Tag: Moses

For His Name’s Sake

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 7-8

POETRY: PSALM 23

NEW TESTAMENT: MATTHEW 20:17-34

Yesterday, we focused on trusting in the faithfulness of God despite the challenges, troubles, and obstacles we face. Moses struggled with that trust and confidence that God would be faithful as he saw the increased oppression of the Israelite people. He asked the question, “Why?” Underlying this why was the sentiment: ‘Why – if you could free your people from this oppression – why wouldn’t you, God?’ 

We often ask God the same question. ‘Why – if you could intervene and alleviate the suffering of the world – why wouldn’t you, God?’ The answer to this question that we read in Exodus may ruffle the feathers of our modern sensibilities, but it does not make it any less true. 

We see a pattern through the story of the Israelites that God foretold what the story of the Israelites would be, including even the suffering they would face. Abraham was told about the 400 years the Israelites would spend in Egypt. The suffering of the people as slaves was foretold. And, Moses was told about the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart which would ultimately lead to the Israelites plundering the Egyptians on their way to freedom and the Promised Land. 

This makes us bristle because, in the modern world, our comfort, safety, and happiness are the greatest good. Nothing else is as important as those things. Honor, virtue, courage, and grace are deemed unworthy if they get in the way of our pursuit of these modern ideals. So, when we read that the Israelites would be forced to endure hardship, slavery, death, and injustice, we just can’t believe it. Why would a good God do this? 

God actually tells us why this happened. In Exodus 7:5, God says, “The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring the Israelites out of it.” God did these things for his name’s sake. The plagues spoke to the glory of God. They demonstrated that ‘God was god, and there is no other’ (Isaiah 45:5). 

The values of comfort, safety, and happiness are not esteemed in the Bible. In fact, the greatest good turns out to be the glory of God, which is exactly what God has brought about with the plagues. His name was made great. 

When we read this emphasis on making God’s name great, we may have some concerns. Some may even say that God is egotistical because he desires for us to glorify him, for us to worship him, and desires to make his name great. 

The basis for greatness and glory can only be found in God. 

When God commands us to worship him foremost in our lives, he is actually establishing boundaries for our worship that will keep us from sin and heartache. When we step outside God’s created order, we fall prey to greed, selfishness, and an endless pursuit of desires and addictions that do not lead to fulfillment or joy. We have a belief in faux modesty in our culture. Though in practice we exalt ourselves daily, we say that don’t. We place that same value of faux modesty on God, and so, we question when God seems to buck against that value. 

John Piper said, “Does my opposition to God’s God-centeredness reveal that my supposed God-centeredness is just a cover for wanting myself at the center, and the use of God to endorse that because he is so centered on me?” 

Who is at the center of your world? Is it God or is it yourself? Is your life’s work to make great the name of God or your own? 

For a more in-depth look at how the plagues depict Yahweh vs. Egyptian gods, read this previous SeekGrowLove post by Sean Finnegan. 

~ Cayce Fletcher

Cayce writes about discipleship, productivity, and homemaking at her blog https://amorebeautifullifecollective. You can find her latest post on prayer here. You can also listen to A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. How did the plagues make God’s name great? 
  2. In Psalm 23, God “guides me along the right paths for his name’s sake” (v. 3). How does guiding us along right paths give glory to God? 
  3. Matthew 20:20-28 tells the story of the mother of Zebedee’s sons coming and asking for Jesus to exalt James and John in the coming kingdom. Jesus responds by stating, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their high officials exercise authority over them. Not so with you. Instead, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be your slave— just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” How does becoming a servant bring glory to God and make his name known? 

SGLCalendar2024DOWNLOAD

Choosing to Believe in God’s Faithfulness

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 5-6

POETRY: PSALM 23

NEW TESTAMENT: MATTHEW 20:1-16

Moses overcame the excuses we read about in Exodus 3-4. He traveled to Egypt and met Aaron in the wilderness at the mountain of God. Together, they went and told the people. “The people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had paid attention to them and that he had seen their misery, they knelt low and worshipped” (Exodus 4:31). 

I wonder what Moses thought would happen next. He had spoken to the people, and due to the signs Moses had shown them, they believed that God would deliver his people. Did they think it would happen right away? Did they think that Pharoah would just let them go? What did Moses think? Was he prepared for a resounding no? 

Moses went and told Pharaoh to let God’s people go, but Pharaoh responded, “Who is this God that I should listen to him?” Pharaoh’s response was to make the Israelites labor harder. God had told Moses at the burning bush that “the king of Egypt will not allow to go, even under force from a strong hand” (Exodus 3:19). Even so, it seems like Moses begins to doubt that God will do what he said he will do as he sees Pharaoh make the Israelites’ lives even harder. 

The Israelites begin to complain, saying that it would be better if Moses had never come (Exodus 5:19-21). Moses cries out to God, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” (Exodus 5:22-23). Those old insecurities pop up again as Moses repeatedly tells God, “If the Israelites will not listen to me, why would Pharaoh listen to me since I speak with faltering lips?” (Exodus 6:12, 30) 

Moses had the promise of God to fulfill his covenant with Abraham. God said he would deliver the people. But, Moses began to doubt as he looked around at his current circumstances. He tells God, ‘You haven’t even rescued your people at all. You’ve made things worse.” 

We often fall prey to a certain kind of prosperity gospel preaching. We believe that if we work for God and do what he asks, we will see big returns right away. No waiting. No fussing. No pain. No problems. 

This is simply not the way God works. When we act in faith, we know that eventually, we will see a return for what we are working towards. However, that return is not promised to be quick or readily apparent. We work for a lifetime, and with the benefit of time and wisdom, we can look back and see the faithfulness of God. It is a fruit that takes decades not days. A fruit that may not be seen until the Kingdom. 

When Moses didn’t see immediate results, he began to doubt God’s intentions, his power, and his goodness. (Even though he was told that Pharaoh would have a hardened heart!) We have also been told that “in this world, we will have trouble” (John 16:33). How often do we doubt God’s intentions, his power, and his goodness in the face of the trouble of the world? 

We can “take heart” because Jesus has overcome the world!

~ Cayce Fletcher

Cayce writes about discipleship, productivity, and homemaking at her blog https://amorebeautifullifecollective. You can find her latest post on remembering God’s story in our lives here. You can also listen to A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Do you think Moses expected Pharaoh to let the Israelites go right away? Why or why not? 
  2. How do you persevere in your calling in the midst of setbacks and ‘troubles’? What are some practical ways you can stay encouraged to “keep fighting the good fight?”
  3. What is a past example of God’s faithfulness that you can remember when you face troubles in the future? 

SGLCalendar2024DOWNLOAD

Those Dangerous Excuses

OLD TESTAMENT: EXODUS 3-4

POETRY: PSALM 23

NEW TESTAMENT: MATTHEW 19

My son is fully in his threenager stage of life. Our days go something like this: 

“Jonah, go wash your hands. It’s time for dinner.” 

To which he responds, “Mama, I’ve already told you three [pronounced like tree] times. I’ve already washed my hands, and I’ll eat when I’m done playin’.” 

You can imagine my response to this. Let’s just say I have plenty of opportunities for correction and discipline throughout the day. 

Many times, I can recognize my own voice in what he says. What I say, he repeats in his cute toddler-growing-up way. In the conversation I mentioned before, his main goal was to keep playing, so he was just saying whatever he thought would lead to that outcome. He has a tendency to want to keep doing whatever he is currently doing. So if he’s playing, he wants to keep playing. If he’s at church, he wants to stay at church. If he’s at home, he wants to stay at home. This means starting the next activity involves a lot of excuses as to why he can’t quit what he’s doing and move on to the next thing, even if there are good things in store for him when he does. 

In today’s passages, we read about several excuses given as to why someone couldn’t follow through with what they were asked to do. In each case, the excuses were made because the person didn’t want to leave their comfort zone and change their life. 

In Exodus 3-4, Moses was leaving his flock to go find the lost sheep. On the way, he saw a burning bush. The LORD spoke to him there, calling him to go shepherd the Israelite people as they left Egypt and traveled to the Promised Land of Canaan. Moses gives a series of three excuses. He first asked what he should do if the Egyptians didn’t listen to him – probably thinking that it was a lost cause to go and try to ask the Egyptians to give up their unpaid labor. Then, he says that he is not a good speaker, calling himself “slow of speech and tongue.” Finally, he just comes right out and says, “Lord, please send someone else.” 

To each of these excuses, God responds with a resounding, “Go, I will be with you!” God doesn’t point to what Moses was capable of. Instead, he draws Moses’ attention to what he – God – can do through Moses. For the first excuse, God shows how Moses will be able to do wonders through God’s power. In the case of the second excuse, God points to how he is the creator. He will teach Moses what to say. In the last pleading excuse, God gives a helper to Moses in Aaron to be a mouthpiece for him. 

To each of Moses’ excuses, God gives a clear path forward, showing how he in his might and power will make what he has said come to pass. 

Our passage in Matthew 19 repeats this theme of excuses. The rich young ruler had attempted to live righteously, following the law. Jesus told him that he lacked one thing: He needed to sell his wealth and give to the poor. The rich young ruler went away sad, probably full of excuses. He didn’t want his life to change. 

We have been called ourselves. When we hear the gospel, we must change. When we hear God’s leading in our life, we must act. But, all too often, we are filled with excuses. We don’t want to leave our comfort zone, and we think of a million reasons why this is the case. 

Today, don’t focus on why you think you cannot accomplish something for God, or why you think you cannot move forward in faith. Instead, focus on what God has done and will do for you. Trust that he will lead you to “green pastures” and “quiet waters.”

~ Cayce Fletcher

Cayce writes about discipleship, productivity, and homemaking at her blog https://amorebeautifullifecollective. You can find her latest post on biblical ideas creating an ideal schedule here. You can also listen to A More Beautiful Life Collective Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you listen to podcasts. 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

  1. Moses was asked to go down to Egypt, but he didn’t want to go because he felt inadequate. Have you ever felt inadequate when you have been asked to do something for God? How can you overcome those inadequacies and act in faith? 
  2. What excuses have you given when it comes to following Jesus in faith? 
  3. Psalm 23 focuses on how God, as a good shepherd, leads to good things. What are some good things to which God has led you in your life? 

SGLCalendar2024DOWNLOAD

Great Stories: Jesus and Israel

Old Testament: Zechariah 7 & 8

Poetry: Psalm 145

*New Testament: Matthew 2

Tuesday, December 26, 2023. The Second Day of Christmas, Mathew 2

            Have you ever noticed how the really good stories keep being retold?  Sometimes it’s a remake.  Like Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory- with Gene Wilder in the iconic role when I was a child, remade with Johnny Depp playing Wonka.  Sometimes they take a classic story and give the backstory, which it seems they are doing with Wonka, with Timothée Chalamet showing a younger version.    Some of the classic stories get some real twists- Romeo and Juliet was modernized and musicalized into West Side Story and Homer’s The Odyssey got Southernized in O Brother, Where Art Thou.  You get the point.  Great stories have the kind of universal themes that carry over from generation to generation.

            We see the same thing when we read the Bible.  Some of the key stories in the Old Testament reappear in the Gospels.  That’s no accident.  Jesus so identifies with the nation of Israel and its story that he, in a sense, re-experiences their story in his own story.  Hebrews 4:15 says that he was tempted in every way as the people he gave himself up for were tempted. 

            Today’s reading in Matthew 2 is a great illustration of how Jesus relives the story of Israel.  Let’s take a moment to consider the ways Jesus recapitulates Israel’s story.  In the story of Moses, the evil Pharaoh was afraid that the enslaved Israelites were becoming too large and powerful and posed a threat to his power in Egypt, so he decreed that all the male Israelite babies born were to be killed.  Moses was spared while many other male children were not.  Moses, the one who was spared grew up to lead Israel out of their bondage and go toward the promised land.  Notice in today’s reading, Herod is afraid that Jesus would be a threat to his power so he seeks to have Jesus killed as a baby.  In the process of trying to have Jesus killed Herod murders all the innocent boys of Bethlehem.  Just as Moses was spared, Jesus’ life was spared, and he went down to Egypt until Herod died and it was safe to leave Egypt and come to Israel.

            Another part of the story was a dream that warned the wise men not to return to tell Herod where Jesus was living.  Dreams are an important part of the story of Israel.  Jacob’s son Joseph had a dream about his family bowing down to him, which led to him being kidnapped and sold by his brothers where he eventually arrived in Egypt and became a powerful leader of Egypt, and his brothers did indeed come to buy grain from him and bowed before him, just as he had dreamed.  In Matthew chapter 1, another Joseph, betrothed to Mary was told that the baby in Mary’s womb was the son of God and that Joseph was to marry her and raise Jesus as his own son. 

            After Jesus grew up and went through the waters of baptism, he went into the wilderness for 40 days where he was tempted.  This was a reenactment of Israel as a nation that went through the Red Sea and into the wilderness for 40 years where they were tempted.  Jesus relives Israel’s story in so many ways.

            Israel celebrated God sparing their firstborn children by passing over their homes wherever the blood of the lamb that was slain was over their entrance.  They celebrated God’s saving them each year by eating unleavened bread, drinking wine, and eating lamb.  Jesus became the lamb of God whose blood was shed to spare us from death.  During communion, we eat unleavened bread and drink wine (or unfermented grape juice) to remember that Jesus is the lamb of God who takes away our sins through his death on the cross so that we might have life everlasting.

            As you read through the Bible during Seek, Grow, Love, notice how the same story is retold in many ways.  The question is, is Jesus’ story a retelling of Israel’s story, or is Israel’s story lived in anticipation of the greatest story ever told, the story of Jesus?  Either way, you and I can make Jesus’ story our own story if we follow him.

-Jeff Fletcher

Reflection Questions

  1. What is the value in reading and knowing the Old Testament? 
  2. What do you love best about Israel’s story? What do you love best about Jesus’ story?
  3. How is Jesus’ story your story? 
  4. What do you learn about the author of Israel’s and Jesus’ stories? 
sgl23bibleplanDownload

Lost and Wandering

Old Testament: Ezekiel Intro – found below

Poetry: Psalm 90

New Testament: Revelation 5


Have you ever had a time in your life where you just feel lost? Like it could be a major thing that happened to you, or just a time where it felt like nothing was falling into place. Where you just wander around, with no end goal in mind, going through the motions. I know in my life there have been plenty of times where I’ve felt that way. One time that I can really think of was my senior year of high school. Going into that year I had no clue what I was going to do in just a few short months. I knew what I wanted sometime in the future, but not right after I graduated. I felt like everything was working out perfectly for all of my friends around me, and that they knew exactly what was ahead for them. But for me, I had no clue. I was lost and just didn’t know what my plan was going to look like. 

Another wandering story is the Israelites in the desert. They disobeyed God, and they wandered around for 40 years! Think about that! They were told that their generation would not enter the promised land, so they just moved around. That is a long time to just move from place to place without an end goal in sight. Now, Psalms 90 is written by Moses, most likely around the time that the Israelites are wandering in the desert. So with that context in mind, let’s dive into what the Psalm is talking about.

The first four verses here Moses is praising God for how great He is. Moses is trying to show just how big and powerful God is. He says in verse 2 “from everlasting to everlasting you are God.” Moses then contrasts God’s foreverness with man in verses 5-12. In this section, he talks about how man’s life is short. And beyond that, he says “yet their span is but trouble and sorrow.” (verse 10) Moses is saying that not only is man’s life short, yet in that short life there are a lot of bad things that can happen as well. Remember, Moses is wandering through the desert right now, there are not a lot of great things going on for him. Every time he turns around the people are disobeying him and God. They are just moving from place to place. Knowing that they are not going to get to see the land that God promised them. Yet after all this he moves back into prayer. In verses 13-17, Moses asks God to show His love. In verse 14 he says “satisfy us in the morning with your unfailing love.” 

When we are “wandering” and lost, we should take a lesson from Moses. Even when nothing was going right for him, he still asked God to make him glad. (verse 15) Moses asked God for His favor to rest on him. It is easy when things are going poorly to forget how everlasting God is. Moses reminds us that when things aren’t going right, and you’re just “wandering” to not forget about what God has done and what He can do.

-Camden Bormes

Reflection Questions

  1. When have you felt lost and wandering, with no clear goal in mind?
  2. What can we learn from Moses in his time of wandering?
  3. How do you refocus on God’s unfailing love? Have you ever tried asked Him to satisfy you with His unfailing love (which doesn’t mean making your life perfect or giving you everything you want)?
  4. What can we learn about God from Psalm 90?

Ezekiel Introduction

The Book of Ezekiel was written by the prophet Ezekiel while he was in Babylon during the Babylonian captivity.  (Ezekiel was among the first of the exiles to Babylon, and prophesied to Israel for 7 years before the fall of Jerusalem, and for about 13 years after.)  

Thirteen of Ezekiel’s messages are dated in relation to King Jehoiachin’s exile, and you’ll notice, while reading the book, that the messages aren’t recorded strictly chronologically, but are recorded by theme (e.g. 27:1, 29:17, 30:20).

Many times, God called Ezekiel “son of man” – a title Jesus used for himself multiple times in the Gospels.  God also called Ezekiel a watchman, who had to give a warning to sinful people, as we see in 33:7-9, “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me.  When I say to the wicked, ‘O wicked man, you will surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his ways, that wicked man will die for his sin, and I will hold you accountable for his blood.  But if you do warn the wicked man to turn from his ways and he does not do so, he will die for his sin, but you will have saved yourself.’ ”

The book is full of visions and prophecies. It starts with Ezekiel’s awesome vision of God and God’s calling Ezekiel.  It includes prophecies of judgment on Judah and Jerusalem; prophecies against the nations surrounding Israel; and finishes with visions of the future restoration of the land and [millennial] temple, and the glory of God returning to the temple.

Some of the most well-known visions include Chapter 37 (The Valley of Dry Bones) and Chapters 38 and 39 (prophecies against Gog and Magog).

-Steve Mattison

sgl23bibleplanDownload

The LORD Reveals Himself

* Old Testament Reading: Exodus 33 & 34
Psalms Reading: Psalm 43
New Testament Reading? Romans 13

Those silly Israelites. Even when God demonstrates His power in huge and miraculous ways like splitting the sea in half so they could walk across, they STILL forget and worship other gods. I would never be like that if I were an Israelite! … or would I? Sometimes, I forget God’s faithfulness and love too, and am tempted to wander from Him. I’m betting you have been like me and the Israelites at different seasons of life as well. 

Yesterday, in Genesis 32, we read about Moses bringing the Ten Commandments down from the mountain, only to find his people worshiping a golden calf they had made, claiming it was a god who had delivered them from Egypt. Aghast, Moses drops the two tablets and lectures the people! Moses pleads forgiveness for the Israelites, and God agrees to continue leading them toward the promised land. As a punishment, however, a great plague comes upon the people. 

In chapter 33, God commands the people to leave Sinai. Moses has a meeting with God, in which he asks for God’s presence to lead them and requests to see God – this wish is granted, but God only allows Moses to see his back. In chapter 34, Moses takes two new tablets to the presence of the LORD. As the LORD passes by, He says as a renewal of His covenant to the people (and a verse which is quoted many more times throughout the Bible), “The LORD, the LORD, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and the children’s children, to the third and fourth generation.” (Exodus 34:6,7 RSV)

This passage starts out as hope-filled and encouraging, right? We see God, YHWH, describe himself as full of mercy and grace, not easily angered, overflowing with love and faithfulness, and forgiving… But He will enforce consequences for sin. These verses show us that while God is merciful, he is also just. (I’ll link below a short video that I think provided a lovely explanation of these verses).  

After this meeting, God offers forgiveness and renews his covenant with his people. He reminds them of His best ways to live, and when Moses returns from the mountain after 40 days and nights with God, he is physically glowing!

The last half of Romans 13 ties in nicely in that it restates many of the same ten commandments! Paul reminds the people of Rome that the root of the commandments is actually love, and loving your neighbor as yourself. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is fulfilling the law.” (Romans 13:12, The Message). 

If we truly love God and love people, and show it with our actions toward them, we will be fulfilling the law and living more like God intended us to live. 

-Rachel Cain

Reflections: 

  1. Watch this video to learn more about the interpretation and poetic nature of verses 6 and 7:  bibleproject.com/explore/video/character-of-god-exodus/
  2. Who would you treat differently if you truly love your neighbor as yourself? 
  3. What does God reveal about Himself in your reading of His words today? How would you describe God to a child – or to a co-worker?
sgl23bibleplanDownload

Trusting God

Old Testament Reading: Exodus 5 & 6
Psalms Reading: Psalm 31
New Testament Reading: Romans 1

In today’s reading in Exodus, Moses gives us yet more examples of how not to talk to God. In chapter 5, we witness the irreverent tone Moses uses with the God of the universe.

22 Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Why, Lord, why have you brought trouble on this people? Is this why you sent me? 23 Ever since I went to Pharaoh to speak in your name, he has brought trouble on this people, and you have not rescued your people at all.” (NIV)

Maybe he needed another reminder that he was standing on holy ground. God then clearly lays out His plan to Moses for delivering the Israelites. He explains that He will use the force of His strong hand to make Pharaoh let the people go. 

Since Moses seems to forget He is conversing with Almighty God, God reminds him in chapter 6:

2 God spoke further to Moses and said to him, “I am the Lord; 3 and I appeared to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name, Lord, I did not make Myself known to them. 4 I also established My covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land in which they sojourned. 5 Furthermore I have heard the groaning of the sons of Israel, because the Egyptians are holding them in bondage, and I have remembered My covenant. (NASB 1995)

The NASB 1995 translation gives the following footnote concerning verse 3: Heb YHWH, usually rendered Lord.

Just think, Moses was privileged enough for God to utter His name to him! If this were a work of fiction and I had to write Moses’ response, I would want it to be a picture of Moses falling to his knees and begging for mercy for questioning God and not showing Him the praise and honor He is due. Unfortunately, even though God equips Moses with the very words he should say to the Israelites, Moses lets his fear of man overtake his fear of God. He becomes argumentative with God in verse 12 and 30 of Exodus chapter 6.

12 But Moses spoke before the Lord, saying, “Behold, the sons of Israel have not listened to me; how then will Pharaoh listen to me, for I am unskilled in speech?” (NASB 1995)

30 But Moses said before the Lord, “Behold, I am unskilled in speech; how then will Pharaoh listen to me?” (NASB 1995)

Moses’ fear was misplaced and showed a lack of trust in God and a lack of recognition of God’s might. He was more fearful of man at this moment and clearly didn’t trust God to come through for him. The Bible makes it clear that we must not let fear of man cause us to disobey God. Psalm 118:6 and Matthew 10:28 are great examples.

Psalm 118:

6 The Lord is for me; I will not fear; What can man do to me? (NASB 1995)

Matthew 10:

28 Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (NASB 1995)

In sharp contrast to Moses, David demonstrates his trust in God and a recognition of God’s lovingkindness in Psalm 31:

14 But as for me, I trust in You, O Lord,

I say, “You are my God.”

15 My times are in Your hand;

Deliver me from the hand of my enemies and from those who persecute me.

16 Make Your face to shine upon Your servant;

Save me in Your lovingkindness.

and

23 O love the Lord, all you His godly ones!

The Lord preserves the faithful

And fully recompenses the proud doer.

24 Be strong and let your heart take courage,

All you who hope in the Lord. (NASB 1995)

It certainly seemed that David knew God on a much more intimate level and actively praised His amazing attributes. The scriptures tell us he was a man after God’s own heart. For all the flaws David had, that is pretty special to be described in this way.

Acts 13

22 After He had removed him, He raised up David to be their king, concerning whom He also testified and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My heart, who will do all My will.’

May our faith always be bigger than our fear. May we be more like David when it comes to relying on God and trusting His character. 

Romans chapter 1 has great words of admonition concerning what our faith should look like:

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “But the righteous man shall live by faith.”

-Kristy Cisneros

Reflection Questions:

  1. How can you deepen your prayer life with God to have it look more like someone after God’s own heart?
  2. On most days, which is bigger: your fear or your faith? 
  3. What picture do you get of God in today’s reading?
sgl23bibleplanDownload

Today, If You Hear His Voice

Hebrews 3

Wednesday, September 21, 2022

Having read the first two chapters of Hebrews, we have seen the author building up this case for belief and hope in Jesus as the Son of God. Now in chapter 3, the author is trying to bring us back to an example that the readers would have been familiar with to help us understand the necessity of our faith. He calls back to Moses, the prophet who first heard the name of YHWH, delivered the Hebrews from enslavement in Israel and performed many signs and wonders in the midst of the Jews (Exodus 14:31). This Moses that the Hebrews are so familiar with, who brought the law that they hold in such reverence, was faithful in God’s house. However, his faithfulness was to testify of the Prophet to come (Deuteronomy 18:18, 19), namely Jesus.

By conjuring up this image of the Old Testament prophet, Moses, we are reminded of the rebellion of the Hebrew people after they were delivered from Egypt. In only a matter of years, the people hardened their hearts and they were filled with unbelief even though they had seen the signs of God in their own lifetimes. Can you imagine witnessing the parting of the Red Sea, the pillar of Cloud and Fire or the radiant face of Moses and yet still turn your back on the God who freed you from slavery? It doesn’t make sense to me at all. For some reason, the peoples’ hearts were hardened so that they couldn’t believe in God, even though they heard the voice of God.

Now this story isn’t just an example from the past, it is a story that represented the people to which this book is written. Many Jews believed that Jesus was the Son of God and the Messiah, but others refused to believe. Their hearts were hardened even though they saw all the signs and healings that Jesus performed. It is their unbelief that is their downfall.

I want to apply this story to today as well, while it is still called “today.” If I hear God’s voice, what will I do? Will I believe or will I harden my heart? I believe there are signs and works being performed today through the power of the Holy Spirit as it was promised by Jesus (John 14:12). If you don’t believe that there are still signs being performed to this day, ask a believer in your congregation if they have ever witnessed or performed a work through the Holy Spirit. More have than I think we realize.

The other part of hearing God’s voice today, is that the author of this book is re-presenting the words of God, the words of the Holy Spirit, words spoken Prophetically through David. This is the voice of God that you hear today. Encourage each other every day as long as it is called “today” (Hebrews 3:13). This should be your main takeaway from this passage. If you want to ensure that no one is hardened by the deceitfulness of sin so that they will enter into God’s rest (Hebrews 3:18), then tell someone the word of God today, while it is still called “today.” Speak the word of God in power, for there is certainly power in the word of God. We are given a message of hope that we can boast in (Hebrews 3:6). Pick up your phone and text a brother or sister in Christ and remind them of this hope. Get up and visit your brother and sister to tell them of this hope. If you believe in this hope, then let the whole world know and be a partner of Christ in his work of proclaiming the Kingdom of God (Hebrews 3:14).

-Nathaniel Johnson

APPLICATION QUESTIONS

  1. Who can I tell today about the hope that is found in Jesus?
  2. How often do I think about the hope that is found in Jesus?
  3. Ask a Christian, have you ever seen a sign or a work of the Holy Spirit?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

Perfect in God’s Eyes

Exodus 40

February 15

Who here is perfect? No one? Being perfect in society is hard and being a Christian in society is probably even harder. Society has built a whole view of a perfect person. In school you’re perfect if you have a 4.0 gpa, are a scholar athlete, and are participating in 20 billion extracurricular activities. Being a perfect person at work is doing your job to the “T”, having perfect attendance, being dependable, and maybe even being 20 different people at one time. Life is
hard.

As Christians our job is to set an example and show God’s work. Easy, right?

Exodus 40. Building the perfect tabernacle. Building a place fit for God.

Imagine being Moses for a second. This man not only was the one who got to come down from a mountain with God’s commands, but he also got to make this tabernacle a perfect place for God.

Now we can’t be Moses, because God has created us on our own path. But we can work at making our bodies perfect.

James 3:2 “We all stumble in many ways. Anyone who is never at fault in what they say is perfect, able to keep their whole body in check.” James 3 is about taming your tongue and your body. I relate these two together. Though I’m not creating a tabernacle, I can create a holy body.

-Genesis Dylewski

Questions for Reflection and Discussion

  1. Many of the chapters in Exodus that we didn’t specifically read this week were giving detailed directions for how to make the tabernacle according to God’s plan. Go back and read Exodus 25:1-9. What was the purpose of the tabernacle? How did Moses get the supplies needed? Why so many directions throughout the rest of Exodus?
  2. In Exodus 40 how many times do we read Moses did, “as the LORD commanded him”? Why is that important?
  3. What directions are given to us throughout God’s Word for creating ourselves to be a perfect place for God?
2022 SeekGrowLove Bible Reading PlanDownload

Numbers 27-28, Luke 4

As the book of Numbers draws to a close, Moses begins to make preparation for his death. God tells him he will not enter the Promised Land with the Israelites, but he will be able to see it before the Israelites enter in. Moses is (very understandably) concerned for the Israelite people. He has had to intercede for them and guide them away from idolatrous actions again and again. In Numbers 27, Moses passes on the leadership torch to Joshua so that the Israelites will not be like a “sheep without a shepherd” (Numb. 27:17). Joshua would become the next leader who would guide, command, and take care of the Israelite people as they enter into the land of Canaan. 

Luke 4 describes the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Moses had spent years building up trust and confidence from the Israelite people, and Joshua benefited from that. He was able to build on the legacy of leadership that Moses left behind. Unlike Joshua, Jesus had to start from square one when building confidence and trust with the Jewish people. We see him begin this process in Luke 4. After the temptations in the wilderness, he begins preaching in the synagogues. At one point, he reads a passage from Isaiah that begins with “The Spirit of the Lord is on Me, because he has anointed me to…” and then lists out all the actions the God has sent him to do (Luke 4:18). Jesus did not have a Moses that told all the Jewish people to listen and follow after him. But, Jesus had something better to establish his authority. Not only did God speak over him after he was baptized, “This is my beloved Son. I take delight in him!” (Luke 3:22). He also had all of the Old Testament scriptures that spoke about him! 

Even so, the Jewish people did not accept him as a leader, because he challenged the way that he led and thought about the world. Just like the leadership example set by Moses, Jesus knew that the Jewish people needed someone to guide them, protect them, and care for them. They needed a shepherd. But, being led by a shepherd sometimes includes being corrected by a shepherd. The Jewish people, especially those in positions of power, were resistant to this. In fact, this section of Luke ends with the Jewish people doing this: “They got up, drove Him out of town, and brought Him to the edge of the hill, intending to hurl Him over a cliff” (Luke 4:29). 

Jesus is the “good shepherd” (John 10:14). His sheep “follow him because they recognize his voice” (John 10:4). When Jesus is leading us, do we follow? Are we resistant and stubborn to correction, choosing to go our own way? Or do we trust that our good shepherd will guide us on the right paths? How do we view Jesus’ leadership? 

My prayer is that we will trust in Jesus as our good shepherd. That his leading, both in guiding and correcting, will be a “comfort” to us as he lets us “lie down in green pastures,” leads us “beside quiet waters,” and “renews our life” (Ps. 23:1-4). 

~ Cayce Fletcher

Read or listen to today’s Bible reading at Biblegateway.com: Job 1-2 and 2 Corinthians 2 .

download the seekgrowlove 2021 Bible reading plan