, God’s people have reached his mountain–the same place where Moses was called by God to lead Israel out of Egypt.

There, Israel, having physically and spiritually purified itself, has taken its vows before God. Yahweh, now through Moses, begins to spell out the contract or covenant in more detail. In other words, if you are going to be my people and represent me to the world, these are the rules you must live by. These are the rules that will set you apart and above the world.

These are the rules that will set you apart and above the world’s godless din.
These rules are commonly called the LAW or the Mosaic Law or the Mosaic Covenant, since quite obviously, Moses mediated the covenant between Yahweh God and his bride, the children of Israel.

Continue reading

Exodus 21:1-14 The Law: Mercy and Servants 8-2-15

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©1998-2015
Fellowship@CrossCreek
Life of Moses
Exodus 21:1-14
More Laws: Mercy in the Midst of Struggle…Treatment of Servants…
Orig. 8/24/03; ed. 8/2/15

Introduction: Do you know what scaffolding is? What is its purpose? You just can’t construct something out of nothing. You have to have a way to get to what you want to build or renovate, thus the need for scaffolding.

The Law, the Covenant between God and Israel, our Constitution, classroom or house rules all serve as a type of moral scaffolding. These are the things we use as we seek to build a moral conscience that please, imitates and honors God, while at the same time learning how to love or respectfully treat my fellow man. Why? Because our natural tendency is to mainly think of ourselves and what we want? That tendency is so strong without some form of temporary moral constraints, we would probably destroy one another. Thus the need for law, rules and even customs.
Rio Jesus Renovation

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Renovation: The statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio is covered in scaffolding. The iconic statue, inaugurated in 1931, is getting a $4million facelift (March 13, 2010).

Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1257689/Statue-Christ-Rio-covered-scaffolding-gets-4m-facelift.html#ixzz3hVAjC0bF Continue reading

Exodus 20:18ff Divine Wedding Part VI: The Groom’s Awe-inspiring Appearance

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©1998-2015
Fellowship@CrossCreek
Life of Moses
A Most Divine Wedding Covenant: Part VI: The Divine Groom Finally Makes His Awe-inspiring Appearance…
Ex 20:18ff
7/26/15

Introduction: As a kid, I was afraid to be alone at our church at night for fear God might talk to me. It was so bad, that if God had spoken to me, I would have no doubt, peed in my pants. I was that scared. I think I had seen a movie where God had spoken to the lead character and called him to a ministry, and I was afraid he might do the same to me. I also knew all the Bible stories of how God spoke to people. What if he chose to talk to me? I was in fear of God.

How often do you really think about being in the presence of the Almighty Creator of the Universe? Ever? Or because God is invisible, is it frequently more out-of-sight-out-of-mind with respect to the Almighty Creator?

If God exists… (Note: I feel as if I am blaspheming writing these words) how can we become so desensitized to his constant, ongoing presence?

But if we did believe that God does exist and that Christ has died to atone for our sins, and that we have the active presence of God, via his Holy Spirit within our lives, everyday 24-7, how can we act and live so contemptibly foolish with respect to presence of God?

What if we were there with Israel before the very mountain of God, witnessing his mighty thunder, lightning and smoke and hearing the trumpets blaring? Now, in-sight, and therefore, in-mind, would our perspective with respective to the active presence of God change? In what way? And why?

Pure-awesomeness-0-0-the-rain-hail-and-lightning-10766837-552-480 Continue reading

Ex 20:12ff Divine Wedding: Part V: More Critical Vows

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©1998-2015
Fellowship@CrossCreek
Life of Moses
A Most Divine Wedding Covenant: Part V: More Critical Vows
Ex 20:12ff
7/19/15

Introduction: Why are boundaries important? Why are rules or guidelines important? If we didn’t have rules, guidelines, agreements, even laws to coordinate our choices and activities, what might society or our relationships look like? Why is it important not just to love God, but others as well? And why is it important to know what those rules, boundaries or guidelines are? So for one moment, work with me. Take just one of those agreed upon rules that you attempt to live by, either within your family, work, society, team etc. and disregard it. Now what happens? Is the fabric of the relationship torn or damaged? What are the possible repercussions? Try this out with several agreed upon rules or laws? What is the general consensus when several of these rules are disregarded? Why are rules important?

General Introduction:  Moses, led by God, is leading the children of Israel, perhaps as many as 2-3 million strong, away from Egypt and closer to the land promised to their forefathers seven centuries before. Their journey has not been without its problems. Having overcome food, water and leadership issues and a threatening military foe, God’s people have reached his mountain — the same place where Moses was called by God to lead Israel out of Egypt.

The Bride, Israel, having ritually purified herself and refrained from having sexual relations with each other,  approaches her Groom’s mountain, via her leadership and prepares to take her vows—the covenant.

Preview: In eleven verses, via his four first commands of eventually over 600, Yahweh God makes it very clear to his nation-bride that what is of paramount importance to maintaining their relationship as Spiritual groom and bride or God and nation both exclusivity and rest or intimacy. There will be no other gods or Spiritual relationships tolerated, and there needs to be a consistent, weekly time set aside from everything else, including all work, for the exclusive maintaining and growth of this God-people relationship.

Now come some vital and universal intrapersonal vows for maintaining, not just the relationship between God and his people, but between person to person and person to his community. If the whole is going to survive and thrive as a nation, a respect for their Creator and Redeemer absolutely must translate into common, agreed upon ethic, or way of justly and fairly dealing with one another.

Pray (Ask God for insight…)

Read Passage several times…(if more than 12 verses, I would read only twice).

Ask Questions (with No Answers)

12 “Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be prolonged in the land which the Lord your God gives you.

What does it mean to honor or value one’s Father and Mother, and why? While the emphasis over the years has tended to be upon young children obeying or honoring the parents, or perhaps even perhaps helping to create or foster their children’s respect for them, others have suggested that this command really has to do with respecting or protecting one’s elders—that this command is directed towards adult children taking care of their older, elderly parents… so much so, that the promise seems to have implications for the nation’s longevity. In other words, don’t look out for your elderly parents, and your days will not be prolonged in the land which has been given to you by God?

Or another way of looking at this command or vow is that the hierarchical structure Yahweh is intending to put into place is very much based upon a respect for one who is older, wiser and more experienced, such as parents? Children, even adult children are to honor or respect their parents, and in doing so, this says a lot about a nation’s culture and values? The elderly are not set aside, disregarded or looked down upon, but instead, after exclusive intimacy with God, the next greatest commandment or vow is to respect and honor one’s parents or caregivers?

13 “You shall not murder.

Next, after exclusive intimacy with one’s creator and respect or devotion to one’s parents, is a respect for life. In perhaps a seemingly lawless age, Yahweh God says you will not get ahead by slaughtering or taking away another human soul. Life is important. You shall not murder?

14 “You shall not commit adultery.

Next, is a respect for another’s or one’s mate or wife, in this case? The marriage covenant, contract, bond or tradition will be honored? I will not tolerate Spiritual infidelity, I will not tolerate marital infidelity? The marriage bed will be kept pure? Families will be protected? Marriage will be kept safe? One will not have to worry about one’s husband or wife cheating with someone else? Children will know whom their parents are? As there is Spiritual fidelity between one and God and a nation and God, there will be marital fidelity between humans, especially marriage couples?

15 “You shall not steal.

Next, a person will not only not have to worry about living or keeping one’s mate, but his or her possessions will be safe as well? Do you get the idea here? God is setting boundaries, rules, laws between his people so that society does not disintegrate into man eat man or dog eat dog chaos and competition? Possession are safe. Stealing will not be tolerated.

16 “You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor.

Next, your words are important. You can’t cheat by misrepresenting the truth via a lie or mistruth? Truth is my standard? Once again, do you get the idea—with rules and protections, people are safe? Why? Because there is not cheating, stealing and killing going on? Only the evil or the rule breakers need to fear Yahweh God’s wrath, discipline or judgment. The rest of you, who play within the rules, rest.

17 “You shall not covet your neighbor’s house; you shall not covet your neighbor’s wife or his male servant or his female servant or his ox or his donkey or anything that belongs to your neighbor.”

And finally, life’s ambition is not to take or desire what belongs to another. Now that is an interesting one, depending upon what “covet” means, much like what does “honor” mean with respect to parents. Does “covet” just imply an inward feeling or emotion or thought, or does it imply something more—actually acting on one’s covetous desires? And how does one NOT “covet” or “want” what someone else has? How does one stop the thoughts, if they are there? How does one learn to be content with what one has or has been given? And why is this warning or command so important as to make the top ten?

Who? 

Where? 

When? 

What? 

In order for Yahweh’s redeemed national, Spiritual bride Israel to thrive, she not only has to remain exclusively and actively engaged with her Redeemer, God, she must be faithful to her fellow Spiritual body parts. She must be true to herself because in all reality, she is a collective ONE. What are the foundational or most essential vows for maintaining this Spiritual ONE? One positive vow—honor one’s parents, followed by five negatives or prohibitions…don’t murder, break one’s marriage vows, take from another, lie to another or desire what someone has. Do these and she will remain a united one that can then be a holy one with respect to her Redeemer. Amazing.

Summary…In order to be a holy one, Israel, because she is made up of many millions, must also, to one degree, be a united one. In other words, not only must she be true to God, but true to herself…or all her parts or people. And how will she do this? Six critical intrapersonal commands or vows that each member of the Spiritual bride must abide by, if the bride is also to become a holy bride to her Redeemer.

Bottom line…just as there is a holy one between God and his people; there is a united holy one between the people themselves. Thus there is both the one and the many. We are all a part of great, redeemed holy nation, and everyone has a faithful part to maintain the covenant.

Why? (What truths do I learn about God, man, people, myself, life?)

• There is both a love of God and one another as a part of the Spiritual bride or community. One cannot love God and not love or be loyal or act against the community’s best Spiritual interest. In other words, one can cheat his fellowman and think that he is holy. Can’t be done. To every human being, or perhaps rather, every called child of God on the planet, there is both a relationship with God and one another, and each feeds the other. If one is out of sorts with God, he is out of sorts with his fellowman, and if he is out of sorts with his fellowman, he is out of sorts with God.

Now potentially is one always out of sorts with both? Of course, but within the OT or Mosaic Covenant here, I am not sure that Yahweh God fully expected his people to fully understand that man is never perfect at this point in time. Maybe he did? Perhaps the righteous Israelite realized that no amount of sacrifices would make him fully righteous before God—that as Paul writes very incredibly within his letter to the Romans…that we all fall short of God’s glory. That no one is perfect. And that in the end, we are all tainted by sin’s imperfection every moment of every day of our existence, and so much so, that only through one’s faith or trust (Romans 3-4) in a sacrificial atonement for one’s sinful imperfection that only Yahweh God could and would, in the end, supply, just as he supplied a ram for Abraham as he was about to obediently sacrifice his own son, Isaac, as Yahweh had directed him to do, but in the end, had only intended to test Abraham’s faith and love.

So did the average Israelite get that not even a seeminlgy unblemished animal sacrifice could atone for his ever-continuously, ongoing sinful, imperfect approach to life? I doubt it. But in the end, that answer and sacrifice was finally and fully revealed in the divine giving of a truly perfect sacrifice for fallen man’s ever, ongoing and constant sinful nature in the person and sacrificial death of God’s Son, Jesus Christ. But the same truth that was valid witihn the preamble to the Old Covenant remains true within the New Covenant—one cannot love, worship or trust God, without loving and caring about God’s other chosen children. If you love God, through the Spirit, we are being taught and trained up NOT to lie, steal, murder, dishonor, be unfaithful to our brothers and sisters in the faith of God. If you love others, you love God, and if you love God, you will love others. And if you don’t love others, you don’t love God. And if you don’t love God, you will not love others. The two go hand in hand. The Bride, through her ongoing and maturing righteous orientation towards one another is maturing into a holy bride that honors and worships her holy Redeemer.

• And that within this love for one another, the beginning value system or parameters have to do with things such as: 1) adult children honoring or valuing their parents, and that somehow this type of fidelity will end up sustaining each suceeding generation; 2) not murdering, stealing from or lying to one another, nor being maritally unfaithful to one’s mate, nor coveting what another brother or sister has. These are the basic beginning Spiritual parameters that God expects all his children to abide by and or learn to abide by or mature in. These are the values that set God’s children apart from a world that refuses to love, worship, trust, obey or acknowledge Creation’s Creator. In other words, there are boundaries. There are values, especially in a fallen, dog-eat-dog, sinful, evil and imperfect world. And these are the values we are to espouse to as God’s children.

So What?

Last Study’s Application…I have several thoughts: 1) I just experienced a marital and emotional sabbatical rest last night with my wife when we took time away to listen to beautiful classical music, go out to eat and enjoy a late evening walk and talk with each other. It was very helpful my Spiritual and emotional equilibrium.

2) On a greater, annual or semi-annual scale, I am about to take some time away with my wife to recreate a portion of my insatiable curiosity to explore, discover and observe the geographical landscape—this time, portions of the American Southwest;

3) I witness too many foolish people that attempt to thrive or something without some meaningful, regular and frequent Spiritual rest and accountability. But authentic Spiritual vitality just can’t be done without the Spiritual Bride and Groom spending regular rested time together. God ceased his creative activities for a purpose. It’s implanted within our creative and redemptive DNA…as creatures created within the image of our Creator and now, recreated by faith and forgiveness in the image of our Redeemer. We were made and reborn to Spiritually rest and be reborn via the Spirit within the presence of our Lord and Savior. How to persuade them to do otherwise…now that I have yet to discover. Again and again and again, I see devastating consequences.

4) At the same time, this consistent, frequent and intimate Spiritual bride and groom time or space must be characterized by authenticity. Anything less is useless Spiritual fraud.

Applicational Update and Thanksgiving…Not only did I get to experience with my bride of 36-37 years, depending upon when one dates the beginning of our covenant—from our engagement or our wedding—a powerful, Spiritual renewal of our covenant, but my heart and soul were just as refreshed from some not only personal ministry with family along the way, but living and driving 3-D within my Creator’s magnificent creation. Amazing. I get the principle of regularly getting alone with those with whom one is in covenant with. It is everything. Fortunately, with the Spirit, prayer, his word and the Body of Christ, that regular renewal is possible in many soul-cleansing, mind-renewing, refreshing ways every day and every week.

Struggle…Now that I have been to the mountain top, both Spiritually and literally (within the Rockies), it is a transition of sorts back to the daily grind, or should we say answering the daily demands and challenges, including this lesson, including Sunday’s teaching, including all the many pastoral and administrative demands and challenges, including writing. I can see why even Jesus took time to get away from the crowd of ministry, and my crowd of ministry is so so much smaller.

Truth…Loving God is loving others and vice versa; both are vital; both are connected; both keep you on your toes, especially within an evil, self-leaning world and existence. Am I getting alone with God, worshiping only him and I am a living within the moral, Spiritual boundaries of treating others righteously or appropriately, and in doing so, am I changing? Am I being conformed to the image of my Redeemer?

Beginning with the Old Covenant, am I/we honoring our parents, both physical and Spiritual? Am I/we not murdering others, not inappropriately taking from them, not lying to them, being martially faithful to our spouses, and not coveting or envying what they may have that I might or might not have?

But then even more, now based on the New Covenant that I have with God through his Son’s sacrifice, am I, via the Holy Spirit, learning what it means to truly love or be Spiritually attracted to others as Christ as was attracted to and sacrificially poured out his life for his own, including me (John 13-17; 1 John)?

Application…God, help me be sensitive to what you want to do through me to or with others. I am your servant. There are times, I want to do what I want to do or what I think I need to do, but really, in the end, I truly want to die to my own, instinctually-flawed, self-centered approach to living life. I know how to do that, Lord. I want to be led and directed by your Spirit even in the moments that I initially don’t know what to do or an uncomfortable doing, including honoring my/our parents, that I sometimes do well, but often times don’t as well; I haven’t murdered anyone literally, Lord; I have lied; probably, in ways that I would not like to think about, have stolen; certainly have coveted; but have been faithful to my wife, at least physically and in many more ways, but certainly NOT always in my thoughts. Thus, Lord, I am deeply grateful for your atonement that continually cleanses me from all my sinful imperfection. I also thankful for your Spirit and my mentor/teacher, who again and again and again, teaches, reminds, exposes, convicts, reveals to me and encourages me in my journey to love YOU and your people as you love and/or attracted. I am a work in progress. Continue to teach me to trust you in that journey and not become afraid or uptight when things don’t always go as I would like for them to, but to trust you that you are in charge and that you want to and will show me the way as I prayerfully seek your presence, truth, power, hope, love and guidance IN THE MOMENT where life is lived. Teach me not only how to be exclusively intimate with you, but how this worship translates into relating to fallen human beings. Amen.

Your servant,

Joe

Your Struggle? 

Your Truth? 

Your Application? 

 

Scripture quotations, unless noted otherwise, are taken from the Holy Bible: New International Version‚ NIV‚ Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984,

Exodus Studies Pic

©1998-2015
Fellowship@CrossCreek
Life of Moses
A Most Divine Wedding: Part IV: A Most Important Vow…
Ex 20:8-11
7/27/3; ed. 6.28.15

Introduction: Got a best friend? Perhaps, your mate? Got some good friends? So how do you maintain that or those friendships? What happens when you don’t maintain that or those friendships? I mean what happens over time? How do you most enjoy spending time with that friend or friends? Might any of the same things that make friendships, meaningful, satisfying and enduring apply to our relationship with God or the community of fellow believers in Christ?

Couple at sunset

General Introduction:  Moses, led by God, is leading the children of Israel, perhaps as many as 2-3 million strong, away from Egypt and closer to the land promised to their forefathers seven centuries before. Their journey has not been without its problems. Having overcome food, water and leadership issues and a threatening military foe, God’s people have reached his mountain–the same place where Moses was called by God to lead Israel out of Egypt.

The Bride, Israel, having ritually purified herself and refrained from having sexual relations with each other, via her leadership, approaches her Groom’s mountain and prepares to take her vows—the covenant.  Continue reading

Exodus 15:22ff Trusting the Cure! 4-11-15

Exodus Studies Pic

©1998-2015
Fellowship
Life of Moses
Lesson 26
Trusting the Cure!
Ex 15.22ff
4.11.15

Introduction… Have you been tested lately…in school? At your work? In life? At the doctor’s office?

How do you think you did on the test? What did the test reveal about you? About others? Was it good or bad or both?

What makes for a good test? What about a bad test? What is the purpose of testing?

Isn’t it to reveal the truth or some approximation of the truth…either what I know or don’t know about a certain subject or am I up to some task, skill or responsibility? And the purpose for this testing is either to make sure I do know what to do or how to respond, and if I don’t, then to learn it?

So are tests good for us or not? What if we were never tested?

What did your last test of any kind reveal about your relationship with God? Regardless of your test results, is God your cure?

Previous Lesson… The sons and daughters of Israel sing out their praise to Yahweh because in what Yahweh God has just done in not only delivering Israel from utter annihilation at the hands of Pharaoh’s massive army, but in utterly annihilating Pharaoh’s army, Israel’s future, including her travel to and then being planted within her promised land is also secure. Ex. 15:1ff.

General Overview…Exodus 1-14…

What were the devastating costs required for Yahweh God to redeem (buy back), his chosen people, the Children of Israel, via their miraculous Exodus (way out) from harsh Egyptian enslavement?

Moses makes 12 appearances before Pharaoh, with 39 mentions of Israel being “released” or “delivered” to celebrate a festival to Yahweh God in the desert. 7  times Yahweh accurately predicts to Moses that Pharaoh will not listen to Moses.

But in order to motivate Pharaoh to release his enslaving grip of Israel, Yahweh unleashes 10 pervasive and devastating curses upon Egypt. And 10 times the text clearly says that Yahweh God distinguishes between Israel and Egypt with respect to unleashing the plagues’ devastating affects upon Egypt.

Neither Pharaoh’s diviners nor his gods are any match for Yahweh’s mighty hand.  In delivering Israel from Egypt, Yahweh God could be defeating as many as 118 Egyptian deities. 

It is also interesting to note that Yahweh’s last and greatest curse against Egypt–the curse of Egypt’s firstborn–is not only painfully directed against the firstborn of both man and beast, but also “against all the gods of Egypt” (Ex. 12:12).

Under intense national pain and pressure, Pharaoh is finally and momentarily contrite 3x, while admitting his sin 2x and asking Moses 4x to prayerfully intercede on his behalf of Pharaoh. Once even, Pharaoh asks for forgiveness.

And in fact, 7x Pharaoh will declare that Israel can go and sacrifice (after plagues 2, 4, 7, 8, 9 [2x]; 10), but because of the hardening of his heart, Pharaoh will change his mind and recant his promise 4x.  Of the 17 references to the “hardening” of Pharaoh’s heart. 9 references are attributed directly to Yahweh’s divine intervention, 6 are neutral occurrences, which could be inferred to as being attributed to Yahweh, and 3 more credit Pharaoh and his servants with the “hardening” of their own hearts.”

In addition, 4x Pharaoh unsuccessfully attempts to bargain with God or Moses so that not all of Israel may go and worship, but for God, there is no compromise. All of Israel must go. No one is to be left behind. No compromise. God will not bargain with nor share his glory with a earthly king who claims divinity.

The Big Picture…

Thus with one protracted drama, acted out on history’s grand stage, God reveals the painful, but obvious and clear truth concerning himself and his broken creatures–God is big; the creatures are small.

And though for a time, it may seem that the creature is capable of being or imitating God, when the creature attempts to play or challenge God, the creature is ultimately crushed by God himselfthe Creator will not be robbed of his true glory–and those who chose to keep God…God, and man… man…or those that, through trust and obedience, ally themselves with their Creator, will not only be delivered or saved from the corruptness of other creatures attempting to rob God of his glory, but the righteous will also be rewarded for their trust in God, no matter what!

In other words, despite the temptation to only see life through the visible–but limited–salvation is recovered in a fallen, imperfect world via trusting the holy invisible Creator of the Universe!

Life is about faith…regardless of how man attempts to portray it…

 

Pray

Read the Passage two-three times…

Ask Questions (no answers)…

Ex. 15:22 Then Moses led Israel from the Red Sea, and they went out into the wilderness of Shur; and they went three days in the wilderness and found no water.

(Did Israel have water to begin with? I can only imagine how much water it takes the meet the needs of several million traveling pilgrims. No doubt since the Red Sea’s water is salty, any water they possessed had to have come from wells, rivers, springs or marshes. The Children of Israel being three days in the desert with little to no water reserves was a catastrophe of immense proportions, perhaps as great as what they could have faced back at the Red Sea. It would seem that this journey is just one catastrophe after another just waiting to occur. And it is interesting to note that Moses is leading Israel away from the Red Sea. Is this because God or the cloud is leading Moses or Israel in this direction by design? And “three days” into the wilderness certainly bears some similarities to God’s original command to Moses back in Ex. 3:18, and repeated in 5:3; 8:27 and Numbers 10:33; 33:8 in which the journey out into the desert to worship God or celebrate a feast unto Yahweh (7:16; 8:1, 21; 9:1, 13; 10:3, 9, 26) is always three days. Now Israel is three days out into the wildnerness.

Ex. 3:18…and you with the elders of Israel will come to the king of Egypt and you will say to him, ‘The Lord, the God of the Hebrews, has met with us. So now, please, let us go a three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I know that the king of Egypt will not permit you to go, except under compulsion. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My miracles which I shall do in the midst of it; and after that he will let you go. 21 I will grant this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be that when you go, you will not go empty-handed. )

23 When they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter; therefore it was named Marah.

(Finally, water, but it’s bitter. Could it still be drunk or did the “bitterness” presume the water was unfit to drink, perhaps spoiled by sulfur? Doesn’t “Marah” mean bitter, and doesn’t the proper name “Mary” derive from this Hebrew word for “bitterness”?)

Marah Map

24 So the people grumbled at Moses, saying, “What shall we drink?”

(Doesn’t “grumble” mean to “speak beneath one’s breath or hushed tones,” suggesting that the people were not speaking directly to Moses, but instead were passively aggressively gossiping and grumbling among themselves, something just as deadly for not only for the leadership…i.e. Moses, but for the nation itself? Note: it is much easier to complain behind someone’s back in order to create a mob mentality that it is to speak about concerns openly and honestly.)

25 Then he cried out to the Lord, and the Lord showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet.

(Much as the people cried out to Moses when their backs were up against the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s chariots were bearing down on them, once again, the people cry out to Moses, who in turn is forced to cry out to God for relief. What’s a tree got to do with things? It should be noted that more than likely for the people this appeared to be the end of the road because bitter waters are not de-bittered in a moment. Rather, a new source of water must be found. Instead, God is about to demonstrate that once again, he can do all things, including making bitter water sweet.)

There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them.

(God anchors his deliverance here with a new law or statue, no doubt a foreshadow of a much greater and extensive national covenant that the Children of Israel are about to enter into with Yahweh God at Mt. Sinai. What was the test—the bitter waters…to see if they would cry out to or trust God for their deliverance? Did they past the test because they cried out not to God, but God’s human representative?)

26 And He said, “If you will give earnest heed to the voice of the Lord your God, and do what is right in His sight, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have put on the Egyptians; for I, the Lord, am your healer.”

(Yahweh-Rapha…I AM the Healer? I healed the bitter waters and I will protect you from the deadly diseases that you rightly fear? Their cure…listen and faithfully carry out the commandments and statues that God is about to give them. Worship me and you will remain healthy.)

27 Then they came to Elim where there were twelve springs of water and seventy date palms, and they camped there beside the waters.

(An oasis? New waters? More waters?)

Who’s? 

Where’s? 

When’s? 

What’s?

• Having witnessed Yahweh deliver the Israelites from their most eminent threat, Moses now leads the Israelites three days away from the Red Sea into the desert. There is now no turning back.

• After that third day into the Desert of Shur the Israelites find themselves at a location with water, but the water is bitter and undrinkable, thus it was called Marah with means bitter.

• The people begin to “murmur” or “grumble” what water can we drink? A possible rebellion against Moses’ questionable decision to lead them into the desert is beginning to build and swell.

• In response, Moses once again, as he did when Israel had their backs up against the Red Sea, cries out to Yahweh, and Yahweh shows Moses a tree, which Moses tosses into the waters, making them no longer bitter and therefore drinkable.

• In that critical moment, Yahweh begins to test Israel by laying the foundation for the covenant he is about to enter into with Israel. He makes a binding ordinance with them—if they listen, pay attention to, guard and keep his commands, then the Israelites will never have to fear the constant and growing set of plagues and diseases that the non-believing Egyptians were forced to endure and suffer. As I healed these bitter waters before you today, I can also keep you safe from all harm. You just have to remain faithful to the commands or laws that I am about to give you. I am Yahweh your healer.

• Shortly after this, they come to the oasis at Elim where there is plenty of water, so they camp there.

Summary… After healing Marah’s bitter waters, Yahweh tests Israel with a lasting ordinance—if you keep my laws, I will keep you safe from all the things that the Egyptians feared.

Why’s? Why did God include this passage in his timeless word? Or What do I learn about God? Life? People? Myself?

• God has a purpose. We may not always understand it and seldom agree with it, but why would we? Our natural intention is not to put ourselves in positions of stress, not necessarily or intentionally. No doubt many of our foolish decisions do put us in very difficult and sometimes stressful situations, but it is not always by design. Human nature is to, quite often, take the path of least resistance rather than the more difficult and less-traveled road or path. In this case, instead of remaining close to a momentarily-humbled, but still mighty and civilized Egyptian culture, one in which Israel had existed within for most of their seven hundred year history as a people. Moses now does something many great leaders, as well as, insane leaders–he makes a radical, almost suicidal turn straight into the desert for three days. It is as if he is leading Israel straight down the gangplank, only instead of a ocean of water, this gangplank leads into a dry ocean of sand with little water. Is this God’s plan? Could God, via his Spiritually-chosen and prepared leadership, lead his people on such a seemingly suicidal journey? Yes, he can, does and is. With God all things are possible. They key is is God in the venture. If God is, there is no impossible.

• And now the test or lesson begins. There is water, but the water is bitter. So close and yet so far away. Water, but major disappointment when the water is discovered to be undrinkable. Can you imagine the people’s disappointment. Once again, it seems that God has delivered us, only to leave us hanging again. What is going on? Why isn’t his deliverance secure? When do we get to rest—in the Promise Land? But first we must make this testing, trying, faith-proving journey. There must be repeated threat after repeated threat, but in those threats, can and will God deliver? If so, what is God trying to teach Israel? That they can depend up on him no matter what? And why is this so so important? Because, even when they get into the Land, Israel needs to be firmly convinced that their salvation is not in themselves, their leadership or their comfortable situation. Rather it is in God and God alone. Worship, love, obey, listen to God, and Israel will thrive—leaving Egypt, in the desert and in their Promised Land.

• It’s not only human nature to whine, complain and grumble when things do go perfectly or the way in which we want them to go, but much like a contagious disease, grumbling is also quite contagious. Once it begins, its momentum is difficult to arrest. Just witness modern day’s social media mob lynchings. There is a rush to judgment, with little pause to get all the facts. The crowd wants blood. It is human nature. Beware. The same forces were marshaled to turn a crowd that had been highly supportive of Jesus as Israel’s promised Messiah into a mob screaming for his crucifixion. Bizarre, but real, and it has something to do the crowd’s contagion. I mean who wants to risk going against the mob. Like the sudden immenseness of a earthquake-caused tsunami wave, a quiet crowd seems incredibly susceptible to being transformed into an unruly mob. In this case, it was the disappointment of having discovered bitter water as opposed to non-bitter water, but for billions of others, it can be million other things.

• It is interesting that shortly after that Marah’s bitter waters were healed, Israel comes to the oasis of Elim. Isn’t that so often the case. There is the test, and then there is the relief. Relief was just around the corner, but disappointment of unmet expectations combined with the whining of many others can be a deadly contagion in and of itself, no less deadly that the plagues which God had used to redeem Israel from their bondage in Egypt. Be patient. Don’t freak out when the water is bitter. Stay calm. God’s immediate healing, as well as, more longer-term sustainable relief may just be around the corner. Are we going to trust through the disappointment or, like children, are we going to throw our Spiritual temper tantrum? God you were supposed to…

palmsprings_thumb

Thousand Palms Oasis Preserve near Palm Springs, CA

So What’s? How does this truth personally apply to one of my life’s struggles?

Thanksgiving… Finished a major section of SLove—the frailty of the Greek concept of eros or sexual or romantic love. I say finished. Is anything ever really finished? But in general, what I was wanting to say, I said it, though it did take 4,000 plus words, which can be a lot, but at the same point, it is a start. It’s an important concept, whether in the end, I make it in fewer words or not. And the reason that this is a praise, is because I had really struggled in finding a reasonable window of time to be able to remember even where I was so that I could continue my thought stream, so Shelly and I came up with another plan to hold me accountable…smaller goals on a shorter time scale. This time it worked. Thank God!

Also, after less than two weeks since Rhonda’s mom broke her hip and having surgery to repair it, she returns to her apartment today! Her memory struggles cold be a real wild card though.

Struggle… Depending upon how I view it, I may have a lot to do with not a lot of time to do it in over the next two days. It’s been a productive week, but it would seem it needs to get even more productive. Time is precious, but perhaps more important is God’s will and desire within these precious moments. He knows me; he knows my tasks and purposes; he knows my time and he knows any obstacles that are about to appear in my path. The key is to do what he wants, not what I want.

Truth… God’s unpredictable and seemingly counter-intuitive testing and leading, followed by his lessons, truth and longer term relief in contrast to his children’s contagious whining when expectations are not immediately met.

Application… I want to whine. I want to panic when things are not going my way or I anticipate the pressures. I may not be a crowd or a restless, impatient and disappointed mob, but my mind often acts that way.

In fact, I am watching golfers at the Masters Golf Tournament do it right now. They miss a few shots, lose a few strokes to par, miss a put, and you can see the disappointment, the let down, the defeatism within their body language. Their performance on the golf course has not met their expectations, and now their response, to these shots, affect their upcoming shots. I mean it doesn’t make logical sense to respond to adversity or fear with quiet confidence—quiet confidence in what? Myself? God? That the odds or my luck will change? But for the believer, he has been healed. He has God; he has a relationship with God through his faith in the Son of God’s atonement, healing or payment for one’s sinful imperfection. I have been healed. I am healed, at least Spiritually.

And if I trust this truth, this fact, then regardless of what happens or might happen, I am safe. I am secure. My ultimate deliverance from God’s righteous judgment is absolutely secure. So what difference does it really make if my back is to the Red Sea and Pharaoh’s chariots are in hot pursuit, or whether I have journeyed three days into a desert ocean with exhausted water resources and have finally found water, but discover it is undrinkable, or if I think I have too much to do and too little time to get it all done? My responsibility is to do what it has always been.

Just as the golfer can only focus on one swing of the golf club at a time, regardless of his last shot, his last several shots, his score, his lack of practice or a swing coach or how every one else is responding, so the believer can only focus on being in the moment—what is God’s Spirit teaching, leading or inspiring me to do…now? Not an hour from now, not three days ago, or a year ago. Now! Now…what is God’s truth? What does obedience to his will, his truth, his commands look like?

So far now, finish this study. That’s it. After that, can I trust that because I am healed through Christ, his Spirit will give me my next Spiritual task to do?

What about you? Struggle? Truth? Application?

What about your students? Their struggles (list a few; think about several of your students)?

Applications?…

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org).

Value and Worth – The Elliot Rodger Story

© 1998-2014
Fellowship at Cross Creek

The Uncomfortable Mirror of Elliot Rodger…

6.6.14

On the evening of May 23, the last day of Spring classes this past semester, Elliot Rodger, a 22 year-old part-time UCSB college student, ended up killing six people, besides himself, and injuring 13 more, as well as rocking Southern California and perhaps, even if only momentarily, the world.

Hate, narcissism, sadness, lonely, questionable values, materialistic, broken, self-absorbed, worldly, arrogant, shallow, jealous, insecure, seemingly-rejected, bitter, sick, entitled, godless, confused, hopeless, foolish, wanting to be loved or adored, lustful, worthy, idolatrous, spoiled, mislead, seemingly invisible, socially-challenged. These were some of the terms you used to describe what you observed in two of Elliot Rodger’s self-posted videos—videos he reposted shortly before he enacted his planned Day of Retribution for having been, as he interpreted it, rejected romantically by women.

This past Sunday I made the case, like an uncomfortable mirror held up to our faces, Elliot Rodger, his life, his family, his videos and his 141-page manifesto, whether we like it or NOT, is our…America, each and every family in America, each and every one of us… uncomfortable mirror. Sadly, we are Elliot and Elliot is us….hopefully perhaps,

not in one insane, misguided exploding nutshell, but certainly in undeniable portions as described above. And although Elliot had been diagnosed as having the autistic social disorder of Asperger’s Syndrome, what Elliot seemed to be saying underneath it all was that he just wanted to be validated. Like all of us, he wanted value and worth, or as Dr. Larry Crab describes human’s greatest emotional needs—to be significant and safe…to be valued and okay.

Elliot, in his own warped worldview, thought that the validation he so craved would only come through sexual intimacy with a beautiful girl. Ironically and tragically, he construed a world in which that was never going to experience it. Besides dressing nicely and appearing in public, he never reached out to any girls. Therefore, he created an existence in which he was never going to receive what he believed would make him truly happy. Trapped, in his “living hell,” as Elliot describes it, he decided that if he wasn’t going to have sex, others wouldn’t either. He became a god and attempted to play God, but as it turned out, Elliot was not a very good god.

And in fact, Elliot was never intended to be God or a god. Rather, the Scriptures tell us that there is only true source of lasting, sustainable significance and safety, or value and worth, and that is the Creator himself. Not only did God create us in his own image, after our Fall into sin and imperfection, through his Son’s sacrificial atonement for our Fall and the gift of his Spirit of truth and power, God is also recreating us into the image of his Son. Therefore, we HAVE VALUE! It was given to us on the cross. Our redemption—our value and eternal safety–according to Mark 10:35ff, was bought with the life of God himself. God so loved the world, that he gave…(He gave what?)…his Son…(to suffer, die and therefore make atonement for mankind’s imperfection) so that whoever puts his trust in him…his atonement…will live forever (with God) and will not die (forever). John 3:16.

No human, job, family, event, experience, moment, accomplishment, amount of money, fame or prestige will ever be able to give me the significance and safety that my broken soul so deeply craves. Why? Because they are not perfect. They are NOT God. They are NOT God enough. Too fragile; too imperfect, too fallen and flawed themselves. For a bit, perhaps? Moments, perhaps? But never enough to satisfy our desperate thirst. Only God can do this. And his well, water fountain…river of significance and safety… never ever runs dry. Every moment of every day, I can drink it in. I have value. I have worth, and NO ONE can take it away from me. Eternal fact. Trust. Faith. Believe. Say it again and again and again. God’s truth for my flawed truth. God’s value for man’s incomplete value of me.

Yes, sadly, we are Elliot and Elliot is us, but instead of angrily taking out our revenge upon the world for not having loved or admired us the way our souls so desperately crave to be loved or admired, by faith and trust, we can drink from the wellspring of value and worth that never runs dry (John 4:13ff; 7:37-39)—God or the eternal Spirit of God—and immediately have our soul’s thirst quenched. It makes all the difference in the world, and it could have made the difference in both Elliot and the lives of his victims and their families. And it can still make a difference, in the lives of a million, billion other partial-Elliots like all of us out there. The uncomfortable mirror ought to drive us to a savior, a deliverer…a validator. That savior…that validator is Jesus.

Joe

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968,1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation Used by permission.” (www.Lockman.org).