Tag: Morning Musings

Morning Musing: Exodus 18:9-12

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“Jethro rejoiced over all the good things the Lord had done for Israel when he rescued them from the power of the Egyptians. ‘Blessed be the Lord,’ Jethro exclaimed, ‘who rescued you from the power of Egypt and from the power of Pharaoh. He has rescued the people from under the power of Egypt! Now I know that the Lord is greater than all God’s, because he did wonders when the Egyptians acted arrogantly against Israel.’ Then Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, brought a burnt offering and sacrifices to God, and Aaron came with all the elders of Israel to eat a meal with Moses’ father-in-law in God’s presence.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

When God does what He does, it is always with a purpose in mind. We may not always know exactly what that purpose is, though, which can be really frustrating. We want to know the specifics so that we can respond appropriately. Not knowing the specific purpose God has in mind, however, doesn’t mean we don’t know the general one – and there’s always a general one. A conversation Moses has with his father-in-law points us toward this general purpose. Let’s talk about what this is and how we can always make sure we are on board with it.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 18:1-8

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“Moses’s father-in-law, Jethro, the priest of Midian, heard about everything that God had done for Moses and for God’s people Israel when the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt. Now Jethro, Moses’s father-in-law, had taken Zipporah, Moses’ wife, after he had sent her back, along with her two sons, one of whom was named Gershom (because Moses had said, ‘I have been a resident alien in a foreign land’) and the other Eliezer (because he had said, ‘The God of my father was my helper and rescued me from Pharaoh’s sword’). Moses’ father-in-law, Jethro, along with Moses’ wife and sons, came to him in the wilderness where he was camped at the mountain of God. He sent word to Moses, ‘I, your father-in-law Jethro, am coming to you with your wife and her two sons.’ So Moses went out to meet his father-in-law, bowed down, and then kissed him. They asked each other how they had been and went into the tent. Moses recounted to his father-in-law all that the Lord had done to Pharaoh and the Egyptians for israel’s sake, all the hardships that confronted them on the way, and how the Lord rescued them.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

This next part of the story of Israel’s journey to the Promised Land is one of those that feels like it doesn’t really have any point. It’s just story. Yet as we have seen time and again, God often hides deep truth in the context of ‘just stories.’ Some of the truth through chapter 18 is obvious and gets preached a lot. Other parts are more subtle and will require us to sit with the text a little longer. The first part of the chapter takes us through a lot of this second kind. Let’s start here with Moses’ getting some time with his family. Let’s talk about why it mattered for him and why it matters for us.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 17:12-13

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“When Moses’s hands grew heavy, they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat down on it. Then Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side and one on the other so that his hands remained steady until the sun went down. So Joshua defeated Amalek and his army with the sword.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

The writer of Hebrews told his audience of believers that they should not give up on meeting with one another – that is, being the church together. The reason for this command was rooted in their need for one another as they sought to advance God’s kingdom together. The idea that we need help doing God’s work was not a new one. Even relying on God’s power is not something we can manage on our own. Moses experienced that here. Let’s talk about what’s going on here, and why doing God’s work in community is better than trying it on our own.

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Morning Musing: Exodus 17:8-11

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“At Rephidim, Amalek came and fought against Israel. Moses said to Joshua, ‘Select some men for us and go fight against Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the hilltop with God’s staff in my hand.’ Joshua did as Moses had told him, and fought against Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. While Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, but whenever he put his hand down, Amalek prevailed.” (CSB – Read the chapter)

How does God’s power work? If you are someone who believes His power exists and can accomplish things in our lives, that would seem to be a pretty important question to answer. Sometimes God answers big questions like this at unexpected times. As we take the next step forward in our journey with Israel in this new year, we find ourselves faced with an opportunity to reflect on this very question. Let’s take it and see what we can learn.

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Songs of the Season: Luke 2:7

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”Then she gave birth to her firstborn son, and she wrapped him tightly in cloth and laid him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.“ (CSB – Read the chapter)

Jesus’ birth changed history. No other birth has been of similar significance as His. It’s not even close. We literally changed how we number our years because He was born. Modern scholars try to cover up that fact by using BCE and CE instead the traditional BC and AD, by the numbers don’t change which means the event of Jesus’ birth is still the lynchpin on which everything hinges. How could a song properly capture such an ordeal in words? It couldn’t. But I heard one recently that comes pretty close. Let’s celebrate today that Jesus is alive with one last song of the season.

Continue reading “Songs of the Season: Luke 2:7” →