Been awhile...

It certainly has been awhile since I have posted anything on this blog. I got into facebook and reconnected with so many people. Now I am on Twitter...and not sure what all that means:)

But I did enjoy blogging and posting my thoughts and the things God has been showing me.

I do plan to get back into blogging and keeping a record or dairy of things happening in my life. So I can look back and see what God is doing and how He is working.

So I will be back a little more regularly...I hope. It will hopefully hold me accountable to document each day...and make sure I am getting into God's word each day as well.

Leviticus 1-7

Now we come to the book of Leviticus...."matters of the Levites". The Levite tribe were the priests. Leviticus not only give them instructions and addresses their responsibilities but more significantly the priests were instructed on how they are to assist the people in worship and the people are informed on how to live a holy life.

The first seven chapters provided laws pertaining to sacrifices. Five sacrifices are layed out...the first 3 were voluntary and the last 2 were compulsory. They were: 1) burnt offering (1:1-17); 2) grain offering (2:1-16); 3) peace offering (3:1-17); 4) sin offering (4:1-5:13); and 5) trespass offering (5:14-6:7)

All the offerings were forms of worship to God. Those that were truly God's by faith gave these offerings with an attitude of worship...for the others the offerings were eternal rituals.

Here is a chart I have in my Bible:

Christ in the Levitical Offerings

Offering / Christ's Provision/ Christ's Character

1. Burnt Offering/atonement/Christ's sinless nature

2. Grain Offering/dedication/consecration/Christ was wholly devoted to the Father's purposes

3. Peace Offering/reconciliation/fellowship/Christ was at peace with God

4. Sin Offering/propitiation/Christ's substitutionary death

5. Trespass Offering/repentance/Christ paid it all for redemption

Exodus 10-40

So much to catch up posting on.

My last post was way back in Chapter 9... so in Chapter 10 plague 8 and 9 occur...then plague 10 is death of firstborn. Passover is instructed to all of Israel in 12...and the blood of the lamb on the door post is in the shape of a cross. I love how this points to Christ. Then God leads them out of Egypt...they cross the Red Sea.... the children of Israel are quick to complain that they have no water or food...but God provides for them (water and manna).

The rest of Exodus talks about God's intimate relationship with Moses meeting him on Mount Sinai and giving Moses the ten commandments and the law and the covenant. God also gives Moses instructions on how to build the tabernacle. Very specific instructions...God does not leave any room for misinterpretation. Moses was with God for 40 days and nights...and the people quickly turned to an idol because of Moses delay. God was angry...Moses intercedes for the people. Moses goes back to spend time with God receiving more instruction and the covenant is renewed.

The people gave willingly and their hearts were stirred as they constructed the tabernacle as the Lord had instructed.

Exodus ends with the glory of the Lord filling the tabernacle...and Exodus 40:38 says "For the cloud of the Lord was above the tabernacle by day and fire was over it by night in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journey."

There is so much in Exodus that I have not posted about. Be sure to read the entire book! God is so good!

The past two weeks...

WOW. My last post was last Monday Feb 2nd. I have kept up on my Bible reading (thank you God for your word)....I have just not had a chance to blog lately. And do plan to get back to it. My grandmother passed away last week and we took a trip to Maryland for her funeral. I am trying to get my feet back under me...and my mind is so deep in thought about so many things.

So I will be back to post some thoughts here soon. And get back to posting my thoughts on the daily Bible reading.

I am not off to a school conference with my son...it's student lead...how fun is that!

Oh and remember....just keep praying...praying has kept me going during these past two weeks!

Amy

Exodus 4-6, 7-9,

Exodus 4-6

Alright so Chapter 3 ends with God calling Moses to go to Pharaoh on behalf of the children of Israel so they can be released and led to the promise land.

Moses in Chapter 3 twice questions God and tries to make an excuse for God not to send him. Moses says "Who am I that I should go" and "Who shall I say sent me" Then in Chapter 4 Moses 3 more times tries to wiggle out of this calling by saying "what if they don't believe me?" and "I do not speak very well" and "Isn't there someone else you can send"

I find these questions Moses asked comforting. When God leads us to do something there are times we may instantly obey...but there may be times that we just can't wrap out mind around it and we may say to God...ummm are you sure? Are you really asking ME to do this? God is so loving and answered Moses questions...and He will our too.

Moses returns to his father in law and Jethro lets Moses go in peace. God again tells Moses to go to Egypt...but also tells him that He will harden Pharaoh's heart.

God sends Moses Aaron's brother to meet Moses in the wilderness...Aaron became Moses voice.

Moses and Aaron meet with the children of Israel and they are so excited that God has sent someone to help them get free. Moses and Aaron then go to Pharaoh to say that God says "Let my people go" and Pharaoh says no and increases the labor of the children of Israel. The children of Israel were not very happy towards Moses and Aaron.

In Chapter 6 God speaks to Moses again and tells him to go to Pharaoh, God focused on the covenant He made with Abraham. But the children of Israel did not heed because of the severe bondage.

Chapter 6 goes on to explain the families of Moses and Aaron. They are descendants of Levi..one of Jacob's sons.

Exodus 7-9

God instructs Moses and Aaron to go back to Pharaoh...but also says that He will harden Pharaoh's heart and multiply my signs and wonders in Egypt.

So they go to Pharaoh...and they showed a miracle of throwing down the rod that became a serpent. Pharaoh's sorcerers and magicians also were able to perform this (it was a trick) and Aaron's rod that became a serpent swallow their serpents. But Pharaoh's heart was hard

Now the plague come...there are 10 of them.

Before each time God speaks to Moses.

In Chapter 7 is the first plague the water becomes blood....the magicians were able to do this too...they couldn't stop it only increase it...and Pharaoh's heart grew hard, just as God said.

Chapter 8 show the second plague...Frogs. The magicians again increase this plague...the can't decrease it. Pharaoh begs for relief...promises to release the people...Moses cries out to the Loerd concerning the frogs...there was relief... Pharaoh heart is hardened, just as God said.

Then the third plague...Lice. There is no warning to Pharaoh. Aaron stretched out his rod like God said and lice struck the land. The magicians could not repeat this plague...but Pharaoh's heart was hard, just as God said.

The fourth plaque...Flies. God instruct Moses and Aaron to go back to Pharaoh and warns about the flies. God sends flies. Pharaoh bargains with Moses and Aaron. Moses prays. Flies are removed...but Pharaoh hardens his heart.

Chapter 9 starts out with the fifth plaque. They go to Pharaoh again as the Lord instructed. This time the livestock of Egypt are diseased...but the livestock of Israel are not diseased. Pharaoh's heart is hard yet again.

The sixth plague...boils. This plague has no warning just like the third one. Here scripture says the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart.

The seventh plague...Hail. Moses and Aaron once again to to Pharaoh as the Lord instructed. God send hail...except to Goshen where the children of Israel were. Pharaoh agains begs for relief, promises freedom and hardens his heart once again...as the Lord said he would.

more to come...

Exodus 1-3

Today's reading is Exodus 1-3.

So Joseph dies and his brothers and that generation....and there was a new king in Egypt that did not know Joseph. So they see that the children of Israel are growing in numbers (from 70 men to 603, 000 men to total population of about 2 million (Num 1:46) ) The Egyptians made the children of Israel (descendants) serve as slaves...and it was hard labor.

God shows his protection of the people of Israel...the king of Egypt instructed the Egyptian midwives to kill the baby boys of the children of Israel (Hebrews)...but the midwives feared God and did not...when questioned they told the king that the Hebrews were having their babies before the midwives got there. Now instead of trying to justify a lie on the part of the midwives seeking to protect God's people...we should take this statement as true. God was at work and directly involved in the lives of the Hebrews.

Chapter 2 introduces Moses. We can see that Moses is from the tribe of Levi. His mother hid him for 3 months...then made an ark among the reeds and floated him down the river...Moses sister followed close behind to see where he would go. Pharaoh's daughter finds him and has compassion on him. Now Moses sister says "hey do you want me to find a Hebrew woman to nurse him??" Pharaoh's daughter agrees...so the sister goes and gets Moses mother..so she can continue to nurse him. I thought that was very cool...God's hand of protection. When Moses was grown his mother took him back to Pharaoh's daughter who then adopted him and called him Moses. Moses must have had special privileges but did not relinquish his native origin.

Then Moses sees an Egyptian being harsh to a Hebrew so he kills the Egyptian...and later two Hebrews are fighting and Moses confronts them...but they in turn confront him about killing the Egyptian...so Moses flees out of fear and goes to the land of Midian.

Moses protected the daughters of a priest of Midian, Reuel also know as Jethro. Moses is invited to eat with them and stays and lives with them. Moses marries one of the daughter Zipporah.

In Chapter 2:23-24...the children of Israel are crying out to God because of their bondage...God heard, God remembered, God looked upon and God acknowledged them....a response to their cries was coming. The covenant God made with Abraham was that his seed would multiply (which is had the numbers were huge for the children of Israel) but they would be in the land that He promised to Abraham...and they were not there but in Egypt.

Then in Chapter 3 God calls Moses in a burning bush. And I like that God calls Moses on an ordinary day while Moses was doing an ordinary task. God calls Moses to deliver the people from Pharaoh out of Egypt into the promised land full of milk and honey. Moses questions it...but God says I will be with you. Moses then asks what if they ask who you are...God says I AM WHO I AM. Then in vs 19 God even says "But I am sure the king of Egypt will not let you go, no not even by a mighty hand. So I will stretch our My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst, and after that he will let you go." So God let Moses know that it was going to be tough.

God can call us as well during ordinary days and during ordinary tasks and routines. It's not like God only shows up and speaks to our heart during church on Sunday. So we need to be alert and be aware that God is all around us and can call us to a mission at any moment. And He is with us...and He is the great I AM!

Exciting stuff in Exodus...

Joseph - A Type of Christ

My Bible has a chart that list parallels between Joseph and Jesus...I thought I would type up and include it in this blog:

PARALLELS

A shepherd of his father's sheep: Joseph Gen 37:2 ; Jesus John 10:11, 27-29

His father loved him dearly: Joseph Gen 37:3 ; Jesus Matt 3:17

Hated by his brothers: Joseph Gen 37:4 ; Jesus John 7:4,5

Sent by father to brothers: Joseph Gen 37:13,14 ; Jesus Hebrews 2:11

Others plotted to harm them: Joseph Gen 37:20 ; Jesus John 11:53

Robes taken from them: Joseph Gen 37:23 ; Jesus John 19:23,24

Taken to Egypt: Joseph Gen 37:26-28 ; Jesus Matt. 2:14,15

Sold for the price of a slave: Joseph Gen 37:28 ; Jesus Matt 26:15

Tempted: Joseph Gen 39:7 ; Jesus Matt 4:1

Falsely accused: Joseph Gen 39:16-18 ; Jesus Matt 26:59,60

Bounds in chains: Joseph Gen 39:20 ; Jesus Matt 27:2

Placed with two other prisoners, one who was saved and the other lost: Joseph Gen 40:2,3 ; Jesus Luke 23:32

Exalted after suffering: Joseph Gen 41:41 ; Jesus Phil 2:9-11

Both 30 years old at the beginning of public recognition: Joseph Gen 41:46 ; Jesus Luke 3:23

Both wept: Joseph Gen 42:24, 45:2, 14, 15; 46:29 ; Jesus John 11:35

Forgave those who wronged them: Joseph Gen 45:1-15 ; Jesus Luke 23:34

Saved their nation: Joseph Gen 45:7 ; Jesus Matt 1:21

What men did to hurt them, God turned to good: Joseph Gen 50:20 ; 1 Cor. 2:7,8