The Exodus

I feel like I've been reading the book of Exodus forever. In reality, it's only been nine days, but it feels like I've been reading it in real time. I'm trying diligently to learn from it - but when cubits get involved, I feel like I need to go back to seminary (or have my former seminary-student roommate move back in with me for a few days). This morning I found myself  looking ahead to what's next (Leviticus) and wincing.

Before beginning this bible reading plan, I'd never read through Genesis from start to finish. In fact, I'd never read through any Old Testament book from start to finish. Now, I've read all of Genesis, all of Job, and I'm almost finished with Exodus. I learned A LOT in the first two books, and I've been praying for God to reveal things to me that I probably missed when I watched Prince of Egypt at age eight (just to clarify, that's a joke). I feel like an idiot for getting caught up on the technical side of one of the greatest stories in the bible - aside from the life of Christ. I'll even go so far as to say one of the greatest stories in all of history (secular history included). This is God making a covenant to His chosen people and getting them the heck out of harms way! He's delivering them. He's sanctifying their faith. He's giving us the most well known and important set of rules and biblical laws. Why can't I get into this book?

Before you start rolling your eyes at me, I will assure you that this post was not written for the sole purpose of just updating you on the book in the bible I've reached in my (slow moving) reading plan. I want to share how amazing our God is and how faithful He is.

I'm trying to finish up the book, Made to Crave, that I mentioned in one of my previous posts. As I was reading today, I came across this paragraph:

"A few years ago, the words portion control took on new meaning as I studied the book of Exodus and noted the curious emotional response God’s people had after Moses led them out of slavery in Egypt. They’d just seen God do miracle after miracle to help them escape their captors, but they panicked when it came to food. In the desert the whole community grumbled against Moses and Aaron. The Israelites said to them, 'If only we had died by the LORD’s hand in Egypt! There we sat around pots of meat and ate all the food we wanted, but you have brought us out into this desert to starve this entire assembly to death.' Then the LORD said to Moses, 'I will rain down bread from heaven for you. The people are to go out each day and gather enough for that day. In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions.' (Exodus 16:2 – 4) In other words, God planned to use the Israelites’ food issues to teach them the valuable lesson of daily dependence on Him [this sounds familiar]. Don’t you love how applicable this is to us? Ancient biblical stories have taught me that history certainly has a way of repeating itself, so I’d be wise to pay attention. Because these recently freed Israelites continued to grumble against God and turn their hearts from Him, God took them on a forty-year detour. Instead of heading straight to the Promised Land of freedom, they had to wander in the desert for forty years while they learned how to truly depend on God. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the next forty years of my life learning this lesson. I want to stop grumbling about my weight, apply this valuable training about God-dependence and portion control, and keep walking toward the victory that can be mine."
TerKeurst, Lysa (2010-12-21). Made to Crave: Satisfying Your Deepest Desire with God, Not Food (pp. 131-132). Zondervan. Kindle Edition.

Wow, on a day when I woke up early, sat at my dining room table, struggled to read Exodus 33-36 and left asking God to please allow me to learn from my reading, this was a huge answered prayer! Maybe I'm too dense to see the reality of what God has been teaching me on my own, and I am thankful for the common grace of books and literature to wake me up with His truth.

So, today as you go through your routine, or go about the abnormalities that may or may not be causing you strife, take heart in the fact that we most certainly serve a faithful God. Even when we feel like our prayers are hitting the ceiling and we're just not getting it, not hearing Him, or whatever, He is with us. He is loving us. He is caring for us. Trust in His Word. Trust in His promises. Trust in His truth.

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