Morning Musings – Page 61

Morning Musing: Exodus 7:1-5

June 29, 2023Leave a comment

“The Lord answered Moses, ‘See, I have made you like God to Pharaoh, and Aaron your brother will be your prophet. You must say whatever I command you; then Aaron your brother must declare it to Pharaoh so that he will let the Israelites go from his land. But I will harden Pharaoh’s heart and multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. Pharaoh will not listen to you, but I Will put my hand into Egypt and bring the military divisions of my people the Israelites out of the land of Egypt by great acts of judgment. The Egyptians will know that I am the Lord when I stretch out my hand against Egypt and bring out the Israelites from among them.'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

There are some folks who just like to fly by the seat of their pants. Most, though, are much more comfortable having some sort of a plan. And, the bigger the task, the more detailed the plan should be. In the case of Moses and the Israelites, they were getting ready to undertake the biggest task they could imagine. They were going to take on the most powerful man in the world and eliminate his source of slave labor. And, their initial attempt to get started had not gone well. Fortunately, God had a plan. He lays that plan out here one more time in step-by-step detail. Let’s talk through what we see here.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 6:28-30

June 28, 2023Leave a comment

“On the day the Lord spoke to Moses in the land of Egypt, he said to him, ‘I am the Lord; tell Pharaoh king of Egypt everything I am telling you.’ But Moses replied in the Lord’s presence, ‘Since I am such a poor speaker, how will Pharaoh listen to me?'” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We tend to revere certain people who have achieved what we determine to be great things. Part of this is totally understandable. When someone has done something we can’t do, we are impressed by that. Part of this is a leftover from the Fall and our sinful nature. It’s easier to look to people we can see than to a God we can’t. Most religions do this regularly and lean into it. Christianity has certainly been guilty of this over its history. Yet it is the one religion that doesn’t find any support for this in its founding documents. The Scriptures are clear over and over again that people are not great; God is. Let’s talk about why this matters so much.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 6:20, 26-27

June 27, 2023Leave a comment

“Amram married his father’s sister Jochebed, and she bore him Aaron and Moses. Amram lived 137 years. . .It was this Aaron and Moses whom the Lord told, “Bring the Israelites out of the land of Egypt according to their military divisions.” Moses and Aaron were the ones who spoke to Pharaoh king of Egypt in order to bring the Israelites out of Egypt.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Every culture has ways of identifying who its elite members are. Today we give preference to graduates of certain universities. People who are publicly known for embracing certain social positions and who are also graduates of those same schools (although it’s hard to imagine many of their graduates come out not embracing those positions given how hard they work to indoctrinate their students into their worldview) can establish themselves even more firmly. But the most consistent way we have historically identified the best and brightest is by their family name. Names like Clinton, Bush, and Kennedy carry a lot of cultural clout. Just before we get into the real action of our story, the author stops to give us Moses’ credentials. Let’s talk about what’s going on here and why it matters.

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Morning…or Afternoon Musing: Ephesians 6:10-13

June 23, 2023Leave a comment

“Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens. For this reason take up the full armor of God, so that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having prepared everything, to take your stand.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

Today brings the week of camp to an end. It has been a good week. There’s something about stripping away the pressures and distractions of the world we call “real,” combined with a context focused on worship that allows us to experience God in a special way. And God has indeed moved in the hearts and minds of many of these students. As things come to a conclusion today, let’s take a look at the whole passage we’ve sat with this whole week to see what other truths we can glean from it.

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Morning…or Afternoon Musing: Ephesians 6:13d

June 22, 2023Leave a comment

“…to take your stand.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

We often imagine spiritual warfare in terms that have generally been set by Hollywood and popular media more broadly. The trouble is, that is almost never what it is really like. As we finish up breaking down the theme verde from camp this week, we’re going to focus on a word that Paul comes back to three times in this section and which gives us a better picture of what our real task is. Let’s talk about standing.

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